It was great to see so many of you at the SW RSPA Division Conference, where we had a good turnout of over 80 attendees. Everyone was acquainted with each other: RSPA members, SW RSPA board members, National Board Member Representative - Rich Slivocka (Director of Racquet Sports at Desert Mountain Country Club in Scottsdale), SW USTA staff, as well as the vendors. Congratulations to all the award winners! This includes Carol Sandvig of Corona Del Sol High School, Tempe, AZ (High School Coach of the Year Award), Jeremy Preiss of Paradise Valley (Elevate Award), Alex Mouquin of El Paso, TX (Pros of the Year Award), Dan Hopkins of Case Grande, AZ (Star Award), Mike Van Zutphen of Mesa, AZ (George Basco Lifetime Achievement Award), and Brian Cheney of Tempe, AZ (Hall of Fame). You are very deserving for what you have done for racquet sports and the community. If you attended the division conference, please take a moment to fill out the evaluation form; we’re always looking to improve our conference and your opinions matter. We can’t thank Paradise Valley Country Club enough for letting us host the conference with a wonderful venue including tennis, pickleball and padel!
If you missed the Division Conference, we urge you to attend the World Racquet Conference in Kona, Hawaii, on September 21st-25th at the Outrigger Resort. There will be entertainment each day that starts out in the morning and ends with a huge Aloha and each person and family thinking … Hana Hou.
There are some continuing education grants that you could apply for if you need some assistance, such as: USTA SW - Adult Education Grant, RSPA’s John Embree’s scholarship (up to $1000, first-time attendee, applied to by June 15th).
The 2-year term for Southwest board members will expire in December and the nominating committee will start looking for applicants this summer. If you are interested in serving on the southwest board, please reply to the information that will be coming out shortly. Mark Pachtner will be serving as the nominating committee chair. Please do not hesitate to ask us if you have any questions.
Thank you to the vendors: Diadem, Tourna Products, Az Tennis Equipment, Selkirk Sports, SportsEdTV and Court Reserve for supporting the RSPA SW Division Conference!
And last but certainly not least, a great big thank you to the USTA Southwest Section for their continued financial support. We look forward to working with you for many years to come.
Hope to see many of you in Kona, Mahalo!
2025 Southwest Conference was a big success!
The 2024 RSPA Southwest Division Conference was held on May 16th and 17th at the Paradise Valley Country Club in Paradise Valley, Arizona. The two conference co-chairs were Southwest board members, Greg Prudhomme PhD (RegionalVice President) and Ryan Johnson (VicePresident). The RSPA Southwest Division partnered with the USTA Southwest Section in the production of the conference making it unique and positive. The USTA Southwest section provides financial support and contributes to the roster of speakers. Another highlight of the RSPA/USTA Southwest partnership is the annual breakfast that the two organizations have on the second day of the conference. One of the discussion topics was the possibility of the two organizations co-hosting Red Ball events for beginning adults in each of the 5 districts of the Southwest. The conference included two days of oncourt and off-court continuing education seminars that discussed club programming, player development, health, and planning for the future in the tennis industry. Manyt thanks to CourtReserve for hosting our Friday night cocktail party and Southwest Trade Show. Notable speakers included Kyle LaCroix, Tim Irwin, Derek Siddiqui, Tracy Lawson, Nicole Fintell, Gira Scholield, Greg Prudhomme, Dr. Lauren Mueller, Nick Hadiner and a panel that included Leslie Banks, Nicole Chambers, Tim Irwin, Guillermo Lucero, Alejandron Clarke and Ryan Johnson. There were 78 people in attendance that included, certified attendees, RSPA Southwest board members, USTA Southwest board & staff, vendors, speakers and non-members. Rich Slivocka RSPA Past President provided the RSPA National Update. Another highlight of the conference was the awards presentation and the fourth annual Hall of Fame ceremony. Longtime RSPA Professional, Brian Cheney was inducted into this year’s Southwest Hall of Fame.
