Spotlight On Net Rushers Tennis Association

The USTA Foundation is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the National Junior Tennis & Learning network this year. In honor of the event, USTA Missouri Valley got in touch with the Net Rushers Tennis Association led by Mary Owens Hudson. Hudson has shown exemplary dedication to the academic and athletic excellence of local youth whether on or off the tennis court. 

Hudson currently oversees the Net Rushers Tennis Association founded in 1988 by the late Erma J. Owens. The mission of the Net Rushers Tennis Association is to promote tennis and aid in the development of new program initiatives that will provide recreational and competitive tennis experiences for children in the St. Louis area.

The organization provides training in tennis, character development, and academic counseling. Net Rushers is split into three levels that are inclusive of all age groups: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. As they push children to be their best on and off the court, the organization offers free tennis lessons and after-school programs, along with providing all necessary equipment, water, and snacks. Many of the participants start at a young age, and Hudson estimated that 90 percent of them go on to receive either academic or athletic collegiate scholarships.

The Net Rushers Tennis Association is a part of USTA’s Net Generation program, and USTA is one of the largest donors toward this program. 

USTA.com: What or who originally inspired the Net Rushers? 

Mary Owens Hudson: My late sister Erma was the initial organizer of the Net Rushers Tennis Association. She started to play tennis after graduating from college because our parents could not afford to pay for tennis lessons.  Erma saw the disparity between African American youth and other youth in their exposure to tennis. She believed that African American youth should be at least exposed to the game of tennis and given the opportunity to play, even if they later decided to play other sports instead. Consequently, the Net Rushers’ mission is to promote the game of tennis in the St. Louis metropolitan area by providing virtually free and low-cost tennis instruction to culturally diverse youth.  

USTA.com: The Net Rushers look to provide opportunities especially to African-American youth. What is important about this to you?

MOH: It is important to provide opportunities to African American youth because one of our main goals is to make a positive difference in the lives of young people. We want our youth to become educated, healthy and productive citizens in this diverse society. For example, most Net Rushers players attend college with full academic and tennis scholarships. During and after their college years, we hire them to work with us during the summer tennis program, assisting coaches with the younger children. It is a wonderful experience for them to give back to the program, and they are also inspiring and great role models for our youth. In addition, the Net Rushers provide recreational and competitive tennis experiences, direct interaction with positive role models, including mentoring and tutoring. We have also used tennis as a vehicle to help players develop life skills they can utilize as they advance in school and transition into adulthood.

USTA.com: Your impact on children goes so far beyond just on the court, developing their character and life skills. How do you as a program go about investing in kids on a deeper level like that?

MOH: The Net Rushers Tennis Program promotes academic achievement, self- discipline, work ethics, good sportsmanship and personal responsibility, and we nurture our youth to become future leaders who will be successful in life. We also encourage our youth to be the best that they can be, by working hard and being persistent. Last year, one of our young ladies received a $10,000 USTA scholarship; she was the only person in Missouri to receive this scholarship. She also received additional academic scholarships to attend Washington University. I sent an email to all of the Net Rushers parents and players to announce this great accomplishment, hoping that her success story would serve as an inspiration to the other players. Another player received a full tennis and academic scholarship to attend Tuskegee University; she also works as an assistant coach for our summer tennis program. We announce and celebrate all success stories, hoping to inspire others to become successful, productive young people.

USTA.com: What are some things the Net Rushers have accomplished since their conception?

MOH: The Net Rushers Organization has been quite successful in providing excellent tennis programs and promoting the importance of obtaining a good education in today’s society.  I am proud to say that 90 percent of our players have attended college on tennis and academic scholarships. Several of our players have played professional tennis, while others work as certified tennis coaches at various clubs in and out of state. These former players credit the instruction, support and encouragement received from the Net Rushers as defining factors of their success. The many Net Rushers accomplishments include include two of our young players winning 1st place Girls Doubles in the ATA National Championship in Orlando, FL last year, and one of our players being selected to participate in the USTA wild card tennis event held in Orlando, FL last year. (She and her coach were provided with travel and hotel expenses) Another player attended the IMG Tennis Program in Orlando, FL, and as result, gained a sponsor for a year of tennis supplies from Dunlap.

I received an all-expense paid trip to Orlando, FL three years ago to receive Net Generation training, and since that time the Net Rushers have piloted three Net Generation initiatives, including team challenge and team tournament. The Net Rushers have sponsored team tennis every year, and have won 1st and 2nd place trophies over the years. Two Net Rushers players are ranked in top 20 in the district and the valley, the Net Rushers take a group of players to MID-TAC every year to compete in a multi-state tennis tournament, and several players win 1st and 2nd place trophies each year.

Over the years the Net Rushers have received several Community Service Award, several USTA Tennis NJTL Chapter of the Year Awards, an Outstanding Community Tennis Association Award, Community Service Excellence Award, a Certification of Appreciation Award, several Net Rushers have received the Recreational Player of the Year award, and two of our coaches have received awards as well.

USTA.com: How do you find the funding for this organization?

MOH: The Net Rushers have several fundraisers during the year, which includes trivia night in the spring, a raffle in the summer and a tennis party in the fall/winter. We also receive a grant from USTA St. Louis and USTA Missouri Valley, and funding from the Triple A Foundation. Limited membership dues and donations also contribute to our funding. The fundraisers and grants help us send our players to other states to compete during the 4th of July weekend.  We also use the funds to pay for a limited number of private lessons.  The lessons are given to our top players, as we are working diligently to increase the number of players at that level. Our goal is to increase the amount of resources, grants and other funding and hopefully the number of competitive players will increase.

USTA.com: What kinds of growth have you seen in Net Rushers kids?

MOH: I have seen an exceptional amount of growth in our players, particularly with the young ladies who play high school tennis. When some of them first started taking tennis lessons with Net Rushers, several were basically beginners. However, after they enrolled in year-round lessons with us, their tennis skills greatly improved. In addition, the Net Rushers sponsored Team Tennis; therefore, the players were provided opportunities to compete on various levels, enhancing their tennis skills and confidence. As a result, they became better players, and many of them played first and second singles on their high school teams and were quite successful in the Suburban North tennis competition. When others asked the players about their improved tennis skills, they often referred them to us, which increased the number of players for our organization.

The Net Rushers had two players to go to State last year; one player was a freshman and placed 4th in doubles competition. The Net Rushers have two players who play competitively in the Futures, Sweet 16s, Supers and Nationals tournaments, and we have several additional players who compete in various tournaments during the year. All of these players take a limited amount of private tennis lessons; however, the number of lessons that they can afford to take are not nearly enough, so it is difficult for them to compete successfully with those who can afford to take private lessons as needed. Although, the Net Rushers’ main goal is to introduce as many young people as possible to the game of tennis, we realize that we must also bring some them to where they are playing tennis competitively. In order for players to compete successfully, more funding is needed, because parents can not afford to pay for the number of tennis lessons needed for competitive players. In spite of limited funding, we have three players who are playing tennis competitively at a high level with district and valley rankings. I applaud those players—they are amazing! 

The Net Rushers offer free lessons on Sunday evenings at Forestwood Park in the summer and Frontenac Racquet Club in the winter, in addition to an After-School Tennis Program during the spring and winter months. To find out more information about the Net Rushers program, visit their page on USTA’s Net Generation site, check out their Facebook page, or contact Mary Owens Hudson at 314-479-2511.