USTA Mississippi

To promote and develop the growth of tennis in Mississippi www.mstennis.com

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MTA Road Show on the move this week in Jackson. Scott King found us last night at the Country Club of Jackson! Keep a lookout Jackson, don't know where we will show up next! We have free swag for days.

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Help Me, Help You

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Lets Bring Mixed Doubles Sectionals to Mississippi

USTA Southern invites YOUR community to bid on the Mixed Doubles Sectional Championships for 2015-2016.  The economic impact on the community hosting these events will be extremely significant, as over 1,000 hotel room nights may be booked during a 3-day span. Additionally, it is an outstanding opportunity to showcase YOUR town and its active and enthusiastic tennis communities.

Mixed Doubles Championships 2015-2016

October 9-11, 2015

October 7-9, 2016

Bid Deadline: February 28, 2015

Find all the pertinent information and bid submission forms here.

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Who doesn't love crawfish, beer, and tennis? Register!

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MTA Community Tennis & Facilities Grant

Application due March 20, 2015 This grant is for public facilities in Mississippi that need funding for tennis facility construction, improvements, or amenities. Both public and private facilities can apply for this grant for blended lines. The grant is a 50/50 matching grant and is due each March.

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After 5 days on the job, guess who broke the office chair??? 1st correct guess on @ustamississippi IG wins a #USTAMississippi T-shirt! #IGgames (at USTA Mississippi)

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All you need to know for our upcoming JTT Fall State Championships!

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Last Chance to Win a YETI!

Captains, this is your final chance to win a YETI Cooler this year and be automatically entered to win the GRAND PRIZE! In appreciation to those who selflessly serve as captains this year, we have offered limited-time fee-free league registration and held 2 contests to win YETI Coolers. Congratulations to John Ross (pictured bottom left), our 1st YETI Cooler Giveaway winner and Vicki Stevens (pictured bottom right) the 2nd winner in our YETI Cooler Giveaway. This is our 3rd and final Captains' Contest for 2014 and we invite any current Adult or Junior captain to register to win! You may register once for each team you captain. Register at www.mstennis.com/winayeti. Please note that any captain who has registered for any one of our YETI Cooler Giveaways will be automatically entered to win a GRAND PRIZE trip to the 2015 Memphis Open (formerly the National Indoor Championships) in Memphis, TN.

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Congratulations to the 2014 MS Tennis Award Winners!

The 2014 Awards Committee has met and the award winners have been selected.  All of the nominations were outstanding and these winners are among the elite in MS Tennis. They are all very worthy of their award.  Make plans now to attend the 2014 Awards Banquet on January 10, 2015 at the Country Club of Jackson.  Thanks to everyone that took the time to nominate and to the committee for their diligence in making these selections. (Niles Buchanan, Chairman, Melanie Busby, Vickie Ferguson, Venecca Mason and Georgia Spencer)

  Junior Awards

  Dorothy Vest Female: Turner Yates, Ridgeland

Dorothy Vest Male: Andrew Hildenbrand , Tupelo

George Wilkinson Female: Callie Billman, Brandon

George Wilkinson Male: Stedman Strickland, Brandon

Powers Moore: Bo Nash, Oxford

*Junior Team Tennis Local League Coordinator: Vanita Mattox, Columbus

*Jr. Tournament of the Year, McDonalds Hardcourt State Championship, Bayou Bluff Tennis Club, Gulfport

USTA Junior Team Tennis Sportsmanship: Meg Weatherly, Ocean Springs

  League Awards

  USTA League Team of the Year: Elizabeth Porter 18’s 2.5, Hattiesburg

USTA Tri-Level Team of the Year: Leah Warren, Jackson 3.5-4.5

USTA Mixed Doubles Team of the Year: George Beemon, Gulf Coast 55’s 8.0 level

Captain of the Year: Brook Shelton, Brandon

Adult Local League Coordinator: Nancy Palmer- Northeast MS 

*Adult Tournament of the Year, Southern Seniors Men & Women Claycourt Open Championships, River Hills

  Special Awards

  *Special Event of the Year:  Delta Cotton Belles, Greenville

*Team Tennis Event of the Year: USTA League Mixed Doubles 40/55 Championships, Oxford