2025 Southwest Award Receipents
Dan Hopkins RSPA Star Award
Alex Mouquin RSPA Pro of the Year
Carol Sandvig Laurie Martin High School Coach of the Year
Mike VanZutphen George Basco Lifetime Achievement Award
Jeremy Preiss RSPA Elevate Award
Brian Cheney Inducted into the RSPA Southwest Hall of Fame
Brian Cheney was inducted into the RSPA Southwest Hall of Fame at this year’s annual RSPA Southwest conference. Cheney is a long-time member of the association with many great accom plishments to his credit on and off the court.
Brian served a total of 8 years on the Southwest Board of Directors working his way up through the chairs as treasurer, secretary, regional vice president and president.
Cheney is also a USTA Southwest Hall of Fame inductee as well as a Prescott Parks Hall of Fame inductee.
Brian has far too many on-court accomplishments to list but a few of his most cherished titles are a 1990 USTA ranking of #1 in the 30’s and the 40’s all in the same year. Brian was also the SWPTA Player of the Year in 1987, 1990, 1994, and 2007. He has also been a member of the US entry for the Von Cramm Cup.
Congratulations to Brian Cheney, the 2025 RSPA Southwest Hall of Fame recipient. An honor that is well deserved to such an outstanding individual.
Northern Arizona
by Andrea Meyer
Northern Arizona level 6 and 7 junior tournaments and adult red ball will be the focus of Prescott Pro Sterling
Fetty’s summer campaign. Sterling is bringing red ball evenings to Prescott, Cottonwood, Flagstaff, and fartherflung Kingman. Kingman’s Lee Williams HS boys’ coach Ryan Swapp will team with Sterling in June to round up adults on the city’s Centennial Park pickleball courts while Clarkdale Pro Andrea Meyer will host summer adult red ball on Mingus Union’s tennis courts.
Andrea will be teaching pre- high school clinics as well as putting her Mingus Union girls’ team through strength training and drill sessions. “Attending the SW RSPA Conference gave me some fresh ideas on using self-talk and imagery and doing that mental practice that takes time to yield results,” Andrea says. “Summer is an ideal time for that. “Andrea is also working on her pickleball certification. “ I think pickleball as a competitive high school sport is coming to Arizona in the next few years. I received a letter in March inviting high schools to form club teams to compete in a statewide tournament.”
Pro Zach Hackerott directed Prescott’s unsanctioned Memorial Day Tournament at Yavapai College with 76 entries.
Sedona Elite Pro Jake Worseldine travels over to Prescott to teach a high-performance clinic this summer on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Flagstaff’s first-ever middle school tennis program is coming in August as a result of the combined efforts of Elite Pro Nicole Chambers Williams, Pro Garrett Lakey, and the Flagstaff Tennis Association’s Laura Nicol and Genie Burns. Nicole, Director of Racquet Sports at Forest Highlands Golf Club and Garrett, Head Racquet Pro at FH, will train middle school volunteer coaches over two weekends to work with kids after school for
this new program starting in late August. The Flagstaff community has given birth to a host of strong junior players recently from a variety of area high schools, so this RSPA- Forest HighlandsFlagstaff Tennis Association partnership adds even more well-placed muscle to Flagstaff’s junior tennis scene. Mt. Elden, Bases, and Sinagua Middle Schools will be the sites launching these middle school tennis players.
Forest Highlands is also hosting its first pro-am June 20-21 with Northern Arizona University players and local pros, preceded by a boot camp June 17-19.
Master Professional Larry Lineberry will be instructing a summer clinic for Mingus Union’s boys in June.
Southern New Mexico & El Paso
by Alex Mouquin
Hello all from the “Sun City”, the beautiful El Paso, Texas. As summer is arriving soon, the courts in El Paso and Southern New Mexico are packed. RSPA coaches are busy as ever, and the pickleball scene is expanding as well.
Whether it is helping USTA league players, providing instruction and training to all levels and ages or hosting summer camps all over the district to keep the junior players busy on the tennis and pickleball courts, and fall in love with these two amazing games.
Great news is that 3 Padel Clubs are opening this year in the El Paso west area, and more projects are emerging for the east and northeast sides. Stay tuned for a summer recap next. Stay hydrated and protected from the sun.
Northern New Mexico
by Dick Johnson
Ah yes! Spring season is almost over, State Tournaments are finished, and we all now prepare for the busy summer of tennis, pickleball and padel season! What the “Summer of 25” should be will undoubtedly be exciting and fun for everybody.
