USTA Iowa juniors receive recognition for standout sportsmanship
In collaboration with the Match Tennis App, the USTA Missouri Valley is running an all-new sportsmanship initiative—known as SuperSport—to recognize players who display standout sporting behavior during tournaments. The campaign aims to create a positive tennis experience for competitors of all ages and abilities.
Within USTA Iowa, three junior players—Maiya Phanchantraurai, Addison Latta and Ayers Thorin—earned recognition as local SuperSport winners for 2024.
Phanchantraurai was nominated for SuperSport at a USTA Missouri Valley Girls’ 12s/14s tournament. The nominator said Phanchantraurai was a “great player and very kind.” To read a USTA Iowa story about Phanchantraurai’s father and his love of tennis, click here.
Latta was nominated at a USTA Level 2 Girls’ 12s tournament. Her nominator noted the following: “Addison won the overall sportsmanship award at the Level 2 in Tucson, Arizona.”
Thorin was nominated for SuperSport at a USTA Iowa Boys’ and Girls’ 12s/14s tournament, the Genesis Junior Open. His nominator said the following: “Thorin is always fair and plays hard every single match.”
In addition, USTA Iowa’s AJ Williams won the Sportsmanship Award for the Boys’ 12s division at the USTA Missouri Valley Rally in the Valley Championships in Edmond, Okla. To view a video featuring Williams talking about the significance of sportsmanship, click here. To view a full article about this tournament, click here.
Juniors and adults can win prizes throughout the year as part of the SuperSport tiered award system at both the district and section levels. A grand prize award is given to one junior and one adult with the highest number of qualified nominations from Jan. 1 to July 31. The grand prize is a trip for two to the 2024 US Open. It includes ground pass tickets for two, $800 in airfare, a $500 hotel grant and a $30 US Open Store gift card.
For complete details on the 2024 SuperSport campaign—including a full explanation of how to nominate a player—click here.
Related Articles
-
![Visit the Bruning Hall of Fame page]( "Bunny Bruning taking a selfie with others at the Champions of Equality event at the US Open.")
Bruning Hall of FameSeptember 28, 2024Bunny Bruning has been inducted into Iowa’s USTA Hall of Fame for 2024. The San Diego native who came to Iowa in 1984 to work at the Wakonda Tennis Club has made an imprint on the tennis community for forty years. Read More -
![Visit the Fackel Scholarship Winners page]( "Grace Evers and Connor Heuthorst are the Barbara J. Fackel Scholarship recipients for 2024.")
Fackel Scholarship WinnersSeptember 27, 2024Now in its fifth year, Barbara J. Fackel Scholarships have given away $10,000 to Iowa students who play tennis. The scholarship was named on behalf of Fackel, who was active in the USTA at the state, section and national levels. Each year two students receive $1,000 to use toward their college fees. Read More -
![Visit the Iowa Adaptive Duo page]( "Nathan Williams and Brady Anderson will be heading to the USTA Adaptive Doubles National Championship.")
Iowa Adaptive DuoSeptember 23, 2024Once again, Marion native Nathan Williams traveled to Orlando to take part in the USTA Adaptive Doubles National Championships. Williams and his partner had a tremendous showing at the prestigious event. Read More
Sign up for our Newsletter
Download the USTA App
