Santa Fe Family Life Center

The SFFLC now hosts three annual wheelchair tennis clinics and provides weekly court time reserved for wheelchair players. It also partners with the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, OKASA (Oklahoma Adaptive Sports Association), USTA Missouri Valley, and the Oklahoma Tennis Foundation for its wheelchair tennis program.

Jenny Marcos is a tennis instructor with SFFLC who helps run the wheelchair tennis clinics. 

"Wheelchair tennis is the most challenging coaching I have ever done,” said Marcos. “You have to put yourself in the position of the players with disabilities to understand how it's going to feel and how to best move and play. It's more challenging to play than one would think."

The SFFLC partners with over 25 local nonprofits to assist their efforts in carrying out their respective missions.

“This past year, the SFFLC donated over 1,500 hours of facility usage time to the local community, operated adaptive sports programming, provided health and fitness opportunities for underprivileged youth, and served over 9,000 kids in youth sports leagues,” said Horn. ”Additionally, full and partial scholarship fitness memberships are provided to those who cannot afford to pay.”

Horn said USTA Missouri Valley has been an integral part of the development and growth of the SFFLC’s wheelchair tennis program. The section provided guidance and structure on how to begin a wheelchair tennis program, helping with everything from coach certification to rules implementation. 

“USTA Missouri Valley has also helped with grants and scholarships that have enabled the purchase of sport wheelchairs and scholarships for individuals who could not afford to pay,” said Horn. “It’s been a great advocate for wheelchair tennis and has helped to increase awareness for programs at the SFFLC and the region,“ said Horn.