Iowa hosts Adaptive Tennis National Qualifier, Fred Johnson ALL Stars

A pair of fun-filled USTA Missouri Valley tennis events took place within USTA Iowa during the weekend of June 28-30. First, eight doubles teams competed in an Adaptive Tennis National Qualifier on June 28 at Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex in Iowa City. Then, the Fred Johnson ALL Stars event was held June 29-30 at Veterans Memorial Tennis Center in Cedar Rapids.

Doubles teams from across the section featuring one high-performance athlete with intellectual/cognitive disabilities plus their unified partner competed, and the two top tandems advanced to Nationals. Nathan Williams and Brady Anderson from Cedar Rapids finished in first to punch their ticket to Nationals at the USTA National Campus in Orlando this October.

“It’s really fun to meet other people, get to know some new friends and just play tennis with some other people,” Williams said. “I’m looking forward to going back and playing in Orlando, Fla. again. I’ve been there before. It’s a lot of fun.”

“It’s cool to see everyone have a good time meeting new people and just enjoying tennis,” Anderson said. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s cool to see that pure joy of the game. … Everyone here was a very, very good sport—applauded shots, was very friendly and complimentary. That makes it much more enjoyable for everyone to play in as well as for the fans. It’s a good thing to make sure you’re being a good sport because it grows the game and makes people want to keep playing.”

The Fred Johnson ALL Stars event featured ample tennis competition, a tennis serving contest, a painting wall designed by a local teacher, a stress ball scavenger hunt and food truck for athletes of all skill levels with intellectual/cognitive differences.

Participants attended a Cedar Rapids Kernels Minor League Baseball game—complete with postgame fireworks—at the Kernels’ ballpark that was a short walk from the tennis facility. Medals were awarded to all participants for their efforts.

“Sixty athletes from seven organizations took part (in the Fred Johnson ALL Stars): Lincoln Tennis Buddies, Team Oklahoma, Scott County Masters, West Enders, Team Kansas, Team One and Cedar Rapids Park & Rec Team,” said John Terpkosh, USTA Iowa Tennis Service Representative and parks & rec manager for the USTA Missouri Valley.

The Fred Johnson ALL Stars Event included collaboration with USTA Iowa, the USTA Missouri Valley, Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation as well as River Cities Tennis & Pickleball. Volunteers from Rockwell Collins, Wells Fargo and Cedar Rapids Prairie Schools helped throughout the weekend.