Looking back at an epic 2024 as we head into an exciting new year

As an eventful and exciting 2024 came to a close and 2025 arrived with promise, let’s reflect on the past year’s most newsworthy stories in USTA Kansas!

February

USTA Missouri Valley President and Hall of Fame inductee Alex Lee chronicled his passion for tennis and service:

February is Black History Month, and USTA Kansas is always honored to highlight individuals in our district who have done so much to help grow the game of tennis in the communities we serve. This year, we shined the spotlight on Lee. The president of USTA Missouri Valley and a 2023 USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame inductee, Lee’s passion for the sport inspires others through his teaching and service to the tennis community.

March

Women’s History Month: Connie Robertson’s admirable dedication to tennis in Kansas:

For Women’s History Month, which takes place each March, we interviewed Robertson, whose tireless work bringing tennis to communities across Kansas and her selfless spirit earned her the 2023 USTA Missouri Valley President’s Award.

April

National Tennis Month: What’s happening in our district:

In late March and throughout the month of April, we previewed and promoted the awesome events taking place across Kansas for National Tennis Month, which is in May.

May

AAPI Feature: Kim Ritchie enjoys competing in, captaining USTA Kansas leagues:

In addition to being National Tennis Month, May is also Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the U.S. USTA Kansas paid homage to one of our amazing members, Kim Ritchie, who has quickly become a fixture in Wichita-area leagues.

June

National Tennis Month proclamation read during Special Olympics Kansas event:

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Mayor of the City of Maize Pat Stivers joined representatives from USTA Missouri Valley to proclaim May as National Tennis Month in the state of Kansas. The proclamation was declared during a May 31 kickoff event for the 2024 Special Olympics Kansas State Summer Games held at Maize High School.

July

Rising stars battle for top honors at Wichita Tennis Open:

The annual Wichita Tennis Open always brings can’t-miss performances from USTA Pro Circuit players, thoughtfully curated events that are fun for the whole family and the popular Kids’ Day hosted by USTA Kansas and the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation. This year’s tournament continued the tradition with high-octane match play in both singles and doubles and a $25,000 cash prize.

August

Genesis Foundation, USTA partner to bring summer studies to Wichita students:

USTA Kansas and the Genesis Foundation for Fitness & Tennis enjoy coming together to not only grow the game of tennis in our communities, but also to invest in the futures of children in our district. This partnership has borne programming for schools in our state that allow teachers to balance classroom learning with introductions to tennis, including the summer studies program in Wichita.

September

Q&A: Topeka captain Danielle Thoele shares team’s journey to spot in Section Championships:

In this article, we chatted with captain Danielle Thoele, whose 2.5 women’s team from Topeka made its way to the USTA Missouri Valley Section Championships this summer after a challenging start to the season.

October

USTA Kansas, Emporia State University host Play With the Players event:

On Oct. 19, USTA Kansas and Emporia State University hosted the annual Play with the Players event at Kossover Tennis Center in Topeka. ESU men’s and women’s tennis players led participants of all ages and abilities through instruction, drills and match play.

November

Q&A: Simon Norman discusses road to officiating, how to get involved:

November is Officials Appreciation Month, and Nov. 10-16 was USTA Officiating Appreciation Week. As such, we interviewed one of our top officials here in USTA Kansas, Simon Norman, who was recently selected for the district’s 2024 Outstanding Official Award.

December

Team Jones captain reflects on experience at USTA League National Championships:

2024 was a great year for our USTA League teams. USTA Kansas was well-represented at the USTA League National Championships taking place across the country, including by Team Jones, an 18 & Over 10.0 Mixed team out of Wichita, which had an incredible run at nationals. In this article, captain Dylan Jones reflected on this memorable season and how tennis brought his team together.