Ace Award Winners Make Play Happen for Others

USTA Chicago’s Ace Awards program recognizes dedicated and passionate promoters, supporters, and providers of the great game of tennis. In 2022, more than 100 nominations in 11 categories were received. All of the nominees were reviewed by USTA Chicago and nine were honored with awards in the following categories:

League Volunteer Of The Year

Marion Thompson, Darien

Marion has been a captain in the Chicago District since 2010. In 2021, after yearend rating were run and Marion's new rating no longer allowed her to play on teams that she had captained for years, Marion continued to captain several teams even though she could not participate as a player on them. Without Marion's dedication to the league program and the love of the game, many others may not have been given the opportunity to continue to play.

Champion Of The Game

Gene Huh, Chicago

Marco Reynoso, Chicago

Gene and Marco organize a play group affectionately call TBD – “Tennis, Beer, Tacos.” Gene and Marco have been running TBT for 10 years. They organize events, tournaments and captain USTA teams. Marco and Gene organize weekly drills and match play for a group of players from the city and suburbs.

Tournament Director Of The Year

Amanda Hanon, Darien

Amanda earned this honor in her rookie year as a tournament director. Amanda, the founder and owner of Tennis Titans which introduces tennis to children at community locations such as: local schools, churches, or park districts, expanded her business model into running USTA tournaments in 2022. She spent 14 weekends over the summer running 50 events which enabled more than 600 players to compete.

Official Of The Year

Marilyn Goldman, formerly of Chicago

Marilyn has been a USTA official for almost 20 years. Her extensive experience as an organizer, as well as her abilities as a team leader, have provided her with the opportunity to advance into high level positions in the tennis officiating world at events such as IHSA Boys and Girls State championships, CDTA District Championships, National tournaments, and ITA college dual matches. Marilyn always sends players out to court, whether as an official or as a tournament director, telling them to “have fun.”

Teaching Professional Of The Year

Mark Bey, Chicago

Mark Bey, a distinguished player himself at DePaul University has been coaching in the Chicago area for more than 30 years. He has helped local Chicago players achieve greatness having coached 8 players to the #1 USTA national ranking, 11 to ATP/ WTA rankings, and 17 of his former students went on to NCAA individual championship participation, including 2 national champions. Mark also was the former assistant coach for retired pro players, the Bryan brothers. In addition to his work with high performing juniors at Glenview Tennis Club, Mark has an impressive resume of work commentating on the NCAA Division I college matches on the Tennis Channel and ESPNU. Mark was inducted into the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Midwest Division Hall of Fame in 2017.

Volunteer Of The Year

Fely Ong, Homewood

Fely received this award for the first time in 2013 and has continued to be a cornerstone of CDTA’s — and the Midwest Section's — volunteer team. She has been a member of the CDTA board for 9 years. During that time, she has helped run tournaments, adult league activities and organized adaptive and wheelchair programming. She has been devoted to growing tennis in the south suburbs out of HF Racquet and Fitness Club but also in partnership with groups like the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, the iCan Dream Center and the Special Olympics.

ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR Skokie Tennis Association, Skokie

The Skokie Tennis Association (STA) has been in existence since 2015. STA came to existence because Ann Tennes, one of its founders, was working as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Village of Skokie, and in a spring 2014 focus group with local residential real estate professionals, it was suggested that the community could use more recreational sports leagues. As an avid tennis player, Ann seized the opportunity to propose a tennis league. Ann and her husband Howard created the STA as a recreational not-for-profit organization. The league officers all serve as volunteers that encourage a fun experience that offers competitive play for a variety of levels. In 2017, STA donated a portion of its proceeds to fund children’s scholarships for Skokie Park District tennis camps and classes.

WHEELCHAIR/ADAPTIVE PERFORMANCE AWARD

Melissa Kress (deceased)

Melissa tried for about 10 years to get a wheelchair tournament started in the Chicago District. In 2013, it finally happened when she hosted the inaugural Chicago Wheelchair Classic with 18 players. This annual event attracts players from all over the United States as well as other countries. In 2016, this tournament became an International Tennis Federation (ITF) Futures event. Due to a serious illness, 2019 was the last year Melissa was able to run the tournament. What was most memorable for one nominee about Melissa and the Chicago Wheelchair Classic was the caring, friendly and fun attitude she showed towards her volunteers, players and their families. She recruited more than 150 volunteers to assist her with all of the details associated with running an ITF event. Melissa worked at the Hanover Park Park District for nearly 18 years.

Family Of The Year

Kevin Minor Family, Mundelein

Kevin was a pinnacle in the Chicago tennis community, raising three Black women who became NCAA Division I tennis players. Minor spent his entire life advocating for children in the sport. His service was not only to the USTA, but to dozens of families who have navigated the junior tournament landscape. Kevin was always happy to provide advice: how to get started playing, where events were taking place and more. He and his wife, Michelle, raised their daughters to use tennis to achieve their dreams. Their eldest daughter, Kristina, is an associate athletic director at Northwestern University, while Jasmine is an Emmy Award-winning television reporter in Indianapolis. Brienne won the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships in 2017, becoming the first Black woman to win the singles title.

When Kevin died suddenly in 2022, his family rallied to solidify his legacy by creating a scholarship fund in his name. Those funds will go towards supporting the training and travel for a Chicago-based junior tennis player and their family. Kevin Minor knew all too well the sacrifices necessary to raise elite studentathletes. He estimated that on average, the cost of a child from ages 8 to 18 who go on to play college tennis is about $300,000.