Southlake Tennis Center Honored For Excellence as a 2011 USTA Outstanding Facility Award Winner

Left to right: Dr. Karl Hedrick, Chair, USTA Technical Committee; Jon Vegosen, USTA President and Chairman of the Board; Mia Gordon-Poorman, General Manager of Southlake Tennis Center; Sebastian Poorman; Stephen Poorman, Director of Tennis at Southlake Tennis Center; Ken McAllister, Executive Director, USTA Texas Section; Alex Levitsky, Co-Chair, USTA Outstanding Facility Awards Subcommittee of the USTA Technical Committee. Photo credit: USTA, Jen Potthesier .

Southlake Tennis Center was named a winner of the 30^th annual USTA National Outstanding Facility Awards Program, recognizing excellence in the construction and/or renovation of tennis facilities throughout the country. A winner in the category of Public Courts: Large Tennis Centers, Southlake Tennis Center was honored during the US Open at the USTA semiannual meeting September 4 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. This is the second award bestowed upon Southlake Tennis Center this year, which was also named the QuickStart Facility of the Year by the Texas Section of the USTA.

“We are ecstatic about winning this award and want to share the achievement with our staff and everyone who has supported us since we opened,” said Mia Gordon-Poorman, general manager for Southlake Tennis Center.

Stephen Poorman, Director of Tennis at Southlake Tennis Center, added, “We have worked extremely hard to provide the best quality courts, programs, tournaments, and instructors to Southlake residents and the entire area.”

Owned by the City of Southlake, Southlake Tennis Center is one of the largest public tennis facilities in the Metroplex. Constructed to maximize viewing and player enjoyment, the original 13 courts surround a circular center court stadium that is accessible from both the east and west, with tiered levels for viewing. Six courts were added in 2010 in two banks of three to maximize land use. The facility added QuickStart permanent lines, and a handful of courts have blended lines. Each pair of courts has a bench with a shade structure and water jug and individual courts have benches with umbrellas. There are also lighted courts. Southlake Tennis Center hosts a variety of events at their facility including state and national sanctioned tournaments. The facility hosted the USTA Pro Circuit $10K event for the past five years and is the main site for the Texas Section Mixed Doubles playoffs that take place from September 30-October 2.

“We are proud to recognize the Southlake Tennis Center for their outstanding achievements and devotion to the sport,” said Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “Their facility has done an exemplary job in creating a superior tennis experience for their patrons and their community at large.”

Award-winning facilities must be under the jurisdiction of a parks and recreation department, an educational institution, a non-profit corporation, or be private and commercially-owned and operated facilities that offer both USTA and public programming designed to grow tennis. Facilities were judged upon 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 their participation in USTA programs.

In recognition of the honor, Southlake Tennis Center will receive a wall plaque and an all-weather sign, which will be mounted at the facility. Certificates of award will be presented to the city’s Community Services Department, City Council and those professionals responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance of the facility.

For more information about Southlake Tennis Center, go to www.southlaketennis.com or call 817-421-5605.