SKILLMAN, N.J. - Wichita State University Director of Tennis Chris Young has been named the national winner of the USTA/ITA Community Service Award. He will be honored on December 15 at the ITA Coaches Convention at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami, during the ITA Membership and Awards Banquet.
The USTA/ITA Community Service Award honors an ITA coach for significant contributions in developing community-based tennis programs through community centers, schools, parks, community tennis associations, inner city, suburban or rural programs. The USTA/ITA Campus Recreation Award honors an ITA coach who has done an outstanding job implementing recreational tennis programs on campus in an effort to grow tennis participation.
"Dave and Chris are great examples of coaches who give back to their communities and campuses and our hope is that their efforts continue to inspire other varsity coaches to emulate the great work they are doing," says ITA Executive Director David A Benjamin. "We strongly believe that community service and campus recreation programs are vital for today's college coach to become involved in and these awards help highlight the coaches who have gone above and beyond in their efforts."
This year's national winners were selected from a group of USTA Sectional winners determined this fall (and listed below). This awards program, which began in 2003, was open to over 2,000 ITA head and assistant coaches at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College levels.
Young, who is also the award winner for the USTA/Missouri Valley Section, is in his third season as Director of Tennis for the men's and women's programs at WSU. He has spent countless hours working to promote tennis in the Wichita area with fresh, new programs and events throughout the entire year. Just a few of the numerous programs he has been a part of include: tennis carnivals, fundraising and promotion for wheelchair tennis, a successful pro-am with his WSU programs at a local club, use of ball kids at home matches, clinics and speaking engagements with local high school coaches and hosting several city and high school tournaments at the WSU tennis complex. He has also formed a doubles league for Wichita State faculty and staff and assisted with a USTA Tennis on Campus program there for students. All the while, he worked tirelessly to promote his successful Shocker tennis teams to build attendance at home matches, awareness on campus of them and the support of the local media.
