Ramona Husaru, 2024 RSPA President’s Award Winner, RSPA Chief Development Officer
Empower Yourself to Reach New Heights:
Passion, Growth & Possibilities in Racquet Sports
Ramona Husaru, RSPA Chief Development Officer
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, I am truly humbled and honored to contribute to the CEO message. When Brian and the team suggested I write this section to celebrate this special month, it sparked a deep reflection on my journey, shaped by tennis and the incredible RSPA community, which has been my family for the past 16 years. It’s an honor to share my thoughts with remarkable fellow professionals whose passion and expertise have fueled my growth and inspired me to reach new heights. I am thrilled to contribute to this ongoing journey and give back to this incredible community as we continue to inspire, empower and elevate each other in the world of racquet sports. When we embark on a journey, we may not know where it will take us, but each of us holds the power to shape our path along the way. For many of us in the racquet sports community, our paths began with a simple love for the game. That love and passion can ignite a journey of profound transformation, leading us to opportunities we may have never imagined. Like many of you, my journey started as a tennis player. I dedicated my entire childhood and teenage years to mastering the game, not realizing the road I was on would lead me far beyond what I had initially envisioned. The long practices, hard work and relentless grind, triumphs and setbacks I experienced as a player sharpened my athletic abilities and laid the foundation for a broader journey—one of personal growth, self-discovery, character development and leadership. What began as a desire to help others love the game as much as I did grew into a deep passion for coaching education, professional development and transformational leadership. Along the way, I realized the profound impact
we, as coaches, can have on people’s lives—whether they’re striving for athletic excellence, enjoying the game for fun, or seeking a positive outlet to improve their well-being. As I continued my journey, I discovered how coaching principles align with leadership, helping others reach their full potential, both on the court and in their careers. Following your passion and embracing a growth mindset unlocks untapped potential and fuels personal growth. Believing in your ability to grow and consistently seeking opportunities for improvement allows you to discover new strengths within yourself. Whether you’re a player, coach, racquet sports professional or industry leader, this mindset can empower you to continually evolve and build a rewarding career. Below are some insights from my journey that may resonate with you as you continue to navigate and shape your path forward.
1. Follow Your Passion and Turn It into Your Purpose
Passion is the driving force behind every successful journey. It’s the spark that fuels your dedication, keeps you motivated through challenges and empowers you to keep going even when things get tough. When you follow your passion, you tap into an intrinsic energy that propels you forward, whether you’re striving to improve your game, inspiring others as a coach or a leader, or exploring new roles within the industry. For me, tennis has been more than just a sport, it’s been a passion that led to countless opportunities. From becoming an All-American and winning two NCAA championships to
earning a WTA ranking, tennis ignited my journey. But beyond the playing accolades, my passion for the sport pushed me to evolve beyond playing, guiding me into coaching, coaching education, business operations, administration, and leadership— unlocking new dimensions of growth and impact. What began as a love for teaching others the sport I loved evolved into a passion and purposeful mission to inspire others to use tennis and other sports as a powerful vehicle for life lessons and personal growth. Passion creates purpose, and when you follow it, doors will open to exciting new opportunities. By pursuing your passion, you transform both your own journey and inspire others to discover and pursue their own. Let your passion guide you and turn it into a purposeful mission.
2. Dedicate Yourself to Mastering Your Craft
We all know that winning a tournament, landing a director of racquet sports role or any other leadership position doesn’t happen by chance—it takes relentless dedication and an ongoing commitment to mastering your craft. True growth comes from consistently pushing yourself to improve—whether perfecting your tennis technique, refining your teaching methodology, or expanding your knowledge of business, management and leadership. Mastery is about more than hard work; it’s about setting goals, staying disciplined and always striving to get better. Learning from mistakes, experimenting with new approaches and constantly refining your skills are key to mastering your craft. While results may not come immediately, every practice, lesson, seminar, networking opportunity and educational experi-
ence contributes to your growth, helping you reach new heights. Seeking knowledge from seasoned coaches and leaders is crucial to accelerating your growth. I’ve been fortunate to learn from the incredibly experienced RSPA community, absorbing their wisdom and insights that continue to shape and inspire my own journey. The more I learned, the more I understood just how much there is still left to learn. Whether you’re teaching a lesson, managing operations, overseeing a facility, leading a team or growing your business, continually honing your craft is key to both personal and professional growth.
