Kathy Loepp Awarded Gold Star

In honor of its 100th anniversary in 2020, the USTA Missouri Valley will be recognizing 100 deserving tennis providers, players, partners and more across our section throughout the year.

Selected nominees will be given a Gold Star award, recognizing them for the contributions they are making to support and grow the game in the USTA Missouri Valley based on specific program areas and attributes. 

One of the award winners from within the USTA Heart of America this October is Kathy Loepp, who has worked within the USTA Heart of America since 2003.

“I was really surprised by it, it’s quite an honor,” Loepp said. “I’ve volunteered with the USTA since I retired, and I do it because I love tennis, not for awards.”

When Loepp retired in 2003, she began volunteering at tennis tournaments around the area. In 2006, she joined the USTA Heart of America Board of Directors, acting as the Chair of Awards.

She currently sits on the Awards Committee at the USTA Missouri Valley level. Additionally, she is on the Adult Committee and is a co-coordinator of the USTA Heart of America Tri-Level League.

“If I’m going to do something, I want to be proud of the result when it’s all over,” she said. “I work because I want something to be accomplished.”

Loepp has been involved in the tennis world for a while. She was one of the first tennis coaches of the Park Hill girls’ tennis team, without having really been a tennis player. To improve her knowledge of the sport, she began playing more often and fell in love with the game. Since her retirement she has played more and more, playing on as many as 11 USTA teams at a time. 

“I get a lot from tennis,” she said. “I’ve made incredible friendships from it.”

One of Loepp’s favorite memories from her time volunteering with the USTA Heart of America came when she and Marianne McGrath co-directed a section-level tournament.

“We had all of these plans in place. Of course, then it rained and we completely had to regroup,” Loepp said. “The players rolled with it but it was a real learning experience to work on something that big.”