Help Facilitate New National Education Track a. Continue to Liaison between National and Eastern Division b. Provide Communication regarding Educational Changes

President’s Message

webinars. Our recent sessions have included themes such as Career Pathway, Digital Marketing, and Wheelchair & Adaptive Tennis. Our presenters included ‘20 USPTA Eastern Hall of Famer, Bob Ingersole, ‘20 USPTA Eastern Pro of the Year, Alex Pop-Moldovan, and USPTA Master Professional, Mark McMahon, just to name a few.

As our association raises the bar of education, we must remember we are committed to elevating the standards of teaching professionals. Part of elevating those standards means making the USPTA certification more rigorous. Some of the recent changes include:

USPTA Eastern Membership! last year was a challenging year for all and COVID-19 will forever make its mark on us and our industry. The pandemic shut us down for a couple months, but since reopening, we have been riding high! More people were playing tennis than ever in the parks and, now in the winter months, most of our adult and junior programs that are open have been bursting at the seams. With 2020 finally behind us, it’s time to embrace 2021 and get back to what we love doing: growing the game of tennis, the profession, and the quality of our teaching. We kicked off the year partnering with USTA Eastern for the Eastern Tennis Conference. This year, USTA Eastern decided to run the sectionwide favorite event virtually. USPTA Eastern hosted two workshops, one with John Yandell and another with Jeff Salzenstein. Additionally, our Board members were involved in a Wheelchair & Adaptive Tennis webinar, and picked up (virtually) several awards during the USTA Eastern Awards presentation.

Since then, USPTA Eastern continues to provide educational opportunities online, and in person. Although in-person workshops have been challenging, we have been able to deliver much of our education via

1. Education Credit Guidelines change from 1hr = 0.5 credits to 1hr = 1 credit

A. Face-to-Face/Virtual Face-to-Face 1 hr = 1.5 credits B. Teaching Essentials (TE1, TE2, TE3) 1hr = 2 credits

2. New Education Requirements

A. As of Jan. 1, 2021, the education requirement is 15 credits every three years (international members and those over the age of 65 are exempt) B. USPTA members with an education period ending on Dec. 31, 2021, or Dec. 31, 2022, will continue with the prior credit requirement (12 credits with the formula change) until their current education period ends. The new education requirement of 15 credits every three years will begin once their current education period ends. C. USPTA certified members with a continuing education requirement period starting on Jan. 1, 2021, and ending on Dec. 31, 2023, are now required to earn 15 credits to maintain their membership. This requirement will apply to all subsequent continuing education periods.

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The Eastern Newsletter is published quarterly by the Eastern Division of the United States Professional Tennis Association. The opinions expressed in the Eastern Newsletter are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Eastern Newsletter or the USPTA Eastern Division.