Addvantage 2008 January

contents the total professional – enhancing your career

departments 2 USPTA mailbox

Ask the Professor –

3 CEO’s message

by Jack Groppel, Ph.D., USPTA Master Professional

See this month’s redesign of “Ask the Professor.”

Jack Groppel uses this forum to introduce USPTA’s newest PR campaign.

10 USPTA boosts member business with health campaign 11 Tennis – for the health of it! SM – Health, fitness, fun make sport excellent choice – 34 reasons to play tennis

14 Are you really training for tennis-specific endurance? –

by Mark Kovacs, Ph.D., USPTA

5 Vice president’s message 9 Classifieds 13 Pro to pro 18 USPTA drills 24 Career development 26 Industry action

news 4 USPTA gives Grand Valley State University’s wheelchair tennis team $2,000 grant 8 Get online to earn prizes in personal Web site contest 9

“On Court with USPTA” receives Gold Award

12 Michigan’s Palladino and Sun win singles titles at the USPTA Indoor Championships

On the cover …

Page 10 – Tennis for the health of it! SM Adult league players get a physical and mental workout during a drill session with their USPTA Professional.

volume 32 • issue 1

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com ADDvantage magazine editorial offices USPTA World Headquarters 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite One Houston, TX 77042 Phone – 713-978-7782 800-USPTA-4U Fax – 713-978-7780 e-mail – magazine@uspta.org www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Editor Managing editor Circulation Advertising

Shawna Riley Kimberly Forrester Kathy Buchanan John Dettor

Office hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central time ADDvantage is published monthly by the United States Professional Tennis Association.

The opinions expressed in ADDvantage are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ADDvantage or the USPTA. Copyright© United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2008. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of the magazine is not permitted without written permission from USPTA. ADDvantage/January 2008

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USPTA mailbox USPTA received a large number of responses to CEO Tim Heckler’s October-November message addressing the problem of cheating in junior tennis. We apologize for not being able to print them all. Also, we had to edit some of the letters for space, but we tried to leave their meaning intact. The letters are published in random order.

Tim, The dictionary defines cheating as, “acting dishonestly, practicing fraud, and to deceive by trickery.”

You can find cheaters in every aspect of life; sports, business, entertainment, and unfortunately, even in our personal lives. Is there any way to stop cheating? Sure, create a society where all people live by the same code of honor and where Darwin’s “survival of the fittest” theory is replaced by the Golden Rule.

Anyone who has spent more than five minutes at a junior tennis tournament knows how prevalent cheating and accusations of cheating are even at that level of play.

The questions we must address as coaches and parents are: 1. What causes our youngsters to cheat?

2. How do we teach our kids to handle cheating when they are on the receiving end?

If we understand why our children cheat, we can better work to change this behavior by dealing with the problem at its source.

However, until every parent raises their child to play fair, we owe it to our young players to prepare them by teaching them how best to deal with cheaters.

What causes our children to cheat?

The main reason children cheat appears to be a very simple one; they feel tremendous pressure to win (sometimes internal, sometimes external, and sometimes both) and will do whatever it takes to be victorious. Internal pressure arises from a player’s own competitive nature and their motivation to win at any cost. External pressure is applied from numerous sources, including parents, coaches, siblings, peers, media, and society as a whole.

As both a coach and a parent, I want both my students and my own children to have a level of in-

ternal pressure that motivates them to always be looking for ways to improve themselves and to always be pushing themselves to reach the next level. Unfortunately, I have seen many young players who are extremely motivated and driven, but have failed to achieve the necessary balance between ambition and self-satisfaction. Self-satisfaction cannot be achieved at any level if the victory comes as a result of cheating. A true champion is satisfied with winning only when they have earned it fair and square.

External pressure is a completely different animal. The first step to alleviating unnecessary negative external pressure is to identify the source. As coaches and parents we have some, but very limited, power in controlling the messages our children receive from their peers and the media. We can, however, keep a watchful eye on who our children spend time with and what they are watching.

The easiest source of external pressure to control is ourselves.

Do you, as parents or coaches,

“Tennis relies on the honesty and integrity of the players.

That is the very essence of a tennis match.”

– Arthur Klein

As adults we can influence the level of both the positive and the negative internal pressure within a young person. Everyone is born with a certain personality type, but parents, teachers, and coaches can help each child reach their full potential (or not) through their level of expectation. As long as a youngster believes there is no positive correlation between their success rate and an adult’s unconditional love and acceptance there really are no limits for that child.

So, don’t be afraid to expect a lot out of kids…they will always rise to the level at which you’ve placed the bar … so, place it high.

The essential component to creating highly motivated kids is the most difficult…role modeling.

As much as we expect out of kids we have to expect even more out of ourselves. I have yet to meet a kid who cheats who hasn’t learned it in one of two ways; (1) from watching the role models in their life bending the rules themselves; or (2) from growing up in an environment where the consequences for cheating are either nonexistent or too weak to be effective.

find yourself treating your child or student differently depending on the outcome of a match? In many cases, it can be small comments made after a loss, or it can even be a facial expression that your son, daughter or student happens to catch after a particular result. It is important that we, as adults, reward our kids for the right reasons. Regardless of the score at the end of a match we must base our children’s performance on three criteria: attitude, concentration, and effort.

When you get right down to it, our players have no control over whether they win or lose a match.

They don’t even have complete control over whether they play well or not. I can tell you countless stories of times when I just knew my player was better prepared and ready to roll over an opponent, only to have everything go downhill. The opponent may just happen to be in the zone that day. It could be windy, or other than ideal conditions, and nerves can often play a huge factor in the quality of play and the outcome. Regardless of the factors not in their control, our kids do have control over their

attitude, their concentration, and their effort. As parents and coaches, we should base our feedback on these three components to avoid pressuring them to always win.

I am very familiar with feeling pressure to win. I don’t care if I’m playing a friendly game of Backgammon, I want to win! The trick is to show our kids how to maintain their integrity without extinguishing the fire that gives them a competitive advantage. We do not want to “win at all costs,” but rather do whatever it takes to win within the rules and within the boundaries of good sportsmanship. Nobody wants to be labeled a cheater, and no athlete wants to look in the mirror at the end of the day knowing they stole a match. Kids must learn to answer to themselves and to their conscience in order to change their behavior. So, don’t be afraid to hold them responsible if you catch them cheating…let them know through negative consequences that cheating will not be tolerated at any level.

Together let’s work together to create a generation of kids that grow up with strong ethics and the confidence to stand up for what is right, not just easy. Then let’s hope that some of them decide to become politicians and line judges!

Nick Bollettieri USPTA Master Professional Bradenton, Fla. Hi Tim, I enjoyed your CEO message on cheating in the latest issue of ADDvantage.

I am responding to your request for solutions.

As it turns out, the title of my presentation at the most recent UPSTA World Conference was “Developing Character Through Tennis.”

The following are excerpts from a past article that is very relevant to the topic of cheating. continued Page 20

Send your letters to the editor, along with a daytime phone number or e-mail address, to ADDvantage, USPTA, 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite One, Houston, TX 77042; fax to (713) 978-7780; or via e-mail to kim.forrester@uspta.org. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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ADDvantage/January 2008

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

CEO’s message USPTA offers ideal programs to promote new PR campaign and you

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he headline on a previous message written by natural progression from Little Tennis. It provides USPTA President Harry Gilbert accurately inexperienced juniors with their first taste of comsums up his feelings about USPTA’s public petition, but doesn’t require the travel or time comrelations program and its goal to promote USPTA mitments of higher-level competition. members. The headline read, “Who We Are is about The USPTA Adult Tennis LeagueSM has been you and me.” around for years and provides professionals and players with off-season activity.

With the arrival of the new year and with this issue of ADDvantage Adults who participate enjoy the social as well as physical benefits of magazine, this theme continues to hold true. With your support and our game. participation, USPTA’s new public People who already play may relations campaign – centered on the jump at the chance to get their health and fitness benefits of tennis nonplaying friends into the game, – will deliver publicity and business and the health and fitness hook may to you. present the best tool. If so, start out by using the USPTA Member-BeNew board member and public ginner Guest event. Each playing relations committee chairman, Jack Groppel, Ph.D., introduces Tennis member pairs up with his or her Tim Heckler – for the health of it!SM on Page 10. guest to take a short lesson, mingle at He’s enthusiastic about using his expertise in ex- a reception or light lunch, and then play a roundercise physiology and nutrition to promote USPTA robin tournament.

The programming ideas are endless. The indusand its members, and I’m sure some of you will see him out in the industry pushing this and other try’s best example of a fitness-oriented program is Cardio Tennis. You might also consider recruiting USPTA messages in the coming months.

Although the health and fitness benefits of tennis your club’s fitness members by inviting them to a have been touted over the years by various tennis cardio event. This is another way to capture new groups, it seems the message may have gotten lost interest for tennis and your programs.

Of course, as spring approaches, we will begin to long before it reached the masses. USPTA’s goal is to get the public’s attention with its latest PR push, promote Tennis Across America™. This program is another great way to recruit new players. The and that’s where you come in.

You can make a huge difference in our campaign original, free grassroots program offers players a free to get people to take notice of the health and fitness lesson or clinic that can be followed by additional benefits of tennis. You’re on the front lines, you’re tennis activities. active in your communities and you’re the experts Whether you offer Little Tennis, the Adult Tennis on tennis.

League or an original program of your own, we want USPTA helps you deliver Tennis – for the health you to promote your services as a tennis leader and of it! with a wonderful array of programs that target the person through whom players can get fit and various ages and playing levels. healthy with tennis.

