USTA Sections' Undeclared War On Private Clubs and Independent Teaching Pros

I understand that some dedicated USTA fans may have reservations about my statement. However, I would like to present my case and provide my reasoning for you to consider.

Fact
Many of the 17 USTA sections are in a love-hate relationship with clubs and pros in their respective areas.

This attitude manifests itself in

• bossing around tournament directors who want sanctions renewed

• coming up with an ever-increasing number of league teams demanding courts despite a reduction in the number of league players

• never explaining any of their actions to members or to the public

Fact
USTA sections are constantly seeking additional revenue to fulfill their growing payroll requirements.

• The USTA's annual section grants alone are insufficient to meet the financial demands of money-driven executives and the Board's expansive hiring plans.

• Oftentimes, even the lucrative Adult Leagues cannot generate enough revenue to support ambitious projects and initiatives.

• The practice of constructing an increasing number of mega centers to boost revenue is bound to divert the largest tournament business from private clubs, leading to potential conflicts with club owners.

Fact
The President of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), Dr. Brian Hainline, stated in an interview with RSI that the organization has decided to take on the responsibility of overseeing all aspects of coaching, ranging from grassroots to the highest level of our sport.

Every independent teaching professional in the country should be concerned about the potential impact of USTA's own professionals pirating their clients.

Fact
Is the USTA PNW OK with driving a small independent club out of business? "Facilities are not considered partners in growing tennis in the PNW. We are tools for growing USTA revenue in leagues and tournaments."

In August 2021, I initiated an investigation into the leadership of USTA Pacific Northwest, which our loyal readers may remember. The discoveries I made, particularly after receiving information from whistleblowers, were astounding. They ranged from excessive salaries to the obligation of staff members to walk the COO's dog. The offices of USTA PNW are in Beaverton, Oregon, just west of Portland.

Meet Caryn and Clark Vitek, owners of Evergreen Tennis in Camas, Washington. Camas is a city in Clark County, Washington, about 15 miles east of Portland, Oregon, with a population of 26,065 at the 2020 census. The entire border area on the Washington side is quite popular for Portland’s Oregonians because living there saves them the 9.9% Oregon State income tax. The ideal situation for Oregonians: living in Washington (no state income tax) and shopping in Oregon (no sales tax).

As you can read in this article by the Vancouver Business Journal, Evergreen Tennis serves fun & recreation to Clark County, Caryn and Clark founded their tennis club in 2014 and opened it in 2015.

Evergreen Tennis is open to members and the public with 4 indoor courts and the Viteks have successfully run it for almost 10 years now because Camas is a great demographic, a bedroom community with a strong demand for instruction. 

Similar to other USTA sections, PNW has implemented a strategy to meet its revenue requirements by acquiring and managing various facilities. In 2018, the organization successfully renovated and took over the management of two prominent city-owned tennis centers: Vancouver Tennis Center, located in Vancouver, WA (Clark County), approximately 10 miles away from Evergreen Tennis, and Galbraith Tennis Center in Tacoma, WA.

Much to the dismay of Caryn and Clark Vitek, there is now a plan for USTA PNW to cover and take over the management of the eight Camas High School tennis courts.  This would be a second facility in Clark County about 5 miles away from Evergreen Tennis and 10 miles away from Vancouver Tennis Center.  Caryn Vitek: “This development will undoubtedly result in an oversupply of indoor courts within our population of 26,000 in Camas, WA, and will drive us out of business.”

I assume that PNW executives may not care about the continued operation of privately owned tennis facilities. Clark highlights the assertion made by USTA PNW that private clubs do not serve the public. Additionally, there have been reports of a Board member of the Washington State Tennis Club Association stating that facilities are not seen as partners in the growth of tennis in the PNW, but rather as tools for generating revenue for USTA through leagues and tournaments.

Clark notes, “We have always been open to the public. The USTA likes to go into publicly owned facilities so they can get the long-term lease for the infrastructure at zero dollars and keep paying Pat, China, and Matt $250k-$300k year apiece.” (Correction: with “Other compensation, CEO Matt Warren made $340K in 2023; COO China Kirk made $263K; Facility GM Pat Dreves made $295K)

We studied the USTA Management Agreement PNW did with the High School that the school board approved in July. Clark writes, “It is 30 YEARS! With no request for comment or proposals on taxpayer-funded school property.  I found it to be vague on what usage the school actually gets to keep.” Our experts on facility management found that Evergreen Tennis seemed to be a quality facility and asked whether the contract violated USTA's non-profit status.

The PNW executives, who were referred to as 'looting the section' by the whistleblowers in 2021, are required to obtain approval from the PNW Board for any actions they take. Likely, most of the Board members have already secured tickets for the US Open 2024 President's Box, (and slurping free Honey Deuces right now) which is considered a valuable commodity within other sections. This appears to be the preferred method for obtaining approval from a USTA Section Board, even for plans that may seem ridiculous.

QUESTIONS FOR THE USTA PNW BOARD

1. What’s with the vendetta your executives seem to have against private tennis enterprises?

2. Is the fact that Evergreen Tennis has only one USTA adult league team a reason for attacking their business?

3. Similarly, is the fact that Evergreen Tennis runs UTR tournaments and no USTA tournaments the reason you all want them gone?

4. Was Camas High School selected because it’s only 3 miles from your COO’s residence in Washington?

ATTENTION TENNIS PROS AND CLUB OWNERS NATIONWIDE

This situation could potentially impact all of you in the business of tennis. Most USTA sections need additional revenue, which has led to potential negative consequences for those private businesses. It is important to note that some people believe the USTA sections are abusing their nonprofit status as cover-ups for non-mission-related activities and initiatives without ever facing repercussions.