Air Force Academy

Dec. 1, 2009

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced that Air Force women's tennis coach Kim Gidley has been named the national winner of the USTA/ITA Community Outreach Award for 2009. Gidley will be honored by the ITA and the USTA on Saturday, December 19th at the ITA Coaches Convention being held at the Naples Grande Resort and Spa in Naples, Fla., during the ITA Welcoming and Awards Banquet.

The USTA/ITA Community Outreach Award honors an ITA coach for significant contributions in developing community-based tennis programs through community centers, schools, parks, community tennis associations, inner city, suburban or rural programs.

"Kim is a great example of a coach that gives back to their community and campus," said ITA Executive Director David A Benjamin. "Our hope is that her extraordinary efforts continue to inspire other varsity coaches to emulate the great work she is doing. We strongly believe that becoming more involved in local and campus community programs is vitally important for today's college coaches. This award helps highlight the coaches who have made crucial efforts through their involvement."

This year's national winners were selected from a group of USTA Sectional winners determined this fall. This awards program, which began in 2003, was open to over 2,000 ITA head and assistant coaches at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College levels.

Gidley, who is also the award winner for the USTA/Intermountain Section, is in her 14th season as a tennis coach and her 12th as head coach at the Academy. She has made promoting tennis within the Colorado Springs community a priority in her time at USAFA. Some of the many accomplishments that Gidley can be credited with include programs designed for the local youth. "Girl Scout Badge for Tennis" allows girl scouts to earn a badge by taking part in a workshop put on by the players that teaches them the history of the game while learning how to serve and keep score. "Kid Force" is an after-school program in its eighth year that is designed to teach kids the game of tennis while keeping them off the streets. The "TESSA Pro/Am" is great opportunity for kids and participants of all ages to team up in an event that serves as a social mixer with the community. Speaking of "Servicing the Community", this is a program that was recently started in which each team member has a pledge sheet for sponsors to make charitable donations for each ace they hit during the season.

Gidley has dedicated so much time and effort to boost the interests and the economy of the Colorado Springs area by hosting eight or nine tennis events each year including: the USAFA Fall Invite, USAFA Intramural Championships, the Air Force Sports and USTA Leadership Camps, the ITA Rocky Mountain Summer Circuit, USTA Campus Showdowns as well as the USTA West Zone Team Championships. All the while, Gidley serves as the Course Director for tennis at Air Force as well a USPTA instructor at the USPTA Intermountain Convention each February.