USPTA Recognizes Industry Leaders With its 2017 Awards
Posted: October 14, 2017 in Suppliers
USPTA
ORLANDO, FL – The United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) honored those members who go above and beyond in all aspects of the tennis industry during its annual General Membership Meeting on October 13 at the 2017 NEXT Generation: A Tennis Innovation Workshop, powered by USTA & USPTA at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld.
Harry Hopman and Rick Macci Inducted into USPTA Hall of Fame
Harry Hopman & Rick Macci were inducted into the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Hall of Fame at the Awards Luncheon on Friday, Oct 13. during the NEXT Generation: A Tennis Innovation Workshop powered by USTA & USPTA at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld.
The USPTA Hall of Fame is the association’s highest honor and serves as a place to recognize excellence in the tennis profession and commitment to USPTA, the world’s oldest and largest association of tennis-teaching professionals. The award was renamed in honor of the late Tim Heckler, who served as the CEO of the USPTA for 30 years, from 1982-2012.
Harry Hopman is known throughout the tennis industry as the most successful Davis Cup captain leading the country of Australia to 16 World Championships from 1939-1967. Hopman inspired a leu of Australia tennis greats including players like Mal Anderson, Ashley Cooper, Roy Emerson, Neale Fraser, Rex Hartwig, Lew Hoad, Rod Laver, John Newcombe, Tony Roche, Mervyn Rose, Ken Rosewall, Frank Sedgman, and Fred Stolle. Hopman was known on the ATP World Tour for capturing the 1929 & 1930 Australian Men’s doubles title alongside with Jack Crawford and four mixed doubles titles. After consecutive years of success in the Davis Cup, Hopman moved to the United States in 1969 and became a highly successful tennis-teaching professional at the Port Washington Tennis Academy in New York. He later moved to Largo, Florida with his wife Lucy and opened the Hopman Tennis Academy and lived in the city until his death in 1985.
Rick Macci is an iconic tennis- teaching giant. Over the past 40 years his overall innovative, unique, and powerful on court philosophies and passion have inspired millions of players and coaches at each level. Macci has coached players such as Karim Alami, Jennifer Capriati, Tommy Ho, Sonia Kenin, Bethani Mattek, Anastaysia Myskina, Mary Pierce, Tina Pisnik, Andy Roddick, Christan Rudd, Maria Sharapova, Vince Spadea, Venus and Serena Williams, and hundreds of other professional tour players around the globe.
Since 1985, Macci and his academy of USPTA professionals have produced 247 USTA national championships in singles and doubles. Rick has been an instructional editor for tennis magazine for over the past 30 years.
A high demand motivational speaker, clinician, and author, his award winning book, Macci Magic , a self-help novel and a snapshot of players Rick has coached, is one of the most read tennis books ever. Macci has also consulted for Trump Management from 1998 to 2004. Macci, along with the USPTA, has produced many award-winning videos and his Improved Forehand Technique with Rick Macci video delivered more than a million views on YouTube. Macci is in the Hall of Fame for Basketball and Tennis in his hometown of Greenville, Ohio. He was honored recently by the USTA with the USA Legendary Coach Award.
He is also in the USPTA Florida Hall of Fame and has been named Coach of the Year numerous times in Florida and won the USPTA Alex Gordon Professional of the Year Award in 2006. Macci now coaches at The Rick Macci Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Florida, which has thousands of kids and adults visit throughout the year.
Fernando Velasco Receives 2017 George Bacso Lifetime Achievement Award
Fernando Velasco was honored with the 2017 George Bacso Lifetime Achievement Award by the United States Professional Tennis Association. Velasco was recognized during the Awards Luncheon at the NEXT Generation: A Tennis Innovation Workshop powered by USTA & USPTA on Friday, October 13.
This award was developed to honor individuals who set the highest standards in volunteerism on behalf of tennis teachers. The USPTA National Awards program is conducted annually. Nominations are submitted by the organization’s 17 divisions and by individuals. Recipients in each category are decided by the USPTA Awards Committee.
Velasco is a 40-year veteran in the Tennis Management business and has served as General Manager and Director of Tennis at top-notch clubs in Chicago, Phoenix, Dallas, Savannah and Boca Raton, Florida, and in Austin at the Grey Rock Tennis Club. He is presently the Executive Director of the Capital Area Tennis Association and teaches part-time at the Polo Tennis and Fitness Club in Austin.
He is considered one of the top teaching professionals and managers in the country, having been selected as National Pro of the Year by the USPTA. He is a sought after speaker at National and International Tennis Professional Conventions. He is a ranked player in the USPTA and the USTA. In 2014 he was selected as the CATA Tennis Legend for his contributions to tennis in Austin since his arrival here in 2000.
