Cathy wears many hats as the Recreation Assistant Supervisor at Durham Parks and Recreation. If you have played tennis in Durham, you have been touched by the work of Cathy Baldwin. Under Cathy the Adult leagues and the Junior Team Tennis 
leagues have grown in numbers.
- The league has gone from approximately 900 players in 2010 to 1667 in 2015.
- The Junior Team Tennis league has grown from 40 participants in 2010 to 154 in 2015.
Her work with the leagues has been recognized by USTA and NC Tennis with various awards. In 2014 Cathy was awarded the “USTA Jr. Team Tennis Local League Coordinator of the Year” and in 2013 she won the “Junior Tennis Council award” from the North Carolina Tennis Association. In 2014 she was also recognized on a regional level and she won the USTA Southern Junior Team Tennis Local League Coordinator Award. Besides North Carolina our Southern region includes the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Durham Parks and Recreation also won the “Facility of Year” award in 2015 from the North Carolina Tennis Association for Southern Boundaries Tennis Courts.
She continues to expand the league by adding new fun league opportunities. This year Durham Parks and Recreation plans to start a “Tri-level” league and they also plan to add some classes for “Abilities Tennis”. In tri-level 3 different levels will play team matches together. This means a 3.0, a 3.5 and a 4.0 will all play on the same team together. Abilities tennis introduces the game of tennis to those with intellectual disabilities. Each year Cathy looks to improve on the previous year by examining and refining the choices.
Tennis is not her only responsibility. She also maintains and trains other people on some of the software used to enter the classes and the software used for booking the athletic facilities. In her free time she likes to listen to music and unwind. One of Cathy’s favorite memories in tennis happened while working the Junior Team Tennis State Championship is 2014. She says
“The staff from NC tennis were setting up for registration and I was helping them. Matt Godfried, the technology and photo staff person decided to hide under some boxes and jump out at me as I was walking by. It scared me but we all had a great big laugh at that moment. The folks at NC Tennis are some of the best to work with.”
It is obvious when you interact with Cathy that she enjoys working with people. She is direct, knowledgeable and fair. Cathy says in her roles as coordinator for both youth and adult,
“I have met some really awesome people and formed some great friendships as well.”
The next time you are having fun in a tennis league, or the next time you take your children to a tennis clinic in Durham, do not forget to think of all the work Cathy and her team have put into it.