2018 Fall-Winter Serve

FALL-Winter 2018

ANNUAL CONFERENCE PREVIEW INSIDE: 2018 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES & AWARD WINNERS JUNIOR LEADERSHIP COUNCIL SCHOOL TENNIS SUCCESS

The USTA Missouri Valley publishes Serve three times per year, focusing specifically on the members and events in the section.

All material copyright USTA Missouri Valley, unless otherwise noted.

Your feedback is welcomed.

Fall/Winter 2018 USTA Missouri Valley 4121 W 83rd Street, Suite 108 Prairie Village, Kansas 66208

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Table of Contents

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usta.com info@movalley.usta.com

(913) 322-4800 (888)368-8612 Toll Free

(913) 322-4801 Fax facebook.com/USTAMissouriValley twitter.com/USTAMoValley instagram.com/USTAMoValley Mary Buschmann Executive Director Manon Eilts Marketing Communications Director Emily Steinwart Communications Coordinator Graphic Design and Digital Media Andrew Robinson Communications Coordinator Digital Engagement For questions about your USTA membership, please contact USTA Member Services at 1-800-990-USTA or memberservices@usta.com, or visit www.membership.usta.com

Meet Tennis’ Newest Fan

2018 League Section Champions

FEATURES

3

USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame Class of 2018

5 6 8

2018 Award Winners Announced

10 11

Junior Leadership Council

Meet Tennis’ Newest Fan

12

Net Notes - News and highlights from around the section

15

District News

Summer of the Net Generation

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2018 USTA Missouri Valley League Champions

We’re proud to announce the 2018 USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame inductees: Ken D. Brown

Fred Johnson

Mark Platt

Pat Purcell

Kim Reser

The United States Tennis Association Missouri Valley is proud to announce its 2018 Hall of Fame inductees. This year, the USTA Missouri Valley is recognizing five people who have served the game of tennis through their play, dedication to volunteerism and their passion for improving the game.

The honorees are Ken Brown of Independence, Kansas, the late Fred Johnson of Kansas City, Missouri, Mark Platt and Patricia Purcell, both of St. Louis, and Kim Reser of Springfield, Missouri. The five new members of the USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame will be inducted during the USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame and Awards Luncheon on Saturday, December 1 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Olathe, Kansas. Please join us in honoring these Hall of Fame inductees at the December 1 Hall of Fame Induction.

Ken D. Brown never set his sights on becoming a successful high school and college tennis coach growing up, but a college course changed that. Brown, after taking two tennis coaching courses at Fort Hays State, began teaching at Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas, where he was asked to resurrect the tennis team in 1968. He coached the college teams for 23 years, before becoming the head boys’ and girls’ coach at Independence High School in 1992, where he won state championships in 2006, 2007 and 2008. He coached there until 2014, and has directed the city recreation program for 35 years. He’s organized Junior Team Tennis, and other USTA youth programming since 1983. In 2000, he formed the Independence Tennis Association, and also began serving on the USTA Kansas Board of Directors. Brown represented Independence in 2009, when the community was recognized by the USTA at the US Open as one of the Top Tennis Towns in America.

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Fred Johnson had an ability to break barriers when it came to getting diverse populations onto the tennis court. A protégé of Arthur Ashe, he was a manager and instructor for five sites of the Ashe-Bolliteri tennis program between 1990 and 1993, finding creative ways to promote the sport to as many people as possible. Johnson joined the USTA Missouri Valley staff in 1996 as its diversity manager, and was an advocate for diversity and inclusion. He was the genesis behind “Tennis in the hood,” an outreach program which introduced tennis to over 40,000 kids in 11 different cities in the USTA Missouri Valley’s five-state area. That blueprint for success was transitioned into Tennis Block Parties, Rock N Rally’s and Tennis in the Neighborhood programs by the USTA. In 2004, Johnson created the Slammin and Jammin basketball and tennis events with the assistance of Lynette Woodard, the first female player for the Harlem Globetrotters. Outside the USTA Missouri Valley, Johnson was an active volunteer at the Stephanie Waterman Foundation, and served as the first male board member for WIN for KC, a women’s intersport network in Kansas City.

