www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
ADDvantage/December 2009
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ADDvantage/December 2009
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contents the total professional – enhancing your career
departments
9 Tennis Town U.S.A.” Midland, Mich., cashes in on its pride and passion – by Jill Phipps, USPTA staff writer
3 President’s message
13 Orlando Junior Grand Prix creates tennis magic for young beginners – by Henner Lenhardt, USPTA
5 CEO’s message 17 USPTA drills 26 Industry action
15 My lesson with Tom – by Thomas Penner, USPTA
28 Career development 23 The importance of the three “L’s” in a world-class forehand – 30 Classifieds by Raul Saad, USPTA Master Professional 30 USPTA mailbox
news
2 USPTA welcomes new members
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Cancer survivors Rally for the Cure® at Des Moines Club
16 Pennsylvania’s Hernandez and Iowa’s McCollom win singles titles at USPTA Grass Court Championships 18 Colorado’s Ross and Louisiana’s Steenkamp capture singles titles at USPTA Hard Court Championships 19 Grassroots giving: USPTA pros share game with community youth 20 USPTA/HEAD member benefit information 31 Tennis industry contacts
On the cover – Cory Ross of Littleton, Colo., 2009 International Championship men’s open singles winner.
volume 33 • issue 11
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 – 713-358-7794 e-mail – magazine@uspta.org
Shawna Riley Kimberly Forrester Kathy Buchanan John Dettor
Office hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central time
www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
Editor Managing editor Circulation Advertising
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. 2009. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of the magazine is not permitted without written permission from USPTA. ADDvantage/December 2009
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USPTA welcomes new members Congratulations to the following new USPTA members who fulfilled requirements between July 1 and November 15. Certified members California Danko Aguirre Warren Choi Mariano Gallo Andy Hoerer Tsvetko Kostadinov Matthew Munoz Ekaterina Nicolova Edwin Portillo Thomas Reynolds Natalie Siordia Vasile Tavoc Todd Wonkka Ekaterina Zaitseva Eastern Vasili Bahamolau Timothy Bosch Anthony Chan Thomas David Robert Davis Seth Davis Linda Edgar Jonathan Goldsmith Shishaldin Hanlen Shawn Holzmann Harold Jaochico Martin Klonowski Paul Lee Thomas Lehman Matt Levy Oksana Manoukian Eric Metzger Jed Murray Rocco Porreca Andres Pulido Mikolaj Sarzynski Darian Schwartz David Seipp Katerina Sevcikova James Slukhinsky Jeffrey Spiers Florida Eduardo Afini Brian Akers Joel Allen Diego Ayala Vinicius Barros Nicholas Berning Milagros Bouillerce Nicholas Brennan Andreas Bubik Jordan Buehler Adrian Carter Patrick Castronovo Erica Cossairt Bryce Cunningham Rafael Curbelo Salle Ewell Brent Dillon Karen Duchin Eddie Earls Craig Evans Charles Feldman Charles Golphin Miha Gregorc Saana Ingram Felix Insaurralde Jon Jonsson Kerry Kendrick Eleazar Magallan Charles Maria Franco Mata Victor Monteiro John Moulton Nolan Negron Amy Pando Ronald Parasmo Eric Pearl Mikael Pernfors
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Derek Porter Claudiu Retean Jeanne Schwartz Robert Schwemley Tyler Shelly Shelly Solomon-Heller Kirk Toussaint Francisco Valencia Elmer van Butselaar Michael Vandenabeele Wendall Walker Hawaii Alejandro Aybar Intermountain Megan Campbell Patrick Candlin Lorelei Garrett Cheryl Litle Alexandre Luz Ryan Maurier Vasil Osipenko Michael Sitter Jessica Stout John Williams Danyel Woodard International Urnukh Baasanjau Toni Baldellou Lilamar Barroso Leonardo Biafore Li Bo Yang Chao Xiu Qin Chen Tomas Corrales Cantero Jose Antonio Cortes Rojas Alex Costa Diogo De Castro Ribeiro Jose Ramon Dolader Centellas Alberto Toma Gallego Lorenz Wei Gao Qi Hu Shu Chan Kar Biu Jamie Kirkman Ronald Leung Kwong Ho Man Li Tsun Chengjie Lu Pablo Magro Francisco Maroto Mateos Roberto Miano Louis Ng Man Kit Deepak Patel Oscar Poblador Castro David Rico Frances Ma Rong Charles Rose Ignacio Rubino Perez Toni Saiz Juan Francisco Sanchez Farnos Lili Sheng Chi Fai Tong Chueng Tsang Chiu Jesus Angel Valles Lizana Woodrow van Ommeren Lydia Wen Li Yuan Lung Wong Cho Larry Yeung Sai Tak JPTA Tomokazu Fujishige Shinya Goto Kuniko Hagiwara Kaori Hirose Hirokazu Kitada Satoru Koizumi
ADDvantage/December 2009
Yohei Kubota Keiji Marutani Takashi Matsukawa Mamoru Nagasawa Kenji Nakane Athushi Ogawa Masashi Sugahara Kazuya Suzuki Kenji Takao Yuji Tanaka Mid-Atlantic Allen Clark Richard Covell Jennifer Douglas Justin Johnson Michael Leary Middle States Murtuza Abuwala Juan Barragan Amanda Frantz Federico Galli Ryan Knarr Mark Koons Christopher Louis Bruce Myers Michelle Rabatin Jacqueline Roe Istvan Szabo David Taylor Matthew Taylor Marie Thomas Midwest Steven Burkett Paul Cole Paul Dupleich Matthew Dupont Beau Gutierrez Hanna Hager Ritchie Hernandez Jennifer Keiner Paul Konarske James Kucera Michael Kures Walter Murray Nicholas Newcomb Kosuke Nishimori Bryan Norville Steven Pillon Eric Potthast Gregory Ruth Amy Smith Mallory Voelker Missouri Valley Mary Pankiewicz Alexandra Parades Paige Salveter Blake Starkey New England Bruce Angeli Thomas Byrd Jason Dono Allen Gowin Vanessa Kirchner-Leida Thomas Nowak Jonathan Rogers Dillon Rothermel Andre Ward Northern Jonathan Henning Eric Ice Tony Larson Scott Sundstrom Northern California Nicholas Ballou Todd Campbell
Urska Dvorsek Jon George Mia Giovanetti Brad Harris Christopher Kubicka Ronald Lowe Jenno Morson Minh Nguyen Ronda Paris Christina Romeka Kenneth Schuler Pacific Northwest Jon Annett Katarzyna Carr Daniel Cotton Kyle Cruzat Shannon Fraser Charlie Kang Michael McDonnell Matthew Patterson Nick Ruess Wyatt Russell San Diego Daniel Andrus Corinne Bianca Amelia Larkin-Armes Royce Leon Steve Miller Southern Jason Allen Joseph Ambler David Araiza Bobby Bang Marlene Chemin Devin Crotzer Eric Dobsha Charles Dunn Andre Ferreira Maks Gorelik Gabriel Henderson William Irby Nicholas Jones Mikael Jurkovic John Keeter Charlotte Kelly Walt Kilmartin Carolann Leasure Chris Lehman Kara Molony-Hussey William Myer Thiago Oliveira John Ormsby Neil Perron Brian Preston Mickey Renfroe Magali Risoleo Carol Roberts Michael Robertson Juan Pablo Selle Trey Stewart Stephen Strawn Styrling Strother Rolando Vargas Paul Varner Carien Venter John Weber Curtis Woolfolk Lindsay Woon Southwest Thomas Clark Jonathan Davis Texas Gary Armstrong John Brasington Andrew Bullard Chad Case Bryan Combest Theodore DiBlasi
Keith Dollar Cindy Eagleton Kaitlin Flaherty John Guerrero John Hall Edin Jenciragic Neil Kenner Anna Lubinsky Alejandro Montes Temituoyo Nzewi Crisanto Ramirez Dominic Riel Matthew Risoldi Pat Roberts Donald Stein Jameson Stelly Eric Subirats Duane Williams Kevin Windham Micheal Yates U.S. Territories & Canada David Bramford Dave Rowat  ecreational R Coaches California Christopher Goldie Brady Hiete Andre Jones Karin Kuttis Jupiter Legaspi Scott Spearman Eastern Gemma Alexander- Mozeak George Bedrosian Christopher Guido Jean Halahan William Laird Efren Sanares Vladimir Tomasevic Wah Wong Sai Florida Arturo Alberca Eric Allen Nestor Briceno Craig Corry Simon Elguera Willy Frei Marcos Freitas Carole Hickey Patrick Hickey Michael Malinsky Joseph McEntyre Michael Penna Juan Polo Hawaii Peter Dungca Intermountain Bernie Bergman Kristi Edlin Stephen Hanna Julie Hardin Robert Martens MarKay Mullen International Denny Au Iu Kuen Gang Bin Zhu Bin Yang Bo Hing But Yat Ching Sang Chan Hoi Sum Chang Kai Yi Chau
Marco Cheng Wai Kuen Albert Cheng Wai Tung Ka Po Cheung Aaron Cheung Kwok Kuen Wai Kit Chong Ming Chung Wai Zhang Dong Zhu Feng Cui Fimglam Qian Wen Hai Ren Xian He Jian Wen Huang Vicky Hui Condy Ip Lai Ching Li Hai Jian Chen Jie Masakazu Kumada Shing Kwok Kwong Wai Kit Kwong William Lai Wing Wa Emily Lai Yuk Fung Kwong Chun Lam Terence Lam Tin Hung Melbourne Lau Wai On Law Julian Law Yu Hin Sang Lee Kwan Jackson Leung Wing Hong Philip Leung Wing Tak Qi Li King Yeung Lin Jian Liu Kin Chun Lu Vivian Ma Chung Kit Yuan Ming Zhao Yi Nan Hong Ming Ng Liam Ng Ka Kui Wilson Ng Yiu Kwong Cheung So Kai Hay Sze Kin Hong Liang Tian Fung Wan Kin Luo Weh Li Wei Kin Fung Wong Man Chung Wong Wing Foo Wong Yiu Fai Wong Li Xiang Shing Yan Yuk Bai Yang Wing Yip Wang Yong Liang Yu Shu Hung Yu Li Yuan Man Lok Yung Shen Ze Nicky Zheng La Zhu Mid-Atlantic Shaun Bayliss Christopher Cooper Alexandra De Guzman Alireza Hashemian Brian Hsiao Mario Ordonez Chie Tougas
Jelena Krajtmajer Manju Krishnappa Nathan Legardy Veronika Leszayova Tomohisa Machida Alex Millar Ronald Spagnolo Missouri Valley Tom Koziol New England Jennifer Hornsby Andres Lima Alison Tripp Amy Van Aarem Northern Tara Huinker Northern California Nick Bonn Gila Freeberg Joshua Hamilton Ronald Hernandez Rosa Newman Paul Pena Regina Reinschmidt Pacific Northwest Pat Block Brian Elliot Chieko Holt Derek Osborn Marco Pineda San Diego Eric Dunnett Jay Schiller Irina Taranenko Southern Wesley Adam William Bailey Mehdi El-Kheddiwi Gerardette Furlow George Gentry Jeff Gibson Alphonso Herrera James Rann Todd Stacy Scott Tomlinson Texas Francisco Carrero Youngmoon Choi Trent Craig Tres Davis Ben Ewald Sabrina Ewald Barry Griffith Eric Hansen Jay Heidecker Tim McLane Samantha Noles Ronald Pointer Francisco Sapo Corporate California AJB Enterprises Inc.
