The shortlisted nominees for the Tennis Scotland Awards 2021 have now been revealed
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TENNIS SCOTLAND AWARD SHORTLIST 2021
The shortlisted nominees for the Tennis Scotland Awards 2021 have now been revealed and it gives us great pleasure to recognise the achievements of just a few of the outstanding individuals, clubs, programmes and competitions that supported the growth of tennis in 2020.
We would once again like to thank everyone who made a nomination to acknowledge the exceptional contributions made across the tennis community. We look forward to announcing the category winners later this month and celebrating your achievements at an awards ceremony in the near future.
One of the most coveted categories is the Lifetime Achievement award which recognises individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to tennis, creating a legacy through their dedication to provide a platform for more people to participate in the sport.
Jan Collins of Troon, an influential figure within Ayrshire tennis, has been shortlisted for the prestigious award. The 91-year-old, nephew of former Scottish tennis player Ian Glen Collins who reached multiple doubles and mixed doubles finals at Wimbledon in the late 20’s and early 30s, has been recognised for many contributions, including coaching in most of South Ayrshire’s primary schools between 1990 and 2008.
Also in the running is Mike Aitken of the University of St Andrew’s who played a leading role in ensuring that students could stay engaged with tennis throughout 2020. Starting his connection with the sport as a youngster playing alongside his dad at Rubislaw Tennis Club in Aberdeen, Mike is currently involved with 3 separate clubs in Fife: University of St Andrews TC, St Andrews TC and Falkland TC. Over many years, Mike has shown great dedication to progressing students’ development and providing opportunities for people in the local area to play tennis.
The final shortlisted nominee is Heather Hooker who was given her first opportunity to play tennis as a 12-year-old at secondary school. Her involvement continued when she joined the WRAF aged 17 and played in inter-station competitions, before joining Dalkeith TC in 1979 where she began to play regularly in leagues. Heather subsequently joined Craigmillar Park TC in 1983 and has become an asset to the club. Throughout 2020, she took the opportunity to revamp the clubhouse and surrounding grounds to provide a welcoming environment as tennis returned to the community.
Young Person of the Year recognises youngsters who made an exceptional contribution both on and off the court in 2020, which helped others to enjoy participating in tennis. Congratulations to this year’s shortlisted nominees Bethanny Wilson, Johannus Monday and Katie McKay.
In the running for Volunteer of the Year are three individuals who responded to COVID-19 restrictions by showing great initiative to encourage participation in tennis, whilst working on a voluntary basis. Well done to Amanda Barclay, Clive Minshull and James Blair who made the shortlist.
The Development Coach of the Year award celebrates club and community coaches who innovatively delivered successful programmes in 2020. Well done to Graeme Walker, Siobhan MacLeod, Steven Birrell and Ian Cannon who make up this year’s category shortlist.
Performance Coach of the Year will be gifted to an individual who showed great creativity to deliver a coaching programme or continue the development of a performance player throughout 2020. Nominated in this category are Adam Brown and Mark Openshaw.
The prestigious Club of the Year award will be awarded to an LTA registered venue that responded positively to the challenges faced in 2020 by supporting members of their community through the provision of a welcoming, accessible and inclusive environment to play tennis. Shortlisted for Club of the Year is Craigmillar Park LTC, Giffnock TC and Montrose TC.
The Education Award is given to an institution which found ways for students of all abilities to continue developing through tennis. This year’s contestants, Edinburgh University, Stirling University and St Andrew’s University are acknowledged for their innovative attempts to ensure that students remained engaged with the sport throughout lockdown.
Nominated for the Disability Award are two organisations that responded positively to COVID-19 restrictions, for the benefit of people with an impairment or long-term health condition. As a result of providing accessible opportunities for people with a disability to stay engaged with the sport, Glasgow Disability and Chrysalis Tennis have been shortlisted for the accolade.
The title of Official of the Year will be won by a LTA Licensed Official, Referee, Umpire or Court Supervisor who has gone above and beyond their role to serve the tennis community since COVID-19 restrictions were introduced. As a reward for an outstanding contribution in 2020, Olwyn Roy and Colin Hanbidge have been named on the shortlist.
The Giffnock Open and Western Health and Racquets Club: Club Championships 2020 have been nominated for Competition of the Year, a reward for outstanding event organisation and delivery.
Remember that the winners of the above categories, as well as our Junior, Senior and International Players of the Year accolades and Services to Tennis Awards, will be announced live across our social media channels on Friday, 23rd April.
Nominees in full:
Lifetime Achievement
- Mike Aitken
- Jan Collins
- Heather Hooker
Volunteer of the Year
- Amanda Barclay
- Clive Minshull
- James Blair
Young Person of the Year
- Johannus Monday
- Katie McKay
- Bethanny Wilson
Coach of the Year (Development)
- Graeme Walker
- Siobhan MacLeod
- Steven Birrell
- Ian Cannon
Coach of the Year (Performance)
- Adam Brown
- Mark Openshaw
Club of the Year
- Craigmillar Park LTC
- Giffnock TC
- Montrose TC
Education Award (University)
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Stirling
- University of St Andrew’s
Disability Award
- Glasgow Disability
- Chrysalis Tennis
Official of the Year
- Olwyn Roy
- Colin Hanbridge
Competition of the Year
- Western Health and Racquets Club: Club Championships 2020
- Giffnock Open
Junior Player of the Year
- To be announced on 23rd April.
Senior Player of the Year
- To be announced on 23rd April.
International Player of the Year
- To be announced on 23rd April.
Services to Tennis Awards
- To be announced on 23rd April.
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