Service Awards Recognize Beacons of SoCal tennis

The Southern California Tennis Association recently honored its 2018 Service Award recipients with a banquet and ceremony at UCLA’s Los Angeles Tennis Center and Straus Clubhouse.

Ranging from adult to junior tennis, and acknowledging the ongoing efforts of coaches and providers throughout Southern California, the awards reflected a truly diverse roster of individuals who collectively help build and enhance the game of tennis for thousands of players across the region.

Awardee Jim Winters, an icon who founded the San Diego Tennis Federation in 1983 as an outlet for LGBT competition, received the Henry Talbert Lifetime Achievement Award. Winters, who was unable to attend due to illness, has been a fervent supporter of not just LGBT tennis, but also high school athletics and various key USTA initiatives, including blended court lines and Red/Orange/Green progression.

Steve Johnson, the extraordinary coach and mentor to countless players across Southern California, posthumously received the Curt Condon Spirit Award. Johnson, who passed away suddenly in 2017, was a fixture on the tennis scene for more than 35 years, and his spirit continues through his son, Steve Jr., an ATP pro who joined his mother, Michelle, to accept the award.

The Evelyn Houseman Junior Sportsmanship Award, given each year to a male and female athlete who best exemplifies sportsmanship on and off the court, was presented to Eric Hahn and Julia Deming. Hahn, currently a freshman tennis star at UCLA, was part of the Boys championship team at the 2018 USTA Nationals, as well as last year’s victorious Maze Cup team. Deming plays currently as a freshman at the University of Kansas after earning the top doubles ranking among Girls 18s in Southern California, while peaking in the singles Top 20.

Read the complete "SCTA Service Awards recognize beacons of SoCal tennis" article and see photo at USTA Southern California Tennis News.