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TOGETHER

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF TENNIS IN TENNESSEE.

Welcome to the April Edition of USTA Tennessee's Community Tennis Association Newsletter. We know that Community Tennis Associations are the backbone of our organization. We appreciate the tireless effort of the volunteers and administrators that lead our non-profit CTA organizations in Tennessee.

We hope that you'll find valuable information, announcements and tools in each edition of our newsletter. We appreciate your partnership with our organization, and your work to grow tennis in your community.

Tennis - It's Our Business!

USTA Tennessee Mission Statement:

To Promote and Develop the Game of Tennis in the State of Tennessee to its Highest Potential

USTA Tennessee would like to welcome two new positions to the state office

USTA Tennessee would like to welcome two new positions to the state office, John Morris as Director of Adult Tennis and Tyler Strong as our Junior Pathway Coordinator.

Tyler Strong comes to us from Louisville, Kentucky where he was most recently the USTA Kentucky Competitive Player Coordinator. In his role with USTA Kentucky, he managed all junior and adult competitive events while serving as tournament director and referee for the Kentucky State Qualifier and other statewide events. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio where he also played varsity tennis and captained the men's team, and he has both teaching and administrative experience as the Director for the Louisville 10 and Under Tennis Association, as well as, teaching experience at several country clubs in the Louisville area.

John Morris comes from a world-class tennis family as his father, Allen, was a former quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and coach at the University of North Carolina. John was a nationally ranked player who played at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina where he was a "Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities" and received his Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. John went on to a successful career with companies such as Johnson and Johnson and Nextel only to return to coaching as a tennis professional in and around the Nashville area where he currently resides with his family.

Please join us in welcoming both John and Tyler to USTA Tennessee!

2015 USTA National Annual Meeting

USTA Southern won the annual USTA Section Showdown!

Captains Ted Reese and John Cox assembled a stellar team of Brett Schwartz,

Randy Stephens, Rob Worley, Kelly Gaines, Randy Jackson,

Shelby Fitzpatrick and Susie Peiffer.

Tracy Davies, Executive Director for USTA Tennessee attended the USTA Annual Meeting April 9-12, 2015.

The USTA Annual Meeting and Conference, brings together USTA Leadership, national staff, national committee members, and section volunteers and staff in pursuit of the USTA mission: To Promote and Develop the Growth of Tennis.

Along with leadership and committee meetings, the Annual Meeting provides educational opportunities for all attendees to develop and enhance their personal and professional skills and learn new ways to promote the game of tennis!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Want to find out more events going on across the state?

Visit out USTA Tennessee calendar!

USTA Tennessee Board Retreat

May 9th, 2015

USTA Tennessee State Junior Qualifier

Tennessee State Jr. Qualifying Championships (18-16's) at The Champions Club

Tennessee State Jr. Qualifying Championships (14-10) STA L3-TN L1

USTA ADULT TOURNAMENTS

USTA JUNIOR TOURNAMENTS

ACE 11 to 17 Certification Workshop

Saturday, May 30, 1pm-5pm
Sunday, May 31, 9am-1pm
(Followed by Certification Testing until 5pm)

ACE stands for "Advancing the Commitment to Education" and aims at increasing the number of educated and certified tennis teachers/coaches of color. ACE serves as a catalyst for successful tennis teaching and coaching careers, as well as molding and shaping the tennis games of countless individuals. Participants must be at a 4.0 or greater playing level and not certified. This is a special scholarship program available by INVITATION ONLY. If you are interested or know of someone who would benefit from this opportunity please contact Tracy Davies.

tracydavies@ustatn.com

TENNESSEE SCHOLARSHIP AND GRANT WINNERS

Southern Program Grant

Buddy Up Tennis Program

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Visit Buddy Up's Facebook page!

Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation Community Tennis Grant

Memphis Tennis Association

Visit Memphis Tennis Association's Website!

Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation College Scholarship
Summer Stroud

Cookeville, Tennessee

Nike Day Camp Scholarship

Lauren Murray

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITIES

USTA Coaches Workshops

USTA Tennessee knows that behind every great player is a great coach. We have resources and workshops available for continuing or beginning coaches education. Tennessee is lucky to have Karl Davies as the USTA Southern TN Representative. Karl is also a national trainer for the USTA. Karl as well as other USTA TN staff are available to hold workshops and
training sessions in your area.

Where have we been?

10 & Under Workshop ~ Racquet Club of Memphis ~ March 7th from 4-7:30pm

Where are we going?

Tapherd conference on June 16th in Chattanooga, TN

USTA 10U workshop on June 20th from 1- 4:30 pm in Murfreesboro, TN

To register for this workshop please visit www.coachyouthtennis.com

Schools Workshop on September 4th, 2015 in Jackson, TN

Would your CTA like to provide 10 & Under Workshops or School workshops in your local schools or community in 2015?

For more information about upcoming workshops or general inquires, contact davies@sta.usta.com or visit www.coachyouthtennis.com

COMMUNITY TENNIS ASSOCIATION INFORMATION

Resources now available in a shared DropBox Folder for our Tennessee CTA's. From the USTA CTA Guide Book, CTA Policies to Marketing Materials.

We hope this will give you the resources to get your message across!!

Click here for access to the folder

CTA Resources

Find many online resource in one spot!

2015 USTA TN CTA Handbook

CTA online resource guide

From Insurance and Benefits to adopting a military unit.

You can find the resources here!

SERVING UP ACES

Community Highlight of the Month

Music City Tennis Invitational

The 42nd Annual Music City Tennis Invitational Gives Back in a Big Way!

