Current Nominations
As nominations come in, they will be listed on this page. After reading each nomination, you will then be able to submit your selection from the vote button.
2024 Award Categories and Nominees
Girls Sportsmanship 10U:
None Submitted.
Boys Sportsmanship 10U:
None Submitted.
Girls Sportsmanship 12U:
Selena Williams, Waukee, IA: Selena is a gracious winner and non-winner at tournaments. Selena exhibits fairness and kindness to all her opponents. If a ball lands close to a line, it's always in for her opponent. you can often find her chatting away with her opponents/now friends after a match.
London Kelley, West Des Moines, IA: London has been attending the Valley summer tennis camp for 3-4 years. She always comes to camp with a great attitude and shows great sportsmanship to everyone she comes across. More recently, London has started playing in USTA tournaments. London just completed the Club Kids for a Cause tournament held at the Valley tennis courts. London was always quick to complement her opponents good shots throughout the event. London is also very gracious, and shakes hands w/her opponents after every match. London Kelley is a great representative for her family, school, and tennis community. We need to praise her efforts and guide all players to exhibit this type of sportsmanship.
Boys Sportsmanship 12U:
None Submitted.
Girls Sportsmanship 14U:
Tenley Cewe, Camanche, IA: Tenley is the kindest and most polite person you will ever be beaten by.
Tenley has played in multiple sanctioned and local tennis tournaments all summer. She placed either 1st or 2nd in her divisions.
She helps during summer tennis programs with little kids. A pleasure to have around. Always willing to help with anything the coach needs.
Her goal is to be one of the top players next year as she enters high school.
Great candidate for this award.
Boys Sportsmanship 14U:
None Submitted.
Girls Sportsmanship 16U:
Madelyn Dalton, Cumming, IA: Madelyn is arguably the best person on our HS team in terms of sportsmanship. That's hard to say because we have so many great players in terms of sportsmanship. The reason I say this is because she started playing tennis approximately 2+ years ago and has made a very fast ascent into our top 10 players. That process comes with many wins and more important, losses. Madelyn has also embraced playing USTA tournaments on a consistent basis. She plays almost every availble tournament.. She wins some matches, and she loses some. She knows how difficult that process is, yet she is adamant about improving her tennis through matchplay. She also takes every match as an opportunity to improve, and has always respected her opponents, no matter how frustrating the match results. Madelyn Dalton is the definition of what it means to be a great high school team player. Every coach would be honored to have Madelyn on their team.
Olive Schmidt, Muscatine, IA: Olive Schmidt is a Junior at Muscatine High School this year. She is a tennis player on the Muscatine HS girls team and a leader on her girls stunt cheer team. Olive has been a tennis student of mine for 3 years now and has always exhibited a "can-do" attitude at her tennis lessons and is a natural athlete. She is always "present" and willing to learn at her lessons and is like a sponge, soaking up the knowledge being taught her. When I asked her fellow tennis teammates, who on the team exhibits the best sportsmanship, the answer was Olive Schmidt! They said she often complimented good shots of her opponents and never displayed negative or disrespectful actions towards her opponents. She did this whether she was winning or losing. Her peers said that Olive, never got upset when she lost and always kept her head up and tried to learn from her mistakes. Olive and a fellow teammate attended a tennis camp at Loras college this summer, which displays her work ethic to always try and improve. Olive's teammates and opponents can learn much from her positivity and "can-do" and respectful attitude towards herself and others! Great job Olive! You are inspiring to others and just what tennis needs to see from young people like you!
Elizabeth Grinnall, Clinton, IA: Elizabeth is always respectful to coaches and officials in charge. She is always on time and ready to play. She has been in difficult situations in matches and still has been polite to her opponent. She spends a great deal of time working on her craft to help her team be successful in the future.
Boys Sportsmanship 16U:
None Submitted.
Girls Sportsmanship 18U:
None Submitted.
