USTA Metro Region Update (January and February 2012)
A Message From USTA Metro President Carl Summerlin Sr.
My name is Carl Summerlin and I’m the regional president of the USTA Eastern Metropolitan Region. As an avid tennis player, coach and program administrator of tennis in the New York City area, I bring you this message: Tennis is alive and well in New York City. The U.S. Open had a phenomenal season, as the matches were unparalleled for excitement and drama, but professional tennis is not the only tennis played in New York. We had a number of teams and persons participating in National Championships through the USTA Leagues. We had a New York City college player qualify for the NCAA Nationals. Junior TeamTennis is being played all over the City, and it is introducing players of all levels and abilities to competitive play. There are several new facilities being opened in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens; bringing tennis to the disadvantaged and to those who are in need of a facility to play.
The USTA has started a number of programs to improve local courts by repairing and renovating them. One of the more exciting things is how the 10 & Under initiative is bringing a new way of providing tennis to children so that they can all participate, learn and have fun playing the sport of tennis. All of the other major sports have done it, and now it’s our turn.
Having fun playing the game, hitting a ball and meeting friends all happens at a tennis outing. There are not many sports where you can find people from the age of five to the age of 95 participating. No matter the age or the ability, there is a game for everyone. At one of the public parks that I play at, people gather with their lawn chairs and racquets to spend a day enjoying all the benefits of playing tennis. Everyone can play, no matter handicaps, age and ability. Tennis players cross all racial, economic and physical bounds, and as tennis players, we all need to be ambassadors of the game. We can play, teach others to play and support programming locally or support any of the USTA programs. Sports, especially tennis, provide a necessary outlet from our day-to-day routine. The ability to use tennis as physical and mental outlet is well-documented, and I say it again, “Let’s all get out and play.” If not today, tomorrow or next week, but let’s all get out and play and make tennis part of your lives.
Carl Summerlin Sr., President
USTA Metro Region
USTA Eastern Announces Honorees for 2012 Junior Awards Luncheon
On Jan. 21, USTA Eastern will recognize 16 outstanding students for their sportsmanship and their appreciation of Arthur Ashe’s legacy at the section’s 2012 Junior Awards Luncheon. The luncheon, which begins at noon, will be held at the Renaissance Westchester Hotel in White Plains, N.Y., and is part of USTA Eastern’s Annual Meeting and Volunteer Development Workshop, Jan. 20-21, 2012.
The sportsmanship awards will be presented to eight Eastern juniors, four girls and four boys, for the respect and fair play they showed while participating in USTA sanctioned tournaments all year long. The section will also honor the seven Eastern winners of the USTA Arthur Ashe Essay Contest and the section’s National winner of the USTA Arthur Ashe Art Contest. These eight Eastern juniors competed against 16 other USTA sections in the national competition, which engages the entire network of National Junior Tennis and Learning centers and recognizes the legacy of Arthur Ashe and his impact on the world.
“We are very proud of all the juniors being honored,” said Julie Bliss, director of competition and player development for USTA Eastern. “They understand that what matters most in tennis is not whether you win or lose, but how you treat others, both on and off the court.”
At the luncheon, USTA Eastern will also give out awards for parent sportsmanship, tournament director of the year, and present the Henry Benisch Award. The Henry Benisch Award, which was established in memory of the USTA Eastern Past President and awarded on behalf of the Junior Tennis Foundation, is a scholarship given to a to a top junior player who has exemplified good sportsmanship. This year, USTA Eastern’s Annual Meeting and Volunteer Development Workshop will feature sessions on grant writing, running USTA-sanctioned tournaments and teaching 10 & Under Tennis. There will also be opportunities for participants to network with section leadership, including members of the board of directors, the executive board and section committees, as well as Eastern staff, tournament directors, instructors, and key section providers.
2012 Junior Awards
►Richard D. Lynch II Boys’ 12 Sportsmanship Award: Harris Walker (South Salem, N.Y.)
►Richard D. Lynch II Girls’ 12 Sportsmanship Award: Marcella Cruz (Marlboro, N.J.)
►E. Hawley Van Wyck Jr. Boys’ 14 Sportsmanship Award: Maverick Lin (Edison, N.J.)
►Edith Martin Girls’ 14 Sportsmanship Award: Shanice Arthur (Glen Head, N.Y.)
►Lawrence A. Miller Boys’ 16 Sportsmanship Award: Taiyo Hamanaka (Eastchester, N.Y.)
►Lawrence A. Miller Girls’ 16 Sportsmanship Award: Luisa Fernandez (Pittsford, N.Y.)
►Lt. Frederick M. Scribner, Jr. Boys’ 18 Sportsmanship Award: Brendan Henry (Massapequa, N.Y.)
►Edith Martin Girls’ 18 Sportsmanship Award: Hannah Shteyn (Staten Island, N.Y.)
►Henry Benisch Scholarship Award: Brian Power (Pelham, N.Y.)
►Ron Smyth Parent Sportsmanship Award: Melanie Rubin (Merrick, N.Y.)
►Tournament Director of the Year: Annelies Karp (Floral Park, N.Y.)
►USTA Arthur Ashe Art Contest Winner: Clara Kim (Flushing, N.Y.)
USTA Eastern Arthur Ashe Essay Contest Winners
►Girls 10 and Under: Shelly Yaloz (Little Neck, N.Y.)
►Boys 10 and Under: Christopher Beharry (South Richmond Hill, N.Y.)
►Girls 11-12: Jennifer Yu (Forest Hills, N.Y.)
►Boys 11-12: Noah Castillo (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
►Girls 13-14: Isis Gill-Reid (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
►Boys 13-14: Stephen Mai (Little Neck, N.Y.)
►Boys 15-16: Justin Selig (New York, N.Y.)
