Addvantage 2016 May

Inside this issue Enhance Your Performance with Compression Apparel – 48 Creating Passionate Problem Solvers on the Court – 54 Departments: 42 CEO’s Message 44 Vice President’s Message 46 USPTA World Conference 48 Endorsee News

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Master Pro Corner Beyond the Court Career Development Member News

Read more articles online at www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com On the cover: The USPTA World Conference is heading back to the West Coast and a brand new location – the beautiful and serene Indian Wells, Calif., at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa, Sept. 25-29.

CEO’s Message

The More Things Change, the More Things Stay the Same

by John Embree

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s most of you are aware, we commenced a project at the end of last year to chronicle the history of the USPTA in a book being produced by Acclaim Press.

Members were asked to submit their biographies and pictures for inclusion that will be coupled with a myriad of national articles that paint a picture of our glorious 90 years as an association. I cannot wait to see the finished product scheduled for release at the end of the year.

In doing the necessary research for this publication, I have come across an abundance of content written by my predecessor, past presidents, and others that touched on a variety of themes that mirror those that we face today. As long as 30 years ago, there was much talk about membership growth, enhancing the benefits being offered, elevating the standards of our professionals, continuing education, working more closely with allied organizations, etc. In January 1990, then-President Rod ­Dulaney wrote in ADDvantage about a new sweeping education program that would be done “by developing teacher-training centers throughout the country with tennis specialty courses throughout our divisions.” And, he emphasized the start of mandatory education as of January 1991. Sound familiar?

Front and center was also the ongoing discussion about a new World Headquarters at Saddlebrook Resort that would be much larger to accommodate the association’s growth while also intending to increase the visibility of the brand with the tennis-playing public.

However, that quickly morphed into a much broader discussion about relocating to Houston with the purchase of our own building in a valued commercial real estate district, which would be the center for education, training, and certification. In a CEO message that Tim Heckler wrote in October of 1990, “the value of the World Headquarters cannot be completely measured in terms of dol-

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lars. It will serve as a showcase, a focal point for the industry and the media, bringing great prestige to the Association.” This would apply today as well.

Back in February 1984, there was a story about how USPTA Professionals play a huge part in growing the game through a variety of grassroots programs, such as Tennis Across America

enhancing our knowledge of the game to make us better in our jobs. There was a genuine excitement about the prospect of having our own World Headquarters that would demonstrate our commitment to securing the financial well-being of our association.

While some things change, some things actually stay the same. So, here we

There is a lot going on with your association at present. I hope you share the deep pride that I have for who we are and for what we stand. What an exciting time to be a part of the USPTA! and National Participation Day. On April 1 and 2 of that year, pros were encouraged to organize a day of activities of their choosing, to highlight competition as well as participation at their respective facilities. Was this a precursor to what is now our successful National Education Day that we hold in November of each year?

Also in 1986, the national office assumed control of ADDvantage magazine when we took responsibility of content, advertising our endorsees, editorials, etc. ADDvantage continues to be the mouthpiece for the USPTA but in a much better platform because of our partnership with Tennis Industry magazine. The product is infinitely better than it has ever been and provides extensive educational information intended to keep our members more up to date about what is going on in the tennis marketplace. In fact, ­ADDvantage magazine will be celebrating its 40th birthday next year at the same time we will be trumpeting our 90th birthday in 2017. So much to highlight: Three decades ago, there was an enthusiasm for what the USPTA was doing and the course that it was charting. All of the initiatives gave credence to how vital the USPTA is to developing the next generation of players, how essential the USPTA is to delivering programs in the marketplace, and how critical professional development is to

are in 2016 with a similar message: one of optimism for what our future holds with the corporate relocation to Lake Nona; one of relevance because of the proactive approach we are taking to revitalizing professional development, which will only elevate our standards; and one of confidence because of the direction our association is headed under the leadership of the national board and 17 sovereign divisions. I say it often and I say it again here because I believe it: What an exciting time to be a part of the USPTA! Speaking of Lake Nona, here is a quick update as to the progress of our relocation: we closed on the sale of our building in Houston on Feb. 29, but continue to lease our space back at NO CHARGE until we actually move in March of 2017.