For myself, I am looking forward to working at the Albuquerque Academy Racquet Center this summer. Under the capable leadership of Amy Badger, I will be assisting her with our Jr. Tennis Camps. I will be coordinating the “Academy Aces” (ages 510) from 8:10 to 9 AM and 9:10 to 10 AM. I am really looking forward to this because it looks like we already have 44 kids signed up!
When I started the DJ “La Cueva Tennis Camps” between 1995-2023, I was fortunate enough to put over 3,500 kids through our program at the time.
Our RSPA Southern Conference was a huge success and thanks to Jack Michalko, our executive director, Ryan Johnson, Director of Racquet Sports, Paradise Valley CC, and Greg Prudomme, my longtime friend, the three of them coordinated a well-run and smooth event.
I hope everyone has a wonderful summer and I hope to see everybody soon.
Now let’s hear from Amy Badger:
We’ve just finished with the high school season where our girls won their 6th straight state team title. They also finished with a state title in doubles, third place finish in doubles and a runner up in singles. Amy is among the winningest girl’s tennis coaches in state history with nine state
team titles and dozens of individual titles in singles and doubles. Amy has been busy ramping up the new Albuquerque Academy Racquet Center programming and staffing. Summer is gearing up with over 100 kids in the summer camp and nearly 20 coaches who are experienced and those in training. We’ve also been approved as a formal NJTL chapter. We will have 60 students starting this summer for a six-week program and look to develop the NJTL into a year-round program. Our hard work and that of the Academy community has paid off as the Albuquerque Academy Racquet Center has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 USTA Outstanding Facility Award. It’s an exciting time for the racquet center and our community.
Next from Doug MacCurdy:
A very wise coach taught me that tennis should be fun — not funny. Seems like a simple enough concept, but, as usual, the concept is much more complex in the context of real player development. For competitive players, of course the training should be enjoyable. Sometimes hilarious things happen and the player(s) and perhaps the coach will be rolling on the ground laughing. That is perfectly all right. But let’s go a little deeper.
When children (let’s say somewhere between 2-8 years old for the purpose of this article) are being introduced to and really getting into the game, the only mental priority is fun. Fun in the sense that, hopefully, they fall in love with the game. They will want to persevere and commit the time and training it takes to become good players. Coming to play tennis virtually every day and practicing the things they do on or near a tennis court should be something that they dream about doing and look forward to each time with eager anticipation.
As they progress and start to begin the process of becoming more serious competitors, “fun” begins to take on a very different role. Fun becomes the satisfaction of accomplishing some set performance or outcome goals, mastering a new skill, improving a physical quality etc. It does not mean that each day on the court is one for smiling and laughing. In fact, for many competitive players, daily training can be downright miserable. But what they never lose is the joy taken from being in the game, the chance to compete, to get back up after every failure — in short, to improve. On the
other hand, players that think tennis should primarily consist of being entertained on the court are misguided in their thinking. Most kids of all levels love to do drills that are both fun and funny. However, many of these fun/funny games have minimal, if any value in helping the player to get better. Of course, I always used funny drills with names like Jungle Ball, even with world class players to laugh a little, lessen tension on the practice court, or take a break from real concentrated practice. In this way fun and fun stuff is an important and integral part of the training process.
Let’s finish this little piece with a couple fun/ funny examples from players that almost reached the very highest levels of the world game. Two players that come to mind are Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Bublik.
Around 10 years ago in Korea, with the input and support of two outstanding national association leaders and two masterful key coaches, I put together a comprehensive training plan and national training center with theonly goal of producing world class juniors. The budget was extremely modest, but it did allow us to send players to any tournaments and circuits around the world that we felt would truly benefit their development. It very well could have been the most successful junior development initiative to develop top juniors ever anywhere in the world, particularly since it happened in a country with no history of producing large numbers of top junior players. The selected players were ages 13-16 and had negligible, if any, ITF World Junior Rankings. Within the next 2/3 years the selected players achieved world rankings of number 2, 3(two different players reached #3), 7, 22, 25, 32 and 46. For a variety of reasons, all of these were male players. In short, they were pretty good.
