Raleigh Tennis Organization Honored with National Award for its Adaptive Programming
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., September 4, 2018 – The USTA has announced that Abilities Tennis Association of North Carolina in Raleigh, N.C., was awarded the 2018 USTA National Adaptive Tennis Community Service Award. The organization was honored at the USTA Semi-Annual Meeting, in New York City. The USTA annually bestows this recognition upon a program or program leader that has demonstrated continued excellence, dedication and service in tennis for an adaptive tennis community.
Abilities Tennis Association of North Carolina (ATANC) began in 2007 when a small group of parents and a coach united to provide tennis opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities. It has three mission goals: increase the availability of tennis clinics and tournaments in communities throughout N.C.; provide curriculum, resources and consultation to local Community Tennis Associations and provide specialized trainings to coaches, volunteers and PE teachers and student leaders interested in bringing tennis to special education classes in their schools; and provide opportunities for athletes to play unified doubles, which promotes inclusion.
ATANC helps change lives by giving those with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to learn a sport, hone a skill, improve physical fitness, socialize and build confidence. It creates the opportunity for inclusion, bringing those from all walks of life together to create an improved disposition for those with intellectual disabilities. All programs are free of charge for the athlete, and the ATANC hosts six tournaments a year throughout North Carolina. These tournaments allow athletes to come together and show off the skills that they have been developing at the clinics.
“Abilities Tennis Association of North Carolina continues to strengthen the building blocks for the future of their athletes,” said Craig Morris, Chief Executive, USTA. “Abilities Tennis provides over 1,000 participants with the opportunity to learn not only the game of tennis, but to also learn about themselves, be part of a team and grow and succeed on and off the court.”
The USTA Adaptive Tennis National Community Service Award was established in 2003. To qualify for a program award, the program must have been in existence for a minimum of three consecutive years and be either a registered USTA Adaptive Tennis program or have a USTA Adaptive Tennis affiliation. To qualify for an individual award, the recipient must have worked with an Adaptive Tennis program for a minimum of three consecutive years.
The USTA Semi-Annual Meeting and Conference brings together USTA Leadership, national staff, national committee members and section volunteers and staff in pursuit of the USTA mission: To promote and develop the growth of tennis. Along with leadership and committee meetings, the USTA Semi-Annual Meeting provides education opportunities for all attendees to develop and enhance their personal and professional skills and learn new ways to promote the game of tennis.
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The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 655,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.
For more information contact:
Tom LaDue, Manager, USTA Corporate Communications, (914) 697-2352, ladue@usta.com