Mark Platt got his start in tennis by taking lessons from fellow USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Famer, Earl Buchholz Sr., in the 1960s. Platt started teaching tennis and directing the free University City tennis program in 1976. Almost a decade later, Platt started Beginner’s World Tennis in 1984. The program, which provides an all-encompassing program specifically geared to the beginner tennis player. Today, Platt has a staff of 10 assisting at 25 sites across St. Louis with over 10,000 participants annually. In 2002, Platt was named a Grassroots Champion of Tennis by Tennis Industry Magazine, and in 2016 the magazine named him a Community Tennis Local Hero. Platt has also been honored by the USTA. In 2004, he was the Eve Kraft Community Service Award winner, and in 2017 he was named the Janet Lauer USTA Junior Team Tennis National Organizer.

Patricia Purcell has excelled as a player and organizer throughout her career. Purcell started playing the USTA Missouri Valley junior circuit in 1966 and became the no. 1 ranked player in St. Louis and the Missouri Valley. She went on to play at Washington University in St. Louis for four seasons, the first two of which were with the men’s team. She remained an active adult player through the 1980s before taking a 20-year hiatus from playing. When she returned, she found success. She’s won six USTA Gold Balls, and has been a member of two national USTA Cup Teams, the Maureen Connolly Cup in 2013 and Alice Marble Cup in 2017, both of which won its respective events. She finished 2017 as the no. 4 ranked player in singles and doubles in the USTA Women’s 60s rankings. Most recently, Purcell was a member of the 2018 Alice Marble Cup Team which competed in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Seniors World Team Championships. She’s been teaching since 1976, and served as the assistant women’s coach at Washington University-St. Louis from 1994 to 1999. She has captained dozens of USTA League teams dating back to 1988. She has also served as a head tennis pro, and tennis club owner. She was named the USTA Missouri Valley Player of the Year in 2016 and was also inducted into the USTA St. Louis Tennis Hall of Fame in 2016.

Kim Reser learned to play tennis in Marshall, Missouri, before a long career of coaching and service within the game. Reser played collegiately at William Jewell University in Liberty, Missouri, before becoming the school’s head women’s coach. She also served as both a staff member and volunteer for the USTA Missouri Valley. She was the director of adult programs and championships for four years, and then spent 25 years as a volunteer including a decade as part of the USTA Missouri Valley’s Board of Directors. She was also a USTA umpire, and a linejudge for Springfield Lasers’ matches, USTA Pro Circuit events and officiated local events. At the national level, Reser has served on the following national committees: USTA Leagues, USTA Parks and USTA Awards. She is currently the Assistant Director of Parks for the Springfield - Greene County Park Board.

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The USTA Missouri Valley is also proud to honor the following outstanding award recipients on December 1: Female Junior Player of the Year Sami Remis (St. Louis, Missouri)

Adult Recreational Player of the Year Heather Blumel (Omaha, Nebraska)

Media Excellence Mediacom (Springfield, Missouri)

Male Junior Player of the Year A.J. Woodman (Weldon Springs, Missouri)

Outstanding Contributor USTA League Tennis Program Marcia Jacelone (Overland Park, Kansas)

Distinguished Service Steve Henry (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

Female Junior Recreational Player of the Year Erin Coleman (Ferguson, Missouri) Male Junior Recreational Player of the Year Grant Dahl (St. Louis, Missouri) Outstanding Junior Tournament USTA L2 National Selection Tournament (Edmond, Oklahoma) Outstanding Contributor to Youth Tennis Sara Rasmussen (Wichita, Kansas) USTA Junior Team Tennis Organizer Janet Glaser (Wichita, Kansas) Outstanding Contributor Youth High Performance Program Eric Rand (Olathe, Kansas) High School Coach of the Year Patrick Huewe (St. Louis, Missouri) Adult Player of the Year Wilbur Jones (Kansas City, Missouri)

Outstanding Diversity Achievement Kevin Heim (Lincoln, Nebraska) Outstanding Adult/ Senior Tournament 18 & Over Mixed Section Championship (Omaha, Nebraska) Tennis Family of the Year The Minihan Family (Edmond, Oklahoma) Facility of the Year Woods Tennis Center (Lincoln, Nebraska) Outstanding Community Tennis Association First Serve (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) Member Organization of the Year Dwight Davis Tennis Center (St. Louis, Missouri) Outstanding Official John Kelly (St. Louis, Missouri)

