2025 District Awards

Our Board, Past Presidents, award recipients, along with their friends and family, all gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the honorees. We were pleased to award the following:

Barbara Wynne Junior Sportsmanship Award

For a high degree of sportsmanship, playing ability and mental attitude

Olivia Chadwick

Olivia Chadwick is a senior at Zionsville Community High School, where she has played varsity tennis for three years on a top-10 state team. Her final year on the varsity tennis team will include stepping into the role of senior varsity captain. Throughout her tennis journey, she works hard, aims to be a supportive teammate and continues learning and growing. She is also grateful for the people who support her.

Chadwick’s additional accomplishments include being a highly-ranked USTA 18U player in Central Indiana and the Midwest, Pearson Automotive Tennis Club Student of the Month, Pearson Automotive Tennis Club Most Improved Player and an All-State Honorable Mention singles player.

A quote from the nominator:

“Olivia has a quiet, calm demeanor, which allows her to be a leader and mentor to others through her actions and words. You would never be able to tell if she is winning or losing a match by looking at her on the court. She goes about her business on the court with class and composure. I have been working with Olivia for more than six years, and she has never once complained or shown negative emotion on the court. She shows only positive emotion and a willingness to learn and grow! Olivia is a student who always does the right thing and truly embodies Barbara Wynne’s vision for the ideal tennis player. She is quiet but confident and lets her actions speak for her words. She is always willing to do whatever is best for the team she is on and will go the extra mile to improve individually as well. This shows in her improvement over the past six years. It has been a pleasure working with her, and I cannot wait to see what the rest of her senior year brings and beyond, as she is interested in potentially continuing her tennis at the college level.”

Willbur Schumacher Junior Sportsmanship Memorial Award

For a high degree of sportsmanship, playing ability and mental attitude

Abhinav Manikandan

A quote from the nominator:

“Abhinav encourages and helps even his opponents grow. He often hits with kids who have lower Universal Tennis Ratings (UTR) and helps them learn the sport. He is a mentor and role model for all of his friends and children of the community. He has defeated higher UTR players with a calm mind and fair play. Abhinav has won many sportsmanship pins.

He never underestimates any player, even if they are a lower UTR player. He always says everyone has special skills and goes on the court prepared. He respects everyone. His coach and teachers love him. He wants to become a

pro like Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic in the future and is working hard towards that goal. He is ambitious, passionate, hard-working and a smart kid who spreads positivity and a special aura in whatever he does. He has a YouTube channel where he teaches kids tennis skills and provides videos of his tennis journey: @Abhisportskid.

Everyone in our community knows him as a tennis kid who eats, breathes and does math homework on the court.”

Joe Graham Memorial Award

For the USTA League Captain of the Year

Keith Chop

A quote from the nominator:

“Two years ago, Keith had the idea that we could create a team made up only of members at [The Hawthorns Golf and Country Club]. From a very small pool of players, he recruited virtually every person in our club that could play on a 40 and Over 3.5 team. In 2024, his team of 14 players, some with no prior USTA experience, went undefeated and won the district and state titles. He worked around schedules, injuries and weather delays to ensure that everyone who was able to play qualified for the postseason. He showed up to every match with refreshments, made sure everyone had plenty of notice they would be playing, and even worked with the club professional, Dan Donovan, to ensure the team had some 'home' matches and warm-up time. The team was also able to convince club management to host a party for our state champions. This success led to a 2025 team that brought a few players out of retirement and repeated their undefeated season and another district and state championship title. Certainly not the highest-rated players in the division, Keith was again able to pair different people together, encourage team camaraderie and create something that created newfound interest in what is largely a golf-focused club.

If you are looking for someone who exemplifies the role of captain—communicative, supportive, and flexible—Keith Chop has done more to promote USTA participation in two years as a captain than could ever be expected. Not only did he foster new relationships and bring people back to the game, but he never stopped recruiting and promoting the sport as a whole.”

Brad Holmes Award
For volunteer service that promotes youth tennis at the local level

Tim Bush

Tim Bush might best be known for his work as a news reporter and television personality for WTHR/NBC-13, where he received multiple Emmy nominations and the Edward R. Murrow Award for Feature Reporting.

Yet many in Central Indiana know him simply as “Coach Tim.” Bush teaches all levels of tennis and devotes endless hours as a volunteer and junior advocate.

He is a Racquet Sports Professionals Association-certified instructor, Board member of the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) Indianapolis chapter, assistant coach for Fishers High School girls and boys tennis and instructor for the Hamilton County Community Tennis Association. 

A quote from the nominator:

“Tim helps kids without any expectation of thanks or praise. He loves tennis and loves working with kids of all ages. He has a gift for making each person feel special.

Tim is contagiously positive. He knows how to encourage each junior player with affirmation and high expectations of effort and growth. He is generous with his time and is always early to prep the courts. He is committed to learning about each student and what motivates them. He always has a smile for the juniors, especially when they are frustrated. His patience knows no bounds. Tim also knows how to support the staff so the kids get a positive experience from everyone around them. Tim has a special concern for kids who cannot afford tennis and is always finding equipment and shoes for them. He comes early and stays late. I wish every junior could experience being on the court with Tim. They would laugh and put forth great effort. Tim loves tennis and just wants to be a part of it and contribute however he can.”

Stan Malless Distinctive Service Award
For great contributions through volunteering for five years or more

Dallas Kelsey

Dallas Kelsey graduated from Alexandria Monroe High School in 1985 and then played tennis at Indiana State University. As a senior, he played both the No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles positions. During his career at Indiana State, he was recognized six times as the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Player of the Week and received the MVC medallion for outstanding academic and athletic achievement, which is the highest award given by the MVC. He also received recognition as an athletic and academic All-American. During his summers at Indiana State, he worked at the Washington Township Tennis Camp at North Central High School and Woodstock Country Club alongside Ed Brune.

His plan after graduation was to coach and teach tennis. He was hired by the Vigo County School Corporation in 1990, where he spent 34 years as a teacher, curriculum coordinator, athletic director and elementary school principal. He was also teaching tennis at the Wabash Valley Tennis Club in Terre Haute and coaching the boys and girls tennis teams at Terre Haute South High School. During the summers, he worked with the Terre Haute Junior Tennis Association.

He has continued his involvement in tennis by remaining a certified tennis professional, coaching at the high school and collegiate levels (retired), teaching at the local tennis facility, working with Terre Haute Junior Tennis and acting as a liaison for all aspects of tennis. He is still the president of the local Community Tennis Association, where they provide tennis lessons and clinics for children and adults. He serves as a tennis advocate with USTA National and works closely with the USTA Central Indiana District and USTA Midwest Section to enhance tennis in Terre Haute.

This past year, he helped coordinate staff development training for physical education teachers in the district, as well as continued working with the USTA, the Terre Haute Parks and Recreational Department and the mayor’s office on building projects and programming. Additionally, he helped add tennis and pickleball offerings at city parks.

Kelsey feels very fortunate in his tennis career. Tennis has exposed him to so many great friends, colleagues and associations. Tennis also provided the opportunity to meet his future wife, Joani, who played volleyball at Indiana State. Kelsey has three sons: Jordan, Connor and Braden, a daughter-in-law, Ciara, and two grandchildren, Addison and Parker.

A quote from the nominator:

“Dallas is our primary resource for all things tennis in Vigo County. He is a class act and very deserving of this award.”