You can get the youngest players started with In the coming months you’ll see more stories, ® Little Tennis . Parents can be encouraged to par- ads and resources promoting this campaign. It’s our ticipate with their children, and tennis becomes a hope that you will embrace Tennis – for the health family affair. of it! and realize the benefits it offers to tennis and The USPTA Junior Circuit™ program is a you. K www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Whether you offer Little Tennis, the Adult Tennis League or an original program of your own, we want you to promote your services as a tennis leader and the person through whom players can get fit and healthy with tennis.

ADDvantage/January 2008

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USPTA gives Grand Valley State University’s wheelchair tennis team $2,000 grant

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USPTA First Vice President Tom Daglis presents a USPTA Foundation check to Lynn Bender and members of the Grand Valley State University Wheelchair tennis team.

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ADDvantage/January 2008

he United States Professional Tennis Association presented a $2,000 grant to the first collegiate wheelchair tennis team at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich. USPTA first vice president, Tom Daglis, was on hand to present the check to the Rolling Lakers.

“We applied and requested funding because (wheelchair tennis) is a new program at Grand Valley,” said Lynn Bender, wheelchair tennis team program director. “We don’t have any pre-existing funding, so we are basically starting from scratch.”

The team applied for the grant several months ago and recently received a check for $2,000. The money will be used specifically for the team’s travel expenses.

The USPTA Foundation provides grants and donations to programs and organizations that strive to help economically disadvantaged people learn tennis. All proceeds from the annual USPTA silent auction held at the World Conference on Tennis go to the foundation.

For more information on this and other USPTA programs, please visit www.uspta.com. K

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Vice president’s message Technology and you – it’s not just about computers and the Internet

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ven before USPTA launched what was one of the first tennis industry Web sites in 1995, our Association had been on the cutting edge of computer technology since the very early ’80s.

When we started computerizing USPTA, it wasn’t nearly as glamorous as what would become the much-publicized Information Superhighway. Technology in the early days involved placing typed and sometimes hand-written information about each member into a computer database and actually writing the computer code that would organize the information and make it retrievable.

Information Technology Committee, I’m happy to announce that USPTA will begin a series of articles in ADDvantage that will highlight various types of technology. These articles, written by staff members of the USPTA Information Technology Department, will explore numerous topics, including digital TV, high-definition TV and combined services for Internet, telephone and TV. Also, look for articles on home networking, including wireless networks, and the latest news about computer security, including virus protection, spyware and malware.

It was this sort of behind-the-scenes These topics and many others will work that you probably wouldn’t give a Randy Mattingley be covered, and you’re welcome to second thought. But, it led us to more suggest some of your own. More advanced uses of computers, an eventual Web pres- tools and guidance on how to utilize these tools will ence, our first Internet-based member services and help you to become more efficient and more “profesthe reality that we can and will continue to give you sional.” It’s our hope that the information you glean – the USPTA member – the ability to manage your from these articles will help you take advantage of membership and even your tennis business with the the technology that is available to you as a general world’s latest technology. consumer and a USPTA member. K

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

President First Vice President Vice Presidents

Harry Gilbert Tom Daglis Mark Fairchilds Jack Groppel Randy Mattingley Tom McGraw

Secretary-treasurer

Paula Scheb

Past President

Ron Woods

WORLD HEADQUARTERS CEO

Tim Heckler

Director of Operations Executive Assistant

Rich Fanning Marty Bostrom

Director of Communications

Shawna Riley

Creative Services Director

Julie Myers

Publications Coordinator Public Relations Coordinator

Kimberly Forrester Poornima Rimm

Communications

Jill Phipps

Director of Marketing

John Dettor

Sports Marketing Coordinator

Rick Bostrom

Digital Asset Coordinator/ Clair Maciel Technical Writer Digital Asset/ Jason Potthoff Technical Content Coordinator Video Production Manager

Joe Birkmire

Video Editor

H.R. Topham

Director of Fred Viancos Professional Development Corporate Janice Stollenwerck Services Administrator Director of Information Technology

Dan Wilson

Information Technology/ Multimedia

Scott Bucic

Computer Services/ Kathy Buchanan Club Relations

This month, we’re once again promoting one of the most valuable of these benefits – the USPTA personal Web site – with the announcement of a contest on Page 8. If you’re already using this phenomenal tool, that’s great. If you’re not, this is as good a time as any to start the new year off with a new Web site.

Use Find-a-Pro to find your own last name and then use the link on the right side of the page to get to your basic site, which already features your name and professional rating. Under the “Contact me” tab, you’ll find your name, address and work phone number. To begin personalizing your site, just log in at the top left corner to get started.

While we will continue to offer you the latest trends when it comes to computers and your membership, there’s a lot more happening on the technology front that’s not directly related to computers.

Along this vein, and as chairman of the USPTA

NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Divisional Stephanie Shipman Executive Administrator Membership and Vicky Tristan Certification Coordinator Membership

Sylvia Ortiz

Membership/ Melony DeLoach Insurance Assistant Financial Manager Payroll/Benefits Controller

Kathy Ladner Renée Heckler Ellen Weatherford

Merchandise/ Shelina Harris Accounting Assistant

Legal Counsel Attorney-at-law

Use Find-a-Pro to find your basic site. Under the “Contact me” tab, you’ll find your name, address and work phone number. To begin personalizing your site, just log in at the top left corner to get started.

Paul Waldman

For information, write the USPTA World Headquarters 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite One Houston, TX 77042 Phone 713-97-USPTA 800-USPTA-4U Fax 713-978-7780 e-mail – uspta@uspta.org Internet – www.uspta.com Office hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Central time

ADDvantage/January 2008

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Get online to earn prizes in personal Web site contest

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ave you developed the free Web site you get just for being a member of USPTA?

If you have added your personal touches to your site and think it’s prize-worthy, then you’ll want to enter the USPTA personal Web site contest for a chance to win fabulous prizes. If you haven’t visited your site or made changes in years, then it’s time to get busy before the contest ends March 1, 2008.

Your own personal Web site is a wonderfully accessible tool for attracting new clients and communicating with current students.

Now that you can edit and update your own personal Web site, it’s a wonderfully accessible tool for attracting new clients and communicating with current students. Many members use this benefit daily for everything from promoting tournaments and social tennis activities to notifying their students of schedule changes. Some members have used video, added links and more to make their sites comprehensive tennis sources for their clients.

If you’re proud of your USPTA Web site, send the link to usptapro@uspta.org. Type “USPTA personal Web site contest” in the subject line. It will be judged by the USPTA communications staff and USPTA Vice President Randy Mattingley, who is chairman of the Information Technology Committee.

If you haven’t explored the possibilities of your Web site, visit usptafindapro.com, click Find-a-Pro under “Players” and enter your last name. The link to your site is on the right side of the page, across from your first and last name. Click the link to get to

the home page of your site, which features your name and USPTA rating. If you’ve submitted photos or material in the past, it remains on the site. If you want to make changes to your Web pages, log in at the top left corner of the site. Once you’re logged in, you can begin to explore and add new material. Also, if you need help, there’s a “USPTA personal Web site help manual” that will walk you through the steps of setting up your pages.

Each Web site entered in the contest will be judged in the following categories. Each category is worth a maximum of 5 points, and will be judged on a scale from 1 point to 5 points, with 5 points representing the best score for meeting the criteria of a specific category.

Only usptapro.com sites may be submitted. No independent sites, please. Entries must be received for judging no later than March 1, 2008, at 11:59 p.m., Central Standard Time.

_______________ Criteria _______________ Use of technology z Working links, both within the site and to other sites z Proper use of images, tables, video, etc.

Use of all site features z Bio, facility, events, lessons, news Content z Tennis related, appropriate for site z Proper spelling, grammar, punctuation z Updated information Use of graphics and photos Photo sizes – not too big or too small, proportional

z z z z z

Photo quality – good quality, in-focus photos Placement of pictures/graphics Use of fonts, not too mixed Use of color

____________________________________ You may also send a brief statement explaining how you use and promote your site.

There will be one grand-prize winner and three runners-up. Winners will be announced by April 1, 2008, and will be featured in ADDvantage magazine. Prizes will be products from USPTA endorsee HEAD/Penn Racquet Sports, including racquets, bags and string.

Good luck! K

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ADDvantage/January 2008

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

CLASSIFIEDS BOOKS AND VIDEOS www.TennisExpress.com Wholesale prices on strings, balls, racquets, apparel, footwear, bags and accessories. Get baskets, carts, training equipment, books, videos and more. 800-833-6615.

www.netprofittennis.com Log on and see why NETPROFIT: The Business Program for Club Tennis Professionals by Dave Sivertson is a must for the career development of all tennis professionals or call (805) 493-9046.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Tennis and Health Club for Sale.

Four indoor courts with Nautilus and free weights. Pro shop and racquetball courts. Six outdoor courts with clubhouse and garage. www. toddsmith.usptapro.com. Phone 423-764-8444.

EMPLOYMENT USPTA’s Find-a-Pro. The best job-posting service so you can find the best jobs, free. For more information, visit uspta.com.

TENNIS LESSONS TennisLessons.com is creating the world’s largest collection of tennis lesson providers. Launched in April 2007 with the goal of making searches for local tennis lessons easier, the site currently has more than 700 coaches and club posts in more than 250 cities across 30 countries. To post an ad, visit www.tennislessons.com. It’s free and takes less than five minutes.

TENNIS SOFTWARE iTennisSystem – Download Free Drills. Tennis instruction software for tennis professionals.

Organize your tennis knowledge.

Illustrate tennis drills and lessons graphically. An advanced and easyto-use system for representing and organizing your tennis programs.