So, we were down in Australia for the Australian Junior Open and a couple of lead up tournaments. In my mind, Des Tyson is one of the best active Australian coaches that I know. He had coached Woodbridge and Woodforde late in their career and many other top Australian and Chinese players. His charge at that time was Nick Kyrgios, often considered the most prodigious talent in the world for his age. We spent a good deal of time talking and training with each other (some of the Koreans with Nick and other Australian juniors). I
found Nick to be very nice and an interesting personality to say the least. His nickname was Hollywood. His weakness at that time seemed to be just sustaining concentration for reasonably long periods of time in both practice and matches. In practice he could perform trick shots like a magician and was basically playing funny tennis. Later, as you know, he very often played “funny” tennis when competing in the most important tournaments in the world. Stuff like strange underarm serves, facing the net tweeners when the ball was right to him, overhead drop shots and the like could occur at any time in any game.
Alexander Bublik, Kazakstan tennis star, originally from Russia, is another player, like Kyrgios, with enviable and almost unimaginable amounts physical and tennis talent. Perhaps we are even talking about best in the world category. I do not know him personally but according to reports from the technical director of the Kazakstan Tennis Federation, and other players and coaches on the tour, he is also a very nice person to be around and generally makes people around him feel good. He is also the guy that has taken “funny” tennis to the extreme by playing many points in matches like a joke. Often the whole match seems like a joke. One example would be turning the racket around and playing overheads with the handle instead of the face-off the racket.
The statistics are simple. Bublik’s highest ATP ranking has been number 17. He has won four ATP singles tournaments in his career of which only one has been as high as the ATP500 category. Obviously ATP500 tournaments are “good”, but they are very minor events when compared to ATP1000 — and Grand Slams that are again at an entirely different standard. Kyrgios highest ranking was #13. He has won seven ATP singles titles, the highest being an ATP500.
To me, both stunning athletes could have been at the very top of the game. And who knows, they may get closer to being there someday. The point is that in both cases there has been an inordinate amount of tennis treating as very funny along the way. If there had been less fun and more very focused effort, the world rankings we see today may look quite different.
Remember, fun is one very important part of serious tennis, funny is not so funny
Here’s a bit from Joe Felice:
The 18th year of the Super Senior Tennis Program has gone very well. We finished the six weeks of lessons and have started the six weeks of round robin play.
Joe celebrated his 80th birthday in April, and 54 years as a RSPA member. He is still captaining and playing on several USTA League Teams.
Lastly from John A Damgaard III:
Eddie, who was a pro at Shellaberger will now be at El Gancho
Joey, who was a pro at El Gancho will now be at Forked Lightning El Gancho is looking for a director
The City of Santa Fe had a ribbon cutting Wed May 21 for 6 new pickleball courts at Fort Marcy They now have 12 courts at this complex
On Oct 18th Forked Lightning and The First Serve Academy will have a celebration and grand opening for their New 20-million-dollar facility. The initiation fee has been waived, and memberships are now $180/mo per household.
League Play 18+
NNM 4.5W Babitt won
NNM 3.0M Ginocchhio AP came in 2nd
NNM 3.5M Gruda EG came in 4th
NNM 3.5M Zinn and 4.0M Cunningham LA played Mahony 3.0W EG 3.0W Conner AP 3.5W Bella EG and 3.5W McCaughey SFTSC played
40+
3.5M Kurennoy LA came in 4th
3.5M Harrison AP 4.0M Martin EG 3.0W McLin AP 3.0W Webster EG 3.5W Bella EG and 3.5W Knight SFTSC played
55+ begins in June
9.0W Crosby EG
8.0W Miller EG
8.0M Martin EG
6.0W Rogers EG
7.0W Bella EG
7.0W LaDue SFTSC
Phoenix, Arizona
by Eusebio Sarabia
Ryan Johnson: Innovation in Racquet Sports
Paradise Valley Country Club’s (PVCC) own Ryan Johnson stands as a transformative force in Arizona’s racquet sports community, seamlessly blending his passion for athletic excellence with a commitment to community engagement and innovation. Since becoming Director of Racquet Sports PVCC in 2022, Johnson has spearheaded initiatives that have redefined the club’s offerings and elevated its reputation as a premier destination for racquet enthusiasts.
