Saying goodbye to an old friend
What a long, strange trip it’s been.
After 45 years of deadlines and inky fingers, the copy of Colorado Tennis you hold in your hand at this very moment will be the last printed version USTA Colorado will produce.
Born just after the Tennis Boom in 1976 as High Bounce, Colorado Tennis was (is) the last of its kind in all the country. While many state and section printed publications went the way of the dodo years ago, the publication you are reading now has been a true outlier, not just for its longevity but also for its long record of success, both in serving its readers but also in serving its advertisers, whose support has been nothing short of tremendous during my 21 years at the helm.
I’m an old school print guy, having cut my teeth in newspapers up at the Vail Daily in the early 90s. I still love the greasy fingers I get when thumbing through our Colorado Tennis archives, despite having digital copies of the last 15 years. Printed newspapers and magazines seem to hold truth in their permanence. Pixels are flexible, easy to manipulate. They appear and disappear as readily as the click of an arrow, or a swipe of the finger.
But something magical happens when ink hits paper. As each dot spreads imperceptibly larger on recycled paper, it transforms from fleeting to fixed, from ephemeral to everlasting.
But alas, nothing in this world is everlasting. Despite having never lost its mojo, the confluence of recent trends, changing tides and new opportunities has brought us to this moment. We aren’t sure if “The Official Publication of Tennis Lovers” will continue to exist in a digital environment, or if it’ll evolve into a web- or email-based product. Regardless of which direction we head in 2021, I have some personal thank-yous to deliver.
First, I’d like to thank the folks at Prairie Mountain Publishing, formerly the Longmont Times Call, who have been printing our beloved publication for more than 20 years.
Second, I’d like to thank the incredible story telling of Katie Newell (HighFIVE correspondent) and Tom Fasano (our Features correspondent). My hope is that we can continue to work with them in the future, regardless of the format we settle on, because they have the ability to bring tennis into our homes the way few other writers can. I’m deeply grateful to both of them for their years of dedication.
Third, I’d like to thank Karen Engel, a passionate tennis supporter and our outside advertising sales person, for her incredible stamina and perseverance over the last 15+ years. She has kept Colorado Tennis alive thanks to her efforts to recruit and service our amazing advertisers….
Fourth, the advertisers. When I started back in Y2K, Colorado Tennis included some of the same advertisers we still have today. I am deeply indebted to their commitment to tennis, to USTA Colorado, and to our publication over the many years. I’d like to call out a handful of them for both their longevity and their flexibility, and hope that we can continue to bring local tennis news and information into your homes in the future. This is anything BUT an exhaustive list, but I would feel remiss if I didn’t recognize the decades-long relationship we’ve developed with the following advertisers:
The Broadmoor
Club Greenwood
Coatings, Inc.
Colorado Athletic Clubs
Denver Tennis Club
Game, Set, Match, Inc.
Meadow Creek Tennis & Fitness
Nike Tennis Camps
The Ranch Country Club
Renner Sports Surfaces
Sport Court of the Rockies
Subaru
As the editor, I would also like to thank our incredible staff who have helped bring each of these publications to you. Associate ED Lisa Schaefer and Community Development Director Kristy Harris, who have made innumerable topic and content suggestions; Tournament Operations Director Jason Colter who puts in more time than anyone else making sure the Big Book of Colorado Tennis is accurate and inclusive; our incredible league department who has always been ready to supply statistics, data and research to keep me on deadline; Anita Cooper, our amazing administrative assistant, who keeps the papers flowing out the door to members and new subscribers; and finally, to Executive Director Fritz Garger, who has continually challenged me to be the best, but also has always supported me when I haven’t quite measured up. He has read each and every issue of Colorado Tennis from cover to cover, likely putting in more reading miles than I have, and has been my biggest advocate.
Finally, I want to thank all of the players, parents, coaches, coordinators, kids, instructors, staff, and many more who have taken the time of reading, commenting on, and sharing our beloved publication. I have heard from many of you — when I screw up or when I have made your day. It gives me tremendous pleasure to know that this publication has entertained you over these many years.
As you may have surmised, the 2021 Big Book of Colorado Tennis will NOT arrive via mail. It will exist, in some fashion, and you will learn more about what that format is in the months to come. With so many changes coming to USTA programming, we have lots to share, and we will do our very best to do that in the very best way we can. Just not in print.
Thank you all again. It’s been my absolute pleasure to have been your editor for the last 108 issues.
You can still access the last 13 years of Colorado Tennis at our digital newsstand, and we hope to be able to bring you digital copies of our archives in the future.
Until then, keep a weather eye on the horizon, 2021 will be here soon.
Kurt Desautels
Editor, Colorado Tennis