*Tennis Official: Susan Morris, New Albany

Coach of the Year: Wanda McPhail- Meridian Community College

*Tennis Professional: Mark Elliott- Jackson area

*Volunteer of the Year: David Heckel- Oxford

CTA of the Year: North East MS CTA

*Member Organization of the Year: Bayou Bluff Tennis Club, Gulfport

*Wheelchair Excellence Award: Johnny McGinn, Jackson

*Family of the Year: John Hall- Columbus

  *eligible for USTA Southern Sectional Award Consideration

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Announcing 2015/16 Championships Host Sites The Mississippi Tennis Association is proud to announce the 2015 and 2016 Championship host sites. This year nine league tennis championships were up for grabs. All locations have now been selected for the 2015 and 2016 championships. The 2015 dates have also been selected, and the 2016 dates will be determined in late summer of 2015. Several great cities across the state submitted competitive bids for these tournaments, and we thank all of the communities willing to work so hard for league tennis. The USTA Southern 65 & Over Mississippi Championships location will be Columbus, MS. Columbus looks forward to returning as a host for the 65 & Over Championships. The Magnolia Tennis Club will serve as the host facility. Old Waverly in West Point will also be a site used for match play. The 2015 event will be April 17-19, 2015. Greenville, MS will again host the USTA League 55 & Over Mississippi Championships. The Greenville Country Club along with Cypress Hills Tennis Club will welcome our league players back to the Delta. The tournament committee promises an event, luncheon, and hospitality that will not soon be forgotten. The MTA is looking forward to returning to Greenville. The dates for 2015 are May 15-17. The Ridgeland/Jackson metro area will host the 2015 and 2016 USTA League Tennis 18 & Over Championships as well as the 40 & Over Championships. Both 2015 events will be held during the same championship weekend of June 19-21, 2015 (June 18th to be used if needed). The 18 & Over divisions will use hard courts, and the 40 & Over divisions will compete on soft courts. The MTA is thrilled with the addition of the soft court 40 & Over event. Also set for the Ridgeland/Jackson area is the 2015 and 2016 Southern Combo Doubles Mississippi Championships. This event will be held November 19-22 in 2015. Tupelo, MS will return as a league championship host for the USTA Tri-Level Mississippi Championships. Tupelo has hosted a championship event each year since 2007. Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis, is ready to host a great event for the Tri-Level teams of our state. Morgan Baldwin, the Tupelo Tennis Association , Tupelo Country Club and the Tupelo Parks and Recreation Department will be working together to create an exciting event. Some divisions will be played on the newly installed soft courts at the Tupelo Country Club facility with others on hard court at Rob Leake Park. Division surfaces will be announced prior to the event. The dates for 2015 are August, 7-9. Oxford, MS will return as a host in 2015 and 2016 with its organization of the USTA League Tennis 40/55 and Over Mixed Doubles Championships. Oxford Community Tennis Association and the Oxford Park Commission will work hand in hand to host another quality event. Oxford has been hosting a mixed event since 2009, and MTA looks forward to continuing the relationship with this great organization and community. Singing River Yacht Club and the City of Pascagoula will serve as the championship host of the USTA League Tennis 18 & Over Mixed Doubles Championships in 2015 and 2016. MTA is excited about this community’s interest in league championships. The players are sure to love the beautiful setting at the host facility overlooking the beautiful water of the Mississippi Gulf. The dates for 2015 are September 11-13. The league championships are awarded for two consecutive years. Currently there are nine championships per year. The bidding process opens in May of each year for available events. Bids are due in July. The championship sub-committee of the MTA Adult League Committee reviews and awards bids. Awards are issued in September. For more information concerning bringing an event to your community, please contact Lindsey Sartain ([email protected]), Director of Adult League Tennis. 2015 MS League Championship Calendar

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Congratulations to 3.0 Men's Team Green/Heune from North Central MS who are the 2014 18 & Over 3.0 Men's Sectional Champions!

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Robert Beacham draws the lucky winner of our #iPadGiveaway! Congrats Beth Vennerstrom! #ustamembership @ustennis (at USTA Mississippi)

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2014 18 & Over Championships will be held in Jackson and Ridgeland, MS June 27-29.

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Congratulations to the Qualifiers and alternates for the Southern Junior Closed! See the list: http://mstennis.com/news/southern-junior-closed-qualifiers-alternates

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We're giving away iPads again! Click the picture to find out more.

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Julio Godreau & USC player, Ellie Yates from Mississippi at our Annual Tennis Weekend! #usta #tennis #usctrojans #trojantennis #USTAMSAnnualTennisWeekend #USTAMS (at Country Club of Jackson)

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The Holiday Food Conundrum

Today’s blog comes to us from fitness/yoga/nutrition teacher Scotta Brady. Brady is the owner of Butterfly Yoga in Fondren, an E-RYT 500 with Yoga Alliance, NASM certified personal trainer & yoga therapist. She is also the lucky mom to a self-proclaimed future software engineer, loves good food & adventures of all kinds! Every good Southerner knows that all holidays revolve around food. So what’s a tennis player to do? We know we need to keep up our exercise and not overindulge in rich holiday foods and treats, but it is often easier said than done. Here are a few suggestions that won’t take much time or effort and may help you stay fit and not pack on the pounds during the holiday season. Rule #1: Exercise. A little bit of exercise is better than none at all! Whether it’s too cold or you just don’t have time to get out on the court, you can still take a couple of minutes to exercise to boost your metabolism and ready your body to convert that turkey into muscle. You won’t even need to be dressed in workout clothes or have workout equipment. The biggest muscles in your body are your best calorie burners, so be sure to activate the large muscles of your hips and legs by doing 2 sets of 20 air squats. Keep your chest, back and arms toned by doing 2 sets of 20 wall push-ups. Easy. If you’re really wanting to burn some calories, throw on your workout clothes and change the workout to jump squats and standard push-ups or do 4 sets of (dare we say it?) 10 burpees! Rule #2: Don’t go to parties hungry. Grab a healthy snack and glass of water before you walk out the door. Protein and healthy fat make you feel satisfied & fiber slows digestion so you feel full longer. Some options for a light, healthy snack are hummus and carrot sticks, Greek yogurt and fruit, a handful of almonds and dried cranberries, air-popped popcorn, or my personal favorite: brown rice cake with Greek yogurt, sliced avocado and sriracha. Rule #3: Choose your foods wisely & eat slowly. Choose fresh veggies, fish, fruit and nuts and steer clear of heavy cream sauces, fried foods, rolls & sweets. If you must have the sausage-laden Ro-tel cheese dip or death-by-chocolate cake, don’t go overboard. A little bit goes a long way. Rule #4: Drink responsibly. Trade the alcoholic beverage for sparkling water, a splash of cranberry juice & a lime wedge…no one will know it’s not a cocktail! If you are drinking alcoholic beverages, be sure to have a glass of water with each. Steer clear of sodas, diet or otherwise…they are all bad for you! Stay fit and have a healthy and happy holiday season. Cheers!