Boys Sportsmanship 18U:
Carson Sorg, Swisher, IA:
1st Nomination: Carson had great sportsmanship during the entire match and even though he lost the first one, he was still extremely supportive of his opponent!
2nd Nomination: Carson was always acknowledged his opponents shots even while he was down in the game and always stayed positive with a good attitude. He was very respectful towards all of his peers as well.
3rd Nomination: Carson Sorg should win sportsmanship for tennis because he consistently demonstrates positive values both on and off the court. He shows great respect for his opponents, officials, and fans, and his attitude and behavior set a positive example for other players. Carson's integrity, fair play, and graciousness make him a true ambassador for the sport of tennis.
4th Nomination: Carson was very optimistic during his tennis matches and was polite towards all of the players he played against and never got upset while playing even though his opponents were getting mad.
5th Nomination: He had great etiquette while playing tennis today and congratulated the players he played against when they would hit good shots and never complained.
6th Nomination: I played Carson Sorg at the Marshalltown Open and his sportsmanship stuck out to me. Carson was positive throughout our match and complimented me for good shots. Carson's kindness was incredibly appreciated by all at every tournament. I nominate "CSorg" for the 2024 Iowa USTA Junior Sportsmanship Award.
Brady Frye, Clive, IA: Brady is an example that many kids could learn from on and off the tennis court. He is very respectful of his opponents whether he is winning or losing. Brady deals with adversity very well and stays cool even if things aren't going his way. You wouldn't be able to tell if he is winning or losing by his body language in a match.
Brady has volunteered at many of our Junior Circuit events which encompasses 12 year olds and younger. He is always energetic and interested with the kids that are playing.
Adult Player of the Year:
Donald Mayhew, Davenport, IA: Don as been a vital part of our adult tennis program. As a Novice player he shows dedication and commitment to playing on a regular basis throughout the year and playing in our annual wheelchair tennis tournament. He has improved significantly and continues to contribute anyway possible in keeping our adult wheelchair successful.
Brad DiLeo, Iowa City, IA:
1st Nomination: Brad has a happy positive attitude, supports and encourages his partners and loves tennis. His love of tennis is infectious!
2nd Nomination: Not only is Brad is a very impressive tennis player, but does a lot for the Iowa City tennis community by teaching lessons at HTRC. Brad shares his passion of tennis with the people he teaches and is a wonderful person as well. I feel Brad deserves to be the Iowa adult tennis player of the year based on his impressive play/rankings/results and his love for tennis and sharing his vast knowledge of tennis with the Iowa City community. His rankings are listed below and thank you for considering him.
Rankings:
Men's Open National Standings List Mixed Ind. Doubles:
99 (National), 5 (Missouri Valley), 3 (Iowa)
Men's Open Final Ranking (Mixed Ind. Doubles):
319 (National), 29 (Missouri Valley), 7 (Iowa)
Men's Open National Standings List Team Doubles:
416 (National), 32 (Missouri Valley), 11 (Iowa)
Men's Open Final Ranking (Team Doubles):
596 (National), 55 (Missouri Valley), 14 (Iowa)
3rd Nomination: Brad had an amazing year and always has good sportsmanship! He is a talented player and is always encouraging others to excel.
Justin Despotovich, Grimes, IA: I have known Justin since we were in juniors together. We finally got to compete against each other when we became adults. He is a fierce competitor but will almost always have a smile on his face. I've been honored to play on his teams in the past as well as played doubles with him. Justin is always positive and ready with a laugh to keep you in the right mood. His opponents get frustrated that he doesn't waiver from his nice disposition during matches. Justin is the same off the court and absolutely loves the game. This likely comes from his parents, Linda and Ron, who still play frequently.
Justin exemplifies what kind of player many of us should try to become and/or emulate.