3. Get Uncomfortable to Evolve
Growth happens outside of our comfort zone. To truly reach new heights, we need to be willing to embrace discomfort and take on new challenges. The most significant breakthroughs often come from stepping into uncharted territory— whether it’s pushing yourself to teach players of various levels, teaching a new racquet sport, expanding your program or club, incorporating technology and data analytics into your coaching, stepping into a leadership role or tackling a project that stretches your skill set. In my experience, getting uncomfortable led me to unexpected opportunities and revealed new skills I didn’t know I had. From coaching education to mastering the intricacies of tennis and racquet sports administration and ultimately deciding to pursue a Ph.D. in performance psychology, every moment of discomfort has been a valuable opportunity for growth that revealed untapped potential. So, embrace the unfamiliar, try new things and challenge yourself to evolve— you’ll be surprised by your potential.
4. Be Authentic: Stay True to Yourself
In a world filled with constant change and distractions, staying true to yourself is crucial for personal fulfillment and long-term success. Authenticity not only fosters trust, but also builds meaningful relationships and distinguishes you from others. Whether you’re a player, a coach or in a leadership role, being genuine in your approach will create lasting impact. Our uniqueness is our superpower; it sets us apart. As women, we often underestimate the value of our unique perspectives and experiences. We face pressures to conform, yet the true path to personal and professional fulfillment lies in embracing who we are and trusting our instincts. Staying true to yourself and your passion allows you to shine. Try to align your career path with your core values, ensuring that the jobs you pursue and the goals you set resonate deeply with your personal motivations. By embracing your authentic self, you not only find true fulfillment and stand out, but also empower others to recognize and embrace their own potential. You won’t always get everything right, and not everyone will agree with you, and that’s perfectly okay. Embrace your uniqueness, stay open to feedback and welcome new perspectives for growth and improvement. Above all, trust in your own strengths and stay grounded in your purpose. By staying true to yourself, you will create an authentic future and inspire others to do the same.
5. Believe in Yourself and Make it Happen
Finally, always remember that the sky is the limit as long as you are willing to take action with belief and purpose. Believe in your potential, invest in your growth and the possibilities might surprise you. While there might be obstacles along the way, trust your resilience to embrace challenges and overcome setbacks. Every obstacle is an opportunity to strengthen your abilities and resilience turns failure into a stepping stone for greater success. With confidence and persistence, you’ll unlock the potential to achieve more than you ever imagined. Whether your goals are to coach on the professional tour, become a sports scientist, director of racquet sports, general manager, industry leader or create a thriving racquet sports business, the possibilities are limitless. The racquet sports world is filled with opportunities and your influence can inspire others to grow. Every experience, every lesson and every challenge are opportunities to expand your reach and continue pushing your boundaries. When you commit to the belief that anything is possible, you unlock new experiences that can reshape your career and your life. So, aim high, put in the work, go the extra mile and remember that the journey you are on is unique to you.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, let’s remind ourselves that each one of us has the power to shape our destiny. Let’s continue to empower ourselves, inspire others and reach new heights together. The best is yet to come.
Happy Women’s History Month! If you’d like to connect, exchange ideas, or have a conversation, don’t hesitate to reach out to me; ramona.husaru@rspa.net
September 21 - September 25, 2025
Kona, Hawaii
Continued Growth & Greater Member Benefits
Trish Faulkner | RSPA President
Welcome to March and the spring season! The saying goes, “When you are busy, time flies.” It feels like I was just toasting the beginning of 2025.
