Matt Watson 8407 Crooked Trail Tyler, Texas 75703 tennisdoc2002@yahoo.com
EX OFFICIO
Jenny Gray 901 Sonterra Blvd San Antonio. Texas 78258
512-930-3783 jgray@clubatsonterra.com
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Tosha Smith 8003 Greenslope Dr. Austin, TX 78759 512-848-0598 tosha.smith@rspa.net
A Message from President, Mel McRee
A Message from President, Mel McRee
Dear Members and Fellow Professionals,
Happy Springtime USPTA Pros!
As summer stretches on here in the great state of Texas, we’re gearing up for a spectacular lineup of events that reflect the best of who we are as racquet sports professionals—creative, connected, and committed to growing the game.
Firstly, I want to thank all our speakers and presenters who did such a fantastic job at our recent conference in Las Colinas. Also, want to give a shoutout to Tosha who put countless hours into the preparation for the event. As tennis pros we know how much time and energy it takes to run a successful tournament, the hours before a ball is ever hit, well that’s Tosha and our conference. Things ran so smoothly and it was all her fault. Right there with her are our education and conference chairs, AJ Chabria, and Kelly Marshall, respectively. They make up the Holy Trinity of teamwork for our conference and they truly deserve special recognition.
We’re just weeks away from our always-popular Summer Retreat in Waco, taking place August 1–3. This year’s retreat features a powerhouse lineup of speakers ready to inspire and equip you with fresh tools for your teaching and leadership. We’ll kick things off with Jenny Gray’s innovative event programming, dig into women’s doubles strategies with Meredith Geiger-Walton, and bring the energy with pickleball drills and tips from Craig Bobo. We’re also excited to welcome Joey Scrivano, head coach of Baylor Women’s Tennis, for a dynamic session on tennis drills and strategy, and close out Saturday with Clint Sumrow’s guide to running large-scale events. And of course, it wouldn’t be an RSPA retreat without a few unforgettable social mixers along the way.
Just after Labor Day, we return to New Braunfels for the RSPA Texas Junior Gran Prix State Championships, held September 5–7 at the iconic John Newcombe Tennis Ranch. While the name has changed (formerly known as the USPTA Texas Jr Gran Prix), the tradition and competitive spirit remain as strong as ever. I’m honored to serve once again as tournament director, and I look forward to seeing some of the most promising young athletes from around the state take the court.
This year we have a lot of wonderful USPTA events heading your way. We recently held the Champion of Champions event at River Oaks Country Club in Houston The USPTA Junior Circuits will culminate with the Gran Prix at Newks in September. We are having our annual golf tournament headed by Matt Watson in June, our Summer Retreat in Waco in August, and in November we will be hosting our first ever USPTA Pickleball State Championships in Rockwall. Personally, I am very excited about this event. We will have regions all over the state hosting USPTA pickleball leagues to qualify players for the event in November. This will become a terrific opportunity to form teams at your clubs and facilities and monetize and make pickleball more competitive and organized in Texas. On top of all of that the World conference is in Rancho Mirage, California in mid-September as well. All in all, we have a great lineup of events for USPTA pros and their players.
One thing I am also extremely excited about for this year is our reinvigorated committees. We need more volunteers and we have so many exceptional pros with talents galore. The committees will meet in person or virtually to tackle the issues, bring fresh new ideas to the board, as well as volunteering for events. This is also a great training ground for future board members, and presidents. To everyone who applied I want to thank you for your time and service to our association.
Again, thank you all for being a part of our great association, we have the best pros in the country and it is truly a pleasure to represent and serve you.
Later that month, we head west for one of the most exciting events on our calendar: the RSPA World Racquets Conference, held September 21–25 at the breathtaking Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa in Hawaii. With this year’s theme, “Rebrand You: A New Wave Begins in Hawaii,” we invite all members to reimagine their professional journey through three educational tracks—coaching, leadership, and business operations—as well as Ask the Expert sessions, a one-day pickleball certification led by Andrei Daescu, and a stacked speaker lineup featuring Mats Wilander, Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, Dr. Greg Rose, Ajay Pant, and many more. Add in a luau under the stars, the Division Olympics, and the newly revamped RSPA Awards Ceremony, and you’ve got a week that promises to elevate, energize, and connect our entire community.