Middle States Henry Ben Jared Howat Brett Huggins Celes Panichelli David Vitanovec
Florida Junior Tennis Show Synergy Tennis Academy LLC
Midwest Joseph BierFauble Kristen Fettig
New England Winchester Indoor Lawn Tennis Club
International RPT
www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
President’s message The first 60 days
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reetings everyone. I would like to use this message to give an update on the first 60 days of my term in office. Our new national committee chairs have been set and we are beginning to move forward with action. Each of our national committees is working hard to be proactive in improving our organization. However, our national committees represent you, our USPTA membership, so I encourage each of you to contact your committee chairs with any ideas or innovations that you feel would improve our association. We have modified some of the committees as follows: Based on the advice of Linda Smith, a corporate diversity expert who spoke to our USPTA Executive Committee in September, we have combined the Women’s Committee and Multicultural Committee into a newly formed Diversity Committee. Tom This will be chaired by new national board member Bunny Bruning along with Molly Card Beckmann and Feisal Hassan. I look forward to the new ideas they develop based on some of Linda Smith’s recommendations. We have also formed a new national committee, the Job Market Committee, chaired by Will Hoag and Bunny Bruning. They are charged to research, study, and evaluate job market trends for the tennis professional, so that our association can adapt to the changing market and help secure our position within the tennis-teaching industry. This will be a very important committee that could potentially have an impact on every USPTA member! Another national committee that is off and running is our Certification and Testing Committee, headed by Tommy Wade. Tommy has an excellent, hard-working team of committee members who are active in a complete certification and testing overhaul that you will soon hear about. Our Membership Committee is now chaired by Mark Fairchilds. Mark’s energy and innovative ideas will positively affect our total membership and how we are involved in the tennis industry. Chuck Gill is our new Convention Committee chair. Chuck is tweaking our World Conference so that it is more www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS President
efficient, both operationally and financially, and so that it is membership friendly! Our Education Committee is co-chaired by Jim Loehr and Dave Porter. Jim brings a fresh look to our educational benefits and Dave continues to implement the most sophisticated and comprehensive educational program that is available worldwide in tennis! Public Relations continues to be chaired by Jack Groppel,Ph.D., who has already done so much to help our image and position in the industry. Tennis – for the health of it! has been a very positive initiative as Jack promotes our “That’s Who We Are” campaign. Our Information Technology Committee is probably the committee with the most growth and that is due largely to Randy Mattingley, who is very active as that committee’s national chair. As you know, technology is something that can be outdated in six months, Daglis so it is a constant effort to stay on top of that ever-changing industry and incorporate new and improved technological benefits for our USPTA members. No one has the infrastructure that USPTA has in this area and I hope members appreciate the fact that, even as we continually add member benefits, we have been able to streamline operations and keep annual dues at an acceptable level. All of our national committee chairs are important to our association, so please review the other committee chairs and national liaisons listed below: Awards Committee Chair – Bunny Bruning Budget & Finance Committee Chair – Mark Fairchilds College Curriculum Committee Chair – Dave Porter Ethics Committee Chair – Harry Gilbert Long-range Planning Committee Chair – Randy Mattingley Master Professional Review Committee Chair – Joe Thompson Nominating Committee Chair – Mike Andrews Special Populations Chair – James Hunt continued next page
Tom Daglis
First Vice President
Randy Mattingley
Vice Presidents
Bunny Bruning Mark Fairchilds Chuck Gill Jack Groppel Jim Loehr
Past President
Harry Gilbert
WORLD HEADQUARTERS CEO
Tim Heckler
Director of Operations
Rich Fanning
Administrative Director
Marty Bostrom
Director of Communications
Shawna Riley
Creative Services Director
Julie Myers
Publications Manager/ Managing Editor
Kim Forrester
Director of Public Relations
Poornima Rimm
Communications
Jill Phipps
Director of Marketing
John Dettor
Sports Marketing Coordinator
Rick Bostrom
Digital Asset Director
Timothy Heckler
Digital Asset Coordinator/ Ramona Husaru Tennis Multimedia Management Video Production Director
Joe Birkmire
Video Editor
H.R. Topham
Video Editor
Nick Warwick
Video Editor/ Flash Designer
Aisha Nelson
Director of Fred Viancos Professional Development Corporate Janice Stollenwerck Services Administrator Receptionist
Erin Ortbal
Director of Information Technology
Dan Wilson
Information Technology/ Multimedia
Scott Bucic
Divisional Executive Administrator
Kalin Cogar
Director of Computer Service
Kathy Buchanan
Membership and Certification Manager Membership Membership/ Insurance Assistant Director of Finance Payroll/Benefits Controller Merchandise/ Accounting Assistant
Vicky Tristan Sylvia Ortiz Melony DeLoach Kathy Ladner Renée Heckler
Ellen Weatherford Shelina Harris
Legal Counsel Attorney-at-law
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 uspta@uspta.org www.uspta.com Office hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central time
ADDvantage/December 2009
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from previous page Sport Science & Sport Medicine Committee Chair – Jack Groppel Sports Marketing Committee Chair – Randy Mattingley Tournaments Committee Chair – Chuck Gill USPTA Archive Committee Chair – Harry Gilbert ATP Liaison – Mark Fairchilds CMAA Liaison – Tom Daglis IHRSA Liaison – Randy Mattingley ITHF Liaison – Jim Loehr TIA Liaison – Tom Daglis WTA Liaison – Bunny Bruning USTA Liaison – Tom Daglis You can see how engaged your national board and other USPTA leaders are in your organization. I wish to thank each of them for their commitment to excellence in our association. Another group that I want every member to appreciate is our USPTA national staff. Our staff works diligently to implement all of our ideas and to serve our members. I especially applaud Tim Heckler, our CEO, who is in touch with the industry trends and displays his passion for the USPTA on a daily basis! Finally, for those of you who were not able to attend this year’s World Conference on Tennis, I have attached a copy of the opening remarks I made during the awards breakfast: I am truly honored and humbled to become the next president of the USPTA and I am very excited about the future of USPTA. But most importantly, I am very proud to be a USPTA member and have a great deal of USPTA PRIDE ! I would like to open with some comments and background information: I began my tenure with USPTA in 1983 as a district rep for the Florida Division under then-President Spike Gurney. From Florida, I moved to the Southern Division and was a division board member at every level, working my way up to Southern Division president in 1995. I was elected to the national board in 1997 and have spent the last 12 years serving the USPTA as a national representative. I mention this timeline to demonstrate that I have been active with the USPTA at many levels for a significant amount of time, and during that time, you develop a realistic sense of: what the association is all about; what is important to the USPTA membership; and how USPTA fits into the overall picture of the tennis industry. I consider myself a “tennis grunt,” someone who has been in the trenches for the last 25-plus years trying to make a living as a tennis professional. And I have learned many things along the way. One of them is politics … how ironic that I now reside in a suburb of Washington, D.C. But politics is all about compromise and give and take. Many times, the USPTA has assisted our industry partners and when asked, we have jumped in with both feet forward, while other times
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we have assisted, but with caution. But the reality is that we have been helpful, we have grown tennis, and in return, we haven’t asked for very much. Well, today, I would like to ask. The USPTA Professional is very hard-working, is the original genuine tennis enthusiast, and gives back to the industry not once, but on a regular basis. USPTA plays a very large role in the grassroots and lifeblood of tennis. So what is the USPTA agenda? Is it to rule the world? ... Hardly. Is it to control tennis? ... Not possible. We want to be an integral component of tennis – “integral” meaning we are part of the decision-making process, and we are given the respect that many feel is lacking. I have said this before, behind closed doors, and today I say it publicly ... Elevate USPTA Professionals, ... recognize USPTA Professionals … embrace USPTA Professionals ... and they will go through walls for you, and the entire tennis community. I don’t think that is asking for too much! Don’t ever discount or forget what USPTA is all about. We are a nonprofit trade association, we exist for the benefit of our members, and to try to give each and every USPTA Professional a better standard of living. The decisions we make as an organization need to continue to reflect those ideals. With that said, I have selected three main initiatives that I would like to accomplish during my presidency while carrying on with Mr. Gilbert’s initiative of creating a more diverse leadership and membership. My Three Main Initiatives are: 1. To integrate a component of mandatory education into our certification process 2. To grow our membership both domestically and internationally, and to increase our efforts to work in partnership and cooperatively with other tennis industry associations, especially in those areas that positively impact our job market. 3. To form one unified tennis-teaching organization in the United States. I am going to work very hard to accomplish these initiatives, but I am going to need your help to realize and undertake these goals. I am asking for your help now! So what can you expect from me for the next two years? No pretense! I am simply a very hard-working tennis professional who has a deep passion for this association, absolutely loves tennis, and wants what is best for USPTA. I am privileged to have a national board that is knowledgeable, tennis savvy, motivated, and tireless. Please know that all of us, in conjunction with the USPTA Executive Committee and the USPTA national office staff, will be working to serve our membership. I hope you enjoy the remainder of the conference, thank you for listening, and I look forward to working with each and every one of you in the future. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
