Greater Columbus Tennis Association

Each year at the end of the summer season, the GCTA has an awards ceremony to honor the winning teams and individual Champ of Champs from those teams. These winners are listed on the respective Men's and Women's League pages. Area Junior Qualifier champions and runners-up are listed on the Area and District Qualifer page. Jr. Davis Cup team members and Jr. Wightman Cup team members are listed on the Jr. Davis and Wightman Cup page.

Deena Snapp was the Committee Chair. Other committee members were Rita Brown, Janet Craycraft, Erin Ortman, and Doug Snapp. Special thanks to Cindy Hine for assisting with refreshments.

GCTA Media Award
Paul Batterson

As a sports writer, Paul has covered tennis for This Week Newspapers and for the Suburban News for the past thirteen years. Although he is not a tennis player, Paul has developed a deep appreciation of tennis after working with coaches like Scott Welsh, Dan Sebastian, Wayne Wookey, et. al. He was named Ohio Prep Sports Writer of the Year in 1997 and Kevin L. Ware Journalist of the Year for the U.S. Army Europe in 1991. He was a 1983 Upper Arlington High School graduate and received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Before returning to Columbus, he worked at two daily papers, the Maryville Daily Forum in Missouri and the Frankfurt Chronicle in Frankfurt, Germany. His writing has appeared in the Associated Press, Stars and Stripes, the Kansas City Star, Sport Magazine, Off Duty Magazine, and the Columbus Citizen Journal. Paul received the 2002 GCTA Press award. Paul lives in Westerville with his wife Nancy and two children, Alicia and Grant.

GCTA Special Recognition Award
Kelly Hoffman

Kelly has been involved with the promotion of tennis for the last four years as coordinator of the Adult Tennis Program for Columbus Recreation and Parks. In this role, he helps oversee the youth and adult tennis programs. Kelly has worked closely with the GCTA Board to develop a supportive relationship that fosters the growth of tennis. He has helped to coordinate the program at the Champions Tennis club, the only public clay courts in the city. This year he worked closely with COGP to coordinate the Central Ohio Tennis Tournament and hosted the GCTA Men’s Champ of Champs. Although he is not a tennis player, he has found it very enjoyable to promote the game for all ages. He believes it is a lifetime sport which can begin at an early age and be enjoyed well into the senior years. To quote Kelly, he "lives with his beautiful wife Melissa and his three children Anthony, Isabella, and Geno." He hopes that one day he will see his children active in the game and in the tennis community.

GCTA Special Recognition Award
Ethel Baldwin

Ethel began playing tennis as a student at Stillman College and has had a passion for the game ever since. Being an accomplished tennis player, Ethel has won or been in the final rounds of over 50 tournaments locally and nationally. She is very proud of winning the Doubles Open at the 1995 Alabama State University’s 12th Annual Heritage Tournament. Believing that tennis is a valuable recreation option, Ethel has worked for over 30 years to introduce tennis to all age groups. She was one of the founders of the Wolfe Park Tennis Association and assisted starting youth groups at the park. She was inducted into Wolfe Park’s Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005. She has worked with the Columbus Recreation and Parks to implement the tennis program year round. Ethel has taught at Olympic, Scarborough East and was Groveport women’s league coach. She is presently teaching private lessons and working with the Columbus Recreation and Parks. Ethel is very proud of her daughter Keisha, son-in-law Jaime,and her three "Sweethearts": grandchildren, Antonio, Andrew and Cierra.

GCTA Special Recognition Award
Salley Sutton

Sally first became involved with tennis so she could hit balls with her mother and later took tennis as a physical education requirement in college. Sally spent most of her time with her first love, showing horses. When she moved to Westerville in 1971, she began to play on a GCTA league. Her involvement with tennis grew when many of her friends asked her to give tennis lessons to their children. This led to giving instruction at Columbus Indoor North, Indoor South, Windsong, Scarborough and now at Olympic for over 21 seasons. She has coteams in Westerville for over 25 years. She served as the Chair of GCTA Women's Board in 1978. Sally has touched the lives of many tennis players during the last 34 years. She has won the Gold Circle as well as Wickertree and Westerville tournaments. She has successfully started and coached USA and GCTA women's teams at all levels. Sally lives on a working farm and shows event horses. She and her husband have raised two daughters. Becky lives in Sunbury and Robin attends Capital University. Her daughter, Robin, has played on GCTA leagues the last three years.

GCTA Special Recognition Award
Jake Will, Jr.

