Justin Bigsby Earns Gold Star Award

To honor their 100th anniversary in 2020, the USTA Missouri Valley is recognizing 100 deserving recipients with the Gold Star Award. This award recognizes contributions that recipients have made in growing the game of tennis in their community.

Fremont is fortunate to not only have a vibrant tennis scene, but also Justin Bigsby, a big proponent of the sport. Bigsby is the latest USTA Gold Star Award recipient for his tireless work in community tennis.

“It’s obviously a very nice honor to receive,” Bigsby said. “Becoming a coach has just provided me the opportunity to pay it forward to the next generation of the tennis community.”

Bigsby is the head coach for both the girls and boys tennis teams at Fremont High School. He was previously the head coach at Midland University as well. He started playing in middle school and clearly remembers his first coaches, and hopes to emulate them.

“For me, I've always looked at coaching as the ultimate opportunity for me to pass on what others did for me,” he said. “I was fortunate to learn from some very good coaches and role models growing up. So often I find myself thinking back to many of those lessons I learned early in my career.”

In addition to coaching, Bigsby is active in lining up junior and adult tournaments in Fremont as well.

Because of the tennis facilities in the community, they are able to have numerous events during the summer months.

“We're fortunate to have 12 public outdoor courts and then five indoor courts at our YMCA,” Bigsby said. “Our public having such relatively inexpensive courts so readily available has definitely helped keep our tennis community active and playing.”