COMMUNITY TENNIS ASSOCIATIONS
What is a CTA? A Community Tennis Association is an organized group of dedicated volunteers and
professionals who come together to support community tennis programs. As an association, the group works to coordinate and maintain programs and services and guarantees they are open and accessible to all. These tennis enthusiasts may act as advocates, program administrators, promoters, or fund-raisers. Fueled by
local volunteers, this not-for-profit association exists to promote and develop the game of tennis in the
community.
The following are active registered Community Tennis Associations in Utah:
Avenues, Cache Valley, Coach Mike’s Tennis Academy, Friends of Liberty Park Tennis, Heber Valley, Kanab, Marriott-Slaterville, North Canyon, Ogden-Weber, South Jordan, Top of Utah, Uinta Basin, Utah Junior Tennis Foundation, Utah Tongan Tennis Club and Wasatch.
The following CTAs had submitted information to UTA
Cache Valley Tennis Association
The Cache Valley Tennis Association started 2010 off right by firming up the dates of all 2010 tournaments and made posters that hung on fences around most of the public courts in early spring. The website was updated and any e-mails through the website requesting tennis activities were answered. The CVTA also sponsored two Saturday Mixed Doubles Mixers and one Summer Junior Challenger Tournament in 2010.
When the paid contractor in charge of the two public parks tournaments suddenly stepped down due to lack of insurance, the CVTA stepped forward and became the volunteer tournament director for both tournaments. This was a very rewarding task because the CVTA was then able to make changes to the two best-publicized and well-sponsored tournaments in the valley. For example, a tournament desk was added, phone calls were made so there were no defaults, and juniors were put in age categories. The CVTA board felt good about the changes and feels certain that by having well run public parks tournaments such as these, participation will increase each year. We look forward to 2011 and another year of successful tennis events. www.cachevalleytennis.org
2010 CVTA Officers: Vic Harris, President; Vic Phillips, Vice-president;
Carolee Hammel, Secretary; John Michelson, Treasurer
Heber Valley Tennis Association
We have found tremendous success with tennis in Heber Valley. In the spring, generally starting in June, we have a mixed doubles social – one per month for three months. The first hour of the social we split and rotate partners with just one set and no ad scoring to keep it quick, the second hour is men’s and women’s doubles. The party isn’t over, after tennis we have potluck dinners at homes of members. These have been so fun that people just don’t seem to want to leave.
Matches for men and women are held at various condos that have courts, such as Valiasse in Midway, and now at the recreation center in Heber. Six new courts will also be completed this year at the high school. People are afraid to miss a week because they might not get back in; those who play get priority the next week. A couple months ago we started a format with eight men with no ad scoring. Each person serves one game then rotates. This lets us play with a new partner for seven rounds. We keep track of the score, and this is our seeding for the next week. The fun of it seems to learning to adjust your game to complement your new partner.
We have been doing QuickStart with elementary schools for four years now, and thanks to a grant from Utah
Tennis Association, this has made it easier. We tried one middle school last year using regular balls outside. From this we had 10 9th graders who came out for the girls’ high school tennis team with 40 total trying out – the boys’ team had 30.
Wasatch Community Tennis Association
Wasatch Community Tennis Associations (WCTA) is a multicultural, Non profit organization founded by Kevin Smith and Steve Vorasane. The WCTA’s mission is to help promote tennis in the Wasatch Community, particularly in the cities North of Salt Lake City. The WCTA operates year around and includes the following programs and activities: Indoor and Outdoor Tennis instruction, USTA Tennis Block Parties, Junior Team Tennis, QuickStart Tennis, Tournaments, Awards and Recognition for Junior Participation.
Currently, the WCTA provides lessons to children at the grass root level, starting at 4 years old, as well as juniors participating in high school and USTA tournaments. The WCTA’s tennis instructors consist of high school coaches and various volunteer parents. Current instructors consist of Kevin Smith, Kyle Winmill (Assistant Tennis Coach at Layton High School), Steve Vorasane (Tennis Coach at Clearfield High School), Shon Eckert, and Jonathan Wright.