Cusic Honored by USTA
Rogina Cusic of Bismarck has been named posthumously to receive the Jack Dow Adult Development Award. She was a driving force in promoting adult tennis opportunities in the Bismarck/Mandan area by serving as a player, captain and coach. She collaborated the past three years to provide more USTA League opportunities for North Dakotans. She cooperated with USTA Northern’s Nancy Lundberg to form options so that teams and players could qualify for the USTA Northern League Section Championships in the Twin Cities. The teams played a weekend qualifying tournament that was organized by Cusic and others.
USTA Northern Recognizes Coaches on National Coaches Day
USTA Northern recognized 12 different coaches as part of National Coaches Day on October 6. Included in the group were Paul Christen – Mandan High School (Mandan, N.D.); Erik Kringlie – Valley City State University (Valley City, N.D.); Scott McPherson – Bismarck Legacy High School (Bismarck, N.D.); and Marc White – Cameron Indoor Tennis Center (Minot, N.D.).
Schlossman Honored by USTA
Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald in Grand Forks, N.D., is the 2017 winner of the Bob Larson Media Excellence Award given to the person who has provided exemplary tennis media coverage for his or her local community.
A USTA member and tennis player himself, Schlossman has covered the North Dakota tennis scene at the high school and collegiate level for years, including state tournaments, the outstanding runs by Grand Forks Red River High School, the University of North Dakota programs and much more. In 2016, he was named the North Dakota Sportswriter of the Year.
He played tennis at Fargo South High School for Vic Youngs in the mid ‘90s. An active USTA member, he currently participates in local tennis drills and is a volunteer assistant coach at Minnesota-Crookston.
“What sets Brad apart is that he not only uses his tennis knowledge and expertise to highlight tennis news and events in North Dakota, but also uses that expertise on the court through playing and coaching,” nominator Ryan McGuigan said.
Frueh Named to USTA Northern Hall of Fame
Brent Frueh (Rochester, Minn.) has been selected for enshrinement into the USTA Northern Hall of Fame. He will be honored on Friday, Nov. 17, at the Minnesota Valley Country Club in Bloomington, Minn. Tickets are $50 for the event and can be purchased by contacting Lisa Mushett at mushett@northern.usta.com or at (952) 358- 3282. Frueh was inducted into the North Dakota Tennis Hall of Fame in 2016. See his biography here.
If you know of someone deserving of honor in the Northern Section, you may nominate them for an Annual Award. Click here for a complete list and criteria of awards. Deadline for nomination is September 15. For more
information, contact Lisa Mushett at (952) 358-3282.
Thibedeau Has Outstanding Season
This summer Paul Thibedeau of West Fargo won five singles titles and four doubles titles to establish what very likely could be a record in North Dakota Tennis. He won all four doubles titles with four different partners. His wins will very likely place him as Northern Section's #1 in both 35 and 45 & over categories. Thibedeau entered 5 singles events and 4 doubles events, winning all nine. His record was 23-0--15-0 in singles and 8-0 in doubles.
Koushkouski Leaving North Dakota
Jordan Koushkouski, president of the Jamestown Tennis Association and head tennis coach for both boys and girls at Jamestown High School, is resigning to take a job in California. Koushkouski played tennis at Jamestown and University of Mary. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Jamestown High School in 2005 and remained in that position until the spring of 2016, at which time he became head coach. He has coached several state qualifiers. In particular, he led the 2015 and 2016 boys' teams to the state tournament, the first since 2002 which was the year that he played. He Also coached Eric DeBoer to the first West Region boys' singles championship in school history in 2016. Eric Watne will take over duties as president of the Jamestown Tennis Association and will be the representative on the North Dakota Tennis Association.
North Dakota Cities Receive USTA Grants
Congratulations to the following communities and organizations who received Community Tennis Grants in May:
• $2,900 to Bismarck Parks and Recreation to pilot adding tennis at five existing BLAST after-school program sites.
Also, Valley City Public Schools received a Facilities Equipment Grant of $500.00.
Geatz and Paukert Named to North Dakota Tennis Hall of Fame
David Geatz, originally of Grand Forks, N.D., and Terry Paukert, also of Grand Forks, N.D., make up the 2017 class of the North Dakota Tennis Hall of Fame. Induction ceremonies are Saturday, June 24, at Choice Health & Fitness in Grand Forks as part of the China Garden Open. The ceremony begins at 4 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information about the festivities, please contact Kevin Allan at kallan@umary.edu.
