Long Island Tennis Magazine May / June 2009 by United Sports Publications, Ltd.

Long Island Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ May/June 2009

May/June 2009 Volume 1, Number 3

Cover story 16 World TeamTennis Preps for Another Season

Long Island Tennis Magazine

This summer, World TeamTennis returns to the area as the New York Sportimes host the world’s top on-court talent for another exciting season. Featuring a closer look at the New York Sportimes roster and the team’s 2009 home schedule.

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Cover photo credits: Anna Kournikova (Bill Putnam) and John McEnroe (Camerawork USA, Fred and Susan Mullane)

Staff David Sickmen National Director of Business Development (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 david@litennismag.com Emilie Katz Marketing and Editorial Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 emilie@litennismag.com Andrew T. Berman Vice President/Sales

Karen Krizman Senior Account Executive Beatrice Marcus Office Manager

Advertising To receive any information regarding advertising rates, deadlines, and requirements, contact David Sickmen at (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 or e-mail david@longislandtennismag.com.

Dinner Program: May 6

Tennis is Fundamental By Steven Kaplan

Bringing Tradition Back to the Sport of Tennis By Bruce Forrest

Bruce Forrest looks back at the way the game was played.

Jim Dileo looks at the impact of a player’s rankings and the self-rating system.

To submit any material, including articles and press releases, please contact David Sickmen at (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 or e-mail david@litennismag.com. The deadline for submissions is the first of the month preceding the target issue.

Subscriptions To receive subscription information, contact David Sickmen at (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 or e-mail david@longislandtennismag.com or check out our Web site: www.litennismag.com. Fax subscription changes to (516) 409-1600. Statements of fact and opinion in Long Island Tennis Magazine are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of United Sports Publications Ltd. Long Island Tennis Magazine reserves the right to edit, reject and/or postpone the publication of any articles, information or data.

What is Your Dream? By Alanna Broderick Alanna Broderick discusses her path from her tennis start in Jamaica to her time spent at a Florida tennis academy.

23 The Path to the Pros A chat with tennis pros Megan Moulton-Levy and Ahsha Rolle on their very different paths to the professional circuit.

27 Teaching or Learning … That is the Question By Ed Wolfarth Ed Wolfarth takes a deeper look at what it takes to be a better tennis instructor.

28 You’re Not Fully Dressed Without Your Mouth Guard Dr. Len Fazio discusses the importance of mouth guards in all sports.

31 High School Memories: From the Front of the Bus By Alan Fleishman

Retired high school tennis coach Alan Fleishman reflects on his experiences with his team and shares some of his favorite experiences.

Columns 10 Sportime Elite Program Photo Gallery: Sportime Tennis Bethpage

College Tennis Advice: To D1, D2 or D3 … That is the Question? By Clark D. Ruiz II Clark D. Ruiz II provides his expert advice on where to go to further both your higher education and tennis career.

19 Adult League Wrap-Up By Kathy Miller USTA/Long Island Adult League Coordinator Kathy Miller discusses the upcoming Tri-Level League set to begin in August.

22 Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Literary Corner Brent Shearer reviews the book, Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self by Monica Seles.

24 Fitness and Nutrition Certified Personal Trainer Laszlo Elek takes a look at tennis conditioning and how to step up your level of fitness.

34 College Tennis Spotlight Long Island Tennis Magazine chats with Bryan Koniecko from Ohio State University as Bryan shares his thoughts on his start on Long Island, his time in the collegiate ranks, though his post-collegiate plans and future pro aspirations.

Dan Dwyer takes a look at the game through the eyes of players stricken with multiple sclerosis and dealing with their illness through the sport of tennis.

45 Tips From the Tennis Pro: The Forehand Volley

38 My Opinion: What’s the Story With Country Club Tennis?

Carl Barnett shares his perspective on volleying the ball by taking a closer look at proper racquet positioning.

By Eric Meditz

Eric Meditz’s lighthearted take on the world of country club tennis and its revolving cast of characters.

40 Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Special Fashion Apparel Section

43 QuickStart Tennis

Debbie Cichon introduces the USTA’s QuickStart program and Jared Rada recaps the program’s success at a recent tour of Long Island schools.

A look at the upcoming Junior Team Tennis season on Long Island along with photos of last season’s successful campaign.

toc

36 Tennis and Multiple Sclerosis By Dan Dwyer

We take a closer look at some of the upcoming season’s oncourt wear and some of the sport’s hottest accessories and gear.

59 USTA Junior Team Tennis Takes L.I. by Storm

USTA Team Tennis: Increasing Your Chances to Play for a National Title By Jim Dileo

By Dr. Len Fazio

Article Submissions/Press Releases

A look at the special guest speakers and award winners who will be honored at the 19th Annual USTA Long Island Region Awards Dinner set for Wednesday, May 6 at the Crest Hollow Country Club.

Steven Kaplan takes a closer look at the basics of the game.

Eric C. Peck Editor-in-Chief Domenica Trafficanda Managing Art Director

50 19th Annual USTA Long Island Region Awards

Features

48 The Sand Pit: Beach Tennis … More Than a Sport, it’s a Long Island Movement!

Long Island Tennis Magazine prepares you for the upcoming Beach Tennis USA events set to hit the Island this summer.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

Made Simple By Carl Barnett

58 Long Island Tennis Club Directory 60 Long Island Rankings

63 USTA/Long Island Region 2009 Tournament Schedule

News Briefs

36 Country Club Tennis: Tennis is the Sport of a Lifetime 44 USTA Tournament Photo Gallery

Photos by Franklyn Higgs from the March 6-8 L1 Champs from the Long Beach Tennis Center and the March 13-15 L2R Long Island Regional Championship at the Deer Park Tennis Center.

Tennis is Fundamental W

hile there are many ways to perform successful tennis hitting movements, there are underlying commonalities that unify and define them all. I would call these universal stroke production characteristics “fundamentals.” These fundamentals are based on the static and immutable laws of physics, mechanics, kinesiology and motor learning. If your strokes adhere to the demands of the aforementioned principles, you are likely to succeed. There are also variations that occur in the production of movements. They involve a different way to achieve the same important goal. I would call these variations “style.” One of the most profound mistakes a tennis instructor or player can make is to focus on developing style, rather than emphasizing fundamentals. While each individual player may find a particular style suitable and beneficial, my redress here focuses on the teaching of playing style at the cost of the development of strong fundamentals. For example, look at the variation of footwork style exemplified by the world’s current three top ranked players in the execution of a backhand. Rafael Nadal will usually bring his back foot around after impact with the ball. Roger Federer tends to push both feet up together and land them in a position similar to his start. Novak Djokovic will often lift his rear leg up to counterbalance his body’s forward weight shift during the hit. All three styles are common amongst top players and achieve their desired results, yet all are performed with vastly different—yet valid—styles. The unifying factors that make these strokes useful are their adherence to the principles of good balance, stability and kinetic linking. First, all of these backhand techniques start with a lowering of the player’s center of gravity and an explosive leg drive upward using their rear leg and gluteus muscles. All three players have a unit take-back emphasizing the activation and use of their core muscles. Next, the lifting of their legs are seamlessly linked to

the rotation of their torso. All three players demonstrate the balance necessary to keep their hips stable during the hit. These same qualities of balance and stability are important in their consistent and complete finish. Sound instruction and productive learning should emphasize the achievement of all of these skills, as well as other fundamental movements rather than focusing on how the movements are performed. It is alarming to see the same style directed toward every student. It is almost comical to wonder which player a style-oriented method of teaching would suggest is doing something dramatically wrong. “Sorry Rafa, you need to change that stroke. You should watch Roger, he’s hitting it correctly.” A United States Tennis Association-funded study conducted several years ago examined Andre Agassi’s stroke production using highspeed video over several thousand strokes. In the execution of his forehand, it was found that the single highest correlation to success was the shifting of his weight from right to left during the stroke. Interestingly enough in this study, there was no connection between the

direction his foot stepped and his stroke success. In other words, stepping “in,” “sideways” or even “back,” was irrelevant to Agassi! Great teaching emphasizes the explicit details of fundamental skills rather than a generalized focus on provisionally useful skills. Ultimately, adherence to fundamental integrated principles of stroke production, rather than ancillary or unnecessary dogma, will be the most direct path to the development of great strokes. Steven Kaplan has guided many touring professionals in the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, and has coached more than 350 nationallyranked junior players. Steve’s background combines a rare blend of competitive and scholastic achievement. In 1979, Steve won the Big East Conference Singles Championship. In 1983, he received his Master’s Degree in Physiology. Steve develop the games of both Keith Kambourian and two-time NCAA Singles Champion Sandra Birch, from the 12-year olds through the pro tour. Most recently, Steve’s longtime student, Bryan Koniecko has achieved the number one ranking in Men’s NCAA tennis.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

Bringing Tradition Back to the Sport of Tennis By Bruce Forrest I’ve been playing tennis for 34 years. I truly enjoy the game. Every time I step on to the court, it brings me back to my junior tennis years and I feel like a kid again. I wrote this article not to be critical, but as an observation on how the sport of tennis is losing its traditional values. I grew up playing tennis usually wearing a Lacoste shirt that came in several different colors and white shorts. The shirt had a collar and the shorts had a classic look. Today’s outfits are quite different. I am not a big fan of the cut-off sleeveless shirts. I see a lot of pros who wear them. I play in a North Shore league, and quite often, my opponents wear these types of shirts. Sometimes, I don’t know if I should serve to them or wrestle them. Two years ago, I watched a match at the U.S. Open. One of the players wore a shirt that had two holes in the back shoulder blade area. What’s up with that? I enjoyed the match, but kept thinking how ugly his shirt was. Most tennis apparel today is not made of cotton. I personally do not see any advantage to micro fiber. It feels like polyester and sticks to your skin. Most people would agree the McEnroe, Borg and Connors era was the most exciting

in tennis. I don’t see where cotton slowed them down. I think t-shirts look fine. There are some pretty cool t-shirts out there and most of them are cotton. My suggestion to the tennis fashion world is to stick to the basics. You will sell more outfits, and more importantly, your customers will look better in them. It is hard to find a racket these days. There are so many choices. They are made of Aerogel, Microgel, fiberglass and a little bit of graphite. Some of them have holes in the frames. I think most people would agree the original Prince graphite is the best racket ever made. Some top juniors still use this racket. You don’t see many 100 percent graphite rackets these days. Pro Kennex makes a great 100 percent graphite racket called the Heritage Redondo. This racket has a great traditional feel. Not only will it take your game to a next level, but you will be able to hit a drop shot that Nadal couldn’t even get to. I know what you are thinking, who is Pro Kennex? I realize racket manufacturers have to be creative to sell rackets. I think they can still be creative and carry a 100 percent graphite racket in their selection. I love going to the U.S. Open. I was a ball boy as a kid and am very familiar with how the tournament is run. It is a

great New York event. I used to enjoy watching the matches on the outside courts the most. Obviously, today most of the matches are in Ashe, Louis Armstrong Stadium and the grandstand. This past year, we were watching Andy Roddick in Arthur Ashe Stadium wipe some guy off the court in the first set. At least from my Section 322 seat, I think it was Roddick. I said to my wife and daughter, “Let’s get out of here.” We settled down watching a girl’s junior match on an outside court that went three sets. We all agreed this was more enjoyable than watching tennis where you have to look at the scoreboard to know who’s playing. My suggestion to the United States Tennis Association (USTA) is put one less match a day on the stadium courts and put the match on the outside courts. This way, the day matches won’t run into the night matches, which often happens and an avid tennis fan like myself will get a better value for his ticket. My daughter is 10-years-old and has been taking lessons for four years. Emilie (her pro) is a great instructor and concentrates on the fundamentals of the game. I hear from friends in my neighborhood that their pros recommend using weights. I do not think any kid should lift weights and certainly not at 10-years-old. My guess is Roger Federer has never lifted a weight in his life. Tennis is a game of endurance and agility. Jogging and jump-roping is better preparation for serious juniors than lifting weights. I know tennis has grown tremendously in the past 25 years. I also know that every game has to change with the times, but it is important to keep up the traditional values. My opinions and suggestions are to bring back these values. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I just cannot picture Bjorn Borg wining Wimbledon, falling to his knees while wearing a ripped shirt. G Bruce Forrest is a former nationally-ranked junior player, a member of Piquet Lane and currently plays in the North Shore Tennis League. He may be reached by e-mail at bforr@optonline.net.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

USTA Team Tennis: Increasing Your Chances to Play for a National Title By Jim Dileo

ou have seen the commercials promoting membership in the United States Tennis Association with the tagline “Join a team and have the opportunity to play for a national title.” As a USTA captain on Long Island, I have come close to going to the nationals a few times with trips to the sectionals in 2001, 2002 and 2003 where we lost. Each year, after the season, we lost some players who were bumped up to the next level, but we were able to recruit replacements and continued to be successful. That all ended for us in 2004, and unfortunately, we have not been able to get to

the sectionals again. With an average of three teams per year at varying levels for the past four years from 2004 to 2008, that represents 12 opportunities where we fell short. Did the fact that 2004 represented the first year for the new self-rating system have anything to do with our failures to advance to the sectionals after 2003? You be the judge. Prior to self-rating, individuals would go to a tennis facility and play for 30 to 60 min. under the supervision of a trained “rater” who would evaluate everyone’s skills and set their individual ratings. I am sure there were people who tried to sandbag their play to obtain a lower rating, but the highlyskilled raters saw through that most of the time and did an excellent job evaluating the

talent. Could an individual slip in to a lower rating? Sure, every once in a while someone probably got by. But they were few and far between. The advent of self-rating has now accomplished what any new system eventually accomplishes; it presented an opportunity for the creative captains to find the loopholes and exploit the system. Boy have they been successful! In order to level the playing field so everyone has an opportunity to “play for a national title,” I have decided to share with you some tips for building your teams. These have been gleaned from observation of the most creative captains since self-rating has been in effect. continued on page 12

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

COLLEGE TENNIS ADVICE To D1, D2 or D3 … That is the Question? By Clark D. Ruiz II

elieve it or not, the path that leads to the selection of a college/university for your child, a choice which has the right balance between academics and tennis, actually begins during your child’s junior career. Simply put, the path your child paves in the juniors, starting with the number of times they practice, the number of tournaments they play in, the type of tournaments they play, and of course, the results they achieve, will usually dictate the type of school they will end up at if tennis is to be an important part of the mix. This is why it is imperative that parents have a good understanding of what they expect as early in the junior level as possible so that the right path can be chosen, step by step.

This will save you much angst, many sleepless nights and possibly money when all is said and done. Three critical questions that need to be considered and answered early on … Will financial assistance be a determining factor in choosing a school? Everyone would like a scholarship to play tennis, but is a scholarship the only way one’s child can attend college? Obviously, if a family is in the position to pay for their child’s collegiate education, any and all Division 1, Division 2 and Division 3 options are available to them depending on their child’s grades and tennis ranking. However, if the only way your child can attend college is with a scholarship, then D3 will not usually be an op-

tion unless you can receive a tremendous amount of financial aid because D3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships. Neither do the Ivy League Schools for that matter. D1 schools usually have the most amounts of scholarship dollars to offer, but not all D1 schools are fully funded, meaning they do not have a full scholarship for every player. The school might, for instance, have 3.5 scholarships to divide amongst the entire team. D2 schools usually don’t have as many scholarships to offer as D1 schools. Parents should ask the coach of schools they are considering this question ASAP in their child’s junior year in high school, to determine if the scholarship level is adequate for your needs. FYI, scholarship dollars available vary from year to continued on page 10

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We welcome Daniel Burgess as the new Director of Tennis at Point Set Racquet Club 6

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

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Photo: Camerawork USA, Fred and Susan Mullane

WTT IS BACK IN NYC

Special Legends Matchup with John McEnroe!

Anna Kournikova – July 7

Martina Navratilova – July 15

Bob & Mike Bryan – July 17

Season opens July 7 at Sportime Stadium at the new Sportime at Randall’s Island Tennis Center! Tickets on sale now at 212.792.8500 or at www.Tix.com For complete home schedule and ticket pricing visit www.nysportimes.com A Team for Betterment The NY Sportimes 2009 season benefits the Randall’s Island Sports Foundation and the children of New York City

rison Swett Marden once said, “All men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers.” When I was a young girl, I had a dream of becoming a successful tennis professional. I used to see myself walking up to the net after winning match point against Steffi Graff no less, and shaking her hand. I used to practice my “thank you” speeches in the bathroom mirror. I had it all planned out. I dreamt of becoming the most famous Jamaican athlete ever born. Unfortunately, Usain Bolt beat me to the punch, but that’s a different story. It was because of this dream that I would wake up every morning at 5:30 a.m. and drive to our tennis club about 55 min. away to take a private tennis lesson before going to school. Because of this dream, I was picked up before school was out and taken to another practice session. Because of this dream, my parents built a tennis court in our backyard and hired a coach from Croatia to come and live with us as

the availability of coaching in Jamaica was limited. Because of this dream, I would run the hills around my neighborhood, fearfully dodging my neighbors’ unchained dogs. Because of this dream, I had absolutely no social life. I would go to school, then straight home into this little bubble my parents had created and then have to do the same thing day after day. At times, I felt as if I was missing out, but it was okay because I had a dream. I was working towards something. Because of this dream, I tolerated the repetitive verbal instructions that felt like abuse from my emotionless Croatian coach. If I heard (please insert European accent here), “Use your hips Avanna,” “Turn your shoulder Avanna,” or “Move your feet Avanna” (my name is Alanna by the way) one more time, I thought I would just burst. Because of this dream, even though I started playing at the late age of 12, I believed if I worked hard enough I could catch up with my adversaries. Even though Jennifer Capriati was winning the

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

U.S Open at the age of 14, it was okay because I had a dream and I was told, “If you believe you will achieve.” Thanks, dad! Because of this dream, we realized that I had to play many tournaments to hone my skills. Being from a small island with very few female tennis players meant I had to travel to other countries to compete. I first went to the near by islands, such as the Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, Aruba and then onto Europe. I got to see many countries I had only heard about, such as Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark and, of course, Croatia! Places I would never have experienced if I did not play tennis .I was staying in hotels, playing tennis (the sport I loved), winning matches and I almost forgot, there were boys there too! I had a dream, but I was still a teenage girl! I had to stay focused on the dream, so no boys were allowed (please ignore the moment of weakness). “This is the life,” I thought to myself. If this was only International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournaments, imagine when I turned pro how much better it was going to be. Because of this dream, I ended up missing so much school that my teachers told me that I could not be both, an athlete and a student, one had to give. And that one was tennis. Well of course no one or any school was going to stand in the way of my dream. I decided to go to a tennis academy in the United States where tennis came first and academics second. I was leaving my small island behind where, in my mind, they did not sufficiently appreciate athletic talent and moving to what I saw as the big leagues where people took tennis seriously. So at the age of 15, I moved to America and I got a job. My job was to play tennis. I went to school from 8:00 a.m. to noon, but school seemed a whole lot easier in continued on page 13

Long Island Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ May/June 2009

C O L L E G E T E N N I S A D V I C E continued from page 6 year for all programs, depending on how many players graduate that particular year. Do you want your child to play at the best tennis program available to them, perhaps sacrificing the quality of the education they will receive, or do you want them to attend the best academic program available to them, perhaps sacrificing the quality of the tennis program they play in? Considering this question truthfully will require some real soul searching, but when answered, the truth will set you free to make a decision on your terms with eyes wide open. D1 schools run the spectrum, from big time athletic schools (Duke, UNC and Wake Forest) to smaller schools (Fairfield University, Marist & Niagara), to state schools (University of Rhode Island, Stony Brook University and the University of Albany, to name a few). Each school offers a very different academic/athletic mix, which ultimately will lead to very different collegiate experiences. D2 and D3 have some really great schools with not-so-great tennis programs. But some schools have a great mix of both academics and tennis,

such as Emory University in D3, which has a tennis program that is as good as a great many D1 schools and great academics. Do you have the resources and sense of commitment necessary to see the plan through from the time your child is 10-11 until the time they graduate high school? If the plan is to have your child play for a big D1 program, then come to grips with the fact that it will require a great deal of time, effort, expense and commitment from you to make it happen. These schools are looking for players with high ranking, with a great deal of national tournament experience. International Tennis federation (ITF) tournament play helps as well. Participating in National/Super National and ITF tournaments comes with a price tag related to extensive travel (airfare, accommodations, food and transportation). Keep in mind, that in order to be competitive at these levels usually requires practicing five to six times a week, working with a personal conditioning trainer and playing tournaments two to three times per month. Calculate these expenses into the equation as well. And donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget that your child cannot take themselves to

these events, so you either have to pay a coach to go with them or one of the parents has to go as well. Get the picture, big commitment and sacrifice from both the parents and the player for the 12, 14 16 and 18 age groups. Smaller D1 schools, D2 and most D3 schools will accept players with much less national, ITF and tournament experience, which means that the practice and tournament schedule can be less stringent, thus translating to less time commitment and reduced expenses. However, never lose sight of the fact that the more experience the player has, the more attractive they will be to coaches. In between big D1 and D3 programs are a multitude of schools with academic and tennis programs of varying levels. The sooner one can come to grips with what type of program they want their child to end up at, the sooner you can start implementing a game plan which paves the way. Then, all you have to do is plug you and you child in and enjoy the ride, for this ride should be as rewarding as getting into the school of choice. G Clark D. Ruiz II is founder of Advantage Tennis Strategies LLC. He may be reached by phone at (917) 991-0088 or e-mail clark@advantagetennisstrategies.com.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ May/June 2009

Sportime Tennis Bethpage Photo credit: Franklyn Higgs

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U S T A T E A M T E N N I S continued from page 5 While I cannot guarantee you a sectional or national title if you follow these tips, I will guarantee that you will field a team that will dominate any other team with legitimately rated players at the level you compete at. The process will take approximately two seasons to be fully implemented, but if you can be patient for these two years, you will reap long-term rewards year after year by following these tips: 1. Visit the various tennis facilities in your area and look at the in-house league results for the highest level leagues that are offered. These are usually at the 4.0 and 4.5 level. Identify a few of the top players and make the USTA pitch—that they can join your team and have a chance to play for a national title. You will have them self-rate at a lower level— say 3.5 and that will position them to play their first season.

