Oh WATA Night goes Down Under

 

story and photos by Brittany Ransom

Oh WATA Night, indeed! The 8th annual Oh Wata Night event benefitting the Western Arkansas Tennis Association was held Jan. 22 at Trinity Junior High School in Fort Smith. The evening featured dinner, live and silent auctions, and music by Ultra Suede.

"This event helps raise the bulk of WATA’s funding for the entire year," said past WATA chair Stephen Smith. "Everything that is raised is pumped right back into efforts to grow tennis in the community."

WATA, in its 14th year, operates tennis programs for students, adults and seniors. It supports tennis leagues in Crawford, Franklin, Logan, Sebastian and Scott counties and serves 500 people a week.

The theme for the evening was "Down Under." Mojo’s Piano Bar in Fort Smith created a signature drink for the event called the WATA Down Under. The blue cocktail, comprised of vanilla vodka, sprite, coconut rut, lime juice and blue Curacao was a big hit among guests.

Randy and Leslie Jackson, long-time WATA supporters and tennis enthusiasts, were inducted into the WATA Hall of Fame. Stephen Smith told the audience the Jackson’s had played a key role in WATA’s success and that they had "an incredible commitment to the program." Leslie Jackson accepted the honor on their behalf and thanked the association for the recognition.

Dr. Mike Coleman, Jr., devoted WATA volunteer, was presented the Volunteer Service Award. Braden Eads, Seth Laster and Ali Grahl, former tennis students of Coleman’s, spoke in his honor thanking him for his time and support of the program.

"Dr. Coleman helped build up my confidence as a tennis player," said Grahl. "He gave up so much of his time to help us become better at the game."

Eads and Laster reiterated Grahl’s comments adding that they hope to one day give back to the tennis community the same way Coleman has. 
 
Rows of silent auction items filled the room ranging from spa packages to autographed tennis memorabilia. A shirt autographed by tennis pro Andy Roddick and a tennis dress autographed by Maria Sharapova were among the items up for bid. Several big ticket items were included in the live auction, including a Razorback football autographed by Coach Bobby Petrino and one-day box tickets to the 2011 US Open.

As part of its fundraising efforts, WATA also sold ad space on its windscreens at Creekmore Park in Fort Smith to companies at half price. The proceeds from the ad sales will benefit the costs of resurfacing the tennis facility at Creekmore which WATA recently completed.