In t his newslett e r : President's Message Page 01
YANKEE PROSE
Award Winners Page 05 Sport Psychology Article Page 16
The Newsletter of the USPTA New England Division
SUMMER 2021
AWARDS ISSUE
A A MESSAGE MESSAGE FROM FROM OUR OUR PRESIDENT: PRESIDENT:
USPTA MIKE MIKE KOLENDO KOLENDO New England Dear Racquet Sports Professionals, Board of Directors
Has this spring/summer season been as whacky for everyone reading this as it’s been for me? To me, its felt a little like the first line from A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” My registration numbers have been through the roof but the size of my “regular staff” has been cut in half. My indoor facility is thriving due to all of the rain, but my outdoor program has suffered. If it keeps raining at this rate, I’ll likely be doing makeup classes into November.
I’m happy to say that our Awards
Vice President: But there should be drier weather on Christy Bennett the horizon for those of us headed to bennett@newengland.usta.com Las Vegas September 19-25 for
And finally, as this is a USPTA New
USPTA’s World Conference. I’m very happy to say that New England will be very well represented this year. Seven Board members, 3 State Presidents, and our Executive Director have all made the commitment to head west and participate. Obviously, we hope to see many of our New England members out there. If interested in attending, please go to https://www.uspta.com/USPTA/Event s/Event_Display?EventKey=WCONF21 for all of the details. After being cooped up for the last year-and-ahalf, it’ll be great to see everyone in three dimensions.
Nominating Committee. As stipulated
Division President: Mike Kolendo m_kolendo@charter.net Regional Vice President: Michael Mercier supermiketennis1@gmail.com Vice President: Lisa Wilcott metennis@comcast.net
Vice President: Milan Kubala milan@ussma.org Treasurer: Chris Stevens stevens10spro@gmail.com Secretary: Steve O'Connell steveoconnellrs@gmail.com Head Tester: Wayne Turner wayne.turner54@icloud.com
Committee is ready to announce our 2020 USPTA New England award winners. Awards Chair Milan Kubala and his team did a great job of choosing
very
deserving
winners
during this difficult year. I also want to share that our Board is working on an in-person Awards banquet later this year where we’ll plan to honor both our 2019 and 2020 award winners. Please be on the lookout for details which we hope to have available very soon.
England election year, we’ve begun the process of constructing our next in our bylaws, last year’s Nominating Committee is putting it together. Once complete, a notice will go out to our membership
announcing
the
members of the Committee. Shortly after that, look for a 2nd notice from the
Committee’s
Chair
asking
members to apply if interested in running for our Board of Officers for the 2022-23 term. Enjoy your summer!! All the best, Mike Kolendo President,
USPTA
New
England
Division
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USPTA New England State Presidents: Connecticut: Paul Coorssen pcoorssen@gmail.com & Kyle Devlin kyle@DevlinRacquetSports.com Maine: Wilbur Shardlow shardlowtennis@roadrunner.com Massachusetts: Stu Lehr stuartklehr@gmail.com & Phil Hayman hayman.phillip@yahoo.com New Hampshire: Richard Lane rlaneii@comcast.net Rhode Island: Nestor Bernabe nestortennis@gmail.com
Fiix Elbow The official tennis elbow recovery device for the USPTA, the Fiix Elbow device automates a proven physical therapy technique and delivers the same professional treatment making it easy for cutomers to stick to their therapy plan. Strap it on your arm, and the device does all the work. By applying a deep massage that addresses the root cause of tennis elbow pain, it breaks down scar tissue and activates the body’s natural healing response of increasing circulation to the area. Simply use the device 10 minutes a day, 3 times a week, and perform targeted stretching and strength exercises. As a bonus, you can continue to play tennis during the treatment regimen. No appointments or pills – just results that work for 96% of our customers. They tell us it hurts so good we’ve had to tell people to stop using it so much. With a 90-day money-back guarantee, all you have to lose is the pain.
Vermont: Joyce Doud jdoud@edgevt.com
NE Executive Director: Pam Dodman pamela.dodman@uspta.org (207) 807 - 7070
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Division Award Descriptions USPTA PRO OF THE YEAR Recognizes a member who, in the course of a career, has demonstrated exemplary achievement in seven areas including contributions to the USPTA, USTA, as a teaching professional, player and coach; in education, research, and publications; and with other organization, achievements, and contributions.
