Happy Holidays from USTA Missouri President Mallory Weber

As we gear up for the holiday season, there is so much to be proud of in 2024. USTA Missouri had a fantastic year on the courts, and I’d like to take this time to reflect.

Adult leagues had a strong year. District championships were very competitive with strong showings from teams that included players from across the state. Columbia leagues continued to grow and are becoming a force within the district.

We had three Springfield teams win Section Championships and advance to nationals. A special congratulations to Carol Rollins’s 55+ Mixed 7.0 team, Kortney Wassam’s 18+ Mixed 7.0 team and R.B. Jones’s 18+ 3.5 Men’s team who all represented our district at nationals this year.

Junior tennis also saw growth and success. In 2024, there were 23 district-level (Junior Circuit, Level 6, Level 7, WTN) junior tournaments that took place across USTA Missouri in Branson, Columbia, Jefferson City and Springfield. Springfield was awarded six USTA Missouri Valley section-level tournaments (Level 4 and Level 5).

We had many players from the district qualify for USTA Missouri Valley section-level 3, 4 and 5 tournaments. Victoria Chernova from Jefferson City and Sara Nenkov from Columbia qualified and competed at USTA national-level tournaments. Junior tennis was thriving overall, and we are looking forward to expanding our offerings in 2025.

Community tennis also excelled in 2024. Throughout the year, grassroots events were held throughout the district. Rolla and Springfield hosted National Tennis Month events throughout the month of May. In Springfield, the mayor presented Cooper Tennis Complex with a mayoral proclamation for National Tennis Month.

Ashland, Branson, Columbia, Fulton, Marshall and Sedalia had organizations that were awarded grants to grow the game or improve facilities. Community programs in Marshall had high levels of participation including a parent-child tournament.

Jefferson City Parks and Rec ran a Kidsfest learn-to-play event. Springfield offered a Heritage Month Series at Cooper Tennis Complex along with multiple adaptive events as well as an adult Red Ball Tennis pilot. All in all, community tennis shined throughout USTA Missouri in 2024.

As 2024 comes to a close, I’d like to thank our USTA Missouri Board for their time volunteering to promote and grow the game of tennis. Additionally, a special thanks to Steve Webb, our officials chair, and Lori Hunt, our financial director, for their countless number of hours serving the district. Our executive director, Leslie Echols, keeps our district moving forward, and I am appreciative of her dedication and love of providing opportunities to play.

Lastly, thank you to all of you. Your love of the game is what motivates us to keep working to provide more opportunities to play this great sport. I hope you all have a relaxing holiday season and come back ready to hit the courts in 2025.

Happy Holidays,

Mallory Weber

USTA Missouri President