CEO’s message GetCourtside: a dynamic and successful way to generate Web-based income
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hen USPTA develops new member benefits, its tions on the number of pro accounts or business platforms goals are twofold: to increase your business op- you can have. For example, you can create an account for your portunities and help you make more money. club and a personal account for other tennis activities you may While we’ve been able to improve many of your benefits organize outside your club and within your community. through technology over the last 15 years, the rate at which After you’ve created your account, the next step is to tell technological advancements are occurring and our ability to your club members, students and any other tennis players use them to your benefit has never been so evident than over you know to sign up for their free player accounts. The key the past 12 months. While I could fill this magazine with a list to this system is that your pro account and all of your player of programs and their details, this month I’m going to discuss accounts will form a dynamic tennis network that is minimal GetCourtside.com and why you should be uswork for you, and lots of fun for your players, ing this program, which is provided at no cost who play matches, input scores and monitor the to you as a USPTA member benefit. competitions. When players create an account, they pick a home location and are automatically USPTA develops almost all of its own techadded to your network. nology, but we also recognize the importance of partnerships with other companies when their If you create a club account, you can include technologies can offer you unique benefits. all the pros on your staff, and you still mainGetCourtside is a great example of a relationship tain private administrative access to your own we formed that meets and exceeds our goals of activities. increasing tennis participation and improving Currently, GetCourtside allows you to your bottom line. run flex leagues, challenge ladders, team Together, USPTA and GetCourtside are flex leagues, team ladders, travel leagues building a business platform that will allow and round robins. You can also organize club Tim Heckler you to take control of the programs within your events and manage lesson bookings and court community or club, and generate income from them. We are reservations. You and your players can post photos and other completely invested in your success. news. Tournament management will be added in 2010. The beauty of GetCourtside is that you can make money You can set up different groups of players and e-mail your through the Web-based system while you’re on the court or players based on their activities, age group, etc., and you can performing the other duties of your job. You won’t have to personalize your messages to these players, who are notified spend hours doing paperwork, updating scores for ladders and when they have messages from you. It’s a great system, and one leagues, or posting pages on a bulletin board. that’s very popular with young players who communicate with To get started, visit GetCourtside.com, or go to the Get- their friends on similar social networking sites like Facebook Courtside link on your USPTA personal Web site. Remem- and MySpace. ber, there’s no charge to you as part of our partnership with Players pay only when they sign up to participate in activiGetCourtside. And, what’s even better, is that you get all of ties. They can pay you through an e-commerce account or the money collected for various activities (except for a $3 through their club account, depending on how you set it up. transaction fee per person). You can build this cost into the Eric Huntley, USPTA and director at The Falls Tennis and price of leagues or other activities, so there’s no real cost to Athletic Club in Lubbock, Texas, said GetCourtside helped you. For example, if you want to make $25 per person for a him to increase his club’s business in several ways. First, his league, you can charge $28, and the transaction fee is passed court reservations are up 40 percent and he credits the easy on to the consumer. online system with much of this growth now that 90 percent of You’ll see that GetCourtside has two components: player all reservations are done online. This has doubled the members’ Web sites and pro Web sites. Create a “Pro” account and get participation in leagues and play days. started building your network of players. There are no restric- Huntley says club revenue is up about 25 percent with the continued next page www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
ADDvantage/December 2009
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from previous page growth in tennis participation. Also, the system has lowered labor costs because his desk staff, which previously spent much of its time manually signing up people for tennis activities and answering the phone, is now able to dedicate its time to assist in other profit centers. When Huntley first introduced the GetCourtside system, he stopped people at the desk and signed them up on the spot. He and his staff also handed out slips of paper with the GetCourtside Web address and details on how to sign up. He even visited some senior members’ homes where he signed them up and showed them how to use the system. Now that’s service! And, best of all, Huntley estimates that his personal income has increased 20 percent. “More importantly, it is efficient income in the sense that I really don’t spend more hours at work,” he said. GetCourtside has given club members an outlet to play more frequently, according to USPTA Professional Hunter Lipscomb, director of tennis at Timberhill Tennis Club in Corvallis, Ore. He also credits the system with helping members network and find new playing partners. “Interestingly, we found that the more the kids got to know each other, the more they wanted to hang out and play. This increased many of the kids from once-a-week lesson takers into four-or-fivetimes-per week players!” Lipscomb said. Lipscomb said using GetCourtside has provided him with a “nice additional stream of revenue” that he will build upon as he increases the number of flex leagues and ladders that he runs. “My plan is to keep the leagues affordable with the knowledge that
this programming will benefit our membership and drive lesson demand,” he said. As you can see, it’s been a success for fellow USPTA members. More than 1,800 of you have already signed on with GetCourtside. If you haven’t created your pro account, I hope this message has encouraged you to do so. GetCourtside’s goals are the same as USPTA’s. We want you – the teaching professional – to control your own tennis activities and earn the money for doing so. Its two components will create your personal tennis network and provide you with an organized, socially interactive way to manage your players and increase your business.
Playmate ad
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ADDvantage/December 2009
www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
Sports Attack ad
Cancer survivors Rally for the Cure® at Des Moines Club
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he recent Rally for the Cure tennis event sponsored by Aspen Athletic Club in Des Moines, Iowa, held special meaning for Gary Scholl, USPTA Professional and director of tennis.
Members of the club paid to fly his mother, cancer survivor Diane Boyd, into Des Moines to serve as guest speaker – and to surprise Scholl – at the Oct. 16 fundraiser for breast cancer research. Club members covered Boyd’s expenses above and beyond what they donated to charity as part of the Rally for the Cure. This USPTA Lessons for Life™ event raised $4,000 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Aspen Athletic Club met its goal of having more than 100 players and donors contribute to the event. Special guests, in addition to Boyd, were Peggy Scott and Julie Clausen, both Aspen club members and breast cancer survivors. The evening activities included a speech by Boyd, a raffle, food, fun, prizes – and, of course, tennis. In addition to Scholl, three USPTAcertified professionals on staff at Aspen Athletic Club – Kerwin Pietz, Bob Petersen, and Alex Parades – volunteered
with exhibitions and other activities. This was Aspen’s second year to rally against breast cancer. The Iowa Tennis Association presented the 2008 rally with the Event of the Year Award. The 2009 Rally for the Cure proved even more successful with a doubling of participants and a 33 percent increase in proceeds. In 2008, Diane Boyd wrote an inspiring letter to the participants in Aspen’s first Rally for the Cure. This year Aspen was honored with her presence. Boyd was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1984 and has battled the disease ever since. By 1992 she was told the cancer had spread and she had six months to live. But, thanks to new and sometimes experimental treatments, and her positive attitude, she has been able to fight, survive and lead a very productive life. “I am the poster person for what cancer research can do,” she says. Rally for the Cure is a nationwide, grassroots program that includes golf, ten-
Aspen tennis director Gary Scholl, left, with club member Peggy Scott, tennis pro Kerwin Pietz and member Julie Clausen. Scott and Clausen are breast cancer survivors.
nis and dining events created to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure and spread the message that early detection saves lives. More than 1.5 million people have participated in Rally for the Cure events since its inception in 1996. For more information about the Aspen Athletic Club Rally event, call Lynette Brown at 240-2065 or e-mail her at lbrown@aspenathletic.com. Don’t forget that Dec. 31 is the deadline to report your 2009 Lessons for Life events to the USPTA World Headquarters. Please submit details about your fundraising activities for the charity of your choice by visiting www.uspta.com and selecting Lessons for Life in our Quick Links pulldown menu. This will take you to the Lessons for Life section, where a link at the top of the page directs you to “Click here to register your event.” You may also submit your event information via e-mail at lessonsforlife@uspta.org. Thanks for all you do!