PRESIDENT'S AWARD FOR SPECIAL RECOGNITION This is an award presented at the President’s discretion which recognizes a USPTA member for special achievement and other criteria deemed worthy by the divisional President.
ED SERUES PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING LONG-TERM SERVICE This is an award presented at the President’s discretion which recognizes a USPTA member for outstanding long-term service to the division and other criteria deemed worthy by the divisional President.
USPTA DIETZ BOWL Recognizes a New England member for outstanding participation, contributions, and achievement in USTA/NE events and volunteer support.
USPTA INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE AWARD This award is given to teaching professionals who take both an entrepreneurial and altruistic attitude toward their job. They use their own resources and those offered by the industry to build programs and bring tennis to more people, growing their own tennis business.
TESTER OF THE YEAR The USPTA Tester of the Year award recognizes the USPTA/NE tester who does the most to advance certification opportunities and the certification process.
FACILITY MANAGER OF THE YEAR This award is open to USPTA members and non-members. Nominees must be the General Manager (in function, if not in title) of a club or tennis facility either large or small. This award is for a person and not a facility.
DAN BONFIGLI MEMORIAL AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE This award recognizes a USPTA member that is highly active within the division and has made significant contributions in growing participation through tennis related programs in the local and larger industry in the spirit of community service in the previous calendar year.
AL ROGERS MEMORIAL AWARD FOR DEVOTION TO EDUCATION The recipient of this award will be a current USPTA/NE New England member who demonstrates devotion to improving membership participation and education locally and throughout the division over an extended period of time.
ELEVATE PRO OF THE YEAR For professionals who have been USPTA members for 5 years or less and are demonstrating dedication, innovation, and/or contributions to the organization/profession.
DIVERSITY AWARD Recognizes those USPTA members who have demonstrated an outstanding ability to unite diverse populations within their community through tennis.
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2020 Division Award Winners President's Award: Bill Mountford Bill Mountford has spent his professional career working in tennis, and is currently the Director of Tennis at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI. He has worked for the United States Tennis Association, where he was charged with overseeing Junior Tournaments and Junior Competition in the US. Prior to that, Bill worked in Market Development with particular emphasis on establishing the foundation for the growth of Youth Tennis / 10 & Under Tennis initiatives - and Collegiate Tennis. Earlier in Bill's career, he was the Director of Tennis at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY - home to the US Open as well as the most active year-round public tennis facility in America. Bill was the Senior Director of Racquets at Chelsea Piers, a thriving commercial facility in Stamford, CT. Bill also served on the Executive Leadership Team for Great Britain's Lawn Tennis Association. He was responsible for overseeing four areas, the Coach Education and Support departments and the National and International Competitions' departments. Early in Bill's career, he directed a successful junior tennis academy in New Jersey. He has been a regular presenter at national and international coaches’ conferences throughout his career and was a frequently published writer. Bill’s tennis-related volunteer work includes both leading and serving on boards for award-winning National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) chapters, serving and chairing committees for the International Tennis Hall of Fame, committee work for USTA New England, and especially his support for the US Professional Tennis Association (USPTA). His service to the USPTA includes two terms on the national board of directors and service on various national committees. Bill played Division 1 tennis while attending Boston University and competed in Futureslevel professional tournaments after graduation. He and his family reside in New Canaan, CT (and Newport, RI).
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2020 Division Award Winners Ed Serues Award: David Zeutus-Broer A USPTA Master Professional, there isn’t much David hasn’t done in our industry. He was USTA New England’s Director of Player Development and Junior Competition for 17 years. He founded and directed Serious Fun Tennis, a holistic, high performance tennis program for 10 years. He coached Clark University’s men’s and women’s programs. He’s been a Director of Tennis, a Tournament Training Camp Director, a Park and Recreation Program Director and an Assistant Teaching Professional. He’s coached several Massachusetts high school champions, New England Section champions, hundreds of nationally ranked players, New England Section teams High Performance camps. He’s been honored by both USPTA and USTA receiving the Joseph Dietz Bowl, awarded to the Professional who’s done the most for tennis in New England. He’s been USPTA New England’s Professional of the Year and was twice named USPTA’s New England Coach of the Year. Additionally, USTA New England awarded David the William Freedman Award for his outstanding contribution to junior development. David’s service and contributions to our Association are both numerous and impressive, spending years on our Board of Officers as Secretary and Vice President. He chaired our Education Committee, co-chaired our Charity Committee, and contributed as a member of our Division’s Convention Committee and Awards Committee. Additionally, he’s published articles in Yankee Prose, spoken at New England Division Conferences, and volunteered at Free Tennis Across America clinics. It’d be impossible to list all of David’s accomplishments during his 30 years of USPTA New England membership. I’ll not try. In my role as a USTA New England Board member and a USTA National Committee member, I’ve had the pleasure of working with David for years on junior development, coaching, and behind the scenes issues with TennisLink. He’s always been happy to help and, for all of these reasons, I can’t think of a better person to honor with the 2020 USPTA New England Ed Seurus Award for Outstanding Service.
