Kevin Heim Earns Gold Star

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.

When Kevin Heim first started working with wheelchair tennis athletes at Woods Tennis Center in 2009, he felt he needed to fully understand the challenges they were dealing with. So, he put himself in a wheelchair and played. Every week he played a match against one of the athletes. As a result, both of them improved and grew.

“His game took off and my instruction and understanding grew exponentially, I was hooked,” Heim remembered.

Since then, Heim has made a name for wheelchair tennis in Lincoln. 

He is one of ten USTA Wheelchair Net Generation Regional Providers in the country. He’s also made a name for Lincoln’s Woods Tennis Center since taking over as Executive Director in 2010. For those and many more reasons, he received the USTA Missouri Valley Gold Star Award.

“I love the sport of tennis,” he said. “Someone once told me that tennis is like education; it can provide such quality opportunities, experiences and relationships. I never thought I’d be doing what I am but I wouldn’t change it. Tennis has opened so many doors and introduced me to so many incredible people.”

Originally from Omaha, Heim played college tennis at Midland University in Fremont. He then coached tennis in Wisconsin prior to moving back to Nebraska where he landed at Woods Tennis Center in 2008.

He recently spearheaded a large fundraising campaign attributing to the completion of the new indoor facility, as well as the upgrade of the outdoor courts and lights. However, he’s most proud of his staff at the Woods Tennis Center.

“I would say it’s what our team does on a daily basis in providing consistent, quality programming and recreational opportunities for everyone,” he said. “We are really fortunate to have such a great staff, volunteer board and supportive community.”

As far as the future in the short term, Heim would like to add additional indoor courts so they can trim down the waiting lists for junior and adult lessons at Woods. As far as the long term, he would like to work with the city’s parks and rec department to add more courts in the community.