How USTA adaptive grants helped grow the game in 2023
Each year, the USTA's national adaptive tennis committee provides grant funding to programs that work tirelessly to grow the game by providing an outlet for tennis players with social, intellectual and/or physical disabilities. The impact of this assistance was on display once again last year, as more than 1,750 athletes benefited from 2023's round of grants, which produced more than 400 new players.
In all, 25 organizations from 10 USTA sections in 17 states received national assistance that totaled $35,000. Two organizations that saw particular successes in conjunction with this support were Abilities Tennis, headquartered in North Carolina, and Tennis For Fun, which has 22 locations across the country.
Founded in 2007 by two parents and a tennis coach, Abilities Tennis is dedicated to providing clinics and competitive opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. What began as one clinic in the Raleigh, N.C. area has grown into a robust network that hosts seven tournaments and holds free clinics and programming throughout the year in more than 30 locations in the state.
In 2023, the organization used its grant funding to help put on its 15th annual Winter Chill Tournament, welcoming more than 60 athletes to North Carolina State University’s J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center. All participants were given a T-shirt and earned a medal, and lunch was provided for athletes and their families during the tournament. The event was a great success, providing fun, community and competitive play for all players.
Players celebrate at Abilities Tennis' Winter Chill tournament. Photo courtesy of Abilities Tennis.
A little further south (and elsewhere, too), Tennis For Fun has been shepherding adative tennis programming for more than two decades.
This organization provides free, weekly clinics—some are seasonal, while others run year-round. The organization started in 2000 as a “little grassroots group doing what we could to spread the love of tennis to the special needs community,” according to Judy Moore, the organization’s director. Tennis for Fun was founded by her son, Nathan Moore, while he was a high school student in the hopes of providing a positive outlet for special-needs athletes. Judy Moore took over the reins when her son graduated and moved away to attend Spring Hill College, and has stayed at the helm ever since.
Over the years, Tennis For Fun has expanded from its Brandon, Fla. origins, to 15 locations in the state, as well as outposts in Maine, West Virginia, Minnesota, Mississippi, Virginia and Pennsylvania. All participants have intellectual disabilities that qualify them for the Special Olympics, and they range in age from 7 to 82. From basic skills and red-ball instruction to green- and yellow-ball play, Tennis For Fun reaches players of all levels and encourages them to participate in tennis for life.
A player is coached during an adaptive tournament. Photo courtesy of Abilities Tennis
Tennis for Fun used its grant funding to offset the costs of tennis racquets, balls, red-ball nets and other equipment, as all participants are given a racquet when they start playing with the organization. With hundreds of athletes to support, the money helps to bolster the passion of those who start chapters, and provide for each participant to make the programming as accessible as possible. The organization runs on donated court time, and the organization is made up entirely of volunteers, from Moore to on-court instructors at the clinics.
"We have no CEOs," Moore said. "Our webmaster, she does it for free. Our accountant does it for free. ... We've been around 24 years, still going strong, and keep growing.
“The money we get from the USTA, it helps us grow because people, if they have what they need, they're happy to take on more athletes."
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