First, let me welcome all our new members and congratulate our members who have finished new certifications. I would also like to thank all our division leaders for reaching out to those members who needed a little push to finish their educational requirements to keep them active and involved moving forward. For those experienced members who are seeking higher certification status, thank you for all your support and commitment over the years. Congratulations to everyone who is seeking a career in the racquet sports industry.
Our RSPA future is exciting and full of wonderful opportunities to learn innovative approaches to your teaching methods, as well as seminars and workshops where you can expand your certifications in our other racquet sports. We know that tennis and pickleball grew in popularity in 2024, but it was surpassed by padel! Many of our members are becoming certified in all three racquet sports. In many parts of the world, padel courts are being built at an amazing rate! In the U.S., some public facilities are even noticing the growth of padel and looking to add courts. If you have been reading your RSPA updates, you will know that we now offer platform tennis and squash seminars and certifications. Our career advancement partner TeamWork Online has many job opportunities listed with multi-sport responsibilities.
With the board’s support, Mark Faber and I formed a new high school task force at the end of last year. Mark split the task force into two groups with very defined plans to do the following: encourage all divisions to include high school coaches in at least part of their division conferences. A comprehensive
contact list is to be compiled and used to notify high school coaches of educational opportunities, mentoring and availability of online drills. The task force will attempt to have an RSPA member attend all main high school tennis conference matches to interact with the players and coaches. 2025 will be a growing year for this initiative but important to our future planning.
Judging from the reception to the various webinars in 2024, we will continue with our quarterly town halls, and Ramona will organize and host more of her educational events regularly. She would love to hear from you as to the topics that you would like to see her explore on her series.
I hope every member is now aware of our new apprentice membership offer. This is an amazing way of introducing a young racquet sports enthusiast to the idea of coaching at any level. We are asking you to look for candidates. The cost is $50 and the benefits are substantial for 15-to-17 year olds. The best incentive is now the membership growth program for all divisions, dependent on every division submitting a division of the year application that gives divisions financial bonuses for recruitment. Time to get to work on this, the 2024 awards nominations and for those of you who are looking to join our master professional ranks.
In preparing for our first 2025 January board meeting, Brian and the
staff put together our largest and most extensive board book and agenda ever! The last 100 pages were dedicated to the future goals and implementation of our new strategic plan for the next five years.
Our website and communications—both internal and external—are constantly being worked on as we are finding better ways to retain, reinstate and educate our current members, as well as new members in the racquet sports industry.
The plans we discussed at that January board meeting represent the board and Brian’s vision for our future. I am excited to lead you all through this growth and into a very bright future! Thank you all for your commitment and support.
I hope to see you soon, or if not, in Hawaii in September.
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A Compelling Conversation with Stacey Allaster
Astute observers of the tennis hierarchy have long been in accord that Stacey Allaster— who will step down from her role as tournament director of the US Open after the 2025 festivities — belongs high on the list of the sport’s most redoubtable leaders.
Her impact has been immense for decades on end, starting with her work for Tennis Canada beginning in her teens and including her shining stint as tournament director of the Rogers Cup from 2001-2005. Allaster went to the WTA and became president from 2006 until 2009, when she was promoted to chairman and CEO for six years. In 2016, Allaster moved on to another lofty position at the USTA as chief executive of professional tennis, a job she retains to this day.
Meanwhile, in 2020, Allaster widened her professional world considerably by becoming the first woman ever to be tournament director of the US Open. She has flourished over the past five years in that post.
Her first year running the event in 2020 was as challenging as anyone in her position could possibly have confronted. The professional tennis community was reeling after the Covid crisis hit in the spring. Both the WTA and ATP Tours were forced to cancel tournaments from Indian Wells into the summer. Many in the sport’s inner circle wanted to wait until autumn to resume tournament play, but the USTA boldly found a way to
move the Western & Southern Open from Cincinnati to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York and then followed with the US Open on those hallowed grounds. Both tournaments proceeded without spectators.
