2024-25
President
Tom Jennings tomtennis101@gmail.com
1stVice President
Tim Shanahan shanahan93@cox.net
Members at Large
Thiago Santos tsantos@genesishealthclubs.com
Ryan Roeth ryanroeth10s@gmail.com
Shashank Nautiyal shashankhill@gmail.com
Chris Smith csmithbluehillscc@gmail.com
Caitlyn Sagraves caitlynmetseff@gmail.com
Pickleball Certifier & Coach Developoer
Bunny Bruning bunnybfs@aol.com
Executive Director
Angie Koumaris angela.koumaris@uspta.org
RSPA Missouri Valley Pros,
Yes, the USTPA is now the Racquet Sports Professionals Association, or otherwise known as the RSPA! This change will reflect our commitment supporting professionals across all racquet sports, recognizing the diverse and dynamic nature of our industry. Your membership will remain unchanged, but the RSPA will continue to be the industry leader supporting its members with the following:
* Comprehensive Career Pathways- Career guidance and opportunity
* Diverse Certification Programs covering a wide arrange of Racquet Sports
* Expanded Resources- Including a wealth of knowledge, tools, and networking opportunities
* Innovation-Driven Education
We are excited to welcome you with us on our new chapter moving forward. With the rebranding we remain committed to our core identity, which include:
* Continuous Improvement- Helping you as a industry professional grow and adapt
* Relational Focus- Building strong, supportive relationships within our industry and our communities
* Unity- Uniting the racquet sports industries under one inclusive umbrella
* Continuing to drive our passion for excellence
We as a board are excited about the future of the RSPA and the direction we are headed! If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me at Tomtennis101@gmail.com. Hope you all have a great rest of the year as we head into the winter season.
Tom Jennings
LAKE NONA, FL, Sept. 17, 2024 —The United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), inc. the leading trade organization for tennis professionals since 1927, has rebranded to the Racquet Sports Professionals Association (RSPA). This change positions the RSPA to elevate and support a broad spectrum of careers across the entire racquet sports industry.
As the RSPA, the organization continues to expand its teaching certification program to train professionals in numerous racquet sports including tennis, pickleball, padel, squash and platform tennis. In addition to certification programs, the RSPA will offer a full spectrum of career advancement support for all racquet sports professionals, both on and off the court.
“The change from USPTA to RSPA is about staying on the cutting edge of our industry and leading change by providing the highest level of value possible to our members,” said RSPA CEO Brian Dillman. “Our racquet sports are dynamic—constantly growing and adapting—and as our industry moves forward, we are doing the same. The decision to rebrand and realign our values was fueled by our members. We listened closely to feedback, and the consensus was clear: we needed to expand our support to all racquet sports, both on and off the court.”
RSPA members now have access to certifications in five different racquet sports under one unified association. All USPTA memberships are now considered RSPA memberships, and members certified in any racquet sport can get certified in another by attending one of the RSPA’s nationally available workshops. Teaching professionals who want to get certified by the RSPA for the first time can join the association through any of our available racquet sports—tennis, pickleball, padel, platform and squash. The organization is also rolling out future-focused, personalized training programs that blend on-court expertise with off-court skills like business management and leadership, personal development and more.
“We’re elevating the prestige of a racquet sports career with advanced personal and professional development. We know that racquet sports are made up of many different people who contribute to a community to enjoy, teach, watch, support and advance the sports we love,” said Dillman. “There is a wide world of opportunities for anyone who is passionate to help grow the racquet sports industry, and the RSPA, like a true ally, empowers our professionals by helping them reach their full potential—both on and off the court.”
Written by: Carlos H. Salazar
I am excited to report back on my recent attendance at the 2024 RSPA annual conference. Thanks to a grant provided to me by the Missouri Valley Division, I was able to travel to Palm Springs for the 2024 World Racquets Conference this year. It was a very memorable experience and I enjoyed it for several reasons. Most of all, these annual conferences always renew my passion for tennis. It’s easy to get burn-out during the teaching year, but these conferences always renew my passion -- seeing so many people who are in similar positions throughout the country, and who still desire to improve themselves and their professional careers. In that regard, the conference provided many valuable ideas for clinics and drills, and I was able to meet many new people who practice in the tennis and racquet-sport industry, including several wellknown individuals. For instance, I got to meet Gigi Fernandez and participate in one of her teaching clinics. I was also able to bring back several new drills to add to my collection here at LaFortune Tennis Center in Tulsa. The conference also made me realize how the national organization is changing and adapting to the racquet-sport industry. I was able to experience (and play) the increasingly-popular “Padel” sport, along with clinics related to pickleball and squash. It was exciting to see the changes going on in the industry, and helps me realize how we must adapt and respond to this changing environment. I also got to meet many new people who practice in the Missouri Valley. I hope to see you at a future conference!