Most notably, in 2024, Johnson led the planning and implementation of PVCC’s first-ever private padel court—a groundbreaking achievement that places the club at the forefront of one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. As a certified Head Coach with Padel MBA, he brings exceptional technical knowledge and strategic vision to help members embrace this dynamic new game. Johnson’s multifaceted career spans coaching, program development, and community outreach.
A former standout collegiate athlete at UNC Charlotte, he played a key role in the team’s first NCAA tournament appearance. He later served as a volunteer coach for the University of Arizona men’s team, then moved into leadership roles at top Arizona clubs including Camelback Village and Desert Mountain before joining PVCC.
His impact extends far beyond the court. Johnson is currently Vice President of the RSPA Southwest Board and serves as the Head Pickleball Coach Developer for the region. He also mentors rising professionals through McMahon Careers, where he leads the Young Professionals Group, providing career development resources and guidance to
the next generation of racquet sports leaders.
A Certified Racquet Sports Executive (CRSE) with additional credentials in tennis, pickleball, and padel, Johnson is a recognized thought leader in the industry. He has presented at major national conferences, including the RSPA World Conference and the Club Management Association of America (CMAA) World Conference, and has been honored with the 2024 RSPA Industry Excellence Award and the 2021 RSPA Elevate Award for his exceptional contributions to the sport.
Under Ryan Johnson’s leadership, PVCC continues to set a new standard for racquet sports programming, driven by a vision that values innovation, inclusivity, and a thriving member community.
SOUTHWEST OFFICERS
President
Suk Ong 602-881-0467
sukong.uspta@gmail.com
Regional VP
Greg Prudhomme 602-301-1394
pruperformance@gmail.com
Vice President
Ryan Johnson 704-281-1713
m.ryanjohnson@gmail.com
Secretary
John Perry 520-403-8290
jptennis25@gmail.com
Treasurer
Leslie Banks 419-302-7663
lesliealison16@gmail.com
Past President
Amy Badger 505-379-6728
badgertennis505@gmail.com
Executive Director
Jack Michalko 602-740-0126
jack.michalko@rspa.net
SOUTHWEST COORDINATORS
Northern New Mexico
Dick Johnson 505-507-6795
lctenniscamps@gmail.com
Phoenix
Eusebio Sarabia 310-292-2788
eusebio.sarabia@gmail.com
SoutheasternArizona
Cameron Hamilton 480-276-1123
chamilton8815@gmail.com
NorthernArizona
Andrea Meyer 928-300-4352
andreameyertennis@gmail.com
Southern New Mexico & l Paso
Alex Mouquin 575-571-0389
frenchtouchtennis@hotmail.com
Tennis Coach Developer
Greg Prudhomme 602-301-1394
pruperformance@gmail.com
Pickleball Coach Developer
Ryan Johnson 704-281-1713
m.ryanjohnson@gmail.com
SUMMER NEWS FROM THE USTA SOUTHWEST
JOIN US AT TOP GOLF FOR PROVIDER APPRECIATION EVENT, JULY 25
USTA Southwest will be hosting a special Provider Appreciation Day on Friday July 25th at TopGolf Scottsdale from 10 am – 2 pm for teaching pros and industry types and you all are invited! Join USTA National Leadership and USTA Southwest Staff for this FREE day of networking, food, education and golf.
You’ll learn about how the USTA can help expand your customer base, grow your programs and improve customer engagement and retention, as well as just network with fellow providers from the Southwest.
Date, Time, and Location: Friday, July 25th - 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
TopGolf Scottsdale 9500 E Talking Stick Way Scottsdale, AZ 85256
What it Includes:
* Continental breakfast with USTA staff
* 3-hour interactive sessions on tennis technology and new programming initiatives
* Group lunch
* RSPA and PTR Continuing Education Credits available for certified coaches
* Prize raffle at event conclusion
* 2 free rounds of golf at Topgolf
For more information, contact Jeff Sikes at sikes@southwest.usta.com
Nominations for 2025 USTA Southwest Awards/Hall of Fame due soon
Help us nominate worthy award winners by submitting your nominations for the awards given out each year by USTA Southwest (see list below) at the USTA Southwest Annual Conference.
