USTA GLOSSARY OF TERMS

AAKD – (Arthur Ashe Kids Day)

AAU – (Amateur Athletic Union)

AARP – (American Association of Retired Persons)

Aces for Kids – A national initiative of the USTA that is overseen by USTA Foundation in conjunction with the USTA Public Affairs Committee that strives to promote healthy lifestyles by combating childhood/adult obesity by providing disadvantaged, at risk children with the opportunity to learn to play tennis and improve their academic skills in a structured format.

Adaptive Tennis – Provides opportunities to all populations to enjoy the sport of tennis, and to realize the benefits of the sport and its life challenging opportunities.

AMC – (Annual Meeting and Conference)

ATA – (American Tennis Association) A tennis association that has historically promoted player development and playing opportunities for African Americans.

ATP – (Association of Tennis Professionals) An international assoc. of professional tennis players that provides competitive opportunities with tournaments in its tour. It became limited to male players after the formation of the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association)

Board Leader/Leadership Team – A member of the Board of Directors of the USTA responsible for oversight of a council.

Board Liaison – A Member of the USTA Board of Directors who is responsible for two-way communication between the board and the Council and the committees within that Council.

BOD – (Board of Directors) Elected volunteers who are responsible for the policy management of the organization. The board is comprised of five officers plus nine directors-at-large and the immediate past president.

Cardio Tennis – Promoted in cooperation with the TIA, Cardio Tennis is a new, fun group activity featuring drills to give players of all abilities an ultimate, high-energy workout.

CT – (Community Tennis)

CTA – (Community Tennis Association) Any incorporated, geographically defined, not-for-profit, volunteer-based organization that supports or provides programs that promote and develop the growth of tennis.

Committee Chair – Individual appointed by the President to coordinate the activities and deliberations of a volunteer committee and participate on the council.

Committee Members – Individuals appointed by the President to participate in volunteer committee activities and deliberations.

Committee Staff Liaison – Staff members with committee liaison responsibilities. The staff liaison does not vote on committee matters.

Committee Staff Member – Staff members who serve as members of a USTA committee. As a committee member, this individual votes on committee matters.

Committee Vice Chair – Individual appointed by the President to assist the Committee Chair and to assume the duties of the Chair as assigned or needed.

Core Value – Defined as a fundamental belief for which the organization stands and which seldom changes. It is a key concept/idea used as criteria for decisions about goals and behaviors.

Council Chair – Individual appointed by the President to coordinate and integrate the activities of committees within a council and to facilitate two-way communication between the council and the board.

Department Heads – Staff managers responsible for the day-to-day department operations.

Direct Reports/Senior Staff – The Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer’s direct reports who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of a major business unit or function. Examples are Professional Tennis; Player Development; Sponsorship and Marketing; Community Tennis Development; Legal: Finance and Administration; Diversity and Inclusion; USTA Foundation; National Tennis Center)

District Associations – Each sectional association may contain one or more districts associations or subdivisions, the boundaries of which shall be fixed by sectional association. Diversity and Inclusion – Recognizing the distribution or existence of differences in culture, ethnicity, race, gender, beliefs, socio-economic status, physical ability, religion, sexual orientation, appearance, and ideas and striving to include all diverse populations in everything that we do as an organization.

Director – Staff manager responsible for the day-to-day operations of their department

DEUCE – (Disparity Elimination Using Care and Exercise) A program designed to help multi-cultural communities throughout the U.S. achieve an equal or even footing with non-multicultural populations in the areas of health and fitness.

Executive Committee – A legislative body responsible for approval of rules and/or regulations of the USTA. The Committee is made up of one delegate from each of the 17 sections, the Board of Directors, the Past Presidents or the organization, the Presidential Appointees and the Player Representatives.

ED – (Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer) Staff Executive responsible for the day-to-day operations of all business units.

First Vice President – A member of Board of Directors who assists the President and assumes the duties of the President as assigned or needed.

Friend at Court – a Manual used to help interpret the rules of tennis.

Gang of 51 – A group representing leadership of the 17 sections made up of the president, delegate, and executive director of each section.

IHRSA – (International Health, Racquet and Sports club Association) A trade association serving the health and fitness club industry.

IT – (Information Technology)

ITF – (International Tennis Federation) The international governing body for the sport of tennis

ITA – (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) A governing body regulating competitive tennis for institutions of higher learning in the United States.

JTT – (Junior Team Tennis) A youth team concept emphasizing fun, fitness and friends. JTT is a multi- week program of team practice and match play for boys and girls ages 6 to 18. Teams are comprised of players of similar age and skill level. Leadership Call – A conference call held shortly after each board meeting to update the leadership about pertinent issues, top and decisions made at the board meeting. Lead by the First Vice President, these calls involve section presidents/executive directors/delegates, USTA Senior Staff, board liaisons to the sections, and council chairs.

Leadership Meeting – The Leadership meeting is generally held at the start of each president’s term and involved those previously mentioned, plus committee chairs and staff members/liaisons. Its purpose is to set the President’s vision for the USTA and orientation for new Council and Committee Chairs as well as to enhance communications for the new term.

MAY – (Membership Innovation, Adult Implementation, Youth Imperative) An acronym for the three focus areas of USTA as laid out in 2014.

Membership – There are five primary membership classes: Sectional Associations, Direct Clubs and Organizations, Organizational Members, Individual Members and Honorary Members. Frequently the term membership is used in reference to those with voting rights at the annual meeting of the membership. That voting power is determined by the Organization Member fees in dollars combined with the number of individual members in each section and is exercised by the Section Delegate.

Mission Statement – The USTA Mission Statement is, “To Promote and Develop the Growth of Tennis.”

