Yankee PROse Fall / Winter 2021

YANKEE PROSE

The Newsletter of the USPTA New England Division

FALL / WINTER 2021

Happy Holidays

In this newsletter:

P r e s ident's Me s s a g e P a g e 01

S t a t e News & A r t i c l e s P a g e 10 L e t t er to the "E d i t o r " P a g e 29

USPTA New England Board of Directors Regional President: Mike Kolendo m_kolendo@charter.net

Regional Vice President: Michael Mercier supermiketennis1@gmail.com

Vice President: Lisa Wilcott metennis@comcast.net

Vice President: Christy Bennett bennett@newengland.usta.com

Vice President: Milan Kubala stowemiles@gmail.com

Treasurer: Chris Stevens stevens10spro@gmail.com

Secretary: Steve O'Connell steveoconnellrs@gmail.com

Head Tester: Wayne Turner wayne.turner54@icloud.com

A A MESSAGE MESSAGE FROM FROM OUR OUR PRESIDENT: PRESIDENT: MIKE MIKE KOLENDO KOLENDO Dear Tennis, Racquet, and Paddle Professionals, I want to take this opportunity to explain what has happened and is still happening with our nominating and election of next term’s Board of Officers.

Understandably, there is some confusion regarding why this process was stalled for quite some time. In an effort to help everyone understand what’s going on, I’ll do my best to explain what caused the issue that stalled our election and let you know how we’ll proceed moving forward.

Before I begin, I need to thank our Nominating Committee for their perseverance through this tumultuous process. Under the best of circumstances, their job is difficult, time consuming, and often thankless. We’re very lucky to have such a dedicated group of tennis professionals who did their very best to both follow the guidelines laid down in our bylaws and to produce a slate of Officers they believe will best govern our Division.

Background: Prior to last term’s election, the National Board handed down a new set of “Model Bylaws” for all of the Divisions to follow. Each Division had some latitude to make minor changes to account for each division’s individuality, but the lion share of changes were non-negotiable.

Our current Board of Officers, one that went through the new process last term, originally had eight voting members representing the following positions: President, Regional Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, 3 Vice Presidents, and the Immediate Past President. This has been been our Board’s structure for as long as anyone I’ve talked with can remember.

When Patricio Misitrano stepped down as President, we were left with 7 members and we reorganized in a way that left the Immediate Past President position vacant for the remainder of this current term of office. As you’ll see shortly, this current Board structure was the first of several issues that led us to where we are today.

Recent history: Many months ago during a phone conversation with USPTA Executive Director John Embree, he mentioned that the National Board was considering the possibility of “recycling” the same Board members for another term in office. I assume this was because so many things weren’t possible during the pandemic.

John wondered if our New England Board would be interested in doing the same.

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 01

To be clear, he was neither suggesting that we should or shouldn’t; it was simply an information-gathering question. I told him that I’d broach the topic at our next meeting. At that meeting, we agreed to pursue this course of action, but also agreed that we should check with USPTA Legal Counsel to be certain it would be allowed.

USPTA Legal Counsel, George Parnell, checked our New England bylaws and concluded that there was nothing that prevented the current Board from “recycling.” He did note that we were still required to go through the nominating process as outlined in our bylaws. He noted further that the Nominating Committee could choose to put the current Board on the next slate, or not. They could put some of the current Board members on, but not others. In other words, there could be no guarantee.

USPTA New England State Presidents:

Connecticut: Paul Coorssen pcoorssen@gmail.com & Kyle Devlin kyle@DevlinRacquetSports.com What wasn’t discussed, unfortunately, was that we had a vacant position on

our current Board of Officers. I didn’t bring it up since we’d notified Mr. Maine: Parnell and the National Board of our current structure just after Patricio’s Wilbur Shardlow departure. Apparently, George didn’t remember or take it into account when shardlowtennis@roadrunner.com he counseled me that our current Board could pursue a second term.

Massachusetts: This oversight proved significant because our new bylaws clearly state that Stu Lehr the Nominating Committee MUST produce a “complete slate.” Recall that the stuartklehr@gmail.com original slate produced did not include an Immediate Past President. & I attended the first part of the Nominating Committee’s initial meeting to Phil Hayman answer any questions they might have. I informed them of our Board’s hope hayman.phillip@yahoo.com to repeat as currently structured. I also recounted my conversation with Mr.

Parnell as I understood it at the time — and as I believe he understood it at New Hampshire: the time.

Richard Lane rlaneii@comcast.net Based on this information, and their interviews with all candidates for next

term’s Board, the Nominating Committee produced a slate of officers that Rhode Island: included seven members, two of which were new. Challenges ensued, as Nestor Bernabe outlined in our bylaws, and we were proceeding with an election when nestortennis@gmail.com National stepped in and “hit pause.” The reason: the slate was incomplete.

