Tennis Staff Attends ITA Coaches Convention

Coach Luteran and Coach Kreitzer attended the 27th annual Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Coaches Convention at the Naples Grande Beach Resort, Dec. 13-16, 2011. If you watch the video clip above you will see Gator Tennis alum, Evan Gordon, hitting some balls and chatting with Stan Smith and Malivai Washington. Evan currently teaches at the Naples Grande Resort through Peter Burwash International and he was called upon to hit in during most of the on court demonstrations. This was the 8th convention for Coach Luteran and the first time attending for Coach Kreitzer.

The ITA Coaches Convention is one of the best professional development opportunities for collegiate tennis coaches today, providing them with the opportunity to receive continuing education, participate in important association business meetings and serve as leaders in promoting the growth of varsity college tennis.

Hundreds of men's and women's college tennis coaches from all divisions gathered for this year's convention in Naples, where they were treated to workshops led by some of the biggest names in the sport. Among the featured clinic presenters at the 2011 ITA Coaches Convention were seven-time Grand Slam champion Stan Smith, who won three national titles at USC; 1996 Wimbledon finalist MaliVai Washington, a former ITA No. 1 at the University of Michigan; International Tennis Hall of Fame Class of 2012 nominee Nick Bollettieri; and 2011 Wilson/ITA National Division I Coaches of the Year Kenny Thorne (Georgia Tech University men) and Roland Thornqvist (University of Florida women).

In addition to offering clinics, panel discussions, an awards banquet, a trade show and a chance to exchange ideas, the ITA Coaches Convention is also the venue for the association’s annual meetings, which included ITA Operating Committee, Divisional Roundtable and General Membership sessions.

“The convention is always a very exciting time of the year for our coaches association,” said ITA Executive Director David Benjamin. “Besides being able to take in great clinics and workshops at a beautiful resort in a great city, the coaches also have a forum to meet and discuss the important issues within college tennis today.”

A highlight each year at the ITA Coaches Convention is the ITA Awards Banquet. On Dec. 15, Thorne, Thornqvist and their fellow Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year winners from Division II, Division III, NAIA and Junior Colleges were honored for their work during the 2010-11 season. In addition, Claire Pollard of Northwestern University received the USTA/ITA National Campus and Community Outreach Award and Matt Meredith of Slippery Rock University was recognized as the USTA/ITA National QuickStart Provider of the Year.

Washington served as the keynote speaker of the evening, courtesy of Wilson Sporting Goods. Before peaking at No. 11 in the world as a professional, Washington was a two-time ITA All-American and the 1989 ITA National Player of the Year as a member of the Wolverines. He defeated Big-Ten rival Todd Martin of Northwestern in the 1996 Wimbledon semifinals.
For more information about the ITA Coaches Convention and a full list of award winners, please visit www.ITAtennis.com.