Missouri Valley / Heart Of America

Katie Green's tenacity helps revive Raytown High School boys' and girls' tennis teams

Sydney Hamilton | November 11, 2026

When you dream big, amazing things can happen. While interviewing for a position teaching ceramics at Raytown High School, Katie Green asked if she could also be the school’s tennis coach. A longtime player herself, Green looked forward to potentially taking on that responsibility.

However, she was informed the school didn’t have a tennis team and hadn’t in decades.

Shocked, Green leapt into action. After accepting the teaching position, she created a tennis club to find out if there was any interest from students in learning and playing tennis. Her friends donated racquets and supplies. And Green collected tennis balls to use after her USTA League practices and matches at Plaza Tennis Center.

More than 70 students participated in the Raytown High School Tennis Club over the course of four years. Per Green, they walked a mile to nearby Sarah Colman-Livengood Park after school twice a week to play on the courts there.

Seeing the popularity of the club, Green said Raytown’s athletic director tried a few times to establish a team. The request was repeatedly denied. Not one to give up on her student-athletes, Green once again took matters into her own hands to get tennis established at the high school.

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“I ended up getting a school administrator degree and decided I was going to give it one more go on my own before I moved on,” she said. “I wrote a comprehensive proposal where I researched all the school districts in Missouri and found that we were only one of two districts our size in the state that didn’t have tennis.”

In the proposal, she shared the costs, data of sustained student interest in the tennis club and information about how beneficial tennis is for students.

“I presented it to the folks in the central office, and they said yes,” Green said. “It still is one of the best moments of my career. I was so relieved. I really had begun to think it wouldn’t ever happen.”

A Dream Realized

After four years of persistence — some of it delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic — Raytown High School established a girls’ tennis team in 2021.

The boys’ tennis team followed the next spring. Green credited the tenacity of students in the tennis club for making the dream a reality.

“I often think of those kids in the club and how their legwork and dedication are what really helped convince the district that this was a need,” Green said.

She shared that most of the members on the girls’ and boys’ teams hadn’t played organized sports before. She said she is always “scouting” students to try to get them involved.

Raytown High School didn't have tennis teams for decades until Katie Green stepped up to make it happen.

Katie Green (right) and her mother attended the 2026 US Open, as Green was recognized with a national award.

Raytown High School didn't have tennis teams for decades until Katie Green stepped up to make it happen.
Katie Green (right) and her mother attended the 2026 US Open, as Green was recognized with a national award.

“Sometimes it takes years of me asking, but eventually the kids will come out and say, ‘Why didn’t I listen to you sooner?’” Green said. “The tennis team has room for everyone. You can play socially or really dedicate your time to it. Whatever your level, I will support you and provide opportunities for growth.”

Green has also helped establish free summer tennis camps for high school players to keep growing their skills in the offseason. Due to state rules, coaches are limited in the number of days they can be in contact with players. So, Green couldn’t coach them herself or afford to pay for them to have lessons with pros. She joined forces with a familiar face to bridge the gap.

“With the help of my friend Scott Hanover and the Stephanie Waterman Foundation, I created the KC Metro High School Ladder, in which any kid in the area can participate,” Green said. “(It’s) $25 for the whole summer, although we offer scholarships as well. It started with just one location in Independence. Now we have three locations.”

Throughout this experience, Green has realized the intricacies of coaching high school tennis, and she has worked to anticipate the needs of her players.

“Tennis needs to be accessible for all kids to grow,” she said. “They just need opportunities to play and find affordable instruction. A tennis club or academy just isn’t reasonable for a kid who just started or doesn’t have transportation or the time to dedicate to a program like that.”

National Recognition

This school year marks the sixth season of tennis at Raytown High School.

In that time, Green has experienced the impact the program has made on students and their families, some of which are full-circle moments.

“This past year, I got to coach against one of my former players; I got to see another one who works at the Plaza Tennis Center,” Green said. “I get to see siblings follow in the path of their older siblings who have graduated.

“To drive by the courts after school in the offseason and see my kids playing and introducing the game to their friends and family brings so much joy to my life.”

Raytown High School and Raytown South High School practice together, and Katie Green helped establish both teams.

The Raytown High School boys' tennis program was started shortly after the girls' tennis team was established in 2021.

For her efforts, Katie Green was recognized with the 35 x 35 President's Impact Award during the 2026 US Open.

Green’s dedication caught the attention of the USTA, and she was recognized with the 35 x 35 President’s Impact Award during the US Open. She recalled how fun the whole experience was and how special it was to share the moment with her mom, though Green almost missed the notification.

“I really thought it was a spam email at first,” she said.

Green said the award was “a great bookend” to her endeavor. She transitioned into a new role as assistant principal and activities director at Raytown Middle School. As a result, she took a step back from her tennis duties due to a shift in her schedule. She remains a volunteer coach.

As for the future, Green sees nothing but positive growth for the tennis program. This school year, she helped establish tennis at Raytown South High School, a neighboring school in the same district. The teams practice together but compete separately.

“It has been a very special season,” Green said. “The goal is to keep the program growing. To get some outreach programs for middle school students so they are playing more throughout the year instead of just our summer camp. I don’t ever want Raytown to not have tennis again, that in 20 years it gets cut.”

As for Green’s next dream?

“The largest goal we have left to do is to get courts built,” she said. “I dream of a district complex near our Raytown Wellness Center.”

View additional USTA Missouri Valley connections to the US Open, including the full list of 35 x 35 President’s Impact Award recipients, by clicking here.

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