The Nominating Committee was required to reconvene and produce a Vermont: “complete slate.” Here’s where the oversight of the historical number of Joyce Doud members, the current number of board members, and the edict from jdoud@edgevt.com National to follow the “Model Bylaws” comes into play. Everyone in New

England believed that a complete slate meant eight officers, but the bylaws

on file at National indicate only seven; the difference: one Vice President

position. Mr. Parnell attended the Nominating Committee’s meeting and NE Executive Director: required them to fill only the following positions: President, Regional Vice Pam Dodman President, Treasurer, Secretary, 2 Vice Presidents, and Immediate Past pamela.dodman@uspta.org President. He listed the following two reasons:

(next page)

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 02

President's Message - continue 1. That the New England bylaws on file at National only list 2 Vice President positions.

2. That a Board should have an odd number of members to prevent a tie when voting.

The first time I, or any of our current Officers, heard about the discrepancy regarding the number of board members was when the Nominating Committee Chair called to tell us. This time the New England Board decided to “hit pause,” in order to figure out what was going on.

In reviewing our bylaws, we found that our New England bylaws give a sitting Board the right to add Officers as they see fit. In other words, the next Board will have the ability to add the third Vice President position which would effectively bypass the nominating process and our membership’s right to challenge the seat. In an effort to prevent the need to resort to this tactic, our Board held an emergency meeting on November 7th and amended our bylaws to add the 3rd Vice President position. Those minutes were sent to Mr. Parnell, John Embree, and Feisal Hassan, USPTA’s President. (Please contact me directly if you’d like to see the minutes from our meeting.)

Additionally, in response to being required to have an odd number of Officers, we noted that the National Board currently has eight Officers. We pointed out that this seemed to be a double standard.

Our request for the amendment was reviewed by Mr. Parnell who determined that the USPTA National Board would need to review our request and make the final decision. On November 16th, the National Board met and our request to amend our bylaws to add a 3rd Vice President was denied “at this time.” I was notified by email and no rationale for the decision was included.

Present time: So… here we are, and here is how we’ll proceed, as directed by National: 1.The Election Monitor, Wilbur Shardlow, released the final slate to the Membership on November 30th.

2. Members had a 10-day period, ending December 10th, to challenge a position on the slate.

3. If there were no challenges to the slate, the slate will take office in January 2022.

4. If there were challenges, there will be a 2-week election period.

5. We will host a Meet-the-Candidates Zoom session during the election period.

6. After any required voting results are tabulated, the elected slate will be announced.

7. The elected slate will take office in January 2022.

I, and all of our Board of Officers, apologize for the confusion. The process certainly has not played out smoothly nor as we believe it should. At this point, we’re simply acting as we’ve been directed by National. I encourage anyone with further questions to contact me directly. I’d be happy to talk with any of our members about this.

All The Best: Mike Kolendo, President, USPTA New England Division; m_kolendo@charter.net The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 03

Happy Holidays Chris Stevens

Christy Bennett

Lisa Wilcott

Wishing you and your family a joyful and healthy holiday, and best wishes for a wonderful New Year!

Mike Kolendo

Milan Kubala

Pam Dodman

Steve O'Connell

From Your USPTA New England Board Michael Mercier

Wayne Turner

Proposed Slate of Officers President: Mike Kolendo Mike Kolendo has been an active participant in all things tennis in New England and Nationally for over 25 years from participating on various USPTA/USTA boards and committees, to being a National USTA trainer, to captaining and playing on USTA Regional teams. He has been the Tennis Director at Northampton Recreation department in Massachusetts for 28 years. He is a USPTA Elite and Wheelchair Professional. His vision as president for USPTA New England is to provide quality educational events by focusing on stand-alone regional, in-person workshops in conjunction with continued virtual educational opportunities.

Regional VP: Lisa Wilcott Lisa Wilcott is in her 30th year as the Director of Tennis at York Golf and Tennis Club in York Harbor, Maine where she is responsible for managing and directing all aspects of the tennis club and pro shop at the 8 court facility for over 750 members. Lisa also implements and directs all programs and events, USTA teams, manages ten staff members and develops budgets for programs.

Lisa has also run her tennis management company, Mainely Tennis, for resort tennis clubs since 1992. Additionally, Lisa is currently the chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for USPTA NE, and serves as vice president for Tennis Without Borders.

Treasurer: Chris Stevens Chris Stevens has over 30 years of tennis industry experience. Currently the Racquet Sports Director at Wentworth by the Sea in NH (18 years), he has extensive college coaching experience and has a passion for expanding USPTA educational access to younger pros in New England. He has been on various committees in New England and has been part of the USPTA board for over 10 years. Chris looks forward to networking, and learning with and from fellow pros, and passing information and his passion to all professionals.

