Coronado’s Ben Press Receives USPTA Lifetime Achievement Award; Kirk Anderson Named 2016 USPTA Professional of the Year
Posted: September 30, 2016 in Suppliers
USPTA
INDIAN WELLS, CA – Ben Press was honored with the 2016 George Bacso Lifetime Achievement Award by the United States Professional Tennis Association. Press who passed away Friday, September 9, was posthumously recognized during the annual awards ceremony at the USPTA World Conference at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, CA, on Tuesday, September 27.
This award was developed to honor individuals who set the highest standards in volunteerism on behalf of tennis teachers.
Press was a USPTA Master Professional and had been in the San Diego area coaching scene for more than 65 years. He was one of the original USPTA members in the San Diego division and taught more than 10,000 people to play tennis.
As a player, Press began as an All-American at UCLA and played against some of the greats including Jack Kramer, Bobby Riggs, Pancho Gonzales and Tony Trabert, to name a few. His career included wins at the La Jolla Championships in 1949 and 1951. In addition, Press won three USTA Senior National mixed doubles titles with Jeanne Doyle Garrett in 1970, 1973, 1974, and represented the United States against Canada four times for the Gordon Trophy.
His contributions to tennis are immeasurable. As a coach, he worked with San Diego’s two Wimbledon champions, Maureen Connolly Brinker, the first woman to win the Grand Slam, and Karen Hantz Susman, winner of three Wimbledon titles; one singles and two doubles with Billie Jean King. He was also responsible for coaching Brian Teacher to an Australian Open singles title and Steve Avoyer, who won the 18 & Under title at Kalamazoo.
Over the course of more than six decades, Press was head pro at several prominent tennis facilities, including 17 years at the Kona Kai Resort and 28 years at the Hotel del Coronado, where he was pro from 1977 until the demolition of the hotel’s tennis courts in 2005. He then later became head pro at the Mission Bay Hilton San Diego.
Along with his successful tennis and teaching career, Press co-founded the Greater San Diego City Tennis Council, an organization that provides and funds for the improvement and refurbishment of public tennis court facilities in San Diego. He is the published writer of several tennis publications and author of the book, “100 Years of Tennis at the Hotel del Coronado.” He also invented the Scepter Racquet, which was one of the first commercial graphite tennis racquets.
Press served as the USPTA San Diego Division president and vice president and on several USPTA committees, including awards, public relations and testing. He also served on the board of the Southern California Tennis Association, the San Diego District Tennis Association, and as the president of The Greater San Diego City Tennis Council. He had received many honors, including the 2011 USPTA President’s Award, the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award of the USPTA San Diego Division, and the 2005 USTA/USPTA Community Service Award, and he was a 2010 inductee into the USTA Southern California Senior Hall of Fame.
INDIAN WELLS, CA – Kirk Anderson of Portland, Ore., was honored with the 2016 Alex Gordon Award for the USPTA Professional of the Year by the United States Professional Tennis Association. Anderson was recognized during the annual awards ceremony at the USPTA World Conference at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 27.
The professional of the year is judged in seven areas, including contributions to USPTA and USTA; as a teaching professional, player and coach; education, research and publications; organizational affiliations; and contributions to the community.
A USPTA Master Professional, Anderson has been a USPTA member for 43 years. Throughout these years, he has made his mark on the industry through changes in the way that tennis is taught through the resources developed by the coaching education department under his direction.
Anderson is one of only 11 people worldwide to hold a Master Professional distinction with both the USPTA and PTR. He is a graduate of the USTA High Performance Coach program and is certified by the International Youth Conditioning Association as a Youth Fitness Specialist. He has a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a master’s degree in exercise science from Western Michigan University.
Kirk has written and co-authored 14 tennis books for coaches and tennis professionals. He’s also written several workshop scripts and dozens of articles in journals in the United States and internationally. He is the Content Manager for the Coach Youth Tennis online course and served as the project manager for the development of six online Coach Youth Tennis courses and workshop for 10 and Under Tennis coaches. Since its launch in February 2014, more than 60,000 courses have been completed.
Anderson has served on the International Tennis Federation Tennis Participation Task Force since 2000. He is a member of the Special Olympics International Global Resource Tennis Team and the Special Olympics North America Tennis Development Committee. With the help of Special Olympics North America Tennis Director Nancy Hoekstra, Anderson helped change many of the competition rules and expanded the competition levels that now include red, orange and green balls.
Anderson is a popular speaker and presenter among international, national and regional workshops. He is best known for his innovative and energetic style with players and coaches of all ages and ability levels. He has also been a featured speaker at three ITF Tennis Participation Coaches Workshops held in Bath and London, England.
In 2003, Anderson received the International Tennis Hall of Fame Educational Merit Award; was named Person of the Year by Racquet Sports Industry magazine in 2006 and Professional Tennis Registry Professional of the Year in 2012; and he was inducted into the Western Michigan University Department of Human Performance and Health Education Alumni Honor Academy in 2013.
