Tennis Venue Services grant helps revitalize Trego Community High School courts

USTA Tennis Venue Services (TVS) grants are awarded to facilities across the country each year to help schools, clubs, parks and other organizations refresh, build or rebuild their tennis courts and facilities.

One of those TVS projects was a request by Amelia Dirks, tennis head coach at Trego Community High School. Dirks asked for funding help with resurfacing the tennis courts at the high school in WaKeeney, Kansas. The project was completed in August 2025, just in time for a new school year and tennis season.

The resurfacing project cost a total of $55,900. USTA National granted $27,950, and the USTA Missouri Valley contributed $2,500. On Sept. 27 at the refreshed tennis facility, Mary Buschmann, USTA Missouri Valley CEO and executive director, presented the $30,450 TVS check.

“Our five courts were totally resurfaced, and two of the courts were painted with junior lines,” Dirks said. “We had pretty, fresh courts to start our fall season—it was beyond awesome.”

Dirks, a WaKeeney native, graduated from Trego Community High School and also taught at the school for two years. She was a four-year tennis player at Bethany College. Dirks applied for the USTA TVS grant after learning about the program through a mention in an email from the Kansas State High School Activities Association.

“KSHSAA sent us weekly emails, and I noticed they included an attachment with fairly vague information about the USTA and grants,” Dirks said. “Our courts were overdue for a resurface job, and unfortunately our district wasn’t prepared to resurface the courts just yet. So, I decided I would inquire with the USTA, and the rest is history.”

The resurfaced courts come as a welcome addition to the tennis facility and programming at the school, which is one of the few schools in northwest Kansas to have such a facility—or even boys’ and girls’ tennis teams.