One of Colorado Tennis' most selfless volunteers has passed. Jody Riser Knudsen, who served on the USTA Colorado Board of Directors, was named Volunteer of the Year in 1988 and again in 1989. She was so involved in so many capacities, USTA Colorado named its Volunteer of the Year Award after her in 2000.
Knudsen and her husband, John, who served on the Colorado Youth Tennis Foundation board for many years, established a Memorial Fund in their name, as well as Jody's mother's, to benefit Colorado's junior players involved in Parks & Recreation programs.
Jody was also an active league and tournament player. Prior to becoming a full-time Colorado resident in the mid-1990s, she lived in Chicago and was actively involved with the rollout of USTA League Tennis in the early 1980s. After moving to Colorado, Jody became active in the Estes Park Tennis Association as a league coordinator. She continued playing tournaments until she was 70.
After retiring from competitive tennis, Jody devoted much of her free time to USTA Colorado, assisting at numerous League Championship events and on several committees. She was a fixture at the tournament desk, and could identify half the participants by sight.
Jody will be remembered as much for her kindness and sincerity as her volunteer work. Each Christmas, Jody sent personal handwritten letters to every member of the USTA Colorado staff, expressing her appreciation for the work that we do and how fortunate she felt being able to share tennis with us.
That feeling was absolutely mutual.