We closed on the land purchased in Lake Nona, which will be the site of our new World Headquarters, on March 31 and are now acquiring the necessary permitting and preparing the pad for construction of a 10,000-square-foot building to start late August with move in set for March, 2017. We have tentatively scheduled a ground-breaking ceremony on June 1 in conjunction with the USPTA Florida division conference in Orlando so our professionals can attend this monumental event in our history.

There is a lot going on with your association at present. I hope you share the deep pride that I have for who we are and for what we stand. h

Vice President’s Message

Through the Years, USPTA Remains Focused on Certification and Education

by Ken McAllister

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n late 1974, I took my USPTA Certification Exam from then tester Tim Heckler. I received a P-1 (now Elite Professional), which I did not deserve. Those who took the ­ ivertson (later test with me – Dave S to be ­USPTA Pro of the Year) and Joe Csandli, a prominent Houston director of tennis – will attest to that. Even though I had coached high school tennis for 10 years, the test proved to me how much I still had to learn about tennis. I did however have a educational ­ SPTA sent me to background so the U New York in early 1977 to meet with Jack Barnaby and George Basco to assist in rewriting the USPTA test, proving in my case that those who can’t do, teach, and those who can’t teach, write certification exams. Luckily the quality of those around me guaranteed a positive result. Believe it or not, the bones of that first 1977 exam still exist in the current USPTA C ­ ertification Exam.

At that point I watched the politics of the time reach an upheaval that resulted in the USPTA becoming less of an East Coast organization to spreading itself through the whole country. This charge was led by Tim Heckler, and with the timing of the tennis boom, led to a huge growth of activity and membership for the next few years. USPTA kept its focus on certification and education. This gave us “regular” members wonderful opportunities to learn from the best through national and divisional seminars. Better for you and me, it brought sharing and networking to an all-time high. This is still the culture and advantage of our organization now in

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Like you, I am a result of my mentors ... My teaching pro mentors were Tim Heckler, Dennis Van der Meer, Ron Woods, John I­ ngram, Paul ­Christian, George Basco, Jack Groppel, Jim Loehr, Steve Wilkinson, ­Barbara Braunstein, Billie Jean King, and countless others through my 40 years with ­USPTA. However, the most important mentor for me was Clarence Mabry. He proved to me and many others that preparation and attitude made the biggest difference in becoming the best you can be.

2016. For me, this started with Tim Galway and Vic Braden at my first World Conference.

Membership dues were not going to be enough to pay for such advantages and meetings so the USPTA expanded its sponsorships to help pay for the education and to access the best in our industry. This soon led into the liability insurance policy that has drawn or kept members for many years now. The bottom line is that we grew into a true professional association, which had been the dream of Jack Barnaby and a young group of teaching professionals as they met in New York in 1927. That is 50 years before I met Mr. Barnaby in 1977 – also in New York.

Like you, I am a result of my mentors. Because of the USPTA, my first teaching pro mentors were Tim Heckler and Dennis Van der Meer.

Tim introduced Dennis to me in 1975, before Dennis even thought of a Professional Tennis Registry. In fact, he was a very loyal member of USPTA. Most of my mentors were Texas Division pros like Ron Woods, Tim ­Heckler, John ­Ingram, and Paul Christian.

They also included George Basco, Jack Groppel, Jim Loehr, Steve Wilkinson, Barbara Braunstein, Billie Jean King, and countless others through my

40 years with USPTA. However, the most important mentor for me was ­Clarence Mabry of San Antonio. Like me, he grew up in a small Texas town.

He proved to me and many others that preparation and attitude made the biggest difference in becoming the best you can be. He was the original president of the Texas pros.

