How USTA Coaching Helps Parks & Recreation Coaches
In 1979, Jodie Adams faced the kind of choice most tennis players can only dream about. Adams had been invited to accept a doubles wild card into Wimbledon. At almost the same time, the 21-year-old college senior was offered a full-time supervisor’s job running Springfield, Missouri’s new 12 outdoor court tennis complex and sports programs.
She chose the parks.
“I wanted to do it, but I was offered my job before I graduated,” Adams says. “I really wanted to work for parks. I love parks. I’m there in the summers. I’m helping kids, and it’s where I belong.”
It was an unusual decision for a player who had been undefeated in high school and went on to compete nationally for Missouri State University. But Adams never regretted trading a Grand Slam opportunity for a career creating opportunities for other people.
She spent more than three decades with the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, eventually serving as its director. Today, she sees USTA Coaching as a powerful tool for the Parks & Recreation professionals continuing that work.
A Roadmap Through the Organized Chaos
Public courts can be “beautifully chaotic.” An instructor might be introducing several children to tennis, reassuring parents, adapting activities and monitoring safety, all within the same lesson.
USTA Coaching gives instructors a structure for managing that environment and gives administrators a clearer picture of what effective public tennis instruction should look like.
“USTA Coaching gives a framework of what it looks like to offer public tennis and public instruction on a consistent basis throughout the country,” Adams says.
That framework also creates a progression for players. Instead of taking the same beginner class repeatedly, participants can move forward as their skills and confidence develop.
“It gives us a roadmap,” Adams says. “It’s important for us that we have a stairstep method of instruction that goes into our daily programming and departments.”
“When you see a program with USTA Coaching or the USTA insignia on it… you know you can trust that program. It’s a safe program, and there will definitely be a high level of learning.”
Jodie Adams
The “Good Housekeeping Seal” of Tennis
Adams says Parks & Recreation leaders must know that instructors working with children have completed background screening and Safe Play requirements. Agencies also need coaches who understand liability, customer service and how to create a welcoming environment.
“The child is safe. That’s number one to us,” she says.
She compares the credibility of USTA Coaching to a familiar seal of approval.
“When you see a program with USTA Coaching or the USTA insignia on it, you know that’s like the Good Housekeeping Seal,” Adams says. “You know you can trust that program. It’s a safe program, and there will definitely be a high level of learning.”
High-Level Coaching on the People’s Courts
Adams firmly believes public programs should provide instruction equal to anything available at a private club. USTA Coaching supports that goal with education for instructors serving everyone from first-time players to advanced competitors.
That access is personal for Adams. “I’m a park kid,” she says. “If I had not had that opportunity to ride my bike to the park, work and participate in open play, I probably would not have played tennis all the way through my life and had the career I’ve had.”
Her message to Parks & Recreation professionals is simple: Use the resources, raise the standard and remember who the courts are for. “Your public parks are the people’s parks,” Adams says. “We work for the people. We work to make sure that our parks are there for all citizens.”
And after more than four decades in tennis, Adams remains as enthusiastic as ever. “This is our moment as a sport,” she says. “We can do this together as one team.”