2. New self-rated players are given a lower threshold for disqualification based on their playing results, so in their first season with your team you need to play them sparingly and at third court doubles. They will clearly be able to dominate the competition, but you do not want that. You want them to maybe play three or four matches that first season. Have them win a couple and lose one by reasonably close scores. Even throw in a 10-point super tie-break or two to make it look even more competitive. 3. At the end of their first season, these players will receive the coveted “computer rating.” Once they have the coveted computer rating, they can be unleashed the following season to play high value courts because their threshold for disqualification is now much higher. They will probably get bumped up after the season, but that is fine since you had them available to get you as far as possible that second season.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

When they are in a match where they can be totally dominant, have them give away a few games to keep the scores close as that might even help keep them from being bumped up after the second season. As another source for recruiting, find recent or not so recent, former college players. When they self-rate, they can answer “no” to the question about whether they played college tennis. As long as that lie is not discovered in their first season, they are home free. You can then follow steps two and three above so they will not draw any attention to themselves in their first season, obtain the coveted computer rating and be ready to play for real in season number two. An interesting loophole, where you are not penalized for lying during the self-rating process once you complete your first year and get the computer rating, allows this to happen. I know it sounds unbelievable, and it continued on page 20

W H A T I S Y O U R D R E A M ? continued from page 8 America. I loved the multiple choice and short answer questions. In Jamaica, it seemed every test had to be answered in essay form. My job started at 1:30 p.m., and I had a five-hour shift. At this job, there were many other employees just like myself. Employees who fought to stand out, who worked hard to make me look like I was not working hard and they were competing for the same promotion. My fellow employees wanted to build their resume just as I did. It was at this time I realized I was no longer in my little bubble. (“Dorothy was no longer in Kansas!”) It was a bubble certainly, but this bubble had kids just like me with the same exact dream. They had my dream and they were willing to work just as hard as me. Their parents supported them just as much as mine did and they played just as many tournaments as I did. This is when the dream started to develop little doubts. It is the first time in my

tennis journey that I started to wonder if I would actually see Steffi on the other side of the net. I struggled to find a coach that I felt believed in me or who could relate to me. Do not get me wrong, I was still doing well. I was one of the top girls at the acad-

“… a dream pursued with determination and discipline equals success.” emy and yet I had to fight to get recognition. But it was okay because I had a dream and I knew I had to fight for what I wanted. I was winning local tournaments, but not being able to play sectionals or nationals meant I had to travel far and wide to get points. Each year, I qualified for the Orange Bowl Tennis Tournament, but I started to get these things called “dream

crushers,” also known as injuries. I thought I was indestructible. I was young and fit, why was my body failing me? This was not part of the dream. I was turning 17 and I had already graduated from high school because my previous essay focused education in Jamaica allowed me to skip a grade when I migrated to the big leagues. That academicfocused nation did me some good after all. I decided to take the permitted year break after high school and see how well I did on the pro circuit. I was still at the academy, but now without school, my workday had now increased to seven hours including my fitness regimen. I must say that training did not seem as easy as it had before. I sometimes dreaded it and even exaggerated my aches and pains to get out of it because I simply did not feel like hitting another tennis ball for another consecutive hour. Why continued on page 14

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W H A T I S Y O U R D R E A M ? continued from page 13 was this happening to me? Was it because my dream was fading? Or, was I no longer the big fish in the small pond, but instead, a part of a massive school of fish, chasing this big killer hook, disguised as a delicious and scrumptious worm! I started receiving college scholarship offers. I went on a few visits just for the fun of it, but I could still see the faint visions of my dream. Very few girls went to college back then and became successful pros. I was already pushing the envelope by not turning pro by the age of 15, but I turned them all down. I still believed I could make it. In December, I decided to play my last Orange Bowl tournament before going on the pro circuit. I did reasonably well and garnered a lot of attention and interest. Although I did not win the tournament or get far in the main draw, it was still a huge milestone for me. I finally understood that tennis is a journey and that it has its ups and downs, its trials and tribulations but those moments of victory are worth the hard work, just as in life. To conclude my story, after the Orange Bowl, I was offered a full scholarship to the University of Miami and after many a difficult conversation with my parents, I ended up enrolling and arrived at the Coral Gables’ campus, one that I had never vis-

ited, two weeks later. I rushed into this decision because I felt the opportunity would not present itself again. You may ask what happened to the dream I have been talking about this whole time? I made my decision based on three things: 1. I could see myself relating to the coach who recruited me for the University of Miami. It would be the first time I’d experience having a female coach and the idea of learning from a woman who had accomplished and experienced all the things I had or dreamed of doing was a huge factor in my decision. Who better to coach a girl than a girl? 2. My dad told me that a dream never dies. He said that if I had the same desire after college, nothing could stop me. Steffi would have to wait a few more years to play me that’s all! The only difference being that I’d have an education to fall back on afterwards. 3. Although I appreciated the wonderful tennis tradition coupled with a great athletic program, I’d have to say that the overriding reason why I chose the University of Miami was because it was close to home.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

They say, “Home is where the heart is,” and yes, this is so true, but home is also where the dream ignites. Through my journey away from home, I have learned that one should appreciate what you have because sometimes, the next best thing might not be necessarily better. My dream allowed me to get an education from a private university. It afforded me the opportunity to see the world. I was able to meet interesting and diverse people and to follow the road less travelled. Although I did not get to shake Steffi Graf’s hand across that net or say that “thank you” speech, I feel that I can say, without reservation, that a dream pursued with determination and discipline equals success. I believe the most important lesson I learned overall was that you can be both an athlete and a student. Orison Swett Marden said, “Great achievers are great dreamers.” What is your dream? G Alanna Broderick is an independent tennis pro on Long Island and the director of Girls 4 Girlz Tennis Camps. She competed on the pro tour from 2002 after graduating from the University of Miami, where she received her BBA in marketing and Spanish. She is a USPTA certified coach and can be reached at g4gtennis@hotmail.com.

SUMMER CAMP July 7 - August 28

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The Early Hit Training Center is pleased to announce our 6th annual Junior Summer Tennis Camp. Our comprehensive program will provide your child with all the resources necessary to reach his/her maximum tennis potential. The Early Hit Training Center incorporates all aspects of the game into our complete program. We begin each session with a nutritionally complete and balanced shake from Court 7 our on-premise restaurant and smoothie bar. After a thorough warm-up, the student will work through the core components of tennis, including stroke WYVK\J[PVU KYPSSPUN HUK WO`ZPJHS Ä[ULZZ [YHPUPUN ILMVYL IYLHRPUN MVY H OLHS[O` S\UJO >L [OLU TV]L VU[V WSH`PUN dynamics and strategy, and reinforce these lessons with focused match play. A thorough cool-down and stretching session completes a world-class day of tennis for your child. With our team of renowned tennis teaching professionals, experienced physical conditioning trainers, movement experts and on-site chef, the Early Hit Training Center offers a unique and total tennis experience.

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JUNIOR “ALPS” PROGRAM The Early Hit Training Center is pleased to announce our 4th season of group training. This comprehensive program will provide your child with all the resources necessary to reach his/her maximum tennis potential. The Early Hit Training Center incorporates all aspects of the game into our complete program. After a thorough warm-up, the student will work through the core components of tennis, including stroke production and drilling. We then move onto playing dynamics and strategy, and reinforce these lessons with focused match play. A session starts or ÄUPZOLZ ^P[O HU OV\Y VM JVUKP[PVUPUN Come experience our team of renowned tennis teaching professionals, conditioning trainers and movement experts.

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Monday 6:00pm - 8:30pm 7:30pm - 10:00pm Tuesday 8:30pm - 10:00pm (adult group training)

“ALPS” Is a program for High Aptitude Learners.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

Anna Kournikova, St. Louis Aces

orld TeamTennis (WTT) is tennis like you’ve never seen it, featuring the biggest names in the world playing together in an innovative co-ed team format that offers exciting possibilities for players, fans and communities. The 10-team league was co-founded by Billie Jean King in the early 1970s. The format of matches is that each team is comprised of two men, two women and a coach. Team matches consist of five sets, with one set each of men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed-doubles. The first team to reach five games wins each set. One point is awarded for each game won, and a nine-point tie-breaker is played if a set reaches four all. If necessary, overtime and a “super tie-breaker” are played to determine the outright winner of the match. The 2009 Advanta WTT Pro League regular season runs July 2-22 in 10 U.S. markets, with the top two teams from both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference advancing to the Conference Finals on July 24. The Conference Champions will compete in the Advanta WTT Finals on Sunday, July 26 at a location still to be determined. Players from 17 countries will play in WTT this season, but it’s a team of young Americans that will make league history this summer. The defending WTT Champion New York Buzz selected World TeamTennis’s youngest team ever, with a lineup of four upand-coming American junior prospects, a WTT first. The new-look Buzz will feature two 17-year-olds, Alex Domijan and Evan King, and two 16-year-olds, Christina McHale and Sloane Stephens. Earlier this year, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) became a minority owner of World TeamTennis, and

Andre Agassi, Philadelphia Freedoms

Photo credit: Bill Putnam

the organizations are teaming up to promote the growth and development of youth team tennis in the U.S. “One of the main goals of the USTA’s partnership with World TeamTennis is to create innovative new ways to showcase our sport,” said Lucy S. Garvin, chairman of the board and president of USTA. “By creating this WTT team that features some of the country’s top junior prospects, the young players will gain valuable experience while showcasing our next generation of up-and-coming talent to new audiences.” The lineup for the U.S. team was put together by Patrick McEnroe, general manager, USTA player development and his USTA coaching staff.

Maria Sharapova, Newport Beach Breakers

“An integral part of our new Michael Chang, player development philosoSacramento phy is to foster a team concept Capitals among our rising junior talent, while providing them the best opportunities to face tough competition,” said McEnroe. “The New York Buzz will provide the perfect opportunity to fulfill both these goals for the boys and girls working with the USTA.” Buzz owner Nitty Singh has a long history of supporting young tennis talent. “We are extremely excited to showcase America’s finest juniors on our New York Buzz team this season,” said Singh. “This keeps with our tradition of presenting the game’s future stars, such as Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Lindsay Davenport.” Big names will certainly take the court for WTT this summer as well. Marquee players including Maria Sharapova (Newport Beach Breakers), Venus Williams and Andre Agassi (Philadelphia Freedoms), Serena Williams (Washington Kastles), Kim Clijsters and Anna Kournikova (St. Louis Aces), Martina Navratilova (Boston Lobsters), John McEnroe (New York Sportimes), Michael Chang (Sacramento Capitals), and Mike and Bob Bryan (Kansas City Explorers) are all going to compete. The local team here on Long Island and in New York City is the New York Sportimes. They will be playing home matches at their brand new facility on Randall’s Island. The Sportimes finalized their roster on March 31. The team protected Sportime’s star and New York City tennis icon, John McEnroe, who will play five matches for the Sportimes in his 10th year as a member of the team. One of 10 teams participating in the WTT player draft, the Sportimes drafted in the eighth position as a result of their success in 2008, when they were one of four teams to qualify for the 2008 league finals. The Sportimes made a deal with the St. Louis Aces to swap first-round picks, which allowed the Sportimes to secure the first pick in the first round of the draft. The Sportimes used that pick to draft top American player Robert Kendrick, who played for the team twice before; first in 2001 and then in 2005 when

the team was crowned WTT champions. In round two, the Sportimes protected WTT Rookie of the Year, and crowd favorite, Jesse Witten, who returns for his third consecutive season with the team. In round three, the team selected Ashley Harkleroad, who returns for her third season as a member of the Sportimes, having played in 2006 and 2007. Harkleroad, who has remained in the headlines as a top 100 player, returns to the Sportimes as a new mom of baby Charles IV, with proud dad Chuck Adams joining his family for his third year as the Sportimes coach. In round four, the Sportimes completed its roster by selecting American doubles specialist Christina Fusano. McEnroe will play for the Sportimes at Sportime Stadium on Monday, July 13, and in a special legends match-up, versus the Boston Lobsters and their star Martina Navratilova, on Wednesday, July 15. Marquee players visiting Sportime Stadium in 2009 include: Anna Kournikova (Tuesday, July 7 playing for the St. Louis Aces), Serena Williams (Friday, July 10 playing for the Washington Kastles); Martina Navratilova (Wednesday, July 15 playing for the Boston Lobsters); and the Bryan Brothers (Friday, July 17 playing for the Kansas City Explorers). The Sportimes’ home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, July 7 at Sportime Stadium at 7:00 p.m. on Randall’s Island.

2009 New York Sportimes Home Schedule Start time for all matches is 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Date

Opponent

Tuesday, July 7 ..........St. Louis Aces (featuring Anna Kournikova) Wednesday, July 8 ....NY Buzz (2008 WTT champions featuring members of the All-American junior team) Friday, July 10............Washington Kastles (featuring world number one-ranked women’s player Serena Williams) Monday, July 13 ........Newport Beach Breakers (legend John McEnroe will play for the Sportimes)— 7:30 p.m. start time Wednesday, July 15 ..Boston Lobsters (featuring Martina Navratilova in a special Legends Matchup versus John McEnroe) Friday, July 17............Kansas City Explorers (featuring world number one-ranked team of the Bryan Brothers) Sunday, July 18 ........NY Buzz (2008 WTT champions)— 4:00 p.m. start time Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

New York Sportimes Player Draft Results

Round #4: Christina Fusano Christina Fusano turned pro in 2003 and achieved a career high doubles ranking of 84th in the world in 2008. Born in the United States, Christina is the winner of eight ITF Tour (one with Harkleroad) and one WTA Tour doubles titles. This is her first year playing for the Sportimes and her second season playing WTT.

Protected Player: John McEnroe Long Island’s own John McEnroe is a former world number one-ranked professional tennis player. McEnroe won seven Grand Slam singles titles—three at Wimbledon and four at the U.S. Open—nine Grand Slam men’s doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed-doubles title.

Round #1: Robert Kendrick

Photo credit: Camerawork USA, Fred and Susan Mullane

Anna Kournikova from the St. Louis Aces celebrates a victory over the Springfield Lasers

California born and raised, and a former All-American at Pepperdine, Robert Kendrick turned pro in 2000 and achieved a career-high ranking of 77th in the world in 2007. Kendrick was a member of the Sportimes’ 2001 and 2005 WTT championship team. Photo credit: Getty Images Photo credit: Camerawork USA, Fred Mullane

Round #2: Jesse Witten A native of Naples, Fla., Jesse Witten is a former NCAA finalist who played for Kentucky and turned pro in 2005. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of 171st in 2006. He was the WTT Male Rookie of the Year in 2007. This is Jesse’s third consecutive season playing WTT for the New York Sportimes.

Martina Navratilova of the Boston Lobsters pumps her fist during a World TeamTennis match

Photo credit: Camerawork USA, Fred and Susan Mullane

Photo credit: Getty Images

Round #3: Ashley Harkleroad

Photo credit: William Morris Agency

Play during a WTT doubles match featuring Bob & Mike Bryan from the Kansas City Explorers

Born in Georgia, Ashley Harkleroad achieved a career-high singles ranking of 39th in the world in singles in 2003 and 39th in doubles in 2007. She carried the Sportimes to a WTT conference title in 2006. She is the winner of eight ITF singles titles and five ITF doubles titles. This is her third year playing for the Sportimes and her fourth WTT season.

Photo credit: Camerawork USA, Fred and Susan Mullane

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

ADULT LEAGUE WRAP-UP B Y K AT H Y M I L L E R

ith Adult, Senior and Super Senior play beginning the week of May 18, its time to start thinking about the Tri-Level League which will begin this August. The Tri-Level League format is women’s teams, as well as men’s teams, consisting of three courts of doubles. One court is made up of players with a National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) rank of 3.5, one is of players 4.0 and the third is of players rated 4.5. A team can have up to four players at each level. To get this league off the ground and have a team qualify for the 2009 sectionals, we held a one-day round-robin event for both the men and women this past January. All the players loved the format, and as the coordinator watching the event unfold, I enjoyed watching the camaraderie among teammates

of different levels whose tennis paths probably would not have crossed without this league. It also gives friends of different tennis levels the opportunity to share the team experience together. The winning teams from Long Island advance to a Sectional Championship in February 2010 (location to be determined) and the winners from that event will advance to the National Championship, set for March 2010 in Indian Wells, Calif. The nationals are played the same weekend in March as the pro tournament, so not only do you get to play great tennis, but you get to watch some as well! Since court time is so hard to get between September and May and the United States Tennis Association Mixed-Doubles League takes available weekend time, we decided

to run the Tri-Level League in August when there is plenty of available time. If you have a team or would like to get involved with a team, please contact me by e-mail at kathym65@aol.com. I must be aware of all teams by July 1 so registration can take place and I can get a schedule complete and to the clubs. Regarding the USTA Adult, Senior and Super Senior teams, the deadline to add players to your team is Monday, June 15, 2009. League standings showing the point system can be seen online at www.litennisscores.com. Kathy Miller is the manager at Carefree Racquet Club and is also the Adult League Coordinator for USTA/Long Island. She may be reached at kathym65@aol.com.

OUI LOVE TENNIS! Moussa Drame Tennis is serving up a lot of fun on the newly resurfaced NovaGrass tennis courts at the Pridwin Hotel, just off the beach. Our philosophy encourages every player to be the best player he or she can be, through small classes or private instructions from seasoned teachers who offer plenty of positive reinforcement. Adults All skill levels. Private or group lessons. Ladies clinic 5 days a week. Junior Camp All skill levels, ages 7-18. 3 sessions: 8 a.m.11a.m., 11a.m.-2p.m., 2p.m.-5p.m. Contact information: moussadrametennis@yahoo.com Phone numbers: 917-209-6615 • 631-749-0799 Address: Moussa Drame Tennis Shore Road • Shelter Island, NY

PeeWee All skill levels, ages 3-6. Private or group lessons. Private Court Instruction We are happy to travel to your private court or a court near your home, if you prefer.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

U S T A T E A M T E N N I S continued from page 12 is, but if you can make it through that first season under the system’s radar, you can play with impunity the following season. There are others methods being employed to get around the system and there will continue to be creative captains that can exploit the system with ever more cleaver ideas. By adding four or five players each season in this manner, you will essentially create your own “farm” system to feed your roster and replace players that get bumped up. With 18 or 24 roster spots available on each team, depending on the region you play in, there is plenty of room to add new players each season who will only need to play the three or four matches necessary to obtain their coveted computer rating. For the majority of USTA captains, who, like myself, would never stoop to these antics, I have some better ideas. If only 20 percent of the captains cheat using the methods outlined above, or others that are similar, the other 80 percent will never have a real opportunity to

play for a national title and that is a shame. I have taken all of this up with both the Eastern Section and the National USTA groups with zero success. I accept the fact that the new computer system and the selfrating process are here to stay, but I have suggested some checks and balances to insure fairness within the framework of that system. In a nutshell here is what needs to be done: 1. Increase the fee to join a team and accumulate a fund of a few thousand dollars from the thousands of players who join teams each season. 2. Provide each captain, at each level, with three challenges that they can use to challenge the validity of a player’s rating when their own players feel someone is above level. 3. The challenge is communicated to the captain of the player being challenged, as well as the league coordinator.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

4. The captain whose player is being challenged is then committed to letting the league coordinator know when the challenged player is playing again in a USTA match. 5. The league coordinator then makes arrangements to get a teaching pro to attend that match to observe the player for the duration of the match. The teaching pro needs to be from a club not involved in the match being watched. The teaching pro is paid their regular rate from the pool of funds collected when players join a team. 6. The player who is challenged cannot play another match until evaluated by a teaching pro as part of the challenge process. When being evaluated, the player needs to be playing on the same court (i.e., first singles, second singles, etc.) as when the challenge was issued.

7. If the teaching pro decides that the player is above level, he disqualifies the player, and all of that playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s results for that particular season are reversed. In addition, since the challenge was upheld, the original captain who made the challenge still has the original three challenges left. 8. If the teaching pro decides that the player in on level, the player can continue to play and the original captain that made the challenge now loses one of the three challenges. 9. A way to minimize the number of challenges actually carried out with a pro at the match is to only permit challenges of players who are in the system three years or less. So a player in the system for four years of more cannot be challenged. Of course, like the self-rating system currently being abused, there are potential issues with the process outlined above. The player being challenged can attempt to tank the match or otherwise hold back. This might work, but an experienced teaching pro will see through most of these attempts, just as an experienced rater under the old system could. What it will do, however, is create an environment where captains will think twice before recruiting high level players for lower rated divisions. I have always been amazed that people would want to play at levels well below their true rating, but the lure of a national championship, I guess, is too strong for some to pass up. Over a two- to three-year period, the checks and balances will improve competitiveness, help facilitate fairness, and give everyone a real opportunity to play for a national championship. Then, the reality will finally match the marketing hype. G Jim Dileo and his wife, Fran, own a real estate investment and management company. Jim also volunteers his time for and is co-president of the North BellmoreNorth Merrick Youth Basketball League. He has captained USTA teams since 2001 and currently captains 10 teams annually including menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, seniors and mixed doubles out of the Carefree Racquet Club in Merrick, N.Y. He may be reached at jimdileo@optonline.net. Long Island Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ May/June 2009

Long Island Tennis Magazine’s

Literary Corner

By Brent Shearer Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self By Monica Seles Monica Seles’ memoir Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self, published by the Avery Books imprint at Penguin Press, tells the story of the unluckiest tennis champion. The nine-time Grand Slam winner writes about the difficult emotional journey she endured during her playing years. The appearance of the book in early 2009 is an attempt to capitalize on her recent appearance on the TV show “Dancing with the Stars.” Seles retired from professional tennis in early 2008. She branched out into show business via the show the same year. She didn’t get far in the competition, but in her book, she considers her ability to take such a step as evidence of a newly-found selfconfidence. “I was a different person now, and it took only a few days of moping around before I realized I was fine,” said Seles. “I’d faced my greatest fear, performed despite a case of nerves that was worse than any I’d had before any of my Grand Slam finals, subjected myself to the judgment of total strangers, and taken criticism without falling apart in front of millions of people.” But as tennis fans know, Monica Seles isn’t known primarily for her dancing, or, unfortunately, for her two-handed forehand. The appearance of her book is as good 22

a reason as any for readers to reflect on the unfairness of what happened to the player in the wake of her on-court stabbing. To recap, Seles was playing Magdalena Maleeva in Hamburg, Germany, on April 30, 1993. She was ranked number one at the time. A fan of her rival, Steffi Graf, plunged a knife into her back during a change-over. Seles lost two-and-a-half years of playing time at the peak of her career and what she estimated to be more than $10 million in prize money and endorsements. Even worse, she lost her confidence and sense of who she was. And as the icing on the cake, her attacker was only sentenced to two year’s probation. Understandably, she appealed the decision. She lost that legal challenge and ended up paying what she said was $1 million in court fees. Is this grim enough? It gets worse. During her rehab period, Seles developed what was in the scheme of things, a relatively mild eating disorder. Still, for a woman athlete in the public eye carrying around what was, at its worst, an extra 30 or 40 lbs., it was no picnic. Just when she had managed to overcome enough of the physical and psychological barriers that had prevented her from competing, Seles was hit with another blow—the death of her father, Karoli Seles, who had been her first coach and who functioned as an irreplaceable support system. As she tried to make her way back onto the tour in the late nineties, Seles also struggled to keep up with a new generation of rivals on the court, Venus and Serena Williams, Justine Henin, and Martina Hingis. Except for the latter, the first three players exemplified a new trend of power-hitting that Seles had to adjust to. She never made

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

it back to number one, but she was able to reestablish herself in the top 10. Seles’ book is worth reading for the story of her struggle to overcome her personal demons. Caught up in the whirlwind of the pro tour from an early age, it is no wonder that her emotional development suffered. Self-image problems connected to one’s physical appearance strike women in all walks of life. Nor is the problem confined to women. But Seles’ story has a larger significance in addition to her victory over binge eating. Sadly, every time a tennis fan attends a pro event, there is a grim reminder of the worst moment in her career. You just have to observe the guys, usually in some kind of uniform, who stand between the player’s chairs and the crowd during change-overs to understand that what happened to her in Hamburg in 1993 changed things in the sport of tennis. The attack on Seles was part of the loss of trust in safety in the tennis world and the larger world overall. It wasn’t as bad as Sept. 11, nor as bad as John Lennon, although had the wound been a few inches closer to her spine, there wouldn’t have been any Monica Seles comeback on the tour, still, what happened to Monica Seles will always be a marker for a decline in public life. Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self is her mature response to that role in history. And although it can be overlooked, let’s close with a nod to her playing accomplishments. Nine Grand Slam titles, a unique style, a pioneer in grunting, it’s only fair to remember Monica Seles the player. Her book only contributes to that legacy. G Brent Shearer may be reached by e-mail at bbshearer@gmail.com.