Includes over 100 free drills. Visit us at www.interTennis.com for more information. Call 919-7401403 or e-mail sales@interTennis. com to order. iTennisRound-Robin & iTennis Ladder. New ladder and roundrobin software. Run and manage multiple tennis ladders and round robins simultaneously. If you are not running a ladder at your tennis facility, it’s time to get started.

Let us show you how: www. interTennis.com. Automate your tennis events and save hours each week. Call 919-740-1403 or e-mail sales@interTennis.com to order.

VACATION OPPORTUNITIES Vacation opportunities for tennis professionals at the No. 1 allinclusive Sandals and Beaches resorts in Jamaica and St. Lucia for you and your partner. Certification required. For information contact Mike Romisher at 847-207-9475 or e-mail Vis10sPro@aol.com.

Vacation/Exchange Program.

Stay at the Iberostar in Mexico in exchange for tennis lessons. www. vacationingcoaches.com. Telephone (937) 885-0468.

TENNIS PRODUCTS SLINGHOPPER DRILL BAGS: 20 PERCENT OFF TO USPTA PROFESSIONALS. Go to www.slinghopper.com and enter “USPTA” in the promotional code. See why legendary coach Nick Bollettieri and Brad Gilbert endorse SlingHopper Drill Bags and so should you.

Rates: $30 for 20 words, minimum per issue. 50 cents per word thereafter. Pay by check, money order, Visa or MasterCard. Prepayment is required. Supply typed copy and include full name, telephone number, credit card number and expiration date. (No agency or cash discounts.) Issue closes 15th of month, two months preceding cover date.

Fax to 713-978-7780, attn: ADDvantage classifieds. No classifieds will be accepted by telephone. No exceptions are made. USPTA cannot verify nor be responsible for the contents of any advertisement. The USPTA is committed to the policy that all people have equal access to its programs, facilities, employment and membership without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status. USPTA is an equal opportunity employer. USPTA reserves the right to reject any advertisement at its discretion, or to edit the advertisement to be certain that any employment requirements set forth in it conform with the law.

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

“On Court with USPTA” receives Gold Award “On Court with USPTA,” the cable TV show produced by the United States Professional Tennis Association, received the Gold Award in the Ava Awards 2007 competition. The award-winning episode “Ask the Professor – Episode 1,” which aired on the Tennis Channel, won in the category of video/film/sports.

“On Court” is a 20-minute instructional show featuring USPTAcertified professionals as guest instructors. The USPTA became the first tennis-teaching organization ever to produce and air an educational television series on playing and teaching tennis on the Tennis Channel in 2003. Since then, more than 46 shows have been produced that provide instruction about technique, strategy and other facets of the game, such as fun and fitness.

“Ask the Professor – Episode 1” offers helpful insights on tennis from USPTA Master Professional Jack Groppel, Ph.D. In this show he explains how important the role of fun is during the heat of competition. He also discusses how to extend your playing career without serious injury and gives key tips on avoiding tennis elbow.

In addition, Groppel shows how to maximize your enjoyment of the game with tips on how to reach the next level of play and provides helpful information about playing in extreme heat.

The Gold Award is presented to entries judged to exceed industry standards. About 14 percent of the entries received this honor.

All production is done in-house, which includes everything from planning and scripting to shooting and editing to graphics and DVD duplication. Joe Birkmire, the multimedia department manager, is also the show’s director and editor, and H.R. Topham is videographer and editor. Other production team members are Rick Bostrom, Scott Bucic, Julie Myers, Shawna Riley, Fred Viancos and executive producer Tim Heckler.

Check local listings for the Tennis Channel availability and visit www.uspta.com for show times for “On Court with USPTA.” A DVD of “Ask the Professor – Episode 1” will be available in January for purchase online at www.usprotennisshop.com, but visit the site today to view more than a hundred other USPTA-produced DVD titles and all other “On Court” episodes also available for purchase.

The Ava Awards is an international awards competition that recognizes outstanding work by creative professionals involved in the concept, writing, direction, shooting, and editing of audio-visual materials and programs. Entrants include video and film production companies, Web developers, advertising agencies, PR firms, corporate and government communication departments, producers, directors, editors and shooters. This year over 1,700 entries were submitted. Entries are judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals who set the standards for excellence and look for industry members who exceed those standards. K ADDvantage/January 2008 9

USPTA boosts member business with health campaign

by Jack Groppel, Ph.D., USPTA Master Professional

I

’m really excited to dedicate this month’s “Ask the Professor” column to USPTA’s newest public relations initiative: Tennis – for the health of it! SM In my new position as vice president on the USPTA Board of Directors, President Harry Gilbert recently appointed me chairman of the Public Relations Committee. Both of these roles will allow me to use my 45-year involvement in tennis, along with my educational background in exercise physiology and nutrition, and public speaking experience to do something that we truly believe will benefit USPTA and you.

Beginning this month, we will tie the USPTA brand to the health and fitness benefits of tennis. Our goal is to identify USPTA and its members as

the means through which the public can receive these benefits – from lessons and other tennis activities. Through this public relations initiative, we seek to drive business to you – the USPTA member – as a tennis leader in your community.

If we are successful, not only will people view tennis as a way to get and stay healthy, but we’ll also see more people playing and staying with the sport.

So, the public may ask, “Why tennis?” The next page provides you with 34 ways to sell tennis to new and former customers. We suggest that you post this list on a bulletin board or hand out copies to your members. The page includes scientific proof that backs up our claims. It demonstrates that no other sport mimics the

Tennis is a fun, social activity that can be enjoyed by teams, doubles partners and friendly rivals of all shapes, sizes and ages.

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ADDvantage/January 2008

functioning of the human body like tennis does.

In the physical realm, there’s a natural oscillation of stress and recovery when a player competes in a point and then has the rest period between points or on the changeover.

Like heart rate, muscle activity¸ brain waves, sleep cycles, and glucose cycles, tennis oscillates in a similar pattern.

The psychological aspects of tennis also mimic life. When you compete against another person, you must punch and counterpunch. This requires you to think under pressure, handle an opponent’s tactics, prepare for what’s coming next, manage mistakes, and deal with crises.

Yes, tennis truly is an amazing sport. But, physical and mental benefits aside, no one would consider trying it if it wasn’t also a fun, social activity that can be enjoyed by teams, doubles partners and friendly rivals of all shapes, sizes and ages.

Now, we need your help to push Tennis – for the health of it!

We’ll provide you with the public relations tools that will help you explain why tennis

is one of the best sports you can play for improved health.

Look for more resources and a future marketing kit that will help you make presentations at your clubs, at local schools, Rotary meetings and other civic organizations.

We also plan to identify 20 or more USPTA Professionals who will be passionate about pushing this message to their fellow USPTA members and the public. It’s important that this message not stop here. We want every USPTA division, state and district to use this campaign to increase tennis activities in their communities, educate the public about the benefits of tennis and tie these messages to USPTA. Our ultimate goal is to identify USPTA Professionals as the tennis experts in their communities and generate business and publicity for you.

As for me, I’m eager to begin promoting USPTA in every way possible. Tennis – for the health of it! will give me many reasons and opportunities to do so. I hope you’ll join me in promoting the health, fitness and fun of tennis with the USPTA. K

Jack Groppel, Ph.D., USPTA Master Professional, is co-founder of the Human Performance Institute. He is the author of The Corporate Athlete and co-author of World Class Tennis Technique. Information can be found at energyforperformance.com. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Tennis – for the health of it!SM Health, fitness, fun make sport excellent choice

by Jack Groppel, Ph.D., USPTA Master Professional

W

e’ve all heard tennis referred to as the “sport for a lifetime.” But, is this really true?

According to world-renowned scientists from a variety of disciplines, there is no doubt that tennis can improve your overall health, including your mental and physical fitness.

Why play tennis?

Physical reasons to play tennis

Psychological reasons to play tennis

Tennis enhances your:

Tennis helps you:

1. aerobic fitness by burning fat and improving your 18. develop a work ethic because improvement through lescardiovascular fitness and maintaining higher energy sons or practice reinforces the value of hard work. levels.

19. develop discipline since you learn to work on your skills 2. anaerobic fitness by offering short, intense bursts of in practice and control the pace of play in competiactivity during a point followed by rest, which helps tion. muscles use oxygen efficiently.

20. manage mistakes by learning to play within your abilities, 3. ability to accelerate by providing practice in sprinting, jumping and lunging quickly.

and realizing that managing and minimizing mistakes in tennis or life is critical.

4. powerful first step by requiring anticipation, quick 21. learn to compete one-on-one because the ability to do reaction time and explosion into action. battle on court trains you in the ups and downs of a competitive world.

5. speed through a series of side-to-side and up and back sprints to chase the ball.

6. leg strength through hundreds of starts and stops that build stronger leg muscles.

22. accept responsibility by practicing skills and checking your equipment before a match, and by making accurate line calls during a match.

7. general body coordination since you have to move into 23. manage adversity by learning to adjust to the elements (e.g. wind, sun) and still be able to compete position and then adjust your upper body to hit the ball tenaciously. successfully.

24. control stress effectively because the physical, men8. gross motor control through movement and ball-striktal and emotional stress of tennis will force you to ing skills that require control of your large muscle increase your capacity for dealing with stress. groups.

Here are the facts: • People who participate in tennis three hours per week at a moderately vigorous intensity cut in half their risk of death from any cause, according to the late Dr. Ralph Paffenbarger, who was an internationally recognized exercise authority and studied more than 10,000 people for 20 years.

• Tennis players scored higher in vigor, optimism and self-esteem while scoring lower in depression, anger, confusion, anxiety and tension than other athletes and nonathletes, according to Dr. Joan Finn and colleagues at Southern Connecticut State University.

