Top USTA Missouri Stories from 2023

March

USTA Missouri highlighted Donna Hoffmann as part of Women’s History Month. Hoffmann, a league competitor, broke gender stereotypes by playing sports and teaching them prior to Title IX’s passage.

High school sweethearts Nick Mathis and Madi Smith detail how tennis brought them together and why they decided to participate in the district’s all-new “Date Night” series.

April

The Carl Alcancia Memorial Tournament took place this month with 55-plus players participating in a variety of family-themed tennis brackets. The event raised more than $3,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters and brought awareness to the life of Alcancia, a loving husband and father of three young children.

USTA Missouri hosted an inaugural “racquet triathlon” fundraiser in April at Cooper Complex. The fun-filled, all-day event featured tennis, pickleball and badminton. A brand-new 40 & Over 3.5 men’s league got underway this month in Columbia with about 25 men joining.

May

The City of Rolla was on a roll in 2023, hosting a significant stretch of tennis festivities in May tied to National Tennis Month. Springfield’s Phelps Grove Park held a free family night in conjunction with National Tennis Month as well.

In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, USTA Missouri featured Xiuye “Mia” Xie, a fast-rising league player from northeast China.

June

Cooper Complex staff members taught tennis throughout the month at the historic Silver Springs Park as part of the “Timmons Hall Juneteenth Experience.” Different groups of students spent 30 minutes learning the backstory of Juneteenth and Timmons Hall and an additional 30 minutes learning how to play tennis at the park’s courts.

USTA Missouri’s always popular mixed leagues got rolling this month. For the second year in a row, Springfield fielded 55+ mixed leagues in addition to the usual 18+ and 40+ offerings. About 4,000 people attended KidsFest in Jefferson City, with 60 kids trying their hand at tennis for the first time on a portable net set up by USTA.

July

William Woods University — an NAIA institution located in Fulton — was awarded a $13,000 USTA grant to help resurface the school’s four-court tennis facility.

“We’re extremely grateful for the grant from USTA,” said Chance Joost, WWU men’s and women’s tennis head coach. “It’s really important they do support college campuses and trying to improve tennis courts. Making sure our facilities are up to date and providing a good experience for people who want to play tennis — that’s really important.”

Springfield again played host to the fun and competitive Junior Team Tennis summer league in July, while the 39th rendition of the Show-Me State Games took place in Columbia.

August

Courtesy of a grant and USTA Missouri’s Alywn Mushonga providing guidance, the Southern Boone Area YMCA in Ashland offered a six-week junior tennis program this summer for the first time. USTA Missouri player Shelly Jones earned a League Sportsmanship Award due to her standout positive attitude.

With first-year PE teacher Tara Watkins leading the charge, Horace Mann Elementary School in Springfield added tennis to its curriculum for 2023-24. That resulted in K-5 students having the opportunity to learn the sport for the first time in the public school’s history.

September

League competitor Ema Amador woke up a day in 2021 with double vision and later learned through an MRI she had a benign brain tumor. Amador detailed her road to recovery and the significance of her children and tennis friends in that process in this article.

The USTA Missouri Awards list was unveiled this month, and a ceremony honoring the recipients was held in November. Check out the list of 2023 award winners here.

October

A 40+ 3.5 women’s team captained by Debbie Pell competed at USTA League Nationals this month. The squad went undefeated in USTA Missouri Valley Section Championship action to punch its Nationals ticket to Tucson, Arizona. Team member Marsha Marsh discussed her wonderful experience in Arizona here.

Former NCAA Division-I Head Coach Larry Holmes became Cooper Complex’s head tennis pro this year. Holmes detailed an incredible story featuring Arthur Ashe and his own remarkable rise in the tennis college coaching ranks.

November

Ann Vogel described the journey her 7.0 women’s team went on to capture the USTA Missouri Valley 65+ Invitational in undefeated fashion. Vogel’s squad will compete at USTA Nationals in Surprise, Arizona on January 26-28.

Vogel on her team’s nationals-clinching moment: “How would you be if you won the lottery? It was just total joy.”

USTA Missouri President Mallory Weber had the unique experience of playing a tournament while her dad, USTA Official Tom Weber, worked the event. The father-daughter combo describes their bond in this story.

December

USTA Missouri Executive Director Leslie Echols put a bow on the 2023 campaign with a letter recapping the year. Echols noted there was a 368 percent increase in adult league participation in Columbia in 2023.

Echols and the district also looked ahead to the formation of an all-new indoor combo flex league. The Springfield-based winter league provided adult competitors the opportunity to play alongside higher-rated players as a way to prep for the 2024 outdoor tennis season.