So why am I rambling on about this? First, this is to emphasize the value of the certification test that leads to education opportunities available through the USPTA at the national and divisional levels. The test showed me my shortcomings, and I attended every educational event that I could for years. Twelve years later I became a Master Professional. The classroom and on-court presentations were not enough. It was the jelling effect of sharing this with my peers and mentors that gave me the confidence that this small town Texas boy could do well as a tennis teacher. Clearly at this stage of my life, I return for the friendships among all of you more than the seminars. I also want to be there on the off chance that I can help or inspire a fellow pro as others have done for me over the years. In other words, I do not teach any more, but there are many reasons to keep up with the educational credits. h

USPTA World Conference

USPTA Returns to California for Annual World Conference

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fter three long years, the USPTA World Conference is heading back to the West Coast and a brand new location – the beautiful and serene Indian Wells, Calif. Join us in sunny California at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa, Sept. 25-29, to relax, network and learn … and pick up your required professional development credits. What a ­ GetYour6! perfect way to # This event brings together tennisteaching professionals and coaches, manufacturers and industry representatives in an experience unlike any other in the tennis industry. Rub elbows with leaders of the tennis world while at the same time learn the newest teaching techniques, tried-and-true business methods, and career-enhancing best practices. USPTA members will earn 10 education credits for a full registration, plus additional credits for courses attended. All sessions will fall under one of four categories: teaching, business, facility management and sport science.

The Education Committee is shaking things up this year – moving the conference days to Sunday through Thursday, with the bulk of the education beginning on Monday. Other changes include: • The Buying Show, reception and Silent Auction are moving to the beginning of the week, to be held Monday evening. The USPTA Buying Show is the nation’s largest tennis-only trade show with exhibitors representing tennis equipment, shoes and apparel, Web-based programs and software, teaching aids, court equipment, nutritional bars and vitamins, and more.

A reception will be held in conjunction with the buying show, along with the silent auction, which raises funds for the USPTA Foundation. The Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization that is devoted to fund

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programs that help economically disadvantaged people learn tennis.

• The Awards Luncheon will be Tuesday at noon, and will honor USPTA Professionals who are committed to excellence as tennis teachers and ambassadors, using tennis to impact people and communities. Traditionally, the awards celebration has been at the end of the week.

• The Pool Side Reception (formerly the Welcoming Party) will be held Wednesday night to close out the conference. Join your fellow conference attendees for music, food and drink, and of course, socializing and networking with other teaching pros from around the world.

• Thursday is the last day and will wrap up at noon, with the exception of the final specialty course from 1-5 p.m.

Indian Wells is in the Coachella Valley, located between La Quinta (site of several previous World Con-

ferences) and Palm Desert and is bordered by the Santa Rosa Mountains.

The city hosts the BNP Paribas Open, the fifth-largest tennis tournament in the world, which is held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Also to be held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden is the USPTA Masters Invitational. The top point earners from the three Surface Championships leading up to the Masters will be invited to participate in the tournament. Details will be announced soon.

In addition to all the activities that go along with attending a World Conference, visitors can enjoy numerous outings in the local area, including The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, museums and shopping. Also, the Indian Wells Golf Resort is offering conference attendees a nice discount off the regular golf rates.

As it becomes available, an agenda, more details and registration information will be provided in future issues and on the website, uspta.com/­ conference. h

Endorsee News

Enhance Your Performance With Compression Apparel

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or today’s tennis player, and faster, as has been seen in all much of the equipment of the other sports.” has changed dramatiWe recently spoke to David cally from what was MacPherson, famed tennis considered “performance” in coach of the legendary U.S. the 1980s and 1990s. Racquets doubles duo, the Bryan Brothhave evolved from wooden to ers, and the advantages of 2XU carbon fiber to high-end perfor Bob and Mike Bryan. formance materials such as “Bob and Mike, even with TeXtreme, Balsalt, Aero, Speed all of their successes, are always and Burn. Strings have imlooking for an edge and the next proved from synthetic nylons thing that will help them, espeand natural gut to hybrid comcially as they are getting older binations of polyester “spin” and feeling the effects of their strings to “no notch” string age,” MacPhearson said. “We combinations. met with 2XU in February this But what about apparel? year and the immediate reaction Not much has evolved in tennis to the product was impactful to clothing. Sure we have moisture their performance and recovery. wicking and other high-end, Faster recovery and less muscle lightweight fabrics for cooling soreness make the next day of and ventilation, but perfortraining even better than the mance apparel in tennis is not previous day.” really considered to be true What about the real world performance apparel. Consider of day-to-day weekend warriors the clothing in the NBA, NFL and passionate tennis players or MLB or many other profesand coaches? We spoke to Jose sional sports. Everything these Pastrello, a USPTA Pro from athletes wear is form fitting, not Naples, Fla., and he said, “Per2XU is bringing ground-breaking technology to the baggy, and involves total conformance compression apparel performance apparel world of tennis, and is working is new to me and my daily lesson. tainment of the athlete’s body.

