Missouri Valley / Missouri

MOSHAPE convention showcases USTA's mission to grow tennis in Missouri schools

David Smale | December 02, 2025

Tennis is not only the World’s Healthiest Sport, it is also one of the most accessible sports. You only need one racquet per person—or even just one racquet, period, if you want to hit the ball against a wall—and a can of tennis balls.

But one roadblock is the lack of courts in the more rural areas of Missouri. The USTA Missouri Valley is trying to change that by investing in schools to provide play opportunities for rural kids.

“We are separated from big cities throughout Missouri,” said Alywn Mushonga, USTA Missouri Valley regional community play manager, about the USTA Missouri district. “We want to make sure that teachers know that tennis is an option for a lot of kids.”

With that in mind, Mushonga and the USTA played an active role at the recent MOSHAPE (Missouri Society of Health & Physical Educators) state convention on Nov. 14-16 in Lake Ozark, Missouri.

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Mushonga represented the USTA with a booth, letting attendees know of all the resources available to educators. The USTA can not only provide curriculum for educators, the organization even can provide equipment when necessary. Check out this page to learn more.

“All those physical educators are there for the students,” Mushonga said. “USTA Missouri Valley is there to make sure that teachers know what we offer. We just want to make sure that kids stay healthy in schools.”

Bringing Tennis to Schools

One of the people championing that mission at the MOSHAPE convention this year was Brandy Lynch, the organization’s president. Lynch actively encouraged the USTA to exhibit at the conference, knowing the transformative resources, equipment access and standards-based curriculum the organization provides to educators.

University of Central Missouri students learned more about teaching tennis from Lindsay Hall (center), USTA Missouri Valley senior manager of community play, at a school training at UCM.

As an associate professor and the physical education teacher education program coordinator at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Lynch sees firsthand how partnerships like this can reshape what’s possible for future teachers. Her goal is to ensure UCM students enter schools ready to teach rich and diverse activity units, including tennis, regardless of wherever they land in Missouri.

“My affiliation with tennis is wanting to bring in the best and most diverse content for my students to be the most prepared once they get out and take K-12 teaching jobs in schools,” Lynch said. “I’m a teacher educator trying to create quality physical educators. Our end game is to cultivate people who find joy in movement for a lifetime.”

Hands-On Learning

The USTA and UCM partnership brings this idea to life, with USTA school trainers visiting campus every two years to lead a school tennis workshop for UCM teacher candidates. Students learn how to use modified equipment, progress skills through developmentally appropriate activities and deliver tennis units with confidence.

After training, those same students enter their practicum schools ready to model lessons and introduce the curriculum to their cooperating teachers. As part of the partnership, the USTA provides equipment packs directly to cooperating teachers and their schools, offering a ready-made pathway for them to continue teaching tennis long after the placement ends.

It’s a simple system with a big ripple effect: the USTA provides the tools, while the University of Central Missouri prepares future teachers. School districts gain new programming they might never have accessed on their own.

“Some kids may go on to play competitively,” Lynch said. “But the real aim is to give K-12 students positive experiences, build confidence in their tennis skills and help them grow into lifelong movers.”

Mushonga said people like Lynch are the reason the USTA exists.

“MOSHAPE is not just teachers; it’s future educators,” he said. “We offer these opportunities to students that are still in college. We still offer those opportunities, and we also offer free training for all these PE teachers and future educators. We offer these trainings to set them up for future success.”

Check out a previous article on Lynch and her UCM students expanding tennis to school districts throughout USTA Missouri by clicking here.

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