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Wheelchair tennis player will be among N. Ky. Sports Hall of Fame award-winners on June 3


By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

Emmy Kaiser, the nation’s top-ranked wheelchair tennis player in women’s singles, will be one of four award-winners at the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame’s reunion meeting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 3 at the Villa Hills Civic Club.

Emmy Kaiser

Kaiser, who grew up in Ft. Mitchell and attended St. Henry High School, will receive the Tom Fricke Service Award for her career as a wheelchair tennis player and teacher. She is currently working toward a master’s degree in sport and exercise psychology at Ball State University in Indiana. She is a certified coach of wheelchair tennis and takes time to work with juniors and adults while also playing on the international wheelchair tour.

Born with spina bifida, Kaiser started playing wheelchair tennis as a young child. She has competed on the international wheelchair tour since 2004 and she has been a member of the U.S. World Team Cup since 2009. Two years ago, she was named the top female player overall by the Professional Tennis Registry, an international organization of tennis teaching professionals.

Kaiser is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation and No. 11 in the world in women’s wheelchair singles on the International Tennis Foundation website. Her career records are 218-111 in singles and 107-93 in doubles, which includes matches at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

The other three award-winners at the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame’s reunion meeting on June 3 will be:

Ariena Hauer — The Notre Dame Academy graduate will receive the Pat Scott Lifetime Achievement Award for being an outstanding softball player and bowler. She was also the first female head coach in the Kenton County Knothole baseball league.

John Boh — The Kenton County Historical Society member will receive a Bill Cappel Award for helping present Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame exhibits at Behringer-Crawford Museum in Devou Park. He has written several articles on local history, including ones that appeared in the Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky History.

John Graszus — The Ludlow resident will receive a Bill Cappel Award for his many years of involvement in youth sports. In addition to coaching Knothole baseball, he served as director of Ludlow Athletic Club and president of Ludlow Youth Football. He was the public address announcer for youth football games and still serves as an assistant supervisor for District 28 Knothole.

Previous inductees in the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame are encouraged to attend the reunion meeting, which is also open to the public. More information about the organization is available on its website.


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