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2020 Division Award Winners Dietz Bowl Award: Michael Mercier Master USPTA Professional and former division President, Michael Mercier, is awarded the Dietz Bowl for his outstanding contributions to the USTA. Below are contributions he has made to the USTA to promote the game of tennis to all: Harvard University Head Tennis Professional Recognized as one of 2021 Topspin / Tennis Channel "Top 50" Tennis Professionals in US Yearly runs the USTA New England “Tennis on Campus” Club Sectional Tournament, “Tennis For All” GLTA Masters Tournament, and the Massachusetts Special Olympics Tennis Tournament USTA Tennis on Campus National Committee - former member Personal Coach for 4 of Top USTA National and USTA New England tennis players United States Tennis Association– Life Member USA Wheelchair National Coach and Jr. World Team Cup coach- Italy: 2001-2002 USTA National “Tennis on Campus” Committee member: 2014-2017 USTA New England – Wheelchair Tennis Chairperson: 2000-2017 2017 USTA New England Gardner Chase Memorial Award (Lifetime Achievement Award) 2008 Wheelchair Champion of the Year- Racquet Sports Industry Magazine 2008 USTA National Brad Parks Wheelchair Tennis Professional of the Year USTA New England 35-, 30-, and 25-Year Distinguished Service Gold Ball Awards USTA National High Performance Certified Coach, levels: 1 & 2 USTA New England Competition Training Center for Eastern MA: Director / Head Coach held at Manchester Athletic Club, Beverly Golf & Tennis Club, Harvard University, 19992001 USTA New England TDM (Tournament director certified), USTA Safe play, Net Generation New England Wheelchair Tennis Camp Director- held throughout New England (1999present) USTA Keynote Guest Speaker for Wheelchair Tennis, Schools Clinician, NTRP Verifier former USTA National - past host for Pro Tennis Men's Tournament, USTA New England Junior Singles & Doubles Sectionals, Competition Player Development Training program, New Balance National high school tournament
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2020 Division Award Winners Professional of the Year: Kevin Christian
Kevin holds a United States Professional Teaching Association (USPTA) Professional 1 certification. Kevin has been teaching, playing, and loving tennis for over 20 years during which he has coached individuals of all ages, from beginner to nationally ranked players, from 3 years old to 93. Kevin Christian is the Head Tennis Pro and Junior Coordinator at Wentworth By The Sea Country Club. He coordinates all aspects of the junior tennis program, coaches several women’s USTA traveling teams, and handles many administrative duties for the tennis department. Kevin was a varsity player at the University of Lowell, and has held rankings at the local, state, and sectional levels. Prior to being at Wentworth Kevin has been a tennis professional at a number of well know and prestigious clubs in southern New England including Hampshire Hills, Cedardale Athletic Club, Executive Sports and Health, The Country Club, The Adirondack Club (Tennis Diector) and Glenn Ellen Country Club (Tennis Director).
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2020 Division Award Winners Regional Professional of the Year: Nancy Bulkley Nancy shows dedication to the greater tennis community in the activities she promotes that span all ages and abilities. In addition to teaching lessons and clinics in the tennis programs at the Abenaqui Country Club in Rye NH, Nancy coaches high school and college teams. At Oyster River High School (Durham, NH) Nancy runs a no-cut girls tennis team, where she has retained 20-25 players each year. Over the past 3 years, Nancy has led a campaign to get NH high school match results counted for UTRs with the NHIAA making a strong recommendation this season that high schools register their players for Universal Tennis Ratings; a first for any state in New England. At UNH, Nancy coaches the UNH Club Tennis Team where she trains 38 coed college players and is on court coaching at their events. Over 80 student athletes try out for a spot on a team.
