Bring it On
By Jamie Hansen
Tennis is still sometimes viewed as a “countr y club sport.” It’s a perception the USTA has worked hard to change. USTA Missouri Valley has also worked to make tennis more accessible to those who may have never considered picking up a racquet. But there is so much more work to be done. Tennis has certainly seen a rise in popularity since players like the Williams sisters and more recently, Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens burst onto the scene. There are many ways tennis can reach out to the community to find the next star - or get youth to play beyond the junior level. Jaren Glaser, Tennis Service Representative of USTA Kansas and staff liaison to the Community Outreach Committee for USTA Missouri Valley, said bringing programs to youth in under-resourced communities is just one part of making tennis more inclusive. “We must find a way to be more invitingl to all and continue to shape our offerings to fit the multi-faceted needs and wants of our potential consumers,” she said. Tennis should be about creating community. Tennis has the opportunity to bring together so many different types of people who can help build diverse communities, which is important to not only the sport of tennis but to society as a whole. Bringing people together through a shared love of tennis helps to emphasize our similarities instead of remaining siloed in our differences.” For Alex Lee, Secretary/Treasurer of the USTA Missouri Valley Foundation and President of McAdams NJTL (National Junior Tennis & Learning) in Wichita, Kan.,
helping juniors see there is opportunity to play tennis after completing high school is one way to help bridge the gap. Lee is also a member of the USTA Collegiate Pathway Committee. “We need to do more to move our juniors toward college tennis after the juniors. We don’t promote playing on a college tennis team for our juniors,” Lee said. “We promote USTA Tennis On Campus but not the real college tennis experience.” Glaser and Nick Taylor, members of the USTA Missouri Valley Community Outreach Committee agree. Taylor is a gold medal tennis Paralympian who has worked to bring tennis to diverse populations in Kansas, including wheelchair tennis. He said sports like basketball and football are often viewed as more accessible and considerably less expensive - and hence, yield more play opportunities for youth. Continuing work to change this perception, Taylor said, is one way to bring more people to tennis. “We need to work to continue to lower the perceived barriers of entry for people to be involved in tennis, especially from diverse backgrounds.” Taylor said.
SPRING SERVE 2021 USTA.COM/USTAMISSOURIVALLEY
41
