HighFIVE: Jesse Rodriguez

Rodriguez honored for his community service

The Colorado State University Women’s Tennis Team presents the FIRST SERVE award each year which recognizes an individual or entity who has contributed to tennis in Northern Colorado. This year, that honor was given at their home opener in February to Jesse Rodriguez, a long-time staple in the tennis community.

Jesse was born in Denver and first discovered tennis as a freshman at Adams City High School, where the nets were made from chain link fence topped with white tape. The four years of high school tennis were enough to develop a passion in Jesse for the game that has carried on throughout his life and made him the ideal recipient of the FIRST SERVE award.

Christine Houldsworth, CSU Community Outreach Coordinator, says “Jesse has given a great deal to the sport. He’s a loyal CSU Women’s team fan, by attending every home match in the past few decades, and a supporter and participant in our yearly fundraiser. We felt it was fitting to honor him at our first home match this season.”

When Christine says that Jesse has given a great deal to tennis, it’s no exaggeration. Jesse’s involvement in Northern Colorado goes far beyond his time as a competitive league player. Over the years, he has been a junior and adult league coordinator, served as a member of the Fort Collins Tennis Association board, and ran various Northern Colorado tournaments.

But perhaps Jesse’s greatest contribution has been his 21 years as head tennis coach at Preston Middle School in Fort Collins. Working with kids is one of the ways Jesse most enjoys giving back to tennis. During his tenure, the teams have had many 1^st and 2^nd place finishes at the district championships. Even greater than the successful record has been the influence that Jesse has had on the lives of so many kids. As coach, he would make sure his players learned the names of their opponents and shook their hands both before and after matches. Jesse makes sure to check out high school matches each year to cheer on his former players and to see them carrying on the values of sportsmanship and respect that are such a cornerstone of his middle school program.

In addition to coaching, Jesse currently serves on the board of the National Junior Tennis and Learning of Northern Colorado (NJTL NOCO) and as a member of USTA Colorado’s Community Development Committee. Through these programs, Jesse further gives back to the community through being a part of groups who provide access to tennis programming for kids as well as grants to ensure that courts in Northern Colorado are well maintained and playable. And, if all 

of this wasn’t enough, he also serves as an umpire for both adult and youth tournaments and is the 2002 winner of the USTA Colorado Clyde Rogers Award which recognizes contributions to recreational tennis players in the state.

“We are so fortunate to have Jesse in Northern Colorado,” says Houldsworth. “He truly makes a difference for the future of tennis in our community.”

Congratulations, Jesse, on an award very well deserved!