Secretary: Christy Bennett Christy Bennett has served on the USPTA NE board since 2020. She brings to this position a strong background in many aspects of tennis. She has been working for USTA NE since 2016, first as a Tennis Services Representative, serving both Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and now as the Director of USTA Leagues for USTA New England, guiding them through the tumultuous COVID era. Christy has also served as a Director of Tennis and as a USTA referee/official. Currently much of her time, when not managing the leagues, is used working with the Master’s Degree in Professional Tennis Management program at Bridgewater State University.

She is passionate about providing all communities throughout New England with educated tennis professionals.

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 05

Proposed Slate of Officers Vice President: Billy Previdi Billy Previdi is the Director of Racquet Sports at Old Saybrook Racquet Club. He was the Director of Tennis at the Guilford Racquet & Swim Club for 26 years beginning in 1981. Additionally, he developed the Previdi System that teaches tennis players doubles through drills, games, tactics, positioning, strategy, and teamwork. Billy is excited to bring his energy, experience, and knowledge of the tennis industry to the USPTA New England Board.

Vice President: Kristen Gerety Kristen Gerety is a passionate and energetic tennis professional with over eight years of experience, who has coached at the high school and college levels, as well as at a number of clubs in the Boston area. She also chairs the Public Relations Committee for USTA New England, and is a certified USTA official. Kristen’s enthusiasm for the sport, for learning, and for developing collaborative relationships will make her an excellent addition to the USPTA New England Board of Directors. Her vision for the next two years is to continue to enhance educational opportunities for racquet professionals in New England, and to expand the organization's social media presence.

Immediate Past President: Mike Mercier Mike Mercier is a USPTA Master Professional who has served on the USPTA New England Board of Directors since 2010. He has been the Head Tennis Professional at Harvard for over 20 years. His devotion to the organization is unparalleled, and combined with his deep experience as a professional, Mike is a leader who knows how to make things happen. Over the next two years, Mike is excited to create more opportunities for USPTA New England members to network, to learn, and simply to be a part of a great professional organization.

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 06

WORLD

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 07

CONFERENCE

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 08

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 09

Coming from...Maine So Why Attend a World Conference?

by Wilbur Shardlow, USPTA Elite Professional

l eft to ri ght: Ashl ey Hobson, Butch Stapl es, Wi l bur Shardl ow

We have all spent the time, money, and energy to become a USPTA certified teaching professional, so why should we spend the time to attend a divisional or world conference?

The answer is simple. It’s fun… and educational.

Did I say fun? Why did we get into tennis in the first place? This can be a chance to reconnect with some old friends, make some new friends, and share work experiences. A world or divisional conference is not only a great chance to reinvigorate our energy but to also revitalize the brain.

I just got back from the 2021 USPTA World Conference held in Las Vegas.

At the conference I did get a chance to meet and talk with Dr. Jim Loehr, Craig O’Shannessy, Kristina Adams and many other presenters. I’m always interested by the “different” approaches on the standard tennis subjects and view some different offerings. I always come back with something new I can use. This time it was “don’t be a starfish”.

The trade show was a good opportunity to check out some of the new technology being offered in the tennis world. The Theragun booth was a hoot watching some fellow pro’s getting a “body wrap”. Most of the major racquet and string manufacturers were there.

Luxilon did an educational seminar on strings and recommendations for age groups and levels of play.

I connected with some of my New England friends, met some new friend, and talked shop.

As usual we shared before, during, and after the seminars. BBQ night is always a fun time.

In closing, take the opportunity to attend a USPTA world, divisional, and/or local conference. You’ll have some fun, do some networking, and learn some new approaches.

You deserve it.

Wilbur Shardlow, USPTA Elite Professional USPTA NE Maine State President The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 10

Coming from...Maine My USPTA World Conference Experience

by Lisa Wilcott, USPTA Elite Professional I was lucky enough to attend the 2021 USPTA World Conference in Las Vegas September 18th-23rd. Although it was in person, we still were wearing masks to stay safe and stay COVID free while we were inside or in any transportation vehicles. It still was a risk going to Las Vegas, but I think for me, and I hope others, it was worth it. It was great to be able to reconnect with other USPTA Tennis Directors and Pros and leaders in the tennis world. To be able to have great conversations with people from all over the US about what their clubs and areas are doing was one of the biggest takeaways for me. Hearing from the leaders on the USPTA National Board was also very interesting, especially with the challenges these past 2 years through the “COVID year and a half”. This was also my first all day board meeting to attend at the Ex Comm meetings and I was thankful to have Pam Dodman and Mike Mercier by my side representing our USPTA New England Board.

