By Jeanne Ford, USTA Florida Director of Marketing, Membership and Sponsorship
When you hear the word hero your mind might conjure up images of a larger-than-life being with a super power that can make amazing things happen in the blink of an eye. You know, the stuff that blockbuster movies and trending video games are made of.
But did you know that each year, every-day heroes, humbly known as USTA Florida volunteers, donate thousands of hours to grow the game of tennis? Their dedication, expertise and passion enrich the lifestyles and grow tennis in our communities for families, after-school programs, adults (including beginners), diverse cultures, and differently-enabled players.
Volunteers throughout the state are gearing up to be “Mentors of Fun” to help providers with the Love to Learn and Love to Play programs for adult beginners where the focus is on fun and learning the fundamentals in a social setting often followed by après tennis gatherings.
High School students are earning community service hours volunteering as court monitors at events for younger players passing along what they’ve learned while developing their mentoring skills. Not to be outdone, college students are getting in the volunteering game by staffing on-court activities at Family Festivals where players of all abilities and ages laugh, learn and make lasting memories.
Parents, coaches, officials and tournament directors are building an army of volunteers as part of the Tournament Evaluation Team program designed to observe and provide feedback at tournaments to ensure consistent standards and a high-quality experience for everyone. USPTA pros are also donating their time to give back to the sport that means so much to them.
Leading the way as role models are the USTA Florida and USTA Florida Foundation Board Members. As lifelong USTA Florida volunteers, these leaders have generously devoted more than 200 years of combined service to make USTA Florida one of the strongest and most innovative sections in the USTA organization.
As 2018 comes to a close, let’s take a moment to appreciate the wins and the learnings from the past year. Maybe reach out to those every-day heroes we know to let them know the difference they have made in our lives and honoring them by continuing their legacy through volunteering. Let’s make 2019 our best year ever!
