The Corley family created the Corley Cup during the pandemic to provide scholarships and opportunities for young tennis players in New Mexico.
The Corley family is helping young tennis players in New Mexico access the sport through their hometown tournament, the Corley Cup, which provides scholarships and supports local charities.
You may remember Ivana and Carmen Corley competing in the U.S. Open last year. Now, they’re back home, bringing high school tennis players from across New Mexico together for the Corley Cup.
“The kids get to play in the tournament and earn scholarship money toward college, and with the other money we raise in the community, we give back to local charities here,” said professional tennis player Ivana Corley.
The Corley family created the tournament during the pandemic after finding inspiration in an unexpected place.
“My dad called me into the TV room. He was watching cornhole on ESPN, and he was like, ‘How the heck is cornhole being played right now when tennis is also a social-distancing sport? You guys should be playing tennis too,'” Ivana Corley said.
The idea quickly gained support.
“I thought maybe some of my friends might be interested in helping. Pretty soon, those friends became sponsors, and it turned into something no one expected,” Ivana Corley said.
Since its inception, the tournament has raised nearly $300,000 for scholarships and New Mexico charities. The Corleys say that support is helping more young athletes access a sport that can quickly become expensive.
“Tennis is the sport that has the best athletes who can afford to play or who have been exposed to playing the sport.
That’s where the Corley Cup comes in,” Ivana Corley said.
Now entering its seventh year, the family hopes to grow New Mexico’s tennis community and give more players a path to the next level.
“Division I athletes who played in the Corley Cup and went on to play in college—that, to me, is the most rewarding thing,” Ivana Corley said.
“Being able to have a direct impact within the community that I grew up in is the biggest and best thing I could do,” she added.
A tournament born during a time of isolation is now connecting New Mexico’s tennis community and opening courts for the next generation. Nearly $300,000 has been raised for scholarships and charities across the state.