Gary Scholl, director of tennis at Aspen Athletic Club, with his mother, Diane Boyd, a breast cancer survivor. Club members surprised Scholl by flying Boyd into town as a special guest at their recent Rally for the Cure.
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For more information about Lessons for Life, please click here. If you have any questions, please contact Rick Bostrom at sports@ uspta.org or at 800-877-8248, ext. 137. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
Tennis Town, U.S.A.:
Midland, Mich., cashes in on its pride and passion by Jill Phipps, USPTA staff writer
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hen you’ve stood on Center Court at the U.S. Open, in front of 25,000 cheering fans, it’s hard to match the moment. But the residents of Midland, Mich., who traveled to New York in hopes of winning the title of America’s “Best Tennis Town” wanted to share the excitement of that day with all those who couldn’t make the trip. After all, they made it that far – into the final 10 out of 56 competing cities – by working together as a community to prove that they love their tennis. And that’s how they won. So more than 1,300 proud and passionate supporters gathered on Nov. 13 at Midland Community Tennis Center to celebrate their accomplishment during a rally with commemorative T-shirts, tennis for kids, guest speakers and standing ovations. The main attraction, though, was the announcement of how the city plans to spend its $100,000 in prize money to grow the game and become an even stronger tennis town. The first-place prize is a grant from the United States Tennis Association designed for local tennis programming or facility enhancements. The city of Midland sports a total of 80 courts – 32 at Midland Community Tennis Center – and an estimated 10,000 of its 41,000 residents play tennis on a regular basis. MCTC hosts more than 20 tournaments a year, including the Dow Corning Tennis Classic, a USTA pro circuit event. After receiving public input and carefully considering their options, the Midland community leaders have decided to invest their grant money the same way they earned it – with an all-out, grassroots effort. “We could easily say, ‘Let’s just put it into a scholarship fund and two or three people a year can utilize it,’ but that doesn’t grow the game,” said USPTA Professional Mike Woody, executive director of www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
idland Community Tennis Center and M leader of the winning effort. The intent is to impact as many people as possible, Woody said. “There is responsibility and accountability as to how we use the money; everybody will be looking at us. If we do it well it will benefit other cities in years to come.” The designated expenditures are as follows: 1. Provide all elementary, middle and high schools with new equipment to teach tennis, impacting more than 8,000 students. “The goal is to get every kid exposed to tennis at a young age so that
they have a healthy game they can play the rest of their life,” said Woody, who serves as a USPTA Ambassador. 2. Convert available playground space, primarily at elementary schools, into courts for QuickStart Tennis Play Format. 3. Purchase two or three sports chairs and offer beginning wheelchair tennis clinics. 4. Fund competitive tennis programs at three local middle schools where the programs were eliminated due to budget cuts. “This no-cut program provides a positive team experience,” Woody said. 5. Offer tennis programming in the summer at schools around the city. continued next page
Midland, Mich., fans, fronted by “Tennis the Menace,” toss tennis balls in the air for the parting shot of their winning video. ADDvantage/December 2009
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from previous page 6. Resurface the four city-owned courts at Central Park, making two of the courts 36 feet long for younger kids and getting lights back on these courts. “It’ll be a great space for kids and families to play tennis,” Woody said. These services and improvements will benefit other area cities too, including Bay City, Saginaw and Mount Pleasant, Woody said. Midland Community Tennis Center currently covers a 60-mile area with programming and training, It was Woody who initiated the city’s participation in USTA’s first-ever “Best Tennis Town” competition. The process began in May, when tennis communities from across the country submitted their entries for consideration on www.besttennistown.com. Each city had to provide a detailed application and produce a five-minute video demonstrating the community’s commitment to the game. “The Heartbeat of a Tennis Town,” Midland’s award-winning video, shows how players of all ages and levels love their court time. The video can be seen at www.midlandtennis.com. A panel of judges selected 10 communities as finalists. The USTA profiled the top 10 contenders on www.besttennistown. com and hosted a nationwide, online vote to determine the 2009 “Best Tennis Town.” “During the voting process we networked our community for support,”
“Tennis the Menace” gets into the spirit of the game with young players at Midland Community Tennis Center.
Midland, Mich., where roughly one-fourth of the residents play tennis, plans to spend its “Best Tennis Town” prize money to grow the game and make local tennis opportunities even better.
Supporters of Midland, Mich., show their enthusiasm outside of Arthur Ashe Stadium during the U.S. Open. They traveled to New York by bus in hopes of winning the “Best Tennis Town” title – which they did.
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ADDvantage/December 2009
Woody said. “Our best estimate was that we had people voting in 48 states, 18 different countries, and 156 cities within Michigan. “We went viral – that is, viral marketing,” he explained. “We utilized e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Web sites, and phone messaging. The key was asking people to vote and then ask 20 of their friends to vote, and for their friends to do the same. For 10 days we went nonstop. We set up a voting kiosk in our communities and sporting events for people to vote.” To impress the judges, the city’s supporters also organized a 24-hour tennis marathon in July. They did not know if they succeeded in their campaign until the winner was announced that September day in Arthur Ashe Stadium during the U.S. Open. “It has created a huge sense of pride, a belief that we are a strong and passionate community that can unite and accomplish big things,” Woody said. “We do not believe that our size, location, our economy gets in the way of being the best. “Tennis remains alive, passionate and growing because of our tennis professionals, coaches and enthusiasts in the community.” www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
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Orlando Junior Grand Prix creates tennis magic for young beginners by Henner Lenhardt, USPTA The USPTA Junior Circuit premiered as a national-level program in 2002. The concept was developed by teaching professionals to fit the specific needs of their students and communities. And, like all USPTA programs, it is designed to give ultimate control to local teaching pros. So, in addition to promoting and increasing local tennis activity, the rules, schedule and fee structure are set by local pros, who know what will work best in a particular location or for a distinct group of customers. The best thing about the junior circuit is that it provides inexperienced children with entry-level competition before they enter traditional age-group tournaments. These competitions are also less expensive because events are local, entry fees are lower and USTA membership is not required. Since USPTA began promoting junior circuits nationally, many members have begun new circuits or expanded existing programs in various metropolitan areas. Professionals cite many reasons for running a circuit, including increased business, expanding their network of fellow teaching professionals, enhancing their image within their community, and providing a positive tennis experience for young players. Read the following story to see how one USPTA Professional, Henner Lenhardt, combines tennis with technology to provide the players in his program a rewarding and fun experience through the Orlando Junior Grand Prix Tennis Circuit.
From left: Clara Miller, Leili Moradi, sportsmanship winner, Kaitlin Scarlatos, finalist, Gillian Perkins, winner, and Rachel Spence, competitors in the Orlando Junior Grand Prix Tennis Circuit. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
T
he Orlando Junior Grand Prix Tennis Circuit is a series of one-day singles events for novice players. The goal of the circuit is to make tennis the No. 1 sport of choice for young athletes the way Walt Disney World made Orlando the No. 1 tourist destination of choice. The goal is to make it fun, give parents and players an experience they will remember, and combine tennis with current technology. We all know that a student’s first experience with tennis can determine if he or she stays with the game or not. So, in addition to teaching tennis skills, it is important that we promote the unique virtues and lifelong skills that tennis offers. A young player’s first competitive experience is just as important. So, just how does the Orlando Junior Grand Prix create a memorable experience? We have combined technology and tennis to make the experience easy and rewarding for children and their parents. First, we partnered with Nancy Biggs and www.Tenniscores.com (also G etcourtside.com) to create our own Web site at www.jrgrandprixtennis.com. We are able to post pictures, start times, spreadsheets, and tournament summaries. We posted a simple slide show with music and also posted it on YouTube. One novice player quipped, “Hey, I’m famous now!” This simple feature can create fond memories and keep a player in the game. Aside from the use of technology, which is important to capturing our youngest players, the Orlando Junior Grand Prix provides a complete competitive experience in today’s time-compressed culture through one-day events that are very efficient and user friendly. In the round-robin format, there are no eliminations and the scoring is such that you cannot win or lose by a large margin. continued next page ADDvantage/December 2009
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from previous page
How many players have you worked Manufacturers Association, tennis is the with that had a negative first impression fastest growing sport in America among inof competing and stopped playing tendividual traditional sports with an increase nis? Our competitive format is easier on in participation of 43 percent from 2000 both parents and players compared to a to 2008. The sport is thriving even in poor sanctioned event. economic times. We “It has that thing – the imagination, Parents are guarneed to continue and the feeling of happy excitement – anteed a start time to promote and and in two hours market our sport I knew when I was a kid.” they are gone. The with programs like —Walt Disney sanctioned events QuickStart Tennis take up a whole weekend and can feel like Play Format, our Junior Grand Prix (junior a big waste of time if your child is not circuits), and team-tennis events that give matched properly. children magical first impressions. Another positive aspect of the Orlando My earliest memory of magical tennis Junior Grand Prix is that players can accumoments comes from playing with fammulate points for participation and place ily and community. The tennis facility, in their respective age groups. Winners whether public or private, was a safe place receive 100 points, finalists get 90 points, to be and play all day. The key to whether third-place players receive 80 points, and a player stays in the game is if they enjoy the fourth-place players get 70 points. Playit, improve, and have friends who play. The ers who do not get into the top four places Orlando Junior Grand Prix combines the receive 50 points for participating. There old-school atmosphere with new-school is a master’s event and top players receive technology to create a great first impression special awards for this category. of the game that will keep them playing for a lifetime. The more we can create magical A junior circuit format increases tennis first impressions, the more children will activity within a local area. Our program choose tennis as their No.1 sport. started with one sponsor and now has five. We started with six facilities in town and Henner Lenhardt is head tennis now 10 facilities participate. We started the professional at Interlachen Counseason with 20 players in an event and grew try Club in Winter Park, Fla. He to more than 50 players. As we’ve grown, was selected USPTA Pro of the we have combined private facilities with Year for Central Florida in 2009, public facilities, and this has increased our and is the USPTA president for networking among USPTA professionals. his district. Lenhardt played junior tennis in SouthAs professionals and players communicate ern California and Florida and graduated from more, we can count on more growth in the Florida State University. He worked for the USTA future, which is great for tennis. as a High Performance Coach and is now the According to the Sporting Goods commissioner of the Orlando Junior Grand Prix. 14 ADDvantage/December 2009
www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
My lesson with Tom by Thomas Penner, USPTA
M
y wife, Jenny, claimed I’d done most of the talking during my one-hour lesson with Tom Gorman, La Quinta Tennis Club head director and American tennis great. I didn’t disagree. I’m a teaching pro and the gift of gab is a virtue. For weeks I’d been telling my students That is, allow your hands and fingers
USPTA Professional Thomas Penner, left, takes a lesson (for a change) with tennis great and USPTA Pro Tom Gorman.