• Since tennis requires alertness and tactical thinking, it may generate new connections between nerves in the brain and promote a lifetime of continuing development of the brain, reported scientists at the University of Illinois.

• Tennis outperforms golf and most other sports in developing positive personality characteristics, according to Dr. Jim Gavin, author of “The Exercise Habit.”

• Competitive tennis burns more calories than aerobics or cycling, according to studies in caloric expenditures.

With these facts in mind, review the 34 specific reasons why you should consider playing regularly!

9. fine motor control by use of touch shots like angled 25. learn how to recover by adapting to the stress of a point and the recovery period between points, which volleys, drop shots and lobs. is similar to the stress and recovery cycles in life.

10. agility by forcing you to change direction as many as 26. plan and implement strategies since you naturally learn five times in 10 seconds during a typical point. how to anticipate your opponent’s moves and plan your 11. dynamic balance through hundreds of starts, stops, countermoves. changes of direction and hitting on the run.

27. learn to solve problems since tennis is a sport based 12. cross-training through a physically demanding sport on angles, geometry and physics. that’s fun for athletes who specialize in other sports.

28. develop performance rituals before serving or returning 13. bone strength and density by strengthening bones of to control your rhythm of play and deal with pressure. young players and helping prevent osteoporosis in older These skills can transfer to taking exams, conducting a ones. meeting or making an important sales presentation.

14. immune system through its conditioning effects, 29. learn sportsmanship since tennis teaches you to which promote overall health, fitness and resistance compete fairly with opponents. to disease.

30. learn to win graciously and lose with honor. Gloating 15. nutritional habits by eating appropriately before after a win or making excuses after a loss doesn’t work competition to enhance energy production and after in tennis or in life. competition to practice proper recovery methods.

31. learn teamwork since successful doubles play depends 16. hand-eye coordination because you constantly judge on you and your partner’s ability to communicate and the timing between the oncoming ball and the proper play as a cohesive unit. contact point.

32. develop social skills through interaction and commu17. flexibility due to the constant stretching and maneuvernication before a match, while changing sides on the ing to return the ball to your opponent. court and after play.

Summary and reason No. 34

33. have fun – because the healthy feelings of enjoyment, competitiveness and physical challenge are inherent in the sport.

Is it any wonder that scientists and physicians around the world view tennis as the most healthful activity in which you can participate? While other sports can provide excellent health benefits and some can promote mental and emotional growth, none can compete with tennis in delivering overall physical, mental and emotional gains to those who play.

All these benefits make tennis the ideal sport for kids to learn early in life. What parent wouldn’t want their children to have these advantages through their growing years?

And, it’s never too late for adults of all ages to take up the game. The human system can be trained and improved at any stage of life. The key is to start playing now to get the most out of these benefits throughout your lifetime.

And, that brings us to reason No. 34: Tennis is truly the sport for a lifetime! The proof is in the playing. K

Contact your local USPTA teaching professional for programs that will have you playing Tennis – for the health of it!

For more information about USPTA, visit www.usptafindapro.com.

Michigan’s Palladino and Sun win singles titles at the USPTA Indoor Championships

A

lex Palladino of Grand Rapids, Mich., captured the men’s open title at the $2,500 United States Professional Tennis Association Indoor Championships held November 9-11 at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich. Palladino defeated Richard Beijer of Novi, Mich., 6-1, 6-1, for the championship.

Amy Sun of Big Rapids, Mich., won the women’s open title by going undefeated in round robin play. Sun defeated Marilyn Baker of Eagan, Minn., 6-2, 6-1.

Richard Beijer of Grand Rapids, Mich., and Dana Gill of Cupertino, Calif., earned the men’s open doubles title by going undefeated in round robin play. Beijer and Gill defeated Joseph Van Deinse of Williamsburg, Mich., and Ryan Dloski of Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., 6-2, 6-1.

The tournament was the last in the series of national tournaments on several court surfaces that the USPTA offered to its members as part of the USPTA National Surface Championship Series.

Men’s open winner Alex Palladino

The national tournaments are open to members in good standing.

For additional information, please contact the USPTA at 800USPTA-4U. USPTA Professionals may log in to the “members only” section of the USPTA Web site at www.uspta.com for more information.

Following is a complete list of results from final-round matches: Men’s Open Singles Finals Alex Palladino, Grand Rapids, Mich., def. Richard Beijer, Novi, Mich., 6-1, 6-1.

Women’s open winner Amy Sun

Women’s Open Singles Round Robin Amy Sun, Big Rapids, Mich., def. Marilyn Baker, Eagan, Minn., 6-2, 6-1. Amy Sun def. Molly Basha, Statesboro, Ga., 6-1, 6-4. Marilyn Baker def. Molly Basha 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Men’s Open Doubles Round Robin Richard Beijer, Novi, Mich., and Dana Gill, Cupertino, Calif., def. Joseph Van Deinse, Williamsburg, Mich., and Ryan Dloski, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., 6-2, 6-1. Richard Beijer and Dana Gill def. Alex Palladino, Grand Rapids, Mich., and Anwar Khan, Portage, Mich., 6-2, 6-4. Joseph Van Deinse and Ryan Dloski def. Alex Palladino and Anwar Khan, 6-1, 6-3. K Men’s open doubles champs Richard Beijer (left) and Dana Gill

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It’s only demographics, but I like it

by Rod Dunnett, USPTA

M

y old economics professor always used to say “pay attention to the demographics and you will run your business with success and invest well.” The baby boomers are back and ready to play tennis. In the ’70s they hit their 20s and were responsible for giving tennis a great growth spurt. Then life got in the way. They had careers and kids to chase after. Now they are starting to retire and are looking for something to do rather than golf. We will need more courts in our new active-adult communities.

The baby boomers are back and ready to play tennis.

They are back! We need to look at the way we are teaching and who we are hiring to teach these successful baby boomers. The formula for hiring tennis pros has been previous college or professional playing experience. It may make some sense to find professionals who have been successful in other professions and communicate at a level similar to the client. These folks are not kids trying to make a college team or the pro circuit. They want to get the foundation back so they can play doubles in the local active-adult community.

Not to say that there are not still quite a few type A personalities out there looking to play on the various age group senior circuits. Their emphasis is more on getting into shape to compete in singles.

As a general manager of a club or director of tennis, it does not make interesting press to announce the hiring of the new head pro who used to be a banker. It is sexier to announce his or her previous ranking, tour experience or what college he or she played for. It is a challenge, but hiring to match the demographics of the client/member base is the key. A young club requires the traditional hiring process, but a resort that caters to successful business people or an active-adult community should look to a previously successful business person. There are a lot of USPTA pros who have changed careers.

We need to emphasize the tools to hit consistent shots, not how to hit a running topspin forehand. We will not see a lot of smoke coming from their sneakers as they cover the courts. Teach the grip that will give them more consistency. I know we all do it now, but stretching before and after is very important as we age.

This is a great group to market to. They have a tendency to bring the racquet out that was new 10 years ago. Get them into new equipment. They will pay attention to their pro even more than www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Baby boomers represent the ideal market for tennis businesses.

the previous generations. This is the same group that sees value added in a good teaching pro. As the strings age the elasticity is lost and more vibration is created. Use vibration absorbers and change strings more often. We really have to be aware of things that may give them tennis elbow. Using less tension with strings makes sense.

As their swing path shortens, more power is needed.

If you have not done it yet, get certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and make sure you have a cell phone on the courts to call 911 if there is an emergency. As our client base ages, we must be prepared. K Rod Dunnett, USPTA, teaches at Topnotch Resort in Stowe, Vt., in the summer and is the head pro for an active-adult community in the Palm Springs, Fla., area. Previously, he was an executive for Bank of America and president and chairman of the board of his own private bank.

ADDvantage/January 2008

13

Are you really training

for tennis-speciď€ c endurance?

by Mark Kovacs, Ph.D., USPTA

Training for tennis is complex and it requires a committed coach to plan and implement a structured endurance-training program based on an athlete’s physiology, playing style and competitive level.

C

ompetitive tennis requires players to compete in many matches that last longer than two hours, but also involves short and intense bouts of exertion combined with brief rest periods [1]. The duration of work and rest is highly variable and each match has a different physiological profile [2]. For these reasons, training for tennis is complex and it requires a committed coach to plan and implement a structured endurance-training program based on an athlete’s physiology, playing style and competitive level.

When designing training programs, it is important to train the metabolic energy systems that dominate during match play.

A common problem that still occurs with regard to training specificity is the method by which tennis endurance (aerobic capability) is developed. Developing tennis endurance is usually the major focus during the off-season or pre-season (general preparatory/specific preparatory) periods of training. Traditional slow aerobic conditioning or even long-interval training sessions are still used in many tennis conditioning programs. It is still common to see well-meaning coaches run their players using inefficient training routines.

Examples of this include running multiple 400-meter sprints on a track or running miles to build aerobic capabilities or even increase lactate tolerance. The question that needs to be asked by these coaches and trainers is: How specific is that training program to the sport of tennis?

To understand if an activity or drill is specific to the sport, it is important to focus on a few major variables: the length, the recovery and the intensity. Although long-distance, continuous aerobic routines, such as 30-minute to 60-minute runs, do

develop aerobic capabilities, is this type of capability transferable and necessary to tennis play? Long, slow, continuous movements are not highly specific to the length of movements, the recovery or the intensity seen during match play. Simply stated, they do not match the physiological requirements of tennis match play. Many of you reading this will be thinking that athletes still need aerobic training to last for long matches and also recover fast after long matches. Aerobic capabilities still need to be developed since the majority of energy regeneration is performed aerobically.

Therefore, short sprint/interval training would be a more tennis-specific method of training if the workload could replicate match play (i.e., work/rest intervals) and is performed for 30 to 45 minutes.

