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KCTA 2023 Awards Kern Community Tennis Association recently recognized Sandy Matthews as the KCTA 2023 Person of the Year and Laura Rice with a Legacy Coach Award. Sandy was honored for her 24 years as the Chairperson and Treasurer of the Ladies Interclub League. The league has been in operation since the 1970s and is a key contributor to the spirit of cooperation that exists in the Bakersfield tennis community. Each year, Sandy and her team devote hundreds of hours to operate the best league in town that provides the camaraderie and competition that thousands of women of all ages have enjoyed. As those who have worked with Sandy can attest, no detail is ever too small. Laura moved to Bakersfield when she was recruited to play for the CSUB women’s tennis team. After a successful college career, Laura went on to be one of the best recreational players in the area, including 14 consecutive County Doubles Championships and being a member of the 1994 USTA National Open Mixed Doubles Team. Laura coached for several years at Bakersfield College and local clubs before joining the Ridgeview High faculty in 1999. She served as the JV coach before becoming the head varsity coach for both boys’ and girls’ tennis in 2007. Laura also heads the PE Department. Although many of her players are first exposed to tennis during their freshman year, her dedication enables Ridgeview to consistently field competitive teams. Her players are known for their love of the sport and respectful attitudes. Laura has changed hundreds of lives in her more than three decades as a youth coach. Pictured from left to right are Robert Limpias, KCTA President, Sandy Matthews, Laura Rice, and Hank Pfister. 2022 Fall Ladies' Clinic For MANY more pictures, click the photo above! Thank you to all who attended and to our pros!

Players Drills Tournament Website Read More The Kickoff of the Girls' 2024 Tennis Season is complete. We hosted 20 coaches from 14 schools for a clinic at Stockdale Country Club on August 19. Players' Drills at BRC on August 24 were attended by a record 388 girls for two hours of instruction, lunch (courtesy of Little Caesars), and a "Shopping Spree" that delivered approximately 1500 articles of clothing. The Equipment Distribution on August 29 fulfilled requests from 22 schools for gear with a retail value of nearly $100,000. That gear included 150 racquets, 305 pairs of shoes, 610 pairs of socks, over 1000 sports bras, 381 pairs of compression shorts, 252 visors, 129 tennis backpacks, and approximately 3000 practice balls. This is made possible through the generosity of members of our community, partnerships with key suppliers, support of the high school coaches, and the hard work of a great many people. That last group is listed below, and we sincerely apologize if we have failed to include anyone. -KCTA Board of Directors VOLUNTEERS Randy Crider, Dan Rutherford, Manny Gonzales, Tom Curran, Al Johnson, Megan Carnegie, Laurie Haagsma, Minda Owens, Rhonda Slegers, Linette Holliday, Agnes Dejong, Ashley South, Natalie Chene, Trellis Green, Ella Periera, Kaylee Periera, Janet Strandberg, Beth Kuney, Scott Kuney, Jon Raichelson, Sal Moretti, Zeb Duket, Tammy Duket, Adrian Araya, Lauren Mayhew, Brian Yanez, Joe Fike, Edgar Pankey, Jonni Seymour, Mark Windes, Marty Crider, Marjorie Levin, Camille Hanson, Andrea Ames, Eli Jimenez, David Rous, Kristen Villa, Cannon Creese, Tiffany Gill, Patrick Henderson, Sandy Matthews, Melissa Sweaney, Nikki Hiebert, Heather Tkac, Zach Gomez, Noel Dalton, Ashley Periera, Paul Yanez, Jerry Matthews & Robert Limpias. COURT INSTRUCTORS Ryan Chavez, Mark Fredriksz, Zach Gomez, Manny Gonzales, Bre Hiebert Bob Kelly, Hannah Kratt, Abraham Maldonado, Jay Manibo, Eli Noel, Hannah Purvis, Art Sherwyn, Jonni Seymour, Buddy Turl & Anthony Renteria.

Donate with Confidence - KCTA has been awarded a 2023 Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency - the highest recognition given. To learn more about what KCTA does in our tennis community, click on the seal to the left to read our 2023 Annual Report. We are grateful for your support and we will use your gifts towards helping Kern County junior players have the tennis equipment and support they need to be the best they can be!