I planned to take my first lesson in decades during my upcoming trip to the desert. I’d been forever on the north end of my teaching court, sacrificing my youth and forehand volley for the greater tennis good. Now it was my turn. It didn’t have to be with Tom; that was just good fortune. Prior to the lesson I had the occasion to meet one Jim Wolavka, a USPTA pro on Tom’s staff. Jim said he’d once given a lecture on the benefits of pros taking lessons, and not just in tennis, but in any art, craft, or sport desired. Jim’s own personal off-court lifebuilder was yoga. He said it was an exceptionally bad golf lesson that got him thinking more deeply about the idea. The golf pro had watched Jim hit a few balls, simply adjusted his grip, then was ready to move on. “He was rushing me onto point two and I was still on point one,” Jim lamented. Jim began to ponder his own teaching methods: Did he rush students like that too? Was he sensitive to their needs, their individual learning curves? Did he still know how to stand in their shoes? * * * * * I tuck these thoughts away as Tom and I step onto La Quinta’s peerless Har-Tru clay courts. We start to hit and I repeat a kind of calming mantra in my head ... “Soft hands, soft hands, soft hands ...”
to relax on the racquet’s grip and throat. Let this delicate contact inform and keep you alert. Wow, and I’m hearing the crisp bounce of the ball off the crunchy Har-Tru court, its greenish-gray surface baked pale in the desert sun. I’m feeling confident too, not at all nervous. I have an especially good feel for my “Ken Rosewall” slice backhand. Tom starts moving me side to side, per my request, and my legs feel, well, just OK. Actually, they feel pretty darned tired – and a sliver of doubt spikes my brain! I spray a few balls, one solidly off the frame, and Tom offers a sincere compliment on a scrappy slice forehand I hit. “Soft hands, soft hands, soft hands ...” My confidence slowly returns. I find I’m capable of healing mental wounds much faster these days, not like my hellbent college days, or the puzzling junior years. In fact, this apparent maturity flat out surprises me. My lesson informs as it demands. Tom and I stop for some water. He says my strokes look good, that we were the “slice generation,” including me in his orbit. Then we go back out for some drills – old Gorby favorites, I muse – the stuff of Agassi and Sampras, Davis Cup pedigree. I dutifully scrape, dig, and dive for every ball, straight into the side fence at one point. “Actually, you sort of just collapsed into it,” says Jen as we return later to the courts and spot the slightly indented fence. “Yep, you definitely left your mark on the court.” Tom and I sip more water and I confess what I see as the lifelong bane of my game, my forehand volley. We go out for a look continued next page
www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
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from previous page and this is my biggest test. Close up with any teacher I risk blanking a little; that is, behind a veneer of concentrated effort I might be wondering if I’m actually grasping what is being taught, and yet the lesson continues. Is this what Jim was speaking of? We veteran pros, so many of us, have been teaching so long we don’t always empathize with, say, the brain freeze of an overeager beginner. Or we take for granted the ease in linking mind and body on certain athletic tasks. We are safe in our comfort zones, too removed to know when we’re working too fast. Yet Tom is patient and affable. My brain freezes only slightly as he asks me to clasp my right wrist, to cut down on arm movement. I smile a bit, vaguely recalling this classic volley exercise from my youth. It seems to relax me. My focus returns. The balls ‘ping’ off my strings, and I’m even moving forward! All those years on the north end of my court haven’t killed my footwork altogether. I’m having a blast now, my volleys superb, then we turn to my serve and Tom seeks to reconstruct my backswing. I am leery at first, then shockingly protective.
Wasn’t my serve the one truly unassailable part of my game? I’m suddenly like so many self-taught club players, guarding my precious invention, my tennis artistry, with the wrath of a mother grizzly bear. “Soft hands, soft hands ...” We collect the balls at lesson’s end, make pyramids on our strings and dump them back into Tom’s cart. I offer up something like, “Now I know what it feels like having someone mess with my game again.” And of course it doesn’t always feel good. All players are a jumble of complexities, monuments to our own individuality, and yet the discerning pro must know when to tread lightly. As with Jim’s golf pro, we can’t always move so fast onto point two; some students aren’t ready, and we’d better care enough to know the difference. * * * * * We stroll in from the clay and Tom lingers, in no seeming hurry, though it’s midday and must be his lunch hour. Jen and I thank him again and now two months
later my lesson with Tom still resonates. Yes, my forehand volley occasionally sinks back into the mire, and I’m deep into summer lessons and haven’t quite worked out my service backswing, but the epiphanies live on. I can think of a half dozen students for whom my lesson with Tom has helped. I’m more firmly planted in their shoes, and better equipped to serve them. Soon Jen and I are set to revisit La Quinta. I’m thinking I’ll perhaps take a golf lesson this time, hurl myself further out of my comfort zone, embrace that dreaded brain freeze again – or maybe not. I kind of love tennis and might just sign up for another lesson with Tom. (The La Quinta Resort and Tennis Club in La Quinta, Calif., looks forward to hosting the 2010 USPTA World Conference next September.)
Thomas Penner is a screenwriter and USPTA teaching pro living in Long Beach with wife Jenny and their three tennis-loving kids. Tom Gorman, also USPTA, is a former No. 8 player in the world and a former captain of two world-championship U.S. Davis Cup teams.
Pennsylvania’s Hernandez and Iowa’s McCollom win singles titles at USPTA Grass Court Championships
H
ector Hernandez of Easton, Pa., won the men’s open title after defeating H’Cone Thompson of Washington, D.C., 6-7, 6-2, 11-9, at the $5,000 United States Professional Tennis Association Grass Court Championships at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Philadelphia. Marina McCollom of West Des Moines, Iowa, captured the women’s open title by defeating Shareen Lai of Morrisville, Pa., 6-4, 6-1. The tournament, held Aug. 21-23, also included men’s 45 singles and doubles events. The competition featured many of the top men and women tennis-teaching professionals in the country. Below is a complete list of results from final-round matches: Men’s Open Singles Finals – Hector Hernandez, Easton, Pa., def. H’Cone Thompson, Washington, D.C., 6-7, 6-2, 11-9.
Men’s open champion, Hector Hernandez.
Women’s Open Singles – Marina McCollom, West Des Moines, Iowa, def. Shareen Lai, Morrisville, Pa., 6-4, 6-1. Men’s 45 Singles – Patrick Serret, Alexandria, La., def. Vallis Wilder, Fort Worth, Texas, 6-1, 6-4. Men’s 45 Doubles – Geoffrey Martinez, San Rafael, Calif., and Vallis Wilder, Fort Worth, Texas, def. R. Terry Burchett, Norcross, Ga., and Patrick Serret, Alexandria, La., Def (ns). The national tournaments are open to Professional-level members in good standing. For more information, contact the USPTA at 800-USPTA-4U. USPTA-certified professionals may log in to the “members only” section of the USPTA Web site at uspta.com for more information. 16 ADDvantage/December 2009
Women’s open champion, Marina McCollom. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
USPTA drills Approach deep down the middle
Type: Doubles Category: Approach/lob/overhead/volley Levels: Intermediate/adv. Time/players: 15 minutes/1-8
prepared by USPTA
Description and goals: The goal of this drill is to practice approach shots down the middle of the court to reduce the angle of possible passing shots. Organization: Pro hits a short ball near the service line in to player A, who moves forward and drives the ball down the middle of the court and approaches the net with her partner. Players C and D play out the point. Rotate players after every point.