Katri na Adams and Li sa Wi l cott

Of course, having Katrina Adams kick off the World Conference was very exciting, and even more fun when she came to our small New England & Eastern get together. I got the chance to speak with her about her book and other tennis related topics and she was around for the next few days, which was also nice to see her participating in the events.

I was also invited to be part of the Diversity & Inclusion National Task Force meeting as I am the New England Liaison to that group and participate in the Women's USPTA National The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 11

Coming from...Maine Meeting. It was great to hear about the progress the USPTA Task Force is doing and hear the others talk openly about the successes and issues that they have in their areas. Trish Faulkner headed up the Women's discussion, which was an honor, as she was one of the 3 recipients of the Hall of Fame Award. I enjoyed meeting and speaking with the other women in the room from all over the US and hear how they are involved in tennis at their clubs.

left to right: Vi Nguyen, Michael Mercier, Lisa Wilcott, Wilbur Shardlow

Finally, hearing Jim Loehr speak on "Character, Integrity and Leadership" was also a highlight of the event as was having Stan Smith be a storyteller and listening to a Q&A session with him. Stan Smith was a player that I watched play as a young kid and thought him a class act; winning so many titles, and he is still very involved in tennis. Stan now has a book out “Some people think that I am a Shoe”. He was very funny and had great stories to tell and then autographed books for the USPTA pros who stood in line to speak with him after.

All in all, it was a great conference and I hope more New England USPTA pros can attend next year which will be in New Orleans 2022 and then in Orlando 2023. Please let me know if you would like to join the NE Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Lisa Wilcott is a USPTA Elite Professional who has been the Director of Tennis at the York Country Club for 30 years. She is o member of the USPTA NE Board of Directors and is the Chairperson of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 12

Coming from...Massachusetts Everything is Practice "I play better in practice than in competition."

- Nearly Everyone

by Brian Lomax, USPTA Elite Professional Many of your students have probably told you that they play better in practice than they do in competition. It makes sense that most people play better in practice: there's less pressure; there's less on the line; there's less to lose, and because of this players perform freely and things feel a bit easier. The body isn't as tense, the mind is more clear, and everything feels a little lighter. So...if your students want to play better in competition the fix is simple....make EVERYTHING practice. Right?

But Everything Isn't Practice Your first reaction, and that of your players, to the notion of everything is practice is probably some combination of the following: No, that isn't right.

Competition counts for more.

I have to play well in tournaments.

I want/need to win.

People expect me to do well.

Matches affect my UTR/NTRP. Perhaps all of this is true, but how is this type of thinking working? It probably isn't.

Can you see how thinking this way actually puts more pressure on the player and gets in the way of playing well? If your players truly play

better in practice, then the answer to playing better in competition is right in front of them.

It's just a matter of being willing to adopt a perspective that lowers the pressure of the situation because that's the key - to lower the pressure. Too much pressure is generally a barrier to good performance. Everything is practice might be the mantra that gets your student to dial down the pressure to a point that they can play better.

The New Motivation In order to effectively adopt "everything is practice" as a new perspective, players need to prioritize a new long-term goal. This goal must be their North Star. It must guide all of their practice habits, training, routines, scheduling, etc. It must be what they are ultimately striving for in their career. It is the purpose of tennis as a "life project." The good news is that it is the same for all of us.

The most important long-term goal must be to become the best player/competitor that THEY can become. I emphasize the THEY because we are all different. The best I could become is different than the best you could become or the best that some other person could become. (continued)

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 13

Coming from...Massachusetts If players can adopt this long-term goal as the most important goal, then they can look at tournaments and competitions in a whole new light. They can see other result-oriented goals differently.

Winning tournaments and championships aren't the pinnacle of a career, they are simply milestones on the journey to becoming the best that one can become. That is the essence of recognizing tennis as a life project. It is an important project that we all want to go well.

To illustrate this, let's say that playing college tennis is an "ultimate" goal of some of your players. What happens when they reach that goal?

Are they done?

Do they stop training/competing?

I have known several players who did react this way when they got into the college of their choice. They stopped practicing and playing so much. They felt the pressure was off; they had made it.

Unfortunately, they were missing the point of why we pursue a sport/project like tennis. And do you think their college coach was excited by the fact that their new recruit decided to stop competing?

To be clear, making a college tennis team is not a bad goal. Winning a tournament, a league, or attaining a certain ranking are also not bad goals. In fact, they are good goals. However, they are interim goals on the way to becoming your best. At best, they are milestones on the journey, they should not be the ultimate goal. college tennis gives players four years to improve even more, and then who knows what can happen after that. There will always be something else to play.