President’s Award Surprise Announcement Junior Sportsmanship G10 - Emmy Kinder (Chesterfield, Missouri) G12 - Allison Wayne (St. Louis, Missouri) G14 - Megan Nguyen (St. Louis, Missouri) G16 - Lily Walther (St. Louis, Missouri) G18 - Emily Sloan-Johnston (Tulsa, Oklahoma) B10 - Joey Fox (St. Louis, Missouri) B12 - Jai Patel (St. Louis, Missouri) B14 - Ayush Negi (St. Louis, Missouri) B16 - Colby Klotz (Arkansas City, Kansas) B18 - Nathan Turtledove (Leawood, Kansas)

Net Generation

Becoming Jenny Crow, a physical education teacher at Adams Elementary in Norman, Oklahoma, went from not knowing a whole lot about the game of tennis to viewing the sport at its pinnacle.

Crow has taught PE for 14 years, and had never really invested much in the idea of adding tennis to her curriculum. Some days she’d get old racquets out for students to work on eye-hand coordination but that was frequently the extent of it.

Jenny Crow

Then, she learned about the USTA’s Net Generation, and everything changed.

USTA Missouri Valley School Tennis Organizer Becky Riggs reached out to Crow through Oklahoma’s Healthy Schools program to let her know the resources the USTA could provide through Net Generation.

It wasn’t long before Crow was all in on the program.

“I went to a training, and the curriculum was so easy to implement,” she said. “I came back and jumped right to it. It was fun to teach, my kids just fell in love with it.”

Crow received free training, as well as an equipment pack with racquets, balls and other equipment useful for the kids playing within a gymnasium. She’s also partnered with Marc Claude at the Westwood Tennis Center in Norman through the USTA’s Schools Partnership Program.

The focus of this program is to create partnerships between schools, local School Partners and a USTA district to give students the opportunity to learn, play, and enjoy the game of tennis. By signing up for the program, the school, school partner and USTA district agree to partner with the United States Tennis Association to support Net Generation at the school. Currently, there are 83 school partnerships within the USTA Missouri Valley. The school partners provides additional equipment as needed, and a place for Crow and other educators to refer students to if they desire to take additional lessons after being introduced to the game at school.

The equipment, Crow said, is the biggest bonus of Net Generation.

“Tennis would not be happening if it were not for the equipment that was provided,” she said. “It’s right sized, it’s good quality, and we’re not using old, worn out things.”

Riggs took notice of Crow’s immediate interest and enthusiasm for Net Generation and recommended to the USTA that Crow be part of an advisory panel to offer feedback on the program to the USTA. Crow attended the US Open as part of the panel with other physical education teachers from around the country. It offered her an opportunity to provide feedback and learn more about Net Generation, but also allowed her to view world class tennis first hand.

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“I may be tennis’ newest, biggest fan.”

n:

g a Fan

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By:Andrew Robinson

“I may be tennis’ newest, biggest fan,” Crow said.

“I came back with so many stories for my students.

I can talk to them on a whole new level.”

Now, with the Net Generation curriculum, Crow is doing her best to influence a new generation of tennis players and fans, who she hopes have a lifelong interest in the game.

“One of my goals is always to introduce my students to lifetime sports.”

Right: Crow attended the US Open with other physical education teachers from around the country.

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SUMMER OF THE NET GENERATION Through over 30 local events this past summer, USTA Missouri Valley introduced Net Generation to thousands of children and parents. From inviting youth to USTA Pro Circuit events, to having greater exposure at the USTA Missouri Valley Junior Team Tennis section championship, Net Generation was everywhere. Check out the photos below for a look at the many events, as well as a video recapping all of the activities at the Wichita Tennis Open in July.

Above: Fred Johnson ALL Stars Event. Right: Tulsa Pro Circuit. Below right: Summer Sweet 16. Below: A schools Net Generation demo.

Above: Booth at the Show Me State Games.

Right: Wichita Tennis Open video recap.

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LET’S SHAPE THE FUTURE OF TENNIS Net Generation, powered by the USTA, makes it easier and more fun to get kids and teens into tennis. We provide the tools, world-class curricula, marketing materials and training to empower coaches, teachers, parents, volunteers, NJTL networks and community organizations to grow the game.