MCW – (Multicultural Coaches Workshop) Workshop to improve the effectiveness of minority coaches and to address special problems they might encounter and improve diversity with the USTA.

NAIA – (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics)

NFHS – (National Federation of State High School Associations)

NCAA – (National Collegiate Athletic Association) The governing body for collegiate athletic competition between institutions of higher learning.

NIRSA – (National Intramural Recreational Sports Association)

NGB – (National Governing Body) USTA is the NGB for tennis.

NJCCA – (National Junior College Athletic Association) NJTL – (National Junior Tennis and Learning) Founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder, the USTA/NJTL network is a nation-wide group of community tennis organizations seeking to develop the character of young people through tennis and education.

NTC – (National Tennis Center) The tennis facilities at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Flushing, NY. The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is owned and operated by the USTA and is the site of the US Open.

NRPA – (National Recreation and Park Association)

NTRP – (National Tennis Rating Program) An enhanced tennis rating system that generates player ratings at regular intervals over the course of a season.

PE4Life – A national organization dedicated to making quality health and wellness based physical education available to every student across the country.

PD – (Player Development) The USTA Player Development program available to top US players and those that have shown the potential to be outstanding players in the future.

PTR – (Professional Tennis Registry) An international association of tennis teaching professionals founded to educate, certify and service tennis teachers and coaches around the world.

President and Chairman of the Board and CEO – Volunteer head of the association responsible for volunteer appointments and general oversight of Association activities.

RCW – (Recreational Coaches Workshop) A workshop designed to share knowledge and skills with coaches and community tennis instructors.

SAM – (Semi-Annual Meeting)

Sectional Associations/Sections – The USTA is divided into seventeen geographic “sections”, each governed by a sectional association board of directors which is empowered by the USTA to fulfill the constitutional purpose of the USTA. They are manage the sport of tennis in the section’s geographical area in accordance with the USTA Constitution, Bylaws and Regulations.

Section Delegate – The elected official of a USTA Section who represents the membership of the sectional association. The Section Delegate is also a member of the Executive Committee.

Section President – The chief elected official of a USTA Section.

SGMA – (Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association)

Shape America – (Society of Health and Physical Educators). Formerly known as AAHPERD

SP – (Strategic Plan) A designated procedure for achieving the USTA mission.

10 and Under Tennis – The term used for youth play on smaller courts with age appropriate sized tennis racquets and lower compression balls.

Tennislink – A system designed to assist tennis activities by electronic registration, college of fees and posting of communications – including NTRP ratings and results. The technology (supported by our partner, active.com) is actively used by tournaments, leagues and the membership department.

TIA – (Tennis Industry Association) The TIA is a not-for-profit trade association representing the interest of its member companies by oversight of the industry and its needs. The TIA is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of the sport and pursuing the growth and vitality of tennis.

TDW – (Tennis Development Workshop) An annual conference hosted by the USTA for community tennis partners to network and share best practices with colleagues. The sessions at the workshop are targeted at providers delivering tennis in the community.

TOC – (Tennis on Campus) Program designed to provide college students with opportunities for team camaraderie, social networking, and rivaled competition through tennis – without the rigors of a varsity program.

TSR – (Tennis Service Representative) Sectional staff positions funded 80% by the USTA and 20% by the sections. The position was created to be an integral component in the delivery of USTA programs to local tennis providers and to the overall advancement of tennis participation to serve the tennis community in specific geographic areas.

TTC – (Tennis Teachers Conference) USTA conference for tennis teachers and coaches, focused on information and techniques to help improve coaching/teaching effectiveness.

USTA Adult/Senior Competition – Provides international tennis competition – both individual and teams in ITF tournaments for seniors. USTA League Tennis – The country’s largest recreational team tennis league. Adult teams are set up according to NTRP ratings to allow match competition at various skill levels. Winning teams advance from local to district, sectional and national championships.

USTA – (United States Tennis Association) The national governing body for tennis in the United States

USTA Pro Circuit – A series of tournaments organized by the USTA to give developing professional tennis players competitive opportunities. The circuit includes the following levels of prize money for each: Challenger ($25,000-$75,000), Futures ($10,000-15,000), Satellite ($10,000).

USOC – (United States Olympic Committee) A committee with representatives from the national governing bodies of each sport, recognized for participation in the Olympic Games.

USOS – (Emirates Airline US Open Series) is the five-week summer tennis season that links eight North American hard-court tournaments to the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open.

USONP – US Open National Playoffs

USHSTCA – United States High School Tennis Coaches Association

USPTA – (United States Professional Tennis Association) The world’s oldest and largest association of tennis-teaching professionals.

USRSA – United States Racquet Stringers Association

USTA Flex Leagues – Flexible League play designed with busy schedules in mind. Flex Leagues provide all the thrills of league tennis built around busy lifestyles by allowing matches to be scheduled at mutually agreeable times providing flexibility for the players and teams.

USTA Foundation – The charitable and philanthropic entity of the USTA that supports organizations and programs that enhance the lives of people through tennis and education. The mission of the foundation is to bring tennis and education together to change lives.

Wheelchair Tennis – In 1989, the USTA assumed responsibility for Wheelchair Tennis in the United States from the National Foundation for Wheelchair Tennis. The USTA became the first National Governing Body of both Olympic and Paralympic tennis governing Paralympics, Para Pan Am Games and the World Team Cup. WTA – (Women’s Tennis Association) An International Association of professional female tennis players that provides competitive opportunities for their gender. The WTA tour is the world’s largest presentation of women’s tennis.

WTT – (World TeamTennis) An innovative, co-ed professional team tennis league founded by Billie Jean King. Communities may also offer recreational leagues using the WTT format.