Youth Tennis Provider of the Month: Sara Rasmussen

This year, USTA Missouri Valley is shining a spotlight on impactful members of the tennis community as they recognize a Youth Tennis Provider of the Month. 

February’s winner is Sara Rasmussen, director of Riverside Tennis Center in Wichita, Kansas. Through this role, Rasmussen has been able to expand the center’s programs to encourage more junior players to find their passion for the game.

"Sara has gone out of her way to create a fun atmosphere for kids to compete in each Saturday,” said Jaren Glaser, Kansas Tennis Service Representative. “She's very accommodating and helps to find subs for teams who have a last-minute need."

To celebrate this recent accomplishment, we sat down with Rasmussen for a quick Q&A about the role tennis plays in her life. 

USTA: How did you get into tennis?

Rasmussen: I started playing in middle school. It was kind of an off-season thing from soccer. Throughout high school I had a really great experience with tennis. I played at Valley Center High School and I had an awesome coach, Dean Schulz. That allowed me to continue in college by playing at Friends University and I’ve continued playing in adult leagues through USTA.

USTA: What is the best thing about your current job?

Rasmussen: The thing that I like about my job most is the variety of what we get to do here. Being a public facility, we really get to focus on programing for all ages. We get to do community special events and go out and teach tennis.

USTA: How have you seen local youth tennis improve recently?

Rasmussen: A big part of youth programming that we’ve done lately has been Junior Team Tennis. I think that has really brought in a lot of kids that maybe weren’t playing at Riverside before. And they may still play at other places, but it’s given them another location to get match play in and I think that’s what kids don’t always get a lot of. The JTT program has been awesome to get those kids out each week as part of a team.

USTA: Do you have any advice that you would give to someone interested in trying tennis?

Rasmussen: The perception of tennis can sometimes be that it’s a hard sport to pick up because it’s very skilled. But there are so many things in place between programs, facilities and equipment, that make it very accessible. There are lots of opportunities to get involved.

USTA: Do you have anything on your tennis bucket list?

Rasmussen: Absolutely. I would love to go to the U.S. Open and I have yet to visit the USTA National Campus. I’d love to see the amount of courts there and just the awesome location and facility. 

If you know of an excellent youth tennis provider who deserves to be recognized, nominate them now!