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Community Development/USA Tennis Programs

The Tennis Welcome Center program was introduced in 2004 by the USTA to help build excitement and interest in playing tennis for beginners as well as to increase retention of these new players. Tennis Welcome Centers (TWC) are at neighborhood parks, commercial tennis clubs, health clubs, resorts, high schools and colleges. Thousands of tennis facilities across the country are already registered Tennis Welcome Centers. The goal for Utah Tennis is to support and help TWC’s with marketing needs and to be a resource to help provide information on tennis opportunities, programs, and socials that can be implemented at their facility to help promote and encourage tennis participation. Utah currently has 45 Registered TWC’s. These Tennis Welcome Centers vary by type of facility, programming and amenities.  However, all offer outstanding introductory tennis programs. To find a TWC in your area, just enter your zip code or city and state on the www.Tenniswelcomecenter.com website.

Recreational Coaches’ Workshop (RCW) is a one day training held is May in Salt Lake at the Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center. The purpose of the workshop and training is to give participants a solid foundation for teaching large groups and USTA Tennis 1-2-3 and providing coach training. Rick Storozuk, a USTA Tennis National Trainer from Las Vegas, Nevada, facilitated the training. The entry-level workshop is ideal for inexperienced teachers, seasonal coaches or anyone else working with children or adults at the development level. The emphasis is on fun ways to teach these programs for groups of both children and adults. Workshop participants learn valuable tips for handling large groups and a proven format for conducting team practices, as well as tennis technique trends and progressions. In 2006, one workshop was offered with 35 participants. The 2007 workshop will be held May 19, in Salt Lake City and will be hosted by Cottonwood Heights Recreation at Anzak Park.

2006 USTA Tennis on Campus
2006 was a great year for the USTA Tennis on Campus Initiative for colleges and universities in Utah, with two formal student tennis clubs formed.  Utah State University established its tennis club in March with 9 students and has grown to over 20. The University of Utah founded their club in February with 15 members and has grown to over 90 strong. Snow College also learned of the initiative, and under the guidance of Doug Dyring, has a very active and successful Tennis Club established on campus. Brigham Young University, Utah Valley State College, Weber State, Westminster College, Dixie College, Salt Lake Community College and Southern Utah State University had all been contacted by the end of the year and are expected to form official tennis clubs in 2007. 2006 witnessed the first USTA Intermountain Section Tennis On Campus Sectional Championship at the Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas. Three schools represented Utah at the tournament, USU and Snow College each with one team and the U of U with three teams. All teams had a great time and represented their schools well with exciting play right up to the final match. The USTA Tennis on Campus Initiative was established to allow students who are attending a higher institution the opportunity to establish an outlet to play tennis socially on campus while having the ability to compete in a more competitive environment at the Tennis on Campus National Championship hosted by the USTA and its allied partners.