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Jeff Bourns

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Jeff Bourns
Jeff Bourns setting up to return a backhand at River Oaks Country Club
Full nameJeffrey Richard Bourns
Country (sports) United States
ResidenceHouston,Texas
BornAugust 18, 1981
Parkersburg, West Virginia
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Turned pro2015
Retired2019
PlaysRight handed (Two-handed backhand)
CoachIrwin Montalvo
Singles
Highest rankingNo. 4 (Category A)

Jeff Bourns (born August 18, 1981) is an American amputee tennis player who helped pioneer the growth and development of Adaptive Standing Tennis.[1][2][3][4]

Bourns was the first American to represent the United States in international para-standing tennis tournaments, also known as adaptive standing tennis.[5]

In 2016 he helped organize the First International Adaptive Standing Tennis Tournament to take place in the United States, the USA TAP Open, with Houston, Texas playing host. The USA TAP OPEN helped to popularize and pioneer a new category of tennis for individuals in the United States and abroad.[3][6][7][8]

United States Adaptive Standing Tennis player Jeff Bourns training for the 2016 Brazil Open held in Uberlandia, Brazil

Bourns retired ranked No. 4 in the world and top ranked American in his (TAP) classification in 2019.[9][10]

Early life

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Bourns was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia in Wood County on August 18, 1981. He is the oldest of three boys. He was born with a congenital birth defect to his right leg, known as Tibial Hemimelia. As a result, his leg was amputated below the knee when he was two years old. He spent the early years of his life in Belpre, Ohio in Washington County along the Little Hocking River. His family relocated to Houston, Texas in 1987 and his leg was amputated once again, above the knee. A year later it was discovered he had Tethered spinal cord syndrome. He developed bacterial spinal meningitis while recovering from the operation.

Jeff Bourns at his great-grandmother's lake home in Silver Lake, Michigan in 1983

Bourns attended Clear Brook High School in Friendswood, Texas, graduating in 2000. He played the euphonium in the marching band and competed on his high school tennis team, playing against other able-bodied students.[11] He grew up in an era where Adaptive Sports were not wide spread and well known. Following high school he signed a contract as an athlete with Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics. Kevin Carroll built his first sprinting prosthesis in 2001.

Bourns is a graduate of San Jacinto College. While attending college he was a member of Phi Beta Lambda.[12] He worked in the hospitality industry as a waiter and associate manager at Truluck's restaurant and has a level one wine sommelier certification.

Bourns is the father of one child with Lauren Nicole Frolick. Parker Richard Bourns was born December 16, 2004, in Pasadena, Texas. Jeff Bourns is married to Shelly Bourns and currently resides in Houston.

Professional career

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Bourns rediscovered his passion for tennis after recovering from a spinal cord injury in 2010. He started a non profit organization for amputees, the Houston Amputee Society.[13] Bourns helped organize Houston's first amputee skateboarding and WCMX clinic in March 2013 at Lee and Joe Jamil skatepark assisted by professional skateboarder Sean Malto.[14]

Abel Rose of Waxahachie, Texas at Houston's first amputee skateboarding and WCMX event at Lee and Joe Jamail skate park, March 8, 2013

Bourns found a wheelchair tennis program available at Houston's Metropolitan Multi-Service Center. Instead of playing in a wheelchair he played standing or ambulatory on his prosthesis as he did growing up. While a student in the class he searched for adaptive tennis programs for amputees who played standing. He could not find any, anywhere. In 2014 Bourns started an amputee tennis program at Houston's Metropolitan Multi-Service Center. He partnered with the United States Tennis Association of Texas (USTA) and city of Houston. In 2014 Bourns was selected to serve on USTA Texas' adaptive and wheelchair committee charged with helping pioneer and grow the sport of tennis for amputees.[15] He is the first person to represent the United States competing in International adaptive standing tennis tournaments. He learned of an International adaptive standing tennis tournament to take place December 11–13, 2015 in Santiago, Chile. Bourns finished in the quarterfinals of the Masters Final TAP and began competing on the TAP World Tour in 2015.[16][17][18] The TAP World Tour is a competitive circuit for tennis players with physical disabilities who play tennis standing rather than in wheelchairs.

Adaptive Standing Tennis
Adaptive Standing Tennis is a form of tennis for individuals with a disability that play tennis standing, or ambulatory as opposed to playing in a wheelchair

At the Brazil Open held in Uberlandia, Brazil July 30–31, 2016 he was eliminated in the second round.[19] Bourns was instrumental to bringing the first International Adaptive Standing Tennis Tournament to the United States, the USA TAP Open, where he was an organizer and player with Houston, Texas playing host. The USA TAP Open acted as a springboard to popularize the growth and development of a new modality of tennis for individuals in the United States and Internationally.[20][21] His best International showing came at the Malmo Open, the largest Para-Sporting event in Europe, where he was a semi-finalist.[22][23] In 2019 he played in his last tennis tournament at the Inaugural CAST Open in Greensboro, North Carolina where he was a finalist.[24] Bourns retired from the TAP World Tour in 2019 ranked No. 4 in the world adaptive standing tennis rankings[25] and top ranked American in his classification.[26]

In a venture off of the court, Bourns has a cast and producing credit in the documentary film Tin Soldiers.[27] The film is a look into the world of adaptive sports, where athletes with spina bifida, cerebral palsy, amputations or paralysis find new ways to enjoy the sports they love.[28]

Bourns is a strong advocate for Adaptive Sport and physical activity for individuals with disabilities.[29][30]

Partnerships

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Bourns began his adaptive sporting journey with an athletic contract from Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics in swimming and as a sprinter from 2000 to 2002. Kevin Carroll built his first sprinting prosthesis. He signed an athletic contract with New Life Brace and Limb in 2016.[31] He served as a spokesperson for Valeo Cryotherapy and Physical Therapy from 2016 to 2018.[32] Bourns became a Babolat endorsed athlete and brand ambassador in 2016.