Jake did not start playing tennis until he was 33. He chose tennis because it is a lifetime sport with a high level of athletic competition. Jake is an active tennis player. He plays several times a week and is a member of the 4.0 Northam Park B team. Jake has been a member of the GCTA since 1988 when he became a league player. Not only has Jake enjoyed playing in the league, but he is giving back to the tennis community by volunteering. Jake worked with the committee which raised money to build two new courts at Northam Park. He organized a tournament to raise money for the American Cancer Society in honor of close friend and GCTA member Rich Irion who died of cancer in 2004. Jake has given many hours of time and effort to the GCTA. He has worked as score keeper for the Men's League for the last nine years and he has served as treasurer for the GCTA the last eight years.

Outstanding Promotion of Tennis
Terry Gee

Terry worked for the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department from 1985-2001. During that time, he worked with Ron Smith and the GCTA to start adult lessons in 1992 at Woodward Park. This program was then expanded to offer lessons at Westgate, Schiller, and Antrim Park. Terry worked with the GCTA to start youth programs in 1994. He conducted "Tennis Rallys" in 1994 and 95. Teams came from all over the Midwest section, including Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The rallys were a combination of clinics, match play, and fun games. Terry coordinated the Central Ohio Health Net Tournament in '94 and '95. He worked with Ron Smith to form the CRC Tennis Advisory Board. Terry is currently Parks and Recreation Director for Whitehall. He has worked with the GCTA to provide beginning tennis lessons for youth at the Whitehall parks. Although Terry is not an avid tennis player, he has worked to foster tennis in the community. His son, Ethan, plays for the tennis team at Gahanna Lincoln High School.

Outstanding Promotion of Tennis
Ron Smith

Ron worked with Columbus Recreation and Parks Department for 36 years. He began as a recreation leader at Schiller Park where he worked for the first time with a GCTA volunteer. From Schiller, he became director at Whetstone where he set up many tennis programs. Ron was in charge of the Central Ohio Tennis Tournament for about 13 years in which time he was instrumental in getting the tournament finals and semifinals televised several years. Ron worked with the GCTA to initiate summer instructional programs for youth using GCTA funds and college players as instructors. Directly and indirectly, Ron was involved in tennis for 32 of his 36 years with the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. Sadly, he was never able to get the tennis stadium built that many dreamed of for Wolf Park. Ron retired from Columbus Recreation and Parks in 2000 to care for a very ill wife.

Umpire Award
Art Haus

Art has been a tennis player for more than 40 years. In 2004, Art became a certified USTA and ITA tennis official and referee. He has officiated GCTA-run area qualifier tournaments for boys and girls ages 12-18, Ohio Valley Qualifier for Girls 16, and Ohio Valley Jr. Davis and Wightman Cup. He officiated at the college level serving as an official for the Ohio State University Womens Tennis matches as well as the USTA-ITA National Hard Court tournament held at OSU. Art is currently head girls tennis coach at Buckeye Valley High school in Delaware, Ohio. Art and his wife Sandra have two children and three grandchildren. He taught both of his children to play tennis. His son, Timothy, is currently director of tennis at Birchwood Racquet Club in Summit, PA. His daughter, Kristin, lives in Westerville. Art is a Medical Physicist and is President of A.H. Medical Imaging Consulting, LLC.

Margo Mansfield Award
GCTA Female Player of the Year
The Margo Mansfield Award Fund was established by Margo's friends and family at her passing. Margo was a tennis enthusiast and dedicated much time to the Junior Wightman Cup. It is said that she was more interested in how you played the game than if you won or lost. Sportsmanship and character are very important criteria for this award.
Kirsten Flower

Kirsten started tennis when she was nine years old. She watched Martina Hingis win the US Open at the age of 16 and was mesmerized by her. She immediately asked her Dad to enroll her in tennis lessons and has been hooked on the sport ever since. Kirsten just turned seventeen in August. Although she does not play for her high school team now, she did play for Upper Arlington during her freshman and sophomore years. She was the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Champion in Division I for 2003. Kirsten attended the Weil Tennis Academy in Southern California for her junior year. She will return to Upper Arlington for her senior year but will not play high school tennis because she needs to play in International Tennis Federation tournaments to qualify for the Junior Slams in 2006. Kirsten has won many tournaments. She was champion of Midwest Designated 16 and under, Midwest Indoor Closed 18 and under, and Franklin Invitational to name a few. She and her father won the National Father and Daughter Tournament. When asked which accomplishment she is most proud of, she replied, "I am proud of all of my accomplishments, but the one that is most special to me is winning the Midwest Closed in the 18s for the second year in a row. It is the toughest tournament in the midwest, and to win it twice in both the singles and the doubles is a great achievement." Kirsten plans to attend Georgia Tech on a full scholarship in the fall of 2006.

