In their own words: Jodie Adams on tennis in the public parks

The beauty of public parks is that people can engage with them in any way they want—from a place to simply sit and read a book, to a gathering place for friends and family, to venues for all types of healthy exercise and competition.

Tennis, of course, has a long history in the public parks, as exemplified by the National Public Parks Tennis Championships, which tennis legend Dwight Davis started in St. Louis in 1923. The 2022 NPPTC will be in Bucks County, Pa., July 22-24, then for the 100th anniversary in 2023, the tournament will return to its birthplace, St. Louis.

I’ve had the honor, and pleasure, of both competing in the NPPTC and helping to organize four of them when they were played in Springfield, Mo., in 1983, 1987, 1991 and 1998. (In 1987, Jean Larrick and I won the 30-and-over doubles title at the NPPTC.)

I fell in love with the parks early on, working in the parks system and teaching tennis as a teen. I was a competitive junior player, played at Missouri State University (we went to nationals three times), then played on the pro circuit. I decided to leave the tour and take a a full-time position in the parks, eventually serving for 32 years with the Springfield-Greene County (Mo.) Park Board, retiring in 2011 as the Director of Parks.

I’ve been a longtime national volunteer with the USTA, serving on the Tennis in the Parks Committee and many others, and also as a member of the USTA Board of Directors from 1999 to 2000. I also spent eight years on the Board of Trustees for the National Recreation and Park Association, including as president.