Bourns is a Babolat brand ambassador and athlete.

Wayne Luckett of Louisville Prosthetics and Orthotics contracted him to work with Special Olympic Tennis champion Dionte Foster in Louisville, Kentucky.[33][34]

References

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  1. ^ Garofalo, Suzanne (September 9, 2018). "Clear Lake amputee tennis pro Jeff Bourns pushing for recognition of adaptive sport". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  2. ^ Garofalo, Suzanne (September 10, 2018). "Amputee Eyes Recognition for Adaptive Tennis". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via PressReader.
  3. ^ a b "Adaptive Standing Tennis: A New Way to Play". usta.com. National USTA Adaptive Tennis Committee. March 1, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  4. ^ "USTA Texas Appoints Stand-Up Amputee Tennis Player to its Adaptive Tennis Committee". Amplitude. April 3, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  5. ^ Chiesa, Victoria (July 25, 2024). "What is Para Standing Tennis? A Grassroots Movement Has Sparked a New Era". USTA. United States Tennis Association. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  6. ^ "The Most Amazing Tennis Tournament You Will Ever See". Inside Tennis Magazine. January 20, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  7. ^ "Tennis Community". Houston Tennis Association. January 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2022 – via Yumpu.
  8. ^ "'If I'm an inspiration because I refuse to quit – I'm happy with that' – Jeff Bourns". babolat.com. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  9. ^ "Special Olympics gold medalist receives clinical care at UofL". School of Medicine University of Louisville. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  10. ^ "International Ranking - A". tapworldtour.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019.
  11. ^ "Clear Lake amputee tennis pro Jeff Bourns pushing for recognition of adaptive sport". Houston Chronicle. September 9, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  12. ^ "Sac Jacinto students take business honors". Houston Chronicle. June 12, 2003. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  13. ^ "Non-Profit Houston Amputee Society Offers Large Social Community". Yahoo! Finance. May 12, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  14. ^ "Abel Rose and the Houston Amputee Society Have Formed a Partnership to Reach Larger Audiences". Yahoo! Finance. May 13, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  15. ^ "USTA Texas Appoints Stand-Up Amputee Tennis Player to its Adaptive Tennis Committee". The O&P Edge. April 3, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  16. ^ "Helping Others and Accepting Help". Amplitude. May–June 2016. pp. 27–28. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  17. ^ "Stand-Up Adaptive Tennis Tournament in Chile: Incredible Talent". Amplitude. December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  18. ^ "Houston Tournament Shows Off New Form Of Adaptive Tennis". Athletes Roll. January 24, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  19. ^ "Brazil Serves Up International Stand-up Tennis Tournament". Amplitude. August 17, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  20. ^ "TAP World Amputee Tennis Tournament". CW39 Houston. December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  21. ^ "Stand Up Tennis Empowers". Yahoo!. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  22. ^ Dencker, Torbjörn (February 19, 2020). "Paratennisrådet bildat: "Vi kommer bli missionärer för tennisen"". Svenska Tennisförbundet (in Swedish). Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  23. ^ "Madrid TC (Single Physical Disabled (Standing)) - Tennis - Malmo Open 2018 Results". results.cupmanager.net. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  24. ^ Lehmert, Amanda (February 15, 2019). "Greensboro to host first Carolinas Adaptive Standing Tennis Tournament". Greensboro News and Record. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  25. ^ "Inaugural Land and Sea Adaptive Sports Challenge shows multiple success stories". The Daily News. Galveston County, Texas. June 3, 2018.
  26. ^ "Returning to Tennis after Amputation". usta.com. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  27. ^ "Jeff Bourns". IMDb. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  28. ^ "Prime Video: Tin Soldiers". primevideo.com. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  29. ^ "Adaptive-Movement / Parkour Director a Pioneer in New Project for Amputees and Spinal Cord Injuries". Yahoo! Finance. June 3, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  30. ^ "Abel Rose and the Houston Amputee Society Have Formed a Partnership to Reach Larger Audiences". Yahoo! Finance. May 13, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  31. ^ "Prosthetics". New Life Brace & Limb. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  32. ^ Jeff Bourns and Valeo Cryo, retrieved January 31, 2022 – via YouTube
  33. ^ "Free Fitness Prosthetic Leg for Special Olympics Amputee Tennis Player from St. Kitts and Nevis". SpecialOlympics.org. October 1, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  34. ^ Kappes, Hayley (October 3, 2018). "Special Olympics gold medalist receives clinical care at UofL". UofL News. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
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