USTA Honors Local Volunteers and Juniors
As one of the largest non-for profit organizations in the world, the USTA is driven by many dedicated individuals who donate their time and effort to help develop and grow the sport we all love. In having so many willing volunteers, the USTA holds workshops to help instill in their volunteers the core values they should be coaching to their tennis students as well as recognizes them for their hard work and dedication.
This year, the USTA Eastern held their Volunteer Development Workshop from Jan. 20-21 at the Renaissance Westchester Hotel in White Plains, NY. The meeting this year featured sessions on grant writing, running USTA sanctioned tournaments, and the best ways of teaching 10 & Under Tennis. Many prominent USTA pros, coaches and employees lead the discussions in order to inform volunteers of USTA practices and procedures. There were also opportunities for participants to do networking with other volunteers, teaching pros, and USTA Representatives.
Included in the festivities of the workshop was the 2012 Junior Awards Luncheon where USTA Eastern awarded 16 outstanding students for their sportsmanship and for showing their appreciation of Arthur Ashe’s legacy through the Arthur Ashe Essay Contest. The sportsmanship awards were presented to eight Eastern juniors, four boys and four girls, for the respect, and fair play they showed while participating in USTA sanctioned tournaments throughout the year. The section also honored the seven Eastern winners of the USTA Arthur Ashe Essay Contest and the section’s National winner of the USTA Arthur Ashe Art Contest (Clara Kim, Flushing, NY). 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.
At the end of the workshop, the Annual Awards Dinner was also held as USTA Eastern honored 28 volunteers, teaching pros, players, and organizations in recognition for aiding the growth of tennis in the section. “All of the award winners have had a major impact in their tennis communities,” said D.A. Abrams, Executive Director of USTA Eastern. “Whether they are teaching kids, running tournaments or volunteering at special events, their dedication and hard work has allowed players of all ages and abilities to learn and play this great sport.”
Local volunteer, Pablo Sierra, founder of the South Brooklyn Tennis Association (SBTA) won the Multicultural Leadership Award for his efforts in promoting tennis to kids of all backgrounds. “I am very honored to be receiving this award but to be honest, it feels funny receiving an award for something I love doing which is teaching kids tennis” he said. He continued to say “It is a great honor and I am looking forward to continuing my efforts in promoting tennis in 2012, especially for 10 and Under Tennis.” Pablo also volunteers as the Brooklyn Delegate for the USTA Metro Region and is the Head of the Volunteer Committee for Eastern making him more than deserving of the award.
The Awards Dinner concluded the workshop for this year and in all, almost 50 awards were given out to the local tennis community. With such dedicated volunteers, the sport of tennis will continue to grow in the Eastern Section of the USTA year after year. Many thanks and congratulations to all of the award winners.
2012 JUNIOR AWARDS
Richard D. Lynch II Boys’ 12 Sportsmanship Award: Harris Walker (South Salem, NY)
Richard D. Lynch II Girls’ 12 Sportsmanship Award: Marcella Cruz (Marlboro, NJ)
E. Hawley Van Wyck, Jr. Boys’ 14 Sportsmanship Award: Maverick Lin (Edison, NJ)
Edith Martin Girls’ 14 Sportsmanship Award: Shanice Arthur (Glen Head, NY)
Lawrence A. Miller Boys’ 16 Sportsmanship Award: Taiyo Hamanaka (Eastchester, NY)
Lawrence A. Miller Girls’ 16 Sportsmanship Award: Luisa Fernandez (Pittsford, NY)
Lt. Frederick M. Scribner, Jr. Boys’ 18 Sportsmanship Award: Brendan Henry (Massapequa, NY)
Edith Martin Girls’ 18 Sportsmanship Award: Hannah Shteyn (Staten Island, NY)
Henry Benisch Scholarship Award: Brian Power (Pelham, NY)
Ron Smyth Parent Sportsmanship Award: Melanie Rubin (Merrick, NY)
Tournament Director of the Year: Annelies Karp (Floral Park, NY)
USTA ARTHUR ASHE ART CONTEST WINNERS
Clara Kim (Flushing, NY)
USTA EASTERN ARTHUR ASHE ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS
Girls 10 and Under: Shelly Yaloz (Little Neck, NY)
Boys 10 and Under: Christopher Beharry (South Richmond Hill, NY)
Girls 11-12: Jennifer Yu (Forest Hills, NY)
Boys 11-12: Noah Castillo (Brooklyn, NY)
Girls 13-14: Isis Gill (Brooklyn, NY)
Boys 13-14: Stephen Mai (Little Neck, NY)
Boys 15-16: Justin Selig (New York, NY)
2011 ADULT AWARDS
Tennis Woman of the Year: Lisa Camerino (Larchmont, NY)
Leslie J. FitzGibbon Tennis Man of the Year: Lloyd Emanuel (Rye, NY)
Family of the Year: Starke Family (Binghamton, NY)
Louise Cilla Award: Pat Frey (Albany, NY)
George Seewagen Award: Jeff Rothstein (Pine Brook, NJ)
Umpire Service Award: Tony Nimmons (Far Rockaway, NY)
Landis High School Coach of the Year: Barry Kubit (Oceanside, NY)
Press Service Award: Sherwin So (Glenville, NY)
Member Organization of the Year: Love 15 – Rochester (Rochester, NY)
Corporate Service Award: USPTA Eastern Division (Garden City, NY)
Club Service Award: Midtown Athletic Club (Rochester, NY)
Regional Volunteer of the Year (Northern): Domingo Montes (Albany, NY)
Regional Volunteer of the Year (Western): Steve Pike (Pittsford, NY)
Regional Volunteer of the Year (Long Island): Jacki Binder (Merrick, NY)
Regional Volunteer of the Year (Southern): Mary Ellen Bickler (White Plains, NY)
Regional Volunteer of the Year (New Jersey): Dick Walther (Summit, NJ)
Regional Volunteer of the Year (Metro): Daisy Schwartz (New York, NY)
Special Service Award: Adele Johnson (South Orange, NJ)
Multicultural Participation Leadership Award: Pablo Sierra (Brooklyn, NY)
Service to People with Disabilities Award: Daria Pascale (Brewster, NY)
USTA League Award: Jonathan Klee (East Rockaway, NY)
JTT Area League Coordinator of the Year: Loretta Van Raalte (Hartsdale, NY)
Collegiate Award: Columbia University (New York, NY)
Clinician of the Year Award: Lou Reid (New York, NY)
USTA Community Service Award: Charles Nanton (Malverne, NY)
Tennis Welcome Center of the Year: Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program (New York, NY)
Lifetime Achievement Award: Donald Van Blake (Plainfield, NJ)
NJTL Section Chapter of the Year Award: Jerry Alleyne Memorial Foundation (Hartsdale, NY)