Regards,
And none of this—not one registration, credential, session, or schedule—would be possible without the incomparable Tosha Smith. Our Executive Director continues to be the heartbeat of the Texas Division, orchestrating every event with grace, grit, and an uncanny ability to make it all look easy. Her leadership is the reason our division continues to thrive year after year.
Mel McRee, USPTA Elite Professional
Thank you for the work you do, the passion you bring, and the example you set. I look forward to seeing many of you in Waco, New Braunfels, Kona—or, if I’m lucky, all three.
Yours in service,
Mel McRee
DATES RATE
JULY 11 - 13
RSPA Level 2 Workshop High Point (Plano, Texas)
AUGUST 1 - 2
RSPA Texas Summer Retreat (Waco, Texas)
COMMITTEE
AUGUST 3
RSPA Pickleball Certification (Waco, Texas)
SEPTEMBER 5 - 7
RSPA Texas Junior Gran Prix (New Braunfels, Texas)
SEPTEMBER 21 - 25
RSPA World Conference (Kona, Hawaii)
2025 SUMMER RETREAT
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
When: August 1st & 2nd, 2025
Where: Ridgewood Country Club
7301 Fish Pond Rd., Waco, TX
Register by July 10
RSPA members - $100
Non-members - $115
Register after July 10
RSPA members - $115
Non-members - $130
NEW RSPA member (Since March 2025) FREE
Click link to register for the Summer Retreat: https://www.uspta.com/uspta/Events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=DCONFTX25B
RSPA Pickleball Certification
Sunday, August 3rd from 8am- 12pm - additional registration and fee required.
Click link to register for the Pickleball Certification: https://www.uspta.com/uspta/Events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=PKL0803TX
Contact Tosha Smith with any questions 512-848-0598 tosha.smith@rspa.net
SUMMER RETREAT SCHEDULE
Thursday FEBRUARY 8TH
Friday AUGUST 1
8:30 am - 12:00 pm Registration
9:00 am - 10:00 am Innovative Event Ideas - Jenny Gray
10:00 am - 11:00 am Teaching Women’s Doubles - Meredith Geiger-Walton
8:00 am - 12:00 pm Pickleball Certification (Additional Registration and Fee Required)
Join Us!!!
Tennis & Pickleball Social
Friday, August 1st
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Ridgewood Country Club
Waco, TX
Main Event Social
Saturday, August 2nd
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Main Event - 2420 Creekview Drive
Waco, TX
RSPA Texas Summer Retreat 2025 Featured Speakers
CARY LOTHRINGER
Cary Lothringer is the Director of Racquet Sports at The Club at Carlton Woods and has served in that role for the past 15 years. He has taken the tennis program to unprecedented heights during that time. Carlton Woods’ Tennis now boasts of having five full-time and three part-time employees which include a Director of Adult Programs, Director of Junior Development, and a Pro Shop/Fitness Manager.
Cary was born in Houston and grew up playing Junior Tennis in Texas. He was the #1 ranked player in Texas in his age group on numerous occasions and #1 in the nation in Junior Doubles as a 17 and 18-year-old. His career highlights included playing in the 1988 US Open in New York and earning NCAA All-American Honors in 1993.
Cary attended Pepperdine University and was a member of the Men’s Tennis Team. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Business Administration. He and his wife, Amy, have been married for 25 years and they have two children, Grant (21) and Ella (18).
JENNY GRAY
Jenny Gray is an RSPA Master Professional who currently serves as Vice President on the RSPA National Board and is an active member of the RSPA Texas Division Board. She is the Director of Tennis at The Club at Sonterra in San Antonio, Texas.
A respected leader in the industry, Jenny has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including serving as President of RSPA Texas, being named RSPA Texas Professional of the Year in both 2012 and 2020, and earning the prestigious RSPA National Alex Gordon Tennis Professional of the Year award in 2020.
JOEY SCRIVANO
Baylor University’s Director of Women’s Tennis, Joey Scrivano, is beginning his 24th season. In his 23 seasons leading the Baylor women’s tennis program, Scrivano has put his Bears among the nation’s elite, along with 19 combined Big 12 Conference championships between regular season and tournament titles.