Tennis still has athletes wearing to making everyone a better athlete.

I spend six to eight hours every loose and heavy shirts and long, day on the court teaching, hitting non-aerodynamic shorts/skirts, and movement that will let the tennis popuor supervising – on my feet and active the longer the match goes on, the more lation see that tennis players are at the all day. I started using 2XU when the the perspiration impacts the athlete’s same level with the greatest athletes in ­USPTA started endorsing the brand; performance. It’s time for a change – an the world,” says Ken Merritt, who has I had to try it. I started with the comupdate to the year 2016 – for performore than 30 years experience as a glob- pression arm sleeve and then added mance apparel in tennis, the same as we al manager for tennis brands and aththe compression calf sleeve. I could see in other professional and amateur letes. “Tennis players are subject to mas- not believe how much better I felt after sports. sive amounts of movements – stopping, a long day on the court teaching and Compression is an overused and starting, turning, twisting, heck, even working.” underregulated word. True compressliding on asphalt and concrete tennis 2XU is bringing ground-breaking sion is not just body forming or body courts. These players do all of this for technology to the performance apshaping. True compression is a “legal hours – not minutes – in extreme heat parel world of tennis, and is working performance enhancer,” and tennis and weather conditions. Yet there are to making everyone a better athlete. h athletes are just now catching up with new advancements in performance approfessional athletes in other sports. parel/compression that will allow these To apply to join the 2XU team, fill out “I am so happy to be part of the athletes to perform and recover better an application at www.team2xu.com.

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Master Pro Corner

Master the Power of Doubles Instruction

By Kim Dillard, USPTA Master Professional

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eaching doubles can and should provide some of the most powerful and useful tools to our students that they can use throughout their lives. A teaching pro should develop a player to be connected to his or her partner, both mentally and physically. Mentally, a good doubles player needs to have good communication and listening skills in order to make smart, positive decisions on the court during a match. These two skills are essential throughout life. Teaching players to be flexible helps them to be able to change tactics and be open for changes at a moment’s notice in a match.

An important skill to teach in doubles is how to think of others. I will have the player who is about to hit the next shot catch the ball when I say “freeze.” I ask all the other players who are not hitting the ball about their position in relation to their partner and how they can help with the possible shot choices. I have the player who has the ball continue and hit the shot they were going to hit. Being more aware of others is key to good doubles instruction and helps our students learn how to cooperate with a variety of different people in life. To think of others is key to being a better and less selfish person.

Each point starts with an agreed plan of action and first shot choice. The plan is simple and positive and is always about the next point, not the last point.

Teaching how to plan helps our students make a plan for whatever goal they desire. Each goal has one step at a time to reach a bigger picture outcome goal.

One drill I use frequently is to have a team serve three points in a row to one side (deuce or ad) and for each serve have the return team choose a different return – crosscourt, lob, or down the line. After each point played, the teams high five and make a new plan. The serving team on a different drill can work on

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Teach partners to high five after every point; this makes the team win and lose together with unconditional support.

signals for poaching for each serve. The net player signals with his non-dominant hand behind his back – open hand = poach, closed fist = stay. Make sure the return team hits crosscourt.

First and most important is to teach partners to high five after every point; this makes the team win and lose together with unconditional support. The power of the high five relates learning how to share mistakes and successes together.

