HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC — Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) presented its annual awards recently during the 2018 PTR International Tennis Symposium. The event, which included more than 40 educational presentations for tennis coaches, occured February 13-16, on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Joe Goldthreate, of Nashville, has been named PTR Member of the Year for the state. This award is presented to a PTR member who has shown dedication and diligence in promoting and supporting tennis and PTR. A certified Professional, Goldthreate has been a member of the organization for more than 30 years. As a PTR Clinician, he has certified more than 1,000 to be tennis teachers.
The founder of the Hadley Park Junior Development Tennis Program (HPJDTP), Goldthreate had a vision to provide an opportunity for each disadvantaged child and young adult in Nashville to learn how to play tennis. He retired in 2010, after 35 years serving Nashville’s youth, only to be asked to come back in 2013. He accepted and worked pro bono for three more years. After his second retirement, he started the Joe Goldthreate Tennis Academy at his home.
Hadley Park received PTR Public Facility of the Year award, and in 2003, his program was named the Southern Tennis Association National Junior Tennis League (NJTL) Chapter of the Year. He is the first African American to serve on both the Tennessee and Southern Section Executive Boards of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
Goldthreate has also been honored with several NAACP awards, including the Time is Now Award for his outstanding work with inner city youth. Goldthreate’s contributions to civil rights as one the youngest members of the NAACP are well documented and displayed in the Nashville Public Library.
PTR is the largest global organization of tennis teaching professionals with more than 16,000 members in 125 countries. It has the greatest percentage of multicultural and women members of any such organization. PTR is dedicated to educating, certifying and serving tennis teachers and coaches around the world in order to grow the game.
