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Get involved in USPTA’s Tennis Across America
March 2008 -- USPTA celebrates its 19th annual Tennis Across America™ this May. This multifaceted program was established in 1990 to bring more people into tennis and promote a healthy lifestyle and this year it's the ideal program to promote Tennis - for the health of it! SM Tennis Across America has grown over the years to reach hundreds of thousands of people through three distinctive program segments. The three-phase program provides opportunities to grow the game of tennis through special multicultural clinics, nationwide free clinics hosted by volunteer professionals, and a follow-up program of lessons and league play designed to retain player interest. Tennis - for the health of it! is a public relations initiative that ties tennis with health and fitness, and since May is National Fitness Month, it's an ideal way to celebrate Tennis Across America.
Each spring, thousands of your fellow professionals and volunteers conduct free clinics, some targeting people who might not otherwise have a chance to play tennis, such as inner-city children and handicapped adults. Clinics are hosted in hundreds of communities, and thousands of children and adults hit millions of tennis balls, coast to coast, drawing national, regional and local media attention.
Several times during the 1990s, the USPTA was allowed access to the White House tennis court in May to hold an hour-long Tennis Across America clinic for a group of local children. Former President George Bush, who has been a Tennis Across America honorary co-chair for many years, visited the clinic in 1992. Tennis stars Pete Sampras and Pam Shriver have also participated. Following are some of the honorary co-chairs who have served the program over its 18-year history.
- Leslie Allen
- Nick Bollettieri
- Mike and Bob Bryan
- Wayne Bryan
- Peter Burwash
- President George Bush
- Mary Carillo
- Cliff Drysdale
- Zina Garrison
- Jack Groppel
- Tom Gullikson
- Franklin R. Johnson
- Billie Jean King
- Steve Largent
- Rick Macci
- Todd Martin
- Patrick McEnroe
- Chuck Norris
- Alan Schwartz
- Gene Scott
- Brenda Schultz-McCarthy
- Pam Shriver
- Stan Smith
- Randy Snow
- Harold Solomon
- Fred Stolle
- Tony Trabert
- MaliVai Washington
Though the official day of Tennis Across America is May 10 this year, we encourage you to run a Tennis Across America event any time of the year. It is a great way to market both you and your facility and showcase what you are doing in and around your communities.
There is an online Tennis Across America registration form available on our Web site at www.uspta.com. All registration forms must be in by July 1 in order for you and your division to receive credit for participating in Tennis Across America for 2007.
There are many marketing tools to take advantage of if you register your Tennis Across America event ahead of time.
- We will be airing a Tennis Across America commercial on The Tennis Channel during our TV show, "On Court with USPTA," during the months of May and June. All prospective participants who call in response to the commercial will be referred to our Web site, which lists all the current and past Tennis Across America events open to the public.
- There will be a program guide available on our Web site that gives a sample of a Tennis Across America event as well as sample press releases and public service announcements.
- A Tennis Across America poster is included in this issue of ADDvantage magazine to help members promote their events.
- Tennis Across America fliers are available on our Web site in the Tennis Across America section. The fliers are in a Word document format and can be edited to fit the time, location and day of your event.
- You can purchase Tennis Across America banners, for $25, again this year. These banners are a great way to promote your event at your club or in surrounding areas all year long. The banners are 34 inches by 52 inches and will help bring attention to your event. The Tennis Across America banner is available by calling the USPTA merchandise department at 800-877-8248 or by visiting our online U.S. Pro Tennis Shop at www.usprotennisshop.com.
Don't forget, clinics usually begin in March and continue throughout the summer. A member can get involved in the multicultural segment by contacting his or her divisional liaison, a member of the Multicultural Committee or the World Headquarters.
Start planning to host or volunteer in a 2008 Tennis Across America event today. For more information please contact Rick Bostrom at 800-877-8248, ext. 137, or e-mail sports@uspta.org.
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