TRAC ~ Tennis Rallying Against Cancer

HISTORY:

The Rally in the Alley has its origins circa 2007 when La Cueva High School girls’ varsity tennis coach, Wendy Thomas found out one of her Senior captains, Kimberley Craft, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Throughout the season, Kimberly received aggressive chemotherapy treatments and braved forward by remaining as Team Captain with little playing time.  She travelled with the team and lead the team with her compassion, dignity and courage.  The tennis team “rallied” behind her, sponsoring various events in support of their teammate who was fighting cancer at such a young age.  The pinnacle event came later on in the summer, after Kim’s last chemo treatment was completed. The team rallied behind Kim and put on a Prom, entitled, “A Midsummer’s Dream”, because Kim had missed her own prom due to chemo treatments.  The event included a DJ, food, a limo and even the attendance of the Mayor of Albuquerque, who honored Kim with her own special day, “Kimberly Craft Day, July 27, 2007”.

That same year, Wendy, a cardio tennis instructor, learned that one of her students at Jerry Cline Tennis Center, Sylvia Trujillo, was battling breast cancer.  In an effort to show support for Sylvia, another event was born in that Fall of 2007, Cardio for the Cure. Participants enjoyed two courts of fun, fast paced drills followed with food and fellowship.  Proceeds from that day were donated to a cancer charity that another student was participating in. 

The following year, in 2008,  Wendy attended a community tennis conference where she visited a trade booth that was representing Susan G. Komen’s Rally for the Cure.  Inspired by the new information in hand, Wendy, along with the help of both Kim and Sylvia were on their way with starting The Rally for the Cure fundraiser event.  Joining this new and worthwhile event, was the La Cueva High School girls and boys tennis teams (led by Dick Johnson). This core group continued forward, sponsoring the Rally at the high school with round robin doubles, goody bags, breakfast burritos and a few raffle items.

In 2010, Sue Jollensten asked The Rally to join forces with the Coleman Vision Tennis Championships, which was a USTA 75K pro women’s event played at Tanoan Country Club. We held the event during the tournament where it quickly grew in recognition and participation.  The name was changed from Susan G. Komen’s Rally for the Cure to “Rally in the Alley” in 2012,.  This change was made in order to maximize control of the allocation of funds and try to keep the event more personal and local. We continued with the partnership with the USTA Championships and held the event annually with them through 2017.

In 2018, the Rally in the Alley was held at Highpoint Sports and Wellness and has been there ever since.  At that time, we joined forces with GOTEAMHAN, a charity formed for Han Nguyen, a paramedic, and a member of the tennis community who had recently passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. In 2020 we had a “virtual” rally, sold masks and adjusted to the times brought on by Covid. We were back in person and rallying strong in 2021 with our Mimosa Round Robin Doubles and brunch.  

In 2022 we formed TRAC, Tennis Rallying Against Cancer, our own 501(c)3. By forming a nonprofit, we now hope to expand our support of individuals and families facing cancer throughout the year.  TRAC solidifies our social purpose, expands our reach to participate in other events, and allows growth for charitable donations. 

To date, The Rally has grossed more than $80,000 and received two USTA awards for best Event of the Year (in 2015 and again in 2019).