I just attended the Maui Interscholastic League tennis tournament (MIL's), which includes the nearby islands of Lanai and Molokai.
My son just started his first year as a ninth grader playing tennis for Maui Preparatory Academy, and we were excited to have the kids competing with all the other island schools.
While watching the kids from Molokai play I met one of their dedicated young coaches, Pono, who was introduced to me by one of the USTA volunteers. When he learned I was with Tennis magazine and TENNIS.com he said, "you need to come to Molokai and see our grass courts"—and I wondered how an island as rural and economically challenged as Molokai could have grass courts. Then Pono went on to say, "the grass that grows up through our cement courts," and started laughing.
We spent the next three days following the Molokai team and coaches and enjoyed watching what this sport needs more than anything else: The pure joy, passion, team building, dedication, and togetherness that these kids bring.
In an effort to cut costs, the team has become quite resourceful. No player owns a new racquet. If a string breaks, there is one person on Molokai that can fix it, if there is string available. Tennis balls present another challenge. If the team runs through its annual budgeted allotment of four cases, they'll continue to use the older balls for the rest of the year and specifically practice picking up (difficult) drop shots.