Work/rest analysis

A good method for noninvasively determining the requirements of tennis match play is a work/rest analysis. The ideal way to make this specific to your athletes would be to videotape five to 10 matches and have your athletes determine how long points and rest periods lasted. Timing the average length of points and rest continued page 17

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Although long-distance, continuous aerobic routines, such as 30-minute to 60-minute runs, do develop aerobic capabilities, is this type of capability transferable and necessary to tennis play?

training from Page 14 periods, as well as determining in what time frame the players predominantly played most of their points (i.e., 0-5 seconds, 5-10 seconds, 10-15 seconds) would allow the coach to design highly individualized programs for each player.

If you do not have the equipment or time or the number of students that you teach is just too large to practically make this work, a brief summary of the tennis-specific research in college and professional tennis players is provided.

In the majority of studies the average point length is less than 15 seconds [3-8].

An analysis conducted by our research group compared the final of the 1988 and 2003 U.S. Open men’s singles. It is interesting to note that the average point length has decreased by over 50 percent in the last 15 years. The time of work for each point decreased from 12.2 seconds in 1988 to 5.99 seconds in 2003. Furthermore, the average rest between points also decreased by approximately 50 percent when compared to 15.18 seconds in 2003.

A statistic that is potentially more important is that 93 percent of all points lasted less than 15 seconds [9, 10]. Therefore, if coaches are using old training guidelines from outdated data, they may think they are designing tennis-specific programs; however, without using current work/rest data these programs will be inefficient for developing the endurance requirements of today’s tennis athlete.

Work/rest ratio

The previously mentioned data led to the next important component for training design – the work/rest ratio. The currently published data reveals that for every second of work performed there is three to five seconds of rest [2]. Therefore, it is important to structure programs utilizing a work to rest ratio that mimics match play.

been placed on traditional aerobic training methods such as 1.5- or 3-mile runs or lactate-producing interval training in the form of one- to two-minute sprints (400to 800-meter sprints). Furthermore, it has been shown that plasma lactate levels do not rise during tennis competition [11], which would suggest that training involving large increases in lactate (one- to twominute sprints) would not be beneficial and is, in fact, ill-advised for tennis players.

It is much more specific and efficient to train athletes using time frames ranging from five to 45 seconds at a higher intensity and repeating those varied intervals for 30 to 45 minutes to develop tennis-specific endurance.

Conclusion

The purpose of this article is not to provide examples of different court drills, but to present ideas on how to incorporate your current drills and movement patterns (both on and off court) into a scientifically and physiologically based tennis conditioning program.

Further recommendations that should be followed when designing tennis-specific training programs are as follows [12]: • It is beneficial to maintain physical conditioning intensity equal to or greater than match intensity.

• The majority of work should take less than 15 seconds to complete.

• Work should not exceed 45 seconds without an appropriate rest interval.

• Work/rest ratio should be comparable to that of match play. An acceptable range is between two to four seconds of rest for every second of work.

Current errors in program design for tennis

• After every 10 to 15 repetitions, a longer rest period (to simulate rest during games) should be taken.

This data provided highlights of how short the time of each point is during tennis match play. These findings, although important, are rarely used when designing physical conditioning programs for tennis players. Until now too much emphasis has

These recommendations are for energy system development specifically for tennis. They should not be used when focusing on speed development or highintensity agility. K

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Mark Kovacs, Ph.D., USPTA, is a coach, trainer, certified strength and conditioning specialist and tennis physiologist. He is an assistant professor of exercise science and wellness at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Ala., and is a former professional tennis player, collegiate All-American and NCAA doubles champion at Auburn University. He is the co-author of “Tennis Training: Enhancing On-Court Performance,” which is available through www.racquettech.com and bookstores. He can be contacted at mkovacs@jsu.edu.

REFERENCES 1. Kovacs, M., W.B. Chandler, and T.J. Chandler, Tennis training: enhancing on-court performance. 2007, Vista, CA: Racquet Tech Publishing.

2. Kovacs, M.S., Tennis physiology: training the competitive athlete. Sports Medicine, 2007.

37(3): p. 1-11.

3. Chandler, T.J., Work/rest intervals in world class tennis. Tennis Pro, 1991. 3: p. 4.

4. Deutsch, E., S.L. Deutsch, and P.S. Douglas, Exercise training for competitive tennis. Clinics in Sports Medicine, 1988. 7(2): p. 417-27.

5. Ellliott, B., B. Dawson, and F. Pyke, The energetics of singles tennis. Journal of Human Movement Studies, 1985. 11: p. 11-20.

6. König, D., et al., Cardiovascular, metabolic, and hormonal parameters in professional tennis players. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2001. 33(4): p. 654-658.

7. Richers, T.A., Time-motion analysis of the energy systems in elite and competitive singles tennis. Journal of Human Movement Studies, 1995. 28: p. 73-86.

8. Kovacs, M.S., Applied physiology of tennis performance. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2006. 40(5): p. 381-386.

9. Kovacs, M.S., et al. Time analysis of work/rest intervals in men’s professional tennis. Southeastern American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting. 2004. Atlanta, GA. 10. Kovacs, M.S., A comparison of work/rest intervals in men’s professional tennis. Medicine and Science in Tennis, 2004. 9(3): p. 10-11.

11. Bergeron, M.F., et al., Tennis: a physiological profile during match play. International journal of sports medicine, 1991. 12(5): p.

474-479.

12. Kovacs, M.S., A new approach to training tennis endurance. International Tennis Federation Coaching and Sports Science Review, 2006.

38(2-3): p. 2006.

ADDvantage/January 2008

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USPTA drills Alternating team singles prepared by Brett Hobden, USPTA

Type: Singles Category: Conditioning/strategy and tactics Levels: Intermediate/advanced Time/players: 15 minutes/1-8

Description and goals: Creating teamwork and anticipating your teammate’s shots so that your team can win the most points.

Organization: Players on each side will alternate hitting a shot. The next player in line will have to run in to play the next shot. Players must pay attention to the situation and anticipate the shot from their teammate and the opponent. The point continues until either a winner or error is made. Variations: Teams can only earn points with a winner. Teams must win points at the net.

Key points: Focus on reading the situation and adjusting your shots and position accordingly.

Fire in the hole

prepared by Brett Hobden, USPTA

Type: Doubles Level: Intermediate/advanced

Category: Doubles/overhead/volley Time/players: 15 minutes/1-4

Description and goals: A very exciting game that is fast-paced and develops quick hands, footwork and great teamwork. Players will work on a variety of quick net shots, touch shots and defensive shots.

Organization: Four players start inside the service line. Any player can receive the first shot. Another player (or coach) stands just off the court near the net post and feeds the first ball, which can be any type of shot (low or high volley, drop shot or overhead). The point is played out with the player who makes the error or loses the point being replaced immediately by the next player (player A) waiting in line to come in. When a lob is hit the team receiving the lob must let it bounce. The opponents move back quickly, calling out “fire in the hole” and try to defend against the overhead.

Key points: Mix up the feeds so that players receive volleys, dinks and overheads. Focus on teamwork, closing in and defending against overheads.

Serve and volley surprise prepared by Brett Hobden, USPTA

Type: Doubles, singles Category: Return of serve/serve/serve-volley Levels: Intermediate/advanced Time/players: 15 minutes/1-8

Description and goals: All players work on their serve and volley at least 1 in 3 points. This drill has players surprise their opponents by using the serve-volley tactic, which creates uncertainty in the receivers.

Organization: Players serve in doubles formation. Each player will serve three points with at least one of the 3 points being a serve-volley point.

However, a player could choose to serve and volley more than once.

Rotate players after 3 points. Rotation can be one spot on each side of the court or as a team. Variations: Play singles points. Allow one serve only.

Key point: Focus on making good serves and first volleys. Have net players focus on poaching or cutting off the return.

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USPTA drills Steal the net

prepared by Brett Hobden, USPTA

Type: Doubles Levels: Intermediate/adv.

Category: Doubles/lob/return of serve Time/players: 15 minutes/1-8

Description and goals: Return team tries to “steal” the net from serve team. Returners focus on making a good offensive lob over the net player’s head and moving forward.

Organization: Returner hits offensive lob over net player’s head (net player can only retreat as far as the service line to play shot). Server covers behind partner and partner switches to other side. Returner moves forward so that he and partner are inside the service line and have stolen the net from the serve team. Play out the point. Once point ends, everybody rotates one spot (new player moves in to serve, server moves to net position, net player is out, new player moves in to return, returner moves to net position, and net player moves out).

Variations: Server must hit second serve or rotate in as a team.

Key points: Focus on offensive lob that helps steal the net. Move as a team.

Three strikes, you’re a champ prepared by Brett Hobden, USPTA

Type: Singles Levels: Intermediate/adv.

Category: Strategy amd tactics Time/players: 10 minutes/1-4

Description and goals: To get players comfortable playing three variable play situations one after the other and to win 3 consecutive points.

Organization: Start with both players at the baseline. Player A must feed the ball past the service line or is out. Play out the point. If player B wins the point, player A feeds a ball that must land inside the service line (if the feed is missed player A is out). Player B must hit an approach shot and play out the point. If player B wins the point, player A feeds a ball to player B that must be volleyed. The volley from player B must go past the service line and play out point. If player B wins all 3 points he becomes the champ and takes the place of player A. The game continues until another player wins 3 consecutive points, then rotate. Anytime player B loses a point, rotate other players.

Key points: Helps players develop the skills to play in three situations: a baseline rally, transition shot and volley.