The next generation of tennis starts now!

Here’s what we’re serving up: • Comprehensive print and digital curricula • Equipment starter kits and/or welcome packs (depending on provider) • Free online and in-person training • Marketing campaigns promoting your program • Free registration with helpful digital tools including a Program Management Center, educational support, and the Net Generation Coaching App

Join The Net Generation today:

NETGENERATION.COM

© 2017 USTA. All rights reserved.

Players completed the Positive Coaching Alliance Athlete course. USTA Missouri Valley recently partnered with Positive Coaching Alliance, an organization dedicated to changing the culture in youth sports. The course is designed to help athletes improve self, team, opponents and the sport as a whole and guides participants through a series of exercises addressing each of these topics.

COUNCIL GIVES BACK THROUGH COMMUNITY SERVICE

The Junior Leadership Council and his or her home district are as follows: • Bradley Frye, USTA Heart of America (Co-chair) • Anna Alons, USTA Iowa (Co-chair) • Nathan Turtledove, USTA Heart of America • Cam Luhring, USTA Iowa • Madeline Lysaught, USTA Kansas • Kamran Farid, USTA Missouri • Clare Plachy, USTA Nebraska • Rachel McCorkle, USTA Oklahoma • Samantha Remis, USTA St. Louis

Members of the USTA Missouri Valley’s Junior Leadership Council have given back to the sport of tennis throughout the year as part of the community service component of being a part of the Council.

Madeline Lysaught of Wichita, Kansas, assisted with the Net Generation Kids’ Day as part of the Wichita Tennis Open. Samantha Remis of St. Louis, assisted at a Special Olympics Tennis Clinic in St. Louis.

“I learned that tennis is a great sport for everyone because it is a way for people with special needs to meet other people,” Remis said.

Nathan Turtledove, of Kansas City, assists with teaching tennis at the Genesis School, and also ran a clothing, shoe and racquet drive at a local club. Rachel McCorkle of Tulsa assisted with the USTA Oklahoma Junior Team Tennis district championships.

The Council also has the opportunity to provide feedback to USTA Missouri Valley staff and tournament directors on matters that directly impact players.

Members of the council must be 15-18 years old and currently compete on the USTA Missouri Valley Junior Circuit. The USTA Missouri Valley Junior Leadership Council members will serve 1 year terms with the opportunity to renew up to two terms.

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Above: Nathan Turtledove volunteering and working with kids at the Genesis School.

USTA LEAGUES

Nearly 40 teams from USTA Missouri Valley have advanced to the 2018 USTA League National Championship by winning the USTA League Missouri Valley Section Championships, held over the course of August and September. These teams will now represent USTA Missouri Valley at the USTA League National Championships, where the No. 1 recreational tennis teams in the country will be crowned. Teams emerging victorious are:

Division Adult 18 & Over 2.5 Adult 18 & Over 3.0 Adult 18 & Over 3.5 Adult 18 & Over 4.0 Adult 18 & Over 4.5 Adult 18 & Over 5.0 Adult 40 & Over 3.0 Adult 40 & Over 3.5 Adult 40 & Over 4.0 Adult 40 & Over 4.5 Adult 55 & Over 6.0 Adult 55 & Over 7.0 Adult 55 & Over 8.0 Adult 55 & Over 9.0 Adult 65 & Over 6.0 Adult 65 & Over 7.0 Adult 65 & Over 8.0 Mixed 18 & Over 6.0 Mixed 18 & Over 7.0 Mixed 18 & Over 8.0 Mixed 18 & Over 9.0 Mixed 40 & Over 6.0 Mixed 40 & Over 7.0 Mixed 40 & Over 8.0 Mixed 4.0 & Over 9.0