Junior High Performance Male Player of the Year:
Nicholas Patrick, Coal Valley, IL: Okay, first off, Nicholas is ranked #13 in the country for boys 18-under, has verbally committed to play men's tennis at the University of Notre Dame, and is a three-time Illinois state singles Champion in 1A tennis entering his senior year. Below are some of his accomplishments of the last year: All results are 18-under (with the exception of the indoor nationals last fall)
- finalist in doubles at the US National Clay Court Championships (L1), quarterfinalist in singles in Delray Beach, FL
- reached the Round of 16 at the US Hard Court Championships in Kalamazoo (L1)
- quarterfinalist in singles and finalist in doubles at a National L2 tournament in Chattanooga, TN
- singles and doubles champion at a National L3 in Grand Rapids, MI
- singles and doubles champion at a National L4 in Overland Park, KS
- doubles champion at National L2 in Key Biscayne, FL
- quarterfinalist at the Orange Bowl in singles (L1 Planation, FL)
- doubles champion and fourth place in singles at the Indoor National 16-under tournament in Chicago, IL (November 2023)
- singles champion L3 in Cincinnati, OH
- COMPETED IN THE JUNIOR US OPEN DOUBLES TOURNAMENT IN NYC after winning the 16-under doubles title at Kalamazoo in August 2023
Junior High Performance Female Player of the Year:
Maiya Phanchantraurai, Ames, IA: Maiya has had a phenomenal year moving up in the national rankings to 146 in the country. She has won several L5 events and was able to participate in her first L1 Clay court championship.
Not only she has had great tennis achievements, she also was participated in a MV tennis camp where she got awarded the resiliency award.
2024 Achievements:
Singles Champion USTA IA BG12-18 Lifetime, G14U L6
Sweet 16 Match Point Blizzard Classic Singles and Doubles Finalist, G12U L5
USTA MV G12-14 NW Champion Singles Finalist, Doubles Finalist
Sweet 16 St. Louis Part, G12U, L5, Singles and Doubles Finalist
Evansville, IN G12U, L3, Reached Consolation Round 16 Singles, Reached R16 Doubles
Rogers Tennis Club Girls 12s and 16s, G12U L5, Singles and Doubles Champion
St Louis Park Life Time Girls 12’s and 16s G12U, L5, Singles and Doubles Champion
Baseline May Girls Classic, G12U, L4, Reached Consolation QF Singles, 3rd in Doubles
Baseline Girls May Championship, G12U, L5, 3rd in Singles and Doubles
USTA MV L5 BG 12-18, G12U 4th in Singles, Semifinalist in Doubles (no 3rd/4th playoff)
Rally in the Valley USTA MV#1 BG 12-18, G12U, L3, SW Finalist (withdrew 3rd round due to injury), Doubles Reached QF
Hudsonville, MI G12U, L2, Singles Reached Consolation R16, Doubles reached R16.
Girls 12 USTA National Clay Court Championships, G12U, L1, Singles Reached SE-QF (withdrew due to injury, Doubles Reached R32
USTA MV BG 12-14 #4, G12U, L4, Singles Champion, Doubles Reached R16
Emerging Junior Male Player of the Year:
Tyler Jasper, Cedar Rapids, IA: Tyler Jasper has become very determined to get better at the loving sport of tennis and has really been working hard all throughout the summer and as gone from a 4 UTR all the way to over a 6 UTR in a short period of time. He has been the most improved high school tennis player this summer in many peoples opinion and his work ethic is outstanding. This is why my vote for the 2024 emerging player of the year goes to the one and only, Tyler Jasper.
Emerging Junior Female Player of the Year:
Kaitlyn Nguyen, Johnston, IA: Kaitlyn is a great competitor and provides good sportsmanship on the court. Kaitlyn is 14 but has now started playing 16's to get ready for high school tennis. She's being nominated for the 14&U Emerging player of the year.
Results: 7/20-21--Baird Tourn(CR). 16&U, consolation champion.
6/28-30--McCollum Open(VSW courts). 16&U, lost in quarter-finals.
