2009 USTA Northern Award Winners Honored At Minnesota Valley CC

2009 USTA Northern Award Winners Biographies

Albert Teeter Adult Sportsmanship Award

Patti Rhodus (St. Paul, Minn.) is the winner of the Albert Teeter Adult Sportsmanship Award given to the adult player who best displays fairness, is generous, is a good loser and a gracious winner. Rhodus has played USTA League Tennis the past 16 years at the 4.0 and 4.5 levels.

“I have had the pleasure of playing with and against Patti for many years,” Amy Finken said. “She is truly a sportsman in every sense of the word. At every match, she displays a positive attitude, is a fierce competitor, is the first person to acknowledge a good shot by either team and wins or loses with the same sense of grace.”

Jerry Noyce Junior Sportsmanship Award        

Billy Paluch (Rapid City, S.D.) is the boys winner of the Jerry Noyce Junior Sportsmanship Award given to the junior player who not only displays the finest qualities of sportsmanship during tournament play, but who also demonstrates exemplary conduct away from the court. Paluch is the all-time winningest boys player in South Dakota Boys High School Tennis history, finishing his career with nine state championships (including three Flight 1 singles and five Flight 1 doubles titles) and 142 wins, including 102 in a row to finish his career. The freshman at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., finished his USTA Northern career ranked #3 in Boys 18s. He won the Sportsmanship Award at Boys 16s Zonals in 2007 and was named the 2009 Rapid City Athlete of the Year.

“Billy is extremely polite on the court and very respectful of his opponents,” Rene McCoy said. “He represents USTA Northern in an extremely positive way. He is a positive and mature individual and should be recognized for his excellent behavior.”

Bridget Doyle (Mendota Heights, Minn.) is the girls winner of the Jerry Noyce Junior Sportsmanship Award. Doyle was ranked in the top 10 in the Section in Girls 18s and represented USTA Northern at the Billie Jean King Jr. Team Tennis Tournament in San Diego in 2008. In 2009, she was a member of the Fred Wells Tennis & Education Center (FWTEC) team which finished second at the 2009 Jr. Team Tennis Section Championships and won the 18s Advanced Sportsmanship Award. She also won the 2009 USTA Serves College Textbook Award, the 2008 Player Incentive Award and has been a multiple-time recipient of the Greater Twin Cities Tennis Association Scholarship. She was a section winner of the Arthur Ashe Essay Contest in 2007, and has volunteered with the FWTEC after-school program. She currently attends Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., where she plays on the varsity tennis team.

“Bridget’s balance of competitiveness and level-headedness is unrivaled in USTA Northern,” Marc Stingley said. “Anyone would be hard-pressed to find an opponent who has a negative thing to say about her professionalism and attitude.”

Ward C. Burton Junior Sportsmanship Award             
The Ward C. Burton Junior Development Award is given to the individual or organization whom has promoted the growth of tennis for juniors and served the junior tennis community in USTA Northern. Marc Stingley (Eagan, Minn.) has served both high-performance junior players, as well as those new to the game, over the past six years. He has worked with many of the top players in USTA Northern including eight who participated in 2009 Zonal Championships. He also coached two Northern Section champions in 2009 – Jesse Sprinkle and Maalik Konop DeFrietas – and has served as USTA Northern Intersectional, 14 Zonals and Junior Davis Cup coach over the years.

Stingley was named the 2009 USTA Northern Jr. Team Tennis Organizer of the Year as he has almost single-handedly developed the Jr. Team Tennis program at FWTEC. In 2007, Stingley organized a Winter Jr. Team Tennis program – the first of its type in USTA Northern – and FWTEC hosted three winter JTT tournaments that year. Since the initial program began in 2005, JTT at Fred Wells has expanded to over 360 junior players. In 2009, the 14s Intermediate winter team won the first-ever USTA Northern winter league championship, while the summer 14s Advanced and 18s Advanced finished second at the USTA Northern Section Championships. FWTEC also boasted two Sportsmanship Award winners in Danny Axelrod and Bridget Doyle.

Stingley has volunteered with Special Olympics, Tennis Block Parties, NJTL Rallies, has served on the College Tennis Council and the Adult Tennis Council. He was the 2008 Minnesota Professional Tennis Registry Member of the Year.

“I have had the great privilege of learning from Marc, both on and off the court the past six years,” Bridget Doyle said. “Throughout the years he has acted as both a coach and mentor in my life. Marc has skillfully taught me much knowledge about the game of tennis and how to believe in myself and my strokes.”