Geatz, who is currently the head coach at the University of Pennsylvania, was born and raised in Grand Forks. He played tennis at Red River High School from 1972-75, where he was a member of the state championship team in 1973. He also won the state doubles title with partner Rich Dahlen that year and was the North Dakota state singles champion in 1974 and 1975. He finished his high school career with a 104-3 record, with the three losses coming his freshman season. The next three years, he won 90 straight matches and was named to Sports Illustrated’s Faces in The Crowd in 1975. He was later inducted into the Grand Forks Red River High School Athletics Hall of Fame.
He went on to play college tennis at the University of New Mexico where he earned all-conference honors in 1979, and won the conference doubles title with partner Jess Bec-Mueller that same year. After college, he played professionally in Europe where he won eight tournaments.
After earning his degree in University Studies from New Mexico in 1981, Geatz returned to his alma mater as the head men’s tennis coach from 1983-88, leading his team to a Top 20 ranking and earning Western Athletic Conference and NCAA Regional Coach of the Year honors.
Geatz then served as head coach of the University of Minnesota men’s program from 1988-2006. During his tenure, the Gophers won five Big Ten championships and compiled a 45-match winning streak in conference play. He was a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year and earned NCAA Regional Coach of the Year accolades once. His teams appeared in 12 straight NCAA Championships, and were ranked as high as #10 nationally. He also coached All-American Harsh Mankad, who was ranked #1 in the nation in singles.
After leaving the Gophers, Geatz served as the Director of Tennis at the Hong Kong Country Club in Hong Kong, before returning to the collegiate ranks as the Associate Head Coach at Ohio State in 2007-08. He was then hired as the men’s head coach at Cornell in 2008, and in 2009, coached both the men’s and women’s teams at Cornell until being hired as the Albert G. Molloy Head Coach of Men’s Tennis at Penn in 2011.
A USTA League and tournament player throughout his career, Geatz was a member of the USTA Northern 5.5 National Championship team in 2004.
“Dave Geatz is arguably the best tennis player and tennis coach the state of North Dakota has ever produced,” current University of North Dakota head tennis coach and North Dakota Tennis Hall of Fame member Tom Wynne said. “As a player, he has had success at the state, section and national level as a player and is one of the top collegiate tennis coaches in the nation. Though he spent a great deal of time in Minnesota and other parts of the country, he still identifies himself with North Dakota.”
“I am very honored to be inducted into the North Dakota Tennis Hall of Fame,” Geatz said. “I have always been proud to consider North Dakota my home. I grew up with a lot of special people including the Wynnes, Terry Paukert and Jerry Caulfield, who are all members of the Hall of Fame. It is a special moment for me to join them.”
Also a native of Grand Forks, Paukert played both high school and college tennis in North Dakota - at Grand Forks Central and the University of North Dakota, respectively, where he was the doubles partner of fellow North Dakota Tennis Hall of Famer Tim Wynne.
After college, he began his long and storied career as a high school tennis coach which spans over 40 years including time at East Grand Forks (1978-97, 2004, 2006 and 2012-13), Grand Forks Central (1999-2008) and Grand Forks Red River (2011, 2015-current). He has been part of two North Dakota team championships, coached two doubles champions and four singles titlists, including two wins by his son, Charlie, at Grand Forks Central in 2003 and 2004.
Paukert has coached both boys and girls in his illustrious career. He served as a board member of the Community Tennis Association which built the Register Tennis Complex in Grand Forks. Throughout his career, he has organized free tennis programs in the city for all high school students to grow their tennis knowledge and skills, while offering free individual lessons and racquet stringing to those who would not otherwise be able to play tennis.
He was named the Minnesota State High School Coach of the Year in 1992, and was honored in 2006 with the Ward C. Burton Junior Development Award presented to an individual or organization who has promoted the growth of tennis for juniors and served the junior tennis community in USTA Northern. In 2013, he was inducted into the Grand Forks Central High School Athletics Hall of Fame, and in 2016, received the Thomas J. Clifford Award given to an University of North Dakota alum who serve as an athletics coach at the high school or collegiate level and has been notably successful in their respective sport.