4/5-7--Genesis Open(Clive). 14&U-1st place singles
3/1-3--Genesis Spring Open(Clive). 14&U-1st place singles
2/16-18--Club Kids for a Cause(DSM). 14&U-2nd place singles
As her coach, I have witnessed Kaitlyn providing great sportsmanship when she plays her matches. Specifically, when she played and lost a tough match to Kate Holten(Waterloo Columbus, state singles runner-up in 2024).
Kaitlyn also provided great sportsmanship in summer matchplay while playing future high school teammates as well as when she volunteered at our summer tennis camp to help the ORANGE ball players. Kaitlyn has a very outgoing personality, and will be a great teammate for Valley high school.
Tennis Family of the Year:
Taylor Family, Clive, IA: The Taylor Family has made an impact on tennis in Iowa. Kadien the oldest one state in singles, coed, and team. He will be going to Denver in the fall. Kevin helps coach both the girls and boys teams at NW Waukee. The entire family supports each other and practice today. They are uplifting, inviting, and a great contribution to the sport of tennis in Iowa.
Facility of the Year:
Dan Staggs Family Tennis Courts (Mark Hanson), Ottumwa, IA: Ottumwa has 8 brand new tennis courts that just opened in May 2024. The million dollar project was a partnership between the City of Ottumwa, Ottumwa Public Schools and Friends of Ottumwa's Parks. The courts will be first-class, long-lasting, and a provide quality playing surface for varsity boys and girls teams, youth and adult league players and tennis enthusiasts.
Ottumwa offers summer youth lessons and tennis camps and a local tournament.
The courts opened in time this spring for Ottumwa to host Tennis Substate matches on May 11, with Ottumwa boys playing the second round against Iowa City High. Coach Joe Roberts and his team lost in a close match of 5 to 4 that day.
The Friends of Ottumwa's Parks group is taking the lead to secure the additional funds to complete project amenities such as restrooms, concessions, bleachers, a gazebo, parking, etc. By supporting this project, you are investing in the health, growth, and future success of Ottumwa, Iowa.
Member Organization of the Year:
North Dodge Athletic Club, Iowa City, IA: North Dodge Athletic Club might be the smallest tennis club in Iowa City but makes the biggest impact on community tennis.
Being a land locked club limits their ability to expand but they're always reaching out to the community with new tennis opportunities.
A standard menu of tennis offerings (USTA leagues, junior & adult lessons, high performance offerings, Net Generation school assistance and adaptive programs) are run out of this club.
This year the club is working to learn about and offer a Down Syndrome tennis clinic program this fall. Staff is working with a national Down Syndrome tennis program, to learn first-hand what would make their new program successful. The club has tapped into section and district grant opportunities for staff travel, new equipment needs and training.
This will be the only facility that will offer a Down Syndrome tennis program on a continuous basis.
Genesis Health Club - Hickman, Clive, IA: Genesis Health Club on Hickman has been top notch when it comes to junior programming, adult programming, and tournament as well as USTA adult league options. They hold over a dozen L6-L7 level junior tournaments each year with WTN matchplay and Junior Circuit events as well.
Adult programming is the best in the state with Grip N Rip leading the charge that is offered more than 10 times a week. Play Tennis Fast for beginners as well as Adult Camps throughout the year.
They even had a 24 hour Grip N Rip that raised money for one of their teaching professionals.
Genesis has USTA teams of all levels: 2.5-4.5 40+, 18+, 55+ as well as mixed 6.0-8.0
Outstanding Community Tennis Association:
River Cities Tennis Association, Clinton, IA: River Cities Tennis Association is super at making Clinton the tennis capital of eastern Iowa but this isn't why they deserve this award this year. This CTA stepped up big this year to help with the Fred Johnson ALL Stars tennis event in Cedar Rapids.
Four CTAs helped with this tennis event but River Cities Tennis Association did a lot with dollars, volunteers and time to make this a great event for athletes and coaches.