Loop to backhand
Key points: Focus on making the approach shot deep down the middle of the court. Defenders should focus on hitting low and angled passing shots or lobs to win point.
Type: Singles Category: Backhand/groundstrokes/volley Level: Beginner/int./adv. Time/players: 10 minutes/1-6
prepared by USPTA
Description and goals: The goal of this drill is to hit a deep looping shot to the backhand, forcing a short ball from your opponent that players can take out of the air, or hit a groundstroke for a winner. This drill is particularly effective against one-handed backhand players. Organization: Player B starts the rally with a deep ball up the middle. Player A hits a deep loop ball to player B’s backhand and moves inside the baseline. Player B returns the ball. Player A moves in and takes the ball in the air if she can with either a crosscourt swing volley or a traditional volley to finish the point or a crosscourt groundstroke if she can’t. Rotate players after after each sequence. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
Variations: Do it as a singles drill. Alternate players hitting the approach shot. Defenders can only hit a specific shot (e.g. lob or passing). Place partners at the net so players learn to move back when other team has the advantage.
Variations: Focus on the player hitting the backhand. Switch to the forehand side. Do it as a doubles drill with all four players starting on the baseline. Key points: Offensive player should focus on getting loop ball deep and moving in to take the ball out of the air. Defensive player should focus on hitting a neutral ball to keep offensive players back.
Generated by iTennisSystem – www.InterTennis.com
ADDvantage/December 2009
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Colorado’s Ross and Louisiana’s Steenkamp capture singles titles at USPTA Hard Court Championships
C
ory Ross, the No. 1 seed, of Littleton, Colo., claimed the men’s open title at the $10,000 United States Professional Tennis Association Hard Court Championships Sunday at the Hollytree Country Club in Tyler, Texas. Ross defeated the No. 3 seed, James Daly of Tyler, Texas, 6-2, 6-1, for the championship. Ross later joined forces with Daly to win the men’s open doubles title. Therina Steenkamp of Madisonville, La., earned the women’s open championship title by defeating Ristine Olson of Missoula, Mont., 3-6, 6-3, 7-6. The tournament, held Oct. 23-25, was sponsored by Hembree Chiropractic and Tyler Beverages and included events in the following categories: men’s and women’s open singles and doubles, men’s 35 and 45 singles and women’s 45 singles. Below is a complete list of results from final-round matches: Men’s Open Singles Finals – Cory Ross (1), Littleton, Colo., def. James Daly (3), Tyler, Texas, 6-2, 6-1. Women’s Open Singles Finals – Therina Steenkamp, Madisonville, La., def. Ristine Olson, Dallas, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6. Men’s 35-and-over Singles Round Robin – Guillaume Gauthier, Tyler, Texas, def. Lance Hagan, Dallas, 6-3, 6-1. Gauthier def. Jory Ereckson, Georgetown, Texas, 6-4, 6-2. Hagan def. Ereckson, 6-3, 7-6.
Cory Ross, men’s open champion
Men’s 45-and-over Singles Round Robin – Patrick Serret, Alexandria, La., def. Chris Blair, Longview, Texas, 6-1, 6-1. Blair def. Edwin Donoso, Humble, Texas, Wd (emerg). Serret def. Donoso, Wd (emerg). Women’s 45-and-over Singles Finals – Lori Robertson, Albuquerque, N.M., def. Kathy Vick, Lubbock, Texas, 7-5, 7-6. Men’s Open Doubles Finals – James Daly, Tyler, Texas, and Cory Ross, Littleton, Colo., def. Jory Ereckson, Georgetown, Texas, and Guillaume Gauthier, Tyler, Texas, 6-1, 7-5. Women’s Open Doubles Finals – Ristine Olson, Dallas, and Tiffany Tucker, North Richland Hills, Texas, def. Yasmin Keshef, Ann Arbor, Mich., and Therina Steenkamp, Madisonville, La., 6-3, 6-4. The tournament was the final one for 2009 in a series of national tournaments on several court surfaces that the USPTA offered to its members as part of the USPTA National Surface Championship Series.
Therina Steenkamp, women’s open champion.
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The national tournaments are open to members in good standing. For additional information, please contact the USPTA at 800-USPTA-4U. USPTA Professionals may log in to the “members only” section of the USPTA Web site at www.uspta.com for more information.
www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
Grassroots giving:
USPTA pros share game with community youth
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he 2009 Tennis Across Montgomery, led by USPTA Professional John McWilliams, raised a record amount of money for a worthy charity and introduced some lucky youth to the game. The annual event, a part of USPTA’s Tennis Across AmericaTM, was held Oct. 3 at Huntingdon College, where McWilliams is tennis director. Tennis Across Montgomery (Ala.) featured a “serve-a-thon” that raised more than $37,000 to benefit the Family Sunshine Center in Montgomery. The center works to end family violence and promote healing through crisis intervention, advocacy and community education. The slogan for the day was “Serving an ‘ace’ against child abuse and domestic violence.” Participants in the fast-serve contest collected pledges toward each mile per hour they served. Teams in the Montgomery USTA leagues were encouraged to participate. The person who raised the most pledge money ($4,500) won a three-day beach trip to any ResortQuest condominium. McWilliams also held a free clinic for 65 youth who have not had the opportunity to experience tennis. “Coach Mac” contacted area Boys and Girls Clubs, which brought their members. Activities included basic stroke production, drills and fun rally games. The children were treated to hot dogs and a commemorative T-shirt. Also, McWilliams talked about subjects such as drugs,
A
It was a banner year for John McWilliams’ annual Tennis Across Montgomery event, which raised more than $37,000 for charity and introduced 65 youngsters to the game. McWilliams is second from left.
sportsmanship and going to school. USPTA Professionals assisting with the clinic were Glenn Campbell, Arnold Bradshaw and son Ben Bradshaw. Clinic participants used racquets McWilliams received from the USPTA World Headquarters. Afterward, he donated racquets to several nonprofit programs that teach tennis to children, including the Nehemiah Center in Montgomery.
rnold and Ben Bradshaw, who are father and son, conduct a weekly tennis clinic for the children in the afterschool program at the Nehemiah Center in Montgomery, Ala.
These P-1 members of the USPTA volunteer their time to teach at the Nehemiah Center, sponsored by the First Baptist Church of Montgomery. They hope that a few of the students can enter a novice tournament in December, Ben Bradshaw said. Arnold and Ben Bradshaw also helped with the recent Tennis Across Montgomery event that John McWilliams, USPTA, has conducted for the past 14 years. The two-fold event featured a fast-serve contest that raised $37,000 for a local center that works to end family violence, as well as a free tennis clinic for at-risk children. The youngsters in the clinic used HEAD racquets McWilliams received from the USPTA World Headquarters. Afterward, he donated 12 racquets to the Bradshaws’ program at the Nehemiah Center. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
Joining the Nehemiah Center children in showing off their newly acquired racquets are (back row, from left) volunteer Brittany Finch, volunteer instructors Arnold Bradshaw, USPTA, and Ben Bradshaw, USPTA, and Will Grindle, who works at the center. ADDvantage/December 2009
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USPTA/HEAD member benefit information To participate in the HEAD equipment program you must enroll only online by going to uspta.com. Enter by logging into uspta.com using your last name and member number. Go to the member benefits section and click on the HEAD logo and follow the instructions. Contracts must be submitted before Jan. 31, 2010.
International members are eligible for the equipment program. However, due to licensing agreements worldwide, HEAD cannot ship product internationally, so you must provide a shipping address in the United States.
Information available at uspta.com: l
Racquet contract link
l
How to earn additional racquets
l
Master Pro, P-1, P-2, P-3 and Recreational Coaches allocations
l
District salesmen information
l
Link to the HEAD Web site
And more.
Should you experience any problems with the online contract or need any additional information, please contact Team HEAD at 800-237-5497 or e-mail TeamHEAD@us.head.com.
