Addvantage 2017 September/October

September/October 2017

Celebrating 90 years of certifying the world’s premier tennis teaching professionals — 41 ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017

CEO’s Message

From Humble Beginnings

by John Embree

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017 is a big year for the USPTA. Not only have we closed our Houston office and relocated to our brand new eco-friendly, techladen worldwide headquarters in Lake Nona, Fla.; not only are we hosting NEXT Generation: A Tennis Innovation Workshop powered by the USTA and USPTA come October here in Orlando; we are also celebrating our 90th year of existence. On September 23, 1927, a small group of tennis professionals met in New York City and the United States Lawn Professional Tennis Association was born.

Back in the roaring 20’s, the country was experiencing economic prosperity.

Calvin Coolidge was president, silent movies were phasing out and Charles Lindberg made is historic transatlantic flight. Tennis was limited to mostly the country club set primarily in the East Coast and the first professional tour was established. Players on that tour were unable to participate in the major amateur tournaments because of their professional status so many of them began to teach tennis on the side to support their families. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to those forbearers who had the moxie and fortitude to create the platform for us to shine as we do today.

Through World War II, the fledgling USLPTA held meetings and played tournaments. Some of the biggest names in the game’s history were members of the USLPTA at that time, like Pauline Betz Addie , Don Budge, Alice Marble , Fred Perry, Bobby Riggs, and Bill Tilden.

Later, Jack Kramer and Tony Trabert joined the ranks as the game began to

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flourish in the 50’s and 60’s.

Of course, open tennis in 1968 and the Billie Jean King-Bobbie Riggs match in 1973 changed everything for our sport. The USLPTA came up with the first certification exam and membership exceeded 1,000.

In 1971, under the leadership of President Dave Muir from Chicago (who just retired from teaching at Midtown Tennis Club in Chicago), the board approved the name change from USLPTA to USPTA. Since the 70’s, our association has grown in stature and magnitude. If you have been following our historical articles in this magazine during this year, you will have read about the office moving from Tennessee (when Bill Tym was Executive Director) to Florida where we started at the Colony Beach Resort in Sarasota before settling at Saddlebrook Resort. Then, in 1991, the USPTA leadership, with Tim Heckler as CEO, made a bold move and purchased a multi-tenant office building in Houston which became our home for 25 plus years. During that time, the membership exploded both domestically and internationally with over 12,500 domestic members and 1,500 international members in 66 countries.

In his recent submission to ADDvantage, immediate past president Tom McGraw summarized the dramatic changes that have taken place with the USPTA over the past six years. Hopefully, you have had a chance to read his article

ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017

and agree that the association has indeed reinvented itself into a dynamic, proactive organization that is committed to elevating the standards of our membership. Certainly during my tenure as CEO, the USPTA has gone through monumental changes in both attitude and culture. Thanks to the leadership of past presidents Tom Daglis, Tom McGraw and now Chuck Gill, along with the board during this time period, we can take great pride in all of our accomplishments which are vast.

Rather than repeat what Chuck Gill has written about in his article on the following page, I will just say that it has been a pleasure to serve the membership of this wonderful association. People often ask how I am enjoying my new job: I hasten to advise that I am actually celebrating my five year anniversary on October 1 which is rather numbing. How time has flown by while I have had so much fun!

It has been both humbling and an honor to serve in this capacity. While much has been done during this half a decade, there is still so much more to do. Now that our transition is complete and we have settled into our new digs in Lake Nona, it is time to refocus on the mission at hand: raising the standards of tennis teaching professionals, getting younger and growing our membership. We have a major challenge on our hands: to create a pathway for young people who aspire to join our industry but are not sure that being a certified tennis professional will lead to a productive and purposeful life. I embrace that challenge and hope that you do as well.

Happy Birthday USPTA! May your next 90 years be as transformational as these first 90 years.

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ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017 — 43

From the Board Time Flies

by Chuck Gill Unites States Professional Tennis Association President

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he slogan Time Flies certainly applies to my term as president of USPTA. As I sit here writing my final message for ADDvantage, it seems like yesterday that I was meeting with our “new” board for the first time in Palm Springs, discussing visions and goals for the coming two years. We were in the midst of the first cycle of professional development (and the uncertainty of how many members would support it) how to provide new and meaningful ways to get education, closing on the sale of the Houston office, moving into the new HQ in Lake Nona, continuing to strengthen our industry partnerships, and how all of the above would impact our financial portrait... it was not going to be business as usual for our board of directors.

