What do the new tournament levels mean?
50% discount for returning league players
You already know that tennis is the perfect sport for staying social while physically distancing. Now, we at the USTA are happy to offer you one more reason to get out and play.
Our USTA League players are the most passionate players in the United States and we appreciate you. Given that, all USTA League players are now eligible for a 50-percent discount on their USTA membership renewal. To secure your discount, use the promo code GOPLAY50 during the checkout process.
We hope you’ll take advantage of this offer as a sign of our appreciation. Please stay safe and get your family and friends out on the courts for THE perfect sport!
2021 Events and Updates
It goes without saying that 2020 has been a year we will not soon forget. We want to especially thank our members for their continued support and understanding to the issues and roadblocks we have faced so far. Although we had to cancel numerous tournaments and leagues, our staff and board have worked hard to find solutions, come up with new ideas, and draw up new schedules to make sure everyone can play tennis safely under these new circumstances. We are grateful to everyone who played a tournament or participated in one of our local flex leagues. To our entire Montana tennis community, thank you for pulling together through this challenging time!
As we look into 2021, there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel. We are cautiously evaluating our events and hope that we can persevere with much fewer interruptions, although it goes without saying that any tournament, league, or sectional championship will be reliant on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic at the time of each event. In order to provide match play opportunities in a safe environment, we will avoid food sharing and player parties.
For our adult players, you may have noticed that we have added level designations to our tournaments. In a move to provide tennis players across the country with more clarity and more opportunities to play in tournaments, the USTA has launched a new, simplified nationwide tournament structure. For the most part, our tournaments were already in line with the new structure and there will be no significant changes. We have simply added the relevant language to reflect the level of event. Level 7 is a local level tournament, and a Level 1 is national championship tournament. We have always offered levels 5-7, and coming in 2021, the adult portion (not junior) of the Western MT Open will be a level 4 Sectional Tournament.
For our 10 and Under Players, the USTA Youth Progression system has evolved into a new junior tennis development journey. The Net Generation PlayTracker is for players aged 5-10 and their parents to track progress at USTA competitive events, all in one place. Players will earn participation (play) points and results (win) points for all eligible play opportunities. Please see our 10 and Under Junior Circuit schedule on the enclosed calendar. Any stars or trophies from Youth Progression have already been converted into play and win points within the Net Generation PlayTracker. For more information on the Net Generation PlayTracker, please visit NetGeneration.com/PlayTracker. Any junior membership (under age 19) is also free starting this year.
Lastly, we are saying goodbye to TennisLink (for tournaments) in 2021. Now, you’ll be able to search for junior and adult tournaments right here. You can use new filters to search events by gender, age, level, distance, and format.
USTA-Montana is governed by a volunteer board of directors. Feel free to contact any of us, or find us at a tournament or league event.
USTA-Montana 2021 Board of Directors
Dave Luebbe, Bozeman
President |
Gordon Terpe, Missoula
Vice-President |
Beth Brennan, Missoula
Secretary USTA-Intermountain board member |
Paige Darden Montague, Billings
Treasurer |
Scott Potter, Missoula
Past President |
Dirk Baker
Great Falls |
Laurie Cripe
Whitefish |
Josh Munro
Kalispell |
Kelly Crisp
Missoula |
Brad Knutson
Billings |
Anna Collins
Bozeman |
Joey Staszcuk
Bozeman |
Linda Stancil
Bozeman |
Donna Miller
Helena |
Dorothy Filson
Belgrade |
Thank you for your support of tennis across the Big Sky and beyond.
2021 Calendar of Events
Our 2021 Calendar of Events can be found here:
Annual Meeting Update
USTA Montana Board of Directors and Staff had their annual meeting Saturday, October 17th from 9 am – 4 pm over Zoom. Items on the agenda included discussion of improving junior participation across the Montana, tournament and league schedule, statewide community tennis updates, the new Serve Tennis program that will replace Tennis Link and updates from ITA.

Now Accepting Nominations for our Board of Directors
USTA-MT is inviting nominations for the Board of Directors for the 2021-22 term. We are seeking candidates from you who understand our mission and are committed to growing and developing tennis in Montana. We value diversity in race, age, class, sexual identity, and geographic location, and seek candidates (such as parents) who have junior players or are involved in junior tennis.
USTA-MT has a working board. Our board members are expected to attend 4 meetings a year (1 or 2 in-person events and 2 conference calls) and participate on at least 1 committee.
If you know someone who would make a good board member, or if you’re interested in joining the board yourself, please make a nomination! Only current member organizations and board members may submit nominations.
Submit your nomination here by September 30, 2020
The Nominating Committee will meet in early October to review all nominations and develop a proposed slate of board members and officers. The board of directors will then vote on the slate at the Annual Meeting on October 17, 2020.