As Allaster told me, “As I look back on my tenure, the 2020 US Open and the efforts of our team are what I am most proud of. The tours wanted to reboot later in Spain and Italy and then Roland Garros. People didn’t want to come to New York. I remember asking Steve Simon [CEO at the WTA] why he didn’t want to do it and he responded, ‘I don’t want anyone to die on my watch.’ It was so much more than just staging a tennis tournament. It was about rebooting the entire industry. We put thousands of peo-
ple back to work in New York City, from security to food service to other things, people who had been out of work for months. I remember [renowned agent] Max Eisenbud saying on a podcast at the end of that year, ‘Stacey Allaster saved tennis in 2020.’ I am not going to take the credit, though, because it belongs to all of us on the team.”
Wrapping up her remarks on that year, Allaster adds, “I do think my vast experience with crisis management and geo-political experience having run the WTA was very useful in my role as tournament director of the US Open.
The 2020 U.S. Open was an exercise in global, federal, state and local political management with the tours and all levels of government—as well as months and
Steve Flink, International Tennis Hall of Fame
months of effectively managing crisis during the pre-planning and during the tournament.”
By 2021, the spectators were back in the stands, although Covid issues remained in the air. That year, Novak Djokovic was going for the Grand Slam, but lost the final to Daniil Medvedev, while two sparkling new faces— Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez— collided in the women’s final. Allaster recollects, “The women had a dream final with these two rising stars, with Emma winning the title as a qualifier. Leylah beat five top players including defending champion Naomi Osaka. With the men, I remember the support the fans gave Novak. He was teary and it was hard for me to hold back the tears.”
Allaster is a woman of commendable self-restraint, but once more in 2022 she felt a reservoir of emotions as 23-time major singles champion Serena Williams bid farewell to tennis, bowing out in the third round at the age of 40. Allaster had worked tirelessly to meet that propitious moment, and the ceremony for Serena after her closing career match against Ajla Tomljanovic thoroughly reflected the preparation and professionalism of the tournament director.
As she told me, “It was an incredible undertaking. We wanted to make sure we appropriately paid tribute to Serena in a way that also respected how she wanted to be celebrated. I worked a lot with Jill Smoller [Serena’s agent]. There was a moment along the way when we weren’t even sure Serena did want to finish at the US Open. But she was glad she did. I have had a front-row seat to the entire careers of Serena and Venus Williams.”
But the emotional departure of Serena Williams was not the only indelible 2022 memory for Allaster. She watched an epic quarterfinal between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner which the Spaniard took in five sets on his way to a first Grand Slam title. Allaster says, “That was one of the best matches I have
seen in my career between two very good guys. It was a privilege to be there.”
Moreover, Allaster recollects the immensely popular Black American Frances Tiafoe testing Alcaraz comprehensively in a stirring five-set semifinal. She reflects, “Michelle Obama watched that entire match and then waited to speak with Frances after his post-match press conference. That was a special moment for me on the 50th anniversary of Arthur Ashe reaching the US Open semifinals [on his way to the final] in 1972.”
Moving on to 2023, Allaster says, “To be able to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of equal prize money for women at the US Open was awesome as we paid tribute to Billie Jean King. And then to be on that stage when Coco Gauff won her first major, with Coco thanking Billie Jean King afterwards— if that had been the last US Open for me it would have been a great career-ender.”
Having said that, Allaster adds, “That year was Ben Shelton’s coming out party with his win over ‘Big Foe’ in the quarterfinals and then a great semifinal with Novak. Novak, winning his 24th major over Medvedev was a Grand Slam milestone. I was so happy for him to be able to share it with his family and his team.”
The sparkling 2024 Open was the fifth for Allaster. She recalls, “I am very proud that we reached our milestone of exceeding one million fans and our ‘Fan Week’ which brought in I believe 216,000 fans. The easiest ask of my career was asking Carlos if he would play with Andre Agassi against Novak and Johnny Mac. That was a great night. And we had our Fan Fest block parties which was all about making the U.S. Open more inclusive. Capping it off, we had the historic Taylor Fritz-Tiafoe semifinal which guaranteed an American man being in the final for the first time since 2006 and Jess Pegula reaching her first Grand Slam final at home. It was a phenomenal tournament.”