GCTA Male Player of the Year
Chase Buchanan

Chase began hitting the tennis ball with his mother when he was six years old. Chase is one of the world's top ranked fourteen year old boys after making the final of the International Orange Bowl at thirteen and winning the prestigious 14 and under tournament, Les Petits As, in Tarbes, France. During the spring of 2004, Chase ranked #1 in the nation in the Boys 12s and Boys 14s at the same time. A few of the tournaments which Chase has won include: Winter Nationals, USTA National Championship (Boys 14s), and the National Open in Lexington (Boys 16s). He played #1 for the United States at the World Championships in the Czech Republic this August where the US team placed fourth. When asked which accomplishment he is most proud of, Chase replied, "I am most proud of winning Les Petits As in February, 2005. Former winners include Raphael Nadal, Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis. Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Martin Safin and the majority of the top ten tennis professionals in the world all played this tournament." Chase was given a Wild Card into the qualifiers for the US Open Jrs. He was the youngest player in a worldwide draw of 88 of the top 18 and under players. He is looking forward to representing the Head Racquet Company at the Head Elite Cup in Barcelona, Spain, in October.

GCTA Family of the Year Award
The Kinnards

Alan, Kathy, Kelsey, and Kiley are a tennis family active in the community. Kathy and Alan first hit a tennis ball when they tried the sport together in the spring of 1973 as freshmen at Miami University. In the summer of 1974, Kathy won her first women's title at a local parks tournament in Bellefontaine, Ohio. By her junior year, Kathy had improved her game enough to earn a spot on Miami’s varsity tennis team as a walk-on. Alan and Kathy married after graduation and after living in Dayton for a short period, moved to Columbus. Kathy worked as a business teacher and girl's tennis coach for Grandview Heights City Schools. She is currently the athletic director in Grandview. Kathy has continued to compete in local, regional and satellite tournaments. She has been very successful. This summer, Kathy won her 100th tournament by capturing the Womens 35s title in the Academy Open. Kathy has been a ranked player throughout the years and most recently ranked by the Ohio Valley Tennis Association #1 in Womens 45 Singles. Alan has also had success in tennis tournaments but his most notable contributions are in his expertise with graphic arts. Alan developed the computer based Tennisfax Ranking System which was used to rank players on the Central Ohio Grand Prix tennis circuit. He also published the Tennisfax Newsletter featuring these rankings, local tournament results, and news stories. In 2000, he launched www.tennisfax.com. Alan started the Tennisfax Classic, a USTA sanctioned tournament which has grown to become one of the largest events on the COGP tour. Both Kelsey and Kiley have played tennis their whole lives. Kelsey started playing tournaments at age 12 and has already won 24 titles. Highlights include winning the Wickertree Holiday Girls 16s title as an unseeded player in 2003; winning the Family Week mother/daughter doubles title in 2003, and winning two Schroeder Girls Team titles (Girls 14 in 2003, Girls 16 in 2005). Kelsey plays #1 singles at Grandview Heights High School. As a sophomore, she compiled a 23-6 record including Grandview's first girls' tennis league title, a runner-up finish at the sectional championships and a first round win at districts. Kelsey was awarded MVP, Scholar Athlete and First team MSL awards in both her freshman and sophomore seasons. At nine years old, Kiley has worked at the tournament desk at The Tennisfax Classic. As a player, Kiley is working on changing her two handed forehand grip to a one-handed grip and is learning to keep score. She especially enjoys playing doubles with the family. The Kinnards contribute to the tennis community by volunteering. Alan began volunteer activities in 1975 when he coordinated tennis tournaments on Bellefontaine's two public parks. Before becoming the owner of COGP, Alan volunteered his time compiling rankings for the circuit. He also became the volunteer webmaster for the COGP setting up their web site and establishing an online entry system. Kathy and Kelsey have volunteered at clinics for the Grandview Parks junior tennis program.

Lifetime Achievement Award
Wayne Wookey

Wayne began playing tennis as a middle school student in his hometown of Huntington, West Virginia. He played high school tennis and attended Marshall University on a tennis scholarship, graduating in 1966. After college, he and his wife Barbara moved to Columbus where he taught U.S. History in the Columbus Public Schools until 1979. He then moved to Upper Arlington where he taught U.S. History at Jones Middle School for 22 years. Wayne has been head tennis pro at Guyan Country Club (Huntington, WV), Brookside Country Club, The Swim and Racquet Club, Northam Park Tennis, and Scioto Country Club. He has coached both girls and boys at Walnut Ridge, Jones Middle School, Wellington School, and Upper Arlington High School. While at Upper Arlington, his boys' team won a OCTA State Team Championship in 1987 and his girls' team won a OCTA State Team Championship in 1996. Since Wayne retired from Upper Arlington Schools in 2001, he has been a full time staff professional at the Players' Club in Hilliard. He is also on the teaching staff at the Swim and Racquet Club this summer. During the years of the Buckeye Boys Ranch tournament, Wayne served as a lines person and chair umpire. He served as coach of the Central Ohio Junior Davis Cup team from 1990 through 1995. He has trained and supervised ball persons for a variety of GCTA sponsored special events and exhibition matches. Wayne received the City of Upper Arlington Resolution of Appreciation in 1980 for Accomplishments as managing professional-Northam Park Tennis. He was Ohio Capital Athletic Conference Central Division Girls Tennis Coach of the Year 1994 and 1997. Wayne's wife, Barbara, is an ESL teacher for Delaware Area Career Center, Upper Arlington Public Library and The Ohio State University. They will celebrate their fortieth wedding anniversary next June. They have three adult daughters: Ann, Sara, and Clare.

