Overland Park Racquet Club Named One of 12 winners in the 36th annual USTA Facility Awards Program

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., June 19, 2017 – The USTA has announced that the Overland Park Racquet Club in Overland, Kan. is one of 12 winners in the 36th annual USTA Facility Awards program, which recognizes excellence in the construction and/or renovation of tennis facilities throughout the country. The Overland Park Racquet Club will be honored at the Next Generation: A Tennis Innovation Workshop at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld in Orlando, FL, Oct. 11-15.

Overland Park Racquet Club (OPRC) – one of America’s largest indoor tennis clubs has been totally renovated by local ownership over the past two years. OPRC features more than 300 new individual LED lights, the most efficient new air conditioning systems in the industry, newly unveiled online court reservation systems and a spectacular new and expanded playing experience outdoors offering Har-Tru clay courts to its members.

OPRC is a recent recipient of the Missouri Valley Facility of the Year Award and has captured Facility of the Year honors within the Heart of America region for the past two years. In addition, OPRC was honored with the Member Organization of the Year award this year.

The facility boasts 14 indoor courts, six outdoor hard courts, four outdoor clay courts, a full fitness studio, restaurant, on-site sports medicine clinic specific to tennis and an impressive indoor viewing experience. OPRC is also home of KCUT Academy, nationally renowned junior tennis academy, with hundreds of aspiring juniors thirsting to play competitive tennis.

“Great tennis facilities like the Overland Park Racquet Club help us to grow the game at the grass-roots level, and we are proud to recognize them for their ongoing impact on the sport of tennis,” said Kurt Kamperman, USTA Chief Executive Community Tennis and the USTA National Campus. “Overland Park Racquet Club has embraced many of our tennis initiatives and kept the sport at the forefront of its community each year.”

To be considered for an award, facilities must be under the jurisdiction of a park and recreation department, an educational institution, a nonprofit corporation or be a private or commercially owned and operated facility that offers both USTA and public programming designed to help grow tennis.

Facilities were judged on the following criteria: overall layout and adaptation to site; excellence of court surface and lights; ease of maintenance; accommodations for players, spectators and press/officials; aesthetics; graphics (including the use of signs and landscaping); amenities such as casual seating for spectators, food services and social areas; and the facilities’ participation in USTA programs.

Nominated facilities were voted on in the following categories: Public Courts that are either small tennis centers with 2-10 courts or large tennis centers with 11 or more courts; Educational Institutions; and Private Facilities that support the USTA and other “growth of the game” programs open to the public.

All 2017 award winners will receive a wall plaque and an all-weather sign, which can be mounted at the facility. Certificates of award will be made available to park and recreation departments, schools and those professionals responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of the facility. In addition, a one-year complimentary membership to the USTA will be awarded to each winning facility.

The 2017 USTA Facility Awards Program winners are:

Public Courts: Small Tennis Centers (2 to 10 courts)

Ida Stone Jones Community Tennis Center, Bristol, Tenn.

Huether Family Match Pointe, Sioux Falls, SD

Public Courts: Large Tennis Centers (11 or more courts)

Cooper Creek Tennis Center, Columbus, Ga.

Bitsy Grant Tennis Center, Atlanta, Ga.

Rancho Penasquitos Tennis Center, San Diego, Calif.

Upper Main Line YMCA, Berwyn, Penn.

Peachtree City Tennis Center, Peachtree, Ga.

Educational Institution

Rockingham Community College Tennis Courts, Wentworth, N.C.

Private Facilities

Dataw Island Club Tennis Center, St. Helena Island, S.C.

Overland Park Racquet Club, Overland Park, Kan.

Bentwood Country Club, San Angelo, Texas (Featured Facility)

Cape Fear Country Club, Wilmington, N.C.

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The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 715,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest-attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.