Youth Rules

“Nick’s commitment level is up to par, he is a great thinker throughout the game. Given his disabilities, Nick has to think through the process and his strategies are amazing and he is good at putting himself in the right position to win every point,” James said.

“This year’s field will feature players who have a good amount of experience, but also some rookies. “It will be a great experience for all and we are excited to watch and see what happens,” James said.

Even though Taylor has experienced the pageantry of the Paralympics before, there are still special moments to remember.

“When walking into a stadium with 60,000 to 70,000 people at opening ceremonies and hear the United States of America get called as you walk out of that tunnel, you know that you are not only representing the United States but also your hometown, state, section in USTA, university and your coach,” Taylor said.

“All you think about in those moments is all the people that got you there and all the sacrifices they have made for you, in addition to what sacrifices you made for yourself,” Taylor said, “I have altered my life to do what I have done.” Even though it has been over a decade since Taylor first experienced the Paralympics, and even then he’d considered retiring beforehand, he’s in no rush of stopping. His life is dedicated to tennis, day in and day out, by spending his days as assistant coach for the men’s tennis team at his alma mater, Wichita State.

When asked about what he had learned from his experience when growing up in the sport and what advice he can give any athletes who aspire to be great, Taylor said, “Don’t give up. Just keep going and when it doesn’t work, do it again. You have to be willing to fail, but not willing to accept failure, meaning it may not work the first time or the hundredth time.”

This year, there wereover 4,200 athletes from around the world playing a variety of sports. Wheelchair tennis made its seventh appearance at the 2016 Paralympic games and the quad division will be included for the fourth time. Wheelchair tennis was originally an exhibition event starting in 1988. By 1992, it became a full medal sport in the Paralympic games held in Barcelona, Spain. Any athlete who competes in Paralympic tennis has a mobility-related disability and must compete in a wheelchair.

Young official has found a fun way to give back, and earn some side money

Andrew Robinson | USTA Missouri Valley

If you see Brighton McMinn officiating at a junior tournament and think ‘there’s no way that official is much older than the players playing,’ well you’re actually not too far off base.

McMinn, 19, is a student at the University of Oklahoma in Norman and has been a USTA Official for the past two years. Thanks to his father being an official, McMinn was already pretty familiar with tennis rules.

During his high school playing days, McMinn’s nickname was “Rulebook.” And before McMinn had even graduated, he began the process of getting certified.

“There weren’t any regulations as to how old you had to be so my junior year of high school I emailed my local coordinator,” McMinn said.

Two years later, McMinn hasn’t just found a way to give back to the game, he’s also found something he enjoys. “It really is a fun job,” he said. “It takes a lot. You have to have very thick skin and a lot of confidence to do something like this.”

McMinn regularly officiates USTA events such as junior tournaments and league section championships. He’s also been certified by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and officiates college matches in Oklahoma and Texas. Being the same age, and often times younger than those players he’s officiating, McMinn said it can be difficult to earn respect.

“Especially us younger guys, we get looked down on quite a bit,” he said. “People tend to not take us as seriously but it comes with the territory and you have to work your way around it.”

When McMinn isn’t on the court, he’s learning to fly planes as an aviation major at Oklahoma. He often flies planes from the university’s airport over the Westwood Tennis Center in Norman where he spends much of his time officiating. And while his aspirations are to make a career out of flying, he’s also willing to see where officiating can take him.

“I hope to be at a grand slam,” he said. “But right now, I’m just enjoying where I am. It’s a nice job to do on the side while I get through college. The ITA and USTA have given me a lot and it’s nice they’ve entrusted me to do this at such a young age.”

Whether you’re young, old or somewhere in between, the USTA Missouri Valley is always looking for people who want to be officials. Visit missourivalley.usta.com/officials/ for more information on how to become a USTA Official.