The similarities between Damu Bobb and Gabrielle Clark don’t end with the fact that both are former New York City residents now living near each other in West Hollywood, played college tennis and traveled around the nation as junior tennis prodigies to national-level events.

Bobb and Clark have served diligently on the board for USTA Southern California the past several years and have also shared the same Live Ball court. But probably the most significant commonality the two share is that they have recently taken time out of their busy daily lives to stop and recognize all that Black History Month means to them.

“There are so many rich accomplishments that come out of the Black community, so I really love celebrating that,” said Clark, 31, who is a Senior Manager, Strategy & Operations at LA28. “Being able to showcase our culture and everything that Black people are proud of is very special. I love the events that USTA SoCal puts on each year during this month because you see the community come together and get really excited about tennis.”

“I learned tennis via an organization that focused on teaching tennis in the Black community so it’s cool to be able to see that happening now in my adulthood,” Clark said.

Clark grew up in Chicago and took up the game at a young age playing under the guidance of Coach Troy Toole at the Midtown Tennis Club.

The 47-year-old Bobb remembers the African American greats of the game who sacrificed so much for others so that they could achieve their dreams in tennis.

“When you talk about tennis you think about all the great things someone like Arthur Ashe did to make tennis accessible to everyone,” Bobb said. “To honor the greats like Ashe and the Williams sisters, and there are so many even on the community side so it’s not just at the pro level. There are so many people behind the scenes who we don’t even know about who have created opportunities in tennis.”

Bobb said it was about five years ago he started thinking about giving back to the game that has given him so much. Then-USTA SoCal Manager of Community Tennis Evan Smith recommended he volunteer on a few committees, and he has since been able to play a role in cultural events like Black History Month, Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage and Hispanic Heritage put on by the section.

Bobb grew up in New York City and when he was 12 his family moved to the San Jose area where he played national junior tournaments before heading off to college to play for legendary SoCal coach Larry Easley at UNLV. 

Soon after graduating in 1999, Bobb moved to Los Angeles where he has forged a successful career as an award-winning programming executive and producer in the digital space at Fox Sports.

Bobb said his favorite tennis memory was winning a national 18s title in an American Tennis Association tourney, which Bobb calls the Black version of the USTA, in Ashe’s home state of Virginia. “My mom and dad were in the stands and it really is one of my fondest memories I have.”

Clark won three national titles playing for Emory University in Decatur, Ga., just outside of Atlanta – the NCAA Division III singles as a sophomore in 2012, as a senior in singles in 2014 and leading the way to a team title the same year. She also ran indoor track.

After a short stay in New York City, Clark moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA Anderson School of Management, with a specialization in entertainment. But a life-long dream of working in sports led her to a position with LA28 soon after the Olympics and Paralympics were awarded to L.A. in 2017.

“I thought it would be great to work for LA28 at some point, but I never thought it would happen right after business school,” said Clark, who attended the Rio Olympics in 2016 with her family as a spectator.

Clark’s main job is to support venue management and ticketing teams and making sure they have the systems in place to be successful.

Clark called the junior tennis tour a “little bit lonely at times” but would never trade her experiences of travel and meeting so many great players over the years. “I remember spending every New Years playing Super Nationals in Phoenix, and then the Copper Bowl in Tucson,” she said. “There were trips to Indianapolis and New Orleans and to Los Angeles, Florida and even Argentina. Just being around so many kids in such a fun environment at a young age was definitely eye-opening.”

Bobb said he was inspired to volunteer by his father and uncle and that he wants to pass on the same love of tennis to his two boys, Kian, age 13, and Christian, age 9. “I love going out and hitting balls with them and seeing them improve,” he said. “Tennis is a game for life and there’s nothing better than exposing my kids to the sport.”