CLICK HERE to watch the Special Populations video
WHITE PLAINS , N.Y., January 13, 2010 – The USTA announced today that the Special Populations Tennis Program (“Special Pops”) in Atlanta, Ga., has been awarded the 2009 USTA Adaptive Tennis National Community Service Award. The organization will be honored before more than 600 community tennis leaders during the annual USTA Community Tennis Development Workshop held January 22-24, 2010 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina in San Diego, Calif. The USTA bestows the recognition upon a program or a program leader that has demonstrated continued excellence, dedication and service in tennis for an adaptive tennis community.
Based in the metropolitan Atlanta area, Special Populations Tennis Program is a nonprofit organization that offers an adaptive tennis program specifically designed to share the lifetime sport of tennis with children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Programs are offered free of charge to all skill levels, including those who have never played, and include year-round tennis instruction, league play and tournament competition. An equally important aspect of the program is the opportunity it offers these special athletes to build their self-confidence and life skills through social interaction with each other and the many dedicated volunteers who run the programs. Special Pops is a registered Community Tennis Association of the United States Tennis Association, an accredited agency of Special Olympics Georgia (SOGA) and the only tennis training arm for many local SOGA-accredited agencies.
Under the leadership of Executive Director Jim Hamm, Special Pops conducts coaches clinics throughout the USTA Southern Section to create awareness and educate tennis enthusiasts on methods for training players with special needs. As a direct result, ongoing tennis programs have been started in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, all of which have seen an increase in Special Olympics Tennis participation.
In keeping with the USTA’s goal to grow the game of tennis, in 2008 Special Pops spearheaded the formation of the Special Populations Unified Doubles (SPUD) League under the USTA League umbrella, with the assistance and full cooperation of USTA Southern section. SPUD is the first league of its kind in the USTA organization with an adaptive format for players with special needs who are paired with a traditional tennis player in a team doubles tennis match. The SPUD league is expected to serve as a model for all USTA sections throughout the country.
The USTA Adaptive Tennis National Community Service Award was established in 2003. To qualify for a program award, the program must have been in existence for a minimum of three consecutive years and be either a registered USTA Adaptive Tennis program or have a USTA Adaptive Tennis affiliation. To qualify for an individual award, the recipient must have worked with an Adaptive Tennis program for a minimum of three consecutive years.
“Jim Hamm and the Special Pops team have dedicated their efforts to ensure that every person with intellectual disabilities has the opportunity to participate in a meaningful tennis experience,” said Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “We are proud to acknowledge their contribution with this honor.”
Previous recipients of the award have included: (2008) Handi-Racket Tennis in Wayland, Mass., the longest running instructional program in New England for people with physical and mental challenges; (2007) the Orthotic & Prosthetic Assistance Fund (OPAF) in Langhorne, Pa., which offers adaptive tennis clinics for ambulatory players, (2006) Julie Jilly, Vice President of Operations for the Hilton Head Island, S.C., based Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) which has made significant contributions to tennis for over 1000 athletes with intellectual and physical disabilities, (2005) Diana Love, head of the New York Junior Tennis League’s Special Program which provides free summer tennis lessons to students from New York City public schools; (2004) Janet Lefkowitz, co-founder of HERO a New York-based organization offering recreation to adults and children with disabilities; (2003) Eunice Shriver, for her work with the Special Olympics.