HighFIVE: Kenny Orive

When Kenny Orive first tried tennis around the age of 10, he hated it because it was the hardest thing he had ever done. 

“It was really challenging for me, but I decided I wanted to get better, so I kept playing”, says Kenny. 

He now brings this kind of passion for the game to his role as the Junior Development Program Coordinator at the Randy Ross Tennis Center in Englewood. 

Kenny was born in Mexico, but his family moved to Colorado when he was young. 

“I have lived as far north as Fort Collins and as far south as Alamosa, and pretty much everywhere in between!” 

He played tennis for Lakewood’s Alameda High School and, while he received some offers to play tennis at NCAA Division II schools, Kenny knew that he wanted to coach more than he wanted to play. 

“In 2017, I started by teaching a few independent clients on public courts,” says Kenny. His clientele and his love for coaching both continued to grow, and Kenny knew that he “was going to stay in the tennis industry for good because being close to tennis is what makes me happy.”

When Kenny initially started coaching, he taught all ages but soon learned that his niche was working with kids because, “I think that the foundation of any good tennis program has to start with a really great junior development program.” 

Kenny has built strong junior programs through a number of ways. One of his favorites is using the “4 Cs of Coaching: Competence, Character, Confidence, Connection” which he learned about in a professional development class. 

“When you work with a player over a long period of time, you see the tangible improvements in their competence and their character – especially with younger tennis players. This, of course, helps them to gain confidence. As they become more comfortable on court, they start to create communities and connect with other players, and you can visibly see the sport grow. Being able to witness the development of these “4 Cs” in all players is one of the best feelings in the world,” says Kenny.

He has also embraced the recent trend towards player-oriented coaching, where coaches are finding value in guided learning, and letting the players make mistakes and then helping them come to their own solutions, rather than just talking at the players. Kenny says, “Tennis is a wonderful sport because when taught correctly, players develop incredible problem-solving skills and self-sufficiency.”

Kenny’s interest and involvement in tennis goes beyond his on-court presence. This past October, he had the opportunity to be a presenter at a Tennis Industry United event and hopes to continue being a speaker at tennis industry events and conferences. He is also involved with USTA Colorado – initially as a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and currently as board member. 

Kenny says he “is very drawn to the administrative side of tennis since being introduced to it by my presence on the Board.” His impact in his off-court tennis contributions are just as great as his on-court ones. 

Fritz Garger, USTA Colorado Executive Director, says “Our sport benefits tremendously from Kenny’s involvement. The benefits of his engagement with USTA Colorado have been both phenomenal and inspiring and his passion, energy, and youthful exuberance are infectious!”

While Kenny’s passion for tennis doesn’t allow him much time to play himself, he says “while I love to play, I gain so much more satisfaction by sharing my knowledge with others. I am glad to have been able to help the sport grow and do what I can towards making tennis more accessible for everyone. “

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