A quick look back reflects that support of our continuing education is over 92% (and rising) nationwide; our Tennis Resources website has been updated; regional/division education saw record numbers; we closed on the sale of the Houston office at a price that was above what was projected; and as I write this article, we are days away from opening a state of the art HQ across from the world’s greatest tennis facility, The USTA National Campus! We are tracking favorable to our financial forecast and when we finally take occupancy of our new home, we will be taking on the challenge of blending many new staff in with existing employees who made the move to Florida. While I get the privilege of writing this article, the credit goes to your leadership team of the board and executive committee who were the catalyst for driving these initiatives. Without their due diligence, fact finding, and their vetting of each and every decision, your association would not be in the healthy position that we are currently in.

Regarding industry partnerships, our image has never been better and our voice has never been stronger. In traveling to meetings with our governing body, it is great to see so many USPTA professionals active at both the national and sectional level serving and in some cases

chairing committees, and being involved with decisions that impact everyone who is a stakeholder in tennis. It was an honor to be invited along with other teaching professionals to be a part of the Net Generation Ambassadors and be a part of

“We are days away from opening a state of the art HQ across from the world’s greatest tennis facility, The USTA National Tennis Campus”

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actually developing this program... as opposed to learning about it “second hand.” This will be the future of the country’s tennis programming with the USTA and USPTA working hand in hand to grow the sport.

While there is a great deal of work to do, the future looks bright for both USPTA and our sport, it has been a pleasure to serve you, having been a small part of it!

Finally, as we begin our new journey in Lake Nona, I would be incredibly remiss if I did not thank those terrific staff members who due to retirement, family commitments or ties to Houston, were unable to relocate and join us in Florida. We thank Kathy Buchanan, Alyssa Burnside, Melony Deloach, Kimberly Forrester, Julie Myers, Aileen Nacpil, Matt Stotts, and Vicky Tristan for their hard work over the years, up until the closing of the Houston office and especially during this transition period.

ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017

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ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017 — 45

Master Pro Corner Analyze Opponents

By Avis R. Murray Director Of Tennis, Bass Rocks Golf Club

T

ennis in the Northeast during the winter months is thriving. With the wintry and cold conditions, the indoor season usually gets underway in September and winds down in May. With indoor clubs being constructed in the early 1970’s, there began an interest in women tennis at various indoor clubs. Some clubs started arranging matches with other clubs in the area. In 1975, a small group of tennis directors met and formed the North Shore Women’s Tennis League in the North Shore area. Since then, the league has grown with 11 clubs and over 130 women competing weekly in a 28 week season not including the playoffs with the top four teams in each league thriving to be number one. The levels range from NTRP 2.5 – 4.5/5.0.

Tips for coaches to instill in their players: • During the warm up, if you are playing at a club other than your home club, observe the background and how the balls are bouncing (such as are the courts slower or faster than your home courts.) Are the balls bouncing lower or kicking higher? Is the lighting different? Are they getting adjusted to the lighting? Be sure they are seeing the ball well before they start playing.

• Observe how the opponents move, react at net, pace they like to hit and, if the players are advanced, have them notice the grips of the opponents.

• Keep the strategy simple in the beginning by just getting the ball over the net and in the court. Once they get into the match and are in their groove, then they should start observing the opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.

Some players have finished matches and were not aware that one of the opponents was a lefty.

• Many times players get frustrated with their mistakes instead of noticing what their opponents are not doing well. Also they should be aware of how and why they are winning or losing points and maintain their focus on exactly what they need to do to win. Everyone has weaknesses either physically or mentally and it just a matter of finding them.

“With all these things mentioned above, the most important thing the coach should always remember is to have the players go out and compete and have fun and enjoy this fantastic sport.”

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The coaches have a huge responsibility when working with the teams at their practices and overseeing their matches.

One area that seems to be overlooked, is training the players to gain some knowledge of the opponents in the warm-up and to help analyze their opponents.

One thing the coaches should observe is how their players utilize the short time they have to warm-up before the matches begin. The players should arrive early and spend a little time warming up in the fitness areas, if they have one and if not, use the locker room and do some warm up exercises and some interval training exercises.