Frank Voigt Professional of the Year   
Scott Swanson (Minnetonka, Minn.) is the winner of the Frank Voigt Professional of the Year Award, which goes to a tennis teaching professional who demonstrates leadership skills on and off the court. Swanson has worked tirelessly since 1994 in growing and promoting adult and junior programming at the Minnetonka Tennis Club in Minnetonka, Minn. Swanson has taken the lead with Women’s Daytime League over the years, expanding the number of teams at Minnetonka Tennis Club to a club-high 15 in 2009. He has served on the Women’s Daytime League Advisory Board and was the lead organizer of the new Women’s Daytime League that formed after the Life Time Fitness Clubs left in 2009.

He has organized and participated in USTA League Tennis for many years and has developed the Jr. Team Tennis program at Minnetonka Tennis Club. He has taken the junior program from five class levels to 11 and has seen the number of junior players increase over 400 percent. He was the winner of the Northwest Section USPTA Coach of the Year in 1994 and the won the NWPTA Industry Excellence Award in 2003. He has also coached high school programs at Coon Rapids, Blaine and Southwest.

“Scott’s involvement and support of tennis in USTA Northern as a teacher, coach and facility manager has contributed to the growth of the game,” Karen Berg said. “His passion for the sport and the number of people he impacts in a positive way all show his commitment to the sport.”

The Jack Dow Adult Development Award
The Jack Dow Adult Development Award, which honors the individual whose efforts have had the greatest impact on improving adult competitive and recreational play for that year, goes to Courtney Gramling of St. Anthony, Minn. A long-time league and tournament player, Gramling has served as a volunteer for the Section since 2000 and has been a part of the Twin Cities League Committee, the Grievance Committee and the Section Leagues Committee. She is currently in her first year on the USTA Northern Board of Directors and is the Adult Tennis Council Chair. She also works on a national task force involving USTA League Tennis.

“Courtney has volunteered countless hours over the last 9 years in helping adult programming,” Kara Johnson said. “She has been a true ambassador for adult tennis not only in volunteering, but with her enthusiasm and spirit. She is a true leader on and off the court.”

Wolfenson/Ratner Community Service Award
Ellen Doll (Minneapolis, Minn.) will receive the Wolfenson/Ratner Community Service Award given to the person for his or her outstanding fieldwork in recreational tennis. It is also awarded for significant contributions in developing community-based tennis programs through community centers, schools, parks and Community Tennis Associations. Doll has completely changed the tennis landscape within Minneapolis working with city leaders, park officials, neighborhood organizations and the USTA in building 20 new tennis courts at four sites which are used by high schools, InnerCity Tennis and the general public.

The Support The Courts Foundation, which Doll founded, has raised almost $1 million in support of these projects. Doll is an avid tennis player, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of USTA Northern, the Reed Sweatt Family Tennis Center, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation and is a member of the USTA National Tennis in the Parks Committee. She is a board member of the Northern Tennis Foundation, the charitable arm of USTA Northern, and is the Chair of the Clinic committee for the 2010 Tennis Festival of the North.

“There is no question that Ellen has made an impact on tennis in USTA Northern,” USTA Northern Director of Tennis Services and Programming Becky Cantellano said. “Despite the many roadblocks she has faced over the years, she is an optimist and a ‘can do’ person that is willing to help others accomplish similar projects of their own.”

Member Organization of the Year
Center Court Fitness Club (Grand Forks, N.D.), owned and operated by the Grand Forks Park District, is the 2009 Member Organization of the Year, recognizing its outstanding service and setting the standards by which all organizations should strive to achieve. Center Court Fitness Club has been a provider of both indoor and outdoor tennis programs to Grand Forks and the surrounding area, since purchasing the facility over 20 years ago. They offer tennis for all levels from junior to seniors, through a variety of programs.

The club hosts a number of USTA Northern events, including junior and adult tournaments, a Rapid Rally local qualifying event, Tennis Block Parties and leagues. They boast a number of USTA Northern junior section champions in both high performance and Jr. Team Tennis, including the 2008 14-&-under Advanced National Jr. Team Tennis Champions. Center Court Fitness Club was the first facility in the section to offer Rapid Rally and have produced a Rapid Rally national champion three times since implementing the program four years ago.

Along with their strong junior lesson programs, they also conduct tennis classes for local elementary and middle schools and provide a program for the local home school association. The club serves as a practice and training facility for the majority of area high school players and the three local high schools often use the facility for practices and matches. The strength of the junior programs and lessons have played a large role in the success of the Red River High School Boys and Girls Tennis teams. The boys have won the last 12 North Dakota state tennis team titles and won 11 state singles or doubles individual titles since 2001. Meanwhile, the Red River girls have won the last eight consecutive state team titles, and swept the state singles and doubles individual titles six of the last seven years. The state girls singles champion has come from a Grand Forks high school 16 times in the last 20 years.

