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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.

An item on the agenda each year is to nominate and vote on old and new board members. We added a new member to the board for 2021 – Dorothy Filson! Warm welcome to Dorothy! Dorothy is an avid tennis player, supporter and promoter of growing tennis in Belgrade, MT. We are excited to have her perspective and participation alongside our already outstanding group of board members!
2021 USTA Board of Directors and Staff
Officers:
Dave Luebbe, Bozeman –President
Gordon Terpe, Missoula -Vice President
Beth Brennan, Missoula, Secretary
Paige Darden, Billings, Treasurer
Scott Potter, Missoula, Past President
Directors:
Brad Knutson, Billings
Dirk Baker, Great Falls
Joey Staszcuk, Bozeman
Josh Munro, Kalispell
Laurie Cripe, Whitefish
Linda Stancil, Bozeman
Donna Miller, Helena
Kelly Crisp, Missoula
Anna Collins, Bozeman
Dorothy Filson, Belgrade
 Staff:
Lauren Olson, Executive Director
Andrea Johnson, District Lead Coordinator/Assistant Executive Director

 

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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.

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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.

 

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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.

Pat Eastman Memorial Junior Level 5 
When: August 28-30, 2020
Where: Billings MT
Entries close 8/25

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.

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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

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Local Summer Flex League

Flex Leagues are LOCAL, FUN and FLEXIBLE and allow you to play at your own pace and time, so you can fit tennis into your busy schedule.
6 Weeks: July 13 – August 23 Registration Deadline: July 7th
USTA Montana is offering a summer flex league in Billings, Bozeman, and Missoula for levels 3.0 – 4.5 for both men and women.
KEY POINTS about Flex League:
  • You are provided with a weekly suggested “play by date” schedule, but you and your opponents decide WHEN and WHERE you will play. (The FUN of leagues with the convenience of FLEX.)
  • Round Robin Format.
  • You can play the week 6 match the first week, or you can play 2 matches (or more) in a week, or none. You just need to complete the matches by the end of the season which ends.
  • The league consists of doubles teams for men and women at the 3.0 – 4.5 level.
  • The number of matches/weeks in a schedule depends on the number of persons/teams who register for your flight level, but we typically do not schedule fewer than four or more than seven matches in a “season.”
  • You can use a SUB when you need to because of travel, injury, or whatever. You do not need to tell us unless you are getting a “permanent sub.”
  • You do not have to be a USTA member to play FLEX league.
  • You can select the NTRP rating level you wish to play, even if you have a current USTA rating. So, you can play UP and you can play DOWN; we just want you to select the best competitive level for all.
  • Your Flex matches NEVER calculate in your USTA rating.

FAQ:

How many players on a team? 2 players to form doubles teams. Subs are allowed.

Do winners from local areas move on anywhere? No, this is just local play.

Do we report scores? Yes, players report their own scores into Tennislink using their match ID.

USTA Membership is not required for these leagues, however, the cost is $10 for the flex league season. This covers administrative fees,
How to Register: Contact Andrea Johnson for team number for you and your partner at ajohnson.mta@gmail.com
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Junior Tournament Updates

The USTA-MT board and Intermountain Junior Committee have met and made a few decisions/updates regarding upcoming tournaments.

-The Big Sky State Games, July 17-19, in Billings, is now a level 5 sanctioned tournament for 2020. Register and more information here.

-Dates have changed for the MT State Junior Open. New dates – July 30-Aug 2, Missoula, MT. The MT State Junior Open is still a level 4, but will also grant National Points to it in 2020. Register and more information here.

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Meadow Lark Tournaments Canceled

Both the MeadowLark Junior and Adult Open tournaments scheduled for July 8-12 in Great Falls have been canceled. Please contact Dirk Baker at dbaker@meadowlarkclub.com  with any questions.