Awards are given out each year to deserving organizations, volunteers and players during the USTA Southwest’s Annual Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet, as part of the Annual Meeting weekend.
Our next USTA Southwest Annual Meeting & Hall of Fame Awards Banquet will be held Saturday, November 8, 2025 at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix, AZ.
Process for USTA Southwest Annual Awards:
USTA individual members, organizations, and Committees are encouraged to nominate potential candidates for respective awards by each calendar year keeping in mind deadline dates. Local nominations are due to USTA Southwest on AUGUST 5.
Certain awards will have live online voting for the nominees received. Awards/Nominees that are eligible for live voting will begin on August 15th through August 31st, 2025.
Criteria: Each Section award category below has the rationale we use to award these listed. When nominating a person or organization, please keep in mind the requirements and eligibility of your candidate. Invalid or incomplete nominations will not be accepted. Many of the awards stream up from local nominations, but can be submitted for consideration without that.
Timetable:
Committee Award nomination forms and Live Voting awards nominations are both due August 5.
Live voting period will run August 15-August 31.
All award winners will be notified in early September.
Filling out information: Each award below is hyperlinked with the criteria and the application form. Please review the form, and to submit —type in the fields of documents, save file, and send. Please fill out each awards form with complete and detailed information, as that allows USTA Southwest to make informed choices on award winners.
USTA SOUTHWEST SECTION AWARDS
LIVE VOTING AWARDS
Community Tennis Volunteer of the Year
Family of the Year
Event of the Year
Member Organization of the Year
High School Coach of the Year
Dianne Miller Courage in Tennis Award
Tennis Ambassador of the Year
COMMITTEE SELECTION AWARDS
USTA League Captain of the Year (One Male and One Female)
USTA League Player of the Year (One Male and One Female)
USTA League Facility of the Year
Junior Player of the Year - Female
Junior Player of the Year - Male
Junior Sportsmanship
Adult Player of the Year
Outstanding Tournament Director of the Year
Jim Reffkin Innovation Award
Ginger Renouard Volunteer Spirit Award
Thank you for nominating our great Southwest Tennis players and programs! If you have questions, please contact Jeff Sikes at sikes@southwest.usta.com or 602.301.0145
HALL OF FAME
The USTA Southwest Tennis Hall of Fame was established in 1991 to recognize those members of the Section, both players and nonplayers, whose achievements and contributions are worthy of the highest commendation and recognition.
The Southwest Section Tennis Hall of Fame will consist of those who have made the most outstanding contributions to tennis in the Southwest Section.
These women and men will be divided into two categories, player and non-player, although some may be outstanding in both categories and should receive priority consideration.
USTA Members are encouraged to contact our Hall of Fame committee members to introduce a potential nomination.
Our committee members can help with filling out the ONLINE NOMINATION FORM on a potential Hall of Famer’s behalf. Applications MUST be received by AUGUST 1 of each calendar year to be considered for the current year’s Hall of Fame class.
Hall of Fame Eligibility Requirements
*Candidate must be nominated by a member of the USTA Southwest Section
*Candidate must be 35 years of age or older and of good moral character (45 years of age for non-player category)
*Candidate must have lived in section for no less than 10 years and have been active in tennis within the section for a period of 10 years
*Candidate may be living or deceased
To learn more about the Criteria for Southwest Hall of Fame candidacy, click HERE. Any other questions, please send Hall of Fame nominations to your area’s respective District Hall of Fame Chairs (listed below).
USTA
Southwest Hall Of Fame Committee
Hall of Fame Chair
Brian Cheney - bcheney@dmbclubs.com
Greater El Paso-area (GEPTA)
Charlotte Johnson - tennis.charlotte.tx@gmail.com
Northern New Mexico
Tim Garcia - tlgartz@aol.com
Central Arizona
Anne Guerrant - anneguerrant@yahoo.com
Northern Arizona
Larry Lineberry & Chris Howard lineberrytennis@gmail.com choward4541@gmail.com
Southern Arizona
Jim Grabb - jfgrabb@gmail.com
COMMUNITY TENNIS GRANT FUNDING
Looking to start tennis programs in your area to get players out on the courts... and need a little financial jumpstart?