He was a personal close friend of George Bacso. Together, they were members of the USPTA National Board for over 10 years. Velasco was instrumental on translating the USPTA Certification Exam in Spanish and aided Bacso to grade the Spanish applicants by sending audios to him with their responses in English.
Anthony DeCecco Named 2017 Alex Gordon USPTA Professional of the Year
Anthony DeCecco of Exton, Pennsylvania was honored with the 2017 Alex Gordon Professional of the Year Award by the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) during the Awards Luncheon at the NEXT Generation: A Tennis Innovation Workshop powered by USTA & USPTA on Friday, October 13 at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld.
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.
DeCecco first began as a tennis-teaching professional at a local Country Club and eventually worked his way up to Tennis Director. He later became Head Professional at Pickering Valley Racquet Club, where he served as tennis director there for 10 years before ultimately buying the business in 1997. In 2004, he purchased the surrounding land and buildings, which has since become Tennis Addiction Sports Club. Tennis Addiction, which boasts more than 1000 adult members and 400+ juniors, has won the USTA’s “Premier Facility” award every year since its inception in 2013.
DeCecco has served as the USPTA Middle States District President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, and Past President. In 2016, he coached Downingtown East High School tennis team to a 14-2 overall record with the doubles team making it to the semifinals of the state championships.
For more than two-decades, Anthony partnered with Camphill Special Needs School, hosting an annual Gala/Pro-Am Tennis Tournament which has raised more than $3 million dollars with the proceeds going to building a kindergarten and an additional wing at the school. DeCecco currently coaches’ boys and girls high school tennis and is on court up to 40 hours a week running programs at the West Chester Golf and Country Club in addition to being the Chief Executive Officer at Tennis Addiction.
USPTA Industry Excellence Award
In recognition of his business acumen and advancing the sport of tennis in his community, Juan Selle (Rome, Georgia) received the USPTA’s Industry Excellence Award. Selle created an after-school program called Teach Me Tennis, which goals were to create a tennis culture and awareness in the community, place a tennis racquet in every student’s hand, and to impact the lives of children through the game of tennis. In 2016, the Teach Me Tennis program affected 14,000 students in four counties through tennis presentations, equipment donations, and classroom experiences. The Teach Me Tennis program is also offered at the YMCA Rome Boys and Girls Club in the summer and at variety of summer camps throughout the Rome, Georgia area.
USTA/USPTA Community Service Award
Dale Evans received the USTA/USPTA Community Service Award. The Community Service Award is a cooperative award presented annually by the United States Tennis Association as part of the USPTA’s awards program. The award recognizes a USPTA member for exceptional community service through the game of tennis. Evans has dedicated his life to tennis both professionally and personally. Dale successfully played junior tennis and college tennis. He has been a tennis coach for over ten years and currently works at the Claremont Resort & Spa. When not at the Claremont, he works with USTA NorCal on camps, travel teams, zonal teams and much more. He is also a very dedicated volunteer at USTA NorCal giving countless hours of his personal time. He has served as chair of the Diversity Committee and Junior Council and now sits on the USTA NorCal Board of Directors.
USPTA Star Award
Tom Sweitzer (Orlando, Florida) was awarded the USPTA Star Award for his efforts to bring tennis to socioeconomically challenged communities as the tennis program director at the Orlando Tennis Centre. Sweitzer submitted a proposal to the City of Orlando to provide free beginner tennis lessons to inner city children of Orlando who participate in the summer Community Center programs. His efforts led to the Orlando Free Lesson Program which started in 2013 and over the course of four years has partnered with 30 community centers that held events for 6,000 kids.
Top Education Credit Earner for 2016
Levander Kelley (Richmond, Virginia) was named the Top Education Credit Earner for 2016 after earning an outstanding number of education credits as part of the USPTA Career Development Program.
Lessons for Life
Michael Dombrowski (Orlando, Florida) was awarded the Lessons for Life award for hosting the La Amistad 26th Annual Tennis, Golf, and Silent Auction fundraiser at the Interlachen Country Club. This one-day fundraising event included a morning co-ed tennis round robin, player’s luncheon/awards, afternoon golf, a doubles tournament, and an evening cocktail reception and silent auction. This event not only raised $20,000, but 85% of the proceeds went to the La Amistad Foundation, which is a long term residential treatment center for adults with chronic mental illnesses.
