Kentucky Tennis Family,
So, August is already half over, and it’s been a whirlwind since my last letter. In July I was fortunate attend the Junior Team Tennis state tournament in Owensboro, wearing both my coordinator and State President hats. If you haven’t had an opportunity to check-out this event, I encourage you to do so! The blend of an amazing individual sport in a team setting with junior players is magical to watch! It’s such a fun, team-spirited environment that brings together junior recreation players from all over the state. Bryan Hash, our state coordinator for Junior Team Tennis (in addition to lots of other hats) put together a fabulous event, which included a record 48 teams and nearly 360 players while navigating weather challenges without missing a step.
This past weekend, Jason Miller, USTA Kentucky Executive Director, and I attended the Southern Section Summer Meeting in Nashville. It was interesting and educational to hear leadership from other states as well as Southern and National staff. We heard about many topics including National’s Strategic Direction, plans on UTR, Net Generation and an update on the coming TEP (Tennis Event Product) that will ultimately replace Tennislink. There’s so much that goes into providing tennis, it’s sometimes a bit overwhelming with all of the information being disseminated, but it’s super interesting and educational. Before I stepped into the role of President-Elect and now President, I thought I knew a little bit about how USTA worked. Wow…there’s so much going on behind the scenes! It’s fascinating, exciting and overwhelming, all at the same time! Which, brings me to my request to you…
Do you love tennis? (Hopefully if you’re reading this the answer is an unequivocal YES!)
Do you want to see it grow?
Do you have ideas or thoughts on how to make tennis in our state or your community better?
If you answered yes to these questions, then we need you!! Decisions are made, and change comes when we get involved. It’s easy to sit back and talk about everything we like or don’t like, all the things that we think need to change or could be done better. But none of that really changes anything, right? Real change is affected when individuals who are passionate about something take that next step and share those concerns and ideas and work with other like-minded, passionate people to make those changes a reality.
If you are one of those passionate people with lots of ideas on how tennis can be better, then consider this my personal invitation to you! Please, please, please take some time to look at the committee opportunities that are available on the state, sectional and national level. All levels are currently accepting applications for committee appointments. Whether your passion is Juniors, Adult League, Adult or Junior Tournaments, Diversity & Inclusion, Community Development, Officials, among others, there is a committee where your voice, insights and concerns need to be heard.
If you’re interested in applying for a committee, please visit the following links:
I can tell you that you’ll be amazed, inspired and educated by the individuals you’ll meet and serve with, so I hope you’ll take the time to consider applying, whatever your area of interest.
USTA, from the local CTA to National is built on a volunteer structure and it’s the volunteers that help steer the tennis ship for all of us. Don’t sit on the sidelines…Find Your Serve and share your insights, experience, knowledge and passion – this is a simple way you can make a difference and make your voice heard.
If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out to me or to our state office staff. We can give you more information on what committee participation entails, how much time it requires or where your best fit might be.
Have a great day!
Rainey
“Life is like a game of tennis; the player who serves well seldom loses.” - Unknown