Reward for 24 years of service to tennis

WHAT AN ACE: Celia Patrick (left) congratulates Cilla Paulik on becoming an honorary vice-president of the national body after many years of dedicated service.

The selection of Cilla Paulik as a honorary vice-president of Tennis New Zealand is a just reward for 24 years of dedicated service to the sport in the Wairarapa region as a player, coach and administrator.

Presented with her award by TNZ president Celia Patrick at the national body's annual meeting in Auckland earlier this month, the curriculum vitae prepared in support of Paulik's nomination by Tennis Central makes impressive reading.

It described her as a "great supporter" of clubs, players, players and coaches in Wairarapa and, equally, the programmes and initiatives set up by Tennis New Zealand and Tennis Central.

"She is passionate about the game and the Central region is a better place for tennis players because of her hard work and dedication."

Paulik arrived in the Wairarapa in 1990 and did not take long to make an impact on the tennis scene.

As a player, she was a leading light for the Opaki club in the local competition for many years and represented Wairarapa on numerous occasions. She also won many Wairarapa singles and doubles titles.

On the administrative front, Paulik started working for Wairarapa Tennis as a volunteer.

She was secretary from 1990 to 1993 and served as junior convenor from 1994 to 2000; a role which entailed organising rep teams tournaments, squad coaching and development programmes.

Paulik was the official coach for Wairarapa Tennis for nine years and her innovative and creative programmes attracted many players to the sport.

Under her watch, an elite squad coaching structure was put in place as well as a development plan for players 10 years of age and under.

From 2006 through to her retirement this year, Paulik was executive officer for Tennis Wairarapa and, here too, she set up a number of initiatives which helped boost interest in the game.

These included a parent-child tournament and tourneys for secondary school and primary school players. She also introduced a 10yrs and under age division to the Central Districts rep programme.

At club level she worked overtime to keep the various competitions up and running and was pro-active in encouraging college players to connect with and become part of local clubs.

In conjunction with Sport Wellington-Wairarapa, Paulik also helped instigate major changes to the governance of Tennis Wairarapa, changes which have seen a board established, along with a structure which should serve them well into the future.

While no longer associated officially with Tennis Wairarapa, Paulik's involvement with tennis in the region will continue, especially in the coaching sphere.

"Regardless of her deep knowledge and experience, she still keeps looking for ways to upskill, to be savvy with the latest research around tennis programmes and development as well as health and fitness," her CV says.

"She spends countless hours mentoring young players and provides valuable support to parents in their decision-making.

"Cilla always goes above and beyond the call of duty as a volunteer and paid employee and is a wonderful role model.

"A real Kiwi tennis player, coach and administrator we can all be proud of."