Davis Cup Match for the Letes from Across the State
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texas section The President’s Advantage DR. ALFREDO TREVINO PRESIDENT, USTA TEXAS Presented by: texastennishotels.com No One Makes it Alone t was at the USTA Texas Section’s nis team, majored in political science Semi-Annual Meeting during a and got his law degree from the S.J. ISaturday luncheon and USTA Board Quinney College of Law. Member, Judge Andrew Valdez had After passing the bar he became a just finished his inspirational speech, public defender, served in the Army when every volunteer and staff mem- JAG Corps, played tennis in the ser- ber present felt compelled to rise to vice while stationed in Germany, their feet and give the good judge a and returned home to his old pub- standing ovation. Quite odd. In six years lic defenders job. In 1993, he was of attending section meetings I had appointed by Utah Gov. Michael never witnessed so much enthusiasm O. Leavitt to be the Third District for any speaker. This one was different. Juvenile Court Judge. He was the Andrew grew up very poor in Salt first and only Hispanic and the first Judge Andrew Valdez, USTA Texas President Dr. Alfredo Trevino Lake City. His father abandoned the and USTA Texas Executive Director Ken McAllister. public defender to be appointed as a family. Andrew being one of the oldest Photo by D. Hackett / USTA Texas. Juvenile Court Judge. of the four children, started working at After 18 years as a Juvenile Court an early age to help out the family. He shined shoes at age seven Judge he has received every award imaginable and has been called and was selling newspapers at the corner of Main and 2nd Street a “hero” numerous times. Judge Valdez credits Jack Keller and ten- by the time he was eight. He was there rain or shine, including the nis as the key to his successful career. He quickly agrees with USTA harsh snow days of winter in Utah. President Jon Vegoson, who calls tennis a sport of opportunity. At age 10 his life took a new direction. He was befriended by “It changed my life…without tennis I would not have gotten a Mormon gentleman named Jack Keller, who had a small print out of my scary neighborhood, seen the world and definitely shop near Valdez’s favorite corner. One day, Andrew asked Jack one would not be a lawyer and a judge. Tennis gave me the opportu- question. “Why don’t you ever buy a paper from me?” nity I needed to survive,” said Judge Valdez in an autobiography Jack took him to his print shop and gave him a job. Aside from about his life titled No One Makes It Alone. a job Jack mentored Andrew and showed him places in Salt Lake After having lost contact with his mentor for many years Judge City that he never had seen before. He took him to Liberty Park, Valdez ran into Jack in a homeless state, dirty and suffering from the University of Utah, to country clubs and even taught him to moderate stages of Alzheimer’s. Judge Valdez turned the tables play tennis. His horizon was immediately widened. and due to the tremendous gratitude he had for Jack, took him Andrew soon became aware that he had to stay in school, get in and cared for him until he passed away from the dreaded dis- good grades and go to college in order to be successful. He also ease. aspired to be a lawyer and finally it made sense to him what he had Everyone present at the section luncheon rose to their feet at to do to achieve his goal. the end of Judge Valdez’s story, nobody could help it … tennis He learned self discipline from playing tennis and continued really must be the sport of opportunity…everyone was witness- playing in high school which kept him off the streets and out of ing the living proof. gangs. Eventually after graduating from West High School, he Copies of No One Makes It Alone by Judge Andrew Valdez, can attended the University of Utah where he walked on to the ten- be found at Amazon.com 14 TennisLife MAGAZINE OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2 011 Kenny Mc’s Corner BY KEN MCALLISTER USTA Texas Staff EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, USTA TEXAS Presented by: 512-443-1334 Office Ext. E-mail Executive Director Ken McAllister x201 [email protected] Administrative Department Director of Administration Junior Team Tennis ‘Redux’ Rhonda Lindsey x204 [email protected] am writing this article just after HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel inter- Office Manager / Awards Coordinator view of John and Patrick McEnroe. The implication from the interview is that Pam Jaeger x216 [email protected] tennis is not growing in America because we have fewer of the top players in Controller I Larry Eichenbaum x222 [email protected] the world. It is interesting that tennis in America declined the most as Jimmy