“Throughout his career, Terry has kindled and grown the love for tennis in the Grand Forks community,” nominator Ryan McGuigan said. “While speaking to Terry, he said, ‘Tennis is a money sport, but it doesn’t have to be.’ This is what led him to give free instruction, drills and supplies to many kids over the years, giving those the opportunity to play tennis who may not have otherwise had that chance.”
“Receiving this honor is humbling because I am not looking for recognition and I really enjoy what I do,” Paukert said. “It is a way to keep me connected and in the game. All I am looking for is a smile and a thank you. I know most of the people in the Hall of Fame and am very honored to have my name mentioned with theirs.”
Knutson and Stoppler win Regional Singles' Titles--Anderson/Johnson and Askvig/Reynolds Win Doubles
Grand Forks Red River and Minot Win Girls' Regional Titles
Red, Orange, Green Coach Training on May 30 in Bismarck, N.D.
Instructors, coaches, and parents who spend most of their time with beginning tennis players will learn basic skills, gamesand techniques on May 30 from 9 a.m. – 12 noon at Capital Racquet & Fitness Center, 3200 North 10th Street, Bismarck,N.D. Cost is $10 per coach. To register, click here. Registration CODE is 10195
Website Changes For USTA Northern
On May 22, you will see some major changes with the USTA Northern website. Gone will be the existing site and url www.northern.usta.com as everything on a local, sectional and national level will be found at one web address – www.usta.com.This new and personalized website experience will be the destination for tennis players in regards to play opportunities, court information, equipment, skill development and much more. All news and social media information will served up based on your location in a much more consumer-friendly manner. At this point, all local information is based on your computer’s IP address and you must allow the site to access your location. If you do not, then you will only be able to see usta.com’s global content and not the content specific to your location. For specific information about Northern programs, visit www.usta.com/northern. For more information about the site, or to offer feedback, please contact Lisa Mushett at mushett@northern.usta.com or at (952) 358-3282.
UND Women's Tennis Team goes to 1st ever Big Sky Tournament
USTA Northern Recognizes Several North Dakota Volunteers
USTA Offers Free Memberships to Players 10 & Under
The USTA is offering a free 1-year membership to all first-time members who are 10 and under between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. To register your child, please visit www.usta.com/membership and enter source code FYF17CNS or call (800) 990-8782.
Association to hold fundraiser
The North Dakota Tennis Association, in cooperation with Courts Plus will hold a fundraiser in Fargo on Friday, March 31. We invite you to join us and enjoy an evening of tropical food and drinks, and social doubles.
Click on the flyer for more information. Please RSVP to Carolyn Kramer.
New Section added to website
Please note that this website now has a section entitled "Camps." The intent is to keep you informed on how players can improve their skills.
Please note that we have also added Concordia College to our list of college teams. We did so because there are North Dakota players on the team. If you know of other colleges that North Dakota players attend, let us know.
In addition, we invite you to make suggestions about this website or to notify us of errors or omissions.
Kramer named Director of School Tennis
Carolyn Kramer, NWTA Tennis Service Director, will take on additional
duties in the Section as the new Director of Schools Tennis. She will remain as Service Representative for North and South Dakota. She has held that post since 2012. If you wish to contact Kramer, you can do so by e-mail at kramer@northern.usta.com or by phone at (701) 238-1515.
Porter and Youngs continue to compete for Concordia-Moorhead
Erik Porter has early success for Concordia tennis.
Early Development Camps Offered
The USTA Northern will again offer Early Development Camps. Below are pdf files with information and player applications.
Information Player Information
Colbert Looking for Coaches
Pat Colbert, Director of Junior Competitive Tennis for USTA Northern, is seeking coaches Early Development Campots for several communities.
Below are the camp dates and locations for 2017 – all camps are 4 hrs long, with roughly a 90 minute coaching component before – some camps will be combo camps – orange and green ball. If you have an interest, please let him know by January 31. He may need 4-8 coaches for each camp. If you have any questions contact him at colbert@northern.usta.com.
April 8 - Rochester
May 6 - Sioux Falls
May 13 - Lakeville
May 31 - Fargo
Aug 7 - Fargo
Sept 9 - Rochester
Oct 7 - Lakeville
Oct 14 - Sioux Falls
