Gold Star Winner Wartick Builds Lifetime Relationships Through Tennis

Tennis is well known as a lifetime sport. Kyle Wartick wants to make sure that lifetime starts young. That commitment to growing and teaching the game has earned Wartick a USTA Missouri Valley Gold Star award. 

In honor of its 100th anniversary this year, USTA Missouri Valley is recognizing 100 deserving tennis providers, players, partners and more throughout the section. These Gold Star awards recognize contributions to support and grow the game in USTA Missouri Valley.

Wartick has worked with the Springfield-Greene County Park Board for 13 years, serving as Head Tennis Professional at Cooper Tennis Complex. Wartick and the team at Cooper have developed strong youth programs that continue to be a model for other communities. He said their programs are part of a cohesive developmental pathway.

“Our players begin their developmental journey on age and skill-appropriate equipment, competing in skill and age-appropriate USTA events,” Wartick said. “Athletes progress through the pathway based on their competencies within the USTA Player Development parameters. We average around 180 kids per month who train in our programs.”

Those kids get some great training from the Cooper staff, which recently earned the USTA Missouri Valley Tennis Provider of the Month Award for June 2020.

“The tennis background of our teaching staff ranges from recreational league players up through Division 1 players and Pro Circuit experience, as both player and coach,” Wartick said. “This wide range of experience is what makes our programs successful. Each member of the teaching staff brings a passion for developing players with varying goals to the table.”

Wartick’s commitment to growing the sport of tennis extends far beyond the fences of Cooper Tennis Complex. It includes USTA outreach programs and partnerships with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield, public schools, neighborhood associations and the Springfield Lasers.

“We see over 1,000 kids annually in free programs alone,” Wartick said. “Many of these kids are picking up a racquet for the first time. We place as much emphasis on our outreach programs being successful as we do our High-Performance athletes obtaining college scholarships.”

Those programs have allowed Wartick and crew to develop strong relationships with their athletes and build a culture at Cooper. Those relationships extend past the youth years.

“Kids who grow up and graduate out of our programs often come back and work or volunteer at some level,” he said. “Whether it be as an instructor, a member of the front desk Welcome Team, maintenance, or working as part of the Springfield Lasers operational staff. I am proud that we send young men and women out into the world confident that they are part of something bigger than themselves, with an understanding that no matter how crazy things get, someone from Cooper cares and is only a call or text away.”

Those connections are even more important now with so many things in the world changing very suddenly.

“You never know the battles others are fighting when they walk onto our courts or inside our facilities,” Wartick said. “We challenge ourselves as providers to make personal connections with our athletes and parents each day. This simple challenge has never been more important. As tennis providers, it is our job to create and maintain positive environments for our athletes and families. At the moment, the physical and mental well-being of folks takes precedence over tennis specific skills. I think it is important that we don't lose sight of this fact anytime in the foreseeable future.”