Doubles cooperation can help students hold the door open for others, use their car signal with other drivers, and create endless partner connections in life.

A quick communication drill is having the net player stand on the service line and the partner on the baseline. I feed a deep ball to the baseline player and if the net player thinks the ball is going long they call, “bounce it,” letting his partner know he thinks the ball is going out. If the baseline player hears nothing he plays the shot. This drill is great

to work on trusting your partner with quick reactions and accepting the outcome together.

Teaching new players the basic cooperation skills includes how to share the three tennis balls in the warm-up; how to give a stray ball to the next court; and to move the first serve fault ball that rolled back from the net. Players need to be taught court etiquette, which relates to how to act is so many other situations in life.

When teaching doubles, knowing your students is imperative. Through doubles, students get to know themselves better, which helps them develop on a very personal level.

Doubles instruction teaches life skills that relate to any and all relationships, both short term and long term. A partnership requires selfless thinking and being positive to get a goal accomplished. Teaching doubles to players as young as possible will help them develop a wide variety of essential lifelong social skills. h

Kim Dillard is director of tennis at Colonial Country Club in Thomasville, N.C., and High Point University Club Tennis Coach in High Point, N.C. He wrote his first book “The Doubles Connection, How to be a Better Doubles Partner” in 1998. Dillard is in the Mid-Atlantic Hall of Fame and is a retired elementary P.E. teacher. He can be reached at kimdillarddoubles.com.

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com 47

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Beyond the Court

Creating Passionate Problem Solvers on the Court

By Jeremy Carl, USPTA

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s a coach, what is your ­greatest joy? Is it seeing your p ­ layer win a match? Or is it s­ eeing your player utilizing a philosophy you helped foster to confidently change the course of a match that shows his or her love and respect for the game? While each coach approaches this answer personally, I want to suggest that the best way to create tennis players for life is to ensure they understand completely the problemsolving aspect of the game.

One the greatest joys I find as a coach comes with seeing a player get the point of strategies and drills in such a way that he or she incorporates those strategies and drills into a whole approach to the game, as opposed to using them just to win a particular match.

Great players live for every moment of the sport and love the big moments whether they win or not.

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Great players live for every moment of the sport and love the big moments whether they win or not. Players in basketball, football and hockey love the pressure of taking the final shot, catching the final ball, or shooting the gamewinning shot.

Novak Djokovic, as a very young player, grew up learning tennis initially in the bottom of an empty swimming pool in war-torn Serbia. Djokovic once said about Roger Federer and ­Rafael Nadal, “Roger and Rafa have been so dominant that to compete with them

It is no mistake that the game’s greatest players understand, embrace and respect the problem-solving aspect of the game, which takes discipline, focus and hard work.

It is no mistake that the game’s greatest players understand, embrace and respect the problem-solving aspect of the game, which takes discipline, focus and hard work. Roger Federer has said, “There is no way around the hard work. Embrace it.”

has been difficult. But it is also a challenge. Every time you play them they make you improve,” which shows Novak’s love for problem solving. His whole career he has thrived on how to improve against these players instead of focusing on when he has lost to them.

As coaches, we are called to do more than teach players how to hit an inside-out forehand or a slice backhand, but also to love understanding why and when they should use them. Tennis players have to understand they are playing a sport that involves problem solving every time they are in the moment of the point. The best ones love everything – which spin to hit, where to place the serve, what racquet to use, where to hit the return, etc. They are never tired of being students of the game because they know failure comes with thinking they have no more to learn. Here are three basic principles you can use to inspire in your players a desire to be problem solvers on the court – purpose, perseverance and philosophy.

Purpose One of the best ways to ensure purpose in a player is to create purpose in the warmup of a lesson, whether it be private or group practice. From the first ball, players need to hit with purpose, focusing on the following progression: height (net clearance), spin, depth, direction and speed. For example, as players are warming up service line to service line, have one hit topspin and one hit slice, and give them a goal of a set of number of shots and then alternate. As they are hitting, encourage them to figure out how to deal with these different spins. In addition, make sure players demonstrate purpose in their shots based on their understanding and execution of various situations – ­defensive, neutral or offensive.

