Tennis Venue Services renovates the tennis courts at Hays High School in Kansas
For the past two years, Superintendent of Schools Ron Wilson oversaw construction of the $100 million Hays High School in Hays, Kan., with a mixture of pride in the project and consternation over the dire state of four of the eight adjacent tennis courts.
“They had just crumbled away, and they looked even worse next to the brand-new building,” says Wilson, referring to the courts’ highly visible location at the front of the expansive campus, which opened in August 2025. “It was sad.”
With community investment already stretched by a $143.5 million bond and a half-cent sales tax enacted to help repay it, Wilson knew the district would need to find another path to fund the tennis court renovation. His research led to the USTA’s Tennis Venue Services (TVS) grant, which supports the enhancement of existing tennis facilities and development of new venues to expand playing opportunities in communities nationwide.
Wilson said he gratefully leaned on the program’s comprehensive support—including advocacy, technical and business guidance, facility management expertise, and parks and recreation resources—when preparing and submitting the application in October 2025.
The effort ultimately secured a $140,000 grant from USTA National and an additional $14,000 from USTA Missouri Valley toward the $667,900 project, which was completed in April 2026.
All four 78-foot courts at Hays High School now feature blended lines, with two courts also configured for 36-foot play and two for 60-foot play to make tennis more accessible and enjoyable for children, beginners and seniors with limited mobility. The nine-month project additionally included refurbishment of the four existing courts and the addition of shaded, permanent spectator seating.
The renovated courts at Hays High School in Hays, Kan. Photo courtesy of Hays High School.
“The USTA was excited to work with Hays to support their expansion of courts at Hays High School,” says Natalie Malnor, a consultant with the USTA TVS team. Since 2005, the USTA's TVS grant program has awarded more than $34 million in TVS grants, including more than $16 million in 2025, which supported nearly 300 projects impacting more than 2,500 courts.
John Terpkosh, senior manager of Tennis Venue Services at USTA Missouri Valley, adds that helping Wilson navigate the grant application process was “a joy.”
“I want all our clients to feel comfortable, from the first conversation through project completion, and to know we’re going to help make it successful,” Terpkosh says. “Every project creates meaningful impact. It all pays off.”
The renovated courts are already delivering tangible benefits at Hays High School, according to tennis coach Alicia Plante. Previously, the school district was forced to rent courts at Fort Hays State University for both the girls team in the fall and the boys team in the spring, but access wasn’t available until 6 p.m.—and only if the university team wasn’t hosting a match.
Plante says the boys team welcomed the shift in April from playing under the lights at Fort Hays in colder evening conditions to practicing and competing on their home turf right after school. The expanded access to eight courts also eliminated the need for staggered practices and matches. New windscreens featuring the school mascot and district logos added another layer of identity and team spirit.
“It’s going to be transformative for our program over the long term,” says Plante, noting that the boys team took pride in showcasing the new courts in May while hosting the Western Athletic Conference. Summer programming at Hays High School already includes tennis camps and community-based adaptive tennis clinics for adults with disabilities, with additional opportunities to incorporate tennis into middle and high school physical education classes.
Wilson echoes the enthusiasm about the project’s impact.
“The courts look phenomenal,” he says. “What this has meant for our kids and for the community is incredible.”
For more on how USTA’s Tennis Venue Services can help your facility or project, visit usta.com/facilities or email facilities@usta.com.
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