USTA Southwest offers Community Tennis Grants to help providers and facilities start up programming in their communities. Grants submitted to USTA Southwest are reviewed thoroughly by committees.
Applications are always ongoing, so apply now HERE.
There are five Community Tennis Program Grant types are available:
Innovative Program Grant (up to $1000)
For those who are starting a BRAND-NEW tennis program. A complete program description and budget must be included.
*Applicants must submit a letter of recommendation from local USTA Tennis Service Representative. Find contact list HERE
Tennis Provider Grant (up to $500)
For new or existing programs that need assistance in paying a coordinator to run a program or marketing efforts to reach more players.
Adult Education and Development Scholarship (up to $600)
For ANY tennis provider seeking assistance for coaching education. This includes, but is not limited to, certified RSPA or PTR Teaching Pros, USTA Officials, High School Coaches, NJTL Directors, Wheelchair Tennis Instructors, PE Teachers, and Parks/Recreation Professionals seeking scholarship assistance to attend a tennis industry workshop or training either in person or virtual.
Equipment Package (up to $400)
A customized equipment package for organizations who need new or replacement equipment for their program. Equipment can include cases of balls (red, orange, green or yellow), racquets, training aides, and/or mini-nets ordered by USTA Southwest.
*Limit to 2 packages per organization per calendar year. Programs can only apply for one package at a time
Laurie Martin High School Team Grant (up to $500)
Available to high school tennis coaches for their season. Needs can include (but is not limited to,) balls, racquets, shoes for players, replacement nets, ball hoppers, ball tubes, training aides, green dot balls, high school season tournament entry fees, stipend for assistant coach, etc.
Application Requirements:
* Verification of USTA Organization Membership
* Safe Play Approval
* An organization can apply for multiple categories on the same application, but please note that the maximum amount funded will be capped at $1,000. Please list how funds will be allocated among categories in your program description.
*PE Teachers and High School Coaches are exempt from these requirements to apply
RED BALL TENNIS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED
The tennis industry’s launch of Red Ball Tennis is now in effect. After testing the program out across the country in 2024, the short court initiative was formally introduced at the USTA Annual Meeting in April 2025 in San Diego.
Red Ball Tennis is a FUN social experience designed to bring new players of all ages to your courts and have them playing the game in 10 minutes! With modified equipment and an all-inclusive package, Red Ball Tennis will supercharge the success of your players and bring a new level of energy to your facility.
In 2024, the USTA conducted more than 470 pilots with over 23,000 players to understand player, coach, and administrator feelings toward an easier, social, less competitive format of play.
With 75% of players indicating they wanted to play more Red Ball Tennis, these retention rates are a strong driver to continue to seed, test, and learn more about RBT as a viable play format that could become the funnel to introduce millions of new players to our sport.
USTA Section approved providers will receive an equipment package to support USTA’s goal to reach 200,000 Red Ball Tennis players in 2025.
Providers are encouraged to try it out and add it to both starter and segue programming for newer players just developing a sense of tennis. Keep it fun, keep it social and keep players moving! To learn more about Red Ball Tennis, visit www.redballtennis.com.
To inquire about Red Ball Tennis funding and development programs for your facility or area, contact
2025 USTA Southwest Junior Calendar of Top Events is Set
Top junior events in the Southwest are now firmly set on the 2025 calendar. Check out this spreadsheet to see a list of Level 2-5 events across the Section.
These include individual tournaments as well as some high-level team events.
To see the 2025 National Junior Calendar with event links, click HERE. To see the full 2025 Southwest Junior Calendar with event links, click HERE (You must have a USTA log-in to view schedules)
As always, a reminder that USTA Junior memberships are free for players 18 & under!
A Publication of the RSPA Southwest Division
Jack Michalko / editor
77 East Missouri Avenue, Suite 62, Phoenix, AZ 85012 602-740-0126 / e-mail: jack.michalko@rspa.net
The Southwest Magazine is published quarterly by the Southwest Division of the Racquet Sports ProfessionalsAssociation. The opinions expressed in the Southwest Magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Southwest Magazine or the RSPA Southwest Division.
