Charleston Chosen as Top 10 Finalist for “Best Tennis Town“

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Charleston Chosen as Top 10 Finalist for “Best Tennis Town“
July 15, 2010
Raymond Rivera
ABC News 4



Charleston, SC - The USTA announced Thursday that ten finalists have been selected-- from an initial group of 82 cities that submitted entries—in its “Best Tennis Town” competition. Charleston, SC, has been selected as a finalist. Beginning tomorrow, fans across the country can vote for the community that they feel best exemplifies tennis’ positive impact at the local level in terms of passion, excitement, and spirit.

The 2010 Best Tennis Town winner will be determined by a nationwide online vote at www.besttennistown.com beginning tomorrow at 12:01 p.m. ET and continuing until July 26, 2010 at 11:59 a.m. ET. The top three finalists will travel to New York City where the winner will be revealed during a ceremony at the 2010 US Open. The winner will take home the 2010 “Best Tennis Town” title, an accompanying trophy and $100,000 to be used for community-wide tennis programming or facility enhancements.

The search for America’s “Best Tennis Town” is the USTA’s second nationwide search to identify the local area—from small, rural towns to large, urban metro areas and everywhere in between—that best exhibits the qualities of a great tennis community. The winner of the inaugural competition in 2009 was Midland, Mich.
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“For the second year in a row, the “Best Tennis Town” competition has inspired tennis players across the country to show off the enthusiasm of their communities,” said Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “With more than 30 million players hitting the courts nationwide, this year’s competition will showcase even more communities as they follow the example set forth by last year’s winner—Midland, Mich.”

“This contest will increase national awareness of the Charleston tennis community and what the tri-county area has to offer, helping to grow the game in Dorchester, Berkley, and Charleston counties,” said Ken Edwards, President of the Lowcountry Tennis Association. “The next 10 days could have a major impact on our area for years to come.”

Tennis towns from all over the country submitted their entries for consideration on www.besttennistown.com between April 7 and June 28, 2010, and after carefully reviewing each submission, a panel of judges selected the following ten communities as the 2010 “Best Tennis Town” Finalists:

Charleston, SC
Snow Hill, N.C.

Clearwater, Fla.
Atlanta, Ga.

Delray Beach, Fla.
Beaverton, Ore.

Rome, Ga.
Richmond, Va.

Rosemount, Minn.
Manchester Center, Vt.

Each of the ten finalist towns will be profiled on www.besttennistown.com beginning at Noon tomorrow, including each community’s video submission displaying their town’s spirit and passion for tennis, as well as the impact that tennis has had on an individual, an organization and/or the community as a whole.

The 2nd and 3rd prize winners will receive $50,000 and $25,000, respectively, to be used for community-wide tennis programming and/or facility enhancements. The seven communities receiving honorable mentions will each receive a $2,000 tennis equipment package.

For more information on The Best Tennis Town and to cast your vote, please visit www.besttennistown.com beginning Friday, July 16th at Noon.

(COURTESY: FAMILY CIRCLE CUP)