Connors and McEnroe were being replaced by Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and Community Development Department Andre Agassi, and the women were moving from Martina Navratilova and Director of Community Development Chris Evert to Venus and Serena Williams. Mike Carter x207 [email protected] Our growth since 2000 has been the strongest since the 1970’s and well ahead Assist. Director Community Development / CTAs / Tennis On Campus of other traditional sports, but the list of top American players has dwindled. I Todd Carlson x208 [email protected] am not certain that the two are related, but the implication by the HBO show is Junior Team Tennis Coordinator certainly not true. Tennis is growing in America and may be on the verge of the Eric Clay x212 [email protected] greatest growth spurt ever. Community Development Support Staff / Wheelchair Coordinator Taylor Helfeldt X219 [email protected] What is true about American tennis is that we have not been exposing all Community Development Support Staff / NJTL Coordinator / Diversity youngsters to tennis at the same time and age that soccer, baseball, and other Nichole Williams x218 [email protected] sports do. Therefore, we do not get our fair share of athletes to compete on the Tennis Service Representative - Fort Worth / North Central Region world scene, and we do not get our fair share of youngsters getting excited and Laura Gilbert [email protected] committed to tennis. The front and center answer is in the form of 10 & Under Tennis Service Representative - Houston / Southeast Region Tennis which exposes youngsters the same time as the other sports. Cindy Benzon [email protected] Right now the largest tennis program in Texas is deep into its playoffs. It has Tennis Service Representative - Panhandle / West Texas more players than USTA Junior Competitive Tennis. We at USTA Texas have less Amanda Randle [email protected] than 25,000 junior USTA players, the UIL High School Team Tennis may have over Tennis Service Representative - Dallas / Northeast Region 40,000 players each year. Each team has seven boys and seven girls with others Robyn Readicker [email protected] vying for a position. What this implies is that Team tennis is key to coming up to Tennis Service Representative - Waco / Austin/San Antonio Sam Jones [email protected] the McEnroes’ expectations. Tennis Service Representative - South Texas Whether our goal is larger numbers or better top players, the answer is clearly Katy Rogers [email protected] the same. We must make our sport more public. There are two ways. The one we have the most control over requires a paradigm shift from expecting pros Competitive Department and clubs to produce players and to follow the models of Little League Baseball Director of Competitive Tennis and Youth Soccer. That one requires more parents coaching and more com- Steve Cobb x210 [email protected] munity involvement. The vehicle after 10 & Under Tennis is Junior Team Tennis Adult & Senior Competitive Coordinator (JTT) from ages 11 at least up to high school. This would achieve the broader Nancy Perkins x217 [email protected] base of players that would feed the exceptional players into the willing arms of Section League Coordinator Tosha Smith x231 [email protected] our excellent teaching professionals. The Community Tennis Association (CTA) Junior Competitive Coordinator Expansion Plan has had this in mind as we work to strengthen our umbrella Melissa Chambers x220 [email protected] CTA’s and put them in charge of growing JTT. Junior Competitive Coordinator If you have time, offer up your services to your local CTA to help them build Paige Schumacher x211 [email protected] a public JTT program on the model of baseball and soccer. Tennis is a lifetime Junior Competitive Coordinator healthy sport that certainly should be a primary choice of kids. Nick Arnold x209 [email protected] Finally, there is a second way to make tennis more public simultaneously with the NTRP/Assistant League Coordinator first. It is to encourage the schools to support tennis in the same way as they support Todd Reed x232 [email protected] other sports. Many schools have perpetuated the myth that tennis and golf are for Field Staff - 10 and Under the rich kids. Therefore they do not have to support it as much. Even if it was true, Amanda Shaw [email protected] and it is not, all youngsters should be exposed to a sport that will benefit them for Marketing Department life. We must advocate tennis to our schools – using 10 & Under and JTT. For more information, contact our Community Tennis Association Coordinator Director of Marketing Stephanie Arena x206 [email protected] Todd Carlson at [email protected] or Junior Team Tennis Coordinator Communications Manager Eric Clay at [email protected].