PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

| Russell Lum - President

Tennis is booming. Let’s keep on rallying!

In 2022, it was a privilege and a pleasure to celebrate another year of great tennis in USTA Hawaii Pacific. We thank our USTA members who play in USTA programs and tournaments. We also thank our dedicated staff members and volunteers who continue to be guided by our mission: “To promote and develop the growth of tennis.”

Tennis has been booming. In 2022, tennis participation in the U.S. increased for the third consecutive year, adding one million more players to bring the total number to 23.6 million and representing a three-year increase of 33 percent. In Hawaii Pacific, our Play & Learn lesson program has experienced 27% growth over 2021 with over 8,000 registrations and Junior Team Tennis increased 24% over 2021 with over 6,000 participants.

Tennis is good for you. Our sport offers physical, mental and social benefits that enhance all of our lives. Recent studies have shown that tennis extends longevity and increases the quality of life. We are proud to share the sport of tennis with as many people as possible. We know that we will have continuing challenges in 2023, but we’ll be here to accept those challenges and keep on rallying in the Hawaii Pacific Section for years to come!

Russell Lum President | USTA Hawaii Pacific

2022-2024 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Executive Director’s 2022 Highlights

2022 was an excellent year for the USTA Hawaii Pacific. It was a return to normalcy after the disruption caused by the Covid 19 pandemic. All tennis facilities were reopened and most USTA and other tennis programs and activities resumed.

Play & Learn: One of the major highlights of 2022 was the Play & Learn tennis program. The Play & Learn tennis program are group instructional classes at 18 locations throughout Hawaii. 60% of the participants are youth and 40% are adults. Play & Learn started 21 years ago and set a record in 2022 with over 8,000 participants and a 27% increase over the previous year. It is our largest tennis program in terms of participants and revenue.

Junior Team Tennis: Junior Team Tennis came surging back in 2022 with a 24% increase over the previous year and our best year yet.

The Guam National Tennis Center: Guam is a U.S. territory in the Western Pacific Ocean and part of the USTA Hawaii Pacific. It is 3,798 miles from Honolulu and a little over an 8 hour flight. The Guam National Tennis Federation, headed up by President Torgun Smith, added 5 new tennis courts to their existing facility of 8 tennis courts and 4 junior courts.

Tennis Facility Management: The USTA Hawaii Pacific manages 3 tennis facilities in Hawaii to include the Hawaii Prince Tennis Club, the Royal Kona Tennis Club and the Alohilani Resort. These facilities allow us to provide USTA tennis programs and activities and expand the number of tennis courts that we have access to.

Level 2 National Selection Junior Tournament: We hosted our 14th Level 2 National Junior Tennis Tournament in October. It was a Section run tournament and we hope to host another one in 2023.

Section Tennis Facility: We have been saving our money and searching for land to build our own Section Tennis Facility. After several failed attempts, it looks like we have finally identified land and we are working out the details of an agreement with the land owner. The initial layout will include 10 tennis courts, a multi-purpose basketball and volleyball court, a building, a parking lot and a playground. There is room to build additional courts in the future.

Team: We have a new, excellent 16 person board of directors who started their two year term in November of 2022. We have filled all full time staff positions with highly qualified and professional staff. Together, the board and staff form an outstanding unified team who will lead our Section to promote and grow tennis in the future!