Wallace Stegner Tennis Day was organized by Utah Tennis and sponsored by Dan Johnson & CHEVRON. The event was held Saturday, Feb. 14th, at the Eccles Tennis Center.Invited guests helped celebrate Wallace Stegner’s life, legacy and love of tennis.Forty youth and 35 adults attended this free, very successful event that included lunch, a long-sleeve shirt,on-court games and activities, QuickStart tennis, and a Wheelchair Tennis Exhibition.The University of Utah’s Men’s and Women’s Varsity Tennis Team helped conduct the on-court activities. This event ran in conjunction with the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law and theWallace Stegner Center’s 14th Annual Symposium entitled, “Wallace Stegner:His Life and Legacy”, which celebrated the centennial of his birth on Feb. 18, 2009.Stegner was an American historian, novelist, short story writer, environmentalist and educator and is widely called “The Dean of Western Writers.”He played for the University of Utah’s Men’s Varsity Team in 1931.
Junior Team Tennis—Presented Locally by SPORTS AUTHORITY and WILSON was the Official Ball for the Salt Lake Metro League.The Junior Team Tennis Program was very successful in 2009. We ran a USTA Jr. Team Tennis Indoor League Pilot Program that started Jan. 10 and ran for 12 weeks on Saturday nights at five indoor facilities; a USTA Membership was required. Twelve teams and 91 players participated.Divisions were 18 & under and 14 & under Intermediate.Kids played as many games as possible per hour. Many parents supported the matches and became educated and very engaged in their kids matches.
The local Salt Lake Metro summer league offered two levels of competition.The Recreational Series ran for five weeks and six matches. Sixty-one teams and 387 players from 12 facilities participated:Alta Canyon Rec., Cottonwood Heights Rec., Marv Jensen Rec., Grantsville, North Canyon, So. Jordan Rec., So.Davis Rec., Kearns Oquirrh Park & Rec., Murray City, Salt Lake Tennis Club, Highland High and Tooele. Divisions included 18 & under, 14 & under, and 12 & under, Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced.Top teams from each division advanced to the Recreational Series District Playoffs, Aug 3-4, at Liberty Park.Advancing teams from the Wasatch Front Tennis League participated at the playoffs as well. Winners and finalists in each division received a custom screened backpack and medals.At the Championship Series Area Competition for boys/girls 18 & under and 14 & under Intermediate and Advanced levels, a USTA Membership was required.Two teams from the Logan Sports Academy as well as a Liberty Park and Salt Lake Tennis Club Team played in the qualifying tournament held at Liberty Park and the Salt Lake TennisClub in the 18 & under Advanced division.Salt Lake Tennis Club advanced and attended the USTA Jr. Team Tennis Sectional Tournament that was held in Denver, Colorado, August 14-16.SLTC received the Team Sportsmanship Award at the Sectionals!North Canyon’s 14&U Advanced Team qualified for and by-passed the USTA JTT Sectionals and went on to compete in the USTA JTT National Tournament that was held in October in Alabama.They placed sixth out of 12 teams in their division.
Other Jr. Team Tennis numbers with the following participation are being reported:Sports Mall – 300, Salt Lake Swim & Tennis – 327, Park City Racquet Club – 300, Ogden City Recreation – 400, Sports Academy – 100, BrighamCity – 44, Central Utah – 600, Summit Athletic Club – 20, Logan Parks & Rec. – 25.
Recreational Quickstart Workshops
Over 50 people attended two USTA workshops held for parents, recreational instructors, volunteers and Jr. Team Tennis Coaches that wanted to learn more about teaching the Quickstart Tennis format for kids 10 & Under.A USTA Master Quickstart Trainer conducted the 3-hour long workshops.Hosts sites included Bloomington Tennis, St. George, and Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center.Host sites received free Equipment Packages that included 2 18’ nets, 24 21” and 23” racquets, 24 low-compression balls, 24 foam balls, 14 cones, and 2 sets of throw-down lines.Host sites also received a voucher worth $500 to be used for painting Quickstart permanent lines at tennis facilities, school playgrounds or any area that would like 36’ or 60’ courts.
Quickstart & Sport Court
Utah Tennis Association partnered with Sport Court and participated in the 7th annual Utah Foster Care Foundation’s Chalk Art Festival held in celebration of Father’s Day, June 19, 2009, at The Gateway Mall. Participants enjoyed booths, games, entertainment and activities all day.110 incredible chalk artists and 20,000 attendees helped create awareness of the need for foster/adoptive families across the state of Utah and raised funds that help Utah Foster Care Foundation find, train and support foster/adoptive families. Sport Court provided the Quickstart court which included both a USTA Intermountain and a Quickstart logo. Utah Tennis provided the net, racquets, foam balls and volunteers to help kids of all ages participate in Quickstart tennis. Both logos are permanently painted on Sport Court tiles and will be used on courts at future Utah Tennis Association events.