Pressure and Playing Your Best When players create more pressure for themselves through high expectations, thoughts of winning, fear of losing, and/or worrying about what other people think, there will be certain consequences. Their muscles tense up; they either play more conservatively or they rush and play too aggressively; they're easily distracted; they struggle to control their emotions and reactions; their confidence decreases; the performance is not enjoyable.

Most of these are probably familiar to you as a coach. You have seen it happen with your students. The result of all this is that the performance is sub-optimal. In fact, how they actually played is probably not the way they want to play or need to play in order to improve.

Let's look at an example. Say you have a tennis player who struggles with the forehand under certain situations. When the match gets tight or when she feels pressure, she slices the shot rather than driving it. She's afraid to hit it because she might make a mistake, and if she makes a mistake she'll lose the point, and if she loses lots of points, she'll lose the match, and then everyone will know she's not a very good tennis player. At least, that is what is going through her mind. Sound about right?

If a player is slicing her forehand, is she playing the way she wants to play? Probably not.

Therefore, what she is doing is perfecting a sub-optimal way of playing matches. She is getting more repetitions of a forehand she doesn't want to hit under pressure, and fewer reps of

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 14

Coming from...Massachusetts the one she does want to hit. She is not player her "A" game. How can anyone ever become a great player if they don't player their "A" game in competition?

Playing Your "A" Game Here is where it all comes together. If players want to become the best that they can become they need to practice playing their "A" game.

Getting more reps of the "A" game must become more important than winning on one particular day. Students learn and improve much more by playing their "A" game and making mistakes than by not playing their "A" game at all. In the first instance, at least they can make some adjustments to what they are trying to do. That process will foster learning and improvement. In the second instance, there is nothing to adjust.

Competitions can now be viewed as opportunities to practice playing the "A" game and make progress on it.

They are improvement opportunities. At the end of the competition, we want our players to say that they competed the right way and they they got a little better at it. If players lose a match or a game, nothing truly terrible will happen. Life will go on. There will always be another competition. So, why not make the goal to play the "A" game, to play the right way? It will take courage but playing your "A" game is far more enjoyable than playing with fear.

As a coach, you can influence that be reinforcing the notion that "everything is practice." Help them to look at competitions / tournaments as opportunities to practice playing their best. These are opportunities to get closer to becoming the best that they can become. By being courageous on this journey, they will learn more and improve faster.

Before you know it, they will be playing as well in competition as they do in practice because...Everything is Practice!

Brian Lomax is a USPTA Elite Professional. Brian owns and operates PerformanceXtra, which focuses on the mental performance of athletes.

Brian works with several colleges and teams in the Boston area, and has presented at the USPTA New England Division conferences. Brian, also, generously donates his time to help colleagues with their students and teams.

A player's potential is on the line every day, and every day that they choose to play with fear is another day/opportunity lost on the journey.

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 15

Coming from...Massachusetts Thinking Out of The Box Organizing a Successful Event for 42+ Members on Three (3) Courts

by Avis R. Murray, USPTA Master Professional How do you get 42 tennis players to have fun when you only have 3 courts?? You get creative and think outside of the box!

Recently, the Bass Rocks Golf Club celebrated their 125th Anniversary of the Club! Each department of the club engaged in some way in the celebration of this anniversary year. The golfers had a Pro Am, the club held a huge Gala with 320 members attending for a delicious meal, recognizing the staff and board of governors in attendance, as well as dancing and a special "Fireworks Display."

The tennis portion of the celebration was an all day event which started with a tennis clinic conducted by Traci Green, who has been the Head Tennis Coach at Harvard for the last 13 years. Traci won a gold ball at the age of 14, and trained under Arthur Ashe, along with Serena and Venus Williams, Chanda Rubin, and Ajay Pant. Traci did some tremendous doubles drills with the members, which was one of the highlights of the day.

After the clinic, the members participated in the Davis Cup Tennis competition portion of the event. This entailed organizing 12 countries assigning three to four members per country, notifying each player of the country they are representing, and requesting them to bring a "favorite dish" from that country along with accessories.

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 16

Coming from...Massachusetts

Each player was given a sticker to wear, which was the flag of their country. Many players dressed in their country's attire, some ordered flags of their country, some wore T-shirts and banners along with many more creative ideas.

The national anthem of each country was downloaded and as each country and their player representatives were announced, they paraded onto the court with the corresponding national anthem playing in the background.

When all countries and players had been announced, they all paraded around the courts as the Olympic song was being played.

There were over 42 members participating so we divided the players into two groups with six countries in each group. This was a perfect breakdown as with only three courts six countries could be playing at a time. Each country had a mixture of levels and abilities.

Each team played five rounds of triples and/or quadruples abiding by the rules described below: RULES OF PLAY Teams with four players will place three members on the baseline: one in each alley, and one on the baseline in the middle. The fourth player moves up to the service line around the "T".