River Cities Tennis Association partnered early on with 3 other partners (USTA Missouri Valley, USTA Iowa and Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation. They contributed $1,800 towards the event, which covered the cost of the Sunday departing lunch meal - a lunch bag meal which several of their volunteers put together.
Several volunteers from Clinton worked on or attended the event. The biggest volunteer from the CTA was Cindy Rasche who helped as an on-site supervisor both days, helping with the court monitors. She also helped organize the lunch meal volunteers, which turned out to be one of the favorite meals for the athletes and coaches.
The ALL Star event was held during the last weekend of June, one of the busiest times for the River Cities Tennis Association with summer tennis for Clinton patrons as well a running a large sanctioned tennis tournament in town. What a great organization and group of tennis volunteers.
Outstanding Contributor to Youth Tennis Programs:
Lizelle Landino, ?: I (Izzy Tobin), am a senior in high school. I travel an hour and a half to get coaching and court time with Lizelle. We have plenty of access in Cedar Rapids to coaching but there is no person that gives me powerful one on one tennis skills. She has Intuition and the power to awaken the greatness within anyone.
I play high school tennis. At a rival High School and i was welcomed by her and her student junior players not as an outsider but with conclusion.
I can see that she has taught us all a lot more than just tennis. She teaches kindness and she teaches us all the power of Inclusion so we can help each other become greater.
The excitement and positive energy she brings comes with deep passionate daily commitment. She does not show up one day without the spark she teaches us with.
Lizelle is by far one of the toughest no nonsense coaches I have had in my life. It’s intense to work so hard but the contagious motivation is what makes this a one of a kind place to be in Iowa.
Lizelle is my biggest advocate not only on the court , but mainly off the court.
Lizelle has immense passionate and energy that is always present. She puts forth to making all kids great on the court but most impactful off the tennis court.
I have now learned that sincere, enthusiasm can be a powerful motivator. It empowers us to pursue our dreams and goals with high energy and confidence. Enthusiasm can also be contagious, encouraging those around you to adopt the same spirit.
I am now under 18 but was playing under 16 last year.
I saw this nomination and I wanted to tell that she is a superhero in the community.
Thank you for considering my nomination.
Outstanding Contributor to Youth High Performance Program:
Armando Espinosa, Ames, IA: Armando has been one of the best coaches in Iowa working with high performance junior players. He was a former ISU's Women Tennis Team head coach for 10 years and many more at other universities. Armando currently runs a tennis program in Ames and has helped training countless numbers of emerging young tennis players, many of whom have been accepted to D1 colleges and played at high level competitive USTA tournaments. My daughter who is currently #1 in Iowa for 12U is one of those kids who has come this far in her tennis skills because of Armando. Armando is not only a great coach but also a very caring person. He is someone who cares about the kids who he trains. He often chatted with his students about school, family, vacation, etc. Armando goes beyond just being a coach, he would pick up his students if their parents couldn't drive them to trainings. His love for the sport of tennis is obvious, but his passionate in seeing and helping his students do well is far greater. I'm so honored to have this opportunity to nominate Armando for Outstanding Contribution to Youth High Performance Program.
Thrive Tennis Academy - Genesis Health Club, Clive, IA: Thrive Tennis Academy is second to none in the Iowa District. This year round program has competitive levels for each level of player that wants to play in tournaments as well as high school and beyond. They offer a fitness program along with clinics for the juniors.
High School State Results from Thrive Juniors:
2A Mixed State Champions
2A Girls Doubles State Champions
2A Boys Doubles State Champions
1A Boys Singles State Champion
USTA Junior Team Tennis Organizer:
Brenton Kuchera, Waterloo, IA: Junior Team Tennis has been a hard sell in our district for many years but this year it has taken off.
Brenton organized a 18U co-ed team from Waterloo that played in the USTA Missouri Valley section JTT Qualifier. The qualifier was held in Waterloo at Byrnes Park.