Perseverance Perseverance is defined as continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure or opposition (www.merriam-webster. com/dictionary). Great athletes of all kinds, especially tennis players, possess this quality in order to problem solve in their matches. It’s important for us as coaches to create a desire in our players to focus on all parts of a match, especially those that require the hardest work mentally, tactically and physically. One way to do this is to have servers only get one serve, start a match down 0-2, or one player can only hit slice backhands. In other

It’s important for us as coaches to create a desire in our players to focus on all parts of match, especially those that require the hardest work mentally, tactically and physically. words, make sure your players face many different scenarios that will help them understand how every single point counts. Tennis is one of the few sports where match problem solving has to be done by players themselves with coaches providing only a road map for various situations.

Unlike other sports, players can’t turn to the bench to get advice when they are in trouble.

Philosophy Now that your players have purpose and perseverance, ensure finally that they have a sound philosophy when they play matches. Many players go out and just play without adhering to a certain philosophy.

However, I think as coaches we have the responsibility to provide a basic philosophy for our players that allows them to handle anything they may face, both on and off the court. Below are some of the main points I believe are important for such a winning philosophy:

• Remember the reason for playing tennis goes beyond winning or losing a match.

• Revel in the moment to determine one’s own destiny on the court.

• Never forget your strengths and know you will always have them no matter what the opponent does or what happens in the match.

Again, ask yourself what is your greatest joy in coaching? What are your players’ greatest joys in playing?

My hope is that these simple principles will help you create problem solvers on the tennis court and lifelong players! h Jeremy Carl is the head tennis pro at Burke Racquet and Swim Club in Burke, Va., and a USTA High Performance Coach.

Tennis programming at Burke Racquet and Swim Club is ­ nder Blue Chip Sports Management. u

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com 55

Beyond the Court

Making a Difference on the Tennis Court – Stories Behind the Faces

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ince its inception in 2006, ThanksUSA has awarded nearly 3,700 scholarships totaling more than $11 million. By partnering with ThanksUSA, USPTA has donated $11,000 to the organization, and its divisions and members have donated more than $65,000 to the general scholarship fund in the last three years.

ThanksUSA scholarship recipients are genuine, caring and talented individuals whose lives are positively affected through fundraising events hosted by tennis professionals across the country.

While volunteering at a summer school for the deaf, Air Force dependent Jasmine Ruffin witnessed many students struggling to learn because of communication barriers. With the assistance of a $3,000 USPTA/ThanksUSA scholarship, Ruffin is majoring in Deaf Studies at California State University of Northridge.

Ruffin plans to work with deaf children and their hearing family members to bridge the gap between the deaf education and mainstream education systems. She has also represented ThanksUSA scholars at Tennis Thanks the Troops events in California.

“I am very honored and grateful for being selected as a recipient of the USPTA/ThanksUSA scholarship,” Ruffin said. ‘Your generosity will continue to inspire my success in life and my academic endeavors!”

Ruffin shares her gratitude by volunteering at events; she even taught a USPTA Pro how to sign at the USPTA California Division Convention this year.

Other ThanksUSA scholarship recipients directly benefitted from the efforts of the Berkeley Hills Country Club in Duluth, Ga., and its tennis director, Todd Assini. Through themed mixers

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and a silent auction, six named scholarships have been awarded to Berkeley Hills Country Club/ThanksUSA scholars. In fact, the events have been so successful that for the past three years, Berkeley Hills received the grand prize of a trip for two to the US Open for the largest amount donated in the name of the Tennis Thanks The Troops campaign.

In 2015, Marine Corps dependent Bethany Flournoy was awarded one of the $3,000 Berkeley Hills Country Club/ ThanksUSA scholarships to continue nursing studies at Georgia College & State University. Flournoy’s ultimate goal is to become a pediatric nurse practitioner at a children’s hospital.

“By working for such an amazing healthcare facility, I will be able to give back to the community while healing sick and injured children,” Flournoy said. “I aspire to help children regardless of their socio-economic circumstances.