Teams with three players will place two players along the baseline near the alleys, and the third would be near the "T" along the service line.

The player in the right hand baseline corner will be the first server after a spin of racquets to determine who serves, receives, or side of play (or deferring).

The server has two serves and may serve underhanded or overhanded cooperatively.

The receiver must return the serve before the point play can begin.

After each point, both teams rotate one position counterclockwise.

With this rotation, the server changes on each point played as well as the receiver.

Scoring is no ad with the deuce point being served from the right hand corner.

Teams do not switch sides.

All teams play a total of five games; i.e. 4-1, 3-2, 5-0.

Balls used are green dot low compression balls, which helps make for longer points and more fun.

Please be mindful not to over hit the ball at the near player in what is called "The Hot Seat".

(continued) The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 17

Coming from...Massachusetts The teams were grouped as follows: Group 1: United Kingdom, Georgia, Greece, USA, Canada, and Japan Group 2: Thailand, Argentina, France, Italy, Czech Republic, and Australia The day ended with everyone enjoying a cookout on the deck of the club.

Many "different and crazy" prizes were presented, and each participant also received two special gifts honoring the 125th anniversary of the club: a tennis towel embroidered with a design painted by Jill Demeri, a local artist and tennis player, and a 125th anniversary tennis ball key chain.

The Tennis Anniversary Committee was comprised of USPTA Master Professional and Director of Tennis Avis Murray, President of the Bass Rocks Tennis Lynne Salah, Debbie Kaufman, Diana Blitz, Anne Bresnahan, USPTA Professional Derek Geary, and Tennis Staff employees Megan Hood, Caleb Willett, and Christopher Noyes.

Avis R. Murray, a USPTA Master Professional, and National Professional of the Year, has been a USPTA member for 50 years. She has held positions as the USPTA NE Division President, and presently serves on the USTA Hall of Fame Committee, and the USTA EMA Board.

She has been inducted into the USTA Hall of Fame, USPTANE Hall of Fame, and the Gloucester High School Athletic Hall of Fame. This is her 50th year as Director of Tennis at Bass Rocks Golf Club. In the winter, she also works at the Manchester Athletic Club.

The City of Gloucester recently named the tennis courts on the boulevard in her honor.

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 18

Coming from...Massachusetts How Pickleball Has Helped My Tennis and Platform Tennis Programs

by Stu Lehr, USPTA New England MA State President

Over the summer although I play/teach some tennis, I play more pickleball. This is time of year, winter, when I play more tennis and platform tennis. I have always been asked the question, "Does pickleball mess up your tennis game or platform game?" Until this year I never really noticed if it did or didn't affect these other games. Much to my surprise, playing and teaching more pickleball this past summer has had a positive affect on both games!

In the fall, I started playing my indoor tennis contract and also my platform tennis league. In the past I always had a tough time transitioning from my summer mode into my fall/winter mode. This year I noticed that not only did I have an easier time transitioning, I also noticed that I was playing much smarter and using a lot of shots that I use in pickleball. In pickleball, I use the 3rd shot drop and the dink. When I got out on the tennis court and platform court, I started slowing my process and using these shots. Not only was I controlling the pase of the points, I was setting myself up for more success with these shots.

So the next time you're out there playing these sports, think of how learning to play better pickleball may positively affect your other racquet or paddle sports.

Stuart Lehr is a USPTA Professional with over 20 years of tennis experience. He is the General Manager and Tennis Director of The Beach Club, in Swampscott, MA, and a Tennis Professional at the Bass River Tennis Club. Stuart is one of the Massachusetts State Presidents for the USPTA New England Division.

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 19

Coming from...New Hampshire

CONGRATULATIONS to ...

The Longfellow Tennis & Swim Blub in Nashua, NH was named the Private/Commercial Facility of the Year by Racquet Sports Industry (RSI) Magazine. Longfellow is owned by USPTA Professional, Laury Hammel! Click here to go to the Racquet Sports Industry magazine.

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 20

Coming from...Rhode Island The Thrill of Victory!

by Nestor Bernabe, USPTA Elite Professional The USTA Men’s National Grass Court Tournament (40s, 45s, and 50s), normally held at the historic Philadelphia Cricket Club, was held this year at the Agawam Hunt Club in my home state of Rhode Island. I played this tournament in Philadelphia in 2017, which was my last singles competition until this year. I went into this year’s event believing that I was playing great as my preparation and competition throughout the summer months was very strong. I entered as the third seed in singles, which was shocking as my last event in singles was 4+ years ago.

I felt great on the grass and from the first point as I played very well. In the Round of 16 I won 6-0; 6-2 but I didn’t fully believe I could win the Gold! The quarterfinal match was a match that I didn't understand until 5-all in the first set. Then I stepped up and started to feel the ball very well. My serve clicked in, and I started winning 1-2 free points on my serve every game, which made life easier.