Brenton's JTT team won the qualifying event, making his team eligible for the JTT Section Championships later this summer in Oklahoma.
Outstanding Contributor to the USTA League Tennis Program:
None Submitted.
Outstanding Adult/Senior Tennis Tournament:
None Submitted.
Outstanding Junior Tennis Tournament:
Krisha Keeran, Club Kids for a Cause, Iowa City, IA: Club Kids for a Cause was started by several Cedar Falls high school tennis players as a fundraiser for a Blackhawk tennis club (Waterloo) employee that was ill. The organization was developed into a non-profit that now hosts 2 tournaments annually (Feb/Aug) and uses the profits to support an individual that has a significant health issue. This organization truly gives back to the community, and is often providing these funds to a local tennis player (adult or junior), and would be a very deserving recipient of the "Outstanding Junior tournament" award.
Great River Tennis L7 COED Tournament, Muscatine, IA: It’s time to play tennis!! This L7 competition afforded the opportunity for those wanting to increase their play level and challenge themselves. Perfect for the less experienced players who just can’t get enough playing time.
The L 7 tournament, Muscatine Great River Tennis L7 COED Open was held on a Wednesday evening in Muscatine's Weed Park. 20 players arrived ready to go on the unusually humid day.
The format allowed girls and boys to play in one pool and play 3 games each. A 6 set with add win was perfect for these anxious competitors. Volunteers aided the games if assistance was needed.
Players traveled from Moline, Cedar Rapids, lowa City, Muscatine, Davenport and even Des Moines. Raffle prizes ice water and treats added to the fun!
Players all read and signed the USTA player oath as proper tennis etiquette and sportsmanship were emphasized. Players said they loved the opportunity to play kids from different towns. Players gained new friends and more skill and satisfaction from a day of fair play tennis!
By the evenings' end players received medals for their fine play and extraordinary sportsmanship. This L 7 turned out to be an Outstanding Junior Tournament! Thanks USTA for offering this level of tennis play.
We needed this stepping stone for growth. This was the third year in a row for this L7 tournament. It would not have started had it not been for the incentive to conduct at L7 tournament, with the chance to win money to put towards tennis programming in a raffle drawing, implemented by the Iowa Tennis Association and TSR, John Terpkosh! We didn’t win the raffle drawing but learned the importance of offering and organizing these beginner tournaments.
Outstanding Official:
Milica Oliver, Iowa City, IA: Mili Oliver stepped up to the challenge with short notice to agree to officiate at our Muscatine T. Beckley Jr. Tennis Open tournament July 13, 2024 at the Muscatine High School Tennis Courts. She signed up to officiate all day, as long as we needed, to ensure the players had a top notch competitive experience during our second day of competition, right through the finals! It was a hot and humid day, with few breaks, but was always up to the challenge of ensuring fair and competitive play was had by all! This was the first time that we utilized an official at this L6 tournament, and we were not disappointed! Having Mili officiate courtside was a huge benefit to ensuring fair play and encouraging good sportsmanship on and off the court. Her dedication and positivity throughout the day was a true blessing to making our tournament a huge success! She said she enjoyed the opportunity to officiate and would put us on her calendar to officiate again in our future tournaments! Thank you Mili for your devotion to the sport and encouraging fair play and competition. Officiating is a tough job under often hot and humid conditions and doesn't pay a lot, but is so important to elevate the game of tennis. It takes passionate officials like Mili to step up and do what is necessary to progress tennis competition in Iowa. Thank you Mili!
High School Coach of the Year:
Eric Lucy, Dubuque, IA: What started as an unspecified journey as a volunteer helper in 2015 has morphed into a milestone for Wahlert boys tennis coach Eric Lucy.
Tuesday’s 7-2 victory over Cedar Rapids Prairie secured win No. 100 for Lucy, the ninth-year Golden Eagles leader. His overall mark improved to 100-34 since taking over in 2016. After serving as a volunteer helper in 2015, Lucy took the reins in 2016 and won a state title alongside co-head coach Julie Westercamp. The pair added another state championship in 2018.
