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Community Tennis
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Issue: Winter/Spring 2010
COMMUNITY TENNIS DEVELOPMENT
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. 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.
Utah High School Tennis Coaches Workshop was held March 21, and 35 coaches from around the state attended. Jason Jamison, the USTA National Schools Manager, conducted the 5-hour workshop at the Salt Lake Tennis Club. More than 90 percent of schools represented have No-Cut Tennis Teams. Special guest speakers included Rob Sperry, President of the High School Tennis Coaches Commission, and Terry Mia, Utah Umpire Association’s Chief Umpire.
2009 USTA Tennis on Campus
The USTA’s Tennis On Campus program is designed to provide college students with opportunities for team camaraderie, social networking, and rivaled competition through tennis without the rigors of a varsity program. Perfect for athletes who have chosen not to make the jump from high school to college varsity. Tennis On Campus offers co-ed team-based play, regional and national championship competition, and helps students maintain active and healthy lifestyles through their college years. Currently, the program is offered on over 500 college campuses and services over 30,000 students.
In 2009 the USTA Campus Championship- Intermountain was held Feb. 27-28, at the Darling Tennis Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Using the WTT format, 9 teams from 6 different campuses battled it out for the rights to represent the Intermountain Section at the USTA National Campus Championship. The University of Utah represented Utah at the Championship.
In the end, the University of Colorado at Boulder swept the field and took first, second, and third place honors. The winning team received an automatic bid into the 2009 USTA National Campus Championship that took place April 16-18th, in Surprise, AZ. During the 2009 USTA National Campus Championship, the University of Colorado at Boulder took 2nd place out of their initial pool and was placed in the Silver Bracket. Fighting hard, the team beat UCLA and fell short against UC- Berkeley. The team eventually placed 6th in the Silver Bracket by beating Stanford and succumbing to Virginia Tech. The USTA Campus Championship - Intermountain will be held February 26-27 at the Salt Lake Swim & Tennis Club. Tennis Club Teams from various colleges & Universities through out our section will be traveling to Salt Lake to compete in the tournament.
The Utah District has the most Tennis on Campus teams in the Intermountain Section. Currently, we have seven teams registered on the new national website; www.TennisonCampus.com. We reached our goal to have all participating clubs registered by the end of 2009. During the 2008/2009 school year Utah Tennis hosted the first ever Tennis on Campus League Series. This league helped unite universities in the Utah District and enable them to compete all year long. Salt Lake Community College remained undefeated during this series. The 2009/2010 league is scheduled and will be held at the Sports Mall.
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 Community Tennis Associations in Utah: Cache Valley CTA, Central Utah CTA, Friends of Dee Smith, Friends of Liberty Park Tennis, Greater Avenues CTA, Heber Valley CTA, South Jordan CTA, Utah Tongan Tennis Club, Top of Utah CTA and Wasatch CTA.
CTA Highlights:
Utah Tongan Tennis Club
The UTTC program has served our community since 2005 and will continue serving for those who have the desire to focus on more positive aspects in life. With the help of the community including parents, youth, businesses and the USTA, we can achieve this goal.
Our tennis association plays a vital role in keeping our youth in all demographics out of trouble and bad mishaps that may lead them into the wrong direction. Within just our community, we have doubled in number of children. Our association was running a summer youth tennis program launched by the mayor’s office and the Salt Lake City school district.
In planning for our tennis block party not only did we want to invite the whole community, we also wanted them to invite all they knew. We had the youth passing out flyers that a local artist created for us. We asked parents to provide refreshments for this block party and to volunteer their time in cooking and distributing the food. Our coaches are from our very own community and have given of their time to teach the community the game of tennis. All in all our outreach touched many and will continue to bring many to the tennis courts. During the summer, the UTTC also offered free youth tennis programs with more than 90 youth participating every day at Glendale Park.
We’ve said it before and it still remains to be true. Through a community program, we can provide avenues and additional activities that would alleviate kids turning to gang activity. “It takes a whole village to raise a child, and if a community isn’t providing that for our children, then we are all failures.” We as the UTTC don’t like to fail and strive to learn from this lesson. If we can but save one, we have saved a family.
Cache Valley Tennis Association
The Cache Valley Tennis Association was formed to "develop and support the growth of tennis in Cache Valley, Utah, at all age and ability levels, promote its benefits, and make it accessible to everyone."
One key element in the accomplishment of this goal has been to assist in bringing together the major private and public programs so that they would better complement each others’ efforts. An extension of this has been the annual creation of a “community” tennis events calendar. At the beginning of each year, including 2009, we compiled a list of all the tennis events and tournaments sponsored by the primary
entities including the CVTA, Logan Parks & Recreation (LP&R), and Sports Academy and Racquet Club (SARC). This calendar of events was formatted into large, laminated posters and smaller flyers which were strategically displayed or placed throughout the valley, including all major tennis court complexes. Another way that the calendar of tennis events was communicated was through our website. The website is an excellent vehicle for tennis players just arriving in the valley to find some tennis events in which to get involved.