The 42nd Annual Music City Tennis Invitational was held this past weekend in Nashville, TN at Vanderbilt University. The MCTI is the longest-running music-related charity tennis tournament in the country. Players of all levels are welcome and proceeds from the tournament benefit the Center for Child Development at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Each year this event raises thousands of dollars for the Children's Hospital, and 2015 was a milestone year for the event. During their Friday night event at BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) $20,000 was raised during silent and live auctions. During the live auction a pair of US Open President Suite Tickets went for $5,000 to a Nashville local. These tickets were donated by the USTA to help raise funds locally across the nation.

Since the start of the tournament in 1973, the MCTI has raised over $2,000,000 for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.

To find out more about this annual event visit:

Music City Tennis Invitational

SERVING UP ACES

Community Highlight of the Month

Buddy Up Murfreesboro

Buddy Up Tennis is a weekly, high-energy 90-minute program focused on adaptive tennis, fitness, and fun for children and adults with Down Syndrome.

Ronda and Donald Hawkins not only share a love for one another but they also share a love for the game of tennis. It is because of that love for tennis that BuddyUp Tennis is here in the Middle Tennessee area today!

Ronda and Donald attended the Western/Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio two years ago and saw the Buddy Up Tennis program being exhibited as they entered the park on the day of the finals. They stopped to watch the Athletes, Buddies and Coaches and absolutely loved what they saw. Ronda took a pamphlet from a girl involved with the group and headed back to Tennessee, but she as well as Donald could not stop thinking about the Buddy Up Tennis exhibit. After much prayer and contemplation, Ronda called the founder of the program, Beth Gibson, and asked her if she could launch Buddy Up Tennis here in Middle Tennessee. Mrs. Gibson was thrilled with the idea, and very happily supported and encouraged Ronda as she began the process of bringing the program to Murfreesboro. Ronda contacted the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee and began to spread the word to schools and the tennis community about this new adaptive tennis program for children and young adults with Down syndrome. Soon after, a team of coaches and support staff traveled down from Columbus, Ohio to launch the first clinic on April 12, 2014.

Because of Ronda and Donald's efforts, the program has grown from 5 to 23 athletes and from a dozen to over 40 Buddies and Coaches in just under 1 year of BuddyUp being in the Middle Tennessee area!

This program not only changes the lives of the Athletes and their families but it has truly made a huge impact in the lives of the Buddies and Coaches! The life lessons, friendships, and happiness they experience at each clinic would not be possible without the hard work of Ronda and Donald Hawkins!

Visit their facebook page!

Would you like to recognize a super volunteer in your CTA or community?

We would like to highlight them in our next newsletter!

Contact Tara Williams at tarawilliams@ustatn.com

JUNIOR TENNIS

	SCHOOLS You can have tennis in your local schools! USTA Schools Tennis provides in-school and extracurricular programming for students in grades K-12. The primary goals of the program are a positive first-time experience, perceived competence, fun and fitness. Another important element is to help schools meet their health and wellness requirements. The program offers training, curriculum materials, access to major discounts on kid-friendly equipment and staff support. Every day, the USTA and its partners help kids learn not just a sport, but self-confidence, sportsmanship, and the habits of an active, healthy lifestyle We are committed to making sure that all kids have an opportunity to play and learn from this sport of a lifetime!! PARTNER WITH SCHOOLS HANDBOOK
	PLAY DAYS Help promote play day events in your area. Below is the link that you can visit to register your local play days Play Day Events in Tennessee
	10 & UNDER FIRST YEAR FREE JUNIOR MEMBERSHIPS click here for application

	JUNIOR TEAM TENNIS Help promote and get the word out about our Junior Team Tennis leagues for 2015! Find a Program! For more information about Junior Team Tennis please contact Tara Williams tarawilliams@ustatn.com
	CAMPS 10U Developmental Training Camps These are fun and engaging tennis camps conducted by some of the best local Tennis Professionals. This program is the first step for USTA Player Development to identify talent and promote 10 and under tennis growth. Participants will be grouped by skill level and guided through a series of athletic testing, motor skills, on-court instruction, and fun games by the area's best 10U coaches. USTA TN 10U Developmental Camp is perfect for all kids ages 6-10 from those with little tennis training to the more advanced level tournament player. Please click here for information
	TOURNAMENTS 2015 Junior Tournament Info USTA Tennessee Junior Tournaments If you have any questions regarding junior tournaments or developmental training camps please email Kristen Schlukebir kristenschlukebir@ustatn.com

ADULT TENNIS

	TENNIS ON CAMPUS There's no better sport than tennis for making friends, staying fit and having fun! Whether you've played before or are just picking up the game, USTA Tennis On Campus has a way for you to find yourself in the game. All across the country, college students are enjoying the excitement of tennis through co-ed team play that keeps their competitive fires burning and opens up doors to new friendships and endless fun. If you have additional questions or would like to start a USTA Tennis on Campus program at your school contact Kristen Schlukebir at kristenschlukebir@ustatn.com
	LEAGUES USTA League Tennis is the world's largest recreational tennis league providing organized, structured team matches for all ability levels. Approximately 500,000 players compete nationwide, with over 124,000 adult and senior players coming from the USTA Southern Section alone. The program is open to women and men 18 years of age and older and features a local, state and sectional championship and culminates in a national championship in most levels (NTRP levels 2.5 - 5.0). For more information on USTA Tennessee League offerings please click here.
	TOURNAMENTS 2015 Adult Tournament Info USTA Tennessee Adult Tournaments