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USPTA now accepting nominations for annual awards

The United States Professional Tennis Association is now accepting nominations for its 2008 National Awards Program. Each year the USPTA seeks nominations for deserving USPTA Professionals who go above and beyond their call of duty as tennis-teaching professionals. The national awards program recognizes members who have winning strokes, who teach tennis’ many life lessons, who build businesses that spur the industry, and who serve the sport and their communities with distinction.
The USPTA is accepting nominations until the July 3 deadline. Recipients will be honored during the annual awards breakfast on September 18 at the La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, Calif., during the 2008 USPTA World Conference. All Professional-level USPTA members are eligible. Awards are presented in every facet of the tennis business in which USPTA members work. The award categories are:

USPTA Stars are members who have dedicated many years to volunteering in grassroots tennis, and bring the sport and sportsmanship to the players they touch. Their giving spirits have made them heroes in their own communities. Although you may not have heard of the people who receive this award, their stories are inspiring, and almost all of us know at least one person who deserves a nomination.

The USPTA Industry Excellence Award is given to teaching professionals who take both an altruistic and entrepreneurial attitude toward their jobs. They use their own resources and those offered by the industry to build programs that bring tennis to more people. At the same time, they are successful in growing a tennis business. The recipient of this award will receive a $1,000 grant from the Tennis Industry Association and a Tennis Tutor ball machine from Sports Tutor for use in his or her grassroots programs.

The Alex Gordon Award for Professional of the Year recognizes a member who, over a career, has demonstrated exemplary achievement in seven areas, including: contributions to USPTA and USTA; as a teaching professional, player and coach; in education, research and publications; and with other organizations, achievements and contributions.

The Facility Manager of the Year Award is the only USPTA award available to
nonmembers. Applicants/nominees must be the general manager (in function, if not in title) of a club or tennis facility.

College Coach of the Year and High School Coach of the Year award recipients are usually selected based on their results as team coaches, however individual coaches may be considered. The Touring Coach of the Year is selected on the basis of his or her work with professional-level players.

Players who have been the most successful at the USPTA International Championships, as well as international, national and sectional competition may apply for the Player of the Year award. The eight categories for this award are: Men’s open, women’s open, men’s 35-and-over, women’s 35-and-over, men’s 45-and-over, women’s 45-and-over, and men’s 55-and-over and women’s 55-and-over.

The George Bacso Tester of the Year award recognizes the USPTA tester who does the most to advance certification opportunities and the certification process.

Award nomination forms and guidelines are available at www.uspta.com, by calling 800-877-8248 or by sending a request to pr@uspta.org.

Posted on May 16, 2008
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