Scrivano led Baylor to an impressive 14-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament from 2005-18, and Baylor earned trips to the NCAA Final Four in 2008 and 2011. During that 14-year span, Baylor compiled an astounding 125-16 (.887) record. Scrivano was promoted from Head Coach to the Director of Women’s Tennis in July 2016.
Scrivano’s impressive 179-47 (.792) mark in the Big 12, accompanies a 545-217 (.715) mark overall as the leader of the Baylor program. In his time at BU, he has been named the Big 12 Coach of the Year six times (2006, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015) and the ITA Regional Coach of the Year three times (2006, 2008, 2010). The Bears are a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament advancing to the postseason in nineteen seasons with ten tickets punched to the Sweet 16 or further.
Outside of his collegiate duties, Scrivano has twice been chosen to captain Texas’ junior team at the USTA Girls 18s National Team Championships in 2013, 2015 and 2019. He has been instrumental in spreading youth tennis in the Waco community by starting the Baylor Cub Tennis program, which is a free clinic for area youths prior to home matches. The program has grown tremendously and is now in its sixth year.
Scrivano played collegiate tennis at Eastern Michigan University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in communications in 1997. Scrivano is a native of Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. He married the former Courtney Pahmiyer in November 2014. The couple has two sons, Nicolo and Luca.
Summer Retreat 2025 Featured Speakers
KYLE NOSEWORTHY
Kyle serves as the Director of Junior Tennis Development at The Club at Carlton Woods, a position he attained after nearly a year as an assistant professional at the club. Originally from Dartmouth, Massachusetts, Kyle spent six years as an assistant tennis professional at both The Mattapoisett Casino and Marion Indoor Tennis before relocating to Houston.
During his collegiate career, Kyle played for the Men’s Tennis Team at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. Unfortunately, the program was discontinued due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which provided him with the opportunity to discover his passion for teaching tennis. While in college, he took on the role of head coach for the Old Rochester Regional High School’s Girls’ Varsity Tennis Program. Under his leadership over three seasons, the team achieved an impressive record of 37-7, secured two conference titles, reached the elite eight in state playoffs twice, and produced a two-time league MVP.
Following a fifth-place finish in the South Coast High School Coach of the Year awards, Kyle is proud to note that several of his former players are currently competing in collegiate and club tennis. Today, he continues to cultivate the youth tennis program at The Club at Carlton Woods, sharing his enthusiasm for the sport.
CRAIG BOBO
Craig is the General Manager and Senior Pro at Pickleland in the Austin area. A Houston native, he was a top ten ranked junior tennis player and went on to compete collegiately at both UTEP and Texas State University. Following his collegiate career, Craig transitioned into coaching and club management, dedicating himself to the racquet sports industry. Over the years, he has held director and managerial roles across Texas, Ohio, New York, and New Mexico before returning to his home state.
Over the past two years, Craig has made an impressive rise in his pickleball career, capturing his first Senior Pro Singles title at the 2024 PPA Austin Open and winning 50% of his matches during his debut NPL season with the Houston Hammers. He has also taken an active role with Ignite, organizing and leading the first local Ignite Combine for 2025.
Craig now resides in Georgetown, Texas, with his family. He is a proud father of five grown children and a grandfather to four beautiful grandkids.
BECKY REGER
Becky is an RSPA Elite Tennis Professional and RSPA certified pickleball instructor with over 35 years of playing experience and 25 years of coaching experience. She currently helps facilitate the junior and adult tennis programs at Royal Oaks Country Club in Houston. She also helps bring players together for weekly games of 105 and cardio tennis workouts.
After playing National Level tennis throughout her junior years in England, Becky accepted a tennis scholarship to Loughborough University, Leicestershire. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in P.E, Sports Science and Recreational Management, Becky pursued a career in the fitness and leisure industry. Over the next seven years, Becky expanded her expertise by earning certifications in exercise and nutrition, strength and conditioning, Pilates, aerobics, and spin. While she taught tennis at local clubs in her hometown in England, it wasn’t until her move to Texas in 2008 that she decided to become much more heavily involved in the tennis industry.
From 2009-2012, Becky was head tennis coach for Galveston Ball High School. She received the district 24-4A Tennis Coach of the Year in 2011. Becky currently serves on the Houston Tennis Association Board, the USTA Texas Adaptive Committee, and the RSPA Teaching and Certification Committee. In her free time, she likes to compete in HLTA and WHLTA league tennis for Royal Oaks, compete in triathlons, and spend time with her husband and daughter in Houston.
