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
Dear RSPA Texas Family,
The time has come for me to pass the gavel to your next President, Kelly Marshall. When I stepped into this role two short years ago, my goal was simple: to leave our association better than I found it. But the truth is, I’m the one who’s been left better. This opportunity has shaped me more than I could’ve ever imagined.
When I joined the USPTA 23 years ago, I never dreamed I’d have the privilege of serving as your president. Yet here we are—and I can honestly say that, of all the things I’ve done in my career, this has been one of my absolute favorites. I love coaching, being on court, and serving my members at Lubbock Country Club, but I’ve found even deeper fulfillment in serving you.
Attending conferences together, listening to your presentations, volunteering side by side at RSPA events, growing the game, and building lasting friendships—those are the memories I’ll carry with me long after this term ends.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to my fellow board members—Kelly Marshall, Matt Watson, Sarah Flood, Michelle Stallard, Ernie Abraham, and Adrian (AJ) Chabria—who give up time with their families and jobs to volunteer their talents for this incredible association. You’ve been an amazing team, and it’s been an honor to work alongside many of you for the past decade.
A special thank-you to Matt Watson, a great mentor and friend who helped prepare me for this role. And to the “old guard”—Ken McAllister, Ron Woods, Jim Sciarro, Dick King, John Ingram, and Gerry Maingot—thank you for sharing your stories and wisdom through the years. I hope I stick around long enough to pass along even a fraction of what I’ve learned from you.
And finally, to my “Lulu gang”—Tosha, Kelly, and Jenny—RSPA Texas couldn’t ask for three more brilliant and inspiring women to lead the charge.
• Kelly, you’re going to be an outstanding president, and I can’t wait to watch you guide this amazing community into the future.
• Jenny, I’m thrilled to begin our next chapter together on the National Board, and I’ll continue to lean on your insight just as I always have here in the Lone Star State.
• Tosha, you are the cornerstone of this family. I can’t imagine how lost I would’ve been without you. You kept me grounded, offered honest perspective when I needed it, and—most importantly—reminded me to be nice when I wasn’t. You’ve been my rock and my friend, and I’m endlessly grateful.
In closing, beyond simply saying thank you for allowing me to serve, I want to challenge each of you to get involved. Volunteer. Show up. RSPA Texas is more than an association—it’s a community, a family, a fraternity.
Our greatest asset isn’t our insurance policy or continuing education credits. Our greatest asset is each other.
We have challenges ahead, but together—as one community—we’ll face them, and we’ll come out bigger, better, and stronger than ever.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for this opportunity to serve you.
RSPA Texas State Team Championshps (Houston, Texas)
FEBRUARY 6 - 8
RSPA Texas Annual Conference (Plano, Texas)
Summer Retreat Recap
The RSPA Texas Summer Retreat was held in August at Ridgewood Country Club in Waco and brought together racquet-sports professionals from across the state for two days of learning, connection, and fun.
Friday kicked off with an inspiring lineup of speakers. Jenny Gray opened the retreat with creative ideas for hosting innovative events, followed by Meredith Geiger-Walton’s insightful session on teaching women’s doubles. Craig Bobo wrapped up the morning with engaging pickleball drills and practical coaching tips. After lunch, Cary Lothringer, Kyle Noseworthy, and Joel Peters led an excellent session focused on stroke technique. The day concluded with a lively tennis and pickleball social—plus a friendly ping-pong competition.
Saturday’s program began with Baylor Women’s Tennis Coach Joey Scrivano, who shared valuable insights on player development and improvement. Becky Reger followed with a fun and active presentation on 10-and-under games and drills, leading into an open tennis drill share. The retreat concluded with Clint Sumrow’s session on effectively running large-scale events before everyone gathered for an evening of games and camaraderie at Main Event.
A heartfelt thank-you to all who attended and to our outstanding lineup of speakers who made this year’s Summer Retreat such a success!
Junior Gran Prix State Championships at The John Newcombe Tennis Ranch
The RSPA Texas Junior Gran Prix State Championships were held at the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels on September 6th and 7th. We had over one hundred fifty (150) junior tennis players registered for the championships representing areas around the state, including teams from Austin, Corpus Christi, East Texas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Waco, West Texas, and The Woodlands.
