2009 Adaptive Tennis Award - Special Pops, Atlanta, GA

The USTA is proud to recognize the Special Populations Tennis Program (Special Pops) of Atlanta, Ga., as the winner of the 2009 USTA Adaptive Tennis National Community Service Award.

The special needs program was formally recognized during the USTA's annual Community Tennis Development Workshop held on January 22-24, 2010 in San Diego, California. The USTA bestows the recognition upon a program or a program leader that has demonstrated continued excellence, dedication and service in tennis for an adaptive tennis community.

Based in the metropolitan Atlanta area, Special Populations Tennis Program is a nonprofit organization that offers an adaptive tennis program specifically designed to share the lifetime sport of tennis with children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Programs are offered free of charge to all skill levels, including those who have never played, and include year-round tennis instruction, league play and tournament competition. An equally important aspect of the program is the opportunity it offers these special athletes to build their self-confidence and life skills through social interaction with each other and the many dedicated volunteers who run the programs. Special Pops is a registered Community Tennis Association of the United States Tennis Association, an accredited agency of Special Olympics Georgia (SOGA) and the only tennis training arm for many local SOGA-accredited agencies.

Under the leadership of Executive Director Jim Hamm, Special Pops conducts coaches clinics throughout the USTA Southern Section to create awareness and educate tennis enthusiasts on methods for training players with special needs. As a direct result, ongoing tennis programs have been started in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, all of which have seen an increase in Special Olympics Tennis participation.

In keeping with the USTAs goal to grow the game of tennis, in 2008 Special Pops spearheaded the formation of the Special Populations Unified Doubles (SPUD) League under the USTA League umbrella, with the assistance and full cooperation of USTA Southern section. SPUD is the first league of its kind in the USTA organization with an adaptive format for players with special needs who are paired with a traditional tennis player in a team doubles tennis match. The SPUD league is expected to serve as a model for all USTA sections throughout the country.

For more information and videos, go to http://www.usta.com

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• USTA
• tennis
• 2009
• CTDW
• Adaptive
• Special Needs
• Atlanta
• Georgia
• Nonprofit
• Activism