Linda Williams learned to play tennis at 13 years old on the public courts in Lake City, from a summer coach who had the patience to make it stick. Today she is the one on those courts, running the camps, and she has been named the 2026 USTA Florida Community Coach of the Year.
“I am more than honored and humbled to be named for this award,” Williams said. “Tennis has always been about building community, growing the game, and working with incredible people who share the same passion, especially USTA Florida. I am grateful to my friends and colleagues for this very special nomination and continued support. We’ll keep growing the sport of tennis in our community.”
Williams coaches at the Young’s Park Tennis Facility in Lake City, working primarily with players aged 6 to 18 at the beginner, advanced beginner and intermediate levels through after-school programs and seasonal camps.
From Board Member to Certified Coach
Her path into coaching started with service. Williams joined the Lake City Columbia Community Tennis Association (LCCCTA) as a board member and officer in 2014, at a point when the organization wanted to build youth programming and needed someone willing to do the work.
She knew exactly what she wanted those programs to feel like, because she had been on the receiving end of them.
“Since I was a 13-year-old player who learned to play tennis on our same community public courts with an excellent and patient summer tennis coach, I wanted to use those same coaching techniques that I saw proved to be successful with teaching players and also retaining them,” Williams said.
In 2024 she went further, enrolling in a certification program covering coaching fundamentals, tennis basics, teaching beginners, health and safety, and athletic development. She completed it and became a certified tennis coach through the Professional Tennis Registry.
Today she serves as vice president and secretary of the LCCCTA, where she has become the connective tissue of the organization.
“Linda is amazing,” said Michael Ammundsen, LCCCTA board member and Suwannee High School tennis coach. “She is vice president/secretary on the LCCCTA board and keeps everything running smoothly. She is the primary driver for all our youth camps (spring, summer and fall). Our Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday social tennis meetings are in large part thanks to Linda.”
She Plays With Anyone
What stands out to those who play alongside her is that Williams meets everyone where they are.
“As a strong 4.0 player, Linda will happily play with anyone including complete beginners,” Ammundsen said. “She might even let them win and then turn around and beat a 5.0 player just for grins. Our tennis courts would not be the same without her.”
For Williams, the reward is watching something click.
“I’ve seen several young players who have struggled for months, and then they experience a breakthrough when their frustration leaves, and confidence is built,” she said. “Seeing that self-doubt shift to determination is what coaching is all about.”
She sees the effects long after the camp ends.
“On the court, I’ve seen players learn how to handle pressure, manage adversity, and recover after a tough loss,” Williams said. “Off the court, the tennis experiences show up as quiet confidence, much more disciplined, and a mindset that is resilient.”
Passing It On
Ask Williams who shaped the way she coaches and she names one person: James Montgomery, her first tennis coach, her high school team coach, and later her mentor and friend.
“He was a patient coach and welcomed every player, always putting in the coaching effort necessary to build a foundation of confidence by teaching mental toughness and resilience, just as much as the mechanics of tennis,” she said.
That is the model she works from, and the standard she holds for what her own players carry out into the world.
“I like to impact our players by building their character of knowing how to work hard, stand firm, and encourage others,” Williams said. “I also look at tennis as a training ground for teaching rules of etiquette and raising individuals who persevere. With all these qualities, our players can leave their communities better than they find them.”
Beyond the Court
Williams’ impact extends well past the baseline. She has pushed to build scholarship programs that open the door to the sport for beginners, juniors and underserved players, and for the past five years she has served as a board member and officer of the Youth Tennis Foundation of Florida, which introduces children to tennis and provides scholarships, grants and awards to young Florida players who need financial assistance to keep going.
When the LCCCTA first organized, Williams was part of the effort that went before the Tourist Development Council, the Lake City City Council and the Columbia County Board of County Commissioners to make the case for tennis. The association volunteered to provide instruction across the community, including at the Boys & Girls Clubs and at the Richardson Community Center, reaching players the sport had not been serving.
“Linda epitomizes the best qualities of a Community Coach,” said Dolly Robinson, LCCCTA board member and immediate past president. “To enumerate the qualities she exhibits on a daily basis would take volumes. She has a true love of the game and a strong desire and dedication to unselfishly share that love.”
The recognition is not her first from USTA Florida. In October 2022 she was named USTA Florida Volunteer of the Month.
Her Advice to the Next Coach
Asked what she would tell someone considering getting involved in coaching in their own community, Williams does not hesitate.
“I would encourage them to get involved in teaching a sport that can be played for a lifetime,” she said. “You will be investing in the next generation, not only teaching tennis, but building teamwork and character in your players, plus strengthening your local community.”
That is the whole case for the Community Coach of the Year award, and for the Best in Class Facilities and Providers Big Bold Move behind it. A certified coach running camps at a public park can deliver an experience as strong as anything in the state. Ammundsen, who has watched it happen, put the case simply.
“I believe our small-town tennis community is by far the best in the state and a very, very large part of that can be laid at Linda’s feet,” he said. “The Lake City tennis community owes a huge debt of gratitude towards Linda for making all this possible.”
Congratulations to Linda Williams, the 2026 USTA Florida Community Coach of the Year.
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