Hello Kentucky tennis fans and a very Happy Thanksgiving to all! Thanksgiving is a holiday rich in historical tradition about what is best about this country. The true meaning of Thanksgiving focuses on relationships.
On October 22, USTA Kentucky held a Community Development Workshop, Awards Banquet, and Board of Directors meeting. At the Board meeting, I asked the Directors to write down what they were most thankful for in tennis. Overwhelmingly, the responses were friendships, relationships and people. They Get It! This is truly at the heart of why Tennis is the greatest of sport. As I handed out awards to all of the amazing, deserving recipients while listening to their incredible accomplishments, my heart soared. They Get It! In addition, sitting at round table discussions with community tennis leaders sharing and producing new ideas on how to bring tennis to more people in their respective communities, I realized, They Get It!
The photo for this month’s newsletter shows the winners (Michael Cunningham and Patrick Gaughan) of the Refuse To Lose tennis fundraiser held at Springhurst in Louisville. The volunteers for this outstanding event have raised over $60,000 for the Jimmy Valvano Foundation which focuses on cancer research. They Get It! Later this month in Lexington, the 4th annual Pavo Loco Tennis Fundraiser will be held at Lexington Tennis Club benefiting the Toy Chest. These incredible volunteers have raised over $25,000 in three years. They Get It! Events like this are happening all across the state of Kentucky and, They Get It!
Our Kentucky tennis community gets it! Volunteers were out in force at the Combo State Championships held in Lexington making it an incredible experience for our players. The Middle School State Championships were held in Louisville and run with the help of an incredible group of tennis volunteers and supporters. (Rainey Johns, Sonya Howard, Cissy Lehr and Lindagarde Dalton) Dee Maynard, featured in the Hero’s issue of Tennis Magazine for her work in bringing tennis to underserved populations Gets It!
Finally, the Staff and Executive Director of USTA Kentucky Get It! They work tirelessly and constantly trying to make your tennis experience across the state the best and to bring tennis to more Kentuckians. They are awesome!
As I reflect upon all of the things for which I am grateful and thankful, I can unequivocally state that on my top ten list is the relationships and friendships made through the sport of tennis. Tennis people are the best. They Get It!
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, and confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie
Happy Thanksgiving!
Dell
Dell Kelly
President - USTA KY
“Tennis…It All Matters!