Specific events sponsored by the CVTA during 2009 included:
Mixed Doubles Mixers- This event was held four times during the year as a way to encourage participation, intermingling of tennis players, and to let people know more about the CVTA and opportunities to get involved. The mixer held in June also attracted a number of “summer” citizens (retirees from Arizona) who wanted to get in on the action.
Tennis Block Party - In May we hosted a Tennis Block Party at the Logan Recreational Center. The event was well attended and attracted many players, including some who had never played before. Volunteers from the USU men’s and women’s tennis teams were on hand to provide instruction and add to the fun.
Challenger Tennis Tournament - In July, the CVTA sponsored the third annual Challenger tournament. This is a sanctioned tournament for junior players and is becoming a staple tennis event in the summer.
Ladies League Organized during six weeks in the summer, this event brings together local high school girls’ team members with experienced adult women and fosters fun and competitive play.
We look forward to 2010 and another year of successful tennis events. www.cachevalleytennis.org
Greater Avenues Community Tennis Association
A group of Avenues faithful have formed a Community Tennis Association and registered it with the United States Tennis Association in hopes of creating a permanent tennis facility at the site of the 11th Avenue tennis courts. The eight tennis courts which offer a spectacular panoramic view of the valley have fallen on some hard times recently and reconstruction is at the top of the Avenues CTA agenda. The group has submitted a formal request for funds to improve and develop the site with the city. Grants for programs and equipment are also being pursued through the USTA as well as private donations. Te Utah Tennis Association is helping guide the Avenues group through its early development and pointing them in the right directions in order to acquire assistance and funding.
The Avenues CTA is composed of passionate tennis players of all ages and levels as well as several tennis professionals. The group feels that the 11th Avenue tennis courts could be modeled after the success of Liberty Park and Coach Mike's. Both of these tennis facilities are city owned but leased to qualified operators who run them as public facilities. No membership is required and only court rental and program fees are charged to the public. One of the goals of Avenues CTA is to obtain a lease from the city to run programs on the 11th Avenue courts. These programs would include group and private lessons, leagues for all levels of play, socials, and other activities. Quickstart, an innovative USTA program for young children, is becoming very popular across the country and the Avenue CTA hopes to bring Quickstart to the Avenues site. Members of the group are also contacting local elementary schools offering to help grow the game of tennis in their afterschool programs. Ensign Elementary School is located right below the 11th Avenue courts and already has had a tennis afterschool program in effect.
A spokesman for the Avenues CTA commented: "Just imagine, our own community tennis center located right in our neighborhood. A place you could just show up and meet new players, take a group workout lesson, enjoy the club house with restrooms and showers... And still play on the courts free of charge." .Some members of the group are already dreaming up plans to cover four of the courts for year round play. "Because of their location providing such an inspiring view of our mountains and valley these courts if developed offer a very unique tennis experience." Another Avenue CTA member said: "We love these courts up here...We want to take care of them. We want to repair these cracked, barren, run down courts and urn them into a special place with caring people running our own community tennis center and its programs."
The Avenues Community Tennis Association has a long "To Do List" this winter. The group is looking for volunteers to help with many of the projects and organizing efforts. Anyone is welcome to attend the groups monthly meetings which usually take place at the F Street library. The group plans to announce 2010 spring and summer activities to take place at 11th Avenue site and grow participation from there.
Wasatch Community Tennis Association
Wasatch Community Tennis association 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 & Outdoor Tennis instruction USTA Tennis Bock Parties
Junior Team Tennis Quickstart Tennis
Tournaments Awards and Recognition
Currently, the WCTA provides lessons to children at the grass-roots 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 are Kevin Smith, Kyle Winmill (Assistant Tennis Coach at Layton High School), Steve Vorasane (Tennis Coach at Clearfield High School), Shon Eckert, and Jonathan Wright.
Junior Development
One objective of the WCTA is to prepare juniors to play college level tennis. We have several players in our program who have great potential to play college level tennis. These individuals include Don Tran, Justin Saysithideth and Kevin Winmill. Also, these tennis juniors play high school tennis and USTA sanctioned tournaments.
USTA Tennis Block Parties
During the month of May, WCTA partners with various community organizations to host USTA Block Parties. The Community Organizations include Clearfield City Parks and Recreation, Logan City Parks and Recreation, Weber State Tennis Team, and Utah State University Tennis Team. Tennis Block Parties are free community events which provide tennis games and activities for children and adults. For the past two years, the WCTA Tennis Block Parties have been very successful in bringing families out to play tennis and to introduce them to various tennis organizations that offer tennis programs to children and adults.
Junior Team Tennis
During the Summer, the WCTA participates in the USTA Junior Team Tennis
program that is conducted by the Utah Tennis Association. During the
2009 JTT season, four WCTA teams competed in the JTT Division Playoffs,
which were held at Liberty Park, in Salt Lake City. As a result, the
WCTA’s Falcons Team won the “Boy’s 18 and Under Advanced” Division.
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Funding is available at the District and Section levels to help with start-up costs for establishing a Community Tennis Association, as well as new and expanding existing CTA tennis program offerings.
Community Funding is also available for help in implementing the following:
*Quickstart Tennis
*Multicultural Outreach Programs for Youth & Adults
*Special Populations
*Wheelchair Tennis
*Tennis Block Parties
*Junior Team Tennis
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