Men (District/Captain) Women (District/Captain) n/a Oklahoma/Amber Leonard Oklahoma/Ky Nichols Oklahoma/Candy Phillips Heart of America/Doug Schwabauer Oklahoma/Jordon Lusnak Oklahoma/Chad Sanders Kansas/Michelle Bettis (2nd at Nationals) Nebraska/Robert Weber Heart of America/Dawna McCulloch Kansas/Danny Williams Oklahoma/Nicky Glover Oklahoma/Ky Nichols Oklahoma/Stephanie Goekeler Oklahoma/Shane Tuell Heart of America/Laura Irvin Iowa/Rich Heil Heart of America/Theresa Montgomery Oklahoma/Stan Swyden Iowa/Sara Loetscher n/a Oklahoma/Michelle Bryan Kansas/Bob Bundy St. Louis/Marilyn Uelhof Heart of America/Chris Cox Missouri/Tracy Nicholas Heart of America/Tim Weber St. Louis/Shannon Carney-Gordon n/a Oklahoma/Shirley Brody St. Louis/Robert Lietz Oklahoma/Paula Casey Nebraska/Roderick Harley St. Louis/Sylvia Bell Oklahoma Natalia Sheaffer Heart of America/Scott Hanover Nebraska/Amy Redfield & Carvie Erwin Kansas/Danny Williams Oklahoma David Schmidt Nebraska/Carvie Erwin Iowa/Cindy Royner Oklahoma/Michael Pearson

USTA League National Championships began October 5 with the Adult 18 & Over 4.0 and 5.0 divisions. They continue throughout the month of October and conclude in November with the Mixed 18 & Over and Mixed 40 & Over USTA League National Championships. At this year’s USTA League National Championships, players will be participating in the “Color Wars.” USTA Missouri Valley will be represented by light pink and is encouraged to wear it and display it at every opportunity. Players embraced their pink at the Section Championships as well.

Click the graphic above right to visit the full League Section Championship photo gallery on Facebook.

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NET NOTES - NEWS NEAR YOU TAYLOR NAMED TO ITF COUNCIL

PLAYERS REPRESENT AT ITF EVENT Two players from USTA Missouri Valley represented the United States at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Seniors World Team Championships, which was August 12-18 at various tennis facilities in Ulm, Germany.

Willie Alumbaugh of Leawood, Kansas played on the Fred Perry Cup team, while Patricia Purcell of St. Louis played on the Alice Marble Cup team.

The tournament is the senior tennis equivalent of the Davis Cup and Fed Cup competitions, with top American tennis players representing their country in the 50-, 55- and 60-and-over age groups.

Following the conclusion of a formal election process, the ITF is pleased to confirm that Nick Taylor of Wichita, Kansas, has been elected as a member of the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Player Council.

The Player Council will represent the interests of players who compete in ITF competitions and help advise and make recommendations to the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Committee on issues of concern to players. The elected members will individually represent players within their own specified division, ranking band and geographical world region.

Taylor is a 11-time grand slam champion, winning seven US Open titles and four Australian Opens. He’s represented the U.S. in every World Team Cup (the wheelchair equivalent of the Davis Cup) since 2000. Taylor is also the tournament director for the Wichita Tennis Open, a USTA Pro Circuit $25K event.

JUNIOR TEAM TENNIS WRAPS UP IN TULSA The Junior Team Tennis season in USTA Missouri Valley culminated with the section championship, July 23-25, at LaFortune Tennis Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma where 17 teams comprised of over 100 players competed for the chance to be called the USTA Missouri Valley Junior Team Tennis champion.

In the 18U Intermediate division, RH 91 of Tulsa, Oklahoma took the title, followed by Creve Couer Racquet Club (St. Louis) and Kapaun (Wichita)

Four teams earned championships and three berths to the USTA Junior Team Tennis National Championship were awarded. The event will be held later this year at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.

The 14U Advanced division was won by a team from Creve Coeur Racquet Club in St. Louis.

Missouri Athletic Club of St. Louis won the 18U Advanced division, followed by Southern Hills (Tulsa) and IC Tennis Club (Wichita).

In the 14U Intermediate, RH 91 won the championship over Quail Creek, also of Oklahoma.

Finally, in the 12U Intermediate division, which will not advance to the National Championship, Homestead Country Club of USTA Heart of America defeated Oklahoma City Tennis Center by three games.

Visit usta.com /ustamissourivalleyjtt for more information on the program or Click the graphic above to visit the full Junior Team Tennis Section Championship photo gallery on Facebook.