Center Court Fitness Club is the home of the University of North Dakota Women’s Tennis program and, during the winter months, serves as a practice facility for the Minnesota-Crookston women’s tennis program. The club hosts the UND Tennis Club and intramural tennis, and welcomes many area high school and collegiate matches and tournaments. The facility is scheduled to host the Division I-A Great West Conference Championships, next spring.

Center Court Fitness Club strives to implement USTA principles into all of its programming.

"Center Court Fitness is a mainstay in the lives of hundreds of people who use it daily for lessons, drills, play and fitness,” former pro Tom Wynne said. “It has serviced Grand Forks and the surrounding communities for over 30 years.”

Family of the Year
The Hatlen Family – Mike, Lynette, Stuart, Sean, Sheldon and Simon - of Rosemount, Minn., is the 2009 USTA Northern Family of the Year. The award honors a family that has been outstanding in promoting tennis both on and off the court. Lynette coordinates traveling tennis in Rosemount, encourages her players to play tournament tennis and started Jr. Team Tennis. She also assisted as the tournament and site director for a USTA Tournament in Rosemount with over 125 participants. Mike is the coordinator for in-house leagues, with over 100 K - 6th grade participants in the 2009 summer session, and the vice president of the Rosemount High School Tennis Booster Club. They volunteer their time helping with fundraising to landscaping the high school tennis courts. They have attended many Parks and Recreation meetings in Rosemount concerning the need for additional courts.

Their oldest son, Stuart, is a 10th grader and has been playing on the varsity tennis program since the eighth grade. He has coached the last two years one of the in-house teams and encourages players to enter USTA Tournaments, join the traveling tennis program and encourages off season play. Their twin sons, Sean and Sheldon, are ninth graders and also play tennis. Sean also coached one of the in-house teams and has been a member of the varsity program since the eighth grade, while Sheldon plays on the junior high team and is part of the summer traveling program. Their youngest son, Simon, as a sixth grader has been playing as part of traveling program for the last two years.

“We are very fortunate to have the Hatlen Family in the Rosemount community,” Rosemount High School tennis coach Jeanne Ewen said. “Their overwhelming enthusiasm and dedication to tennis have helped the growth of tennis in Rosemount.”

Rocky Rockwell Grassroots Official Award
John Carnahan (St. Paul, Minn.) is the initial winner of the Rocky Rockwell Grassroots Officials Award given to an official who has done outstanding work at the grassroots level. Carnahan has served as an US Open official 10 times, worked a David Cup and worked ATP Tour events for several years. He served as Chief Umpire of the USTA Northern Women’s Professional $50,000 Tournament for five years, was the Deputy Referee of the Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Championships at the University of Minnesota and has worked NCAA Division III Regional and National tournaments at Gustavus Adolphus. He has also done lines and chairs for professional exhibitions in both Minneapolis/St. Paul and Grand Forks.

As an on-court official, Carnahan now only works high school and college events including many of the state high school tournaments and NCAA Division I, II and III matches in the Section after giving up working National events six years ago. Off-court, he is the lead trainer/evaluator for USTA Northern the past 12 years. He also has arranged and conducted classroom certification classes in Minnesota and South Dakota and worked with new officials in skill and attitude development. He has served as President and Treasurer of the Northern Tennis Officials Association and as a member of the League Grievance Committee. He is currently the chair of the League Grievance Appeal Committee, the USTA Northern Officials Recruiting and Training Committee, the USTA Northern Officials Disciplinary Committee and the USTA Northern Officials Grievance Committee.

"John has been a mentor to me for as long as I have been an official," Tim Kurtt said. "He has given thoughtful advice on every facet of my involvement in tennis officiating, from calling lines, chair work, roving, refereeing, and the huge project of moving the officials in USTA Northern from an association to working directly under the section. I truly cannot imagine stepping through this maze without his guidance and encouragement."

Bob Larson Media Excellence Award
The Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.) is the 2009 Bob Larson Media Excellence Award given to a newspaper, television or radio person who has provided exemplary coverage in the Section. The Grand Forks Herald routinely covers everything from high school to college to USTA results for area tennis players. They run weekly tennis updates, write frequent tennis feature stories about local athletes, print tennis photos often and even named two local tennis pros as its 2009 Sportspersons of the Year. The Herald’s coverage has changed the local perception of tennis and has brought it to the forefront of the community.

“The Herald has provided exposure for the sport of tennis to many unsuspecting people in the community,” Jane Wischer said. “These very readers are now growing the sport of tennis and increased participation can be seen in all tennis programming. This exposure has only helped the USTA junior program in the area where several players are nationally-ranked and highly competitive. It has made tennis front-page news!”