A life is a life, and a child’s life is the life of our future.”

Flournoy said she is thankful for the donors that made it possible for her to attend college without the guilt of putting her family in debt.

“I am able to focus more on the most important aspects of school and life –

learning and giving back. I hope to be able to help struggling college students from a military background achieve their goals just as your gracious scholarship has done for me,” she said. “Thank you again, for not only investing in my future, but also the futures of those lives I will save once I am a pediatric nurse.”

The USPTA San Diego Division has also made a significant impact on its community by spreading tennis while supporting military families at their annual Tennis Fest. The event added a donation option on the registration form and organized a silent auction to benefit ThanksUSA’s mission.

“Tennis Thanks the Troops was a perfect fit when our Tennis Fest committee was looking for a worthy charity,” USPTA Elite Pro Geoff ­Griffin said. “Helping the children and spouses of active military personnel really motivates us in a big military town like San Diego.”

One of this year’s awardees was ­Kirsten Farinas, the spouse of an activeduty Marine. With the assistance of a $3,000 San Diego Tennis Association/ ThanksUSA scholarship, Farinas will graduate from National University in San Diego and plans to sit for the CPA exam next summer.

“The San Diego District Tennis Association is proud to have supported ThanksUSA and Tennis Thanks the Troops through our annual Tennis Fests, which have resulted in six $3,000 educational scholarships being awarded to very deserving members of San Diego military families,” said USPTA Pro Steve Kappes, who is also a former career Navy officer.

“We encourage other tennis groups to join us in this very worthwhile program!” h Please consider hosting an event in 2016.

To learn more, visit www.ThanksUSA.org.

Career Development Division Activities Exams, Upgrades Coach Youth Tennis Workshop & PTCA I (6 credits)

(4 credits for PTCA I segment) May 7-8 Huntington Beach, Calif.

May 13-14 Houston* May 14-15 Big Rapids, Mich.

May 14-15 Atlanta May 15 St. Louis, Mo. May 16 Vienna, Va. May 20-21 Kansas City, Mo. Des Moines, Iowa May 21 Eau Claire, Wis. May 21 Louisville, Ky. May 22 Orlando, Fla. May 25-26 May 28-29 Boston June 2-3 Orlando, Fla.

May 1-2

(2 credits) May 15

Albuquerque, N.M.

May 20

Cincinnati

May 21

New Castle, Pa.

May 21

Port Orange, Fla.

May 23

Sioux Falls, S.D.

May 24

Rapid City, S.D.

May 28

Palmetto Bay, Fla.

May 31

Fargo, N.D.

For more workshops, visit coachyouthtennis.com.

Cardio Tennis May 23

Cardio Tennis Training Course Wailea Tennis Club, Maui, Hawaii

* 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.

Please visit www.cardiotennistraining.com to register.

USPTA New England Convention Norwich, Conn.

May 12-14 USPTA Southern Convention Atlanta May 22 USPTA Hawaii Convention Honolulu June 1-5 USPTA Florida Convention Orlando, Fla. June 3-4 USPTA Pacific Northwest Conv.

TBD

Webinars (.5 credits) May 11

Three most important ideas to advance your career Greg Lappin

Watch all recorded webinars at tennisresources.com.

For more information visit uspta.com/ Education>Education Calendar.

Applicant: late cancellation fee – $95; 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.

Accredited Professional Coach Register your Accredited Professional Coach (APC) and specialty course credits earned with the USPTA SmartCode Education System. This uses your smartphone to instantly register your attendance to all seminars and specialty courses earning APC. To use the system at a seminar, general session or specialty course, you must scan two QR codes. One QR code is on your conference badge. The second QR code will be in your conference notebook and cannot be scanned until the end of the session or the beginning of the next session.

If you do not have a smartphone, you may use someone else’s. Forms are available upon request.

