News

 

The USTA held its first Advocacy Days in Washington, D.C., from May 9-11, 2012. More than 100 members of the USTA Family, including members of the USTA and USTA Serves boards, the Advocacy and Public Affairs Committee, the Tennis and Higher Education Task Force and our NJTL network participated for the purpose of educating public decision-makers at the federal level about the work we do and the impact we are making in communities across the country.

 

During our time in Washington, we highlighted how our programs help promote healthy lifestyles; improve educational opportunities for youth; enhance community fitness, safety and wellness; and support deployed military, National Guard and Reserves, wounded warriors, veterans and their families.

 

Our kickoff event was held on Wednesday, May 9, with Billie Jean King speaking about 10 and Under Tennis and gender equality during a luncheon speech at the National Press Club. More than 150 media outlets nationwide covered the event, including Associated Press, Bloomberg TV and The New York Times.

 

That afternoon, a delegation of USTA staff, board members and volunteers participated in a roundtable discussion at The White House to discuss how the USTA could increase our impact by participating more intensively in Administration initiatives.

 

In the evening, the USTA, former Louisiana Senator John Breaux of Louisiana, current New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Washington Representative Norm Dicks hosted a special reception in the historic Kennedy Senate Caucus room featuring Billie Jean King, Stan Smith and Pam Shriver. The USTA honored Dicks with a Congressional Champion Award for his long-standing support and love of tennis.

 

On May 10, we spent the day on Capitol Hill visiting with members of Congress. The USTA held a congressional briefing on Thursday morning at which the newly formed Congressional Tennis Caucus was introduced with remarks from two of the co-chairs, Representatives Shelley Moore Capito (West Virginia) and Tim Bishop (New York). The briefing also featured remarks from Steve Kappes, president of the San Diego Tennis Association and a retired captain in the U.S. Navy; Axe Owens, 17-year-old participant and junior employee of the National Junior Tennis & Learning of Trenton, and Dan Faber, executive director of the NJTL of Trenton. The briefing was moderated by Barry Ford, our Director of Public Affairs and Advocacy. In addition to announcing the creation and the mission of the caucus, the briefing afforded the USTA an opportunity to present the work of our NJTL network and our Military Outreach efforts.

 

By the end of the day, 83 USTA members of the USTA Family participated in 120 Hill meetings, inviting congressional staff members and decision-makers to join the new Congressional Tennis Caucus and to attend a USTA program in their districts or states.

 

USTA Advocacy Days concluded May 11 with a visit to the Pentagon. USTA President Jon Vegosen and a small group of USTA representatives met with Admiral James A. Winnefeld, U.S. Navy, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Vice Admiral Dirk J. Debbink, Chief of the Naval Reserve, to discuss the USTA’s efforts to support those who serve our nation and the ways in which we can do more to assist service members and their families during this time of conflict. The visit culminated with a visit to the Pentagon Memorial for victims of 9/11.