Lifetime Achievement Award
Larry Turville

Larry grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida. He started playing at age eight and played in his first tournament at age ten. He grew up in a tennis family where mom was a city champ, his brother was nationally ranked, and his dad became president of the USTA. Larry was an All-American at Georgia Tech and played as a journeyman on the pro tour. He co-founded with a fellow player, Armistead Neely, the WATCH Tennis Circuit in Florida from 1972-1979. This was the first satellite circuit to receive ATP ranking points and became the model for future satellite circuits around the world. After that, Larry was the men’s tennis coach at Rice University for 18 years. Larry is currently the head tennis pro at Worthington Hills Country Club. Three years ago, Larry started a Junior Tennis League for clubs in northwest Columbus which involves playing tournaments and team tennis. He serves on an Advisory Ranking Committee to the USTA Adult Competition Committee and helped get the Points Per Round Ranking system started for USTA Senior Rankings. In senior tennis Larry has won fourteen National Doubles Titles with partner Neal Newman and ten National Singles Titles. Last year, he was ranked #1 in the USTA Men's 55 and over singles and doubles. He won the World Championships with Neal Newman in 2004 in Philadelphia and in 2005 in Perth, Australia. To quote Larry, "Looks like I’ve been lucky to have been involved with tennis most of my life."

Lifetime Achievement Award
Harvey Beahm

Harvey began his tennis career at Wicomico Senior High School in Salisbury, Maryland,where he was a twelve time letterman in football(captain), basketball(captain), baseball(captain), and tennis. He received the Outstanding Senior Athlete Award in 1962. Harvey was coached by Bill Riordan, who later became Jimmy Conners manager, and attained a #5 ranking in the Middle Atlantic Tennis Association in the Boys 15& under age division.
He received his B.A. Degree from Muskingum College and later his Masters Degree from The Ohio State University. Harvey’s teaching and coaching career began at Worthington High School in 1966 where he was classroom teacher, assistant football coach and head tennis coach. During this time, he served as treasurer for the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association. While at Worthington, Harvey started and developed the “Worthington Cup” tennis tournament which became, at that time, one of the strongest boys tournaments in the state of Ohio. After leaving Worthington and then Grandview Heights High School, he became an assistant football coach at Capital University for two years.
Harvey began his professional tennis coaching career at the Racquet Club of Columbus where he gave tennis lessons from 1972-1977. During this time, he also served as head pro and manager of the Buckeye Indoor Tennis Club at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. He became the first head tennis pro at Little Turtle Country Club in 1973.
From 1977 until 1995, Harvey was owner and general manager of Wickertree Tennis Club. During this time, Harvey became tournament director of “The Columbus Indoor” National Junior Tennis Tournament. During the next fifteen years, Harvey built and promoted this tournament to a prestigious tournament on the junior national circuit.
Harvey received the OVTA’s Howard Dredge Award for his outstanding contribution to junior tennis and OVTA’s Family of the Year Award. He has served as Chairman of the Junior Competition Committee for the OVTA as well as serving on the same committee for the Western Tennis Association (now the Midwest Section).
For the last fifteen years, Harvey has run the USTA National Amateur Hardcourt Tennis Championship. Harvey initially held the tournament at Wickertree but due to its growth and promotion on his part, he moved it to the Ohio State University varsity courts where it has grown into the largest tournament on the USTA/ITA circuit.
Harvey has served on the Board of Directors of the GCTA for many years as well as serving as President of GCTA from 2002-2004. He is presently serving as the OVTA Area Chairman for the GCTA.
Since leaving Wickertree in 1995, Harvey has been working as the Commercial Sales Manager for Germain Ford. Harvey has been married to his wife, Marty, for 35 years. He has two daughters, Jennifer and Julie who were both State Tennis Champions at the Wellington School. Both girls were recipients of full tennis scholarships to college. In August, Julie made Harvey a first time grandfather to little Peyton Matthew, a future “Jimmy Connors or Brett Favre.”