58 www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Education requirements All USPTA-certified Professionals must earn 6 education credits in a three-year period to remain current. Go to USPTA.com/Education for a partial list of eligible activities. Please send verification (email, letter, certificate, receipt, etc.) that shows you attended the event/activity and submit it along with the date and agenda to education@uspta.org to receive your credit. (International members, Recreational Coaches and those over the age of 65 are exempt.) ­Questions? Write to education@uspta.org or call 800-877-8248, ext. 147.

Member News • USPTA member Geoff Griffin and his family were honored with the 2014 Ralph W. Westcott USTA Family of the Year Award. The national honor recognizes a family, all of whom are involved in providing services that benefit the sport by growing and promoting the game. Family members include Geoff and his wife, Manuela; his parents Stan and Jo, and his brothers and their wives Chaz and Sunya, and Jack and Amy. Geoff is the director of tennis at the Balboa Tennis Club He has been a San Diego District Tennis Association Board member for 22 years, and the organization’s president for four years. He has spent eight years on the Southern California Tennis Association Board of Directors, and 25 years on USPTA San Diego Division’s Board of Directors; four years as President.

• Fran Osei (right) of Haverstraw, N.Y., was named USTA Eastern’s Tennis Woman of the Year for her outstanding service to tennis. Osei has been an integral part of the Eastern Section for more than 25 years. She is the director of tennis for Ramapo (N.Y.) Parks and Recreation, as well as the manager and tennis director for the Ramapo Tennis and Swim Facility. Currently, Osei is the Vice President of USTA Eastern. She also is a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, serves on the Incentive Grant Committee and chairs the Community Development Committee. She developed a volunteer board and committees for Eastern’s Southern Region, which she has been a part of for more than 10 years.

• Rob Scott, Executive Director; Tiffany Milner, Junior Programs Manager; Dan Lewis, Director for Colorado JTT; and Rob Merriman, Manager of Junior Tennis in Nevada – all USPTA Pros – recently conducted a JTT Roadshow in Las Vegas with a strong group of tennis pros there, many of whom are USPTA. The event awarded education credits and there was terrific, spirited discussion and camaraderie. Pros who attended include: L-R Front Row: Johnny Lane, Morris Engram, Adolph Huddleston, Rick Storozuk; Second Row: Rob ­Merriman, Crombie Hatfield, JC Pauli; Third Row: Mark Swanson, Rob Scott, Mike Copenhaver, Zdenek Cernoch, Scott Schneider, Marty Hennessey, Dan Lewis; Back Row: Ryan ­Wolfington, Karl Jones, Ron Steege, Billy DeRango, Ken Shioi

• Carrie ­Zarraonandia, USPTA Elite Professional, was one of just 50 coaches across several sports nationwide to earn a 2016 Double-Goal Coach Award from the Positive Coaching Alliance. The award honors coaches who teach their players the fundamentals of a sport while teaching life lessons on and off the playing field. PCA received a record 2,400 nominations from across the country. ­Zarraonandia is the tennis director at Tennis Kidz in Tiburon, Calif., a program designed to train a child’s body to perform at its best on and off the court. The program helps children develop socially and physically while achieving self-confidence and becoming ­ arraonandia has 30 years of physically fit. Z experience teaching tennis and is currently teaching tennis at the Tiburon Peninsula Club and through the Belvedere-Tiburon Park and Recreation Department.

• City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dwyer presented Orlando Tennis Centre Manager and USPTA Master Professional Tom Sweitzer with the 2015 City of Orlando Employee of the Year Award. Two weeks prior, Orlando Tennis News named Sweitzer Orlando Tennis Person of the Year.

NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS President First Vice President

Chuck Gill Gary Trost

Vice Presidents

Past President CEO Legal Counsel

Alan Cutler Feisal Hassan Ken McAllister Jack Michalko Diane Selke

TM

ADDvantage magazine editorial offices USPTA World Headquarters 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite 202 Houston, TX 77042 Phone – 713-978-7782 / 800-USPTA-4U Fax – 713-358-7794 email – magazine@uspta.org

60 www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Managing editor Circulation

Kimberly Forrester Kathy Buchanan

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

Tom McGraw John Embree George Parnell

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. 2016. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of the magazine is not permitted without written permission from USPTA.