Stu Reece named inaugural winner of the 2025 Shut Out the Stigma Advocate Award, presented by Blue KC and the Kansas City Royals
The Lee’s Summit North Tennis Coach will be recognized at the Kansas City Sports Awards presented by Populous event on August 14
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) and the Kansas City Royals have announced Lee’s Summit North tennis coach Stu Reece as the inaugural recipient of the Shut Out the Stigma Advocate Award, presented by Blue KC and the Royals. With a coaching career that has spanned over three decades, Reece has been blessed to have coached and mentored nearly 3,300 athletes in tennis, football, baseball, basketball and soccer in several different schools and youth organizations.
Coach Reece will be recognized at the Kansas City Sports Awards presented by Populous annual event on Thursday, August 14 at the Muehlebach Tower of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. He will be honored along with other local sports heroes, including the Royals’ Salvador Perez and the KC Current’s Temwa Chawinga. Reece was selected from a pool of nearly 50 candidates from the Blue KC Coaches With Character program.
“Coach Reece’s impact on his players and the Lee’s Summit community over several decades has been incredibly strong,” said Jenny Housley, Blue KC Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “We wanted to begin this awards program by honoring one Kansas City-area high school head coach who fully supports and embraces mental health within their coaching environment… coach Reece is the shining example of this!”
“Coach Reece immediately caught our attention with his approach to developing athletes both on and off the field,” said Tony Snethen, Chief Marketing Officer of the Royals. “His focus on progress over perfection with each athlete has led to increased participation and fostered a lifelong love for the game among those he coaches.”
As the current head coach of the boys and girls tennis teams at Lee’s Summit North for the past 22 years, Reece strives to help his student athletes find success both on and off the court. While he has seen great success from a tennis perspective with the girls team winning the 2013 Missouri State Championship and taking a top-four finish two other times (2012, 2023), he takes the most pride in seeing his former players become highly successful adults once they graduate from Lee’s Summit North.
“One of my early mentors told me to not focus on what the athlete can do with the ball, but focus on how the ball can transform the athlete,” said Reece. “That advice has helped me keep winning and losing in perspective and continues to keep my focus on the true values of participating in school sports.”
Creating and maintaining a strong, uplifting culture has been a core value during Reece’s 32-year coaching career. One of the sayings he continually shares within his tennis program is that the score is always zero-zero. In sports, as well as life in general, nothing can be done about the past. Emphasizing the importance of living and focusing on the current moment and how it can shape the future is the type of messaging that Reece enjoys sharing with his players.
“That philosophy has helped us pull off some incredible comebacks and upsets throughout the years,” said Reece. “It is also a reminder that we need to keep moving forward in life. Sports are an incredible laboratory, and the ability to set clear expectations helps student-athletes learn how to handle both the successes and failures with class.”
Reece exemplifies and encourages integrity on a daily basis. He helped create the “Code of Lee’s Summit North Tennis”, which creates a connection between the skills and values needed to be successful on the court, as well as an application to winning in everyday life.
Additionally, Reece enacted “Fun Tennis Fridays”, which are designed to provide free tennis lessons for area youth. He has partnered with local elementary and middle schools to offer free clinics to strengthen the sport and get more children involved in tennis at a younger age. Reece has also helped to successfully change the Lee’s Summit North tennis program to a no-cut sport and increased participation from just 20 girls to more than 70 each season.
“We also host the largest tennis tournament for beginners in the Midwest with more than 150 participants,” said Reece. “I have been blessed with incredible assistant coaches and players who have shared a vision to create new opportunities for kids to experience the wonderful sport of tennis.”
The Shut Out the Stigma Advocate Award, presented by Blue KC and the Royals, recognizes a leader who fosters a safe, compassionate and empowering environment. The award honors a coach who has demonstrated dedication to going above and beyond in acknowledging, supporting and prioritizing the mental health and well-being of their athletes. For more information on the August 14 event, CLICK HERE.
The award features the name of the Shut Out the Stigma initiative, which is a partnership between the Kansas City Royals and Blue KC – the Official Health Insurance Partner of the Royals – that provides support for behavioral health as a part of whole-person well-being, and focuses on removing the stigma surrounding mental health. For additional information, content and resources, visit shutoutthestigma.com.
Reece was also featured in the “Not Good Enough” documentary, which is part of the Shut Out the Stigma initiative. The 45-minute film features interviews with Kansas City area parents, coaches, children and mental health professionals and looks into the perspective of our youth athletes and the toll perfectionism takes on their behavioral health. “Not Good Enough” is available to stream for free at http://www.shutoutthestigma.com/documentary.
Note – excerpts of this story were taken from Coach Reece winning the 2022 Blue KC Coaches With Character award for the month of April.
Blue KC supports the Kansas City community through impactful sports partnership programs.
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