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TENNIS ON CAMPUS FALL INVITE CHAMPIONS Missouri S& T won the USTA Missouri Valley’s Tennis on Campus Fall Invite, September 29-30 in Kansas City, Missouri. Nebraska took second place in the event, which features 12 schools and provides an un-official kickoff to the Tennis on Campus season which will culminate with the USTA Missouri Valley Tennis on Campus Section Championships in March in Des Moines, Iowa.

Visit TennisOnCampus.com for more information on the program.

LASERS TAKE KING CUP It took 23 seasons but the Springfield Lasers are finally the World TeamTennis champions.

Springfield overpowered the top-seeded Philadelphia Freedoms, 19-18, at the World TeamTennis Finals presented by GEICO on the campus of Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Miomir Kecmanovic was the standout for the Lasers, winning four consecutive games in the final set to defeat Kevin King in men’s singles 5-3 to bring Springfield back from a 3-game final set deficit. Kecmanovic was named WTT Finals Forevermark MVP and received a one carat Forevermark diamond for his performance.

Lasers coach John-Laffnie de Jager dedicated the win to team founder Harry Cooper who passed away earlier this year. “This is for the people of Springfield and Mr. Cooper. I talk about champion people in life and the people in this franchise are all champion people. To win for the people of Springfield means a lot.

They have been so good to us and I’m so glad we can bring the King Trophy back to them.”

On its way to winning the King Cup, the Springfield Lasers added Jack Sock to the roster on July 20. While the Lasers didn’t win that evening, USTA Missouri Valley was happy to welcome Sock back just after his Wimbledon doubles title with partner Mike Bryan.

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District News

USTA Heart of America 2018 Award Winners Name

Atra Biria Emily Chiasson Sophia Desimone Hannah Tadros Krrish Sanjanwala Graham Faris Rudra Dixit Nathan Turtledove Hannah Tadros Kate Kim Cooper Woestendick

Address Outstanding Sportsmanship - Girls 12 Outstanding Sportsmanship - Girls 14 Outstanding Sportsmanship - Girls 16 Outstanding Sportsmanship - Girls 18 Outstanding Sportsmanship - Boys 12 Outstanding Sportsmanship - Boys 14 Outstanding Sportsmanship - Boys 16 Stephanie Waterman Junior Sportsmanship - Male

Stephanie Waterman Junior Sportsmanship - Female Junior Player of the Year - Female Junior Player of the Year - Male

Bryn Chaplin

Recreational Player of the Year - Junior

Biria Family

Family of the Year

Michelle Hall

Adult Player of the Year - Female

Wilbur Jones

Adult Player of the Year - Male

Nancy Spielbusch

Recreational Players of the Year - Adult - Female

Doug Schwabauer

Recreational Player of the Year - Adult - Male

Russ Everhart

Shawna Froeschl Adult Sportsmanship - Male

Cynthia Gerdes

Shawna Froeschl Adult Sportsmanship - Female

Greater K C Junior Tennis Bonanza

Event of the Year

USTA Level 1 Boys 18s National Indoor Championship USTA-MV NTRP 50s Singles & Doubles National Qualifier

Outstanding Junior Tournament Outstanding Adult/Senior Tournament

Name

Award

Genesis Health Clubs Overland Park Racquet Club Stephanie Waterman Foundation The Whole Person Plaza Tennis Center Tracey Johnson Karen Kornacki Kevin Braun Eric Rand Steve Baum Marcia Jacelone

Facility of the Year

Noah Bortnick

Volunteer of the Year

Richard Kohn

Distinguished Service

Member Organization of the Year Outstanding Community Tennis Association Outstanding Diversity Achievement Community Service Excellence High School Coach of the Year

Media Excellence Outstanding Contributor to USTA Tennis Youth Programs Outstanding Contributor to Youth High Performance Program Outstanding Junior Team Tennis Organizer Outstanding Contributor to USTA League Tennis

USTA Heart of America Teams going to USTA League Nationals 18&Over—3.5 Men Doug Schwabauer

40&Over—4.0 Women Theresa Montgomery

18&Over Mixed—7.0 Level Scott Hanover

18&Oer—4.5 Women Dawna McCulloch

55&Over—8.0 Men Chris Cox

CONGRATULATIONS!