Allaster has celebrated a career that
can accurately be portrayed as phenomenal. Her extraordinary communicative skills, high intelligence, and uncanny instincts have carried her sweepingly through a lifetime in tennis and beyond her wildest dreams. Asked to assess the qualities that have enabled her to thrive in her role as US Open tournament director, Allaster replies, “I think my many years of working with athletes and understanding their needs has made a difference. It has fueled my soul as the only woman in 140 years to do this job and to demonstrate that there will be many more women capable of running the US Open. I also believe I am good at finding good talent, lifting good talent up and inspiring them to achieve their objectives.”
That may be an understatement. Allaster is looking forward to her sixth and final year as US Open tournament director in September and then will lend a hand in helping to choose her successor. Her full-time work for the USTA will conclude in November and then she will serve in an advisory role for another year or slightly longer. This remarkable 61-year-old serves on the Canadian Olympic Committee board, is an advisor to Canadian Women & Sport and has just joined the board of the Women’s Sports Foundation.
As she says, “My vision is to create a life centered around fun, freedom, impact and legacy, leveraging my time and talent to empower youth through sports. There is a lot of living left for me to do. I have a long bucket list of places I want to travel to because until now it has been a hotel room or a tennis stadium on the road. Sport changed my life since I was a little kid first lifting a tennis racket. Above all, I really want to keep giving back to sport.”
CERTIFICATION CALENDAR
MARCH 2025
APRIL 2025
The Importance of Increasing Women Coaches in Racquet/Paddle Sports
Susan Nardi | RSPA Elite Professional
The world of racquet sports has seen remarkable growth and global appeal in recent years. While the sports continue to thrive, a significant imbalance remains: the underrepresentation of women in coaching roles. For leaders and professionals in these sports, addressing this gap is not just a matter of equity but a strategic imperative for the growth, inclusivity and success of the community.
A coach’s influence extends far beyond technical training—they shape confidence, character and long-term engagement. Having more women in these roles can help female athletes see themselves thriving in the sport and pave the way for the next generation. Representation creates a positive feedback loop: the more women see coaching as a viable and rewarding career, the more they aspire to fill those roles.
Why Representation Matters
Representation in coaching fosters a diverse and inclusive environment that benefits athletes and the sport at large. Women bring unique perspectives, skills and approaches to coaching that can inspire and motivate athletes differently. This is especially crucial for female athletes, who often lack visible role models in leadership positions within their sport.
The Current Landscape
Despite progress in promoting gender equity in sports participation, women remain significantly underrepresented in coaching. A report by the Women’s Sports Foundation noted that only about 23% of coaching positions in college women’s sports are held by women. In racquet sports, anecdotal evidence suggests this figure is even lower at professional and grassroots levels.
The reasons for this gap are multifaceted: societal biases, a lack of mentorship opportunities and challenges in balancing family responsibilities with the demands of coaching. Many women who might consider coaching are deterred by the lack of visible pathways or support systems that enable their success in this male-dominated field.
Benefits of Women Coaches
Increasing the number of women coaches in racquet and paddle sports brings several tangible benefits:
1. Empathy and Relationship Building: Women often excel at fostering strong, trust-based relationships with athletes, which can enhance communication, motivation and performance.
2. Role Modeling: Female coaches provide vital role models for young women and girls, showing that leadership roles are achievable.
3. Diverse Perspectives: Women bring diverse approaches to coaching, often incorporating holistic athlete development, which benefits teams and individuals alike.
4. Attracting More Participants: Research indicates that girls are more likely to stay in sports longer when coached by women, contributing to increased retention rates and a larger talent pool.
5. Breaking Stereotypes: Having more women in leadership roles challenges traditional gender norms, fostering a more equitable sports culture.
