Wheelchair tennis player Jarvis Stirn crafts 3D-printed trophies for tennis tourneys

Earlier this year, wheelchair tennis player Jarvis Stirn, who owns a 3D printing studio, JARVI 3D, was tapped to create the trophies for local USTA junior tennis tournaments.

His work caught the eyes of Rebecca Falkner Axelrod, USTA Heart of America executive director, and the USTA Missouri Valley’s Mary Buschmann and Jaren Glaser. A partnership has been going strong ever since.

“I appreciate the USTA working with JARVI 3D prints for their youth trophies,” Stirn said. “I hope to expand the trophies I print and the geographic areas I can serve. I am working on a website to order from. The goal is to have it available also in 2026.”

Stirn has played wheelchair tennis since 2016. He started in the C division and worked up to the A division shortly before the COVID pandemic hit.

After taking some time off, he dropped back to the B division; however, he’s actively working to regain his spot in the A division.

“I am on the rise again and am currently ranked third in the B division,” he said. “I’ve won three of four tournaments I played in this year, and I will finish out the season at the USTA Wheelchair Championship in Georgia during the middle of November. I hope to be ranked first in B. From there, back to the A division for 2026.”

The wheelchair tennis team of which Stirn is part of joined Kansas City’s Midwest Adaptive Sports in December 2024. Stirn has long been aware of the work Midwest Adaptive Sports does for athletes, and MAS is a frequent recipient of USTA grants.

“I’ve really enjoyed the connections they have with the adaptive sports community,” he said. “I’ve known about MAS all the way back to the ‘90s when they just focused on adaptive snow skiing and water skiing. Since then, they’ve grown to support wheelchair basketball, softball, rugby, football and tennis.”

Stirn appreciates the opportunity to work with MAS and USTA Heart of America through his trophy designs, and he enjoys giving back to the community.

“I think it’s always important to give back,” Stirn said. “Sometimes it’s just the small things to give back. If everyone gives back the small things, an organization can become a big thing.”

Learn more about wheelchair tennis within the USTA Missouri Valley by clicking here.