Pam Sloan Honored as Billie Jean King Public Parks Tennis Person of the Year

Meet Pam Sloan: Pam has spent decades helping tennis grow through public parks, grassroots programs, and community service. Her passion for Parks and Recreation and the game of tennis has shaped a lifetime of opening doors for others, creating opportunities to play, and helping communities connect through the sport. From local programming to leadership roles across the tennis community, including serving as USTA NorCal Board President and now as a delegate, Pam has remained a steady and passionate advocate for making tennis welcoming, accessible, and community-driven for all.

Q: What does receiving the Billie Jean King Public Parks Tennis Person of the Year Award mean to you?

A: This award means a lot to me, as it is a recognition from two areas I am passionate about: Parks and Recreation and tennis. They have been a part of my life for a very long time. To be recognized by your peers for the contributions you have made in parks and tennis is the ultimate recognition.

Q: Can you share a little about your journey in tennis and community service over the years?

A: I always enjoyed playing tennis recreationally. I followed Billie Jean King and her journey and admired all she did for tennis and women’s rights.

For many years, I worked for the Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation Department and was responsible for many of the sports programs.

It all started at the Missouri State High School Volleyball Championships, where I was a state volleyball official sitting on the bleachers waiting my turn to call the next match. My official partner came and sat with me as we waited our turn. That individual happened to be Jodie Adams, USTA Missouri Valley President. As we shared our backgrounds and interests, we discovered we were both from a park and recreation agency, loved playing softball, and that volleyball was a passion. Jodie told me I needed to get involved with the USTA and Missouri Valley. She invited me to attend a CTDW workshop in Dallas. I came back all excited about tennis and thought it was something our department needed to offer to our community.

Over the years, we had received many calls about tennis, but we had no program due to budget cuts. As a result of the CTDW, I made the decision to bring tennis back to the department. I started offering tennis tournaments for both youth and adults. I took three of my summer positions and hired tennis coaches to help start an NJTL chapter. The program was held at nine different locations throughout the city. My goal was to get as many children as I could into tennis. After all, we had 206 courts, the majority of which were free to use, and it was a lifetime sport. While today the USTA refers to tennis as a healthy sport, I have always had that opinion and wanted to get the community engaged.

The end result of starting the NJTL was 1,200 kids in the program. The role of the park and recreation department was to introduce sports and give the basics, so it was a no-brainer. I am forever grateful to USTA Missouri Valley for their assistance in growing our program.

After starting my tennis program, USTA Missouri Valley reached out to me to join committees and consider USTA National committees. As a result, I have been engaged at the sectional and national level for nearly 35 years. Next, I was asked to join the USTA Missouri Valley Board of Directors. Over time, I became President of the USTA Missouri Valley Section and served two terms. Then I was nominated for the USTA National Board and served a term.

I am a grassroots tennis advocate and constantly promote tennis to the community. They need to enjoy the healthiest sport in the world and know it is a lifetime sport.

Q: What or who has inspired you to give so much of your time and energy to this work?

A: Tennis has given so much to me that I want to give back to tennis. I have been inspired by so many people over the years. To me, it is something I truly enjoy doing. If I can see a young child or beginner adult smile because they had a three-hit rally, then it is worth it all. It is important they know it is not about competition, but the fact of enjoying a sport that creates networking, friendships, skill development, lifetime engagement, and most of all — fun.

Jodie was a huge influence, as well as Barbara Fackle. Both Jodie and Barbara had been presidents in Missouri Valley and had been around a long time. They knew a lot about the section and national level, so they were great mentors. Note that all three of us have been recipients of the USTA Barbara Williams Award, which says a lot. Also, USTA Missouri Valley and USTA Northern California provided me many opportunities to grow in tennis. I am forever thankful for those relationships.

Q: What does the tennis community mean to you personally?

A: We all have many families. Of course, there is the personal family, but we have others. In my case, I have a park and recreation family and a tennis family. What is really exciting about the tennis family is that it is so big, and it is everywhere I go. Not just in my backyard, but across the USA. It is a community that shares a common interest with me, and that makes us close. I feel so honored to be a part of this family. The friendships I have made over the past 35 years will be with me forever. That is very special. I will always strive to bring tennis to the community and share the many values it represents.

Q; Is there a moment or experience that feels especially meaningful when you reflect on this recognition?

A: I have many special moments in my tennis path. I will share one with you.

When I was over tennis at the Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation Department, I received a phone call one day from a lady who was looking for someone to give tennis lessons to a small group of women. At the time, I was Central Region Manager for the department and had tennis coaches assigned to teach tennis. The lady explained to me that she wanted a female instructor. I thought, what am I going to do when I have all male instructors? So I decided to dust off my racquet and teach the lessons myself.

So I met them on Saturday morning at the Plaza Tennis Center ready to go. As I was getting things organized on the court, I heard some voices and thought they were my students. When I turned around, there were five ladies walking up to me in long skirts. I thought to myself, “Oh my, what did I sign up for?” I assumed the skirts were due to their religion. It was a definite challenge for them, but they made it through it. I was not sure if they would show up again.

The next week, they were ready to go, but had changed to pedal pushers, or capris. They had even gone out to buy a racquet at Walmart. It made me smile all day. However, it did not help the skill level much, and I was worried that if they did not see some success, they would drop tennis. I kept working with them over the next few weeks. Then, about the fifth week, I was watching them try to rally. Out of nowhere, a couple of players on the court had a three- or four-hit rally, and they squealed with excitement. That made my day.

Then, about three months later, as I was out Christmas shopping at the mall, I heard someone call out across the way, “Hey Coach! Hey Coach!” I turned around and it was my tennis ladies. They were out shopping as well and were so excited about seeing me. They shared that they were still playing tennis at their local park if the weather permitted. That is when I knew I made a difference in someone’s life, and it was through tennis.

Q: What do you hope the future of tennis in public parks and local communities looks like?

A: I hope the USTA always has a relationship with the National Recreation and Park Association and that sections remain engaged with local public parks. They are a natural delivery system. If this happens, tennis will continue to grow. USTA and sections need to be there for local park and recreation agencies.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like people to know about this award or what it represents to you?

A: It is such an honor to be recognized by your peers in Parks and Recreation and tennis. That makes this award extremely special to me. As you know, I was totally surprised, but emotionally fulfilled.