2022 - 2023 KCTA Burrell Sportsmanship Award Presented Past Recipients 2007-08: Julie Hutton & Aaron Dobie 2008-09: Carly Tucker & Nick Jacobs 2009-10: Lily Schuler & Tyler Thoms 2010-11: Zoe Tucker & Blaine Davenport 2011-12: Isabel Donaldson & David Perez 2012-13: Carlee Henderson & Tim Roe 2013-14: Taylor Touchstone & John M. Flores 2014-15: Grace Booth & Zach Gomez 2015-16: Madeline Kuney & Jack Han 2016-17: Madison Swaney & Raguvir Kunani 2017-18: Erica Paradise & Moses Jimenez 2018-19: Tiffany Chau & Juan Contreras 2019-20: Sofia Zaletel & Tyler Howard 2020-21: Monika McKenna & Sage Nguyen 2021-22: Natalie Tun & Alexis Ordaz 2022-23: Breanna Hiebert Congratulations to Breanna Hiebert of Bakersfield Christian High School - the 2022 KCTA Burrell Sportsmanship Award Winner! Breanna with her mother and father, Darrin and Nikki, her brother Cade and grandmother Carolyn Rosales, Sadie Padilla, Alina Garcia, Kylee Limpias, Tracy Macnair Burrell, Lindsay Young, Breanna Hiebert, Hannah Kratz, and Mailee Francisco Not Pictured: Galilea Villasenor, Itzel Franco, and Angela Rubio De La Torre On December 7, 2022, KCTA recognized twelve student athletes for their sportsmanship and leadership. The winner of this year’s Tracy Macnair Burrell Sportsmanship Award is Breanna Hiebert from Bakersfield Christian High School. Bre is an outstanding student with a 4.3 GPA who is described by teachers as hard-working and respectful. She picked up her first racquet at the age of 4 and, under the early guidance of her great-uncle Frank Thiessen, she was named the #1 player for BCHS her freshman year and each year thereafter. She ended her high school career by finishing in 2nd place for the Sectional Singles title and finished in the top 3 spots in doubles the two preceding years. In addition to working on her own game, Bre has helped her teammates and younger children develop their skills using patience and kindness. That kindness is on display in her own matches where she treats opponents with respect and is known for fair line calls and overall great sportsmanship. Bre says that she "always treats her opponents with respect because she realizes there is more to the game than just the competition." Joining Breanna as finalists for this year’s award were Rosales, Sadie Padilla, Alina Garcia, Kylee Limpias, Tracy Macnair Burrell, Lindsay Young, Breanna Hiebert, Hannah Kratz, and Mailee Francisco, Galilea Villasenor, Itzel Franco, and Angela Rubio De La Torre . All were excellent nominees, and we wish them the very best as they graduate this year.

Bakersfield College Tennis Noel Dalton and Marc Gomez will be coaching the Men's and Women's Tennis Teams at Bakersfield College this Spring - come out and support BC Tennis! 2023 BC Women's Tennis Schedule>> 2023 BC Men's Tennis Schedule>> Marc has over three decades of playing and coaching experience. Marc started his tennis teaching career in 1996 as a Tennis Professional at Visalia Racquet Club after competing for the men’s tennis teams at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, CA and Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA. He has coached high school boys' and girls' tennis teams which have won team and individual league and sectional championships. Marc teaches private tennis lessons and clinics full-time and is the Garces Memorial High School girls tennis coach. He remains active in tournament and league play. Noel Dalton played for Bakersfield College Men's Tennis in the early 80's and was the recipient of the BC Scholar Athlete Award in 1984 before finishing his degree at Pepperdine University. Noel has been an active USTA League player and Captain. Noel will be coaching the men.

KCTA is providing Tennis Scholarships to high school players KCTA began sponsoring professional instruction for high school players in the summer of 2021. Since that time more than 400 student athletes have benefitted from up to 15 hours of small group instruction. This has been made possible through the support of our sponsors and partnerships with local teaching professionals and Bakersfield’s four private clubs. These scholarship lessons are available to players from every high school in Kern County, but the request must come through the team coach. Player eligibility will be determined by a demonstrated commitment to the sport, agreement to attend at least 90% of the sessions, and financial need. There is no cost to the players or their schools. For more information, contact Jerry Matthews at jerrymatthews004@gmail.com

Visit btopen.org for daily match schedule, events, and results. March 16-22 BTOpen Website