Regional Professional of the Year: Gavin Glider Gavin coaches the North Yarmouth Academy Girls Tennis Team. During his first year, he spent significant time teaching all of the girls to play the game. Not only did he work on stroke development in both group and private settings, he spent significant time teaching the tactics of the game. In that year his team made it to the quarterfinals of the playoffs and had a girl make it to the state singles tournament. More importantly, word quickly spread around school about how much fun tennis was. The next year Gavin had 29 girls come out for tennis; many of whom had never played before! The team again made a run to the playoffs with a girl making it to the round of 32 in the state singles tournament. In 2020, in a school of 200 students, the girls tennis program had over 30 girls signed up to play on the team. Gavin grew the game and grew the girls' LOVE of tennis!
Regional Professional of the Year: Hilary Ryan-McCarthy Testimonial from one of Hilary's clients: "Hilary Ryan-McCarthy is an amazing coach. Not only does she have extensive knowledge and skills, as well as the ability to convey all that across all age and ability levels but her ability to motivate and encourage is exceptional. Hilary hones in on what each player needs to work on (technical, tactical, mental toughness) and offers pertinent, easy to understand advice and encouragement. Hilary makes you want to put in the extra work because she is always willing to do so herself." This is one of over 20 testimonials/nominations for Hilary. Hilary is an Elite Professional and works at the Dedham Health & Athletic Complex in Dedham, MA.
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2020 Division Award Winners Pickleball Professional of the Year, and Industry Excellence Winner: Phillip Hayman Phillip has been teaching pickleball for over 4 years. He has effectively taught over 1700 students during this time with some fortunate enough to become participants and medalist in national tournaments including the US Open, USA Pickleball Qualifying Events, and even International tournaments. A IPTPA Level 2 Instructor, Hayman has conducted or coconducted Teach the Teacher Workshops in Harwich, Ma. and Weymouth, Ma. as well as level rated over 25 individuals as a IPTPA Certified Rating Specialist Level 4. Additionally, he is a PPR certified Professional and International Federation of Pickleball(IFP) Academy Certified Level Intermediate/Plus(3.0-3.9) Instructor. Hayman plans on building a pickleball travel business with several US, Canadian, and European destinations as COVID travel restrictions are lifted.
Adaptive-Wheelchair Tennis Professional of the Year, and Diversity Award Winner: Adam Zaccaras Adam is President of the Newport Tennis and Fitness program in Newport, RI. Newport Tennis & Fitness is a non-profit organization that focuses on weekly wheelchair and adaptive tennis programs as well aw able-bodied clinics. Adam is also the Program Director for ACEing Autism, which is a nationwide tennis program for youths with autism. Also, Adam was hired as one of 13 National USTA Regional Wheelchair providers.
Platform Tennis Professional of the Year: Todd Hiscox Todd has over 10 years of running camps and clinics in Boston, Todd is the Founder of Paddle Solution, a leading Boston based platform tennis instructional service that offers camps and clinics. He has directed over 200 successful training camps at many of Boston’s most prestigious sports clubs. Currently, Todd is Director of Racquet Sports at Winchester Country Club. As a paddle player, Todd is a top ranked player reaching 9th place in Nationals, in 2014, and a career high ranking of No. 13. Todd was selected 5 times to be on the Regional Presidents Cup Paddle Team who were 3 time Champions between 2011-2016. As a tennis player Todd is a former #1 ranked junior in Australian; was an All-American; and played on the professional tennis tour qualifying for the ATP Adelaide Futures Tournament in 2000.
