USTA awards Wheelchair Tennis grant to Sea Colony

Pro tennis players take to the courts at Sea Colony in 2025.

The USTA on May 4 announced that it was awarding more than $100,000 in USTA Wheelchair Tennis Grassroots Grants to 44 wheelchair tennis programs nationwide, including the Sea Colony Recreation Association near Bethany Beach.

The grants were awarded to local organizations that promote and develop wheelchair tennis and use the sport to help build stronger, healthier communities. Since awarding its first grants in 2008, the USTA has provided more than $1 million in financial support to wheelchair tennis programs across the country.

Grant amounts were based on each program’s existing budget and the organization’s future programming needs. Recipients can use the award to support coaching, court time, equipment, recruitment and events, including tournaments and camps.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of wheelchair tennis. The sport originated in 1976 after a young Brad Parks was paralyzed in a freestyle skiing accident. While in rehabilitation, Parks teamed up with another patient, Jeff Minnebraker, to experiment with tennis at courts near the hospital. Their collaboration successfully established a sport that overcame initial challenges and now, five decades later, is recognized as a professional sport for people with disabilities.

“The USTA is excited to award these Wheelchair Tennis Grassroots Grants to local and national organizations that provide programming for wheelchair tennis players of all ages in their pursuit of enjoying the sport, living a healthy lifestyle, and building a sense of real camaraderie within the wheelchair tennis community,” said Director of Adapted Tennis Evan Enquist.

Organizations interested in starting a wheelchair tennis program or seeking more information about wheelchair tennis can email wheelchairtennis@usta.com.

Article by Coastal Point, May 7, 2026