HighFIVE: Tom Conter

Tom Conter of Colorado Springs has been recognized as the 2023 USTA Nicholas E. Powel Award winner, given each year to one outstanding tennis official’s body of work done primarily at the community level

Tennis didn’t became a part of Thomas Conter’s life until he was in his 40s, but he has certainly made an impact on tennis over the past 30 years. While he can often be found on the court playing, his greatest impacts have been as an umpire for which he was recognized as the 2023 winner of the USTA’s Nicholas E. Powel Award, given each year to one outstanding tennis official’s body of work done primarily at the community level.

The Chicago native grew up playing golf and played at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He references John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” by saying, “I literally moved here in the summer of my 27^th year” when he and his wife relocated to Colorado Springs, where Conter worked as a staff attorney for a number of corporations. About 20 years later, Conter decided to pick up a racquet because “my wife enjoyed it so much and it was also quicker to play tennis than spending half a day on a golf course”. 

Conter quickly found that he, too, really enjoyed tennis. “I played USTA leagues for 20 years and was the captain for all of that time”, he says. He had great success in leagues, with his teams going to Colorado Districts a handful of times, but the highlight for Conter was getting to the Seniors Sectional Championship in Boise, ID in 2011. “We went 3-1, and just barely missed Nationals,” he says.

While serving as captain, Conter started reading “Friend at Court”, the USTA’s handbook of rules and regulations because “I knew someone on the team had to know the rules.” After his successful leagues season in 2011, Conter started talking with a fellow club member who was a USTA official. A year later, he started his certification process and on-court training. 

“I’ve been blessed to have an outstanding trio of great local officials in the late Don Willsie, Jackie Jones, and Pat Zuraski, who became my early mentors and then close associates and friends,” says Conter. With all three being USTA award winners themselves, it is clear that Conter was trained by some of the best.

In the USTA’s announcement of Conter being named this year’s Nicholas E. Powel Award winner, it states “Conter's selfless nature has also been a defining characteristic in his officiating career, as he is often the first to volunteer to work an event that's in need of officials or give up his spot at an event to ensure someone else gains valuable work experience.” This enthusiasm for officiating is something that is evident when talking with Conter.

“I love the variety in community tennis. At the Adult League 18 and Over Colorado District Championships this year, I saw a few teams perform their cheers like college teams. I worked 3.0 women the first two days, and their enthusiasm for tennis was apparent on all of the courts, and the competition was great. Finals day brought a wonderful mix of 2.5 and 3.0 women, 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 men,” he says. He follows up by saying, “The highlight of my year is always the Level 3 Intermountain Summer Championship in Denver in June. This year was a real challenge because of rain but working with the Girls 14 division showed how wonderfully resilient they were. I always try to help players build respect for their sport through rules knowledge and positive reinforcement.”

In addition to his on-court work, Conter is well respected for his training of new officials, which is where many of Conter’s favorite memories come from. He says “I stress the situations that they will most frequently face while as a roving umpire at an event. Knowing that I am helping a new official start his or her career is a great motivator for me.” 

Over the past 10 years, Conter has trained around 15 new officials, as well as developed his own training materials which he constantly refines as rules change.

While Conter enjoys all aspects of officiating, he does say that scoring disputes are some of the most challenging issues to deal with. He says “Both players believe they know the score. I’ve handled well over a hundred, and only once did I have to use the coin toss option. My favorite approach when I come on a court is to ask, “How can I help?” It is very effective in lessening the tension.”

Conter’s mix of methodical and personal approach to officiating has been an asset to players in Colorado for a dozen years. At 74, he is not sure how many more years he will be officiating but says “I want to make sure that I work as many events as possible to further enjoy this lifetime sport.” 

When not in an official capacity on court, Conter still plays twice a week in various “old guys” doubles groups that he has played in for the last 12 years at Lifetime Fitness Colorado Springs. He is also a featured wood artisan and particularly enjoys creating wooden accent tables, many of which can be seen here.  

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