Up, back, stay and in prepared by Brett Hobden, USPTA

Type: Doubles, singles Levels: Intermediate/advanced

Category: Strategy and tactics Time/players: 15 minutes/1-8

Description and goals: To help players improve their awareness and positioning. Most players move quite well side-to-side, but many times struggle with moving up and back. This will help them anticipate where the ball will land based on its speed, trajectory and spin.

Organization: Players start the point on the baseline. Players must call out their movement strategy (up, back, stay or in) for each shot before the ball bounces on their side of the court. If they don’t they are out. They are also out if they lose the point. Variations: With fewer players, use the whole court. Use crosscourt half of the court as a doubles variation.

Key point: Focus on having players call out their next court position by recognizing the type of ball they are about to receive.

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ADDvantage/January 2008

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USPTA mailbox While it’s generally believed that participation in sports builds good character, this is not always the case.

As we can see by the recent wave of bad publicity, poor sportsmanship, unethical, illegal and “bad” behavior exists in most sports, even at the elite level. Sadly, the need to win, the lure of money and the sense of entitlement and invulnerability that wealth and power bring tempt the very core values that sports were designed to develop.

As parents and coaches, you can make a difference. Tell your kids why these behaviors are bad and inappropriate. Invite them to discuss their views and the penalties and consequences they feel would be warranted.

Seek out examples of great athletes who are fine role models.

Discuss the value of playing hard but fair, of winning and losing with honor and humility, of trying your hardest even when you are competing against a much stronger team or you aren’t playing your best.

Teach your kids how to respect officials even when they appear to miss a call or make a bad one, not out of fear of a penalty but because it’s the right thing to do.

Help youngsters learn to control their emotions under pressure and not play out of fear or anger but out of desire and confidence.

Be a good role model yourself.

Demonstrate ethical and moral behavior toward others and it will carry over to how your kids behave.

All of us have a significant role to play in helping our youth develop good character through sport. It’s just too important to leave it to chance.

Best regards, Robert Heller, Ed.D., USPTA Boca Raton, Fla. Editor’s note: Robert Heller’s seminar, “Developing Character Through Tennis,” is available in MP3 format as part of the 2007 USPTA World Conference seminar set on CD-ROM. For more information, contact the U.S. Pro Tennis Shop at (800) 877-8248 or at proshop@uspta.org

Tim, Your article in the OctoberNovember issue of ADDvantage magazine was right on target.

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ADDvantage/January 2008

from Page 2

Having played junior tennis and now having a child who plays sectional and national tournaments, I am aware of the cheating problems we have in our sport today. The true cheaters are as skillful with their timing of the bad calls and score changes as they are with hitting forehands and backhands.

There are a few solutions I believe would be effective. First, I believe that 10 percent of the field cause 80 percent of the problems at the sectional level. Countless times I’ve seen referees give suspension points for hitting a ball over the fence, throwing a racquet or using foul language, but they rarely give suspension points for obvious and gross cheating. This needs to change. I also see many instances of warnings and threats of suspension points for poor behavior, but the refs don’t usually put it in writing.

If they do, the tournament directors don’t follow through and turn in the forms.

Secondly, virtually every player and parent knows when the draw comes out, who the cheaters are.

In many cases they notify the refs or tournament directors before the match is even played in hopes of getting a ref to monitor their court. If you send out surveys to each junior in each state and national players, in each age division, you will quickly get a consensus of who the cheaters are. With this information in hand, (it could be done through e-mail at no cost), you will know what the juniors already know: who the cheaters are. If, for example, 80 percent of the surveys have the same four or five names coming up, then an obvious red flag goes up.

The next question is what to do with the information. You distribute the results to the appropriate USTA sectional presidents and head umpires. You establish and distribute a strict suspension policy that all juniors are made aware of and then implement and enforce the policy.

Once the policy is enforced fairly and consistently, then the juniors will either stop cheating or be subject to suspension. It’s time to be tough for the sake of our juniors and the integrity of our sport.

Victor Albo, USPTA Plantation, Fla.

Tim, I just finished reading your letter in ADDvantage about cheating, and have one idea that I still use in our one-day junior tournaments.

I have been competing for over 35 years. As we were growing up, it was common to pull a parent or older player to act as umpire over any match with problems when the referee was busy or manpower was short. This pickup person could call foot faults, lines, keep score, or cover whatever problem was existing on the court.

The referee or tournament director would locate such an individual that they knew had nothing to do with the match. They would then let the individual know that they were there for a specific purpose, and to monitor that problem through the rest of the match. The individual would only be called upon if a player had a question, then would rule or overrule the situation. In all these years, I have not had any issues with the individual who was called on to help keep a match honest.

We are definitely at a point that the parents and players need to assist in the honesty of a tournament, due to the cost of umpires and the fact that they do not stay for the duration of the match. In the event the pickup person had an issue (the match went long), they could be replaced by another person. I do not know why this process stopped, but it worked extremely well while I was in juniors and afterward.

Jack Sheehy, USPTA Arlington, Texas Mr. Heckler, I appreciate you speaking out on cheating, lying and stealing.

Sometimes I can’t believe the responses from parents concerning the behavior of their children. It reminds me of the time when I was 5 years old and I stole a penny piece of candy at the grocery store. When my Mom found out she took me to the store checker and made me apologize. If I caught my son or daughter cheating, I would have them defaulted immediately and apologize to the other player and tournament director.

Winning outside the rules of the game is a hollow victory and results in you becoming less of a person. Tennis and winning are only part of life. What to do?

My son played in a special four-day tournament event this last summer for 10-and-under only.

This was a team event where the players were put on four teams (10 boys and 10 girls on each team) and played another team on each day.

Matches involved singles, doubles and mixed doubles. On the first day, a mandatory meeting was held with one to two hours of instruction on rules, court etiquette, proper match behavior, and how to check in. This meeting was followed up with a mandatory parents meeting with a video about proper behavior for parents. The whole idea behind this tournament was to provide some instruction in the beginning years of a tennis player’s career. This tournament was geared toward the top-ranked players in the region and was a great event.

Another suggestion that I thought of after reading the part in your article about the scoring dispute is to bring a scoring marker to your tournament matches. The marker fits on the net and is adjusted after each game.

Finally, character begins when someone speaks up. Thank you for doing so.

John D. Penner Fullerton, Calif.

Hi Tim, Just read your article on cheating in junior tennis. As you know, it is not just in junior tennis, but adult leagues too. The problem is systemic and societal. Unfortunately, winning is more important than integrity. Ramsey Earnhart, a USPTA member, mentor and former NCAA doubles champion, told me long ago, “tennis doesn’t build character but rather reveals it.” How right he is.

So how do we solve the problem of cheating? Here is a possible solution: In the past I sometimes would video some of my ladies teams during league play and found out that the line calls on these matches were much better. I can only assume the players’ knowwww.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

USPTA mailbox ing the camera was on cleaned up their act. While there were no provisions in ALTA rules for using a video to challenge a call, the idea relates to your “undercover” referee. Admittedly, some of the opponents and some of my own members objected, but I always was able to convince them that it was a learning tool and prevailed upon them to allow it. If not, I just backed off and used the zoom lens.

The entire match can be videoed and an appeal could be based upon a few bad calls caught on video.

Sadly, cheaters – from presidents to heads of industry, tennis players, and others from every walk of life – will always be with us. At least you have a pulpit from which to voice your concern. What about the moms and dads with kids playing tournaments who only have their pros to guide them through the USTA tournament maze?

Fred Burdick USPTA Master Professional Dalton, Ga. Dear Tim, The problem of cheating to win tennis matches has many people, including myself, very disturbed.

The days of a “gentleman’s game” with fair calls and good sportsmanship have given way to a “win-atall-costs” mentality. A solution to address this situation may come from racquetball. Many years ago I was the tournament stringer at a sanctioned racquetball tournament. I observed the structure of the tournament and was surprised when the winner of a match had to stay for additional duties – refereeing another match.

This is an excellent solution to the problem of cheating in tennis.

Tennis tournament directors could state on the tournament’s entry form that every player will be required to umpire or referee another match. This would guarantee that the player would fulfill his or her duty or they would not be allowed to advance to the next round.

Another option is to include an umpire fee in with the entry fee.

For instance, players would pay $50 to enter and they would be refunded $25 if they umpired one match. The extra $25 fee would discourage players from leaving www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

without doing their duty or the fee could be used to hire another player to umpire an additional match.

Having a match umpire on the court of a junior tennis match would discourage cheating and bad line calls and would accomplish several things.

The first is just having a peer on court to witness the conduct of each player. Many times when a player was ready to question an “out” call by his or her opponent, I have observed a friend, coach or parent nod to indicate that the ball was indeed out. This confirmation by another witness really helped to calm the player.

The second benefit would be for the match umpire to be able to correct line calls when asked by the opposing player.

Third, the match umpire could also record all overrules for each player on the scorecard and turn it into the tournament referee for further action. This would make all players more accountable for their conduct and line calls. Tournament referees would be able to track problem players through the tournament and in future events as well. Governing bodies could also take disciplinary action against chronic cheaters.

Lastly, the match umpire would also be in charge of keeping score to stop any errors or cheating in scoring. An official scorecard would be given to each match umpire to be turned in at the end of the match.

The idea of having another player being the umpire of a tennis match would go a long way to help curb cheating. It would hold both players in a match more accountable for their actions and give the match umpire an appreciation for tournament officials.

Doug Hofer, USPTA Visalia, Calif.

Hi Tim, I read your article in the USPTA publication. It’s something I am really struggling with myself, not just the actual cheating, but coming up with a viable solution. To put my two cents in, I do have some ideas.