ong Island Tennis Magazine recently had the chance to chat with two professional women’s tennis players, Megan Moulton-Levy and Ahsha Rolle to discuss their paths to the pro tour. For many talented junior players, breaking into the professional ranks can be overwhelming. It takes a whole lot more than just hitting a good ball to make the transition into the pro game, and of course, if any of these young players do have holes in their games, you can bet that the better tennis players out there are going to find them. In other words, even a solid career in junior tennis—no matter how great the results—it is not always enough to make it on to the pro circuit. Tournament schedules, travel itineraries, cutting costs, and deep second serves are only a handful of the things that must be considered. So the question then becomes, “When is the right time to turn pro?” In an attempt to solve the traditional problems that occur for a young player graduating from juniors, some players have been turning to the collegiate system first in hopes of finding professional success later. One of those players is Megan MoultonLevy, a 24-year-old native of Grosse Pointe, Mich. Currently ranked in the top 250 on the pro tour, Megan began playing tennis at the age of seven. She moved to Switzerland at the age of 11 where she played for five years while attending boarding school. Megan never played high school tennis and at 16-years-old she enrolled at Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Fla. where she became one of the top junior players. Two years later at the age of 18, she had a decision to make on whether to go to college or turn pro. Dur-

ing the recruiting process, she decided she wasn’t mature enough or ready for the pro tour, both physically and mentally, so she choose to attend William & Mary University. For Megan, college helped her grow into the player she is now. She gained experience, matured, and improved on the mental side of the game. She learned Megan Moulton-Levy a lot, both on the court and off the court, during her years in college and now has both a career on the professional tour, as well as an education. In our conversation, she did note that “There is a large gap between college and pro tennis in the women’s game, much more than in the men’s game.” One negative aspect she sees in college tennis was the physical preparation

for the pro tour. In college, she was only playing approximately three matches a week where as in the pros, she may have to play three matches just to qualify for a tournament. She explained that, while you do have teammates and coaches, “You have a lot of personal responsibility to keep your own focus on training.” Due to the fact the competition on the college level wavered at times for Megan, she had to make sure she was preparing herself for a pro career and not just to win the match that was in front of her. Megan certainly sees both positives and negatives to the women’s college game and said, “there is no right decision on college tennis versus pro tennis as a graduating junior. The decision is a personal one to know what is in your best interest at that time.” At the age of 24, Megan is now playing her best tennis and feels that not continued on page 25

For a FREE one year subscription to our digital edition, visit LITennisMag.com. Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

Tennis Fitness: The Next Level By Laszlo Elek

ny tennis player looking to move their game to the next level has to look at their fitness level. Fitness is an essential part of tennis, and its importance increases at the higher levels. When assessing the fitness components of tennis, we need to look at several areas to highlight the demands of the sport. This will also help to illuminate the areas that any training program needs to cover. One major factor is the length of matches. For example, men’s Grand Slam matches regularly last in excess of four hours, while the 2008 Wimbledon Final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal lasted four hours and 48 min. The distance covered is also a factor. In a typical game of tennis, a player can expect to cover anywhere from three to five miles. However, unlike simply running a similar distance, in the course of a tennis match, most of this distance will be short side to side (lateral) movements, or sprints to and from the net. This combination of speed and endurance is further highlighted if we look at individual points and movements. A typical point lasts 3 to 7 sec.—though some are much longer—and in the course of a game, a player will make around 300 to 500 rapid bursts of energy. So what will advanced tennis training do for you? First and foremost, increased fitness will improve your ability to be in the right place and make the right shot—quite simply, improved fitness allows you to forget about the physical demands of the game and concentrate on shot selection. 24

There’s more to it however. An analysis of the game shows that tennis has a limited range of movements—the service, forehands and backhands— thus certain muscle groups do the bulk of the work and take most of the strain. Tennis-specific training can thus target these areas, improving strength and reducing the risk of repetitive strain injuries. The key elements of a tennis conditioning program include: N Aerobic (cardio) conditioning for endurance N Anaerobic (sprint) conditioning for speed N Flexibility N Strength N Agility We’ll look at each in turn, demonstrating how it can help you to move to the next level. Cardio fitness While tennis does not have the nonstop cardiovascular demands of running or swimming, the sheer length of the game necessitates including it in a tennis fitness program. Players need to be able to sustain movement for several hours at a time without getting overly fatigued. In addition, cardio fitness will also help you to recover quickly between points.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

Anaerobic fitness Watch any high level tennis match and you will see that in a typical point, players change direction several times, at speed. Whether it’s sprinting to the net or racing from one side of the court to the other to track down a wide passing shot, players need speed. The quicker you are in position, the better your shot execution will be. Speed is developed through repetitive sprint drills in which the player simulates match conditions. In addition to simply sprinting, speed work for tennis should also reflect the typical motions of the game, much of which is lateral (side to side). It is also important to include agility work to hone the ability to move precisely. Specific drills are needed to train these muscle systems. Flexibility An underrated element in many training programs, good flexibility is essential for tennis. However, if you consider the excontinued on page 26

T H E P A T H T O T H E P R O S continued from page 23 putting her body through the rigors of pro tennis during her college years has enabled her to be playing as well as she is now. According to Ahsha Rolle, a top 250 women’s professional player, “In men’s tennis you can go to college and come out ready to play, but in women’s tennis, it doesn’t prepare you Ahsha Rolle for the different styles and high level of play and fitness that takes place on tour.” For this reason, Ahsha decided to skip college and go straight to the pro tour after juniors. The path Ahsha took began in Miami Shores, Fl. Growing up, Ahsha didn’t play at fancy tennis academies. Instead, she honed her skills on the public courts of Miami. She didn’t want to be,

as she described, “a small fish in a big pond” at one of the academies. Ahsha never played high school tennis as she was home schooled after the seventh grade. Her dedication to tennis caused Ahsha to miss out on a lot of the more normal experiences of a high school kid, such as the prom and football games, but because of tennis, she got to travel the world and experience a lot of things the kids her age were not able to. When it came time to choose between college or a path straight to the pros, Ahsha choose the tour. She decided she would try the tour for a year and if she wasn’t successful, she would then go the college route. She was successful though, and decided to stay the course and remain on tour. She did say the tour can be lonely at times, as it is certainly a business and sometimes the players isolate themselves from “the competition,” but that she has no regrets about her de-

cision to skip college. She said it was “the best thing for her tennis game.” Ahsha is currently playing some of her best tennis and is looking forward to her favorite major, the U.S. Open this summer, where she enjoys the “crazy love” she receives from the American fans. Megan and Ahsha both took different paths to the pro tour, but what’s important is that they both made it and are excelling on the tour. Neither of them have regrets about their choices and both are living their dream of playing on the pro tour. The lesson they both shared was that no matter which path you take after juniors—going to college or going straight to the pros—the key is having fun, staying positive and doing your best to improve upon your game each day. G Megan and Ahsha will be coming to Long Island this summer to instruct at the Girlz 4 Girlz Tennis Camp.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

F I T N E S S A N D N U T R I T I O N continued from page 24 tended positions a player has to execute during a game—such as reaching forward for a lob, extending to reach a wide passing shot—it is apparent how important this element of fitness is. Flexibility helps you to reach shots more quickly and efficiently, and hit the ball with balance and control. Strength The top players regularly serve in excess of 130 mph, and are able to hit both forehands and backhands with brutal power. While some of this is natural talent, it is honed and improved by strength training. A good example of this is Andy Murray, whose natural talent made him a top 10 player. However, it was not until he stepped up his conditioning that he was able to begin consistently beating Federer and Nadal. For anyone looking to advance to the next level, the message is simple—the stronger and more powerful you are, the stronger and more controlled your hitting will be, and the better your overall game. However, strength isn’t just about brute power. As noted above, tennis is also a repetitive game, so sufficient strength is required in the core, legs, upper back, shoulders and arms to withstand these repetitive motions. A base level of strength will thus help you avoid

injuries. Indeed, it is only once you have established a base level of strength that you can build the explosive power necessary to execute better shots. Players need good leg strength to cover the court more effectively, and core and upper body strength to serve and execute groundstrokes more powerfully. While some of this power and strength will come from simply playing the game, to maximize your talent, you will need to incorporate strength training into your program. A key part of tennis strength training is thus muscular endurance. Tennis players need to perform regular, high repetition exercises to condition their muscles to execute the same motion over and over again without weakening. Stability and dynamic balance Finally, a player needs to develop stability and dynamic balance. Again, this is crucial in tennis where you have to maintain body control while hitting shots at speed. The ability to remain balanced while moving will enhance your game, allowing you to make shots even while off-balance. Putting it all together Combining all these elements into an effective training program takes hard work

and knowledge. An overall program requires planning as the program should be built around your major competitions. Thus you will start with a period of base training, gradually adding more intensity and match-based work as you approach a major tournament, then tapering off to be rested come match day. Keeping track of all this requires regular testing of the various elements (speed, strength, endurance), to ensure that progress is maintained. It is also important to look at your body composition—that is, the ratio of fat to muscle in your body. Look at a player like Nadal if you have any doubts about the benefits of a strong, muscular build with little body fat! This comes from a combination of good diet and effective training. If you want to take your game to the next level, you need a personal trainer with the ability to design a tennis conditioning program. G Laszlo Elek is a certified personal trainer (CFT) working out of Sportime-Syosset who runs tennis specific training programs. He can be reached by phone at (516) 3201463 or e-mail eleklaszlo@optonline.net to arrange your own tennis specific training program, and start to move your game to the next level.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

Teaching or Learning â&#x20AC;Ś That is the Question By Ed Wolfarth I cannot figure out why some of my students just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get it. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m telling them everything I know, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m trying different images and drills and they still do not seem to improve. One day on the court, I was observing a fellow teaching pro giving a lesson. In a half-hour time span, he said very little. As a matter of fact, he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say anything technical or noteworthy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Good shot, way to go, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not it,â&#x20AC;? seemed to be his repertoire, but the student was still improving at a rate not much different than my student â&#x20AC;Ś whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s up? Certainly, I give my students feedback as well. After many years of trying different teaching techniques, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to the conclusion that

there is little that can be taught but much that can be learned through self-discovery. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the gist of it! Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve evolved in to a â&#x20AC;&#x153;learning facilitator.â&#x20AC;? This may seem nothing more than a connotation distinction, but definitively, an important one. A good teacher of any motor skill, in my humble opinion, needs to be aware of how each student learns. He or she needs to dwell less on â&#x20AC;&#x153;how toâ&#x20AC;? advice and more on the â&#x20AC;&#x153;what.â&#x20AC;? By this, I mean learners are commonly task-oriented. Take, for example, the simple (not always easy) task of directing a forehand. Many instructors might say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Turn your shoulders, point the strings in the desired direction,â&#x20AC;? etc. This how-to advice may work, but it does not create permanent learning, and in fact, may impede complete progress. A better ap-

proach might be to set up targets and say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hit it there!â&#x20AC;? This simple task will, eventually, provoke the desired result. The learner will have to go through a process of trial and error and the learning will be more complete. The other day, I was giving a backhand lesson to a female student. Her onehanded backhand tended to fly long because of her incomplete switch to a full eastern backhand grip. During our halfhour lesson, I asked her to hit a backhand into the net with an exaggerated high follow through. Her first few attempts sailed well over the baseline, but after a while, she was able to perform this simple (but not simple) task. Without any instruction, she had changed her grip! Within 15 min., she comcontinued on page 29

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Long Island Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ May/June 2009

You’re Not Fully Dressed Without Your Mouth Guard By Dr. Len Fazio

hen thinking about what we will wear to our next tennis practice session or match, we are usually concerned with the comfort and style of our athletic apparel. After all, keeping comfortable during a workout is easily accomplished with all the moisture-wicking fabrics available to us today. And looking good while doing it … well, that’s a bonus! Both stylish and functional, tennis apparel has come a long way since the days of all-cotton, all-whites. So while we go to great lengths (and expense!) to purchase our outerwear and underwear, how many of us consider some “inner” wear? Inner-armour, as I like to call it, can also be stylish and functional. It can protect against injury, and for some players, actually enhance their performance on the court. This often overlooked piece of apparel is essential for virtually every sport. Of course, I’m talking about athletic mouth guards. Mouth guards for tennis? Anyone? While most of us would consider athletic mouth guards for traditional “contact” sports like football, boxing, hockey, lacrosse, martial arts, rugby, etc., as essential equipment, wearing a mouth guard for a tennis match would be considered unnecessary … overkill, perhaps. After all, tennis is a non-contact sport, right? Tell that to my patient, JoAnn C., who, during the third set of a mixed-doubles match, took a backhand from her partner’s racquet right in the mouth. Fortunately for her, this accident occurred at a time when I was in my office, so I was able to provide emergency care in a timely manner. Six stitches, one root canal and two caps later, she was able to return to her passion. But NOT without her custom mouth guard! “Never in a million years would I have imagined something like this happening to me,” she later lamented. “I have been playing tennis competitively for close to 20 years, and I have never heard of anyone getting hit like that.” 28

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

It should be noted that dental injuries are the most common type of oral-facial injuries sustained during sports of all kinds. In JoAnn’s case, significant physical, emotional and financial pain could have been avoided with this seemingly insignificant piece of equipment. An ounce of prevention In sports, a major challenge is to maximize the benefits of participation, and to limit injuries. Prevention, via adequate preparation, is a key element in minimizing such injuries. Properly conditioned bodies, well-fitting protective equipment and correct techniques during competition can help minimize injuries. Holistic sports dentistry has a major role to play in this arena. The holistic sports dentist should be concerned with providing proper injury prevention strategies and dental education. Properly-fitted and sport-specific custom mouth guards are the single most effective way of minimizing the likelihood of severe dental and jawbone injury, as well as concussion. An athlete whose tooth is knocked out during a game and does not receive the proper emergency dental treatment within 30 min., may face a lifetime of dental costs estimated at between $10,000 to $15,000 per tooth, many inconvenient hours in the dentist’s chair, and possibly other dental and physical problems. Purchasing in a custom mouth guard, especially during this current economic crisis, may be the wisest investment you make! A rose is a rose, is a rose, is a rose … right? Not necessarily. Contrary to popular belief, all mouth guards are not created equally. A properly-fitted mouth guard must be protective, comfortable, resilient, tasteless and streamline. It should cause minimal interference with speech and breathing, and on top of that, have excellent retention and fit. Additionally, it must have sufficient thickness in critical areas of to disperse the forces of impact. continued on page 30

T E A C H I N G O R L E A R N I N G continued from page 27 plained that hitting balls into the net was pretty dumb. I countered, “We don’t have to practice hitting backhands out, you already know how to do that! Duh!” She had discovered, on her own, that her weak grip was the cause of her problem. She became aware (the operative word) of the cause and effect relationship through self-discovery. Her progress was swift. Learning a motor skill is best accomplished when the learner goes thru the four steps of learning: 1. Unconscious incompetence: Not knowing the cause of the problem. 2. Conscious incompetence: Now, being aware of the cause and effect, but still not able to always perform properly 3. Conscious competence: Being able to perform at reasonably high skill level, but only with conscious thought.

4. Unconscious competence: Highly skilled with no thinking! Skill or swing is habitual and can be performed in any environment. Many learners never progress from step one to step two. And that’s the key … failure to become aware dooms one to failure. You’ve probably heard the definition of ignorance … “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result!” Awareness is the key. All motor learning starts with the brain. The learner needs to understand the core concepts of hitting a tennis ball. What makes the ball go up or down. Then the process of trial and error kicks in. Then, and only then, does practicing that skill or swing have any true consequence. And, don’t forget that practice makes permanent, not perfect! In conclusion, we need to train our brain. By that I mean, our brain controls the body and the body controls the racket. How-to

instruction is less effective than allowing self-discovered learning. The brain learns through self-discovery. I’ve concluded that I can teach very little, but my students can learn a lot. I implore my teaching colleagues to get more in tune with the learner and the learning process and stop teaching so much! G Edward Wolfarth is the tennis director at the Tam O’ Shanter Club in Brookville, N.Y. He is also a professor of physical education and sports sciences at Hofstra University. In addition to his class load, Edward finds time to coach high school tennis at Jericho High School. He’s an active member of the United States Professional Tennis Association and currently serves on the executive board of the United States Tennis Association-Long Island Region. He still plays competitively and is a highly ranked senior player. He may be reached at (516) 6269005 or e-mail wolfarthe@msn.com.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

W I T H O U T Y O U R M O U T H G U A R D continued from page 28 There are three popular types being used today. 1. Stock: The stock mouth guard, available at most sporting goods stores, come in limited sizes (youth, small, medium, large), are the least expensive, and the least protective. This type is ready to be used without any preparation. Simply remove it from the package and immediately place it in the mouth. They are bulky and lack retention, and so must be held in place by constantly biting down. This interferes with speech and breathing. This type of mouth guard is often altered and cut by the athlete in an attempt to make it more comfortable, further reducing its protective properties. 2. Boil and bite: Presently, this is the most common type of mouth guard on the market. Made from a thermoplastic material, they are immersed in boiling water and reformed in the mouth using finger, tongue and biting pressure. Available in limited sizes, these mouth guards often lack proper extensions for posterior teeth in adult athletes. Leaving those molars uncovered significantly reduces the effectiveness of the guard, making injury more likely. Additionally, this type of mouth guard is often further altered by the user to increase comfort, which may reduce its protective ability. 3. Custom-fitted: Custom-fabricated mouth guards are supplied by a dentist. Custom

mouth guards provide the dentist with the critical ability to address several important issues in the creation of a device which satisfies the main criteria of proper fit, protection retention and comfort. The dentist can also take into account previous history of injury or concussion, missing or loose teeth, or orthodontic treatment. In the case of grade school athletes, mixed dentition of primary and adult teeth and ever-growing jawbones must be accounted for. These mouth guards are the most satisfactory of all types, and are the kind I recommend for my patients. Find your sweet spot In addition to providing protection from trauma, custom mouth guards can also have a positive effect on body strength. Oral orthopedics (custom mouth guards) have an effect on the entire neuromuscular/autonomic nervous system (ANS). Specifically, the position of the lower jaw—an afterthought with conventional mouth guards— is directly related to arm muscle strength and spinal alignment. Enhancement of the ANS is achieved by changing the “bite” to a more ideal position. This places the lower jaw into an optimal relationship with the skull which relieves pressure placed on the muscles, nerves, bones and blood supply. This can provide for postural equilibrium, which will affect the body’s response to pain, retraining and flexibility. Benefits to tennis players would likely include: Hitting the ball with more authority,

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

Advantage … you! A thorough evaluation by a sports dentist is the best first step in determining the most appropriate mouth guard for your needs. As a holistic sports dentist, avid sportsman and father of three sports-active boys, I can truly appreciate the requirements of today’s athletes. Manufacturers of tennis equipment have continually turned to science for the latest advancements in technology, which can give players a competitive edge. The sport-specific custom guards of today are no exception. If designed, fitted and cared for properly, these space age materials can provide long-term protection and an athletic advantage. As more research is being conducted, it is becoming more apparent that conditions affecting any part of the oral-dental complex can, and do, have an impact on an individual’s physical health. So the next time you are ready to hit the court, bring your “A” game and bring your mouth guard! G

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increased endurance and less pain after the match. Joseph D., another patient of mine, said it best when he related his experience after wearing his new mouth guard for the first time. After enduring some good-natured ribbing from his opponent (“It’s a tennis match, not a boxing match!”), he said: “I felt like a kid out there. Then I promptly dropped a double bagel on him!” To be sure, Joe D. was already an excellent tennis player and in great physical shape, so his experience may not be typical. However, persons of average ability may benefit in different ways ranging from pain reduction and quicker recovery, to better footwork, more powerful strokes and improved service.

Dr. Len Fazio graduated the NYU College of Dentistry in 1988 and has been practicing metal-free, mercury-safe, holistic dentistry since 1993. Dr. Fazio operates his practice PowerPlay Holistic Sports Dentistry out of Port Jefferson, N.Y, and serves as the official team dentist of the Long Island Lizards of Major League Lacrosse. He may be reached by phone at (631) 474-7477.

BY ALAN FLEISHMAN “Hey, coach.” I remember the first time I heard it. It sounded strangely ominous. I was a Social Studies teacher at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, N.Y. My first few years there, I would go out and hit with the team; coaching was a whole new world. I had been playing tennis since I was in college, with a passion that bordered on fanatic. I remember attending Forrest Hills to see the likes of Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall and Arthur Ashe. I remember wooden racquets and white tennis balls, and when the final of the U.S. Open cost $6 for a seat. In reflection, I think every coach, every team and every season is a story unto itself. I came from an era when your racquet spoke for you and your behavior was as important as your win/loss record. I had not been much of an athlete in high school and did not relate to the “big game” football approach. I understood what it meant to watch from the side-

lines. I mention all of this because it was definitely part of my coaching. I never tired of saying (though my teams certainly were tired of hearing) “You represent yourself, your parents, your school and me. Behave in an appropriate manner or stay home.” I would not tolerate unsportsmanlike behavior; it was probably the only thing that I would flare at. When I got the coaching position, one of my colleagues said that I would get a whole new perspective on teaching. All teachers feel that they can never have enough “tools” in the classroom and he was correct. I saw a completely different side of some kids, and they saw a slightly different side of me. In retrospect, I was coached as much as I coached. I became a better teacher and a better person for it. Coaching high school tennis is different from coaching other sports. There is an inverse relationship between talent and need. In wrestling, for example, your high school record is vital to your hopes for scholarship

and entrance into the college of your choice. The better you are at tennis, the more important your United States Tennis Association ranking and your performance is in local and regional tournaments. Another difference is that often it is in a player’s and coach’s self interest to excuse a player from practice in order to take a private lesson. What may have appeared to be indifferent coaching to a baseball coach was essential coaching to a competitive team in tennis. Another interesting aspect of tennis coaching is the pressure placed on some coaches. Where football and wrestling may be the measure of success in some communities, the Bellmore JFK team played some schools where the future of the coach depended on their win/loss record. I had a coach lie to me once to postpone a scheduled match by saying his best players were on a religious retreat. I found out later that the “religion” they were retreating to was a continued on page 37

Do you aspire to play college tennis at a Division I, II or III level? Finding a school with the right tennis program and well balanced academics that fit your needs does not have to be an overwhelming experience. Let Advantage Tennis Strategies help. We will work with you to navigate through the college selection process both realistically and efficiently. ATS will help you make the right choice. The process of selecting a college is a huge step towards your future. Take that step with an advantage, Advantage Tennis Strategies.

Visit us at www.AdvantageTennisStrategies.com or call us at 917.991.0088 "College tennis provides an excellent platform for junior players to learn more about themselves It is a great environment to learn life skills before the transition to the workforce. College tennis challenges you with adversity, diversity, and your ability to adapt to change. Unlike the juniors, you have teammates cheering you on throughout the process.". Asi Phillips Head Coach, Long Island University

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

Long Island Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ May/June 2009

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This month, Long Island Tennis Magazine had a chance to chat with Jericho, N.Y. native Bryan Koniecko, a senior at Ohio State University. Bryan has been ranked number in the country for most of the year by the NCAA. Did growing up on Long Island influence your tennis for the better or the worse? Long Island is a great place to grow up, but not an easy place to become a great player. Social life, balance, concentration of life, and academics are all perhaps more intense here than in many other places. Obviously, the weather in Florida is more suitable for tennis, but time efficiency is important and you had better learn to use your time well here since it is very expensive to play indoors. With my game, I do believe that playing indoors helped me be-

come a better overall player since I worked on different things, which helped me improve by being more aggressive and diverse. The U.S. Open is right next door, so you can see the best players in the world nearby. Of course there are also great facilities on Long Island and many good players in the area. What was the best moment of your tennis career? My experience at Junior Wimbledon was great. I traveled there with my coach, Steve Kaplan, and we had a really terrific time. There is no place like The All England Club anywhere else in the world. It helped me gain experience to even a greater accomplishment in playing the Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s U.S. Open. Having three Big 10 titles with the team at Ohio State means a lot to me, its a different feeling playing for the team.

What was the worst moment of your tennis career? After my mom passed away, I left a week later to play ITF tournaments in South America. There were both good and bad things about the experience. It was tough being away from

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my family at a time like that, but it also helped me get away and sort of clear my mind. Even though it was such a difficult time, I knew that she wouldn’t have wanted me to stop doing what I love, so I continued to play. What advice can you give Long Island junior players about developing their game, managing their expectations and choosing the right college? First off, I would say to start with basics. Technique is very important and fundamentals help you play more efficiently. Mentally, you also have to be strong on the court. What most don’t realize is how fitness and flexibility play a big role as you improve your game. Many players are born with talent, but fitness is the factor that separate the best players. It is good to establish some personal goals, but if you don’t achieve them, don’t give up. Instead, keep working harder. Also, managing expectations from parents or coaches can be difficult. Every parent deals with expectations in a different way and some are harder than others. In the end, every parent means well and you cannot take it personally if they are tough. My coach, Steve Kaplan, didn’t judge on wins and loses, but more on performance and the way I acted out on the court and the effort I gave which is more important in the long run. LIFE SKILLS SEMINARS FEMALE MENTORS STRATEGY DRILLS COLLEGE MATCH PLAY DANCE FUSION TRACK WORKOUTS YOGA BOOT CAMP CIRCUIT PRIZES & AWARDS

As for collegiate advice, I’d say to seek out and find a school with a good balance. A good tennis program is obviously important if you want to take tennis to next level. A coach you get along with and can work with is a very important aspect of you college learning experience. Finally, don’t go for the best “name” school, find a place that is a good fit for you. What does the future hold for you? I have another quarter of school to finish in the fall before I graduate and get my degree. Then, I intend to play professional tennis. I have been offered a scholarship at IMG Academies in Florida and that will be

a great base to train from. I hope to break the top 200 in the world rankings in under two years and perhaps continue to be top 100 in the world. I am very happy that no matter what happens, I will have a degree to fall back on if things don’t go well with my tennis career. What is something that few people know about Bryan Koniecko? I said on my school bio that I enjoy kickboxing, where in reality, I never even tried it. I guess I like pulling pranks on my teammates and friends. I think it’s hilarious. I would also love to learn how to surf, that would be pretty cool. G

Syosset ‘s Sarah Landsman Honored as University of Arizona “Freshman of the Year” Sarah Landsman, a native of Syosset, N.Y. who played her junior tennis on Long Island, has been named “Freshman of the Year” by the University of Arizona. The award is given to the top freshman in all women’s sports at the University of Arizona. In addition to her honor, Sarah was also ranked in the top 100 in college women’s tennis. A graduate of Syosset High School, Sarah participated in the United States Tennis Association National Open in 2007 and was ranked in the Tennis Recruiting Network’s Top 50. She will spend her summer working at the Early Hit Summer Camp at Glen Head Racquet Club.

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Tennis and Multiple Sclerosis f there is one thing that all tennis professionals agree on, it must be “look at the ball.” We all try to get our students to understand that from the very first lesson. However, most students truly do not understand the depth of the concept of “looking at the ball.” Along came Roger Federer and it was obvious that he had perfected the skill. Hundreds of photographs and stop-action videos show how his head is still down looking at the spot where the ball met the racquet, even though the ball has already left the strings of his racquet. Years ago, I concluded that all good players have four things in common on their strokes, and from that information I formulated what I thought and still think are the four basic concepts of a good stroke. Notice that I do not mention grips, topspin, slice, etc.

1. Look at the ball with such intensity that your eye muscles are actually a little sore at the end of play. 2. Turn your shoulders. 3. Hit the ball as far in front of you as possible (almost never does someone hit the ball too early). 4. Make sure that the ball, the racquet and the body weight go in the same direction. Looking at the ball (number one) is the catalyst that produces the chain reaction of the stroke (numbers two, three and four). At this point, you are probably wondering about the title of this article and what does all this have to do with people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). For the past five years, I have been conducting MS clinics in conjunction with the Long Island Chapter of the National MS Society. I am always amazed that when the students first come, they have very noticeable ambulatory problems, but within 30-40 min., they appear to be moving much better. Several of the students who originally needed walkers began not to use them and some who spent all their time in wheelchairs on the court actually started to stand and hit balls. Assuming that I do not have any miraculous powers (a very safe assumption) … what would account for this very noticeable improvement in mobility in such a short period of time? The answer … “looking at the 36

ball” with intensity beyond belief and looking straight ahead when moving, rather than looking down which is what most MS patients normally do. The reason behind it is very interesting. Normally, MS patients are getting false messages from their brain, which in turn, affects their balance and they are constantly overreacting, trying to put their body parts in sync with the false messages. Nerves are normally surrounded by fatty sheaths called the myelin sheath which are basically fatty sheaths that act as insulators, similar to the rubber coating on electrical wires. In MS patients the “insulation” is not complete, so the transmission of impulses gets distorted at the very least. When playing tennis with a full comprehension of what it means to “look at the ball,” the brain is so focused on that one particular task that it ignores the false messages and the body goes on automatic pilot. I have spoken with many doctors and they confirm that although my explanation is a little over simplified, it is accurate. Now, just imagine if you are fortunate enough not to be afflicted with MS, how much better your game would be if you truly not only looked at but saw the ball with every

By Dan Dwyer

available brain cell. If you would like to see how important this really is, try the following. 1. Bounce and catch a tennis ball five times. I am sure you will catch it every time. 2. Repeat number one, but this time, do it with your eyes closed. If you are successful two times, you are way above average. 3. Hold a ball in your dominant hand and put your arm out to your side, but keep your head and eyes pointing straight ahead. Bounce and catch it if you can. Don’t cheat! Keep your eyes straight ahead so you cannot see your hand bouncing the ball. Again, two successful tries would be above average. G Dan Dwyer is the head professional at Oceanside, N.Y.-based Point Set Indoor Racquet Club. He was named USTA Man of the Year in 1997 and was inducted into the USTA Hall of Fame in 1998. His list of past students includes John McEnroe, four-time U.S. Open Champion and three-time Wimbledon Champion. He may be reached at (516) 536-2323 or e-mail dbdntad@aol.com.

Country Club Tennis Tennis is the Sport of a Lifetime he North Shore Men’s Tennis League (NSMTL) is comprised of players from various walks of life who love the sport of tennis and are eager to play outdoors during the months of May through September in an organized setting. The league has been in existence for more than 20 years, successfully hosting as many as 16 teams per season and run ably by its president, Steve Abbondondelo. Planning begins in March and April for the season’s opening the first week of May. At the pre-season meeting, ideas are hatched, and rules are reviewed and revised depending on past experiences. Strict rules apply to each team’s roster. Weekly scores are collected following matches for calculation. League format is five courts of doubles. All matches are scheduled for Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. Standings are e-mailed to the team captain and cocaptain every other week. Each team supports the league with membership dues and receives a set of rules, schedule, list of team captains and contact information, directions to each other’s clubs and score sheets for completion following a match. New teams are always encouraged to join the NSMTL if they comply with league guidelines. If anyone is interested in the NSMTL or for more information about the upcoming season, please contact Steve Abbondondelo by e-mail at steveabby@optonline.net or NSMTL Secretary Val Pakaluk at vpakaluk@optonline.net for more information. See you on the courts!

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

HIGH SCHOOL MEMORIES continued from page 31 regional USTA tryout. The coach was fearful of losing a match. These are the parameters that shaped my coaching. Like a kaleidoscope, just a little twist gives a very different picture. I carried a squad of 24 players because we had six courts at JFK. Some of the players never got to play a competitive match, but all received Varsity letters (I attended Wantagh High School, class of ‘65, and a letter was a big deal). Some of my proudest moments were when some of the court one and two players would hit with the kids on five and six. Once again, there is much to be learned from coaching and the idea of a team concept. I had my share of great players and great personalities. When Scott Lipsky came to play for the team, the guys said, “Just put him on court one.” I replied, “Don’t any of you want to challenge him, he’s a freshman.” “He’s number six in the world in juniors,” they told me. Wow. What do you do now? Fortunately, he was a normal child blessed with abnormal talent. His parents, Gail and Mark Lipsky understood Scott’s talents as well as his needs. He was “one of the team,” and I consider it a great honor that Scott came to play high school tennis even in his senior year. These are the things that really matter to a coach long after the phone calls into Newsday (the winning coach makes the call). What a fun time we had. Shawn Worth (another member of the JFK team), would say, “Put me in last, coach. I’ll get us the win.” And he often did, but when he didn’t he just smiled and said “next time.” I loved that attitude. David Sickmen always stepped up and was victorious in the final set of a match that would determine the division championship. The whole team was happy for him, as well as themselves. I had all different types of players, from Tina and Gary, my Russian players, who loved the fact that I could say about five words in Russian, to superstars like Scott Lipsky to David Sickmen, who played basketball and tennis with the same desire to succeed. He would bring you a win or collapse trying. What a blessing to be a coach. This leads me to another priceless memory … the bus ride home. I coached both boys and girls tennis and,

if there is a gender difference, it was reflected on the bus ride home from an away match. I was not a disciplinarian under most circumstances, and if the team lost a match I thought they should have won, I might try and set a somber tone, though I never insisted on it. More often than not, I tried to console the players who lost (I remember being there myself). It is a fact that if 10 million tennis players walk onto the court, five million will lose. Generally speaking, the girl’s team had an easier time coping with an unexpected loss than the boys, however, let me let you in on a little secret—if you want to know all of the scandals and gossip in a suburban high school, go on a bus ride with the girls. It was a great and eye opening experience. I taught social studies for a third of century, and coached for a decade. I would not trade either for all the gold in Ft. Knox (considering our present economic situation, I guess I am not giving much away). Let me leave this story with two vignettes: Scott Lipsky is now on the ATP Tour and I reside in Florida. When he played at the Delray Beach tournament, he got me a pass. I used to describe my coaching of Scott by saying “I would insist that I open the can of balls for him before matches so he would not cut his finger.” It said “Player Coach.” You cannot imagine how much that meant to me. Another player, Eliot Rosenblum, gave me a coffee mug that said “World’s Greatest Coach.” I know that isn’t true, but nevertheless, I drink my coffee from it every morning. All in all, it was a great view from the front of the bus. G Alan Fleishman has been a devoted fan of tennis since 1969. He won the Town of Hempstead tennis tournament at Newbridge Road Park in 1972 and was runnerup in 1974. He worked as an assistant to the tennis professional in the summer program at Lutheran High School in the early 1970s. While teaching social studies at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, N.Y., he was fortunate to have coached some talented players, but more importantly, some wonderful young men and women during his last seven years at the school. He may be reached by e-mail at gamesetmatch76@aol.com.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

my opinion BY ERIC MEDITZ

What’s the story with country club tennis?

he tennis scene at any country club on Long Island is one of the most entertaining places to be. I have been involved with this scene as an employee for many summers of my high school and college years. In fact, if I ever had a chance to pitch a reality show to a television executive, country club tennis would be at the top of my list (with female bullfighting in bikinis as a close second). Every club has its own cast of characters accompanied by strange events with stupid, mindless rules that have to be followed at all times or a guy with a sniper rifle points a red laser dot at your forehead. If you step back and look at it as a spectator, you cannot help but be compelled at all the drama. It would score big ratings on prime time television networks. The world would be mesmerized with watching what unfolds on the tennis courts at a country club. Okay, let’s get started with the main character of our show—The Head Tennis Pro.

Every country club head pro that I have come across over the years is a tremendous actor and does a great job hiding his true feelings to the world. But the beauty of this guy is that he never shows it, no matter how far he is pushed. In essence, his whole job is to serve as a human punching bag. He takes jab after jab about anything and everything, and just sits there and takes it. The head pro just nods, smiles and agrees with whatever complaint is being thrown his way. He has long accepted that this is the main part of his job. I remember one time witnessing a member yelling at a head pro about the weather and how the weather ruined her time. The guy just smiled and repeatedly apologized as if he summoned the rain clouds to ruin the tennis part of this poor woman’s day. After all, she does have the weight of the world on her shoulders and is an extremely busy person. (In case you haven’t figured it out, that last sentence was oozing with sarcasm.)

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

Most head tennis pros can out-drink any college frat boy you meet. I think one of the job requirements is to have some type of mutant liver that can keep you alive after you consume a case of Jagermeister in a 15-min. period. I have been out to many dinners with these guys and there hasn’t been one time where I haven’t debated with myself whether or not to bring this guy to the closest hospital after our meal was done. Every head pro repeats two phrases repeatedly during their private lessons. “Bend your knees … watch the ball” … “bend your knees … watch the ball.” One time, I had a clicker and counted how many times he would say these phrases in a one-hour lesson, and I stopped at 200 because I was starting to get carpal tunnel in my thumb. Now let’s move to the next character of our show—The Assistant Pro. These are pros that teach sporadically throughout the day and come and go as they are given lessons by the head pro. This type of pro has issues of their own as well. He can get very disgruntled at times for two reasons. Reason 1: Most assistant pros are secretly upset because the head pro is taking a cut of their hourly pay. Very rarely are they getting the full money that is earned in the hour of the lesson that they teach. Reason 2: The assistant pro usually teaches the unattractive members of the club. Trust me on this one … it happens, and here is why. The head pro spends a lot of his day in the tennis office of the country club. Very rarely is the assistant pro there. He really just gets hours from the head pro and doesn’t schedule too much on his own. When a female member shows up to the tennis office looking to schedule a lesson, the head pro is there to help her. If she is attractive, the head pro will make sure he immediately puts her in

his schedule of lessons in his day. Now, if a member shows up and looks like John Madden in a tennis skirt, he will, without a doubt, give this lesson to the assistant pro. I’ve seen many forced smiles from assistant pros faces over the years when their 2:00 p.m. lesson comes waddling in. The only thing missing from this picture is Chief Brody telling the assistant pro, “We’re going to need a bigger boat!” Now, let’s move to the job that I’ve had for many summers of my college years—The Hitter. The hitter is usually a college player home for the summer lacking the ambition to get that internship at Goldman Sachs. His job is to hang around the courts and hit with members who show up unannounced. His mind wanders as he spends countless hours just hitting with random members. He pretty much spends the rest of his time wondering to himself if he picked up some type of vibe from the desperate housewife he just hit with. At this point, we have met the staff and all the issues surrounding them. If you aren’t hooked on the show yet, you will be after you meet the members of the club. Country club members love to complain. I hate to be the one to say it, but it’s just how it is. It’s like they live for it. I think if things were going smoothly, they would all be miserable. The complaints can range from—I banged my knee on the ball hopper you left hanging around and now I can’t hit a backhand, to the guy who is sweeping the courts is making too much noise (both are complaints I heard in the past). But the complaint heard most often from members is always about the court conditions. The clay is never right. It’s sometimes too soft or too slippery. It’s sometimes too wet or too dry. And every time they miss a ball, they almost always look confused at the mark in front of them and immediately pretend to investigate it. It’s a little show for the people watching so we don’t think they normally miss that shot. After all, they did play for their high school tennis team during the Taft administration, so they are really good … again with the sarcasm. Members also have to have new balls every time they play, because they can’t play with day-old balls. This just cannot happen! Those balls require optimum pressure when they hit their earth-shaking first serves! If not, then what’s the point of even being out there? Another quirk that they have also involves the tennis balls. They always have

to have their three balls, and they always have to know where they are at all times. “Does anyone have a Wilson 2? We are missing our ball! Wilson 2! Is anyone listening? Wilson 2!” The whole club has to stop so we can find this specific Wilson 2. In the past, I have crawled through bushes and jungles looking for missing tennis balls for members. I’ve spent many hours hacking away at branches with a machete and digging holes with a shovel to find their very important third ball. I mean, we do have a hopper filled with balls about 10 feet away from them, but they cannot use any of those. They need that Wilson 2! Sometimes I find it for them on one of my expeditions in the bushes … that’s the good news. The bad news is I think I might have contracted malaria along the way. One episode of our country club tennis reality show would be totally devoted to the Member/Guest Tournament. I have played in this tournament many times as a guest throughout my life. My personal resume includes being a nationally ranked junior, playing four years of Division I college tennis, and I traveled Europe after college playing professional tennis. I like to think that I have a very good tennis resume. So every time I am asked to participate in one of these events, I always assume that I am the ringer of the tournament. Now this feeling usually ends immediately when I show up and see whom everyone else brought. One guest has a ponytail, a deep tan and is running sprints back and forth on the court. The next

guy is in the corner signing autographs on the back of kid’s shirts. And then I make small talk with another guy and, in passing, he mentions that he was once married to Chris Evert. I never know how to play these Member/Guest Tournaments either. Should I play all out? Or should I try to set up the members so that they put the ball away and we all make a big deal about how great of a shot it was? I never know what to do and it’s something you don’t want to ask the members. It’s kind of an unwritten rule amongst the peasant guests. It’s something you have to just find out on your own. I came to this conclusion when the guy with the ponytail pegged me in the ear with his first return. Okay … I guess we are playing all out! With all these things combined, who wouldn’t want to watch this type of show on television? From the events being held there … to the constant drama that involves everything. It’s a very dysfunctional environment and dysfunction sells! This is what the American public needs right now in these hard times. We need to be entertained! We need to be distracted! We need country club tennis in our living rooms! I’m talking about ratings that would take out season one of American Idol. People would be speeding home at night to make sure they didn’t miss a minute of the drama that is “Country Club Tennis.” G Tennis Pro Eric Meditz may be reached by e-mail at meditzisfunny@yahoo.com.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

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The French Open is the world’s premier clay court tournament and the second of the four Grand Slam events contested annually by members of the ATP and WTA tours. The French Open will be played at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, from Sunday, May 24Sunday, June 7. Today’s grand slam tennis matches are more then just prestigious, action-packed tennis events. These tournaments have evolved into important fashion events, where the world’s top players display the latest sports apparel from their sponsors on a global stage. At this year’s French Open, Adidas will use its cutting-edge technology, combined with vibrant colors and flashy designs, to assure that their players are not only comfortable, but fashionable as well. Here are a few of the world’s top players and exactly what they’ll be wearing when they hit the courts of Roland Garros Stadium in Paris.

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BaNGG! Inc. BaNGG! Inc. is a fresh alternative sports apparel line launched locally on Long Island. Whether you want casual tank tops, velour sweat suits, hoodies or shorts, BaNGG! has it all. With the tagline: “Bring It!,” BaNGG! Apparel will make you stand out from the crowd. For more information, e-mail banggnyc@hotmail.com.

Bionic Tennis Gloves “Every player should wear a glove. But not just any glove. Tennis players need the Bionic Glove because it will improve their game.” —Dan Santorum, CEO of the Professional Tennis Registry That’s a strong statement from someone whose life is tennis. Dan Santorum represents 13,000 of the world’s top tennis coaches and teachers. “I was skeptical when I first heard about the Bionic Tennis Glove,” Santorum says. “Tennis is among the last sports to embrace wearing a glove. But after a few volleys they felt very comfortable and

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“We wanted to create something functional,” said Demillo, “but it also had to be fashionable.” Demillo is a former New York City reporter and anchor, and Kasun worked as a fashion buyer in Manhattan. Their company, BodyStyleAthletics, is now a year old and to celebrate its one-year anniversary, they just rolled out a new product— a neoprene backpack, called the RAQpack for your tennis racquet. There is plenty of space for a can of balls, cell phone, keys and of course a TennisRAQ. The TennisRAQ comes in five cool colors, with a matching carrying case, all for just $19.99. And it comes in a kid’s version too. The RAQpack comes in two colors and costs $24.99. For more information, e-mail info@bodystyleathletics.com or visit www.bodystyleathletics.com.

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F A S H I O N A P P A R E L continued from page 41

Coming July 1st

US OPEN PREVIEW Distribution scheduled for 07/01/09 This edition will also feature: • Boys High School Recap • Adult USTA summer league report • Summer Tennis Fashion

Don’t miss the advertising and editorial opportunities in the next edition of Long Island Tennis Magazine July/August 2009. Submissions for both advertising and editorial are due by June 1st. For more information, please call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail Advertise@LITennisMag.com. Distribution across Long Island at: • indoor tennis clubs • country clubs • tennis camps • clinics • supermarkets • gyms • and many more

Also bonus distribution this month at: World Team Tennis at Randalls Island and the US OPEN 42

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

QuickStart Tennis Quick Start Tennis Targets Youth By Debbie Cichon Quick Start Tennis is an exciting new play format for teaching tennis skills to children. The program was developed by the United States Tennis Association to bring children into the game by utilizing specialized equipment and shorter court dimensions, all tailored to age and size. With this program, children will be taught the basic skills that will help develop hand-eye coordination and proper movement. The goal is for children to develop tennis skills, and more importantly, have fun while doing so. Carefree Racquet Club, located in North Merrick, N.Y., is one of the first clubs on Long Island to implement the Quick Start Program for three- to five-year-olds. They use large foam balls which bounce lower and travel slower, making it easier for the

children to hit the ball, over lower nets. They also use smaller racquets, making it easier for tots to handle them. Colorful teaching aids, fun games and constant activity also keep the children stimulated and wanting to come back for more. The Quick Start Tennis program enables children to have early success with tennis and also teaches teamwork, while improving concentration and motor learning development. Debbie Cichon is coordinator of the Quick Start Tennis Program for Tots at Carefree Racquet Club in North Merrick, N.Y. She may be reached at (516) 489-9005 or email tennistrk@optonline.net.

continued on page 46

UCLA, Fordham & Hofstra Join Together For

2009 Accelerated Summer Tennis Academy Coached by: Robert Janecek – Former UCLA 4 time All-American and A.T.P. Tour player Alex Bancila – Former Fordham University standout and top I.T.F Junior in the world Amanda Foukas – Current Hofstra Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach Academy Highlights

Academy Sessions

• Coaching the fundamentals, strategy and footwork • Daily instruction and drills, individually and in small groups • Singles & Doubles match play • Movement & conditioning mechanics • Video Analysis

Session #1 – June 22 - 26 Session #2 – June 29 - July 3 Session #3 – July 6 - 10 Session #4 – July 13 -17 Session #5 – July 20 - 24 Session #6 – July 27 - 31 Session #7 – August 3 - 7 Session #8 – August 10 - 14 Session #9 – August 17 – 21 Each session - $200

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

USTA TOURNAMENT photo

gallery

Scenes from the L1 Champs LBTC

Scenes from the L2R Long Island Regional Championship

March 6-8 at Long Beach Tennis Center

March 13-15 at Deer Park Tennis Center

Photo Credit: Franklyn Higgs

Long Island Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ May/June 2009

The Forehand Volley Made Simple By Carl Barnett Pros use a simple method to volley the ball. You can do the same. This is not diving or figure skating, so additional points are not gained for degree of difficulty. The mistake I most commonly see on the volley is players getting caught with the racquet head laid back. Most people have never made an unforced error on a highfive and a good volley is not much harder than that. I like to say the most economical way to set up your forehand volley is to fan the racquet head open. The hand extends forward, out and up to the 2 o’clock position, while finding your weight now on the foot closest to the ball. Now step with the opposite foot from behind your volley and ex-

tend the racquet through the ball without letting your racquet head fall back. Lefties will raise the racquet to 10 o’clock. Never let the racquet head be at 12 o’clock, as you will push the ball down. Never let the racquet be parallel to your hand while above the net, because the wrist will then be broken and you will dump the ball into the net. When volleying from below the net tape, it is imperative to have the racquet lower than the ball before you volley, using a similar method of fanning open, then volley with a neutral loft which sends the ball back on the same flight path. Any downward motion at the

time of contact will net the ball. Keep it simple … less is more. G Carl Barnett started the Early Hit Training Programs at Glen Head Racquet Club six years ago. He may be reached by phone at (516) 455-1225 or e-mail earlyhit@optonline.net.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

QuickStart Tennis QuickStart Tennis is a Hit in tennis as a team sport, get the kids Long Island Schools By Jared Rada The United States Tennis Association Eastern Section, in conjunction with the USTA Long Island Regional Board and local pros and volunteers, has been promoting tennis in local schools by introducing students to the new QuickStart Tennis USTA program. This new play format utilizes “kid-sized” equipment, easier-to-understand scoring, shorter nets and smaller courts to make tennis more fun for juniors. One way of introducing the game has been for the USTA coaches to take over gym classes and in a 8:1 student to coach ratio that has kids playing and having fun in just minutes. In the past year, QuickStart Tennis has been introduced to thousands of Long Island’s children and 100s of physical education teachers, PTA parents, volunteer instructors and others. The goal of the program is to develop

playing and having fun faster, and learning to love the sport of a lifetime. Many of Long Island’s tennis clubs have also seen the value of the QuickStart format and have been promoting QuickStart lessons, tournaments and leagues for their members. Contact the USTA Eastern Long Island representatives through their Web site, www.eastern.usta.com, to find out how to bring the QuickStart Tennis program to your school or organization. G Jared Rada is director of tennis for Sportime at Roslyn. He has been coaching and directing tennis programs for the past 10 years. Jared holds a BA in business with a concentration in marketing from Hofstra University. He is a USPTA certified coach, as well as a certified speed, agility and quickness trainer. He may be reached at (516) 484-9222 or email tdroslyn@gmail.com.

Kids in Freeport learning tennis from USTA volunteers

Volunteer pro Daniel Burgess (third from left) and PTA moms from Merrick promote the QuickStart Tennis program

Volunteer pros visit George A. Jackson Elementary School in Jericho, N.Y.: Steve Haar, Sandy Hoffman, Teacher Erica Nichols, Bill Mecca, Jared Rada and Steve Abbondondelo

Jericho’s George A. Jackson Elementary School students enthusiastically welcomed the USTA

Controlling the chaos: Using small nets, small rackets and foam balls, the gym turns into the U.S. Open for the day

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

Athletic Mouth Guards Can Hurt You!

Your Teeth May Be Protected from Traumatic Injury, but the Wrong Fitting Appliance CanActually Physically Weaken Your Whole Body The Door May Fit in the Frame, but the Frame May Not Fit the Opening A mouth appliance that properly fits over the teeth may in fact not be the correct size for the mouth opening. Unsuitable pressure from incorrect or poorly distributed biting forces can have a powerful effect on the athlete’s health and the ability to function at peak performance.

What Shouldn’t an Athletic Mouth Guard Do? Interfere with hand-eye coordination, reflexes: Teeth supply information to many important cranial nerves. The brain interprets what your teeth bite on. Incompatible biting forces send inaccurate messages that have an impact on reactions to timing, focus, and concentration. Put strain on neck and back muscles or decrease strength, flexibility, and endurance: An ill-fitting athletic appliance that causes the mouth to overopen or clench puts strain on the connecting muscles, nerves, bones, and blood supply making you more prone to injury and fatigue. Prevent recovery from injury: Getting back in shape takes much longer when the body needs to overcome a structural imbalance. An improperly fitted mouthguard prevents postural equilibrium which can affect the body’s response to pain, retraining, and flexibility.

Do It Yourself Only If Your Health and Athletic Achievements Aren’t That Important Whether you buy an appliance from the store, on-line, or even from your dentist, you must still determine the fit for your body. If you suffer from allergies, painful areas, headaches, fatigue, sleeping disturbances, or any number of health conditions, there may be some connection to the balances of your bite or the type of material your appliance is made from.

How do you know if Your Appliance is Right? Kinesiology muscle testing is one way determine imbalances in the body. An appliance in the mouth should not make muscles weak. A well fitting biocompatible appliance should in fact help to strengthen muscles.

FREE MOUTHGUARD REPORT Please Call for your FAQ sheet today "Athletic Mouthguards: 10 Things you must know" from the Long Island Lizards Ofﬁcial Team Dentist Dr. Len Fazio (631) 474-7477

hat do you get when you combine the best elements of tennis and beach volleyball with the laid-back beach lifestyle? You get the hottest new sport in America: Beach tennis. Beach tennis is essentially doubles tennis played on sand. Played on a regulation beach volleyball court using regulation tennis racquets and a slightly depressurized tennis ball, beach tennis players volley for points without letting the ball touch the sand. Because it’s played on sand, players are able to dive to return shots, which makes for exciting volleys. Beach tennis is easy to learn and most newcomers to the game can be up and running in as little as 30 min. Played at its high-

est pro level, however, it is a fast-paced, intensely competitive game that delivers an amazing workout, even for hardcore athletes. That’s why beach tennis has been referred to as “The X-Games of Tennis.” What began in 2005 by Beach Tennis USA as a modest grassroots operation— a truck loaded with beach tennis gear and a small staff of instructors driving to beach communities along the East Coast—has blossomed into a full-production, 10-city Pro Tour, and includes tournaments in Florida; California; South Carolina; Long Beach, N.Y. and Bermuda. Long Island, Long Beach in particular, which has hosted the Beach Tennis USA (BTUSA) National Championship for the past four years, has become a hotbed for both pro and recreational beach tennis. Long Beach is home to several of the sport’s prominent figures, including three-time Women’s National Champion Nadia Johnston, BTUSA Vice President of Business Development Melissa Gibson and BTUSA President Jim Lorenzo.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

This season, Long Beach will be the site of two BTUSA events. On Memorial Day weekend, fans and players can come check out the Tri-State Open, which will feature competitive and instructional play for all ages and levels, including Men’s and Women’s Pro divisions, Amateurs and Mixed Doubles, Youth Boys and Girls Divisions, and open free play. There will also be a Pro and Amateur Paddle Division. Paddles, which are used predominantly throughout Europe, where beach tennis originated, are sharing the stage with conventional racquets on this year’s National Tour. On Labor Day Two-time Beach Tennis weekend, Long USA National Champion Beach will host Nadia Johnston shows her perfect form the 2009 BTUSA National Championship, where players

from all over the world will compete for cash and glory on the sand. This festival-style event includes music by local and national bands, product sampling booths, T-shirt giveaways, and more. It’s like “Lollapalooza on the beach … with tennis!” “Long Beach has really become the home of Beach Tennis USA,” said Marc Altheim, BTUSA’s founder and commissioner. Altheim, a resident of Lake Success, N.Y., discovered the sport while vacationing with his family in Aruba in 2004. “This year, we look forward to introducing beach tennis to more Long Is2008 Beach Tennis USA land communiNational Champions Laura and Lisa Maloney high-five ties with leagues, after a match win youth programs and our new ‘Places 2 Play’ programs,” Altheim added.

Currently, there are several permanent courts set up in Long Beach (on the beach at Lincoln Avenue), and there are plans to build more in other communities this spring. “This year, our mission is simple—to get more people playing beach tennis,” said Melissa Gibson, BTUSA’s vice president of business development. One of Gibson’s many roles at BTUSA is to help people become league directors and beach tennis instructors, or to assist beach clubs, summer camps, hotels and resorts in setting up courts through the company’s Places 2 Play program. “We’ve really made it easy for people to get involved. Beach tennis has this wonderful social element built into it—tennis on the beach. Does it get any better?” This summer, the Beach Tennis USA team will also be working feverishly on player recruitment and membership enrollment, especially at the college level. Beach Tennis USA will be enlisting the services of students

around the country to serve as BTUSA University Directors, who will be brand ambassadors at their schools and help promote the growth of beach tennis in 2010. University Directors can earn up to $500 per school year for their efforts and receive ongoing training and support from Beach Tennis USA. G

2007 and 2008 Beach Tennis USA National Champion Alex Mingozzi serves during a match

To learn more about joining an existing beach tennis league or starting one of your own, or to become an official BTUSA Place 2 Play, contact Melissa Gibson at mgibson@beachtennisusa.net. To learn more about America’s fastest growing beach sport, visit www.beachtennisusa.net.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

Guest Speakers

Ricky Becker

Kathleen Rice

Jill Levine

Wednesday, May 6, 2009 Crest Hollow Country Club • 5:30 p.m.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

Chris Grennen

Kathy Miller

Regional Volunteer

League Coordinator

Steve Haar

Emily Moore

Executive Board

PTR Liaison/Rally Day Chair/ Dinner Committee

Multicultural Chair

Scott Axler

Herb Harris

Regional Vice President— Long Island Boys Ranking Chair

Volunteer Liaison, Dinner Committee, Grant Committee Chair

Daniel Burgess

Anneleis Karp

1st Vice President—USPTA Liaison, Dinner Committee Chair

Junior Competition Scheduling

For information about Long Island‘s clubs, CTAs, parks, programs, tournaments, etc. please visit our Website: www.longisland.usta.com

Craig Fligstein Secretary/Treasurer, Suffolk County District Delegate

Sectional Staff Bill Mecca T.S.R. Long Island

Sandy Hoffman Community Outreach

Board Members Bob Coburn Membership & Marketing

Roberta Feldman Long Island Girls Ranking Chair Dinner Committee

Sunny Fishkind Nassau County District Delegate Dinner Committee

Terry Fontana Rally Day Chair Dinner Committee

Mike Pavlides Scholastic Representative/Dinner Committee

Ed Wolfarth Grievance Committee Representative

Marian Morris

Eileen Leonard

Events Planner/Coordinator

Competition Training Center, Administrator, Dinner Committee

Calling all volunteers … The USTA Eastern Long Island Region is always seeking enthusiastic, able and talented volunteers to assist in a variety of ways. If you are thinking of becoming a volunteer and would like to be a part of growing tennis on Long Island, contact Volunteer Liaison Herb Harris at tfgl@optonline.net.

A Message From Vice President Scott Axler We, the Board of the Long Island Region, are committed to the growth of tennis, the recognition of achievement, the support for our member organizations, and especially the fellowship we have with our tennis professionals and businesses. The Awards Dinner is our premier event. It is our most beloved event because it is all about the award recipients. We get to celebrate their accomplishments in the workplace, their successes on the court and their generosity to the tennis community. I would like to give special thanks to the Dinner Committee, chaired by Daniel Burgess, and fellow committee members, Steve Haar, Michael Pavlides, Sunny Fishkind and Marian Morris, as well as thank the entire Long Island Board for their aid and cooperation in making this most special event happen. Scott Axler, Vice President USTA Eastern Long Island Region 19th Annual Awards Dinner Program • www.longisland.usta.com

COUNTY OF SUFFOLK

COUNTY OF NASSAU

OFFICE OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Office of the County Executive

H. Lee Dennison Building • 100 Veterans Memorial HighwayP.O. Box 6100 • Hauppauge, NY 11788-0099

1550 Franklin Avenue Mineola, NY 11501

Steve Levy COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Dear friends: On behalf of the thousands of tennis enthusiasts who make their homes in Suffolk County, I would like to congratulate members and friends of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Eastern Long Island Region on the occasion of its 19th Annual Awards Dinner. I would also like to congratulate the deserving tennis players who are honored in over twenty categories for their excellence on the court and tireless efforts to promote the game of tennis throughout Long Island. For their exceptional contributions, outstanding achievements and talent, they all are certainly worthy of our praise and recognition. Support of amateur and professional competitions and tournaments serves to elevate competitive play to the highest levels in our region and contributes to increasing the quality of life for our residents. My sincere best wishes to all for what I am sure will be another exciting and successful event this year. Very truly yours, Steve Levy Suffolk County Executive

19th Annual Awards Dinner Program • www.longisland.usta.com

Thomas R. Suozzi COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Dear friends: I am pleased to join all of you who have gathered to celebrate the success of the United States Tennis Association Eastern Long Island Region on the occasion of its 19th Annual Awards Dinner at the Crest Hollow Country Club. Tennis has evolved into an exemplary sporting event, providing the athletes who participate an opportunity to develop their skills and to enjoy the excitement, camaraderie and lasting friendships inherent in sports. This wonderful organization is to be commended for its charitable involvements, quality leadership and selfless service which have made a permanent and positive impact on us all. Please accept my best wishes and allow me to extend hearty congratulations to the United States Tennis Association Eastern Long Island Region for its exemplary leadership and dedicated community service, and to all of you who work toward forwarding the goals of this fine organization throughout the year. On behalf of the residents of Nassau County, I wish to extend best wishes for an exciting and memorable event. Sincerely, Thomas R. Suozzi Nassau County Executive

Guest Speakers Kathleen Rice In November of 2005, Kathleen Rice became the first woman elected District Attorney in Long Island’s history. Ms. Rice started prosecuting crime in 1992, while in the office of the Brooklyn District Attorney. In 1999, Ms. Rice became an Assistant U.S. Attorney, appointed by then-Attorney General Janet Reno, to serve in the Philadelphia office. During the spring of 2005, Ms. Rice left the U.S. Attorney’s office to return to Long Island and to give back to the community that raised her and her nine siblings. In November of that same year, Ms. Rice was victorious in her first run for public office. Ms. Rice is a graduate of Garden City High School, Catholic University and Touro Law School.

as a junior and college player are legendary: I A four-time Most Valuable Player at Roslyn High School; I Ranked number one in the E.T.A. for boy’s 16s and 18s; I Number four-ranked nationally in boy’s 18s; I A U. S. Junior Open Doubles quarterfinalist; and I At Stanford University, holder of the third best record in school history and even has a chair on the Row of Champions named for him. After college, Ricky joined the ATP tour and holds wins against some wellknown players. Today, in addition to coaching, Ricky spends time with Junior Tennis Consulting LLC, a company that guides junior tennis players in choices for college, choosing the best teaching pros, the right tournaments to enter, etc.

Jill Levine

Jill Levine, born in Brooklyn, N.Y., was raised in Ann Arbor, Ricky Becker grew up in Mich. After graduating Roslyn, N.Y., just 30 from the University of minutes away from here, Michigan with a BA in and played all sports Psychology, she attended Boston Unias a child. At the age of versity, where she earned both a Maseight, his mother sug- ters in Social Work and Masters in gested tennis as both parents were Public Health. Immediately following avid players. From the start, Ricky her graduation, she moved back to played better than his friends and New York and after a few-years’ stop in was noticed by a local pro. Following Brooklyn once again, now makes her lessons, tennis became part of his home in Merrick, Long Island. weekly school year sports routine. At Jill is married to Craig Levine, an the age of nine, Ricky entered a tour- oral and maxillofacial surgeon who nament and beat the number four- practices in Bay Shore, N.Y. Shortly beranked 10-year-old in the east. His fore getting married, Jill worked as an father took note, and from that point oncology social worker at Maimonides on, Ricky focused on tennis, as one Medical Center in Brooklyn, where she by one, his other sports activities fell remained for several years. While there, by the wayside. she counseled and assisted patients Ricky’s on-court accomplishments and families dealing with cancer diag-

Ricky Becker

nosis, as well as ran support groups and stress management programs. Jill and Craig became parents in 1996, when their first child, Robbie, was born. Soon after came their son, Josh. Jill was very active for many years as president of the PTA at her sons’ nursery school. She remained active at Levy-Lakeside, their elementary school. She also has been very active in her local Hadassah group, Dayan Lilah, where she has been honored with many awards, and held several positions in that group. Her husband, Craig, has always been extremely active in local little league activities, coaching their sons’ teams. Their children have always been involved in many sports and local activities. The Levines decided to add to their family, and in 2005, their daughter, Samantha, was born. Unfortunately, tragedy struck their family later that year, when Robbie collapsed and died at a little league practice in front of his father. Their life has never been the same. Immediately, they formed Forever 9—The Robbie Levine Foundation in Robbie’s memory. The foundation’s mission is to raise awareness and increase the presence of Automated Electronic Defibrillators (AEDs) in all places where children play. To date, they have hosted three successful fundraisers (Robbie’s Run), and are in the process of planning the fourth, scheduled for April. Their mission is spreading across the area, and they have already donated approximately 50 AEDs and have raised over $150,000. As all this has been occurring, Jill and Craig had a second daughter, Rylie, born approximately one year after Robbie’s death. Jill is devoted to her family and their activities, and with the support of her family and friends, has devoted her time and energy, along with her husband Craig, to keeping Robbie’s memory alive. They spend their time raising awareness of the need for AEDs where our children play sports, all the while, keeping up with her very active family.

19th Annual Awards Dinner Program • www.longisland.usta.com

19th Annual Awards Dinner

SPONSORS

Corporate Sponsors Adidas Advantage Tennis Applebee’s Daniel Burgess—Awards Dinner Chair Carefree Racquet Club COSTCO Inc. Dunlop Eastern Athletic Club Gamma Sports Grand Slam Tennis Head/Penn Hicksville Community Tennis Association Houlihan’s Restaurant Huntington Indoor Tennis

IHOP Eileen Leonard—Grant Committee L’Oreal Long Beach Tennis Center Long Island Display Connection Mary Rose Inc. Modell’s Sporting Goods New York Sportimes Mike Pavlides—Grant Committee Pilot Pen Tennis Professional Tennis Registry, PTR Robbie Wagner Tennis Academy Point Set Racquet Club Port Washington Tennis Academy

Roger Wootton Tennis Academy Sincerely Yours Party Planning Starbuck’s Stop & Shop Supermarkets Tennis Industry Association The Bayou Restaurant “The Billie Jean King” USTA National Tennis Center, Home of the U.S. Open UBS Financial Services Inc. USPTA Eastern Division USTA Eastern Section USTA National QuickStart Program

19th Annual Awards Dinner

PROGRAM

5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. ..........................................................................................................................Registration 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. ..................................................................Photographs of Award Recipients • The Plaza 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. ....................................................................................................Cocktail Hour • The Plaza I Welcome and Opening Remarks From Scott Axler, Regional Vice President I Introductions by D.A. Abrams, CEO of USTA/Eastern I Prestigious Award Presentations I Guest Speaker: Jill Levine, Founder of Forever 9 I Award Presentations I Dinner Served in The Emerald Room I Guest Speaker: Kathleen Rice, Nassau County District Attorney I Auction I Guest Speaker: Ricky Becker, Tennis Professional I Musical Entertainment from End the Stars I Closing Remarks From Daniel Burgess, 1st Vice President of USTA/Long Island *Raffle drawings to be held throughout the evening. 19th Annual Awards Dinner Program • www.longisland.usta.com

Prestigious Awards Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award ................................Nancy McShea Vitas Gerulaitis “For the Love of Tennis” Award..........................Dick Zausner The Charles Karp Memorial Award for Overcoming Adversity........Jill Levine Arthur Ashe Multicultural Award ............................................Jason Harewood

Excellence Awards

Tennis Professional of the Year ..........................................................................................Robert McKenna Long Island Tennis Players of the Year..................................Bryan Koniencko, Cory Parr & Craig Schwartz Nassau County Tennis Club of the Year ..............................................................................Sportime/Roslyn Suffolk County Tennis Club of the Year....................................................................Eastern Athletic/Melville Corporate Award of the Year ................................................................................The Outback, Jenn Szewc Tennis Family of the Year ..................................................................................................The Talcott Family Volunteer of the Year ................................................................................................................Terry Fontana Community Special Service Award ..................................................................Long Island Tennis Magazine Outdoor Site of the Year Nassau ..........................................................Nassau County Parks—Jose Lopez Outdoor Site of the Year Suffolk ................................................................Casamento Park—Greg Dawson Nassau County Scholastic Coach of the Year........................................................................Brian Paradine Suffolk County Scholastic Coach of the Year ........................................................................Dave Warmuth Tennis Official of the Year ................................................................................................................Luis Mira Anuj Agarwal Boy’s Sportsmanship Award ............................................................................Spencer Cohn Jennifer Sherry Girl’s Sportsmanship Award ................................................................................Eliza Budd Retail Facility of the Year ..................................................................Advantage Tennis—Adam Moramarco Innovative Tennis Program Introducing Those Afflicted With Multiple Sclerosis to Tennis ..........Dan Dwyer Press Service Award......................................................................................................................Bill Mecca

Scholastic Awards

Nassau County Boy’s Singles Champion..............................................................................Daniel Kreyman Suffolk County Boy’s Singles Champion ..........................................................................Brendan Ruddock Nassau County Boy’s Doubles Champions ..............................................................Matt Lam & Jason Liao Suffolk County Boy’s Doubles Champions..........................................................Brett Byron & Andrew Won New York State Girl’s Singles Champion ..............................................................................Jennifer Kellner Nassau County Girl’s Singles Champion ................................................................................Jordana Kono Suffolk County Girl’s Singles Champion ..............................................................................Jennifer Kellner New York State Girl’s Doubles Champions........................................................Jacqueline & Kelsey Raynor Nassau County Girl’s Doubles Champions........................................................Jacqueline & Kelsey Raynor Suffolk County Girl’s Doubles Champions ........................................................Kara Caulfield & Jordan Lite 19th Annual Awards Dinner Program • www.longisland.usta.com

Eastern Section/Long Island Region Final Rankings Boy’s 10s #1............................................................Curran Varma Boy’s 10s #2 ..................................................................Brian Shi Boy’s 12s #1 ..........................................................Andrew Bentz Boy’s 12s #2 ..........................................Cooper Spector-Salwan Boy’s 14s #1 ......................................................Trevor S. Mitchel Boy’s 14s #2 ........................................................Michael Freilich Boy’s 16s #1..........................................................Jason Hubsher Boy’s 16s #2..........................................................Jason Fruchter Boy’s 18s #1..........................................................Jason Hubsher Boy’s 18s #2 ..............................................................Bruce Grant Girl’s 10s #1 ................................................Celeste Rose Matute Girl’s 10s #2............................................................Alexa Graham Girl’s 12s #1 ..............................................................Claudia Ruiz Girl’s 12s #2 ............................................Morgan Kelly Herrmann Girl’s 14s #1 ..............................................................Ruth Freilich Girl’s 14s #2 ..........................................................Jessica Sickles

Girl’s 16s #1 ..........................................Elizabeth Caroline-Rossi Girl’s 16s #2 ........................................................Andrea Arreguin Girl’s 18s #1 ................................................................Eliza Budd Girl’s 18s #2 ........................................................Elaine Mantikas

Long Island Region Adult Awards Men’s 75s ................................................................Phil Malamud Men’s 70s..............................................................Peter Bostwick Men’s 65s..............................................................Harold German Men’s 60s ................................................................Robert Litwin Men’s 55s ..........................................................Jeffrey Rosmarin Men’s 50s ............................................................Walter Winnitzki Men’s 45s ..................................................................Kyle Permut Men’s 40s ................................................................Russell Heier Men’s 35s ................................................................Adrian Chirici Men’s 30s ................................................................Adrian Chirici Men’s 25s ..................................................................Viral Pandya Women’s 60s ............................................................Peggy Gluck Women’s 55s..........................................................Sandy Cooper Women’s 50s ..........................................................Eileen Walker Women’s 45s ..........................................................Eileen Walker Women’s 40s ..........................................................Eileen Walker Women’s 35s ..............................................Joan Manfredi-Carter Women’s Open............................................Joan Manfredi-Carter

USTA/Long Island Region League Awards 2.5 Women’s Regional Champions ..................................................................................................Maureen Casaburi & Team Members 3.5 Women’s Senior Regional Champions ............................................................................................Jody Accarino & Team Members 4.5 Women’s Regional Champions ..............................................................................................Gina-Marie McNulty & Team Members 4.5 Men’s Regional Champions ................................................................................................................Mark Weiner & Team Members Men’s Open Regional Champions................................................................................................Martin Wostenholme & Team Members 4.5 Men’s Senior Regional Champions ......................................................................................................Ed Wolfarth & Team Members 4.5 Men’s Super Senior Regional Champions ............................................................................................Ed Wolfarth & Team Members

Congratulations To All The State Champions And Award Winners The Lam Family

19th Annual Awards Dinner Program • www.longisland.usta.com

# Congratulations To Dick Zausner And Nancy McShea From Robbie Wagner Tennis Academy

# # Congratulations To The Talcott Family From Robbie Wagner Tennis Academy

# Modell’s Sporting Goods Congratulates the USTA/Long Island Region # # Long Island Display Connection Store Fixtures for Pro Shops 516-376-5797 stevelidc@aol.com

# # Congratulations to Jared Rada Congrats to the LI Winners Kevin and Courtney Kowalsky

# # Jared Rada – Roslyn Sportime Congrats on a job well done! Tina, Wally & Brian Slivonik #

# Best Wishes to Dan Dwyer, The Best Teacher From Your MS Group #

# Harold German, M.D., P.C. Internal Medicine Hematology 631-271-8700 #

# Congratulations To Dan Dwyer From Your Point Set Staff #

# Congratulations to the LI Region Award Winners From The Bayou (516) 785-9263

# Congratulations To All Award Winners Sincerely Yours Party Planning (631) 292-2064

# Congratulations to Faith Reis and Her National 3.5 Senior Team Sue, Roger, Jay and Daniel

# Roger Wootton Tennis Academy Juniors • Adults Muttontown-Outdoor Jericho/Westbury Indoor Summer Camp June 22nd 516-767-1939 rwtennis@msn.com

# # Congratulations To All The Award Winners From Huntington Indoor Tennis Club

19th Annual Awards Dinner Program • www.longisland.usta.com

Bethpage Park Tennis Center Andrea Pappas-Manager 99 Quaker Meeting House Road #1 Farmingdale, NY 11735 516-777-1358 bptcenter@aol.com

Rockville Racquet Club Susan Alvy-Manager 80 North Centre Avenue Rockville Center, NY 11570 516-764-5350 rockvilletennis@optonline.net

SPORTIME at Lynbrook Chris Morales-Director of Tennis 175 Merrick Road • Lynbrook, NY 11563 516-887-1330 www.SportimeNY.com tdlynbrook@sportimetfm.com

Carefree Racquet Club Kathy Miller-Manager 1414 Jerusalem Avenue Merrick, NY 11566 516-489-9005 carefreetennis@aol.com

Smash Tennis Club Jimmy Riaz-Director of Tennis 575 Merrick Avenue Westbury, NY 11568 Business: 516-832-8010 Cell: 516-477-1192

SPORTIME at Massapequa Fayez Malik-Director of Tennis 5600 Old Sunrise Highway Massapequa, NY 11758 516-799-3550 www.SportimeNY.com tdmassapequa@sportimetfm.com

Deer Park Indoor Tennis Club Afzal Ali-Director of Tennis 30 Burt Drive Deer Park, NY 11729 631-667-3476 Fax: 631-667-7179

SPORTIME at Amagansett Sue De Lara-Co General Manager Hana Sromova-Director of Tennis/Co-General Manager 320 Abrahams Path • Amagansett, NY 11930 631-267-3460 www.SportimeNY.com amagansett@sportimetfm.com

Glen Head Racquet Club Heath Koch: 516-676-9849 Home of Early Hit Training Center Carl Barnett: 516-455-1225 earlyhit@optonline.net 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, NY 11545 Huntington Indoor Tennis Club Rich Rottkamp-Director of Tennis 100 Broadway Huntington Station, NY 11746 631-421-0040 Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, NY 11561 516-432-6060 Fax: 516-897-0097 Point Set Indoor Tennis Dan Dwyer-Owner 3065 New Street • Oceanside, NY 11572 516-536-2655 www.pointsettennis.com matt@pointsettennis.com

SPORTIME at Bethpage Tennis Perry Aitchison-Director of Tennis 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, NY 11714 516-933-8500 www.SportimeNY.com tdbethpageten@sportimetfm.com SPORTIME at Bethpage Multi-Sport Randy Louie-General Manager 4105 Hempstead Turnpike Bethpage, NY 11714 516-731-4432 www.SportimeNY.com bethpagemulti@sportimetfm.com SPORTIME of the Hamptons Mauricio Gattuso-Director of Tennis Route 104 East Quogue, NY 11959 631-653-6767 www.SportimeNY.com tdhamptons@sportimetfm.com

SPORTIME at ProHealth Jay Karl-General Manager 3 Delaware Drive Lake Success, NY 11042 516-348-8463 www.SportimeNY.com jkarl@sportimetfm.com SPORTIME at Randall’s Island Ted Dimond-Director of Tennis 1 Randall’s Island New York, NY 10035 212-427-6150 www.SportimeNY.com randallsisland@SportimeTFM.com SPORTIME at Roslyn Jared Rada-Director of Tennis Landing Road, PO Box 1 Roslyn, NY 11576 516-484-9222 www.SportimeNY.com tdroslyn@sportimetfm.com SPORTIME at Schenectady Philippe Ceas 2699 Curry Road Schenectady, NY 12303 518-356-0100 www.SportimeNY.com tdschenectady@sportimetfm.com

Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center Adrian Chirici-Director of Tennis 142 Glenwood Road Glenwood Landing, NY 11547 516-676-9107 www.rwtt.com

SPORTIME at Harbor Island Eric Fromm-General Manager, Director of Tennis In Harbor Island Park Mamaroneck, NY 10543 914-777-5050 www.SportimeNY.com efromm@sportimetfm.com

SPORTIME at Syosset Tennis & Multi-Sport Karl Sommer/Director of Tennis 75 Haskett Drive Syosset, NY 11791 516-364-2727 www.SportimeNY.com

Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center @ GLEN COVE Stephen Alcala-Business Manager 60 Sea Cliff Avenue Glen Cove, NY 11542 516-759-0505 www.rwtt.com

SPORTIME at Kings Park Petr Perecinsky-Director of Tennis 275 Old Indian Head Road Kings Park, NY 11754 631-269-6300 www.SportimeNY.com tdkingspark@sportimetfm.com

SPORTIME at Syosset Fitness & Racquetball Joe Gazio-General Manager 10 Gordon Drive • Syosset, NY 11791 516-496-3100 www.SportimeNY.com jgazio@sportimetfm.com

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

USTA Junior Team Tennis Takes L.I. by Storm Photo credits: Pat Mosquera

nited States Tennis Association (USTA) Junior Team Tennis (JTT) is a national youth tennis league in all 50 states. It’s not about the individual. It’s about the kids getting together to play singles, doubles, and mixed-doubles against other teams within a league. It promotes values you would expect from any sport fostering a spirit of cooperation, unity and individual self growth. Long Island holds a JTT summer session that runs from June through mid-August and a winter session that runs from November until the end of April. Summer matches are usually played during the week after 4:00 p.m. Winter matches are played on weekends in the late afternoon or early evening and players are required to be members of the USTA. There is a regional playoff at the end of both sessions. Regional winners advance to the Eastern Sectional. Long Island has three divisions: 12 and under, 14 and under, and 18 and under. The 14- and 18-year-old divisions have an intermediate and an advanced division. The 12 and under has an intermediate division. The following is a list of important upcoming playoffs and events: N The 12 and under JTT Regional Playoff will be held Saturday, May 2 at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, N.Y. at 10:00 a.m. (rain date will be Saturday, May 9). N 14 and under Intermediate JTT Regional Playoff will be held Saturday, May 2 at Robbie Wagner Tournament Training in Glen Cove, N.Y. at 4:30 p.m. N 18 and under Intermediate JTT Regional Playoff will be held Saturday, May 2 at Robbie Wagner Tournament Training in Glen Cove, N.Y. at 4:30 p.m. N JTT Eastern Sectional will be held the weekend of June 20 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

United States Tennis Association Winter Junior Team Tennis Rosters 12 and Under (Intermediate) Clay Time Indoor Tennis Eastern Athletic Blue Point Eastern Athletic Dix Hills (2) Garden City Huntington Indoor Tennis Long Beach Tennis Center Rockville Racquet (2) 14 and Under (Intermediate) Eastern Athletic Blue Point (2) Eastern Athletic Dix Hills Glen Head Racquet Huntington Indoor Tennis Long Beach Tennis Center Rockville Racquet (2)

18 and Under (Intermediate) Rockville Racquet (2) Hicksville Clay Time Indoor Tennis Eastern Athletic Melville (2) Huntington Indoor Tennis Garden City (2) Eastern Athletic Blue Point Glen Head Racquet For more information about Junior Team Tennis or to find about programs in your area, please contact JTT League Coordinator Steven Abbondondelo at (516)-4574974 or e-mail steveabby@optonline.net.

2008 USTA Junior Team Tennis Summer Long Island Regional Champs, Sun and Surf Tennis, gather for a team photo The team from Rockville Racquet smiles for a photo prior to playing in the 2008 USTA Team Tennis Winter Sectional Championship at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows

Action from the 2008 USTA Junior Team Tennis Summer Long Island Regional Championships

Members of the Rockville Racquet Team having a great time during the 2009 winter season

Players from the Rockville Racquet team prepare for their match at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

A Rockville Racquet 12 and under team member returns a volley during a recent match

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

LONG Boys & Girls Long Island Rankings (as of 04/08/09)

BOYS Long Island Boys 10 Singles Rank Name ................................City 1 ......Kyle Hudson Gower ........Oceanside, N.Y. 2 ......Brian Shi ........................Jericho, N.Y. 3 ......Curran Varma..................Manhasset, N.Y. 4 ......Zane Siddiqui ..................West Babylon, N.Y. 5 ......Daniel Shleimovich..........Merrick, N.Y. 6 ......Rajan Jai Vohra ..............Glen Head, N.Y. 7 ......Alan Delman ..................Great Neck, N.Y. 8 ......Titus Syon Sung ..............Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 9 ......Colin Francis Sacco ........Brightwaters, N.Y. 10 ....Noah Reisch....................Floral Park, N.Y. 11 ....Ethan Nussdorf ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 12 ....Jordan Michael Bennett ..Valley Stream, N.Y. 13 ....Amani Siddiqui................West Babylon, N.Y. 14 ....Brady Berman ................Glen Head, N.Y. 15 ....Vincent Caracappa ..........Smithtown, N.Y. 16 ....Giancarlo Cavallero ........West Hempstead, N.Y. 17 ....Logan Beckerman ..........East Norwich, N.Y. 18 ....Eli Grossman ..................Woodbury, N.Y. 19 ....Terrill Cole Barnard ........Mill Neck, N.Y. 20 ....David Ammendola ..........Massapequa, N.Y. 21 ....Ronald P. Hohmann ........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 22 ....Cannon Kingsley ............Northport, N.Y. 23 ....Adita J. Dave ..................Syosset, N.Y. 24 ....Neel Raj ..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 25 ....Michael Medvedev ..........Oceanside, N.Y. 26 ....Jack Aaron Briamonte ....Great Neck, N.Y. 27 ....Ian Bank ........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 28 ....Joey Austin ....................Hewlett, N.Y. 29 ....Gardner Howe ................Locust Valley, N.Y. 30 ....Patrick F. Maloney ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 31 ....Cody Bograd ..................Huntington, N.Y. 32 ....Parker Appel ..................Locust Valley, N.Y. 33 ....James Grad ....................Westhampton, N.Y. 34 ....Athell Patrick Bennett......Valley Stream, N.Y. 35 ....William Dzanoucakis ......Hampton Bays, N.Y. 36 ....Matthew G. Levine ..........Dix Hills, N.Y. 37 ....Jacob Weiner ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 38 ....Alexander Reiley ............Manorville, N.Y. 39 ....Justin Ilan Lempert ........Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 40 ....Keegan James Morris ....Franklin Square, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 12 Singles Rank Name ................................City 1 ......Andrew J. Bentz..............Massapequa Park, N.Y. 2 ......Bryant J. Born ................Manhasset, N.Y. 3 ......Daniel Shleimovich..........Merrick, N.Y. 4 ......Justin Park......................Huntington, N.Y. 5 ......Kevin Alec Kowalsky........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 6 ......Christopher White............Garden City, N.Y. 7 ......Garrett Malave ................Laurel, N.Y. 8 ......Evan Kober......................Wantagh, N.Y. 9 ......Nikhil Raj ........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 10 ....Daniel David Kafka..........Massapequa Park, N.Y. 11 ....Zane Siddiqui ..................West Babylon, N.Y. 12 ....Vincent P. Thompson ......Massapequa, N.Y. 13 ....Andrew Walsh ................St. James, N.Y. 14 ....Daniel Grunberger ..........Great Neck, N.Y. 15 ....Faran Nazir ....................Deer Park, N.Y. 16 ....Alex Brebenel..................Glen Head, N.Y. 17 ....Giuseppe Loduca ............Great Neck, N.Y. 18 ....Chirag Sharad Soni ........New Hyde Park, N.Y. 19 ....Christian Moyer Ardito ....Rockville Centre, N.Y. 20 ....Austin Langrock ..............Stony Brook, N.Y. 21 ....Alexander Pintille ............Wainscott, N.Y. 22 ....Sahil Massand ................Woodbury, N.Y. 23 ....Hunter Lee ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 24 ....Jacob Frisch ..................Sagaponack, N.Y. 25 ....Finbar Talcott ..................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 26 ....Noah J. Reisch ................Floral Park, N.Y. 27 ....Kevin Cino ......................East Quogue, N.Y. 28 ....Jacob Ross Pion..............Roslyn, N.Y. 29 ....Oliver Ridgley Green........Locust Valley, N.Y.

ISLAND

30 ....Tyler Dunn ......................Manhasset, N.Y. 31 ....Palmer T. Clare ................North Bellmore, N.Y. 32 ....Sean M. Mullins ..............Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 33 ....Jake T. Gans....................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 34 ....Eric G. Ramsay................Bay Shore, N.Y. 35 ....Spencer Killen Swanson..Remsenburg, N.Y. 36 ....Jonathan C. Staudigel ....Northport, N.Y. 37 ....Michael Schweitzer ........Old Westbury, N.Y. 38 ....Jesse M. Levitin ..............Manhasset, N.Y. 39 ....Robert James Gavigan ....Garden City, N.Y. 40 ....Logan Dunn ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 41 ....Jacob Lacks....................Woodbury, N.Y. 42 ....Rajan Jai Vohra ..............Glen Head, N.Y. 43......Brandon Todd Ronsenbaum..Kings Point, N.Y. 44 ....Curran Varma..................Manhasset, N.Y. 45 ....Marc Jesse Chehebar ....Roslyn, N.Y. 46 ....Jack Ian Lindenman........Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 47 ....Jonathan Paris ................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 48 ....Austin Lewis Kotler ........Plainview, N.Y. 49 ....Henry Tell........................Woodbury, N.Y. 50 ....Jason Ackerman ............Roslyn, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 14 Singles Rank Name ................................City 1 ......Drew F. Feldman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 2 ......Dylan Ander ....................Hewlett, N.Y. 3 ......Dylan Hobbs Appel ..........Locust Valley, N.Y. 4 ......Daniel Sliwowski ............Islip, N.Y. 5 ......Marcell Rengifo ..............Copaigue, N.Y. 6 ......Nick Bauer ......................Great River, N.Y. 7 ......Gregory M. Abrahams......Baldwin, N.Y. 8 ......Sander Brenner ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 9 ......Benjamin Q. King ............East Meadow, N.Y. 10 ....Douglas Notaris ..............Wantagh, N.Y. 11 ....Ethan Hayden Handa ......Rockville Centre, N.Y. 12 ....Erik Johann Lobben ........Glen Head, N.Y. 13 ....Andrew J. Bentz..............Massapequa Park, N.Y. 14 ....Connor Daniel Jeran........Islip, N.Y. 15 ....Erik Ujvari ......................Hauppauge, N.Y. 16 ....Matthew R. Demichiel ....Hewlett, N.Y. 17 ....Brandon T. Stone ............Melville, N.Y. 18 ....Aaron Nussdorf ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 19 ....Zachary F. Stephan..........Sayville, N.Y. 20 ....Alex J. Fontini..................Syosset, N.Y. 21 ....Zachary E. Blank ............Roslyn, N.Y. 22 ....Stephan Savin ................Valley Stream, N.Y. 23 ....Samuel Hajibai................Kings Point, N.Y. 24 ....Dennis Uspensky ............Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 25 ....Stone E. Mitchell ............Woodmere, N.Y. 26 ....Aaron D. Lewis................Jericho, N.Y. 27 ....Josh Young......................Old Bethpage, N.Y. 28 ....Kyle Apler........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 29 ....Mark Daniel Temporal ....Carle Place, N.Y. 30 ....Gabriel P. Lazar ..............Hewlett, N.Y. 31 ....Chris Casamassima ........Franklin Square, N.Y. 32 ....Andrew Greener ..............Great Neck, N.Y. 33 ....Matthew Cohen ..............Bay Shore, N.Y. 34 ....Steven Marzagalli............Patchogue, N.Y. 35 ....Alex Jake Ricciuti............Melville, N.Y. 36 ....Addison J. Berniker ........Woodbury, N.Y. 37 ....Jake Decker....................East Setauket, N.Y. 38 ....Justin Park......................Huntington, N.Y. 39 ....Michael Lustrin ..............Roslyn, N.Y. 40 ....Jonathan Paris ................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 16 Singles Rank Name ................................City 1 ......Sloan Millman ................Woodmere, N.Y. 2 ......Darren Reisch ................Floral Park, N.Y. 3 ......JT Esposito ....................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 4 ......Jason Hubsher ................Sands Point, N.Y. 5 ......Eric Sumanaru ................Middle Island, N.Y. 6 ......Jason A. Fruchter ............Lawrence, N.Y. 7 ......Stephen Peng..................Woodbury, N.Y. 8 ......Pasha Shapouri ..............Albertson, N.Y. 9 ......Michael Granito ..............Wantagh, N.Y. 10 ....Ryan White......................Wantagh, N.Y. 11 ....Ryan Gary Wennberg ......Huntington Station, N.Y. 12 ....Ryan Marcus ..................Merrick, N.Y.

Long Island Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ May/June 2009

RANKINGS

13 ....Jordan A. Zecher ............Woodbury, N.Y. 14 ....Richard Sipala ................Quogue, N.Y. 15 ....Benjamin Q. King ............East Meadow, N.Y. 16 ....Adam Fishelberg ............Plainview, N.Y. 17 ....Kevin H. Kim ..................South Setauket, N.Y. 18 ....Solomon Ofir ..................Plainview, N.Y. 19 ....Zachary Daniel Krischer ....Pt. Jefferson Station, N.Y. 20 ....Jacob Mishkin ................Woodbury, N.Y. 21 ....Nick Wong ......................Jericho, N.Y. 22 ....Jared Drzal ....................West Sayville, N.Y. 23 ....Sander Brenner ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 24 ....Douglas Notaris ..............Wantagh, N.Y. 25 ....Jason Quintana ..............Bethpage, N.Y. 26 ....Zachary Rotter ................Melville, N.Y. 27 ....Alex Sands......................Roslyn, N.Y. 28 ....Brett Uslaner ..................Oceanside, N.Y. 29 ....Patrick Brosnan ..............Garden City, N.Y. 30 ....Steven Ferrantello ..........Dix Hills, N.Y. 31 ....Dylan Marsh....................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 32 ....Spencer M. Cohn ............Roslyn, N.Y. 33 ....Trevor S. Mitchel ............East Meadow, N.Y. 34 ....Brett Ringelheim ............Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 35 ....Ryan Zuckerman ............Valley Stream, N.Y. 36 ....Matthew Zuckerman ......Valley Stream, N.Y. 37 ....Blake Butler ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 38 ....Luke Matthew Taylor ......Bay Shore, N.Y. 39 ....Evan Ross Seidman ........Dix Hills, N.Y. 40 ....Christian Thienel ............East Quogue, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 18 Singles Rank Name ................................City 1 ......Jason Hubsher ................Sands Point, N.Y. 2 ......Eric Dietsche ..................Bay Shore, N.Y. 3 ......Evan Pincus ....................East Meadow, N.Y. 4 ......Michael T. Puntillo ..........Sands Point, N.Y. 5 ......Benjamin Bogard ............Lido Beach, N.Y. 6 ......Bruce T. Grant ................Glen Head, N.Y. 7 ......Sloan Millman ................Woodmere, N.Y. 8 ......Dylan Matthew Roberts ..Holtsville, N.Y. 9 ......Richard A. Ferguson ........Franklin Square, N.Y. 10 ....Derek J. Wells ................Massapequa Park, N.Y. 11 ....Justin Ziccardi ................Islip, N.Y. 12 ....Christopher Sica..............Wantagh, N.Y. 13 ....Brain Hui ........................East Meadow, N.Y. 14 ....James Nandalal Prasad ..Lindenhurst, N.Y. 15 ....Alex Tropiano ..................Syosset, N.Y. 16 ....Darren Reisch ................Floral Park, N.Y. 17 ....Alex Bessarabov..............Lindenhurst, N.Y. 18 ....Herman Singh ................Syosset, N.Y. 19 ....Brandon Burns ................Wheatley Heights, N.Y. 20 ....Jeremy L. Pomerantz ......Sayville, N.Y. 21 ....JT Esposito ....................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 22 ....Jeffery H. Kornhauser......Wantagh, N.Y. 23 ....Thomas Fischl ................Huntington, N.Y. 24 ....Gary Gaudio ....................Miller Place, N.Y. 25 ....Andrew Freedman ..........Great Neck, N.Y. 26 ....Matthew J. Celentano ....Islip, N.Y. 27 ....Jack Keenan ..................Water Mill, N.Y. 28 ....Eric Rubin ......................Lido Beach, N.Y. 29 ....Steven Ferrantello ..........Dix Hills, N.Y. 30 ....Peter C. Colgan ..............Nesconset, N.Y. 31 ....Dylan Marsh....................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 32 ....Kevin Francfort................Islip, N.Y. 33 ....Michael Lessing ..............Islip, N.Y. 34 ....Sahil S. Ishar ..................Great Neck, N.Y. 35 ....Jaewon Kim ....................East Northport, N.Y. 36 ....Shane B. Liebenthal ........Old Westbury, N.Y. 37 ....Stephan Tolila ................Bellmore, N.Y. 38 ....Kevin A. Burgess ............Freeport, N.Y. 39 ....Christopher J. Hunter ......Melville, N.Y. 40 ....Brett Byron......................Dix Hills, N.Y.

GIRLS Long Island Girls 10 Singles Rank Name ................................City 1 ......Celeste Rose Matute ......Amityville, N.Y. 2 ......Claire Handa ..................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 3 ......Jeannie Lozowski............Amityville, N.Y. 4 ......Courtney Kowalsky..........Oyster Bay, N.Y.

5 ......Ashley Bespechny ..........Hewlett, N.Y. 6 ......Alexa Graham ................Garden City, N.Y. 7 ......Vista Grinde ....................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 8 ......Caitlin M. Cosme ............New Hyde Park, N.Y. 9 ......Devika Kedia ..................East Norwich, N.Y. 10 ....Hannah Rosalie Dayton ..East Hampton, N.Y. 11 ....Stephanie Chikvashvili ....Syosset, N.Y. 12 ....Jasmine Olivia Abidi ........Glen Head, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 12 Singles Rank Name ................................City 1 ......Elena Nitsa Maria NastasiBayville, N.Y. 2 ......Bridget Elaine Harding ....Northport, N.Y. 3 ......Michelle Vancura ............New Hyde Park, N.Y. 4 ......Brittany Burke ................Garden City, N.Y. 5 ......Jeannie Lozowski............Amityville, N.Y. 6 ......Katie Jean Cirella ............Woodbury, N.Y. 7 ......Cameron Leigh Moskol....Wantagh, N.Y. 8 ......Claudia M. Ruiz ..............Glen Head, N.Y. 9 ......Olivia C. Funk..................Hicksville, N.Y. 10 ....Julia Ciardullo ................Locust Valley, N.Y. 11 ....Ola Mally ........................Franklin Square, N.Y. 12 ....Shanice Nadia Arthur ......Glen Head, N.Y. 13 ....Rachel Gastaldo ..............Syosset, N.Y. 14 ....Morgan Kelly Herrmann ..Garden City, N.Y. 15 ....Madison Courtney Appel..Locust Valley, N.Y. 16 ....Vanessa Scott ................Dix Hills, N.Y. 17 ....Aimee N. Manfredo ........Shoreham, N.Y. 18 ....Emily K. Morgenbesser....Bayport, N.Y. 19 ....Campbell Howe ..............Locust Valley, N.Y. 20 ....Nicole Damaghi ..............Kings Point, N.Y. 21 ....Alexandra Lipps ..............Roslyn, N.Y. 22 ....Nicole Giannetti ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 23 ....Rhea Malhotra ................Syosset, N.Y. 24 ....Annelise Meyding............Port Washington, N.Y. 25 ....Michele Shelia Lehat ......Great Neck, N.Y. 26 ....Ashley Bespechny ..........Hewlett, N.Y. 27 ....Lauren Ann Livingston ....Sands Point, N.Y. 28 ....Courtney A. Digia ............Manhasset, N.Y. 29 ....Alexa Graham ................Garden City, N.Y. 30 ....Ariana J. Hwang..............New Hyde Park, N.Y. 31 ....Celeste Rose Matute ......Amityville, N.Y. 32 ....Marissa Luchs ................Roslyn, N.Y. 33 ....Skyy Campbell ................Huntington, N.Y. 34 ....Rachel L. Mintz ..............Roslyn, N.Y. 35 ....Noa Alexandra Dubin ......Southampton, N.Y. 36 ....Caroline Keating..............Huntington, N.Y. 37 ....Kelsey Shields ................Old Westbury, N.Y. 38 ....Caitlin M. Cosme ............New Hyde Park, N.Y. 39 ....Victoria Macchia ............Seaford, N.Y. 40 ....Nicole Koskovolis ............Manhasset, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 14 Singles Rank Name ................................City 1 ......Veronica Paikin ..............Valley Stream, N.Y. 2 ......Ruth Freilich....................Lawrence, N.Y. 3 ......Jennifer C. Ferguson ......Franklin Square, N.Y. 4 ......Zenat Rashidzada............Dix Hills, N.Y. 5 ......Kathryn Herburger ..........Manhasset, N.Y. 6 ......Megan M. Tamborrino ....Massapequa Park, N.Y. 7 ......Mary C. Harding ..............Northport, N.Y. 8 ......Olivia Bahou....................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 9 ......Bianca Posa ....................Valley Stream, N.Y. 10 ....Jennifer Glukhman..........Syosset, N.Y. 11 ....Ola Mally ........................Franklin Square, N.Y. 12 ....Zoe B. Lesperance ..........Southampton, N.Y. 13 ....Alexa P. Sternschein ........Syosset, N.Y. 14 ....Betty Ma ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 15 ....Karishma Ramesh Tank ..New Hyde Park, N.Y. 16 ....Karen A. Serina ..............Islip Terrace, N.Y. 17 ....Sarah Dionisio ................Shirley, N.Y. 18 ....Christine Elizabeth Apicella ..Massapequa Park, N.Y. 19 ....Amanda Marie Gaimaro ..Lynbrook, N.Y. 20 ....Karen Singer ..................Setauket, N.Y. 21 ....Holly Hubsher..................Sands Point, N.Y. 22 ....Carli Feldman..................Valley Stream, N.Y. 23 ....Aimee N. Manfredo ........Shoreham, N.Y. 24 ....Remy May Kneski ..........Westhampton, N.Y. 25 ....Madison Battaglia ..........Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.

LONG 26 ....Cameron Leigh Moskol....Wantagh, N.Y. 27 ....Erica Bundrick ................Mattituck, N.Y. 28 ....Allie N. Rothstein ............Plainview, N.Y. 29 ....Sunaina Vohra ................Glen Head, N.Y. 30 ....Anna Poslusny ................Centerport , N.Y. 31 ....Emily Bentley ..................East Islip, N.Y. 32 ....Jennifer A. Carnovale ......Massapequa, N.Y. 33 ....Rachel Gastaldo ..............Syosset, N.Y. 34 ....Taylor Rose Anderson......Locust Valley, N.Y. 35 ....Haley Ann Schoeck ........Quogue, N.Y. 36 ....Lara Fishbane ................Commack, N.Y. 37 ....Danielle Giannetti............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 38 ....Kaitlin Ryan Miller ..........Manhasset, N.Y. 39 ....Claudia M. Ruiz ..............Glen Head, N.Y. 40 ....Laura Torsiello ................Bayport, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 16 Singles Rank Name ................................City 1 ......Veronica Paikin ..............Valley Stream, N.Y. 2 ......Andrea Arreguin ..............Hicksville, N.Y. 3 ......Amy Ginny Naula ............East Hampton, N.Y. 4 ......Robin R. Mehta ..............Manhasset, N.Y. 5 ......Elan King ........................Baldwin, N.Y. 6 ......Elizabeth Caroline Rossi ..Flanders, N.Y. 7 ......Brett A. Lieb ....................Cutchogue, N.Y. 8 ......Lauren Skolnick ..............Sayville, N.Y. 9 ......Briel G. Smith..................Locust Valley, N.Y. 10 ....Jessica Sickles ..............Massapequa Park, N.Y. 11 ....Marysa Walsh ................St. James, N.Y. 12 ....Zenat Rashidzada............Dix Hills, N.Y. 13 ....Kelly Marie Benini ..........Northport, N.Y. 14 ....Paige J. Mintz ................Roslyn, N.Y. 15 ....Molly O. Nolan ................Montauk, N.Y. 16 ....Abbott M. Brant ..............Shoreham, N.Y. 17 ....Michelle Graziosi ............East Northport, N.Y. 18 ....Brinti Ann Hinderhofer ....Oceanside, N.Y. 19 ....Hannah Hinchcliffe ..........Mineola, N.Y. 20 ....Alexandra L. Bentz ..........Massapequa Park, N.Y. 21 ....Amanda Marano..............Hampton Bays, N.Y. 22 ....Amanda L. Seeley ..........Sound Beach, N.Y. 23 ....Casey L. Nicoletti ............East Hampton, N.Y. 24 ....Devlin-Ann Ammendola ..Massapequa, N.Y. 25 ....Bianca Posa ....................Valley Stream, N.Y. 26 ....Samantha Gann ..............Massapequa, N.Y. 27 ....Lindsay Hochberg ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 28 ....Rachel Shenker ..............Rockville Centre, N.Y. 29 ....Ludmila Yamus................Melville, N.Y. 30 ....Ruth Freilich....................Lawrence, N.Y. 31 ....Lauren Wagner................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 32 ....Marissa D. Lazar ............Hewlett, N.Y. 33 ....Jessica Nowak................Huntington, N.Y. 34 ....Christine Bender ............Amityville, N.Y. 35 ....Alexandra Gerin ..............Glen Cove, N.Y. 36 ....Ola Mally ........................Franklin Square, N.Y. 37 ....Kelsey Lazio....................Brightwaters, N.Y. 38 ....Jamie Hann ....................Westhampton, N.Y. 39 ....Ashley Sandler ................Jericho, N.Y. 40 ....Taylor Wilkins..................Glen Head, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 18 Singles Rank Name ................................City 1 ......Eliza J. Budd ..................Locust Valley, N.Y. 2 ......Aylin Mehter....................Massapequa, N.Y. 3 ......Cassie Bender ................Amityville, N.Y. 4 ......Elaine Mantikas ..............Manhasset, N.Y. 5 ......Elan King ........................Baldwin, N.Y. 6 ......Molly O. Nolan ................Montauk, N.Y. 7 ......Sarin Siriamonthep ........Greenvale, N.Y. 8 ......Lauren Johnson ..............Dix Hills, N.Y. 9 ......Christine Bender ............Amityville, N.Y. 10 ....Alexandra F. Esposito ......Bellmore, N.Y. 11 ....Andrea Arreguin ..............Hicksville, N.Y. 12 ....Shelby Goldman..............West Hempstead, N.Y. 13 ....Stephanie Loutsenko ......Bellmore, N.Y. 14 ....Arina Zanin ....................Oceanside, N.Y. 15 ....Olivia Millie Santoro ........Commack, N.Y. 16 ....Alexandra Rengifo ..........Copiague, N.Y. 17 ....Talia Aviana ....................East Rockaway, N.Y.

ISLAND

Boys & Girls Sectional Rankings (as of 04/08/09)

Sectional Boys 10 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ................................City 4 ......Andy Zhou ......................Commack, N.Y. 5 ......Giancarlo Cavallero ........West Hempstead, N.Y. 7 ......Logan Beckerman ..........East Norwich, N.Y. 8 ......Finbar Talcott ..................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 10 ....Jordan Michael Bennett ..Valley Stream, N.Y. 11 ....Rajan Jai Vohra ..............Glen Head, N.Y. 12 ....Daniel Shleimovich..........Merrick, N.Y. 13 ....Keegan James Morris ....Franklin Square, N.Y. 15 ....Zane Siddiqui ..................West Babylon, N.Y. 17 ....Curran Varma..................Manhasset, N.Y. 19 ....Athell Patrick Bennett......Valley Stream, N.Y. 24 ....Terrill Cole Bernard ........Mill Neck, N.Y. 26 ....Alan Delman ..................Great Neck, N.Y. 31 ....Noah J. Reisch ................Floral Park, N.Y. 33 ....Kyle Hudson Gower ........Oceanside, N.Y. 36 ....Brian Shi ........................Jericho, N.Y. 40 ....Eli Grossman ..................Woodbury, N.Y. 44 ....Ian Bank ........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 46 ....Brady Berman ................Glen Head, N.Y. 47 ....Titus Syon Sung ..............Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 67 ....Colin Francis Sacco ........Brightwaters, N.Y. 72 ....Patrick Hannity................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 73 ....Patrick F. Maloney ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 77 ....Alexander Reiley ............Manorville, N.Y. 82 ....Michael Medvedev ..........Oceanside, N.Y. 86 ....Amani Siddiqui................West Babylon, N.Y. 87 ....Arjun Mehrotra................Woodbury, N.Y. 88 ....Gardner Howe ................Locust Valley, N.Y. 93 ....Adita J. Dave ..................Syosset, N.Y. 97 ....David Ammendola ..........Massapequa, N.Y. 98 ....Parker Appel ..................Locust Valley, N.Y. 101 ..Ryan Goetz......................Greenlawn, N.Y. 104 ..Ronald P. Hohmann ........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 106 ..James Kyrkanides ..........Stony Brook, N.Y. 108 ..Cannon Kingsley ............Northport, N.Y. 109 ..Neel Raj ..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 113 ..William Dzanoucakis ......Hampton Bays, N.Y. 119 ..Joey Austin ....................Hewlett, N.Y. 122 ..Blake Shaevitz ................Glen Head, N.Y. 126 ..Pete Siozios ....................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 129 ..Matthew Porges..............Sands Point, N.Y. 132 ..Cody Bogard ..................Huntington, N.Y. 142 ..Carl Grant ......................Water Mill, N.Y. 143 ..Jake Koenigsberg ..........Glen Head, N.Y. 145 ..Jacob Weiner ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 148 ..Daniel Eric Pellerito ........Syosset, N.Y. 150 ..Justin Ilan Lempert ........Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ................................City 10 ....Lubomir T. Cuba..............Massapequa, N.Y. 12 ....Josh Silverstein ..............Great Neck, N.Y. 13 ....Alexander Lebedev..........Island Park, N.Y. 14 ....Brenden Andrew Volk ......Dix Hills, N.Y. 20 ....Jared R. Halstrom ..........Bellmore, N.Y. 23 ....Eric Wagner ....................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 24 ....Conor Mullins..................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 32 ....Dennis Uspensky ............Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 40 ....Benjamin Rosen ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 49 ....Daniel Grunberger ..........Great Neck, N.Y. 53 ....Andrew Walsh ................St. James, N.Y. 65 ....Palmer T. Clare ................North Bellmore, N.Y. 71 ....Justin Park......................Huntington, N.Y. 74 ....Chris Kuhnle....................Shoreham, N.Y. 79 ....Finbar Talcott ..................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 83 ....Joshua Williams Gordon ..Hicksville, N.Y. 84 ....Faran Nazir ....................Deer Park, N.Y. 85 ....Christopher Moyer Ardito Rockville Centre, N.Y. 86 ....Nikhil Raj ........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 99 ....Hunter Lee ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 100 ..Christopher White............Garden City, N.Y.

RANKINGS

106 ..Rajan Jai Vohra ..............Glen Head, N.Y. 107 ..Vincent P. Thompson ......Massapequa, N.Y. 108 ..Daniel Shleimovich..........Merrick, N.Y. 110 ..Sean M. Mullins ..............Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 111 ..Zane Siddiqui ..................West Babylon, N.Y. 113 ..Daniel David Kafka..........Massapequa Park, N.Y. 122 ..Noah J. Reisch ................Floral Park, N.Y. 124 ..Curran Varma..................Manhasset, N.Y. 132 ..Kevin Alec Kowalsky........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 135 ..Austin Langrock ..............Stony Brook, N.Y. 136 ..Jesse M. Levitin ..............Manhasset, N.Y. 138 ..Giuseppe Loduca ............Great Neck, N.Y. 142 ..Andy Zhou ......................Commack, N.Y. 147 ..Giancarlo Cavallero ........West Hempstead, N.Y. 148 ..Alex Brebenel..................Glen Head, N.Y. 150 ..Bryant J. Born ................Manhasset, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ................................City 3 ......Noah Rubin ....................Merrick, N.Y. 6 ......Aidan Talcott ..................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 7 ......Samuel Lam....................Old Westbury, N.Y. 8 ......Ethan Bogard ..................Lido Beach, N.Y. 10 ....Vihar Shah ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 18 ....Michael Paul ..................Baldwin, N.Y. 20 ....Zain Ali............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 29 ....Douglas Notaris ..............Wantagh, N.Y. 33 ....Richard Mitchell ..............Franklin Square, N.Y. 35 ....Austin P. Davidow............Glen Head, N.Y. 37 ....Philip Daniel Antohi ........Glen Head, N.Y. 50 ....Benjamin Pleat................Roslyn, N.Y. 52 ....Lamar Remy ..................Roslyn, N.Y. 53 ....Josh Silverstein ..............Great Neck, N.Y. 54 ....Matthew R. Demichiel ....Hewlett, N.Y. 60 ....John P. D’Alessandro ......Northport, N.Y. 61 ....Julian Alexi Zlobinsky ......Greenvale, N.Y. 62 ....Mark Daniel Temporal ....Carle Place, N.Y. 63 ....Ethan Hayden Handa ......Rockville Centre, N.Y. 70 ....Sander Brenner ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 71 ....Conor Mullins..................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 75 ....Brian W. Slivonik ............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 76 ....Dylan Hobbs Appel ..........Locust Valley, N.Y. 78 ....Tyler J. Hoffman..............Sayville, N.Y. 81 ....Zachary A. Lessen ..........Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 84 ....Conor Dauer....................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 86 ....Alex C. Sacher ................Glen Head, N.Y. 87 ....Brandon T. Stone ............Melville, N.Y. 94 ....Gabriel P. Lazar ..............Hewlett, N.Y. 98 ....Stephan Savin ................Valley Stream, N.Y. 101 ..Nick Bauer ......................Great River, N.Y. 103 ..Jared R. Halstrom ..........Bellmore, N.Y. 105 ..Benjamin Q. King ............East Meadow, N.Y. 116 ..Drew F. Feldman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 120 ..Jeremy Dubin ................Southampton, N.Y. 125 ..Aaron Nussdorf ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 126 ..Guanlongrichard Chen ....Northport, N.Y. 129 ..Dylan Ander ....................Hewlett, N.Y. 131 ..Marcell Rengifo ..............Copiague, N.Y. 133 ..Michael A. Vera ..............Bethpage, N.Y. 135 ..Josh Young......................Old Bethpage, N.Y. 146 ..Benjamin Rosen ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 148 ..Gregory M. Abrahams......Baldwin, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ................................City 6 ......Bert Vancura ..................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 8 ......Shaun Bernstein..............Plainview, N.Y. 14 ....Alexander Friedlich..........Great Neck, N.Y. 17 ....Oliver Loutsenko ............Bellmore, N.Y. 19 ....Dennis Zlobinsky ............Greenvale, N.Y. 22 ....Howard Weiss ................Great Neck, N.Y. 26 ....Eric Rubin ......................Lido Beach, N.Y. 29 ....Matthew O. Barry ............Long Beach, N.Y. 30 ....Josh Levine ....................Syosset, N.Y. 34 ....Eric Ambrosio..................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 35 ....Shane Giannetti ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 36 ....Jensen Reiter..................Syosset, N.Y.

41 ....Andrew Yaraghi ..............Mill Neck, N.Y. 45 ....Jonathan Defrancesch ....Manhasset, N.Y. 47 ....Zachary Morris................Garden City, N.Y. 49 ....Jonahiby Tauil ................Valley Stream, N.Y. 54 ....Austin Blau......................Roslyn, N.Y. 56 ....Jason Hubsher ................Sands Point, N.Y. 58 ....David Greenbaum ..........Great Neck, N.Y. 60 ....Alan S. Pleat....................Roslyn, N.Y. 61 ....Harrison Digia ................Manhasset, N.Y. 68 ....Alex Tropiano ..................Syosset, N.Y. 69 ....Zachary Mintz ................Roslyn, N.Y. 71 ....Brandon Li ......................Jericho, N.Y. 72 ....Douglas Hoch..................Glen Head, N.Y. 73 ....Brian Hui ........................East Meadow, N.Y. 87 ....Paul Abrudescu ..............Great Neck, N.Y. 93 ....Richard Sipala ................Quogue, N.Y. 95 ....Scott Rabinowitz ............Dix Hills, N.Y. 107 ..Michael T. Puntillo ..........Sands Point, N.Y. 108 ..Kevin Katz ......................Woodbury, N.Y. 114 ..Michael Paul ..................Baldwin, N.Y. 117 ..Michael Galatsky ............Bellmore, N.Y. 120 ..Matthew Lam..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 121 ..Ignacio Casali..................Farmingdale, N.Y. 122 ..Adam S. Gottlieb ............Great Neck, N.Y. 128 ..Matthew J. Richards ......Bayport, N.Y. 130 ..Aidan Talcott ..................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 135 ..Christian Thienel ............East Quogue, N.Y. 136 ..Alex S. Werman ..............Roslyn, N.Y. 137 ..Stephen Peng..................Woodbury, N.Y. 138 ..Alexander Morris ............Garden City, N.Y. 140 ..Constantinos L. Papavasiliou..Roslyn, N.Y. 145 ..Daniel R. Grinshteyn........Hewlett, N.Y. 146 ..Darren Reisch ................Floral Park, N.Y. 149 ..Patrick Brosnan ..............Garden City, N.Y. 150 ..JT Esposito ....................Rockville Centre, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ................................City 3 ......Daniel Kreyman ..............Long Beach, N.Y. 6 ......Shaun Bernstein..............Plainview, N.Y. 19 ....Bryan Roberts ................Commack, N.Y. 24 ....Joseph Michalisin ..........Melville, N.Y. 29 ....Joseph Agler ..................North Bellmore, N.Y. 30 ....Corey Morgenstern..........Old Bethpage, N.Y. 35 ....Shane Giannetti ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 44 ....Morgan Dauer ................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 48 ....Zachary Weiss ................Great Neck, N.Y. 53 ....Dennis Zlobinsky ............Greenvale, N.Y. 56 ....Brendan Ruddock............Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 57 ....Jason Simon ..................Roslyn, N.Y. 60 ....Bruce Grant ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 63 ....Ryan Fitzgerald ..............East Williston, N.Y. 64 ....Brett Byron......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 67 ....Steven Milo ....................Woodbury, N.Y. 69 ....Joshua Katten ................Plainview, N.Y. 73 ....Zachary A. Dean..............Commack, N.Y. 75 ....Oliver Loutsenko ............Bellmore, N.Y. 86 ....Alexander Friedlich..........Great Neck, N.Y. 90 ....Eric Shyu ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 111 ..Brandon Burns ................Wheatley Heights, N.Y. 122 ..Dylan Matthew Roberts ..Holtsville, N.Y. 135 ..Adam D. Mernit ..............Huntington Station, N.Y. 141 ..Brian Hui ........................East Meadow, N.Y. 142 ..Allen C.D. Jebsen ............Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 145 ..Benjamin Bogard ............Lido Beach, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 10 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ................................City 4 ......Celeste Rose Matute ......Amityville, N.Y. 7 ......Alexa Graham ................Garden City, N.Y. 11 ....Claire Handa ..................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 13 ....Stephanie Chikvashvili ....Syosset, N.Y. 15 ....Courtney Kowalsky..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 21 ....Caitlin Cosme..................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 23 ....Dominique Woinarowski..Syosset, N.Y. 31 ....Ashley Bespechny ..........Hewlett, N.Y. 41 ....Emily Kate Shutman........Huntington, N.Y.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

LONG 41 ....Emily Kate Shutman........Huntington, N.Y. 45 ....Jacqueline Rae Bukzin ....Manorville, N.Y. 51 ....Devika Kedia ..................East Norwich, N.Y. 61 ....Hannah Rosalie Dayton ..East Hampton, N.Y. 63 ....Emma Alexis Weinberg....Port Washington, N.Y. 68 ....Emily Austin ....................Hewlett, N.Y. 70 ....Jasmine Olivia Abidi ........Glen Head, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ................................City 8 ......Isabella Pascucci ............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 9 ......Madison Battaglia ..........Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 13 ....Mia Vecchio ....................Manhasset Hills, N.Y. 18 ....Samantha Perri ..............Floral Park, N.Y. 22 ....Rachel Gastaldo ..............Syosset, N.Y. 24 ....Maria Korshunova ..........Oceanside, N.Y. 28 ....Morgan Kelly Herrmann ..Garden City, N.Y. 30 ....Danielle Giannetti............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 34 ....Karen A. Serina ..............Islip Terrace, N.Y. 46 ....Nicole Giannetti ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 48 ....Alexandra Lipps ............Roslyn, N.Y. 49 ....Lauren Ann Livingston ....Sands Point, N.Y. 51 ....Olivia Funk......................Hicksville, N.Y. 57 ....Alexa Graham ................Garden City, N.Y. 64 ....Jeannie Lozowski............Amityville, N.Y. 70 ....Madison Courtney Appel..Locust Valley, N.Y. 77 ....Taylor S. Cosme ..............New Hyde Park, N.Y. 82 ....Aimee Manfredo..............Shoreham, N.Y. 84 ....Brittany Burke ................Garden City, N.Y. 86 ....Celeste Rose Matute ......Amityville, N.Y. 89 ....Marissa Luchs ................Roslyn, N.Y. 90 ....Michelle Vancura ............New Hyde Park, N.Y. 94 ....Elena Nitsa Maria NastasiBayville, N.Y. 100 ..Ariana Hwang ................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 103 ..Bridget Elaine Harding ....Northport, N.Y. 109 ..Julia Ciardullo ................Locust Valley, N.Y. 110 ..Katie Jane Cirella ............Woodbury, N.Y. 111 ..Shanice Nadia Arthur ......Glen Head, N.Y. 114 ..Sarah Paul ......................Baldwin, N.Y. 118 ..Caroline Keating..............Huntington, N.Y. 121 ..Vanessa Scott ................Dix Hills, N.Y. 126 ..Stacy Denbaum ..............Syosset, N.Y. 131 ..Caitlin M. Cosme ............New Hyde Park, N.Y. 138 ..Emily Morgenbesser........Bayport, N.Y. 144 ..Annelise Meyding............Port Washington, N.Y. 148 ..Courtney Digia ................Manhasset, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ................................City 2 ......Julia Elbaba ....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 7 ......Stephanie Loutsenko ......Bellmore, N.Y. 8 ......Hannah L. Camhi ............Woodbury, N.Y. 12 ....Claudia Li........................Jericho, N.Y. 14 ....Vivian Cheng ..................Woodbury, N.Y. 16 ....Sophie R. Barnard ..........Mill Neck, N.Y. 20 ....Morgan C. Feldman ........Glen Head, N.Y. 25 ....Nadia Smergut ................East Hampton, N.Y. 32 ....Lauren Wagner................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 35 ....Sara R. Finger ................Saint James, N.Y. 42 ....Gabriella Nicole Leon ......Woodmere, N.Y. 48 ....Bianca Posa ....................Valley Stream, N.Y. 49 ....Paulina Tafler ..................Oceanside, N.Y. 63 ....Sunaina Vohra ................Glen Head, N.Y. 68 ....Rithika D. Reddy..............Syosset, N.Y. 69 ....Maria Korshunova ..........Oceanside, N.Y. 83 ....Laura Torsiello ................Bayport, N.Y. 87 ....Veronika Paikin ..............Valley Stream, N.Y. 94 ....Courtney Keating ............Huntington, N.Y. 97 ....Ruth Freilich....................Lawrence, N.Y. 102 ..Julia Zhuang ..................Great Neck, N.Y. 105 ..Megan M. Tamborrino ....Massapequa Park, N.Y. 111 ..Jennifer Ferguson ..........Franklin Square, N.Y. 115 ..Zenat Rashidzada............Dix Hills, N.Y. 132 ..Ola Mally ........................Franklin Square, N.Y. 135 ..Karishma Ramesh Tank ..New Hyde Park, N.Y. 136 ..Amanda Nowak ..............Huntington, N.Y. 140 ..Zoe B. Lesperance ..........Southampton, N.Y.

ISLAND

RANKINGS

149 ..Isabella Pascucci ............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 150 ..Claudia Ruiz....................Glen Head, N.Y.

Boys & Girls National Rankings

750 ..Brett Byron......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 823 ..Ryan Fitzgerald ..............East Williston, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Region

(as of 04/08/09)

National Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Players

Rank Name ................................City 6 ......Katherine Yau ..................Manhasset, N.Y. 8 ......Julia Elbaba ....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 9 ......Shelby Talcott..................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 13 ....Jacqueline Raynor ..........Garden City, N.Y. 18 ....Hannah L. Camhi ............Woodbury, N.Y. 31 ....Samantha Gann ..............Massapequa, N.Y. 32 ....Ashley T. Harel ................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 43 ....Stephanie Loutsenko ......Bellmore, N.Y. 45 ....Devlin-Ann Ammendola ..Massapequa, N.Y. 46 ....Brooke Pottish ................East Quogue, N.Y. 48 ....Diana Vamvakitis ............Quogue, N.Y. 50 ....Deana Davoudias ............Rockville Centre, N.Y. 63 ....Taylor A. Diffley ..............Hampton Bays, N.Y. 70 ....Sophie R. Barnard ..........Mill Neck, N.Y. 71 ....Paige J. Mintz ................Roslyn, N.Y. 72 ....Samantha Rosca-Sipot....Malverne, N.Y. 73 ....Morgan C. Feldman ........Glen Head, N.Y. 74 ....Jamie Hann ....................Westhampton, N.Y. 76 ....Missy Edelblum ..............Roslyn, N.Y. 82 ....Tarrin Joslin ....................Hampton Bays, N.Y. 89 ....Emma Brenner................Great Neck, N.Y. 93 ....Carly Siegel ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 97 ....Samantha Elgort ............Melville, N.Y. 102 ..Vivian Cheng ..................Woodbury, N.Y. 104 ..Ludmila Yamus................Melville, N.Y. 106 ..Robin R. Mehta ..............Manhasset, N.Y. 107 ..Marissa Lazar ................Hewlett, N.Y. 113 ..Lauren Wagner................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 118 ..Lauren Sickles ................Massapequa Park, N.Y. 126 ..Elizabeth Caroline Rossi ..Flanders, N.Y. 132 ..Veronika Paikin ..............Valley Stream, N.Y. 137 ..Melissa Carlay ................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 140 ..Elan King ........................Baldwin, N.Y. 142 ..Bianca Posa ....................Valley Stream, N.Y. 146 ..Amanda Seeley ..............Sound Beach, N.Y. 147 ..Hannah Hinchcliffe ..........Mineola, N.Y. 149 ..Amy Ginny Naula ............East Hampton, N.Y.

National Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Players

Rank Name ................................City 153 ..Paulina Tafler ..................Oceanside, N.Y. 248 ..Isabella Pascucci ............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 261 ..Rachel Gastaldo ..............Syosset, N.Y. 312 ..Madison Battaglia ..........Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 325 ..Maria Korshunova ..........Oceanside, N.Y. 373 ..Mia Vecchio ....................Manhasset Hills, N.Y. 497 ..Sunaina Vohra ................Glen Head, N.Y. 530 ..Samantha Perri ..............Floral Park, N.Y. 730 ..Claudia Ruiz....................Glen Head, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Region

National Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Players

Rank Name ................................City 3 ......Jennifer Kellner ..............Smithtown, N.Y. 6 ......Kristin Norton..................Port Washington, N.Y. 10 ....Mollie Anderson ..............Melville, N.Y. 12 ....Julia Elbaba ....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 13 ....Olivia Pascucci................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 14 ....Kelsey Raynor ................Garden City, N.Y. 17 ....Blair Seideman................Glen Head, N.Y. 19 ....Nicolle Stracar ................Jericho, N.Y. 20 ....Aylin Mehter....................Massapequa, N.Y. 27 ....Jessica Podlofsky............Port Washington, N.Y. 32 ....Jordana Kono..................Glen Head, N.Y. 35 ....Shelby Bates ..................Jericho, N.Y. 37 ....Shelby Talcott..................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 39 ....Jennifer Fridman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 45 ....Katherine Hanson............Smithtown, N.Y. 48 ....Andrea Samlin ................Merrick, N.Y. 57 ....Ashley T. Harel ................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 65 ....Robyn Romanoff ............Centereach, N.Y. 72 ....Holly Reich......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 89 ....Kristin M. Alotta ..............West Islip, N.Y. 91 ....Amanda B. Halstrom ......Bellmore, N.Y. 96 ....Ryann Cutillo ..................Kings Park, N.Y. 99 ....Kara E. Caulfield..............Sayville, N.Y. 103 ..Jessie Rubin ..................Merrick, N.Y. 104 ..Cassie Bender ................Amityville, N.Y. 107 ..Andrea Arreguin ..............Hicksville, N.Y. 108 ..Brooke Pottish ................East Quogue, N.Y. 121 ..Eliza J. Budd ..................Locust Valley, N.Y. 126 ..Marissa D. Lazar ............Hewlett, N.Y. 132 ..Laura Chen ....................Port Washington, N.Y. 133 ..Hannah L. Camhi ............Woodbury, N.Y. 149 ..Rachel Marc....................Woodmere, N.Y.

Rank Name ................................City 40 ....Shaun Bernstein..............Plainview, N.Y. 104 ..Bert Vancura ..................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 152 ..Oliver Loutsenko ............Bellmore, N.Y. 191 ..Dennis Zlobinsky ............Greenvale, N.Y. 225 ..Zachary Weiss ................Great Neck, N.Y. 244 ..Alexander Friedlich..........Great Neck, N.Y. 312 ..Shane Giannetti ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 324 ..Brendan Ruddock............Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 392 ..Howard Weiss ................Great Neck, N.Y. 401 ..Eric Shyu ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 433 ..Corey Morgenstern..........Old Bethpage, N.Y. 468 ..Jonathan DeFrancesch....Manhasset, N.Y. 512 ..Eric Ambrosio..................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 564 ..Jensen Reiter..................Syosset, N.Y. 624 ..Josh Levine ....................Syosset, N.Y. 688 ..David Greenbaum ..........Great Neck, N.Y. 807 ..Adam D. Mernit ..............Huntington Station, N.Y. 868 ..Brandon Li ......................Jericho, N.Y. 931 ..Ryan Fitzgerald ..............East Williston, N.Y.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

Rank Name ................................City 50 ....Noah Rubin ....................Merrick, N.Y. 80 ....Julian Alexi Zlobinsky ......Greenvale, N.Y. 97 ....Josh Silverstein ..............Great Neck, N.Y. 114 ..Alexander Lebedev..........Island Park, N.Y. 123 ..Conor Mullins..................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 259 ..Lubomir Cuba ................Massapequa, N.Y. 292 ..Eric Wagner ....................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 350 ..Dylan Hobbs Appel ..........Locust Valley, N.Y. 373 ..Jared Halstrom ..............Bellmore, N.Y. 406 ..Lamar Remy ..................Roslyn, N.Y. 418 ..Zain Ali............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 481 ..Benjamin Pleat................Roslyn, N.Y. 492 ..Dennis Uspensky ............Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 603 ..Brandon T. Stone ............Melville, N.Y.

National Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ................................City 54 ....Howard Weiss ................Great Neck, N.Y. 58 ....Josh Levine ....................Syosset, N.Y. 75 ....Noah Rubin ....................Merrick, N.Y. 82 ....Andrew Yaraghi ..............Mill Neck, N.Y. 116 ..Ethan Bogard ..................Lido Beach, N.Y. 141 ..Samuel Lam....................Old Westbury, N.Y. 152 ..Matthew O. Barry ............Long Beach, N.Y. 176 ..Aidan Talcott ..................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 201 ..Alan S. Pleat....................Roslyn, N.Y. 253 ..Vihar Shah ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 297 ..Jensen H. Reiter..............Syosset, N.Y. 381 ..Jonahiby Tauli ................Valley Stream, N.Y. 441 ..Michael Paul ..................Baldwin, N.Y. 642 ..Kevin Katz ......................Woodbury, N.Y. 723 ..Zain Ali............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 786 ..Eric Rubin ......................Lido Beach, N.Y. 870 ..Brendan Henry ................Massapequa, N.Y.

National Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ................................City 149 ..Daniel Kreyman ..............Long Beach, N.Y. 186 ..Shaun Bernstein..............Plainview, N.Y. 224 ..Bryan Roberts ................Commack, N.Y. 248 ..Joseph Michalisin ..........Melville, N.Y. 280 ..Joseph Agler ..................North Bellmore, N.Y. 306 ..Zachary Weiss ................Great Neck, N.Y. 489 ..Eric Shyu ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 523 ..Brendan Ruddock............Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 596 ..Morgan Dauer ................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.

National Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ................................City 14 ....Julia Elbaba ....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 60 ....Katherine Yau ..................Manhasset, N.Y. 80 ....Hannah Camhi ................Woodbury, N.Y. 146 ..Morgan Feldman ............Glen Head, N.Y. 156 ..Stephanie Loutsenko ......Bellmore, N.Y. 158 ..Claudia Li........................Jericho, N.Y. 302 ..Vivian Cheng ..................Woodbury, N.Y. 331 ..Sophie Barnard ..............Mill Neck, N.Y. 339 ..Lauren Wagner................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 419 ..Nadia Smergut ................East Hampton, N.Y. 621 ..Samantha Rosca-Sipot....Malverne, N.Y. 718 ..Taylor Diffley ..................Hampton Bays, N.Y. 721 ..Devlin-Ann Ammendola ..Massapequa, N.Y.

National Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ................................City 12 ....Jennifer Kellner ..............Smithtown, N.Y. 175 ..Shelby Talcott..................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 243 ..Jessica Podlofsky............Port Washington, N.Y. 248 ..Amanda B. Halstrom ......Bellmore, N.Y. 320 ..Olivia Pascucci................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 378 ..Jacqueline Raynor ..........Garden City, N.Y. 397 ..Julia Elbaba ....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 548 ..Ashley Harel....................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 635 ..Samantha Gann ..............Massapequa, N.Y. 644 ..Hannah Camhi ................Woodbury, N.Y. 668 ..Aylin Mehter....................Massapequa, N.Y.

National Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ................................City 10 ....Blair Seideman................Glen Head, N.Y. 30 ....Kristin Norton..................Port Washington, N.Y. 73 ....Jennifer Kellner ..............Smithtown, N.Y. 82 ....Jordana Kono..................Glen Head, N.Y. 110 ..Nicolle Stracar ................Jericho, N.Y. 163 ..Mollie Anderson ..............Melville, N.Y. 337 ..Olivia Pascucci................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 386 ..Jessica Podlofsky............Port Washington, N.Y. 398 ..Katherine Hanson............Smithtown, N.Y. 407 ..Shelby Bates ..................Jericho, N.Y. 439 ..Kelsey Raynor ................Garden City, N.Y. 541 ..Ryann Cutillo ..................Kings Park, N.Y. 566 ..Kristin M. Alotta ..............West Islip, N.Y. 579 ..Amanda Wu ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 600 ..Jennifer Fridman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 644 ..Aylin Mehter....................Massapequa, N.Y.

USTA/Long Island Region 2009

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. MAY 2009 Friday-Sunday, May 1-3 L3 LBTC Eastern UPS Championship Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: BG (16-18)s, RR Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, April 27 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, May 8-10 L2R Long Island Regional Westhampton Championship Westhampton Beach Tennis & Sport Club 86 Depot Road Westhampton Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked BG (12-16)s, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, April 24 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 288-6060.

Friday-Sunday, May 1-3 & Friday-Sunday, May 8-10 Marvelous May The Tennis King • 25 The Tulips • Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked M (30, 40, 50, 60, 70)sd Entry Fee: $60 for singles, $60 for doubles, add $8 for late fee (deadline for entries is Monday, April 27 at 10:00 a.m.) For more information, call (516) 551-4389.

Friday-Sunday, May 8-10 L1 Nick Brebenel Championship Nick Brebenel Tournament Training Center 262 Knoll Lane • Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked G (16)sd, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, April 24 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 852-0591.

Friday-Sunday, May 1-3 & Friday-Sunday, May 8-10 L2R Long Island Wilson Regional Championship Ryan Kelly Memorial Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway • Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: BG (10-18)s, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, April 17 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 421-0040. Friday, May 8 Men’s Clay Championships Sportime Roslyn Landing Road, P.O. Box 1 • Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: M (35, 45, 55)s, SE Entry Fee: $59.63 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 1 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222. Friday-Sunday, May 8-10 L1 LBTC Championship Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: BG (12)s, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, April 24 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060. Friday-Sunday, May 8-10 Long Island Championship Anuj Agarwai Memorial Deer Park Tennis Center Inc. 30 Burt Drive • Deer Park, N.Y. Divisions: BG (14)s, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, April 24 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 667-3476.

Friday-Sunday, May 8-10 L3 Sportime Eastern UPS Championship Sportime Massapequa 5600 Old Sunrise Highway Massapequa, N.Y. Divisions: Unranked BG (10-18)s, RR Entry Fee: $43.50 for one event, $46.50 for two events per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 799-3550. Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 & Friday-Monday, May 22-25 +L1 Eastern Designated Closed Championship, USTA L3 FIC Sportime Tennis Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Championships B (14)sd, FIC Entry Fee: $54.25 for singles, $28 per doubles player, an additional $25 for players qualifying or accepted directly to the main draw (deadline for entries is Friday, May 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 933-8500. Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 & Friday-Monday, May 22-25 +L1 Eastern Designated Closed Championship, USTA L3 FIC Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked G (18)sd, FIC Entry Fee: $54.25 per singles, an additional $25 for players qualifying or accepted directly to the main draw (deadline for entries is Friday, May 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 887-1330.

Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 & Friday-Monday, May 22-25 +L1 Eastern Designated Closed Championship, USTA L3, FIC Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center 60 Sea Cliff Avenue Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: G (16)sd, FIC Entry Fee: $54.25 per singles, $28 per doubles, an additional $25 for players qualifying or accepted directly to the main draw (deadline for entries is Friday, May 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 759-0505.

Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 & Friday-Monday, May 22-25 +L1 Eastern Designated Closed Championship, USTA L3 FIC Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked G (14)sd, FIC Entry Fee: $54.25 per singles, $28 per doubles, an additional $25 for players qualifying or accepted directly to the main draw (deadline for entries is Friday, May 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 883-6425.

Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 & Friday-Monday, May 22-25 +L1 Eastern Designated Closed Championship, USTA L3 FIC Sportime Roslyn Landing Road, P.O. Box 1 • Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: B (12)sd, FIC Entry Fee: $54.25 per singles, $28 per doubles, an additional $25 for players qualifying or accepted directly to the main draw (deadline for entries is Friday, May 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Thursday-Monday, May 21-25 North Shore Long Island Memorial Day Championship The Tennis King 25 The Tulips Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked M (35, 45)s, FMLC; M (55)s, FICS; M (60, 70)s, FMLC; M (35, 45, 55-60, 70)d, FMLC Entry Fee: $60 for singles, $60 for doubles, add $8 for late fee (deadline for entries is Monday, May 18 at 10:00 a.m.) For more information, call (516) 551-4389.

Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 & Friday-Monday, May 22-25 +L1 Eastern Designated Closed Championship, USTA L3 FIC Point Set Indoor Racquet Club 3065 New Street Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: B (16)sd, FIC Entry Fee: $54.25 per singles, $28 per doubles, an additional $25 for players qualifying or accepted directly to the main draw (deadline for entries is Friday, May 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 536-2323.

Thursday-Saturday, May 21-23 North Shore Memorial Open 2009 by Maverick Tennis CP Club to be determined Divisions: Unranked NMW (4.0)s; NM (3.54.0)d; NW (4.0)d Entry Fee: $38.13 for singles, $28 per player for doubles (deadline for entries is Tuesday, May 19 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 807-3716.

Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 L20 Open Challenger Nick Brebenel Tournament Training Center 262 Knoll Lane • Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked BG (18)s, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 852-0591.

Thursday-Monday, May 21-25 L2R Long Island Wilson Regional Championship Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked B(10-18)s, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 8 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 421-0040.

Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 L2R Long Island Atlantic Beach Junior Challenger Atlantic Beach Tennis Center 60 The Plaza • Atlantic Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked BG (10-16)s, SE Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, May 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 239-3388.

Friday-Sunday, May 22-24 L1 Nick Brebenel Championship Nick Brebenel Tournament Training Center 262 Knoll Lane Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked BG (10)sd, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 8 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 852-0591.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

USTA/Long Island Region 2009

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, May 22-24 L3 Sportime Lynbrook Eastern UPS Championship Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road • Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Unranked BG (14-10)s, RR Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 8 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 887-1330. Friday-Sunday, May 29-31 L1 Sportime Kings Park Summer Championship Sportime Kings Park 275 Old Indian Head Road • Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked G (16-12)s, SE Entry Fee: $45 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 15 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 269-6300. Friday-Sunday, May 29-31 L1 Sportime Bethpage Summer Championship Sportime Tennis Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked B(14)s, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 15 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 933-8500. Friday-Sunday, May 29-31 L1 Sportime LR Summer Championship Sportime Roslyn Landing Road, P.O. Box 1 • Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked B(12)s, SE Entry Fee: $45 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 15 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222. Friday-Sunday, May 29-31 L1 Long Beach Championship Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked BG (18)sd, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 15 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060. JUNE 2009 Friday-Sunday, June 5-7 L2R Long Island Regional Long Beach Championship Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked B(10-18)s, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, June 5-7 L2R Long Island Regional Westhampton Championship Westhampton Beach Tennis & Sport Club 86 Depot Road Westhampton Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked BG (16-12)s, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 288-6060. Friday-Sunday, June 5-7 Nick Brebenel Eastern UPS Championship Nick Brebenel Tournament Training Center 262 Knoll Lane Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: BG (18-10)s, RR Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 852-0591. Friday-Sunday, June 5-7 L2R Long Island Regional Atlantic Beach Girls Championship Atlantic Beach Tennis Center 60 The Plaza Atlantic Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked G (18-10)s, SE Entry Fee: $45 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 239-3388. Friday-Sunday, June 5-7 M40, 50, 60sd Har-Tru Championship Sportime Roslyn Landing Road, P.O. Box 1 Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked M (40, 50, 65)sd, SE Entry Fee: $65 for singles, $33 per player for doubles (deadline for entries is Friday, May 29 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222. Saturday-Saturday, June 6-13 Glamorous Affaires by Felicia Sportime in the Hamptons Tennis Open Sportime of the Hamptons P.O. Box 965 Quogue, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked M (Op, 45, 60)s; W (Op)sd; M (Op)d Entry Fee: $75 for singles players, $100 for doubles (deadline for entries is Thursday, June 4 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 653-6767.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2009

Friday-Sunday, June 12-14 Summer Championship I Westhampton Beach Tennis & Sport Club 86 Depot Road • Westhampton Beach, N.Y. Divisions: M (Op, 50, 65)sd Entry Fee: $59.63 per singles player, $33 per player for doubles (deadline for entries is Friday, June 5 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 288-6060.

Friday-Sunday, June 26-28 L3 Deer Park Tennis Eastern UPS Championship Deer Park Tennis Center Inc. 30 Burt Drive Deer Park, N.Y. Divisions: Unranked BG (10-18)s, RR Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, June 12 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 667-3476.

Friday-Sunday, June 12-14 & June 19-21 L2R Long Island Regional Point Set Championship Point Set Indoor Racquet Club 3065 New Street Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked BG (10-18)s, SE Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, June 6 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 536-2323.

Friday-Sunday, June 26-28 L1 Long Beach Championship Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked BG (10)s, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, June 12 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, June 12-14 L3 Huntington Eastern UPS Championship Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: Unranked BG (10-18)s, RR Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 29 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 421-0040.

Friday-Tuesday, June 26-30 L1 Port Washington Championship Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked BG (12-18)s, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, June 12 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 883-6425.

Friday-Sunday, June 12-14 L1B Sportime Bethpage Challenger Sportime Tennis Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked BG (16-18, 10)s, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 29 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Sunday, June 26-28 L2R Long Island Regional Sportime LR Championship Sportime Roslyn Landing Road, P.O. Box 1 Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked BG (10-18)s, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, June 12 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Sunday, June 19-21 & June 26-28 Summer Solstice The Tennis King 25 The Tulips • Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked M (25, 35-40, 55, 70)sd, FMLC Entry Fee: $60 for singles, $60 for doubles, add $8 for late fee (deadline for entries is Monday, June 15 at 10:00 a.m.) For more information, call (516) 551-4389.

Monday-Sunday, June 29-July 5 L2O NB Open Challenger Nick Brebenel Tournament Training Center 262 Knoll Lane Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Unranked G (10-18)s, SE Entry Fee: $45 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, June 15 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 852-0591.

Friday-Sunday, June 19-21 L3 LBTC Eastern UPS Championship Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Unranked BG (10-16)s, RR Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, June 5 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060.

Monday-Friday, June 29-July 3 L2O Long Beach Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked B (10-18)s, SE Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, June 15 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060.

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