By Trish Faulkner, USPTA Vice President
Happy spring everyone! I hope your 2019 started off with many successful programs and lessons at your courts regardless of the size and scope of your facility.
Exciting news greeted us at our January board meeting as the USTA announced USPTA had received full accreditation. This will now elevate our organization as the global leader in educating and certifying highly qualified tennis professionals. PTM programs will expand in 2019 with more locations spread across the country helping to provide an incredible educational opportunity for our young incoming members. This entire process will also help open doors for career opportunities for current and newly certified professionals.
As the board member in charge of the Awards Committee, I am challenging all of you, regardless of your position or your location, to take the time to look around you and find someone in our organization who deserves recognition. Our goal for 2019 is to have every division represented in every category. Thanks to John Cornell in our national office, all award categories and nomination forms are easy to access online on our website. You have two choices for all awards - you may self-nominate using a longer form or you may nominate a very deserving USPTA member simply by submitting their name in a particular category with a short paragraph outlining their achievements. These awards are for the calendar year of 2018 including the Alex Gordon Professional of the Year. Also, please don’t forget to acknowledge a very deserving and supportive manager of a small or large facility for 2018. This award can be won by a non-USPTA member, so take the time to recognize a manager who supports you and the USPTA.
I also chair the Diversity and Inclusion Committee which is an ever-evolving and changing task. Our goals are simple - make certain the USPTA is a fully diverse organization from a membership standpoint, and to encourage our divisions to reach out within their communities to design and provide programs to diverse cultures. Also, within this committee is the Women’s Task Force which focuses on arranging and promoting women’s meetings at all division conferences. For 2019 we are again challenging every division to make certain that all seminars, workshops and conferences showcase diverse presenters, especially qualified women speakers.
Your national board is working hard to make sure you all have a very exciting and successful year. Don’t forget your award nominations! Thanks for all you do!