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2020 Division Award Winners College Coach of the Year: Greg Coache Greg’s 2020 season started off to one of the best seasons in Southern New Hampshire University Tennis history. Starting with the ITA event in September SNHU had three of the 4 finalists between the men and women's event. Greg’s freshman recruit, Magdalena Hubickova, lost in three sets in the finals in her first year at the event. Brothers, Willem and Bas Van Biezen, both reached the singles finals with Willem winning the tournament and finishing his Senior year receiving All American honors. Both teams were not only successful on the courts but in the classroom as well with both teams carrying better than a 3.7 GPA, which was the best of all the sports teams at the university. Greg built a strong relationship with his players off the court as well. He stayed in frequent communication with his players who are from all over the world (the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Puerto Rico, and the United States). Greg also gave back to the community by having his players mentor juniors from the surrounding area. Called, Team Impact, these “adopted” brothers and sisters would come to the matches and the players loved having them show up to games, and the players would invite them to be part of other SNHU events. When the players had to go home because of COVID, they constantly made videos from their homes and blended them into some wonderful footage that the kids really enjoyed.
High School Coach of the Year: Matt Rose Matt has been a successful head coach for Winchester high school boys’ team for 15+ years. He has helped many students achieve their goals of playing for college, and he has developed them into wonderful individuals. Below are a few comments from players and colleagues of Matt. ·“Matt Rose has been involved with the Winchester High School Boys Tennis team for over 10 years. He carries on his belt 2 State championships as the head coach and 1 as an assistant coach, along with numerous individual awards. Despite the covid-19 outbreak, Matt is still directly involved with the school and the community mentoring through these difficult times.”
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2020 Division Award Winners Al Rogers Educational Achievement Award: Doug Eng Doug Eng knows the value of education. He has an EdD and a PhD but continues to quench his thirst for knowledge. Doug has over 370 hours of continuing education credits that he has received through attending USPTA conferences and specialty courses as well as through academic coursework. Doug is a USPTA Master Professional working out of Boston where he is a Mental and Performance Training Coach. Doug is a professor of sport psychology and management.
Tester of the Year Award: Steve O'Connell Steve has been a USPTA National Certified Tester since 2015. He has participated in the training and certification of over one-hundred applicants in the USPTA New England and Eastern Divisions. From venues at small clubs to the USTA National Tennis Center, Steve has been a fixture on the Northeastern seaboard when it comes to recruitment, testing, and growing the ranks of the USPTA. Steve has been a USPTA member for 36 years, serving as USPTA/NE President, and as a member of the National Executive Committee. He is founder and President of Steve O’Connell Racquet Sports, a coaching and consulting business in Fairfield, CT and Westchester, NY counties.
Small Facility Manager of the Year Award: Lucas Parrau Despite the devastating effects of the covid-19 pandemic, the Belmont Hill Club has thrived in every aspect of the racquet industry. All junior clinics, ages 4 to 18, saw an increase of a staggering 42% over 2020 which has continued into 2021. Their adult program, which includes everything from beginners to advanced clinics, Shot of the Week clinics, Cardio Tennis, and 4 Ladies Tennis Teams increased by 39%. Their Platform Tennis program went from having one team in the Greater Boston Platform Tennis League to having three mixed teams, two ladies teams, and two individual teams. Their Platform Tennis membership nearly quadrupled in size in one season. They also introduced Paddle Junior Clinics for ages 12-18 with over 120 participants. In July 2020, Pickleball was introduced with “Intro to Pickleball” clinics, and social round robin. Over 100 people participated throughout the summer. The Belmont Hill Club is a small private club located in Belmont, MA with almost 400 memberships. Our facilities offer three indoor & four outdoor (seasonal) clay tennis courts, three Platform Tennis courts, and two seasonal Pickleball courts.
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2020 Division Award Winners Lessons For Life Award: Seth Meyer Seth has been the Tennis Director and Head Pro at MRC in Rockport, Maine since 2005. Recently, Seth was named one of "The Top 10 Tennis Coaches" in the country by the Tennis Channel!! From junior players with collegiate aspirations to adults who are new to tennis, Seth takes great pride in teaching players of all levels. Seth finds building relationships and helping others to be incredibly rewarding. In 2016, Seth started the MRC’s Red Ball Program, which provides a free racquet to juniors that is theirs to keep. The Red Ball Program program has been instrumental in building our junior program and it provides an important service to his community. The program receives 200-400 registrations annually. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Seth runs two annual benefit tournaments with his family, the Serving to Prevent Hunger, and the Serving to Prevent Homelessness Tournaments. These events have raised over $400K to help those in need. Seth has received several awards: USTA New England Tennis Family of the Year in 2018, and the Maine Tennis Association’s “Humanitarian Award” in 2018, to name a few.
