Training & Tryouts to Start for Best "Job" at the BNP Paribas Open

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Training sessions for those interested in one of the most desirable jobs in the world of professional tennis, being a ballkid at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open, will take place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden beginning on January 30, 2010. All of the sessions will run from 3:00-5:00 p.m. Kids ages 12-20 are eligible to try-out to become ballkids for the prestigious event, held March 8-21 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

A new training schedule based on experience has been setup this year. Rookie (no previous experience) and Freshman (one year of experience) ballkids are required to participate in two of the following training sessions; Sat., Jan. 30, Sun., Jan. 31, Tues., Feb. 2, or Wed., Feb. 3. In addition, these ballkids will be required to work one day of the BNP Paribas Open Challenge Tournament to be held from Friday, February 12 – Monday, February 15.

If selected after the BNP Paribas Open Challenge Tournament, Rookie and Freshmen ballkids must attend two of the following training sessions; Thurs., Feb. 18, Sat., Feb. 20, Sun., Feb. 21, Tues., Feb. 23, or Thurs., Feb. 25. Sophomore (two years of experience) ballkids must attend three of the above sessions, and are required to work one day of the BNP Paribas Open Pre-Qualifier Tournament, to be held on Saturday, March 6 – Sunday, March 7. Veteran (three years or more of experience) ballkids must attend a mandatory training session on Tues. Feb. 16, and then two additional sessions from the list above.

All ballkids must fill out an online application (http://www.iwtg.net/Ball-Kids) before coming to their first training. In addition, before the end of training they must complete the home study guide and online test.

Ballkids are needed for over 300 qualifying and main draw matches and each child needs to have tennis experience and should be prepared to commit to a minimum of five weekdays. The ballkids are managed and trained by volunteer moms and dads and are scheduled according to experience and age. Last year more than 250 area youths comprised the ballkids team.

“This opportunity is unparalled for the kids in the Valley,” said Dee Dee Felich, assistant tournament director. “There are very few professional sports where kids can participate in the event and we use over 250 of them. We are proud to say that our ballkids work hard and do a terrific job meeting the demands of the players on court.”

More benefits include a complimentary official uniform, guest passes, programs, and player autograph signings. Two ballkids will be chosen at the end of the event to win one $500 scholarship each as the “Ballkids of the Year” based on his/her performance.

For more information on how to become a ballkid, visit www.bnpparibasopen.org and click ballkids at the bottom of the homepage, or call 760-200-8430.

About the BNP Paribas Open
The BNP Paribas Open is held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and is the largest combined ATP World Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event in the world. The event will be celebrating its 35th anniversary March 8 – 21, 2010, with defending champions Rafael Nadal and Vera Zvonareva and more than 300 of the best men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. To purchase tickets visit www.bnpparibasopen.org, call 800-999-1585 or 760-200-8000, or visit the Indian Wells Tennis Garden box office, 78-200 Miles Avenue, Indian Wells, CA 92210.

About BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas (www.bnpparibas.com) is a European leader in global banking and financial services and is one of the 3 strongest banks in the world according to Standard & Poor’s. The group is present in 85 countries, with more than 171,000 employees, including 131.000 in Europe. The group holds key positions in three major segments: Corporate and Investment Banking, Asset Management & Services and Retail Banking. Present throughout Europe in all of its business lines, the bank’s two domestic markets in retail banking are France and Italy. BNP Paribas also has a significant presence in the United States and strong positions in Asia and the emerging markets.

About BNP Paribas and tennis
In 2008, BNP Paribas celebrated the 35th anniversary of its association with the tennis world. Since 1973, BNP Paribas has been actively involved in this sport, regularly increasing its support – both locally and internationally, for families, schools and the community.

Historically, BNP Paribas has had a special relationship with every facet of the tennis world: official global sponsor of Roland Garros for 35 years, sponsor of the Davis Cup since 2001, of the Fed Cup since 2005 and since the acquisition of BNL in 2006, the "Internazionali BNL d'Italia", as well as actively supporting numerous other international competitions (WTA Bank of the West Classic in California, the Monte Carlo Masters Series, BNP Paribas Strasbourg Women's Open, Grand Prix de Lyon, etc.). BNP Paribas also supports tennis locally in France, and is involved in more than 550 tournaments, including the BNP Paribas family trophy, various training programmes set up by the French Tennis Federation and Yannick Noah’s “Fête le Mur” association.