2017 USTA Hawaii Pacific Yearbook September | Page 8

2016 DISTRICTS YEAR-IN-REVIEW WEST HAWAII DISTRICT TENNIS ASSOCIATION www.westhawaii.usta.com BOB BORNS, District President [email protected] The first Fed Cup in Hawaii, held in Kona, was an amazing success and energized our tennis community! As a part of the Fed Cup legacy program, National USTA graciously awarded a $100,000 grant for improvements to the public tennis courts at Old Kona Airport Park. We are working diligently with the County of Hawaii to make this a reality, and appreciate all of the support from Section and National. Other community tennis activities include charitable tournaments, including the 2nd annual Serve It Forward Tournament for Family Support Services, the 10th annual FilAm Friendship Scholarship Tournament, and the 36th annual Brantley Center Benefit Tournament. A large part of our district’s efforts is devoted to the promotion and coordination of adult league tennis. We had 722 league registrations by 323 players. Our district has 479 USTA members, which means over 67% of our members participated in one or more leagues in 2016. Our QuickStart program is growing. This program typically reaches over 100 students and 12 teachers per school. The program will grow in 2017 to additional schools. We will also start offering QuickStart progression play days and tournaments. In 2016, the district sponsored 4 sanctioned Junior tournaments, including our annual Junior Championships in May. Without the incredible volunteer spirit of our members, most of our tennis programs would not be possible. Many thanks to those serving on WHDTA’s Board: Al Honey, Nick Yamasaki, Keely Rochon, Lovette Llantos, Emily Tate, Jeff Kam, Ed Allen, Jerry Jamesson, Lily Acoba, and Bob Borns. Mahalo to all of our volunteers! EAST HAWAII DISTRICT TENNIS ASSOCIATION www.easthawaii.usta.com GERALD KOSAKI, District President [email protected] Through the dedicated efforts of our East Hawaii District Board members, participation in adult and junior play has been steadily increasing. Notably, our “Got Game” annual event has been instrumental in attracting players of all ages with fun tennis drills, prizes and food. Our Hilo Junior Tennis Club currently has about 60 member families and 90 juniors, who are all working hard to put Hilo back on the map with a number of players representing Hawaii in Zonal and National tournaments. One milestone worth celebrating is the installment of two new concrete-surfaced courts outside the Edith Kanakaole Stadium. This project was years in the making, and we are looking forward to utilizing this new space to offer additional tennis programs. Giving back to our local community has always been a meaningful driving force for our district. This year, we designed and sold t-shirts to fundraise for the Hospice of Hilo’s Celebration of Life. The shirts read “Remember It’s All About Love” and included a tennis ball notated “East Hawaii Tennis Celebrates Life.” All proceeds were donated to the Hospice of Hilo. All of our successes would not have been possible without the commitment of our board members, players and volunteers. Thanks to all of you who put your time, energy, passion, and love for the game. We look forward to accomplishing even more next year. 6 HAWAII PACIFIC YEARBOOK 2017