Summer Retreat 2025 Featured Speakers
MEREDITH GEIGER-WALTON
Meredith currently serves as the Head of Racquet Sports at Austin Country Club. Her previous roles include Director of Racquet Sports at The Clubs of Kingwood, Head Women’s Tennis Coach at The College of William & Mary, Director of the Tennis Academy at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Assistant Women’s Tennis Coach at The University of Texas, and Director of Player Development for the USTA Southwest Section in Phoenix, Arizona.
She earned her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology from Arizona State University and is a graduate of Casady Episcopal Day School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. As a player, she competed on the WTA Tour, earned NCAA All-American honors, and was a standout All-Pac-10 Conference and Academic Team member. Her playing career includes 22 USTA National Doubles and Singles Titles, and she was honored with the prestigious Bill Talbert USTA National Sportsmanship Award.
She has been named ITA Assistant Coach of the Year, CAA Coach of the Year, and both the USPTA National and Texas Touring Coach of the Year. She served as a USTA coach for the Bonnie Bell MCB Cup in Melbourne, Australia, and has been a Head Coach for the Texas Fed Cup Championship Team. She is a certified USTA High Performance Coach and a member of the USTA Texas Coaches Commission.
She has been inducted into both the Oklahoma Tennis Hall of Fame and the Missouri Valley Tennis Association Hall of Fame. She has also been honored with the ClubCorp “Star” Award and the CATA Pro of the Year Award. She competes as a senior pro pickleball player for the Austin Ignite and serves as the Austin Ambassador for Pickleball in the Sun. In addition, she has represented Texas as a member of the USTA Adult Intersectional and ITF World Cup teams.
JOEL PETERS
Joel Peters serves as the Head Tennis Professional and Director of Adult Programs at The Club at Carlton Woods, a position he has held for the past six years. Originally from northeast Tennessee, Joel attended the University of Tennessee, where he was a proud member of the Volunteers Tennis Team. During his senior year, the team achieved remarkable success, finishing ranked second in the nation and securing both the Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season and tournament championships.
Following his collegiate career, Joel relocated to Houston, where he began volunteering with the men’s tennis program at Rice University. His dedication and expertise led to his promotion as the director of the junior and adult programs, and in 2014, he became the director of the Rice Tennis Club. In 2016, Joel played a pivotal role in coaching the Rice men’s team to a Conference USA Championship, culminating in a top thirty national ranking.
With over 22 years of teaching experience, Joel is a RSPA certified professional specializing in adult programming and club events. He is also a certified pickleball professional (PPR) and Cardio Tennis. Outside of his professional endeavors, Joel is happily married to his wonderful wife, Sarah. Together, they find endless joy in raising their seven-year-old twins, Nolan and Frances.
CLINT SUMROW
Clint Sumrow, a Texas native and former top-ranked junior, is the Assistant Director at High Point Tennis Center, where he oversees operations and business development. He earned a degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin and previously led the Four Seasons Tennis & Health Club before spending over a decade in sales with Prince and HEAD Penn, where he significantly boosted regional performance.
Clint currently serves as Tournament Chair for the Texas Slam, the state’s largest junior tournament, and was recognized by the Dallas Tennis Association with the 2023 Pro Volunteer Award. A RSPA Elite Professional and 5.0-rated player, he has received multiple RSPA Lessons for Life™ awards for his work supporting cancer research through tennis.
A cancer survivor himself, Clint, helped launch the Children Helping Children Tennis Tournament, which raised over $3.5 million for pediatric cancer. He remains active in community service and industry leadership and is most proud of his role as father to his son, Grayson.
THE GOLD STANDARD
ONE MEMBERSHIP. FIVE SPORTS.
RSPA-certified racquet sports professionals ensure the highest standards of instruction at your facility. The RSPA’s rigorous certification and ongoing professional development programs guarantee that your professionals bring exceptional teaching expertise and program management skills to your courts.
As the industry's only comprehensive certification body, the RSPA provides expertise in tennis, pickleball, padel, squash, and platform tennis –ensuring gold-standard instruction at every level.
Hope you can join us in Hawaii this year! Pictures from the 2024 conference
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