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GRAND SLAM:
USTA Sections Earn Honors at TGA Youth Sports Summit
USTA Southern California
and USTA Mid-Atlantic Take Home Multiple Awards
Two United States Tennis Association
(USTA) sections were big winners at the annual TGA Premier Sports
Franchise Summit. Nancy Abrams and Alex Chan (Area Directors/Program
Managers) and their respective USTA Sections from the Southern
California and Mid-Atlantic took home a combined four awards
at the week-long summit.
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The summit in Palm Springs (Dec.
9-13) was an opportunity for TGA (Teach Grow Achieve) chapters
across the country to come together to collaborate on community
efforts to grow tennis, and learn from each others and successes
over the past year. The summit culminated with the recognition
of high-achieving franchises/chapters, area directors and coaches
with a ceremony lead by TGA CEO Joshua Jacobs. |
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Abrams and Chan, each known for
their dedication to youth tennis, have built teams that strive
to provide high quality tennis instruction in a fun and engaging
environment. Their USTA Sections were among the first to invest
in the TGA Premier Sports franchise model to grow tennis in their
communities.
Abrams and her San Fernando Valley
chapter in Southern California, which impacts more than 40 schools
and 3,400 kids, earned three honors that included the Steve Tanner
Award for the highest percentage revenue increase year over year.
One of her coaches, Will Mauriz, earned Tennis Coach of the
Year Award sponsored by Head/Penn for elevating the brand with
TGA spirit, and Abrams won the Michael Jacobs Award as the top
Area Director for her work in supporting the TGA Sports Foundation
and its benefactors. In addition, Abrams was also awarded a $2,500
grant to use in San Fernando Valley for scholarships.
Abrams is proud of the of progress
made thus far, "The SCTA/TGA Premier Tennis team has been
very productive throughout the past few years, and I am immensely
proud of our collective success. We look forward to further growth
in our school campuses, community centers and tennis facilities,
and moving students along the player progression pathway in 2018."
Chan, who is the director of
TGA of Howard County, has been taking full advantage of the opportunity
to grow youth tennis through the Mid-Atlantic Section's Master
Franchise that covers three states and the District of Columbia.
Chan, who has run programs in
33 schools impacting 840 kids to date, earned the Engage Award
for the franchise that's responsible for the biggest impact TGA
franchise businesses through engagement with the network. The
award was voted on at the summit by other franchises and Area
Directors.
"As a TGA Chapter Director,
I am very humbled to receive this recognition," said Chan.
"I am so pleased to be a part of the tremendous progress
we have achieved already in under two years in growing quality,
sustainable tennis programs in the Mid-Atlantic areas where we
have found that there is a great need. We are growing our sport
better and faster than ever before through TGA, and I look forward
to continuing this trend for years to come."
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TGA launched its tennis business
in 2012 after signing a national partnership with the USTA. The
model is the only youth sports franchise company that specializes
in tennis.
Of the TGA's programs, 80 percent
are school-based enrichment for children (ages 5-13) in kindergarten
through eighth grade and run at local school districts, private
schools and community centers. The remaining 20 percent are through
camps and parent/child events run at partner tennis facilities
or community courts. |
USTA, the sport's governing body,
realized the importance of youth programming for future sustainability.
In TGA they saw the youth sports franchise model and its innovative
delivery system with schools as way to develop consistent programming
through local entrepreneurs becoming vested in growing the sport
in their community.
Schools present the ideal platform
to offer tennis to the masses right along-side other mainstream
sports. By bringing tennis to the schools with a high value proposition
for parents, TGA puts the sport on a level playing field increasing
participation, gaining new players and identifying potential
talent.
Currently, there are TGA tennis
franchises in 44 markets across the country with more than 90,000
participants, which now accounts for over 25 percent of all in-school
tennis programs nationwide.
Families and schools have embraced
the youth sports model and its programs because they create a
healthy and safe environment for students at schools and community
centers. The school-based curriculum includes tennis skill progression,
education subjects and STEM/STEAM Labs, in addition to physical
fitness and health components. The program can also be utilized
anywhere on school campuses regardless of weather, including
gymnasiums, hallways, cafeterias, fields and blacktops giving
the program the ability to run year-round.
For more information about TGA
Premier Tennis or to inquire about a franchise in your community,
visit www.playtga.com.
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