Two tennis facilities in the Mid-Atlantic Section have been named winners in the 37th annual USTA Facility Awards program, which recognizes excellence in the construction and/or renovation of tennis facilities throughout the country.

 

Both the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center in Washington, D.C., and the Long Reach Tennis Club in Columbia, Md., are among 24 other winners from across the country.

 

The award categories consist of Public Courts that are either small tennis centers with 2-10 courts or large tennis centers with 11 or more courts; and Private Facilities that support the USTA and other “growth of the game” programs open to the public. To be considered for an award, facilities must be under the jurisdiction of a park and recreation department, an educational institution, a nonprofit corporation or be a private or commercially owned and operated facility that offers both USTA and public programming designed to help grow tennis.

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Nominees were judged on a variety of criteria including overall layout, excellence of court surface and lighting, accomodations for players, spectators and other visitors; and participation in USTA programs among other aspects.

 

In the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center (SETLC) was recognized in the public courts, large tennis centers (11 or more courts) category.  SETLC is located in Ward 8 and serves as a model for public/private partnerships, sharing resources and talents of the Recreation Wish List Committee (RWLC) and Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR).  Since 2001, the center has served more than 10,000 district youth by providing tennis instruction, tutoring, life skills, developmental chess, a computer room and a library.  The facility is home to the George Washington University Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams, hosts 20 USTA sanctioned tournaments a year, and USTA Adult Winter Leagues.  

 

The Long Reach Tennis Club was recognized in the private facilities category. Located in Columbia, Md., this facility is part of the Columbia Association and features six indoor climate-controlled hard courts with available PlaySight court technology.  Long Reach offers various programs such as a junior development program, USTA tennis teams, table tennis teams and cardio tennis. Long Reach Tennis club hosted around 8 tournaments with approximately 685 players participating in 2017.

 

All awardees will be honored at the USTA Semi-annual Meeting at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on Aug. 30. Each facility will receive a wall plaque and an all-weather sign, which can be mounted at the facility.

 

USTA Mid-Atlantic believes that local tennis courts – whether at the public park, nearby school or within the community – are the gathering places for everyday fun, competition, healthy activity and where people come together no matter their background or ability.  

 

Our Safe Place To Play Grant supports projects that enhance and revitalize these spaces so people have quality courts for play and welcoming places to find themselves in the game. The application for Safe Place to Play grants is now open through November 15, 2018.

 

Apply or share the information with a deserving facility. If you would like to support our Safe Place to Play Grant program, make a donation to USTA Mid-Atlantic today!