Exploring our WHY
USTA Colorado sincerely believes that among all sports, tennis has the potential for the greatest positive impact on individuals.
We know tennis develops character, instills sportsmanship and respect, builds rapport, and helps participants stay healthy for a lifetime.
We also believe that communities that embrace tennis will become stronger through the beneficial growth of its members.
Nearly a decade ago, an author and marketing consultant by the name of Simon Sinek penned a book that would later become one of the most viewed TED Talks of all time. Start With Why has inspired business and cultural leaders across the world to communicate their sense of purpose (the WHY) before discussing the “HOWs” and “WHATs”.
Everyone has a WHY, Sinek says. Your WHY is the purpose, cause or belief that inspires you. And knowing your WHY gives you a filter to make choices, at work and at home, that will help you find greater fulfillment in all that you do.
It was this model that, in the fall of 2017, inspired USTA Colorado to re-discover its mission, and embark on a new campaign to embrace our deepest purpose for WHY we do what we do.
Asking WHY?
Starting with WHY meant that each of us at USTA Colorado had to dig deep into our self-purpose, and ask ourselves some profound questions, and then ask those same questions of our organization.
• WHY do I work for USTA Colorado?
• WHY do I/we do what we do?
• WHY do I/we coordinate leagues?
• WHY do I/we sanction tournaments?
• WHY do I/we provide funding at various levels to communities?
• WHY do I/we host the Diversity TennisFest?
• WHY do I/we publish a newspaper?
• WHY do I/we ___________?
It’s a rather easy question to ask, but it’s a considerably harder question to answer.
WHY do you do what you do?
You may answer “it’s a job” or “for the money” (not that you’re likely to respond that way if your employment is at a not-for-profit entity).
“It’s fun” was a more common response than “It’s better than unemployment”.
But when we were finally able to drill down deep enough to expose our true WHY, we all agreed on this — USTA Colorado exists to strengthen communities through tennis. That’s the foundational purpose behind its mission to promote and develop the growth of tennis in Colorado.
Strengthening Communities Through Tennis
So what does it mean, “to strengthen communities through tennis”?
USTA Colorado sincerely believes that among all sports, tennis has the potential for the . We know how tennis develops character, instills sportsmanship and respect, builds rapport, and helps participants stay healthy for a lifetime. We also believe that communities that embrace tennis will become stronger through the beneficial growth of its members.
There are many 21st Century challenges that face youth, families, schools, parents, and society in general. Poverty, crime, drug and alcohol use, obesity, inactivity, isolation, body image, bullying … and sadly, the list keeps growing.
USTA Colorado does not believe in a magic tennis pill, but we do believe in putting racquets into kids’ hands, getting them on the court and off streets, and giving them an alternative to a sedentary, digitally-dominated environment. We believe that providing opportunities for them to grow will make them self-sufficient and responsible, and encouraging them to learn from their mistakes will make them self-confident.
We believe that every child, every teen, every Millennial, Generation Xer, and Baby Boomer benefits from the life lessons and skills that playing tennis offers. We believe that we are in a unique position to educate parents about the needs of their children, and provide solutions for schools and clubs to provide tennis opportunities for everyone.
When we “start with WHY”, our mission to grow the game becomes so much easier to understand. Growing the game isn’t just about creating opportunities to play tennis, it’s about sharing our passion for the game. It’s about parent education, it’s about helping to redefine youth sports, it’s about building stronger communities through a sport that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.
This is our WHY.
10 & under: A Strategic Priority
Throughout 2017, numerous initiatives were rolling out at the Sectional and National level that were primarily geared toward kids, particularly children ages 7-10.
The Sectional rollout for the Youth Progression Platform (see COLORADO TENNIS, SUMMER 2017) was slated for January 2018, and much work had to be done during the year to prepare for the launch. Net Generation, a National web platform built to connect parents and providers, was also launched mid-year. In addition, USTA Colorado added or enhanced two kid-focused programs, the 3v3 Grand Prix and the JTT Fall Season.
The confluence in time of all these programs and platforms helped shape the nature of our WHY by focusing on the Strategic Priority of bringing young players into the game. Every department at USTA Colorado is responsible for a program or initiative that targets 10 and Under players, so the first step in the bringing our WHY to life was to focus on that market.
