The Pacific Life Open, the most attended event outside of the Grand Slams, in conjunction with the Coachella Valley National Junior Tennis League (NJTL), will host an all new Kids Day, on Saturday, March 8 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. it was announced today by tournament director Steve Simon.

The day, which is open to the general public and includes free admission and parking, will feature a variety of activities geared for elementary and middle school kids including QuickStart Tennis, a beat the pros competition, games such as champion of the court and survivor tennis, face painting, a climbing wall, bounce houses and more. Free lunch will also be provided for the kids by Domino’s Pizza.

One of the marquee features of the day will be a Junior Olympic Skills Competition for boys and girls ages 8 to 13 in tennis, basketball, soccer, track and field. The Champion in each age and gender group for each sport will advance to the Regional Competition to be held in Riverside, California on May 31, 2008. All participants must have a release and authorization form signed by a parent or guardian, and must provide a copy of a valid birth certificate or baptismal record for age verification. For more information and to download a registration form, visit. www.jrolympicskills.com.

Later in the afternoon the Pacific Life Open Kids’ Day Stadium Show will feature the Peter Burwash International Tennis Show and an exhibition with ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour pros. Also, on the outer courts the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open Pre-Qualifier will be held and feature pros trying to qualify for the tournament.

In addition, all participants at Kids Day will receive a buy one get one free coupon for grandstand tickets to the Pacific Life Open. The coupon will be redeemable for any evening session match from Friday, March 14-Thursday, March 20.

Free supervised bus transportation will be available from the Desert Hot Springs Boys & Girls Club (10:00 a.m.), Coachella Boys and Girls Club (10:15 a.m.), Palm Springs YMCA (10:15 a.m.), Indio Boys and Girls Club (10:30 a.m.), Palm Desert YMCA (10:30 a.m.) and La Quinta Boys and Girls Club (10:30 a.m.). Buses will leave the Indian Wells Tennis Garden for the return trip back to the same locations at approximately 3:15 pm. Bus permission slips are required and are available at the locations listed above and online. Click here for the bus persmission slip and more information about Kids Day.

For additional information about the Pacific Life Open Kids’ Day, call 760-200-8200 or visit www.pacificlifeopen.com.

About the Pacific Life Open

The first major tennis event of the season on U.S. soil, the Pacific Life Open features more than 250 of the world’s best men and women tennis players. Last year, more than 300,000 people attended the event, which is held at the second largest tennis stadium in the world and located just outside of Palm Springs.