HighFIVE: Loretta Conway

Loretta Conway was a high schooler in Memphis when the tennis coach encouraged her to join the team.  She was self-taught with little playing experience but decided to try anyways. This simple decision changed Loretta’s life and started her on an incredible path in the world of tennis.

Loretta, Executive Director for Court Sports for Life dba Steamboat Tennis and Pickleball, says “I love helping engage and empower people of all walks of life through the sport of tennis,” which she has demonstrated over the years in many states and in many ways. After a short stint playing tennis at Lambuth College, Loretta got married, started a family, and moved to Florida. She continued to grow as a tennis player through formal coaching and 10 years of playing USTA leagues and decided to combine her passion for tennis with helping others.  

Loretta says, “I started volunteer coaching at a community center for under-resourced families. That site became an NJTL chapter, and this started my coaching career.” With the help of USTA Florida in the form of grants, training and equipment, Loretta expanded to teaching adults and ultimately got her United States Professional Tennis Association certification.

Her volunteer efforts impressed USTA Florida, and she was offered the position of Community Development Coordinator and it wasn’t long before she was promoted to Community Development Director.  

“Being promoted allowed me to hire other community coordinators around the state to grow grassroots tennis,” says Loretta.  

Loretta and her staff visited Community Tennis Associations, schools, colleges, parks & recreation departments, and community partners who had the passion to grow tennis. Through a grant from USTA National, they launched “Tennis on the Move” - a 10’ x 10’ brightly decorated trailer that had a variety of tennis games inside, including a fast serve cage. They took the trailer on the road so people could try tennis in an unconventional but fun atmosphere. 

Loretta left Florida for California where she worked as a Community Coordinator for USTA Northern California and as the Executive Director for Youth Tennis Advantage. After 10 years, she and her husband, Bill, set their sights on growing tennis in Colorado. Once here, they learned of an opportunity to take over the Tennis Center at Steamboat Springs, and upon visiting, knew that Steamboat was the place for them.  

Kristy Harris, USTA Colorado Community Development Director, says “Loretta immediately connected with the Steamboat Tennis Association and served as their Executive Director for a few years, connecting the Community Tennis Association interest in supporting juniors and people with disabilities even more closely with the Tennis Center. In addition, she has been a leader with the Colorado SERVES program since its inception.”

Loretta and Bill officially took over as operators of the tennis facility in 2016. Loretta is involved with program development, community collaboration, staff training, marketing, public relations and even still coaches a little. Her big project right now is raising $10 million for an indoor pickleball building which would be located next to the tennis center. Having a dedicated facility for pickleball will allow both tennis and pickleball to thrive in Steamboat which Loretta feels is a benefit to the community as “we have a lot of players who play both sports regularly now."  

Loretta feels strongly that it is important to “be open to everyone benefiting through tennis, not just the high-level players. Tell stories about how the sport has changed your life and others’ lives for the better. Be willing to try things and take risks.”  She certainly has accomplished this as USTA Colorado’s Harris says, “Loretta and Bill are creating something special in Colorado and have created a model community program that welcomes all.”

To learn more about what Loretta is doing, check out Facebook @Steamboattennisandpickleball, Instagram @steamboat_10s and YouTube @Steamboat Tennis & Pickleball.

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.