Elevate Award: Rich Karban Rich Karban is committed to inspiring and growing the love for tennis in every player, fan, and advocate he has encountered. Rich took the difficulties of last year as an opportunity to step up and take advantage of the gained popularity of the sport by urging as many people as possible to get out and play tennis. Rich kept in touch with his clients and coached them in other ways such as having them focus on their fitness level and mental strength. Rich is honored to receive this award and says it has "inspired (him) to be better and to do more within the tennis world to grow everyone's love for the game. (He) plans to learn and grow with and through the USPTA and strive to be the best tennis professional that (he) can be."
Star Award: Clayton Vaughters Clayton is a full-time employee of the International Tennis Hall of Fame's NJTL TennisFame. Clayton actively works with kids in grades 5-8 to promote education, learning, and tennis in the Newport area. When COVID-19 first shut everything down in March of 2020, Clayton and his team put together 'tennis gift bags' for all the members of the NJTL, including a tennis racket, tennis balls, barrier tape (for nets), and other tennis related material. He consistently communicated with the children about tennis, creating an online platform for them to gather, practice tennis, and support each other. The TennisFame kids participated in fitness and tennis related challenges. Clayton has been instrumental in keeping these kids connected to tennis and each other during a very difficult time.
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2019 Division Award Winners Professional of the Year Adam Zaccara
Regional Professionals of the Year Rachel Kahan Brian Lomax
College Coach of the Year Adam Reeb
High School Coach of the Year Gavin Glider
60 & Over Professional of the Year Phillip Hayman
Wheelchair Professional of the Year
President's Award Javier Ferrin-Kranewitter
Ed Serues Michael Mercier
Al Rogers Thomas Callahan
Small Facility Manager of the Year Jeff Daigle
Large Facility Manager of the Year Laury Hammel
Net Generation Tina Schroeder
Susan McAnneny
Platform Tennis Professional of the Year Johan Du Randt
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2019 & 2020 Awards Banquet Saturday, September 11th, at 3:00 pm Seaview Terrace (aka, Carey Mansion) Newport, Rhode Island
Join us for our Awards Banquet at the beautiful Carey Mansion. Families are welcome. We will have family-friendly games, food, and fun, and celebrate our 2019 and 2020 award winners. PLEASE RSVP to Pam Dodman by September 4th, at pamela.dodman@uspta.org
Address: 108 Ruggles Avenue, Newport, RI Host USPTA Professional: Adam Zaccara; 401 - 662 - 9392 Parking on site Casual attire The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter | page 15
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Sports Psychology "Better People Make Better Competitors" by Brian Lomax, USPTA Elite Professional
One of the most successful sporting organizations in the world is the New Zealand national men's rugby team, commonly known as the All Blacks. The All Blacks have an all-time winning percentage over 77%, and one of the core components to their success has been the realization that behavior and character matter. They have applied this principle to team selection through the motto "Better People Make Better All Blacks." The team believes that better people can be counted on more under pressure, they can control their emotions better in the face of adversity, and they are overall mentally tougher. In other words, Better People Make Better COMPETITORS. When it comes to behavior and character in tennis, the concept of sportsmanship comes to mind. Sportsmanship is a means of demonstrating one's level of moral character development. More specifically, sportsmanship is behavior that demonstrates concern and respect for the sport, its rules, officials, opponents, and accepted social conventions (i.e., shaking hands at the conclusion of a match). Sportsmanship is also characterized by a relative lack of negative behavior. Although there is a notion that sport teaches character, it simply does not work that way. The training environment and specific coaching behaviors are highly influential in the development of sportsmanship, not the sport itself. Regardless of the age or ability level of students, developing sportsmanship and moral character in players should be a goal of all tennis coaches. Better people make better competitors, and ultimately, every tennis player wants to be a better competitor. Therefore, purposefully developing sportsmanship enables coaches to serve their students more effectively. There are four coaching behaviors that most influence the development of sportsmanship in athletes. On the positive side, modeling sportsmanship behaviors, reinforcing good sportsmanship, and teaching sportsmanship drive more pro-social behaviors. Conversely, when coaches prioritize winning over good sportsmanship, the result is that athletes act in more anti-social ways. Modeling: As human beings, we learn through observation and social influence. This applies to moral development. When a coach models the correct behaviors with respect to sportsmanship, players see it, learn from it, and become better equipped to behave morally themselves. Players will repeat what they see the coach do. If a coach from one club treats a coach or player from another club with respect, players are likely to follow suit. As a coach, know that your players are always watching what you do.
