Ten champions of grassroots tennis honored with 2026 USTA national awards

Ten advocates for the sport of tennis at the grassroots and local levels were honored with national awards at the 2026 USTA Annual Meeting and Conference in Orlando, Fla. They were celebrated throughout the event for their dedication and contributions to growing the sport, locally and nationwide.

The USTA presented the following awards: Adaptive Tennis Award, Barbara Williams Service Award, Brad Parks Award, Eve Kraft Community Service Award, USTA Family of the Year, Janet Louer JTT Organizer of the Year, League Organizer Award, Member Organization of the Year, NJTL Founders’ Service Award and the NJTL of the Year Award.

For more on each recipient, follow the links below. View photos of each award-winner in the gallery below.

Adaptive Tennis Award: HERO New York (New York, NY)

Barbara Williams Service Award: Laura Canfield (Feasterville, Pa.)

Brad Parks Award: Jim Tierney (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)

Eve Kraft Community Service Award: Jennifer Edmonson (Baton Rouge, La.)

Family of the Year: The Meyer Family (Rockport, Maine)

Janet Louer JTT Organizer of the Year: Shane Cashen (Kaneohe, Hawaii)

League Organizer Award: Kathy Hinrichs (Destrehan, La.)

Member Organization of the Year: SPORTIME Randall’s Island/John McEnroe Tennis Academy (New York, NY)

NJTL Founders’ Service Award: Ray Benton (College Park, Md.)

NJTL of the Year Award: Portland Tennis & Education (Portland, Ore.)