USTA Kentucky Awards Nomination Process
USTA Kentucky awards nomination process is online.
Nomination period is open May 1 - September 15, 2023.
Nominees must meet all criteria to be considered and consideration is at the discretion of the awards committee.
Congratulations to the USTA Kentucky 2022 Winners!
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST OF ALL WINNERS
Adult Player of the Year
Presented to a male or female adult player who has excelled in her tennis performance and sportsmanship at any USTA level.
Junior Female Player of the Year
Presented to a female USTA Kentucky junior player with outstanding tennis performance and sportsmanship.
Junior Male Player of the Year
Presented to a male USTA Kentucky junior player with outstanding tennis performance and sportsmanship.
Volunteer of the Year
Presented to a person who has volunteered his/her time and talents in an exemplary way to assist with USTA Kentucky functions and to grow the game of tennis.
Mark Ragland Boys Junior Sportsmanship
Given in memory of Mark Ragland, Jr. and presented to an outstanding male junior tennis player in recognition of his good sportsmanship.
Mary Lou Hambrick Girls Junior Sportsmanship
Given in honor or Mary Lou Hambrick, long-time leader of KY Jr. Tennis, and presented to an outstanding female junior tennis player in recognition of her good sportsmanship.
Girl’s Scholastic Achievement
Presented to a female high school tennis player who has excelled in her scholastic work.
Boy’s Scholastic Achievement
Presented to a male high school tennis player who has excelled in his scholastic work.
Bruce Stone Educational Merit Award
Given in honor of Bruce Stone to recognize an individual who has developed an outstanding tennis program that provides leadership and inspiration in junior programs for schools, colleges, parks and playgrounds, and benefits the growth of tennis.
Most Improved Girl
Given to the female junior player who has made significant improvements in her ranking and overall tennis game.
Most Improved Boy
Given to the male junior player who has made significant improvements in his ranking and overall tennis game.
Dee Dee Long Spirit Award
Given in memory of Dee Dee Long and presented to an individual who best exhibits exemplary volunteer spirit throughout the USTA League Tennis program. Given to players, captains or organizers.
Family of the Year
Presented to a family who has been outstanding in their involvement and promotion of tennis.
Bennie Purcell Coach of the Year
Presented to a coach who has excelled in guiding and managing a high school or college level tennis team.
Paulette Griffith Local League Coordinator Award
Given in memory of Paulette Griffith and presented to an individual who has demonstrated excellent leadership and management of a local USTA league or program.
Junior Team Tennis Coordinator of the Year
Presented to an individual who demonstrated excellent leadership and management of a Junior Team Tennis League or program.
Tennis Official of the Year
Presented to a tennis official who has made outstanding contributions to the cause of tennis officiating in Kentucky.
Tennis Professional of the Year
Presented to a USPTA or PTR certified tennis professional who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in teaching the game of tennis.
Tennis Facility of the Year
Given to an outstanding public or private tennis facility, school or park for its contribution and support in the promotion of tennis.
Community Tennis Association/Member Organization of the Year
Presented to a USTA Kentucky member organization in good standing, for outstanding service to the local community, to the organization members, and to the game of tennis.
Special Tennis Event of the Year
Presented to a special and/or charitable tennis event, program or clinic that has been exemplary in the promotion and support of tennis.
Tournament or Event of the Year
One event or adult and/or one junior USTA sanctioned tournament that has been exemplary in demonstrating the USTA standards of organizing and conducting a sanctioned tournament or tennis event.
Media Award
Presented to an individual who has contributed to the game of tennis by spreading information to the public.
Diversity & Inclusion Champion Award
This award is presented to the individual or organization who demonstrates sustained commitment to diversity and inclusion through the following actions: actively champions, visibly embraces and celebrates diversity on and off the court by employing goals and strategies that create an inclusive environment; reaches out to a diverse audience through participation in community activities that celebrate diversity and inclusion; provides leadership opportunities that reflect interest in individual traits, skills, and talents of others; and proactively seeks opinions and gathers feedback from a diverse audience to gain additional perspectives and learn from others.
Wheelchair Excellence Award
Presented to a wheelchair tennis player, program, volunteer or tournament that demonstrates outstanding community service, on-court ability, event organization and overall promotion of the sport.
Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame
Nomination Process and Selection Criteria
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2022 INDUCTEES
Tom McGraw & Katy Tinius
HALL OF FAME MEMBERS TO DATE
1. Nominee must be a minimum of 25 years of age.
2. Nominee must be a resident of Kentucky for a minimum of 10 years.
3. Nominee may be a player, coach, organizer or referee / umpire.
The Hall of Fame Committee may induct up to three persons per year. To be elected a candidate must receive more than one-half of the votes possible by the committee. Nominations are perpetual. If your candidate is not selected in the year submitted, they are considered each year thereafter and may be inducted in the future.
Please submit nomination by clicking button below by July 15 for first consideration that calendar year.
The following information will need to be included in the online submission form, so please gather this information prior to beginning the online submission process.
COMPETITIVE PLAY: Highlight competitive accomplishments in the following age groups. Include individual and team/league performance as appropriate reflecting the year of the competition and the result. Include Kentucky, Southern, and National ranking as applicable.
Junior and high school tennis
College tennis
Adult tennis: age 19 to 49
Senior tennis: age 50+
The committee is interested in the quality of play, the quantity of competitive play, and the length of nominee’s competitive play.
TEACHING/COACHING: Include information on the type of facility [club, school, public park, etc.] and location of the coaching/teaching facility. Include the length of time teaching/coaching at each facility. If the nominee has coached well-known, successful players, name them.
OFFICIATING: This category includes referees, umpires, and lines persons. Show the length of time as an official and level of play at which he/she officiated: local, state, southern, and national.
ADMINISTRATION/ORGANIZATION: Describe the nominee's activities supporting tennis. List the organizations, job titles, and length of time in each position and significant accomplishments in the support of tennis.
TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR AND/OR ORGANIZERS: List the tournaments, league playoffs the nominee has managed. Include the name of the tournament, the locations, and the years these competitions were held.
Finally, please feel free to add any personal comments along with photos, newspaper or magazine articles supporting the nomination. Document upload option available.