SAINT PETER, Minn. – Barack Obama, Taylor Swift, Matthew McConaughey, Travis Kelce, Billie Jean King, Kinzee Salo, and Cal Carlson '17. 

What do all these people have in common? You can find them at the U.S. Open. 

Over the last eight years, assistant tennis coaches Kinzee Salo and Cal Carlson have been taking their talents on the court to a different level, as the two have spent a combined 12 summers working at the U.S. Open. 

Thanks to connections through Eric Butorac '03 HOF '18, the duo have found a pathway to the highest level of tennis, helping develop some of the best players in the world, as well as the next generation of tennis coaches and sport management workers. Butorac is currently the Director of Pro Tennis Operations and Player Relations for the tournament.

At the U.S. Open, Carlson serves as a Media Consultant for the United States Tennis Association (USTA). She operates as a liaison between players and the media for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), preparing athletes for post-match press conferences and facilitating interactions between the two parties. Her responsibilities have developed alongside technology and social media over the last eight years, as Carlson is now a part of digital promotions for the tournament with ESPN and other national broadcasting companies. 

Meanwhile, Salo works directly with Butorac as the Seasonal Staff Manager for Player Operations, and is responsible for hiring all seasonal staff workers, a task that requires her efforts six months prior to the tournament as well. Salo manages a team of 180 individuals in player operations, working closely with human resources as she trains and staffs out any task related to the athlete experience at the U.S. Open.

 

Both feel that their experience has positively impacted their work with the Gustavus tennis teams. 

"When I work at the U.S. Open, I view it as I'm coaching 180 individuals – not necessarily in an 'on the court' context, but I'm trying to help them produce a result, and grow as a worker or a tennis player," Salo said. "And many of the individuals I'm working with are college-aged students. I think that's part of why I really love both jobs – working with this age group at such a pivotal time in their life and watching them develop important skills and figure out who they are as a person is extremely special. What I do at Gustavus helps me be better at the U.S. Open, and vice versa."

"The last eight years in this role has helped me develop my communication skills and find different ways to effectively express ideas to players," Carlson added. "In both roles, you work with a wide range of personalities and emotions but have to consistently navigate and execute the job. There are goals in both areas – obviously, our goal as a team is to win championships – but combining these two skill sets has helped me set the goal of developing athletes and demonstrate that I care about their growth."

It's no surprise Cal found her way into coaching, as the profession runs deep through the Carlson family, thanks to her parents Jon '88 and Heidi '93 HOF '10. For the Carlsons, coaching is a family affair, with Jon serving as the head swimming & diving coach and head women's tennis coach at Gustavus, while Heidi assists the women's tennis team alongside Cal. Their middle daughter Grace '19 is also the head swimming & diving coach at Ripon College in Wisconsin.

Cal, a 2017 Gustavus graduate with degrees in religion and communication studies, was also a four-year letterwinner for the Gustavus women's tennis team, earning the MIAC's Chris Evert Award in her senior season and winning four MIAC titles in her time on the team. In addition to her coaching duties, she also serves as the Assistant Director of Tennis and Life Camps.

"From the day I was born, my parents have been coaches, and I was exposed to it at a very young age," Carlson said. "Tennis was a big part of my identity while I was a student at Gustavus, and my life was really shaped by the values and mission of the program. After working Tennis and Life Camps in the summer, I discovered the impact a coach can have on a young person's life, and really fell in love with the Gustavus athletic department in a different way - it's an amazing place to work, and I can't imagine being anywhere else." 

Salo, on the other hand, never considered coaching as a career until she graduated from St. Catherine University in 2016 and struggled to find a job she was passionate about that connected to her degree in psychology. Her coach at the time, St. Catherine Athletic Director Eric Stacey '93, pointed her in the direction of coaching. 

Salo is also a member of the extensive Nicole LaVoi '91 HOF '22 pipeline, having graduated with her master's degree in kinesiology from the University of Minnesota with a focus in sociology, working alongside Dr. LaVoi at the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. 

"After spending time with Dr. LaVoi, I was really fascinated by the research they conducted at the Tucker Center, and it wasn't until I pursued the graduate program that I realized how few female coaches there were in the profession. It helped me find a passion for coaching. Learning and experiencing the impact you can have on young people, the same way my coaches impacted me, really helped me gain a love for it."

Of the 10 tennis programs in the MIAC, Salo is just one of two women coaching a men's team and has helped the Gusties continue their dominating run both in the conference and the country. Salo was named the ITA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2024 and has helped the team to an NCAA 'Elite Eight' performance in 2023 as well as last season's doubles national championship.

Salo has been instrumental in the development of the College's Sport Management major, as Gustavus became one of just two MIAC institutions to provide the educational pathway as a part of its curriculum this past year. Her work at the U.S. Open has translated into the classroom, as Salo teaches Introduction to Sport Management and Event and Facility Management this semester.

"I tell my sport management students, 'Gusties are everywhere.' The reason I'm working at the U.S. Open is because of connections through Gustavus and Gustavus tennis, and being a part of that program holds a lot of clout, not just in the state of Minnesota, but worldwide," Salo commented. "And, now, to be able to be that person and build those connections for others is really special and has given me a lot of perspective. To share my experience with our players and students, many of whom are interested in working in sport, is extremely valuable, and it helps them see the full scope of what you can do with a career in athletics."

Carlson cites the Gustavus experience for shaping who she is as an athlete, a student, an employee, a coach, and a person.

"I'm a huge advocate for the liberal arts education. Being exposed to different classes and responsibilities while I was at Gustavus definitely shaped me and has allowed me to take on different opportunities with an open mind. It's hard to articulate the legacy and tradition of the tennis programs – there's just something about Gustavus. It's an amazing community to grow and work in. I love this place, and I have for all my life, and that love has only grown since I started coaching."

Both the men's and women's teams experienced great success this fall, combining for six ITA All-American honors, including a trio of Midwest Regional Championships last month. The two tennis powerhouses will pick their schedules back up in the spring, highlighted by a full slate of matches and the ITA Men's Indoor National Championships, which will be hosted on campus in February.