Carrie Zarraonandia Wins 2022 Alex Gordon Professional of the Year Award

LAKE NONA, Fla. – The United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) is proud to present the 2022 USPTA Alex Gordon Professional of the Year Award to Carrie Zarraonandia, San Rafael, CA (Northern California Division).

From serving on the Northern California Board of Directors to being a certified trainer for Positive Coaching Alliance, Carrie has had one of the most dedicated and productive years of her career.

When she was asked to serve on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in 2021, Carrie jumped at the chance. “As an openly gay teaching professional, I took pride in taking part of the productive conversations, SWOT analyses, and helping put together some achievable goals for our division,” Carrie said. When asked to help, Carrie takes on every role with enthusiasm and a thirst to learn. This past year, she also stepped up and jumped into the IFPA (International Federation Pickleball Academy) training to represent Northern California as the Head Pickleball Coach Developer.

As the Vice President of the Northern California Board of Directors, Carrie spearheaded an extremely successful fall division conference – the division’s first in-person event since the pandemic hit. Not only did she arrange the guest speakers, but she presented Northern California division’s first Pickleball demo session.

“Carrie has been an inspirational leader for women throughout the USPTA, in particular in Northern California,” said John Embree, USPTA CEO.

About the USPTA: Founded in 1927, the USPTA is the global leader in tennis-teacher certification and professional development. With more than 14,000 members worldwide and 17 divisions nationwide, the Association’s mission is to raise the standards of tennis-teaching professionals and coaches and to promote a greater awareness of the sport.

Media Contacts:

Marisa Lampe
Director of Marketing and Communications
marisa.lampe@uspta.org
407-634-3071 ext. 142