Call to Action: What Leaders Can Do
1. Proactive Recruitment: Actively seek out and encourage women to pursue coaching roles. Ensure that job descriptions and hiring processes are inclusive and free from unconscious bias. Have them do multiple programs, not just run 10-and-under programs.
2. Mentorship and Training: Establish mentorship programs pairing experienced coaches with aspiring women to provide guidance, support and professional development.
3. Flexible Work Environments: Recognize and accommodate the unique challenges many women face, such as caregiving responsibilities, by offering flexible schedules or part-time coaching opportunities.
4. Visibility Campaigns: Highlight and celebrate the successes of existing women coaches to inspire others and raise awareness of their contributions.
5. Financial Support: Provide scholarships or funding for women to pursue coaching certifications and attend workshops or conferences.
6. Building Communities: Create networks or associations specifically for women in racquet sports coaching to foster connection, collaboration and collective advocacy.
A Shared Responsibility Elevate
Leaders and professionals in racquet sports are crucial in driving change. Here’s how:
The responsibility to increase the presence of women coaches in racquet and paddle sports falls on everyone: governing bodies, clubs, players and existing coaches. By creating opportunities, providing resources and fostering an inclusive culture, we can empower more women to step into coaching roles at all levels.
In doing so, we not only advance gender equity but also enrich the sports we love. Diverse voices in leadership drive innovation, enhance performance and inspire a broader community of
participants. It’s time to rally together and make the change—our athletes, our sports and our society will be better for it.
RSPA, let’s lead the way. Let’s work with our new partner, the WCRS (Women Coaching Racquet Sports) and create opportunities where women can compete on a level playing field.
Behind the Curtain: Meet Our Endorsed Brands
Tecnifibre
“At Tecnifibre, we provide premium equipment for tennis, pickleball, squash and padel. Joining forces with RSPA and Tennis Warehouse aligns us with the core of the racquet sports community, providing direct access to RSPA members and industry leaders who drive racquet
Asics
“ASICS is proud to sponsor the RSPA and provide premium products, specifically our high-performance footwear for racquet sport athletes and coaches across the country.”
Adidas
“Adidas has always looked to support efforts dedicated to the development and progress of tennis in North America. Being able to connect to and support teaching professionals across the country, those with a focus on growing and improving the game, is strategically important to our business. We feel that RSPA represents the best opportunity to extend support to the best teaching professionals across the country.”
Bradley Glen, adidas, Sales Director, Run & Tennis Specialty
“Coaches are integral to helping players learn racquet sports and keeping them engaged and motivated to stay in the game, whether it be tennis, pickleball or padel. Supporting coaches and educating them on our products helps them put the right racquet or paddle into their client’s hands which can facilitate a more positive experience. We believe that supporting coaches is important for the long-term health and viability of the games that we all love.”
Susan DiBiase, General Manager of
“I started my career in the tennis industry as a Prince rep back when Prince dominated the tennis industry. Part of the initial success of Prince was their culture of innovation and also the endorsement of the RSPA. Times have changed and Prince has evolved but they still produce innovative product and the endorsement of the RSPA still matters too. We felt that this combination would help Prince reach a new generation of players.”
Rick Kerpsack, President, Tennis Warehouse
“Partnership with the RSPA helps to fuel the growth of tennis participation at the grassroots level, inspiring communities, empowering players and building a future where the love of the game thrives.”
Babolat
Prince
Fila
Nike
Member Spotlight:
Christina Lynch
Linda Gordon | RSPA Membership Manager
In honor of ADDvantage Magazine’s Women’s History Month edition, it is my pleasure to introduce our readers to RSPA Tennis and Pickleball Professional and Padel Instructor, Christina Lynch! Based in San Antonio, Texas, she is a mother of four boys; Skyler, Devin, Zach and Luke, all of whom played tennis as kids. Devin and Luke became instructors working with adaptive athletes as well as tournament directors with the USTA and both, along with her husband Darrell, have been integral in her ability, both on and off the court, to grow the game of tennis. Now she serves as the head coach at The Christian School at Castle Hills and founder of TOaks Tennis & Pickleball, which she is rebranding on account of her newly obtained padel certification.
