Stillwater Tennis Association Provides Tennis Opportunities

Our first and most visible achievement after four years was the total renovation of the primary tennis facility in town in 2017. We also worked with Chris Young at OSU to host the USTA Pro Circuits Women's $25K tournaments in 2016 and 2017. This allowed us to begin an annual youth tennis scholarship fund in 2018 to financially assist juniors players with tennis lessons and coaching. We also contribute money annually into a court maintenance fund that will assist with resurfacing of the city courts every four to five years.

USTA.com: In what ways do you act on your mission of growing tennis in Stillwater and providing playing opportunities?

Uehara: In terms of playing opportunities, we run organized tennis leagues three days a week during the spring, summer and fall, along with a pay-as-you go league that plays throughout the year. We also hold two social tournaments during the start of summer and on Labor Day. These activities are open to all ages. In the past, a lack of quality courts has been a major reason we haven't hosted USTA tournaments but with OSU becoming more flexible with use of their facilities, future opportunities may arise. During the summer, there are junior tennis clinics being offered by the Stillwater Area Sports Association (SASA) through a partnership with the city and of course OSU holds summer tennis camps at the Greenwood Tennis Center. We provide financial assistance to players through our junior scholarship fund. OSU also holds weekly junior and adult tennis clinics that are run by assistant OSU tennis coaches. What the STA does is communicate these playing opportunities through our Facebook page, website, and emails.

USTA.com: How do you coordinate with Oklahoma State University (OSU) to provide youth programming?  

Uehara: Chris Young and OSU offer high level junior tennis clinics directly to the community and STA’s involvement is primarily either through referrals or the junior scholarship fund. As mentioned above, there is the possibility of offering USTA sanctioned tournaments in the future in coordination with OSU using their facilities but with COVID-19, there hasn't yet been any formal discussions held on this topic. The STA has been focused on providing support for juniors at the beginner level by offering free tennis clinics, recommending tennis instructors for beginners and the SASA summer tennis clinics. The STA would like to begin a junior tennis league if there is a sufficient number of players. In terms of coordination at the high school level, one of our Board members happens to be the high school tennis coach and she is in communication with Chris Young about the use of their facilities to assist with high school tournaments during the spring. Most likely she will be the point person holding discussions with Chris on hosting any USTA sanctioned junior tournaments.

To learn more about the Stillwater Tennis Association or get involved, visit www.stillwatertennis.org.