When Westercamp, who succumbed to cancer in 2020, was first diagnosed in 2017, Aimee Walsh joined the coaching staff and has remained a constant ever since.
Aside from the titles in 2016 and 2018, Wahlert has claimed bronze the last three seasons in the Class 1A state tournament. This year’s team is currently 7-0, highlighted by wins over longtime foes Cedar Rapids Xavier and Iowa City West. Wahlert opened the season with a 5-4 victory over Xavier, winners of the last four Class 1A team titles and a team it hadn’t beaten since 2018.
Prior to last week’s 5-4 win over 2A Iowa City West, which holds an Iowa-best 11 state titles, the Golden Eagles had been shutout in every matchup with the Trojans since 2016.
“I did think that this year we could have one or two guys win their match (against Iowa City West), but I had no illusions that we were gonna win,” Lucy admitted. “Our guys have just done such a great job in these tight third-set tiebreakers. They are just so battle-tested.”
Eric Lucy deserves so much credit and respect for his commitment to these young players! He is an outstanding human.
Zach Maertens, Urbandale, IA: Zach is the head tennis coach for the Urbandale high school girls team. He is a fantastic coach for this team mostly because he is both caring and thoughtful. Zach has a passion to help his players become better by providing them many opportunities in the off season. He runs a summer junior development tennis program for boys and girls from 1st-12th grade and also provides opportunities for his players to work at the camp.
Urbandale has a track record for having a strong tennis program. More often than not, the Urbandale teams are often made up of volleyball players and other girls that don't consistently do indoor tennis clinics at the local clubs. However, they consistently field a competitive team that usually ranks right behind teams like Dowling Catholic, Waukee NW, Valley, and Johnston. These teams are consistently ranked as the top teams in the state.
As an assistant coach, and now the head coach, Zach has continued that record of fielding competitive teams. Urbandale has also long been known for their strong doubles teams with their unique aggressive net play. Urbandale often sends doubles teams to the state tournament, and also competes well in the team regionals.
The Urbandale girls team is lucky to have Coach Maertens as their coach!
Aaron Chalstrom, Clive, IA: Coach Aaron has been at the helm of the Dowling Girls Team for the last 3-4 years. Each year he and the team have gotten closer to a team championship and they finally were victorious this past year. Coach Aaron does a terrific job of handling the different personalities of each of his players. He always does it with a calm cool attitude as well. Coach Aaron has a great coaching staff that helps him with all the girls as well. He is very respectful of his opposing coaches and their teams. Coach Aaron is a tremendous roll model for this players as well as their parents on how to respond to adversity and the likely ups and downs when it comes to tennis.
Chuck Schupbach, Waterloo, IA: I would like to take this opportunity to nominate the late Chuck Schupbach for this years Coach of the Year Award. Chuck started as a volunteer assistant at Waterloo Columbus Catholic High school in 2002 when his oldest daughter, Andrea was a freshman. Throughout the next twenty plus years he was vital to all of the success that the Sailors have had. This included the following state championships: 2002 State Team champion, 2004 State Team champion, 2005 State Team champion, 2006 Doubles championship (Andrea and Michelle Schupbach-his two daughters), 2006 State Coed champion, 2006 State Team Champion, 2007 State Doubles champion, 2007 State Team Champion, 2008 State Doubles Champion, 2011 State Team Champion, 2012 State Doubles Champion, 2013 State Doubles Champion, 2013 State Team Champion, 2014 State Team Champion, 2014 State Coed Champion, 2015 State Team Champion, 2016 State Singles Champion, 2016 State Doubles Champion, 2016 State Coed Doubles Champion, 2016 State Team Champion, 2017 State Doubles Champion, 2017 State Coed Champion
2017 State Team Champion, 2018 State Doubles Champion, 2018 State Team Champion, 2019 State Coed Champion, 2021 State Singles Champion, 2022 State Team Champion, 2023 State Singles Champion, 2023 State Team Champion. In addition the Sailors have other runner-ups during this time.