A little rain couldn’t stop us! Thanks to everyone for your flexibility and teamwork in making this year’s event another success. Austin took home first place in the Kangaroo Flight and Fort Worth came in second place. In The Gorilla Flight, first place went to the West Texas (Midland) with second place going to The Woodlands.
Thank you to the tournament staff of Mel McRee (tournament director), Erinn Henrichs, Kelly Marshall, and Tosha Smith for helping run the tournament. The event would not be possible without our wonderful tennis professionals from around the state along with the parents and players. Thank you to The John Newcombe Tennis Ranch for hosting us again this year.
Texas Pros
attend the World Racquets Conference in Kona, Hawaii
Texan Honored at World Racquets Conference
Nick Bradish
Awarded 2025 RSPA Young Professionals Award
Nick Bradish began his career as a Racquets Professional in Mobile, Alabama, in 2021. Nick relocated to Texas to join Royal Oaks Country Club in Houston, where he now serves as Head Racquets Professional. Dedicated to advancing the sport, Nick remains an active contributor to both the USTA and RSPA Texas communities. He regularly attends and presents at the annual RSPA Conference and currently serves on the USTA Junior Team Tennis Committee, where his leadership continues to impact the next generation of players and professionals.
FROM AROUND THE STATE Regional Directors
AUSTIN
BRAZOS VALLEY
Kelly Marshall
Excitement Builds for the Austin125!
Nearly two dozen of the world’s Top 200 players are set to compete in the tournament, taking place November 3–9, 2025.
The Junior Gran Prix recently wrapped up at Newk’s Ranch in New Braunfels, and despite a few rain showers, the enthusiasm never wavered! Players, parents, and coaches all contributed to a fantastic event filled with sportsmanship, great tennis, and plenty of fun.
The Regional Adult Team Championships have now concluded, with winners from across the state earning their spot in the Indoor Championships this January. These competitions are made possible through the hard work and dedication of the RSPA and its professionals. A huge thank you to Jenny Gray for her outstanding organization and leadership throughout the season!
Upcoming Certification happening in Austin:
Pickleball Certification on November 15 | 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM at Onion Creek Club
Tennis Level 2 Certification on December 5–7 at Westwood Country Club
Brandon Carlson
It has been an exciting past few months for tennis in the Brazos Valley! Recently, the re-developed tennis courts for Bee Creek & Central Parks in College Station were opened for public use, with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony this Summer. The six courts were approved from a $1.75 million dollar bond project that included demolition of the previous courts, site improvements, construction of post-tension concrete courts, and new LED lighting and fencing. These courts have hosted programming for over two hundred unique players during the Summer & Fall seasons for College Station.
Additionally, College Station recently hosted the Games of Texas Tennis Tournament at the Mitchell Tennis Center at Texas A&M, with over 250 matches played over the three-day event for adults and juniors. Our Texas A&M Men’s & Women’s tennis teams are actively competing in Fall play, with six pre-season ITA ranked players on the men’s side and five pre-season ITA ranked players on the women’s team.
CENTRAL TEXAS
FROM AROUND THE STATE Regional Directors
Julian Curatella
Waco Tennis Association worked with USTA to secure a grant to resurface seventeen courts at Waco Regional Tennis & Fitness and eight courts at McLennan Community College. The eight courts at McLennan Community College are available for free for the community throughout the day. We are working on the possibility of adding lights to this facility which would open up more play opportunities.
Our NJTL chapter is going strong. Our free summer camps at University High School saw over 250 students throughout the summer. We provided a summer reading program and free books for the kids. At the end of the summer, we hosted a party recognizing the kids that participated and had two kids that read over one hundred books.
Our NJTL chapter helps with our Special Olympics Tennis Team hosting weekly practices. We ended the summer session with a Unified Doubles Tournament. Our high school kids teamed up with a special needs player to compete at Red Ball, Orange Ball, Green Ball, and Yellow Ball. Of course, we ended the tournament with a pizza party. If your area does not host a Unified Tournament, give us a call and we will help you get started. It can be a life-changing experience for everyone involved.
