USTA Missouri Valley celebrates Pride Month

Check out news and stories from across USTA Missouri Valley celebrating Pride Month, which takes place annually in June in the United States.

🎾 Jamie Hansen is a vital contributor in the USTA St. Louis tennis scene. She has competed in leagues for seven years and captains an 18 & Over mixed squad. Hansen also has upped her participation in tournament competition this year in pursuit of a golden ticket to nationals.

Hansen—who helps orchestrate the Love Wins tennis tournament—has additionally gotten involved with the East St. Louis Community Tennis Association as a tournament director. Learn more about Hansen by viewing this story.

🎾 Former Oral Roberts University tennis player Carlos Salazar has coached in Tulsa for the past 15 years, including more than a decade at Case Tennis Center at LaFortune Park. Salazar additionally continues competing in tournaments, such as ones offered by the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance (GLTA).

“Tennis offers a sense of belonging,” Salazar said. “It promotes health, competition and friendship. And it’s a sport that welcomes all levels, from recreational to elite.”

Learn more about Salazar’s tennis journey by clicking here.

Several play opportunities available to the Pride community and beyond have taken place and will continue to within USTA Missouri Valley as part of the section’s ongoing efforts to showcase tennis as a sport for everyone.

Plaza Tennis Center in USTA Heart of America—a nearly 100-year-old public facility managed by USTA Missouri Valley—hosts ongoing open play for the Kansas City LGBT Tennis Alliance throughout the year. All levels of play are welcome to jump in on the fun taking place Sunday evenings during the month of June.

Additionally, Plaza Tennis Center welcomes the tennis programming of Stonewall Sports Kansas City, an LGBTQIA+ organization that orchestrates a variety of recreational sports and activities for the KC community.

Plaza Tennis Center hosted a Pride Month tennis event on June 18. Right after that event concluded, Stonewall Sports Kansas City had its first night of a Plaza Tennis Center league for the Pride community. Registration for that league is available by clicking here.

Jayhawk Tennis Center, a USTA Premier Facility located in Lawrence, Kansas, has hosted Pride-related events in 2025 in conjunction with the Lawrence PRIDE organization. That includes a pair of queer tennis clinics for all skill levels that took place in January and April.

Read more about Pride Month tennis happenings within USTA Heart of America by clicking here.