Much of the success was due to "Coach Chuck". He was always there with a "twinkle in his eye mixed with a fair bit of mischief" as a former player said. He was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia a little over two years ago. In spite of the diagnosis he continued to give his all to his team. Half way through the season this year his conditioned worsened and he spent much of the last half of the season, not on the tennis court, but in the hospital. Chuck continued to be with us in spirit. Coach Chuck passed away on July 17, 2024 in Rochester Minnesota. Chuck and his wife, Janet as well as their two daughters were long time players in their own right and were past winners of the "Tennis Family of the Year" award.
Chuck was liked by his players as well as other players and other coaches. He will truly be missed. I think he would be a very worthy candidate for this award.
Outstanding Diversity Achievement:
Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation, Cedar Rapids, IA: Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation partnered this year to host the Fred Johnson ALL Stars tennis tournament on June 29-30 at Veterans Memorial Tennis Courts. This section event was a collaboration of four key partners to make this event happen in Cedar Rapids; USTA Iowa, Cedar Rapids Park & Recreation, USTA Missouri Valley and the River Cities Tennis Association.
CR Parks provided the tennis court complex (12 beautiful courts),and complex amenities (extra picnic tables, restrooms, garage cans).
This tennis tournament was for Special Olympian adults from 7 organizations (CR Parks, Davenport West Enders, Scott County Masters, Team Oklahoma, Team Kansas, Lincoln Tennis Buddies) around the section. The tournament offered 5 divisions of abilities (skill, red ball, orange ball, green ball and yellow ball) for 60 athletes.
This section event has not been hosted in Iowa for many years so this unique partnership of organizations made that possible.
Highlights from the ALL Stars weekend included several social & competitive opportunities including; a paint wall, a serving contest, evening baseball games with the Kernels, a stress ball scavenger hunt, daytime fireworks and "fun" doubles.
Cedar Rapids Park & Recreation provided the largest number of tennis athletes for the tournament. We were able to tap into their city contract with a local t-shirt company, we got a great deal on all the t-shirts for athletes, coaches and volunteers.
Partnering to host the event locally was a showcase moment for the City of Cedar Rapids.
Distinguished Service:
Todd Derifield & Craig Danner, Waterloo, IA: I would like to take this opportunity to nominate Todd Derifield & Craig Danner for the Community Service Award. Todd Derifield is the city forester for Waterloo Iowa . Craig Danner is in charge of physical facilities for Waterloo Leisure Services.
Todd is in charge of the trees in the city of Waterloo. Many of these trees are at the fabulous Byrnes Park Tennis Center. Byrnes Park is a 16 court facility noted for the shade as well as other amenities for tennis players. On Tuesday May 7th we had some straight line winds land on court 3 continue on through court 13 doing much damage. We lost approximately 35 trees that morning. Some of these trees were close to seventy years old. There were trees down on tennis courts, fences down on tennis courts and the like.
The next day we had scheduled the Boys' High School Individual Regionals. Todd had his men, and himself (wearing a necktie, none the less) down there by noon and worked till dusk trying to clean up the mess. He and Craig brought in a crane and lifted damaged 70 year old pine trees out of the area. Somehow by the next morning we had 14 of the 16 courts playable and cleaned up.
Less than two weeks later Byrnes Park hosted the Boys' 1A state tournament. By then the fences had been replaced and all 16 courts were very playable. One week later we hosted the Girls' State Team tournament and, with the exception of several stumps .
The teamwork of Mr. Derifield and Mr. Danner epitomizes the synergy of the Forest Department and the Leisure Service Department for the city of Waterloo. They did not have to "shift into high gear" in this situation but did and really aided in our quest to maintain one of the highest quality tennis facilities in the state. In my opinion this is a true example of community service.