Hilary Bressler Nominated For USTA Award THE ROSLYN NEWS STAFF

roslyn@antonmediagroup.com

Roslyn resident Hilary Bressler has been nominated for the USTA 10 & Under Red Ball Tennis Award. Her name was put into nomination by Anthony Morais, general manager at Christopher Morley Tennis (CMT), located in Roslyn Estates.

“We hired Hilary in 2018 as our Program Director, knowing that she would bring new and exciting programs with her,” the letter began. “We had no idea how much she really was capable of until we got to see her in action. Hilary is a knowledgeable and passionate person and it shows in how she is able to start up and grow her programs. When she came to CMT, she began forming and overseeing the Red Ball program for our juniors ages 4-9. She started with small classes and participants, and in a year had over 75 kids enrolled in our Red Ball classes. The following years only got better, and even during the pandemic, she had over 100 kids participating in these classes. I am thrilled to say that she has surpassed, I believe, even her own expectations and now has 140 students enrolled in our Fall 18 week session of Red Ball classes. She oversees these classes, is in direct contact with all the parents and can also be found on court assisting her staff where an extra pair of hands is needed. She puts the word “fun” in the word fundamentals of the progression of teaching the Net Gen Pathway. She is SafeSport and Net Generation certified and is always looking to learn and communicate new and innovative ways of teaching to her staff. Her high energy and enthusiasm is contagious to all the kids she sees and it shows on their smiling faces during their on court fun.

“As program director at CMT, Hilary wears many hats. In addition to her overseeing and coordinating programs, she finds time to volunteer whenever she is called upon by the USTA staff. Last year when she attended the USTA Eastern Conference, she heard that the month of May was going to be “Tennis Month” within the USTA community. On Sunday, May 15, 2022, she ran a Red Ball Festival for an hour and a half that touted 36 players. She brought cool giveaways to all the kids who participated along with tee shirts, snacks and more. The parents and kids were excited to get something when it was not expected. This is what Hilary does, she thinks outside the box and finds ways of showing her generosity.

“Hilary has been a member of the USTA Long Island Regional Council for the past nine years where she serves as a mentor for the newly-founded Junior Regional Council, volunteers at all of the Nassau and Suffolk County Kids Day events, and is a co-chair for the Eastern Section USTA Awards Dinner,” the letter concluded. “Since she’s been here, she has been instrumental in organizing many after school programs in our local elementary and private schools. She set up a privately funded program for the Boys & Girls Club in Glen Cove. She gave her time two summers ago and set up and ran a three-week Nike Tennis Camp program at the Buckley Country Day

School. Hilary works tirelessly to maintain the correct levels of students placed in each class so they are getting the best tennis instruction possible. She is a woman of the highest integrity and puts the kids first in all of her decision making. She has made herself invaluable to Christopher Morley and on behalf of our administrative team and myself, we would love to see her get this award.”

We’ll know shortly if the people at the USTA are convinced by this enthusiastic recommendation. Meanwhile, pictured here is a recent class of young tennis stars.