40&Over— 3.5 Women Laura Irvin

55&Over—9.0 Men Tim Weber

2019-2020 Nominations for USTA Heart of America Board of Directors Board of Directors

President

Deb Fabrizius

Vice-Pres, Adults

Marianne McGrath

Elizabeth Barnes

Kirk Lambright

Vice-Pres, Jrs

Anthony Perkins

Darren Chiao

Kate Loepp

Treasurer

Cassidy Mears

Kim Hanson

Terry Miller

Secretary

Jackie Gehrke

Marcia Jacelone

Richard Kohn

Tracey Johnson

2019 KANSAS SMASHERS AND BASH EVENTS Date

Host

Location

Jan 12

Body First

Manhattan

Feb 23

Genesis West Central

Wichita

Mar 16

Ralph Wulz Riverside TC

Wichita

Mar 23

Genesis Wood Valley

Topeka

April 7

McPherson Tennis Center

McPherson

April 13

Topeka Country Club

Topeka

April 20

Ralph Wulz Riverside TC

Wichita

May 11

Genesis Rock Road

Wichita

May 25

Kossover Tennis Center

Topeka

June 15

McPherson Tennis Center

McPherson

June 16

Ralph Wulz Riverside TC

Wichita

June 29

Arkansas City High School

Arkansas City

July 6

Kossover Tennis Center

Topeka

July 13

McPherson Tennis Center

McPherson

Aug 3

Arkansas City High School

Arkansas City

Aug 24

Ralph Wulz Riverside TC

Wichita

Aug 31

Ralph Wulz Riverside TC

Wichita

Sept 14

Genesis West Central

Wichita

Sept 21

Genesis Wood Valley

Topeka

Oct 5

Genesis Salina

Salina

Oct 19

Genesis Rock Road

Wichita

Nov 9

Body First

Manhattan

Nov 16

Genesis Wood Valley

Topeka

Dec 7

Genesis West Central

Wichita

Dec 28

Genesis Rock Road

Wichita

Ball

Bash Bash

Bash

Bash

USTA KANSAS CONGRATULATES Ken Brown, Independence, Kansas USTA Missouri Valley 2018 Hall of Fame Inductee 2018 USTA Kansas Award winners

https://www.usta.com/en/home/stay-current/missourivalley/kansas/2018-kansas-award-winners.html

Michelle Bettis’ Topeka 4.0 Women Finalists in USTA 18 & Over Adult National Championships!

Front left to right, Lynn Hunt, Val Glotzbach, Sarah Knight, Rebekah Berkley, Linda Crandall Back left to right, Brittany Osborne, Teresa O’Neal, Michelle Bettis, Jodi Gee, Sara Neiswanger, Heather Fay. Not pictured, Linda Hicks.

Wichita Tennis Open Net Generation Kid’s Day!

Congratulations to the following USTA Missouri Valley Award Winners:

Kevin Heim/Woods Kevin Heim Heather Blumel Kay Merkel/Lisa Thomas

- Facility of the Year - Outstanding Diversity Achievement - Adult Recreational Player of the Year - Adult/Senior Tournament of the Year

Congratulations to the USTA Nebraska Award Winners: AWARD Distinguished Service Tennis Family of the Year Junior Player of the Year (Girl) Junior Player of The Year (Boy) Recreational Player of the Year (Adult) Recreational Player of the Year (Junior Girl) Recreational Player of the Year (Junior Boy) Adult Player of the Year Outstanding Junior Tournament Outstanding Adult/Senior Tournament Outstanding Contributor to Youth Tennis Programs Outstanding Contributor to Youth High Performance Program Outstanding Contributor to USTA League Tennis Program Outstanding Official Media Excellence Member Organization of the Year Outstanding CTA Facility of the Year High School Coach Outstanding Diversity Achievement

Winner Larry Newton, Diana Myers Earl Rademacher Family Bianca Rademacher Mason Meier Heather Blumel CeCe Ulrich Owen Brown Aaron Ogden Dominant Duo (Omaha) MV Sectional/Kay Merkel Mike Saniuk, Kaitllin Roselius Taylor Wain Mark Leahy Justin Bigsby abtlleague.com Tennis Mafia Omaha Tennis Association Woods Tennis Center Denny Hershberger Kevin Heim, Chris Foster