When I was growing up playing tennis, we all had to show up for the tournament at 8 in the morning on the first day. This way we

all developed a certain camaraderie playing cards, etc., waiting for our matches or during rain delays. We knew one another, which made it harder to cheat. More importantly, when the first matches were called, they also asked for volunteers from the players, corresponding to the number of courts, and asked them to sit up in the chair and call the first match. After that, the loser had to go back to the same court he lost on, and chair the next match. This would teach the kids a good lesson about controlling the flow of the match, and dealing with attitudes.

It would be beneficial to have a card at every tournament where players can voice their opinions about the worst cheaters, and the tournament director would have to submit it to the USTA. I guarantee that the same five names would come up over and over again. These names could be published once a month with the rankings and color coded on the draw sheet (yellow, for instance). We already have red for seeded players, green for nonUSTA members and so forth.

I hope I did not bore you to tears. But it ticks me off when I see those cheaters winning matches because they call a ball out on game point or set point or match point.

You are right; they don’t waste their time at 15 all.

Zsolt Karosi, USPTA Helendale, Calif.

Dear Tim, I was reading your message in the October-November issue about cheating and thought I’d let you know how we had umpires for almost every match.

I think parents and coaches should be reminded that tennis is supposed to be a “gentleman’s” game – at least that’s what I was taught ever since I started. Do your best, have fun and all the other good stuff.

I’m sure you have heard how things might work nowadays. The thinking is “win at any cost” and “when in doubt call it out.” Trying to get rid of this cheating on the court problem has to have everyone involved, including players, parents, coaches and friends.

When I was a junior we used to have players who were waiting for

their matches or players who were done with their matches help by umpiring matches. Of course, you should make sure that the umpire is not from the same academy as one of the players or one of the parents.

The players (umpires) can at least watch the lines and keep track of the score along with the players.

We used to have the regular umpire chairs (the tall ones) but clubs where they didn’t had those chairs set up sturdy tables with chairs on top so the umpires could get a better view of the lines. I think it might make things easier for the referee or the roving umpire, players and everyone involved. Who knows? Umpiring may help some players learn a couple of things.

All the best, and hope this helps in at least getting things started with players helping each other.

Sincerely, Emmanuel John, USPTA Beechwood, Ohio Dear Tim, I wanted to let you know that I enjoyed the cheating article that you wrote. I might not be sure why, but it reminded me a little bit of an old Vince Lombardi story that I read. One day at a Packers practice one of his players gave up before the end of the play. Lombardi started yelling at him and said, “If you quit in practice, then you’ll quit in the game. If you quit in the game, then you’ll quit in life. And I won’t have that!”

I definitely agree with you that cheating is excused or even encouraged in certain drill groups and high schools. Diligent high school coaches and club pros can be the ones to turn this epidemic around, but at the moment something needs to be done at the national level as well. There is too much at stake in the USTA tournaments (namely scholarships) to let them go unsupervised. I like the idea of plain clothes referees or scouts because honest kids are getting hurt by the current system and that just isn’t fair.

Thanks again.

Trip Norkus Strake Jesuit College Preparatory Houston continued next page ADDvantage/January 2008

21

USPTA mailbox Hello Tim, The USPTA, USTA, and other tennis organizations have promoted putting people into competition almost from the beginning of their involvement with the game, before any skills have been ingrained. This is the first cause of the cheating because if you don’t have the skills to win on your own, and you know how important winning is, then you will be inclined to cheat in order to be the winner. The old saying goes, “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game,” but from everything we see around us, even little kids know that isn’t true. The winners get everything while the losers get nothing.

If you want to do something about cheating, delay the start of people competing. Teaching people the skills of the game with no competition allows them to develop the skills in a relaxed, nonthreatening environment. I have people that take lessons from me for years in group situations that have no desire to compete, but love getting out,

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ADDvantage/January 2008

running around, hitting some balls, and gradually getting better. When you learn in a noncompetitive environment you are given the time to learn not only the physical skills, but also the mental and emotional skills. Also, what happens is that by working together over many years it becomes much harder to cheat someone that you are friends with and respect.

Until you change how the system works, there will always be cheating. It’s not just happening in junior tennis, it’s happening extensively in recreational tennis and even in low-level professional tennis where there are no line judges. One of my long-term students, who was ranked No. 1 two years ago in Northern California Women’s Open singles, went to Mexico to play qualifying for a tournament there and when she came back she was horrified at how much cheating was going on. In her very first match her opponent cheated her on three of the first four points in the first game! Her observations were that this was the

rule, not the exception, and that if someone cheated you, you just cheated them right back.

Sincerely, Brent Zeller, USPTA Woodacre, Calif.

Tim, I just read your CEO message in ADDvantage. As I close in on retirement from coaching, I feel more and more like you did returning from that tournament with your son. Our society is just not giving/teaching the right message, and tennis, squash and golf are the last holdouts for ethical behavior, but we are being overwhelmed by the negative aspects of everything else.

Remember “The USPTA Complete Guide to Coaching”? Check out my two brief articles on sportsmanship. I still coach the same way, but it is harder to get through to my kids every year, both because there are no similar messages out there and because no other coaches seem to pay any attention to ethics and sportsmanship. It is all about

winning and who is coming in next year to make my team stronger.

I have been really lucky to coach at Williams & Haverford – very high quality, intelligent kids – and they have listened and learned.

But I don’t have much hope for the future!

Sean Sloane, USPTA Glassboro, N.J. Dear Mr. Heckler, I am rarely moved to send a letter to the editor. But your recent message regarding cheating in our game hit a nerve. My first thought was, “It’s about time someone with some ‘punch’ said something about this ongoing problem.”

When I taught and coached in Florida, my school was the host school for the South Florida high school district championship. We played 300 matches in three days and rarely had a problem with line calls. We handled it this way. On the first day of the tournament we had a meeting with all the players and all the coaches. We explained that every coach was to

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

USPTA mailbox be considered a roving umpire.

They could make line calls, solve disputes and make decisions on the spot. Our players respected this. The mere presence of a coach watching a match probably helped keep matches controlled. I must mention that this rule only applied to the high school coach, not one of the private coaches who worked with many of our players.

Now, I fully understand that a high school tournament operates under some rule differences. This method would probably not work in USTA without some tweaking, or maybe not at all. But for us, we had created what basketball and football officials call “potential of presence.”

This worked for us on the local level. Unfortunately, when our winners went on we faced some of the problems you mentioned in the message.

I applaud you for writing on this subject and for the courage to step on the toes you did. My sincere hope is that this article gets a great response and produces ideas that will help solve it.

Hopefully the time will come when none of us walk off the court saying, “I don’t want to play with him anymore, he cheats.”

Robert L. Schweid, USPTA Henderson, Nev. Howdy Tim, After reading your “Cheating, lying, and stealing” editorial, I just had to write you and say that I take my Texas-sized, 10-gallon hat off to you for telling it like it is. As I read your editorial, I could relate to your feelings all too well because I was once a junior tennis parent myself and experienced some of the very same frustrations you are experiencing in the junior tennis world of today. Fortunately, the problems I experienced 20 years ago weren’t as bad as they are today. My daughter had the good fortune to have worked with classact teaching pros like Jim Parker, who wouldn’t tolerate cheating for a nanosecond nor would her dad!

As you know, I am a USTA official and primarily work the junior tournaments in the Houston area.

Time and time again, I’ve had juwww.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

nior players come to me requesting that I monitor their match for bad line calls, foot faulting, etc. After not seeing any bad line calls, foot faults, or other forms of cheating during two or three games, I typically move on to monitor another court, only to have the same player call me back to his/her match five minutes later for the very same problems.

Fortunately, we are blessed in the USTA Texas Section with a great Discipline & Grievance Committee chair in the form of Paul Christian. I’m here to tell you though, Paul and his committee can’t do their job effectively if the USTA officials and tournament directors don’t do their jobs by submitting reports of cheating.

As far as I’m concerned, submitting cheating reports to the D&G Committee is one of the most important responsibilities assumed by a person who chooses to become a USTA official.

The idea of an “undercover official” is an absolutely fantastic idea! I sincerely hope that Paul and the Texas Section D&G Committee give serious consideration to using “undercover officials” on a trial basis for two or three years and then evaluate the results. You know and I know that this cancer, in the form of cheating, lying, and stealing, must stop now; otherwise, our beloved game of tennis is headed down the wrong path like a runaway train!

Rod Hotz, USPTA Houston Dear Tim, I enjoyed your thoughts on cheating at junior tournaments. As you and I are of the “old school,” we know that the sense of shame over being accused, or even suspected, of being a cheater or poor sport kept participants, on the whole, being very fair. In my day, at the early level of junior play in New Zealand, all competitors were made to adjudicate a match; usually the loser adjudicated the match following theirs on a court. There was, therefore, an independent observer that a player could appeal to without having to look for an official. The “scorekeeper” would

make sure that scores were correct and no arguments regarding what the score was developed, as the monitor would be the final voice.

All players had to do this and even winners were assigned a match at some point during the event. I know that time is an issue at many tournaments today, but if, at the entry level of junior tournament sanctioned play, monitoring was a requirement of entering the tournament, then good habits would be developed at the early stages of a player’s tournament career. A secondary byproduct of this was that losers would have to immerse themselves in another match so the sting and self-criticism of losing would be shortened and focus given to another match.

I applaud the other suggestions you made and hope that publicity can turn the tide in the adult segment of the junior player’s network.

Sincerely, Ian Crookenden, USPTA Philadelphia Dear Tim, You wrote an excellent article about cheating in junior tennis tournaments. I was quite taken aback by the story. I agree with you 100 percent ... cheating cannot be tolerated and must be stopped.

There is no place for cheating in sports, just as there really is no place for cheating in any of life’s endeavors.