Christina developed her coaching philosophy with a simple idea in mind: nurturing one’s mind, body and spirit both on and off the court while focusing on character development and building up confidence in everyone she teaches, something embedded in her after coaching at her local YMCA.
Christina was first introduced to tennis in her 7th grade P.E. class when her teacher took their class outside to play on their local courts. Christina said her teacher did not try to coach or drophit with them right off the bat, saying, “We just had to go out there and get that ball over the net,” and that made the sport so much more enjoyable from the beginning. This concept of getting the student straight into the game as soon as possible is something that Christina has carried into her coaching with Junior Team Tennis (JTT). She emphasized the importance of facilitating a positive, nurturing environment on the court for young athletes, bringing them into the sport in a fun and playful way!
Although Christina did not play between her early teens and 20s, she decided to pick up a racquet again in her 30s. It’s easy to see how lucky the San Antonio community is that she decided to get back into the sport, ultimately becoming a racquet sports professional with such a passion for the growth of tennis, the development of adaptive programming and advocacy for playing
all racquet sports not at the expense of, but in collaboration with, each other. For example, she uses pickleball to develop and improve her players’ footwork on a smaller scale, making it less jarring, and then works up to footwork on a tennis court. She also emphasized how pickleball courts are great for hosting red ball classes. In December of 2024, she was awarded a grant from the USTA for introducing red ball initiatives to adults.
Achieving her padel instructor (Level 1) certification in October, Christina found a new passion in the racquet sports world. After obtaining her certification, she joined a local ladies’ padel league, where they find creative ways to get women together both on and off the court. They host events such as a “Paint and Play” night where they personalize their own padel bags and then hop on court to play a couple of games!
Working primarily with K-8 children, she is also heavily involved in the adaptive racquet sports space, assisting facilities like San Antonio’s Morgan’s Sports—where she completed her RSPA tennis certification! She also mentioned
LOBBIN’ WITH LINDA
her desire to see Unified Doubles incorporated, which pairs adaptive athletes with a “Unified Partner” to help achieve their maximum potential in an inclusive environment.
With the work she does in the school systems, Christina said she would love to bring all wheelchair-bound players together and figure out a way to extend outreach to parents who may not be aware of all the incredible STRAPS (South Texas Regional Adaptive and Para Sports).
Christina has won the Achievement in Junior Tennis and Achievement in Grassroots Tennis awards from Discover Tennis, founded by Neil Johnson, which focuses on the idea that tennis is greater than just recreation and champions by offering opportunities for character building, leadership and community service. Discover Tennis also founded the SSV (Serve, Stroke, & Volley) Tennis
skills test. Christina now tests her players before they begin competing, as this ranking tool allows kids to play much closer matches than if randomly paired. A quote from another RSPA Tennis Professional, Michelle Okhremchuk, grabbed Christina’s attention and drew her to SSV. Her teaching expertise has landed Christina recruitment by Nike US Sports Camps to facilitate camps in three racquet sports.
Christina’s experience in tennis tournaments has shown her the true importance of creating a space where players can gain the confidence they need to stay involved in the sport for the rest of their lives.
“You’re serving in the game, but you’re also serving in the community. I want my players to give back when they get a little older!” she said. She mentioned how excited she was to see the
RSPA offer its Junior Racquet Sports Apprentice program and noted the importance of having a mentor. Christina has applied for the RSPA mentorship program and committed to finding time in her busy schedule to become a mentee and learn from other RSPA professionals.
“I want everyone to know that I am truly interested in where they are going in their life, I want everyone to play until they are in their 80s!” she said.
In just the couple of hours that I had the pleasure of getting to know Christina, I do not doubt that with her dedication and perseverance, she will exceed all her goals and plans. Christina, the RSPA thanks you for all the work you do; we are so lucky to have you as a member and are excited to see what you will achieve in the next few years!
NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President. Trish Faulkner
First
Immediate