Fred Johnson ALL Stars Event Returned in Style in 2022
The Fred Johnson ALL Stars event was held July 23-24 at the Koch Tennis Center in Omaha. Close to 50 athletes and a number of volunteers turned out for the event on a hot summer weekend.
“The event was amazing, so well run and very organized,” said Lisa Thomas, USTA Nebraska executive director and event volunteer. “The participants had an amazing time and played some great tennis. I don’t know who had a bigger smile on their face during the event, the participants or the volunteers.”
The Fred Johson ALL Stars is a fun tennis competition for all levels of athletes, aged 16 and over, with intellectual/cognitive disabilities. It included three hours of tennis in the morning, followed by Kona Ice afterwards and capped off with a barn dance on Saturday night. The event concluded on Sunday with more tennis and then closing ceremonies.
“We had a number of games, a DJ, photo booth and food,” said Kara Heim, USTA Nebraska Tennis Service Representative. “The athletes, volunteers and their families were all invited to participate!”
USTA Missouri Valley has hosted this event for more than ten years. Adaptive athletes from all around the region take part in it, including participants from Omaha, Lincoln and Fremont from the local Tennis Buddies programs, which is a partnership of athletes with disabilities and tennis enthusiasts within the community. A few participants in the ALL Stars event have even had the opportunity to play in the Special Olympics World Games.
The All Stars Event was launched in 2011 by Fred Johnson. He was the USTA Missouri Valley Diversity Manager who formed a steering committee of staff and volunteers to create an annual event that would bring together the USTA Missouri Valley’s top adaptive tennis athletes for a friendly round-robin competition.
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