USPTAMISSISSIPPI NEWSLETTER
August2024
ONGOINGGRANTSOFINTEREST
The USTA has several grants available at any given time, all of the Mississippi grants are available on this grants page. This page has all info on facility grants, junior tournament grants, schools grants, etc.
Other Grants of Note:
USTA Junior Circuit Grant - Host co-ed 18s junior circuit tournaments and get up to $300!
USTA Adult Red Ball Pilot Grant - Host an adult red ball event or league and receive up to $700
GULFPORTCONFERENCEWRAP
What a great conference last may in Gulfport! From the Blind Tennis Association's on court experience to all of the great on and off court information from Edgar Giffenig, Chris Hoshour, and Craig Jones There was something for everyone, and it was good seeing everyone there If you missed it, remember you can always check out USPTA Southern on YouTube and get some great information there
USPTAMISSISSIPPIBOARD
2024-2025 Board Members
President - William Foreman, Madison
Vice-President - Emillia Viljoen, Jackson
Secretary - Jacob Wiggins, Gulfport
Friend at Court: ‘From Coaching to Officiating’
By Jacob Wiggins, USPTA Staff Professional, Bayou Bluff Tennis Club
Becoming a USTA official has been very beneficial for my tennis career so far and it might be a good fit for YOU also!
For me personally, I started coaching full time at the beginning of 2021 and I was looking into resources for me to grow as a coach and additional ways to be more involved and give back to the tennis community
Giving Back to the Sport:
The main reason I wanted to get involved with officiating was to be active in bringing USTA tournaments back to the facility where I was working at the time Shortly after looking into officiating, I realized that there is a need for more officials in general at USTA tournaments and especially the (ITA) college matches I saw this an opportunity to be able to help and give back to the tennis community.
A Fresh Perspective:
I have found it especially helpful to watch other tennis players compete. It allows me to have to a refreshed perspective on skill development, strategies, and intensity that I can bring back to the tennis players I coach on a weekly basis.
As tennis coaches, we feel relaxed and knowledgeable on court and I believe that helps the atmosphere of the competing players. We can be the ‘Friend at Court’ to answer questions or dissolve conflict
Extra Income Opportunity:
Officiating can also provide you with additional income opportunities. Most USTA tournaments are on the weekends, which means you can keep a normal weekday schedule. During the tournament seasons, you can schedule tournaments most weekends if you are willing to travel; travel miles and hotel (if needed) are included in pay.
As an additional note, if you get the ITA certification for college matches, you could have a busy schedule during the spring and fall season. (I was contacted by college match assigners for my availability to work matches only a few days after I got certified) ITA matches will only take up a few hours, but the pay is the same as USTA day rate.
How to Get Started:
I would recommend contacting your state officials chair person to start the process and build your network connections early; but, you can also go straight to the officiating tab on USTA’s website and it will walk you through creating an officiating account. Most officials start as roving umpires and may later acquire the referee, chair umpire, line umpire, or chief umpire certifications. There are a few modules that will walk you through your responsibilities and make sure you can respond to situations at matches. Once the roving module is done, you have to shadow an official for a day at a tournament. After the shadow day, you will schedule a call to have a quick knowledge check before you are a certified USTA official and can start helping out at tournaments near you.