News from the Big Chair, October/November 2004
By Fritz Garger, CTA Executive Director

The fourth quarter is upon us, which signals a number of things for our Association. The playoff season is over – we hosted 11 playoffs for our leagues (senior, adult and junior), the majority of sanctioned tournament play is complete and the CTA is focusing on plans for 2005 and beyond. However, there are still several integral programs that are just now getting into high gear – our USA School Tennis Program and Team Colorado to name a few.
I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has supported our efforts this year – the CTA and CYTF boards, committee members, site directors, clinicians, verifiers, writers, coaches, advertisers, sponsors and all of the facilities and personnel involved in hosting and/or promoting the sport of tennis in our state.
The USTA held its semi-annual meeting in N.Y. in September. There were many bright spots of the meeting, one of which was the exposure of Colorado in media presentations at the General Session. I am very cognizant that for us to be successful in our effort to promote and development the sport it truly is a team effort. The CTA is fortunate to have such a wonderful and dedicated collection of people in our state. People from all corners of the state step up time and time again to benefit the game of tennis in their community and statewide. Our association has the ability to expand our scope because of our very solid foundation or base.
We offer more sanctioned leagues than any other state in the country (10 adult/senior and four junior), our sanctioned tournament schedule provides significant opportunities for players of all skill levels (novice/2.5 to satellite and advanced) and all ages (4-90+). The CTA continues to place an emphasis on supporting community and local associations, the Schools Program and other Community Development needs. And both the CTA (grants) and CYTF (grants and scholarships) provide financial support and services for individuals and communities to tap into meaningful resources. Our partnerships with parks and recreation departments statewide continue to expand and improve. All of this translates into a greater opportunity for all people who are interested to get involved in the sport in a way that is comfortable and enjoyable.
This year the USTA and tennis industry partners collaborated on a nationwide multi-million dollar marketing campaign centered around the concept of Tennis Welcome Centers. There is plenty of work to be done with this initiative, but the support and interest of the USTA and the tennis industry is apparent. Facilities and recreation departments will hopefully tap in and focus even more on the campaign in ’05. The CTA will provide whatever assistance we can to make this a success.
The other nationwide initiative that is a focus of the CTA is the promotion of tennis in diverse communities (with the USTA’s initial emphasis being for people of color). Our Association was the first to adopt a formal plan in the Section and meaningful steps have been taken this year. The board, committees and staff have taken ownership of the initiative and are dedicated to make things happen.
I would like to thank my staff for their dedication and commitment to the sport and the Association. Most of the players, professionals and facility personnel do not know about all of the time and energy spent on providing the programs and services for the CTA. We are not perfect – we’re human – and we make mistakes from time to time, but I’ll stack up my staff to any other tennis organization in the country. It is a real pleasure to work with them and to see the positive results of their efforts.
I hope you’ve had a great summer. May your fall and winter be enjoyable and rewarding. Best wishes.