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The importance of the three ‘Ls’ in a world-class forehand by Raul Saad, USPTA Master Professional
T
he modern forehand has become the weapon of choice for most high-performance players. The majority of world-class players has shifted the traditional baseline “home base” 3 to 5 feet to the backhand side, strategically imposing the power of the forehand over two-thirds of the court. The biomechanical swing on the forehand side has kinetically evolved from a traditional, mild-elliptical swinging pattern to a more extreme and elongated arching motion. This wider arch enables the velocity of the racquet head to continuously increase throughout the swing and makes the energy transfer to the ball more fluid and powerful. However, the biomechanics of a world-class forehand are complex. In this article we focus specifically on key technical components that are a common denominator among top players: the three “Ls.” The first and second “L” One of the commonalities of the world-class forehand originates as the unit rotation begins. As the shoulders and hips turn, top players cock the wrist up, placing the racquet straight up, perpendicular to the court (aided by the nondominant hand). The forearm of the hitting arm and the racquet shaft resemble an “L,” with the tip of the racquet head usually higher than the player’s own head. The elbow of the hitting arm is typically bent nearly 90 degrees, thus forming the second “L.” First “L”
Photos courtesy of Tennisplayer.net
The “L” positioning of the elbow and wrist is critical to the ability to generate speed and explosiveness in the forehand. It places the racquet head high above and allows it to begin dropping from this high location in a circular pattern, accumulating velocity at a continually increasing rate throughout the motion. At the bottom of the circular pattern, the racquet will be below the level of the ball and will immediately move forcefully but fluidly forward and up, continuing to accelerate through the point of contact. The player’s dominant arm is naturally relaxed throughout the entire elongated www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
motion. In the following photos, the “L” formed by the elbow bending at 90 degrees and the “L” formed by the racquet shaft and the forearm are clearly seen: Second “L”
Photos courtesy of Tennisplayer.net
The first and second “L” positionings create a longer swing pattern that facilitates not only the continuous acceleration of the racquet head throughout the entire motion, but also the fluid transfer of energy through the kinetic chain. The third “L” The third “L” found in world-class forehands refers to the elbow positioning on the forward swing, which is bent typically at around 90 degrees. The exact amount of bending varies from stroke to stroke depending on height of the ball, tactical situation or balance, but the third “L” is consistently present in the majority of world-class strokes. This positioning of the elbow, which acts as a pivoting point, allows the stroke to be “driven” forward through the shoulder, elbow and palm of the hand solidly and with accuracy. Note that the wrist is also bent, oftentimes at a 90-degree angle in what’s commonly known as the “double bend.” As discussed earlier, the first and second “Ls” elongate the backswing, creating a tremendous amount of racquet speed at the point of contact. The “L”-shaped elbow, coupled with the bent wrist, provides a consistent angle on the racquet face, allowing the player to exert critical control over the high velocity of the racquet head and ball at the point of contact. Furthermore, having the ability to pivot on the bent elbow allows the natural rotation of the forearm, wrist and hand as the ball is struck (commonly known as the “windshield wiper”), imparting a tremendous amount of topspin to the ball. Virtually all world-class forehands use the windshield-wiper arm rotation action and the third “L” facilitates this biomechanical process. In the following examples, please note that the elbow in the hitting arm is consistently pointing at the rib cage of the player. A common
continued Page 25 ADDvantage/December 2009 23
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world-class forehand from Page 23 Third “L”
Photos courtesy of Tennisplayer.net
error that lesser players commit is to flare the elbow out (pointing it at the back fence) at the point of contact. That elbow positioning will result in significant loss of velocity and power on the stroke. Furthermore, the “elbow-out” position will impede the smooth rotation of the arm in the subsequent windshield-wiper follow-through. Many world-class players will have the elbow pointing at the back fence in the second “L” phase of the stroke as they take the racquet back (demonstrated in the earlier photos), but the majority of them tuck in the elbow and point it to the ribs immediately prior to the point of contact. However, not all world-class players use the third “L” in their forehand. The two top players in the world, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, bend back their wrists 90 degrees, but straighten their elbow out as the racquet moves forward toward the contact point with the ball. Federer tends to adjust and bend the elbow slightly depending on the situation, whereas Nadal fully straightens the elbow, almost locking it. The athleticism and eye-hand coordination needed to strike the ball successfully with the arm straight is exceptional, but the fact that the two best current players in the world employ this
www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
Photos courtesy of Tennisplayer.net
technique perhaps reveals glimpses of the forehand of the future. It is clear that in order to become a top performance player, developing the forehand as a weapon is a must. Top players have a variety of styles and techniques, but this article focused specifically on the biomechanical common denominators of a world-class modern forehand – the three “Ls.” Players wanting to improve their forehand should experiment with the concepts presented here, including the “straight arm” forehand, and incorporate what works and feels natural into their game. Raul Saad, USPTA Master Professional, is a former director of tennis at the USTA Player Development Headquarters in Key Biscayne, Fla., and holds the High Performance Coach certification. Saad has coached hundreds of ranked players, from juniors to world-class professionals. He was a high school state champion and collegiate national champion (1984), and has held USPTA top-10 national rankings in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Saad traveled internationally as coach of the U.S. National Team and was named the USPTA Touring Coach of the Year in 1999.
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Industry action
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www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
Industry action
www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
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Career Development conventions (division conventions, 5 credits) Jan. 15-17 Jan. 29-31 Jan. 30-31 Feb. 5-6 Feb. 5-7 Feb. 11-14 Feb. 12-14 Feb. 19-21 Feb. 27- March 1 March 5-7
New England Division Rye, N.H. Northern Division Eden Prairie, Minn. California Division Manhattan Beach, Calif. Middle States Division Landisville, Pa. Northern California Division Stanford, Calif. Texas Division Grapevine, Texas Intermountain Division Denver Missouri Valley Division Prairie Village, Kan. Midwest Division Dublin, Ohio Mid-Atlantic Division Charlottesville, Va.
competitive player development conference Dec. 10-12
Academia Sanchez-Casal Naples, Fla.
specialist degrees
exams, upgrades & certification review courses (4 credits for PTCA I segment) Dec. 6-7 Dec. 10-11 Dec. 12-13 Dec. 13 Dec. 14-15 Jan. 8 Jan. 9-10 Jan. 14-15 Jan. 17 Jan. 25-26 Jan. 31 Jan. 31 Feb. 5 Feb. 6 Feb. 7
Los Angeles Flushing, N.Y. Boca Raton, Fla. San Antonio Houston* Minneapolis Aurora, Ill. New Castle, N.H. Lexington, Ky. Houston* Clive, Iowa Manhattan Beach, Calif. Landisville, Pa. St. Louis Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Feb. 7-8 Feb. 7-8 Feb. 11-12 Feb. 12 Feb. 12 Feb. 13 Feb. 13-14 Feb. 13-14 Feb. 14-15 Feb. 15 Feb. 20 Feb. 21 Feb. 22-23 Feb. 27-28
Los Angeles Palo Alto, Calif. Flushing, N.Y. Greenwood, Colo. Phoenix Gastonia, N.C. Atlanta Seattle Dallas Williamsburg, Va. Memphis, Tenn. Clearwater, Fla. Houston* Columbus, Ohio
* This course is held at the USPTA World Headquarters. Exam reservations must be made at least 21 days prior to the dates listed. Each date includes an exam, upgrade and PTCA I unless noted. Exam cancellations must be received no later than 14 days before the exam, or a cancellation fee will be charged accordingly. Applicant: late cancellation fee – $75; failure to cancel – application fee is forfeited. Certified members: late cancellation fee – $25; failure to cancel – $25 plus the upgrade fee is forfeited. Registration for another exam will not be accepted until cancellation fees are paid.
specialty courses The ABCs of stroke production, Jan. 30, Manhattan Beach, Calif., D. Henson Creative drill design, Feb. 14, Grapevine, Texas, J. Dinoffer Right clicks: Making technology and the Web work for you, Feb. 11, Grapevine, Texas, R. Mattingley
Little Tennis® Facility Management Computer Technology Sport Science Competitive Player Development Pro Shop Operations
Wheelchair Tennis
CPD (Competitive Player Development) – Gained through the USA Tennis High Performance Coaching Program administered by the USA Tennis Coaching E ducation Department. For more information about USPTA’s specialist degrees, including applications, please visit our Web site at www.uspta.com or contact the USPTA Education Department at 800-USPTA-4U or education@ uspta.org.
The deadline to register and/or cancel a course is 15 working days before the event. Anyone canceling late or failing to cancel will forfeit one-half the course fee. Schedule is subject to change. Call the USPTA Education Department for more information or e-mail education@uspta.org.
Earn education credits from World Conference DVDs (Seminar DVDs, ½ credit/specialty course DVDs, 2 credits) Receive your education credit report card via e-mail by visiting the members-only section of uspta.com.
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Classifieds BOOKS AND VIDEOS www.netprofittennis.com
Log on and see why NETPROFIT: The Business Program for Club Tennis P rofessionals by Dave Sivertson is a must for the career development of all tennis professionals or call 805-222-5397.
DRILLS NEED TENNIS DRILLS? USPTA Master Professional Jorge Capestany’s new Web site has more than 700 videos of tennis drills and tips. Log on to www. tennisdrills.tv to see (and print) more than 18 free samples.
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.
VACATION OPPORTUNITIES Vacation opportunities for tennis professionals at the No. 1 all- inclusive 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. Five-Star Caribbean Resorts are Waiting for You! Working vacations available for certified tennis professionals. Family and couple resorts available. Contact: www.fitbodiesinc.com or call Denise Cox, 678-778-4673.
SUBSCRIPTIONS “Where The Tennis Jobs Are” a daily list of who is hiring tennis people for only $10 monthly. bob@tennisnews.com.
TENNIS PRODUCTS PRO/COACH PRICING on racquets, apparel, shoes, bags, balls, strings and accessories. Get baskets, carts, training equipment, books, videos and more. www. TennisExpress.com/800-8336615. SLINGHOPPER DRILL BAGS Endorsed by Nick Bollettieri and Brad Gilbert. Offering a special $20 rate to USPTA Professionals. Visit www.slinghopper.com and enter “USPTA” in the promo code at checkout.
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 713978-7780, 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.