On the Adult side, two of our 18 & Over teams are headed to Nationals. Wishing our Men’s 4.5 and Women’s 4.0 teams the best of luck.
Gerry Maingot
Pros up north -- Please send some fall weather down south! It’s still pretty toasty down here.
We are happy to announce that Lenson Smith has moved to the San Antonio area to assume the position of Community Service Coordinator and Collegiate Programming for the USTA Texas Section.
Congratulations to Mathew Westmoreland who has been promoted from Director of Tennis to Club Manager at the Corpus Christi Athletic Club.
At the Corpus Christi Country Club, Gerry Maingot announced his retirement effective December 31, 2025. He happily served the CCCC members for 23 years. Congratulations to Zach Williams who will be assuming the position of Director of Tennis at the Corpus Christi Country Club.
Bobby Haggerman successfully directed the ITF Junior Tournament this past weekend.
This quarter has flown by with lots of activity and announcements.
National Tennis Month event conducted by Jamel Madison at Lifetime Fitness in Plano
Adrien Chabria
Thankful, and impressed - it is a truly vibrant tennis community we have in north Texas! Lots to report here in the form of photos.
From Dallas in the qualies of the ATP 500 Dallas Open, Eric Hadigian.
High School tennis is as vibrant as ever at the Kiest Tennis Center in Dallas.
So many Texas juniors serving as ballkids at the Dallas Open.
Rex Caujunco presenting with Garlund Gee at the RSPA Texas Annual Conference
Maya Dutta playing with Vania King at the AAPI event at SMU
Tournament Director, Peter Lebedevs at the new Dallas Open venue in Frisco, TX
The Star in Frisco hosting a world class tennis event.
Fort Worth
FROM AROUND THE STATE Regional Directors
Laura Gilbert
The Fort Worth Pro Tennis Association (FWPTA) helps area pros attend the RSPA /USTA Texas annual and the RSPA Texas annual meetings by paying for their registration fees. This year 14 area pros took advantage of this benefit.
The FWPTA also supports the Junior Gran Prix team of approximately 20 juniors from our area that attended the playoffs at Newks in September. In addition, the FWPTA paid half of the registration fee for 14 JTT teams from our area to compete in the State Championships in May. We will also support the teams that will earn a spot for the Fall playoffs.
The FWPTA is a member of the Greater Fort Worth Tennis Coalition (GFWTC), which is made up of 7 area community tennis associations (CTAs). Their job is to govern the leagues and disperse the league funding back to the communities to grow tennis.
The FWPTA meets quarterly. Our next meeting is Nov. 7th, and after that, our annual Holiday gathering! Please join us!
Dan Cantu
October is a wonderful time to play tennis in San Antonio. USTA leagues and Junior Team tennis are in full swing for the fall season. A few local High schools have made the playoffs and are competing in the regional/state team playoffs. Alamo Heights and Boerne High are competing in the 5A division while Reagan High schools compete in the 6A division.
Jack Sock and Jon Isner helped Fair Oaks Ranch with their grand opening of their revamped tennis center. Ten courts and twelve pickle ball courts. San Antonio hosted a Level 4: SATA Masters Seniors Championships on October 23-26, and South Texas Open is on December 13-14, 2025.
FROM AROUND THE STATE
Regional Directors
Andy Carter
McAllen Country Club- Welcome RSPA professional Darron White as the new Director of racquet sports at The McAllen Country Club. Also, Darron is now RSPA Pickle Ball certified.
Certified Valley RSPA professional Andrea Flores has a new appointment at The USTA National Campus in Orlando with the racket sports management program.
Special Olympics Texas South Region Area 01 Tennis Skills Competition was held May 8, 2025, at the Port Isabel High School. Ten schools participated.
Harlingen Country Club will be hosting the 22nd Annual Harlingen Country Club $30,000 Pro Circuit ITF World Tour Tennis event. Tournament dates Are October 25-November 2. Benefiting The Sunny Glen Children’s Home.
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