I like your idea of using “undercover officials” when one player may be suspected of cheating. I have a couple of other suggestions, too. First of all, players should be given a “standard speech” before every match about the need to make line calls clearly and quickly and the need to be fair and give the opponent the benefit of the doubt in a close call. Tennis relies on the honesty and integrity of the players. That is the very essence of a tennis match. I know the kids get sick and tired of listening to this “spiel,” but as a high school coach, I repeat it at the start of each and every meet. The players know it by heart, but they still need to hear it at the start of every competition.

It just might make an impact

on someone who hasn’t listened before.

Secondly, at USPTA-sanctioned junior tournaments, perhaps matches could be videotaped so they could be reviewed in the event of a dispute. Just an idea, especially when a player is suspected of cheating. This might help.

The very thought of cheating in a tennis match would make Harry Hopman turn over in his grave! In my more than 35 years of playing tennis, I have never thought of any other sport having such a necessity (or history) of fairness, honesty and integrity associated with it. I’m sure that every tennis champion around today, and every single honest player, would feel the same way.

Regards Arthur Klein, USPTA Morristown, N.J. We greatly appreciate all the input from our members concerning possible solutions to the problem of cheating in the game of tennis.

Many suggested solutions would be great, in theory, but there are certain realities in junior tennis that would make them hard to implement. For instance, if a player won a match but was suffering from heat exhaustion, you could not prevent him from advancing to the next round because he needed to rest or even left to seek medical attention instead of refereeing a match between two peers. Also, many players travel to tournaments with their academies and drill groups, and it would be unfair to make a group of players stay at a match site for two extra hours while one of their mates has to umpire a match. Most tournament directors have a hard enough time keeping things running smoothly with the huge draws in junior tournaments these days without having to worry about tracking down players who are not used to having responsibilities once they have turned in their scores.

However, we realize the only way the cheating epidemic can be stopped, or even slowed, is by a group effort among players, parents, teaching professionals, tournament directors, and officials, and we encourage everyone to continue to brainstorm on how we can most effectively maintain sportsmanship and fair play in the sport.

ADDvantage/January 2008

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ADDvantage/January 2008

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U.S. Pro Tennis Shop, 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite One, Houston, TX 77042 www.usprotennisshop.com • e-mail: proshop@uspta.org • (800) USPTA-4U • (713) 97-USPTA • fax (713) 978-5096

industry action Members USPTA Professional Greg Lappin received the NOVA 7 Award presented

by Fitness Management magazine for his development of an employee customer service training program that defines hospitality for his employees.

Lappin is the general manager of the Rochester Athletic Club in Rochester, Minn.

USPTA Professional Keith Swindoll, director of tennis at Indian Hills Country Club, recently hosted two charity events at his club in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The first was a tennis mixer held in conjunction with the Drive 4 The Cure golf tournament benefiting the DCH Breast Cancer Fund.

The combined events

Swindoll raised more than $250,000 for the DCH Foundation.

The second event was an Adopt-A-School Tennis Tournament. Eighty-two ladies participated in this one-day event to raise money for the Tuscaloosa school system.

Manufacturers Metaltek, manufacturer of Playmate Ball Machines, has introduced two new portable tennis machines: the Volley and the Half Volley. The Half Volley has a three-hour removable

USPTA Professional Jeff Bingo, director of tennis at Addison Reserve Country Club in Delray Beach, Fla., since 1995, has been promoted to director of Esplanade operations after a recent $9.2 million renovation of the Esplanade area. The expansion included remodeling of the Esplanade Bistro, expansion of the Fitness Center to include a kinesis wall, stretching, and aerobic rooms, the addition of a world-class spa, a Kidz Zone children’s center, and a tennis department makeover including the addition of a state-of-the-art practice hitting court with an automatic ball machine replenishing system. In 2004 - 2005, Bingo was voted District Professional of the Year in the Florida Division. He will be in charge of operations for this new facility in addition to retaining his position as tennis director under the management of CEO/CFO of Addison Reserve, Michael McCarthy.

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ADDvantage/January 2008

Club4Life in Monroeville, Pa., hosted its first Play for the Cure Tennis Round Robin in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

Hosting the event were USPTA Professional Rochelle Seilhamer, survivor Berry Campagna and membership coordinator Tracey Cook. Over 50 players participated in the fundraiser. All proceeds were donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The event raised more than $1,000. The goal for the second annual event is to exceed $2,000. battery pack, simple pointand-shoot design, plus it offers three do-it-yourself upgrades. These upgrades include a commercial remote control system, a two-line oscillator with random option, and a six-hour battery pack, all of which can be installed in just a few minutes. The Volley comes fully loaded with all the upgrades and replaces the original Playmate Portable. The Playmate Portable Series features a nonmemory, removable battery pack with SMART Charger. This means users simply remove the battery pack instead of taking the entire machine out of the car to charge it. The machines also have variable electronic ball speed, feed rate, topspin, and backspin; an integrated sliding hopper that holds 200 balls; commercial pitching wheels; manual height

control; and a two-year limited warranty. For more information, visit www.

PlaymateTennis.com or call 800-776-6770.

Miscellany The Henri “Bijou” Elkins Tennis show was busy during the weekend of Oct. 18 in Austin, Texas. Together with USPTA Master Professional Fernando Velasco, the Bijou show was seen at the opening ceremonies of the Little Mo National Tournament at the Austin Tennis Academy, during the 24-hour “tennithon” by Israel Castillo to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation at the Barton Creek Resort, before the finals of the $12,500 Pro Show Down at the Onion Creek Country Club, and finally during the Super Senior Sectionals at the Lakeway www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

industry action World of Tennis banquet.

The show, named after USPTA member Henri Elkins, is a combination of a tennis lesson and comedy and has entertained tennis crowds in more than 30 countries.

Curly Davis, adult director of Academia Sanchez-Casal, Florida, held a 24-hour tennis marathon to benefit the Toys for Tots campaign. Davis started playing tennis at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 14 and continued straight through until 6:30 p.m. Dec. 15 at the academy’s headquarters at the Naples Tennis Club & Resort. Davis invited all comers to play against him in half-hour sessions. The “charge” was a new, unwrapped toy for donation to Toys for Tots. He encouraged people to sign up for doubles play in their half hour because it brought in more toys. The USPTA Professional said he wore a pedometer that showed he logged 45.6 miles during that 24-hour period. To raise even more toys, a car was filled with tennis balls and people were invited to guess how many there were. There was no limit to the number of guesses per person, but the cost of each guess was a toy. The winner, whose guess came closest to the correct number, won a HEAD racquet autographed

by Davis, three one-hour private lessons with him, and two box seats at a session of the International Tennis Championships in Delray Beach. HEAD/Penn donated the 1,375 tennis balls. “We ended up with five big boxes of toys!” Davis said.

Tennis Addiction Sports Club hosted a pro-am tennis tournament to benefit Living Beyond Breast Cancer Research on Oct. 13. Tennis Addiction Sports Club, owned

by USPTA Professional Anthony DeCecco, has eight tennis teams made up of 12 players in the Deltri Suburban Tennis League. Each team plays competitive tennis with other clubs in the area from October to March.

For the past six years, all of the Deltri teams have held events to raise and donate money to Living Beyond Breast Cancer.

This year Tennis Addiction had its best year, reaching a goal of $10,000. For more information about Tennis Addiction Sports Club and Living Beyond Breast Cancer, visit their Web sites at tennisaddiction.com and livingbeyondbreastcancer.com.

Passings Members of the Peter Burwash International Tennis Show performed on the Great Wall of China in September, culminating their 2007 tour. Last year the PBI Tennis Show had a one-month tour in August with its finale at the USTA Tennis Teachers Conference in conjunction with the U.S. Open in New York.

This year the tour was expanded to July through September with performances not only in China, but also in Seoul, Korea, as well as the United States, according to Dan Aubuchon, PBI Tennis Show director and USPTA Professional. In its nearly 30-year history, the PBI Tennis Show has been performed for millions of people in 99 countries. Often described as the Harlem Globetrotters of tennis, the show combines music, skits and extraordinary tennis skills that highlight the way people play the sport. (Photo) In a “U” shape from the left going back are Patrick Alle, Tyson Thomas and Sebastian Morning. From the right going forward are Dan Aubuchon, Art Santos and Dara Sok. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Frank E. Gaillard, a USPTA Professional and retired Army colonel, passed away Oct. 15 at the age of 80. Gaillard, who earned his USPTA certification at the age of 70, was the head tennis pro at the Lake of the Pines community in Auburn, Calif. He

was still avidly playing and teaching tennis in spite of his battle with cancer. “It was his life,” said his wife, Joanie. He was the area representative for admissions to West Point and president of Korean War Regiment 224. The 6-foot5-inch Gaillard graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1950 and served for two years as a paratrooper in the Korean War. Gaillard was a member of the Army Reserve for more than 30 years.

During this time he worked as a program director in the Silicon Valley electronics industry. He also taught tennis at Fairbrae Swim and Racquet Club in Sunnyvale, Calif. Although he had played tennis since his West Point days, he did not start teaching until after he completed his military service. After moving to Auburn, Gaillard coached the girls and boys teams at Bear River High School in Grass Valley, Calif. The Lake of the Pines Tennis Club started a memorial fund in Gaillard’s name and members of Fairbrae Swim and Racquet Club contributed as well. These monies will go toward scholarships to teach tennis to Auburn area youth, Joanie Gaillard said. “He would be very happy about that.”

Scholarship donations may be made to the LOP Tennis Gaillard Memorial Fund, care of Richard Knowlden, president of LOP Tennis, 12023 Lakeshore North Drive, Auburn, Calif., 95602. Gaillard’s ashes will be buried at West Point Military Academy in the spring of 2008.

ADDvantage/January 2008

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