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Sports Psychology "Better People Make Better Competitors" continued
Reinforcing When good sportsmanship happens, it is beneficial to praise and reward that behavior. This will encourage players to continue that behavior because it received praise and approval. All too often, coaches notice the bad behavior, but to teach sportsmanship and good character, it is necessary to notice the good stuff and call it out in the moment. When done in a group environment, this can create social peer pressure to act in positive ways. Teaching From a whole person development perspective, coaches can teach life skills to their students. Examples of these different life skills are controlling emotions in the face of adversity, accepting responsibility for performances, and showing care and concern for others, including opponents. Teaching these skills helps players to develop other pro-social behaviors such as honesty and integrity. Simply having discussions about sportsmanship will enable players to function at more advanced stages of moral thinking. Emphasizing Winning Over Sportsmanship At the higher levels of sport, poor sportsmanship is more prevalent. There is more of an emphasis on winning rather than on sportsmanship. Players may perceive that coaches, parents, and peers condone unethical behavior. They may receive positive reinforcement for using such methods, as well as observing role models engaging in unsporting behavior. A training environment that emphasizes winning over sportsmanship is likely to drive more anti-social and unethical behavior in players. However, this is contrary to the premise that better people make better competitors. Conclusion When designing a program to develop sportsmanship and moral character, it is essential that the program be intentional and explicit. Research has shown that coaches think they are modeling, reinforcing, and teaching sportsmanship more than athletes perceive them to be. Planning the program and being deliberate about its delivery will help ensure that this disconnect in perception does not occur. Tennis can be a great vehicle to teach sportsmanship and ethical behavior, but it will only happen if the coach designs a training environment in which those behaviors are valued. By recognizing that character and behavior matter, we can help our players to realize that better people make better competitors and that sportsmanship is an important component of their training.
Brian Lomax is a USPTA Elite Professional. Brian owns and operates PerformanceXtra, which focuses on the mental performance of athletes. Brian was awarded the Regional Professional of the Year last year for the New England division. 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.
References: Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological review, 84(2), 191. Bolter, N. D., Kipp, L., & Johnson, T. (2018). Teaching sportsmanship in physical education and youth sport: Comparing perceptions of teachers with students and coaches with athletes. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 37(2), 209-217. Bolter, N. D., & Weiss, M. R. (2013). Coaching behaviors and adolescent athletes' sportspersonship outcomes: Further validation of the Sportsmanship Coaching Behaviors Scale (SCBS). Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 2(1), 32-47. Hodge, K., Henry, G., & Smith, W. (2014). A case study of excellence in elite sport: Motivational climate in a world champion team. The Sport Psychologist, 28, 60-74. Kipp, L. E. (2018). Developmental considerations for working with young athletes. In C. J. Knight, C. G. Harwood, & D. Gould (Eds.). Sport psychology for young athletes (pp. 32-42). Routledge.
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Spring Virtual Division Conference Spring Conference Recap
The division's first virtual conference was an overall success! Over 200 people registered with over 100 attending one or more sessions! Our headline speaker was Emilio Sanchez-Casal who spoke about serve and volley for the all court player. We had 8 educational sessions and our annual membership meeting totaling 13 hours of continuing education credits. All sessions were recorded and can be viewed on our YouTube channel. To access our channel, please visit our website and click on the YouTube tab.
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USPTA New England Breakfast at Wimbledon!
Bass Rocks Golf Club, Tennis “Breakfast at Wimbledon” Round Robin, July 11th. Bass Rocks held their annual "Breakfast at Wimbledon" for the tennis members of the Bass Rocks Golf Club, Sunday, July 11. Everyone enjoyed the tennis round robin, watching the Men’s Championship Finals on a big TV set up outside by the courts, as well as eating their Strawberries and Cream. The event was organized by Avis R. Murray, USPTA Master Professional, along with Assistant USPTA Professional, Derek Geary and staff Caleb Willett, Megan Hood, and Christopher Noyes. Fun as had by all!!!
Pro Tennis Returned to New England at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, RI The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter | page 20