Diversity Award
Lynn Bender (Zeeland, Michigan) received the association’s Diversity Award for her work to increase diversity within the USPTA. Bender volunteered at the USTA/ITF Jr. Wheelchair camp for the past four years donating her time as a camp instructor with kids from around the world to educate and teach them the game of tennis. This individual also raised $30,000 to help purchase tennis chairs for individuals in the town of Lima, Ohio and traveled to conduct workshops with tennis leaders, a rehab sports center, and a school all within the country of Haiti.
Tim Gullikson Touring Coach of the Year
Othmane Garma (Los Angeles) received the Tim Gullikson Touring Coach of the Year Award. He coached Treat Huey, who in 2016 with partner Max Mirnyi, won the Doubles Championship at the 2016 Abierto Mexicano Telcel. The duo then reached the semifinals of Wimbledon and finished the year being ranked in the top 20 in the world in doubles. Garma has also worked with players such as Somdev Devvarman, Dominic Inglot, and Sanam Singh. He is the current hitting coach of 2017 US Open Women’s Singles Champion Sloane Stephens.
High School Coach of the Year
Jonathan Betts (McHenry, Illinois) was named the High School Coach of the Year. As the head boy’s tennis coach at Jacobs High School in Algonquin, Illinois, Betts led his players to a 21-2 overall record. Betts also coached the girl’s tennis team to a 24-1 overall record in 2016. Both teams went on to win both district titles while the boys team went on to win the regional title and place 10th in the state tournament. The girls team placed second in the regional tournament and placed 39th overall in the state tournament.
Steve Wilkinson College Coach of the Year
Sheila McInerney (Tempe, Arizona) was named the Steve Wilkinson College Coach of the Year after leading the Arizona State University women’s tennis team to an 18-6 overall mark last season along with capturing the Pac-12 team title for the first time in program history, which is awarded to the team who wins the most singles and doubles matches in the main draw of the Pac-12 Tournament. McInerney is entering her 34th season as the head coach for the women’s tennis team at Arizona State University.
George Bacso Tester of the Year
Hassan Humayun (Las Vegas) was named the George Bacso Tester of the Year. Humayun is a USPTA Elite Professional, USPTA Intermountain President, and the USPTA Head Tester for the Intermountain Division. He has been a USPTA member for 17 years, four of which he has been a tester. In 2016, he administered the USPTA certification exam to 28 people over the last year and was instrumental in reorganizing the Intermountain Certification process by adding and training three additional testers in prominent locations to provide for better applicant service.
Large Facility Manager of the Year
Glenn William (Rochester, New York.) was named the Large Facility Manager of the Year. William is a USPTA Master Professional and has been the general manager of the Midtown Athletic Club in Rochester, New York for the past 24 years and has more than 38 years of private club management experience. His facility has 3,900 memberships, a total of 7,300 members, 18 tennis courts, and requires all tennis-teaching professionals to be USPTA certified.
U30 Award
Ryan Knarr (Robesonia, Pennsylvania.) is the third recipient of the U30 Award. The U30 Award recognizes a USPTA Professional aged 30 or under for their contributions to tennis. Knarr helped increase tennis visibility as the Director of Tennis at the Conrad Weiser Tennis Association. He also placed tennis into the Conrad Weiser School District which introduced over 1,200 students to the game. This accomplishment won Knarr the Community Tennis Association of the Year award from both the USTA Middle States and Eastern PA District in 2014. He also serves as the USPTA Middle States Recruiting Chair and for the past two years, this member was influential in certifying 15 USPTA professionals all of which are under the age of 30.
Small Facility Manager of the Year
Kevin MacDonald (Berkeley, California) was named this year’s Small Facility Manager of the Year. MacDonald has been the general manager of the Claremont Club and Spa at Fairmont Hotel for 17 years and his facility has 5,000 members with 10 tennis courts and requires all tennis-teaching professionals to be USPTA certified. MacDonald’s facility has won numerous awards such as the USPTA NORCAL Facility of the Year in 2016, the USPTA Facility of the Year in 2011, and the USTA Member Organization of the Year in 2008.
USPTA President’s Paul Waldman Award
Jack Michalko (Phoenix) was awarded the USPTA President’s Paul Waldman Award. Michalko has been a USPTA member for more than 47 years and has held multiple roles within the association. He has been a member of the USPTA Executive Committee, National Job’s Committee, National Nominating Committee, National Awards Committee, and National Membership Committee. Michalko has also served the USPTA on a local level, having held several positions with the USPTA Southwest Division board, including as President and Regional Vice President and has been the Executive Director of the USPTA Southwest Division for 23 years.
USPTA Division Awards
USPTA Missouri Valley Division – Small Division of the Year
USPTA Texas Division – Large Division of the Year
USPTA Texas Division – Newsletter of the Year
USPTA Southern Division – Lessons for Life
