HighFIVE: Kira Kraatz

Player, volunteer, entrepreneur: Kira Kraatz is a busy teenager

In 2013, USTA Colorado’s Racquets for All program was approached by an 8-year old named Kira Kraatz who had collected racquets for her birthday and wanted to donate them. “I wanted to have a big party and invite lots of kids. My mom said we could do that, but I couldn’t ask for presents because no one needed that many presents!”, says Kira. “My mom had always taught me the importance of giving back so we started brainstorming. Even back then I loved tennis, and that’s how the idea of collecting and donating the racquets came about.” 

Kira is now 16 and a member – the only youth member – of the Racquets for All committee. Kristy Harris, USTA Colorado’s Community Development Director, has nothing but high praise for Kira. “We're so lucky that Kira chose to connect with Racquets for All. She's collected dozens of racquets and balls to open the door to tennis for many kids, and now, as a member of the Racquets for All committee, she brings an invaluable young person's perspective to the program.”

Tennis has been a lifelong passion for Kira. She was adopted from Kazakhstan at 7 months and became a US citizen as a baby. She first tried tennis when she was 3 at Gates Tennis Center after seeing Rafael Nadal play on television. Kira says, “I fell in love with the sport right then.”

Kira has had a lot of great tennis experiences since those early days at Gates. She has played tournaments throughout Colorado as well as in California, Arizona and Nevada, played #1 singles for Denver South High School as a freshman, and was even a ball kid at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. 

Currently, Kira plays out of Randy Ross Tennis Center in Englewood and the JCC Tennis Center in Denver.” Kira says, “I absolutely love both of those facilities and the people that run them.” Her coaches have been integral in helping Kira “get back in the swing of things” as she’s having to come back from some health issues. Kira’s positive outlook and determination are strong, and she says, “I am going to be coming back soon to tournaments.”

Unfortunately, Kira’s health setback during her freshman year cut her high school season short, but she turned what many teenagers would view as a negative in to a very strong positive! She has stayed involved with the Denver South tennis teams through producing videos and photos for their social media and building and maintaining the team website. This was a natural for her considering she has her own business – Kira Kraatz Videography.

While being sidelined from tennis, Kira has focused on developing other passions. “I got into videography in a roundabout way. First, I enjoyed building, racing and just flying drones for fun. I then became more interested in the camera aspect of the drone. From there it just took off. I also loved the idea of being an entrepreneur, using my creativity in that arena and just fell in love with both the videography/photography and the business side of things”, says Kira. Kira has created and produced videos for the JCC and Colorado Youth Tennis Foundation and is currently working on a project involving the Denver Broncos!

You might think that being a high school sophomore, running a start-up business, volunteering on a committee and training to return to a sport at a high level after health issues would be enough for one person, but not Kira. In addition to being enrolled at West River Academy for high school, Kira is pursuing her B.A. in Digital Film and Media at Grand Canyon University as a dual enrollment student. 

Kira uses the “one step at a time” approach to juggle school, friends, and personal and professional interests, an approach that seems to be working very well! “I love that I can incorporate tennis in to so many aspects of my life that can benefit others while also allowing me to pursue my passions.” 

To check out more on Kira’s many projects, you can find her on Instagram or visit her business website.

MidFirst Bank is one of the largest privately owned banks and this combination of size and private ownership provides our customers with a special brand of banking. We are a strong supporter of the communities we serve, investing time and money in important educational, charitable and civic organizations. Our volunteerism is powered by our employees from all of the communities in which we live and share with our customers. MidFirst Bank is a proud partner of USTA Colorado.