INSIDE - USTA.com

Sams Valley Principal drives team to
Ralleyball Showdown…literally
W
hen Ginny Anderson approached Walt Davenport, Principal at Sams Valley
Elementary School in Central Point, Ore., about off ering an aft er-school
Ralleyball tennis program at their school, Davenport gave her the green light. Th e
two worked together to organize an informational meeting for those students who
were interested and with that, the Sams Valley Elementary Ralleyball program
was in gear.
Anderson volunteered to run a six week beginner’s tennis program for fourth,
fi ft h and sixth grade students, and Davenport put his wheels to work when it came
time to transport the Sams Valley team to their fi rst-ever Ralleyball Showdown at
Southern Oregon Tennis Club in Medford. Th e principal drove the six players 18
miles to face Ralleyball teams from other elementary schools in the Medford area
and even acted as coach and ultimate cheerleader, encouraging the Sams Valley
team to do well on court but most importantly, to have fun.
For more information about bringing tennis to your school, please turn to page 16.
Whidbey Island USTA Jr. Team Tennis is truly a family aff air
Every year we have the privilege of working with tennis parents, coaches and
community leaders who want to give kids a fantastic experience through USTA
Jr. Team Tennis. Over the years we have written about some of those leaders in
an attempt to share their stories, passion and experience of coordinating leagues
but in this edition of Tennis Times, we’re going to show you USTA Jr. Team Tennis
from a diff erent angle.
One year ago, Karyle Kramer contacted the USTA Pacifi c Northwest about
running a USTA Jr. Team Tennis summer league on Whidbey Island, a community
on the Puget Sound. Over the next several months, Kramer contacted parents,
players and local high school coaches to get the ball rolling. She contacted and
followed-up with hundreds of potential players and parents and posted signs
advertising USTA Jr. Team Tennis sign-ups. Additionally, Kramer learned to
use TennisLink for registration and scheduling, and adopted the USTA Jr. Team
Tennis rules to fi t Whidbey Island’s needs. Th ese are just a few of the many other
details that Kramer devoted herself to.
Below you will read a fi rst-hand account of Kramer’s experience with USTA
Jr. Team Tennis. Tennis Times asked her to share her perspective about the volunteers,
players and parents who made this program a success in her community.
O
pening night of USTA Jr. Team Tennis league matches on Whidbey Island
produced two revelations. Th e fi rst was that many of the 31 players
standing with me in the circle were related to someone else in that circle. Th e
second discovery was the signifi cant number of parents who were present,
[ Continued on page 30 ]
Community
Tennis
Development
Workshop coming
to West Coast
2010 Community Tennis
Development Workshop
January 22-24
Sheraton San Diego Hotel &
Marina, San Diego, Calif.
REGISTER NOW FOR A DISCOUNT!
Enthusiasm abound for the inaugural season of JTT on Whidbey Island.
Mark it on your calendar! Join us for the 2010 Community
Tennis Development Workshop (CTDW) and bring back a
wealth of information that will benefi t tennis in your community
and build a strong network that will have an impact
for years to come.
Need convincing? Consider the following:
Unbeatable Programming
Sessions off ered at the CTDW will feature the following
topics presented by experts in the non-profi t and tennis
industry:
� Hone your on-court skills through the QuickStart Tennis
play format and other tennis programming.
� Become a stronger tennis advocate for your community.
� Develop, involve and energize your volunteer base.
� Deliver eff ective marketing and communications designed
to reach your core audience.
� Expand your fundraising eff orts.
By Karyle Kramer
� The Ultimate in Making Connections
Strong relationships can lead to greater success! At the
CTDW, we’ve made networking a priority and we’ve even
made it fun. Check out these opportunities:
� The Resource Center: Visit with vendors and other industry
partners in the exhibit area of the workshop.
� Courtside consulting gives you one-on-one time with
speakers and other program experts.
Register now to reserve your spot at the 2010 CTDW and
receive a special discount! All attendees who register by
December 23 will be treated to the early-bird rate.
Please go to our website at www.pnw.usta.com to register
and to view hotel information as well as a preliminary
schedule for the weekend. For more information please
email info@pnw.usta.com.
www.pnw.usta.com � WINTER 2009/10 TENNIS TIMES
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