TENNIS PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION HONOURS TENNIS EXCELLENCE
Toronto, February 20, 2014 – Tennis Canada and the Tennis Professionals Association (TPA) announced Thursday the recipients of the 2013 TPA Excellence Awards at the TPA Conference’s awards lunch. The TPA, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, annually recognizes excellence in Canadian tennis and coaching development with awards presented for Club Professional Excellence, Coaching Excellence, Year Round Facility Excellence, and Seasonal Facility Excellence.
Ontario’s Gary Muller has been presented with the Club Professional Excellence award for displaying the highest standard of conduct and service to tennis both on and off the court. A certified Coach 3 and the tennis director at the Ontario Racquet Club, Muller has played an integral role in building his club’s adult and junior programs. He oversees 16 staff and spends up to 25 hours on the court each week. In addition, he has hosted OTA and Canadian national events and worked in school tennis programs as well.
The Coaching Excellence honour goes to Casey Curtis of Ontario. This award is presented to a coach who has demonstrated the highest standards and character in the coaching of his/her players. Curtis, who previously worked with Milos Raonic, has been involved in player development for more than 20 years. Now the director of high performance at Mayfair Parkway, he has helped develop several recent successful junior players, including U12 national champions Layne Sleeth and Liam Draxl, and U18 national singles and doubles runner-up Ayan Broomfield.
Tennis 13 in Quebec was recognized as the winner of the Year Round Facility Excellence award, which is presented to a tennis facility which demonstrates a commitment to the promotion of tennis and is supportive of the TPA by hiring only active and certified instructors, coaches, or club professionals. Tennis 13 has over 900 tennis members and 15 indoor courts, and only employs fully-certified TPA staff. Also a gold-level Tennis Development Centre (TDC), Tennis 13 hosts four to six tournaments per year.
The Seasonal Facility Excellence award was presented to Nova Scotia’s Waegwoltic Club, who opens its 10 outdoor courts to over 570 tennis members in the summer. The Waegwoltic Club has exhibited its support for strong coaching in several ways, including allowing its provincial association to use its facility for instructor and Coach 1 courses at no cost and by employing only fully-certified and active TPA coaches. The club also hosts four to six tournaments in the summer and an annual conference.
The TPA also presented two annual $2,000 scholarships, which are awarded to help offset the costs of professional development courses and seminars, including international, national and provincial conferences, seminars, or certification courses approved by Tennis Canada.
The Paul & Joyce Chapnick Under 10 Development Coaching Scholarship, presented to a TPA coach under the age of 35, was given to Alberta’s Marvin Hinds. Currently employed at the Royal Glenora Club in Edmonton as an associate tennis professional, Hinds oversees the beginner ½ court, ¾ court, and full-court competitive programs. Prior to joining the Royal Glenora Club, he also spent nine years as the assistant tennis professional at the Saville Sports Centre. A certified Coach 2, Hinds is a provincial U10 coach in Alberta and the head coach for the training of school teachers with Tennis Alberta.
The Gary Caron TPA Scholarship, in recognition of a tennis coach aged 30 and under who displays the potential to reach the highest level of coaching and teaching excellence in Canada, was presented to Dragoslav Pokrajac of Ontario. Pokrajac is responsible for running two junior programs at the Ontario Racquet Club, including the elite junior academy. A certified Coach 2, he has been involved with the ORC in coaching development for 10 years now, and spends 35-45 hours per week on junior programming.