Q & A USTA Oklahoma President Mary Jo Tasker

Check out this Q & A to get to know our new USTA Oklahoma President, Mary Jo Tasker.  

USTA.com: What is your mission as President? 

Tasker: My mission as President is to keep the fun in tennis while growing the game throughout the state. Whether it’s juniors, adults, Tennis on Campus, or seniors, we all get to play tennis! Oklahomans have so many opportunities to play; it is a wonderful thing! 

USTA.com: How many children do you have? 

Tasker: I have three amazing sons! Willie, JT, and Joseph. 

USTA.com: Who is your favorite tennis player? 

Tasker: My favorite female tennis player is Serena and my favorite male is a tie between Roddick and Aggasi. 

USTA.com: What USTA League teams do you play on and how many do you captain?

Tasker: I play on Adult Women 18's, 40's, 55’s and Tri-level, and I play two levels of mixed for a total of nine teams! I captain three of them. 

USTA.com: Best tennis memory? 

Tasker: My best tennis memory is a tough one. I’ve been lucky enough to go to Nationals at 9.0 mixed with my husband, Treak, and that was an amazing experience!

But my absolute best would be as a high school tennis coach. I was able to be the high school coach for my son’s team when they won state and when my son won an individual state title. In 2019, the Bishop Kelley High School (where I currently coach) girls won state! I was so happy and proud of both those situations. It’s so special to see young people’s hard work pay off! 

USTA.com: What racket do you play with? 

Tasker: I play with a Head Extreme MP.

USTA.com: What is your favorite thing about the sport? 

Tasker: My favorite thing about tennis is the people. I started to play to be able to hit with my children and husband and found lifelong, tried and true friends. 


USTA.com: Tell us a little about where you are from? 

Tasker: I consider myself a southern girl. I was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, and went to high school there and in Shreveport, Louisiana. I graduated from the University of San Diego, where I met my husband. We moved to Oklahoma from San Francisco. 

USTA.com: Did your kids play tennis growing up? 

Tasker: All my boys played tennis growing up! Two of my boys played in high school, and one played in college. All three of my boys worked at Philcrest Hills Tennis club (we spent so much time there—they made the best of it!) and my middle son, JT, was a teaching pro at LFTC in Tulsa.

My husband’s family all plays tennis, and I have vivid memories of hard-fought family tennis tournaments! Tennis truly is the sport of a lifetime; watching my kids play with their grandparents is priceless!

For more articles like this one, check out The Baseliner at https://pubsecure.lucidpress.com/January2020/.