Women’s History Month with Jaime Kaplan & Maria Cercone

03/02/23 • 30 min

Through its long history and current program offerings, women continue to be a driving force within USTA Southern. We start with Jaime Kaplan, who rose to No. 91 in doubles on the WTA Tour and was inducted into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2020. She talks about her current role as Southern Tennis Foundation’s Director, Development & Operations, spreading the word about its giving back mission and raising funds. Maria Cercone heads up junior tennis for USTA Southern and discusses the new Playoff Series which provides opportunities for players of diverse backgrounds to earn a wild card for the $15K USTA Pro Circuit event in Huntsville, Alabama May 22-28. The Florida Tennis Hall of Famer explains how the series gives expanded opportunities to HBCU players. This episode spotlights the achievements of Raleigh, N.C.’s Gavin Goode, along with the 2022 Slew Hester Players of the Year Karen Rembert, of Raleigh, N.C. and Albert Lyle, from Jackson, Miss.

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Black History Month with Venecca Green & Michelle Curry

We celebrate Black History Month with leading voices in Black Tennis. Through the USTA Fellowship in Tennis Coaching and Leadership Powered by Athleta program, Venecca Green discovered a coaching opportunity at the HBCU and Division II Lane College. Even though she admitted she is at “retirement age”, she proudly begins her coaching career at the helm of the Dragons women’s & men’s tennis programs in Jackson, Tenn. We honor the legacy and impact of the iconic Althea Gibson, winner of the US Open, Wimbledon and French Open. Michelle Curry, estate executor & COO of Althea Gibson CTA in Orange, N.J., talks about the Silver, S.C.-born legend and her impact on the sport. Gibson was also an outstanding musician, golfer and trailblazer for all athletes who came after her. To memorialize her impact on Southern tennis, the Southern Tennis Foundation has established the Althea Gibson Scholarship. Our highlights include junior Hannah Lawrence, of Slidell, La., and USTA Southern award winners Stacie Kennington, of Statesville, N.C., (Southern Professional) and Andy Collier, of The Bolivar Bullet in Cleveland, Miss. (Media Excellence).

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USTA App premieres and Mike Eden: tennis collector extraordinaire

USTA’s digital presence took a major step forward with the release of its new app. USTA staffers Michael Hughes and Alanna Broderick describe its many features including listing WTN real-time status and rankings, recent tournament and USTA League results and other info all tennis players need at their fingerprints. The Apple version is available now, with the Android version set to release within the next month. Mike Eden is a former USTA Kentucky President whose passion is collecting tennis history. Among the hundreds of cans of balls, racquets, books, magazines and other historic memorabilia in his home, he calls one item the “holy grail:” the first metal tennis can from 1926, which makes him the proud owner of the only unopened can on the planet. Our highlights include junior Ellison Reynoldson, of Camden, Tenn., and 2022 USTA Southern junior award winners Riley Crowder, of Dothan, Ala., and Jelani Sarr, of Pooler, Ga.