Rallying through 2024: USTA Nebraska's most memorable stories

Check out some of the top USTA Nebraska stories from the past year by reading this 2024 recap and clicking through the included links.

The Stanley family gives back to tennis through volunteering. The Omaha family has never missed a week of volunteering at the Gifford Park tennis program since 2002 with the exception of 2020 because of Covid. The family truly believes in giving back to the community where you live.

A tennis facility in McCook got a makeover after 17 years thanks to a USTA grant. The courts are used heavily for boys’ and girls’ high school tennis as well as for camps, clinics and leagues.

Last year, more than 100 Special Olympic athletes applied to be Sargent Shriver Global Messengers. Ten athletes from around the world were selected for the role, and Nebraska’s Wyatt Spalding was one of them.

Jim Pillen, Nebraska governor, signed a proclamation in the Nebraska State Capitol’s Warner Chamber on May 20 that declared May as National Tennis Month in the state. Mary Buschmann, USTA Missouri Valley executive director and CEO, spoke at the proclamation signing.

An Omaha mother-daughter duo decided to take up tennis during Covid and continued to play during a cancer diagnosis. They not only competed in a USTA tournament, but won it.

An ATP tournament brought men’s professional tennis to Lincoln. A weeklong series of singles and doubles matches exposed the community to a high level of tennis as well as showcased the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s elite tennis facility.

People in Omaha know Joe Heydt as owner of the Racquet Corner. But at the US Open, they know him as the Wilson racquet stringer. Heydt wrapped up his 16th year stringing racquets for players with Wilson racquets, and we asked him a few questions in this Q&A.

A 4.5 women’s team from Omaha and Lincoln ventured west to compete in the coveted USTA League National Championships. They share how they qualified and what they look forward to when they compete in this article.

Verne Weber has been a longtime advocate for tennis and the USTA in Nebraska over the years, but many don’t know he’s a veteran. For Veterans Day, we profiled Weber and found out more about his time in the military.

To read all USTA Nebraska articles from 2024, check out this link.