The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is partnering with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to support and promote the USTA's "no-cut" policy for high school tennis teams. The "no-cut" policy allows every student who wishes to play high school tennis to be a member of a team.
The USTA and NFHS have aligned efforts to recruit and recognize coaches who commit to these inclusive efforts, which can have a positive impact on the students who participate.
The goal of the partnership is to attract new supporters of the no-cut policy through the 51 NFHS member state associations, which includes more than 19,000 high schools and almost 7.7 million participants in high school sports. With the resources and network of the NFHS, the USTA hopes to achieve a greater penetration of no-cut programs nationwide by extending its reach to high school coaches and administrators.
"We are honored to join efforts with the NFHS," said Kurt Kamperman, USTA Chief Executive, Community Tennis. "Ensuring students are given an opportunity to be part of a team will make a lasting impact on the lives of our youth, as well as on the sport of tennis."
"Philosophically, the ‘no-cut' concept fits our mission of involving as many young people as possible in high school sports and performing arts programs," said Bob Gardner, NFHS executive director. "We are pleased to assist the USTA in encouraging more coaches and administrators to consider implementing a no-cut program in their schools."
Since the inception of the no-cut program in 2006, the USTA has registered more than 3,600 coaches who have implemented a no-cut initiative, affecting more than 130,000 high school students.
The organizations will promote the initiative through their respective online and educational resources. The USTA will track and register the no-cut interscholastic tennis programs utilizing its registration system. To register as a no-cut coach or learn more about the program, visit www.usta.com/no-cut.
Source: National Federation of State High School Associations.
Posted April 12, 2013
