Dear Members of the USTA Maryland Family:
I can hardly believe a whole year has almost passed and the year-end holiday season is already upon us. It has been quite a year filled with many great accomplishments, exciting opportunities and also many unique challenges. Most, if not all of the great things happening in our District are due to the dedication of the hard working USTA Maryland staff, under the dynamic leadership of Executive Director, Lynn Coddington. Working closely with Lynn are Jennifer Gregg, Deputy Executive Director, Debby Broadus, Director of Leagues, Alicia von Lossberg, Director of Community Tennis, Jeff Fowle, Director of Tournaments, aided by league assistant Linda Eshleman and community tennis assistant Barbara Linke, and supported by Section Tennis Service Representative Lynn Gertzog.
More importantly, thanks to each of you, all of our equally hard working and dedicated core of volunteers that are the foundation of our organization, USTA Maryland is having one of its most successful years ever!
Some of the highlights of the year include:
The establishment of two new partnerships with Anne Arundel and Carroll County schools resulting in tennis being offered to thousands of elementary school students in PE classes. Also there’s a new partnership with the Baltimore City Curriculum Project that will bring tennis to thousands more inner-city school students in 2012 with almost 100 new USTA School Organizational memberships.
Junior Team Tennis participation jumped nearly 6% and expanded into Calvert, Dorchester and Wicomico counties. Two Maryland teams advanced to the National Championships as Sectional Champions!
USTA League participation increased nearly 4% meaning nearly 18,000 players competed in leagues throughout Maryland -- 6 Maryland teams advanced to National Championships!
Participation in NTRP tournaments rose over 7% with the addition of new tournaments in southern Maryland, Baltimore and Frederick County, and the introduction of new 10&U Tournaments using the new Quick Start Tournament format.
USTA Maryland has awarded over $71,000 in grants to community tennis associations, for new program development, court renovations, and junior and adult travel stipends to national championships.
USTA Maryland supported the new Women’s Citi Open WTA event and hosted a sold-out USTA MD Member Clinic with Katrina Adams, and featured Luke Jensen at our 2011 Annual meeting with a College Tennis workshop and another member clinic.
These are just some of the successful and exciting events occurring throughout the USTA Maryland Distinct.
Looking ahead to 2012, we congratulate Mary Boswell and Ernie Mosby who will be inducted into the Mid-Atlantic Tennis and Education Foundation Hall of Fame in February. And 2012 promises to bring many more opportunities and challenges, with much more work to be done.
So to each of our USTA Maryland members, our League Coordinators, Captains and Players, our JTT Coordinators and players, our many hard working CTAs and their army of volunteers, our Mid-Atlantic Committee Representatives and to each of my fellow USTA Maryland Board Members, and to the wonderful USTA Maryland staff, I say thank you for making 2011 such a wonderful and successful year and I wish each and everyone the happiest and healthiest of holidays and continued success to all in the New Year!
And remember, if there is any way that I or anyone of the USTA staff or Board may be of assistance to you or your programs, don’t hesitate to contact any of us—we are all one team working hard towards the goal of making tennis in Maryland the best it can be.
Happy Holidays,
Marc Kantrowitz
President, USTA Maryland