July 2021 - Parks & Recreation - 49

Largest Decreases (in millions)
Sport
Weight/Resistance Machines
Elliptical Motion/Cross-Trainer
Stationary Cycling (Recumbent/
Upright)
Volleyball (Court)
Gymnastics
Softball (Fast-Pitch)
Cardio Kickboxing
Stair-Climbing Machine
Boot Camp Style Training
Cross-Training Style Workouts
Stationary Cycling (Group)
Pre-pandemic, a line of 20 to 30
people would be a good turnout for
a sunny weekend day, he explains.
Now, they see upwards of 50 on a
regular basis, and as many as 70 on
busy days. " It was incredible to see
how it went from nothing to full in
just a few hours. "
The Querbes Tennis Center in
Louisiana,
Shreveport,
celebrated
a grand reopening in late February
2020 after major renovations, aided
by USTA grants. After just two
weeks of play, the center shut down
due to COVID-19. But any concerns
about revenue loss were quickly diminished
once it opened again in
May 2020. This single, 11-court tennis
club saw roughly 250 new players
by year's end, including some 150
kids. In both July and August, more
than 2,000 players took to the courts
in Louisiana's northwest corner.
" It has really been a perfect
storm, " Chris Dudley, tennis director
at Querbes Tennis Center, says
of the combination of the brandnew
facility and tennis' boom as a
physical-distancing sport.
Making Tennis Equitable
A year ago, the USTA announced
2017
36.29M
32.28M
36.04M
6.32M
4.81M
2.31M
6.69M
14.95M
6.65M
13.62M
9.41M
2018
36.37M
33.24M
36.67M
6.32M
4.77M
2.30M
6.84M
15.03M
6.69M
13.34M
9.43M
2019
36.18M
33.06M
6.49M
4.70M
2.24M
7.03M
15.36M
6.83M
13.54M
9.93M
the creation of Tennis Industry
United (TIU) (tennisindustryunited.
com), which was charged with assessing
overall industry needs and
making recommendations for how
to best assist industry sectors in need
of help. The organization also committed
to financially assist in sustaining
programs, facilities and education
for professionals.
" TIU was originally formed to
help combat and get us through
[COVID-19], " says Dowse. " Now
it has pivoted toward advocating
for tennis as a collective group and
driving diversity and inclusion in
our sport. When we all work together
on the exact same initiatives,
it's so much more powerful than
when we go out and try to do it on
our own. We are now seeing the
outcome of putting those measures
into place, with tennis surging. "
To further capitalize on the momentum
surrounding participation,
the USTA collaborated with leading
manufacturers and mass retailers to
include a " Net Generation " hangtag
on more than 400,000 youth racquets
sold by various mass sporting goods
and tennis equipment retailers. These
hangtags include a QR code sharing
2020
30.65M
27.92M
37.08M 31.29M
5.41M
3.85M
1.81M
5.29M
11.26M
4.97M
9.18M
6.05M
1-year
change
-15.3%
-15.5%
-15.6%
-16.6%
-18.1%
-19.2%
-24.6%
-26.7%
-27.3%
-32.2%
-39.0%
Change in
participants
-5.53M
-5.14M
-5.80M
-1.08M
-0.85M
-0.43M
-1.73M
-4.10M
-1.86M
-4.36M
-3.88M
information about Net Generation,
the official youth tennis brand of
USTA; local play opportunities; and
access to the free youth USTA membership;
all aimed at making it easier
for kids to get into the game.
The USTA's first strategic priority
is to attract, engage and retain
a new generation of diverse tennis
participants. With tennis' inherent
physical distancing helping attract
newcomers to the sport, the engagement
and retention of these new
players become paramount. To that
end, the USTA - through TIU - is
working with the United States Professional
Tennis Association and
the Professional Tennis Registry to
increase membership and get more
qualified coaches and teaching pros
to serve this new client base.
" Ultimately, that's how people
get engaged with the sport, " says
Dowse. " As beginners come in,
if they have a positive experience
with their
first coach, the data
bears out that they'll stay with the
sport much longer. "
Arthur Kapetanakis is an Assistant Managing Editor at the
USTA (arthur.kapetanakis@usta.com). Victoria Chiesa is a
Content Producer and Editor at the USTA (victoria.chiesa@
usta.com).
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | JULY 2 0 2 1
| Parks & Recreation
49
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July 2021 - Parks & Recreation

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