I took a step into the court and started returning serves like we were playing with green dot balls, and I broke almost five straight times to close out the match 7-5; 6-2.

I was feeling great and started believing that I could take the gold after this match. I got home and told my wife if I don't win this title, I would be disappointed because I was feeling very good on court.

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 12

Coming from...Rhode Island The semifinal of this Level 1 was on Saturday, and it was my third time to be in the semifinals of a Level 1 tournament. The prior two times I was so sore and beat up that I was no competition for the higher seeds, but this time was different. I felt great! I had prepared well. We walked onto the pitch.

advantage of this and held very easily to force a tiebreaker. I had some chances to break but nothing was easy when playing a 6'5" serve machine on grass.

The feeling of confidence I had lasted one return game; I was not in a rhythm. I wasn't being aggressive, and I wasn't really hurting my opponent on returns. The first set went into a tie breaker, and we have a rule at Providence Tennis Academy about tie breakers, YOU DON'T LOSE TIEBREAKERS! As I began to serve the breaker, I told myself this rule and ZIZU (Finnish for FIGHT UNTIL THE END). I decided to play inside the baseline and be more aggressive which got my opponent off his game by putting a huge stress on his serve. This changed the match! I cruised the rest of the way to take the match 7-6(5); 6-3. I was pumped that I had closed out the win and was guaranteed a USTA BALL! MY FIRST BALL and one that I've wanted since I was 16 years old.

Again, a BREAKER and this time for GOLD! ZIZU and Rule #2, like before! However, I was rushing and went down 0-2. Next return, I stepped in and hit a line winner! 1-2. Service winner and a volley winner and I took my first lead 3-2. He hit a massive ace, short out wide and it was 3-3. I told myself one mini-break and I got this; just play the ball not the opponent. He went to serve and rushed his motion, so he sliced the serve. I stepped in and hit a WINNER CROSSCOURT! 4-3! Service winner on my serve 5-3. I played a bad point, and now the score was 5-4 me. I again told myself don't wait , attack! WINNER again on a backhand return! 6-4. He aced me so now it time for me to serve for gold at 6-5 in the breaker. I told myself, no need for a rocket just short slice out wide like a T slice (I had been hitting aces all day with my slice T serves). BOOM, SLICE ACE, and GOLD! VAMOS!

The final on Sunday was a very stressful match but my opponent gave me the ability to read his serve in the first set. Down a break at 1-2 in the first set I broke him the next three times and took the first set 6-3.

Having played USTA tournaments since I was seven years old, I knew my opponent was going to try something and he did. Once he began the talking and the “c'mons” you know the other guy is struggling. I took full

Doubles was a completely different story playing with Alex Wong. He took the BRONZE BALL in the 40s singles, so we were feeling well. The semifinal match was over fast, and I told him afterwards that it was fun but too bad it was short. After our 6-0; 6-2 semifinal win our opponents in the finals were tough; a very good doubles team. We set the tone early winning the first set 6-0. I think the combination of my aggressiveness and Alex's

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 22

Coming from...Rhode Island ability to pick off every net point made it impossible for our opponents to understand how to play us. We began the second set with the mindset of peddle on the gas! NO letting up! After a couple of tough holds mostly because we were rushing, we finished winning the match 6-0; 6-2 for another GOLD! Nestor is a USPTA Elite Professional who is owner and director of the Providence Tennis Academy. Currently a USPTA, PTR and iTPA Member, Nestor has also completed the USTA High Performance and USTA Sports Science Programs as well as completing the PTR Master of Tennis Performance Program. He serves on several USTA and USPTA boards and committees and is the USPTA State President for Rhode Island.

Nestor Bernabe and Al ex Wong

Another New England Victory!

Scott Snow also participated in the USTA National Tournament at Agawam Hunt Club.

Scott along with partner, Carl Norbeck, won the gold ball in the 60 and over Doubles Grasscourt Championship.

Currently, Scott and Carl are ranked number one in the nation and section!

Scott Snow and Carl Norbeck

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 23

Coming from...Vermont Grand Celebration at the Edge

by Damon Fitch; Vermont Tennis Scene Facebook page (edited)

a f ew of the parti ci pants and USPTA Pro Joyce Doud

Edge Tennis underwent a bevy of new renovations this fall – and this past weekend the club celebrated at all of their locations in Essex and South Burlington with a “Grand Reopening” weekend.

New courts surfaces, new curtains, and other improvements at all locations – Essex, Twin Oaks, and Eastwood – were on display as members came out to celebrate the updates with a fun weekend of tennis.

