News

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The USTA announced today the eight award winners to be honored during the USTA Community Tennis Development Workshop (CTDW), which will be held February 11-13, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va. The honorees will be recognized in a variety of categories for their dedication to growing the game. This year’s honorees are:

Adaptive Tennis National Community Service Award

The USTA Adaptive Tennis National Community Service Award was established in 2003. To qualify for a program award, the program must have been in existence for a minimum of three consecutive years and be either a registered USTA Adaptive Tennis program or have a USTA Adaptive Tennis affiliation. To qualify for an individual award, the recipient must have worked with an Adaptive Tennis program for a minimum of three consecutive years. The USTA bestows this recognition upon a program or program leader that has demonstrated continued excellence, dedication and service in tennis for an adaptive tennis community. This year’s winner is:

· Touch of Tennis, Gwynedd Valley, Pa.

Eve F. Kraft Community Service Award

The USTA bestows the Eve F. Kraft Community Service Award upon individuals who perpetuate Kraft’s selfless mission to bring the sport of tennis to everyone who wants to play. Eve F. Kraft was a tennis pioneer whose ability to touch people’s lives exceeded the boundaries of the tennis court. As a teacher, coach, author, USTA staff member and volunteer, Kraft was a lifelong champion of recreational tennis in the United States until her death in 1999. She introduced thousands of young people to tennis, particularly in disadvantaged communities. This year’s winners are:

Janet Louer USTA Jr. Team Tennis National Organizer of the Year Award

The USTA bestows the Janet Louer USTA Jr. Team Tennis National Organizer of the Year Award upon an individual who positively influences children’s lives and substantially impacts their community. The award is named after Janet Louer, who was instrumental in the development of junior tennis during her lifetime. This year’s winner is:

· Julie Dick, Georgetown, Ky.

National Community Tennis Association of the Year Award

The Community Tennis Association of the Year Award honors a CTA for outstanding service in growing and developing the sport of tennis in its community. The award recipient is selected from 17 nominees, one from each of the USTA sections, by a panel of USTA Community Tennis Association Committee members. This year’s winner is:

· Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF), Washington, D.C.

National Junior Tennis & Learning Chapters of the Year Awards

The USTA bestows the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) Chapters of the Year Awards to chapters and programs at three different budget levels to reward those organizations that are able to do more with less. Arthur Ashe, along with Charlie Pasarell, and Sheridan Snyder, founded the NJTL network in 1969. Ashe envisioned NJTL, as, “a way to gain and hold the attention of young people in the inner cities and their poor environments so that we can teach them about matters more important than tennis.” Since its inception, NJTL has grown to more than 550 chapters across the country, serving more than 225,000 youth each year, making it one of the USTA’s largest community-based offerings. This tear’s winners are: