Youth tennis booms with addition of new Junior Team Tennis squads and leagues

For several years, USTA Kansas has held steady with 16 teams participating in its Junior Team Tennis program. This year, however, nine new teams and two new sessions have been formed within USTA Kansas, namely Wichita. And there’s a good chance JTT will grow in other cities throughout the district, including Manhattan, Salina and Topeka.

Zach Loomis, USTA youth pathway coordinator and tennis professional at Genesis Rock Road in Wichita, only recently started working with USTA Kansas JTT. But he’s no stranger to the program. He played JTT for his hometown of Winfield, Kan., in 2003 and 2004. And for him, it’s been a blast to be on the other side as an adult this time around.

“This is a fun thing for me not just professionally but also personally,” he said.

Loomis understands how beneficial youth tennis programming such as JTT can be. He hopes to bring the positive vibes and friendly coed team competition to as many clubs as possible across the Sunflower State.

“I find that many kids thrive in a team environment,” Loomis said. “JTT allows for this, and I am hopeful that all the clubs that are participating have a positive experience and are interested in continuing in the future. It’s a great opportunity for our kids and to have more play in the area.”

As a professional at Genesis Rock Road, Loomis has built many strong connections with tennis professionals at other clubs.

He hopes his cohorts see the value in hosting JTT programming, as it brings more young people to the sport and their facilities. In turn, that opens even more opportunities for JTT to expand to new areas.

“I want them to feel that this is worth their time and effort, which is why I want to make sure they host plenty of matches,” Loomis said. “The goal is that every club feels they could generate revenue (while) also galvanizing their players with team spirit.”

Growth of this magnitude doesn’t happen by chance; it happens through lots of hard work and collaboration. Loomis shared how grateful he is to the several Wichita-area tennis pros who have added JTT squads and/or hosted matches at their facilities.

“This would not have been possible without the help of Eva Castiglioni, Frank Reyes, Brittany Steven, Colin Foster and Regis Fox,” Loomis said. “These are the leaders of all the clubs in Wichita. Their effort to build teams and communicate to schedule our matches has been amazing. With their help, we will have three leagues consisting of 12 teams and 28 duals, which are soon to be played.”