Kicking off the events Friday night was a huge adult mixer at Essex with activities on all 4 courts to go along with a delicious spread curtesy Jericho Café and Tavern. The chicken wings and cupcakes were particularly tasty.

USPTA Pro Tammy Azur, along with fellow pros Katherine Hagestad, and Damon Fitch were on hand to lead fun games, while several members engaged in their own matchplay.

Meanwhile, over at Eastwood in South Burlington, USPTA Professional Joyce Doud led a fun night of high school match play and games with pizza from Domino’s.

The celebrations continued Saturday morning at Twin Oaks on Kennedy Drive in South Burlington with a fun round robin led by pro Jeanne Hulsen that included women’s, men’s, and mixed doubles.

Over at Eastwood in South Burlington kids and their parents from The Edge Orange Ball, Green Ball, and Junior Development programs in South Burlington and Essex showed up for a parent/child event led by pros Joyce Doud and Damon Fitch in the afternoon.

Along with fun games like Elimination, Olympic, and Top Dog, those in attendance

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 24

Coming from...Vermont

Fast Track Tennis System on display

also saw a presentation of the Fast Track Tennis system that allows you to practice your game with no hitting partner with a portable net system that can be connected to a phone app to track your tennis progress. Company founder John Davey, who also just happens to be a former number one player for the University of Vermont, when they had a tennis team, was on hand to talk about the system and let attendees try it out.

Fast Track Tennis System founder, John Davy (left) and USPTA Elite Professional and Division State President, Joyce Doud (right)

After the kids and their parents wrapped up at Eastwood, a rocking Saturday drop-in took the courts at Eastwood on all three courts.

Finally, the celebrations came to a close Sunday afternoon in Essex with a fun match play opportunity for kids 13-18 and their parents led by Katherine Hagestad.

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 25

Coming from...USPTA New England New Pickleball Head Tester: Angelo Rossetti Angelo is Director of Racquet Sports at the Tennis & Fitness Center of Rocky Hill and served as the Director of Tennis at Weston Racquet Club, an Ivan Lendl Tennis Center, for over 10 years. He is a USPTA P1/Elite, PTR, MTM, USTA High Performance & Mental Skills and IPTPA (pickleball) certified teaching professional, being first certified in 1992. Angelo is also NLP and Mindfulness certified, and studied to be a Dale Carnegie instructor, as he wanted to learn and teach the best ways to learn! Angelo was elected in 2017 as one of the youngest Presidents of USTA Connecticut (2018-2020).

Angelo played Varsity tennis at Hamden High School en route to be a top Division I player at the University of Connecticut, where he earned a B.S. degree in Sports Science with a concentration in Sports Marketing. Angelo is a 2X Guinness World Records™ titleholder of two different tennis titles; the Longest Tennis Rally and the Longest Tennis Volley Rally. His most recent certifications are Developing Mental Toughness and USTA High Performance. Angelo is a published author, TENNACITY: The Tenacious Mindset, On & Off the Court, based on his mental skills blog for tennis players and athletes and his online mental skills course with the same name which can be found at www.tennacity.org.

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 26

Coming from...Racquet Sports Industry

CONGRATULATIONS! To the

who was named Section of the Year

by RSI Click here to access the RSI magazine

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 28

Letter to the "Editor"

From Anne Schwartz, USPTA Elite Professional, Chair Nominating Committee The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 29

In Memoriam

Henry Tiberio June 28, 1922 - November 27, 2021 The Family of Henry Tiberio mourns the loss of a youthful spirit who passed on at the age of 99 after living a full and meaningful life. Henry was fortunate to have an enriching childhood, swimming in Lake Quannapowitt and playing tennis on the public courts in town. This was the start of a lifelong passion for the game of tennis.

Henry served in the U.S. Navy during WWII then graduated from Duke University before he received his master's degree in Social Work from Boston University. While a student at BU, he met Frances Milton of Beverly while playing tennis at the United Shoe Golf and Tennis Club in 1951.

Together, Henry and Frances were known for their devotion to one another and the joy they found in marriage, pride in family, and in shared experiences through the sport of tennis and a community of loyal friends.

Later in life, Henry was known for his achievements as an amateur tennis player, teaching professional, and promoter of the game. A Boston Globe feature article in April 2011, "Ultimate Late Bloomer Rolls on in Beverly", describes those contributions Henry made as a senior player. Winning his first national tournament at the age of 85 followed by winning consecutive national amateur tournaments in the 90-plus age group was a testament to his belief in setting high standards at any age. Henry was inducted into the New England Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995. Recently, Henry was recognized

by USTA New England for 60 years of service to the sport of tennis.

The defining thread woven throughout Henry's life was to be of service to others: the tennis community, those in need, and his family.

Excerpt from The Salem News: Click here for the full obituary

The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 30