Local Mixed Doubles Flex League Coming in September
Local and flexible mixed doubles leagues will be organized in Billings, Bozeman, and Missoula for levels 3.0-4.5. You don’t have to be a current USTA member to play. Sign up with a doubles partner to play or contact us if you need a partner.
Play begins September 8th and ends October 18th.
Registration Deadline: Friday, August 28th.
Contact Andrea Johnson at ajohnson.mta@gmail.com to register and for more information.
How it works: We publish the schedule and it is up to each doubles team to contact their opponents and get their matches played before October 18. When you play is up to you! Bring your own balls and enter your scores on TennisLink using your match ID number. The match ID number can be found on your match schedule, which will be posted to TennisLink on or before September 8.
Pat Eastman Memorial Junior Level 5 – August 28-30, 2020
With the cancelation of the Montana State Junior Open Level 4, the Montana board had a call to brainstorm another potential junior tournament. There is limited inventory and our focus still remains on supporting our local providers and facilities. It was agreed upon to host the junior portion of the Billings Labor Day Tournament the weekend before and convert it to a Level 5.
Play will take place at Pioneer Park. Off 3rd and Grand. Billings, MT 59101 & The Elks Tennis Center 934 Lewis Ave.
Format: Draws with 3 or 4 players will feature Round Robbin format, Draws with 8 OR 16 players will feature compass draw format, Draws with 5-7 OR 9-15 players will feature modified full feed consolation format.
Scoring: All matches will be 2/3 tiebreak sets with a 10 point tie breaker in lieu of a third set.
Last Chance Tennis Center is Hiring A Club Manager
Overview of LCTA
The Last Chance Tennis Center is a nonprofit group of tennis enthusiasts. Members have access to a 3‐court indoor tennis center located near the airport at 2910 Skyway Drive in Helena, Montana. LCTA provides an indoor tennis facility, as well as access to tennis pros, clinics, tournaments, special tennis events, and other playing opportunities.
General
- The Manager will report directly to the club President, and will work with the Board members to offer appropriate services to the club members.
- The Manager will proactively find ways to create a positive, welcome environment at the club
- The Manager will respond promptly to queries and concerns from members and potential members
- The Manager will attend Board meetings and report to the Board about club updates
- The Manager will be the de facto “face of the Club” The manager will be encouraged to participate in various civic events to promote LCTA and its benefits Tennis Development
- The Manager will work with the Board, tennis pros, and members to help organize and administer tennis playing opportunities, such as leagues, tournaments, clinics, social events, and junior tennis events.
- The Manager will provide new member orientation to all new members, including providing those members opportunities to get “plugged” into the various groups, leagues, and clinics.
- The Manager will make a concerted effort to keep current members using the club and make sure their needs are met.
Building & Grounds
- The Manager will be primarily responsible for maintaining excellent court conditions and cleaning the courts periodically as necessary
- The Manager will be responsible for building maintenance, which includes keeping bathrooms and kitchen cleaned and maintained, working with vendors for all repairs as necessary in alignment with Club budget, and making sure the club is properly maintained
- The Manager will be responsible for hiring/contracting (subject to Board approval), training, supervising, paying, and scheduling of other personnel/contractors needed for building and court maintenance
Billing and Club Administration
- The Club Manager will work directly with the Board Treasurer to assist with and administer billing of members
- The Club Manager will work directly with the Board Treasurer to assist with other accounting and budgeting matters as directed, including paying club bills, overseeing budget, and maintaining accurate accounting records
- The Club Manager will work directly with the Board to maintain the Club Automation scheduling/communication software
- The Manager will work with the Board to help generate revenue for the club through activities such as fundraising, selling advertising, and developing new marketing opportunities
- The Manager will periodically update the club website, social media, and generally assure that members are updated of events and news in a timely manner
- The manager will work with the Board and teaching tennis pros to handle court bookings, court allocation, and other items, and to ensure pros have insurance and proper paperwork to teach at the club on file.
Other Duties:
From time to time, the Board may assign other projects to the Manager. Those could include projects regarding memberships, maintenance, feasibility studies, and other tennis‐ related items.
Qualifications
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Comfort with electronic communications
- Ability to multi task and manage projects independently
- Attention to detail and strong work ethic
- Interest in and general understanding of tennis is strongly preferred
- Ability to handle minor repairs and building maintenance is preferred
- Comfort with Excel and QuickBooks is preferred, or a desire to learn the software
- Prior experience in facilities management and/or hospitality is preferred
- Being a current club member is preferred, though not necessary
Timing
Compensation
$15 to $20 per hour, negotiable based on experience
Free club membership during employment for manager and his/her immediate family