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ADDvantage/December 2009
USPTA Mailbox Member inspired to dream by Pancho Gonzalez’s tennis success Dear USPTA, At this year’s U.S. Open, Pancho Gonzalez was posthumously honored, commemorating the 60th anniversary of his second consecutive U.S. Open men’s singles title in 1949. I was honored that the Gonzalez family called and wanted to meet me. Pancho Gonzalez was the reason I first picked up a tennis racquet, and it was Pancho Segura who coached and inspired me to excel in tennis. Both Panchos were close friends. During one of my highschool classes, I read a story about Gonzalez. I learned that he was Mexican-American and learned to play tennis in Exposition Park in Los Angeles with a racquet that cost 50 cents. He was not accepted because of his background and they thought of him as a gang member (Pachuco) because he had a scar. He could not play junior tournaments because he was truant from school. Even though he faced obstacles, he became No. 1 in the world in 1949. He won the U.S. National Championship tournament (prior to the U.S. Open era in 1968) in 1948 and 1949. He won the U.S. Pro title eight times, and in 1956 he beat world No. 1 Tony Trabert 74 times with 24 losses. In 1968, at age 40, he reached the semifinals of the French Open, beating defending champion Roy Emerson in the quarterfinals. He was ranked No. 6 in the world in 1968. At 41, he beat John Newcombe, Ken Rosewall, Stan Smith, and Arthur Ashe (who had
just won the U.S. Open) to win a pro tournament in Las Vegas. At 42, he teamed with 18-year-old Jimmy Connors to reach the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open men’s doubles. Three months shy of his 44th birthday, Gonzalez became the oldest man to win a tournament title at the Des Moines, Iowa, event. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1968. He was also the U.S. Davis Cup coach when the United States won the cup in 1963. I was working as a clerk at an Alpha Beta Grocery Store in 1973. I told the manager I was quitting because I wanted to be the next Pancho Gonzalez. That was my dream. I am very grateful to both Big Pancho and Little Pancho, and I still have not awakened from the dream. Angel Lopez USPTA Master Professional San Diego Coaches Resource Center Hi Tim (Heckler), Just wanted to thank you and the staff for the drills section in the Coaches Resource Center. I used to pay to have access to drills and now it comes free with my membership. A real benefit of which more members should be aware. Fred Burdick USPTA Master Professional Executive Director USPTA Southern Division Send your letters to the editor, along with a d aytime phone number or e-mail address, to ADDvantage, USPTA, 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite One, Houston, TX 77042; fax to 713-358-7794; or via e-mail to kim.forrester@ uspta.org. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.
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Tennis industry contacts AAHPERD American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Michael G. Davis, CEO 1900 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191 800-213-7193 703-476-3400 www.aahperd.org info@aahperd.org ACSM American College of Sports Medicine James Pivarnik, President 401 West Michigan Street Indianapolis, IN 46202-3233 317-637-9200 317-634-7817 fax acsm.org ASBA American Sports Builders Association 8480 Baltimore National Pike, No. 307 Ellicott City, MD 21043 866-501-2722 410-730-9595 410-730-8833 fax info@sportsbuilders.org www.sportsbuilders.org ASEP American Sport Education Program Rainer Martens, President 1607 N. Market St., P.O. Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61825 877-747-4457 217-351-1549 fax asep@hkusa.com www.asep.com ATA American Tennis Association Willis Thomas Jr., President 1100 Mercantile Lane, Suite 115A, Largo, MD 20774 301-583-4631 ata@afn.org info@atanational.com atanational.com ATP Men’s professional tour Adam Helfant, President 201 ATP Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, 32082 904-285-8000 904-285-5966 fax www.atpworldtour.com Australian Open Private Bag 6060, Richmond South 3121, Victoria, Australia 613-9914-4000 613-9650-2743 fax ausopen@tennisaustralia.com.au australianopen.com CCA Club Corporation of America Eric L. Affeldt, CEO/president 3030 LBJ Freeway, Suite 600, Dallas, TX 75234 972-243-6191 contactus@clubcorp.com www.clubcorp.com CMAA Club Managers Association of America James B. Singerling, CCM, CEC 1733 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314 703-739-9500 703-739-0124 fax cmaa@cmaa.org www.cmaa.org French Open Stade Roland Garros 2 Avenue Gordon Bennett, 75016 Paris, France 33 01 47 43 48 00 01 47 43 04 94 fax www.rolandgarros.com IHRSA International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association Joe Moore, President and CEO Seaport Center, 70 Fargo St., Boston, MA 02210 800-228-4772 617-951-0055 617-951-0056 fax info@ihrsa.org www.ihrsa.org ITA Intercollegiate Tennis Association David Benjamin, Executive Director 174 Tamarack Circle, Skillman, NJ 08558 609-497-6920 609-497-9766 fax ita@itatennis.com www.itatennis.com
ITF International Tennis Federation Francesco Ricci Bitti, President Bank Lane, Roehampton, London SW15 5XZ, United Kingdom 44-208-878-6464 44-208-392-4744 fax itf@itftennis.com www.itftennis.com
TCA Tennis Corporation of America Alan Schwartz, Chairman 3611 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago, IL 60618 773-463-1234 773-463-0999 fax info@tcaclubs.com www.tcaholdings.com
ITHF International Tennis Hall of Fame Mark Stenning, CEO 194 Bellevue Ave., Newport, RI 02840 800-457-1144 401-849-3990 401-849-8780 fax newport@tennisfame.com www.tennisfame.com
TIA Tennis Industry Association Jolyn deBoer, Executive Director 117 Executive Center, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 866-686-3036 843-686-3036 843-686-3078 fax inifo@tennisindustry.org www.tennisindustry.org
NAIA National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Jim Carr, President and CEO 1200 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64106 816-595-8000 816-595-8200 fax www.naia.org
USA Wheelchair Tennis Wheelchair Tennis Committee USTA, 70 W. Red Oak Lane, White Plains, NY 10604 914-696-7000 914-696-7029 fax info@usta.com www.usta.com
NCA National Club Association Susanne Wegrzyn, President and CEO 1201 15th St., No. 450, Washington, D.C. 20005 800-625-6221 202-822-9822 202-822-9808 fax info@natlclub.org nationalclub.org NCAA National Collegiate Athletic Association 700 W. Washington St., P.O. Box 6222, Indianapolis, IN 46206 317-917-6222 317-917-6888 fax www.ncaa.org NHSTCF National High School Coaches Federation Scott M. Enge, President 8130 Bell Road, Lenexa, KS 66219 913-541-0531 scottenge@aol.com NJCAA National Junior College Athletic Association Wayne Baker, Executive Director 1755 Telstar Drive, Suite 103, Colorado Springs, CO 80920 719-590-9788 719-590-7324 fax www.njcaa.org NRPA National Recreation and Park Association Barbara Tulipane, CEO 22377 Belmont Ridge Road, Ashburn, VA 20148 800-626-6772 info@nrpa.org www.nrpa.org PBI Peter Burwash International Peter Burwash, President 4200 Research Forest Drive, Suite 250, The Woodlands, TX 77381 800-255-4707 281-363-4707 281-292-7783 fax www.pbitennis.com PCPFS President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Melissa Johnson, Executive Director Dept. W, 200 Independence Ave. S.W., Room 738-H, Washington, D.C. 20201 202-690-9000 202-690-5211 fax fitness@hhs.gov www.fitness.gov Special Olympics Special Olympics International Headquarters Timothy P. Shriver, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO 1133 19th St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 800-700-8585 202-628-3630 202-824-0200 fax www.specialolympics.org SGMA Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association Tom Cove, CEO/president 8505 Fenton St., Suite 211 Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-495-6321 301-495-6322 fax info@sgma.com www.sgma.com
USOC United States Olympic Committee Stephanie Streeter, CEO One Olympic Plaza, Colorado Springs, CO 80909 719-632-5551 media@usoc.org www.teamusa.org U.S. Open Jim Curley, Managing Director, Tournament Operations USTA, 70 W. Red Oak Lane, White Plains, NY 10604 914-696-7254 914-696-7019 fax curley@usta.com www.usopen.org USPTA United States Professional Tennis Association Tim Heckler, CEO 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite One, Houston, TX 77042 800-877-8248 713-978-7782 713-978-7780 fax uspta@uspta.org www.uspta.com USRSA United States Racquet Stringers Association David Bone, Executive Director 330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084 760-536-1177 760-536-1171 fax usrsa@racquettech.com www.racquettech.com USTA United States Tennis Association Gordon Smith, Executive Director & COO 70 W. Red Oak Lane, White Plains, NY 10604 914-696-7000 914-696-7167 fax info@usta.com www.usta.com Wimbledon The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Church Road Wimbledon, London SW19 5AE England 44-0-20-8944-1066 44-0-20-8947-8752 fax internet@aeltc.com www.wimbledon.org WTA Tour Women’s professional tour Stacey Allaster, CEO & Chariman One Progress Plaza, Suite 1500, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-895-5000 727-894-1982 fax www.sonyericssonwtatour.com WTS International Washington Tennis Service Gary Henkin, President and CEO 3200 Tower Oaks Blvd., Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 301-622-7800 301-622-3373 fax wts@wtsinternational.com www.wtsinternational.com WTT World TeamTennis Ilana Kloss, CEO and Commissioner 1776 Broadway, Suite 600, New York, NY 10019 212-586-3444 212-586-6277 fax customerservice@wtt.com www.worldteamtennis.com
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