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A few other things to observe: • During the first few games, are they moving their serve around to see if they can find a weakness in the opponent’s returns. Do they drive the return, do they slice or chip the return or lob returns; do they have trouble with body serves, or trouble with wide serves, do they like the pace on the serve or have trouble with slice or no pace serves. Also, do the opponents return serve and stay back or return serve and come to the net.

• Do the opponents appear to have mobility issues, trouble with high bouncing balls especially to their backhands.

• Watch for the mental toughness in your players as well as training them to notice their opponents. Our players should notice the opponents and if they are getting frustrated, dropping racquets, show their disappointment in their partners, upset when they miss a shot, easily distracted, cannot handle pressure when you rush the net, rattled and nervous when they serve, then your players know they have the advantage and the upper hand.

• Many players do not have consistency and the patience to get into hitting more than three shots in a row.

About Avis Murray - Avis Murray is a USPTA Master professional who has been a member of the association since 1971. Murry has been named USPTA New England Eastern Massachusetts Pro of the Year, Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Senior Player of the Year, Division Pro of the Year and also the Ed Serues President’s Award for outstanding and longterm service.

ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017

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ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017 — 47

Inside Coaching One Step at a Time

By Sid Newcomb USPTA National Head Tester

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n my current role with the USPTA, I observe a lot of pros giving lessons. As you can imagine, I see the good, the bad and the ugly. The great part, on a personal level, is that I get to continually learn from all the lessons I get to watch.

Here’s an example. Coach Smith is giving a private lesson on the forehand technique. Coach Smith begins the lesson with gathering some helpful information from his student, participates in warmups, and then begins feeding balls to his student as he starts to “diagnose” the forehand.

What Coach Smith observes is that the student, who is around a 3.0 level player, has multiple issues. Ideally Smith would diagnose the primary problem and focus the lesson on this area. The results would be that the multiple areas would also be corrected by focusing on the primary issue.

However, more often than not, this takes a lot of practice and experience. What is more common amongst incoming or less experienced pros goes something like this.

Coach Smith sees six issues that he tries to correct such as: 1. The students non-dominant hand is dormant and down by the side of the body.

2. The backswing is big and goes behind the students back.

3. The student is too close to the ball.

4. The student’s contact point is all jammed up.

5. The student’s follow through is abbreviated.

6. The students’ stance is excessively closed.

Initial diagnosis: Multiple issues are immediately apparent with the student, including poor footwork and placement of the non-dominant hand.

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Instead of attempting to solve every issue at one time, adding to confusion and frustration for the student. Focus on just issue at a time, which could be the student’s footwork.

Not knowing what to diagnose as the “primary problem,” Coach Smith attempts to correct all the issues simultaneously. In his enthusiasm to help the student, each ball that he feeds is flowing with a well-meaning tip; “extend your non-dominant hand, don’t get so close to the ball, shorten your backswing, step forward toward the net.”

Four balls were fed and four verbal tips were conveyed. How does the student feel? Most likely like trying to get a drink of water from a fire hose. How many simultaneous thoughts can a student process and then translate into something physical? In my experience, the student will retain very little.

So, do you have to have a lot of experience to always be able to diagnose the “primary problem” and then help your student? Sometimes that is not always the case. Here is what would may have worked better for Coach Smith.

He sees a lot of problems with the student’s forehand but cannot really land on the primary problem. With that said, move forward One Step at A Time. What does this

mean? Take for example the first comment, “extend your non-dominant hand.” Before moving forward with any more corrections, incorporate a drill that emphasizes this particular comment. Demonstrate what you mean, spend a few minutes with drills on just this part of the forehand.

When the student understands and can achieve this then – and not before- Coach Smith can move onto the next idea, “don’t get so close to the ball”; demonstrate then drill a footwork exercise that isolates this remedy to that comment.

Inevitably when focusing on One Step at A Time, some of the other corrections tend to begin to take care of themselves. Eventually, the forehand gets corrected by arriving at the primary cause of the problem with a sort of ‘reverse engineering’ approach. At best the student forehand begins to move in the right direction, at worst the student continues to work on it without feeling confused by so many instructions. Progress is usually more evident when you take One Step at A Time.

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After footwork issues have been addressed and corrected, a coach can then focus on any remaining issues, such as correcting the nondominant hand.

About Sid Newcomb - Sid Newcomb is the National Head Tester for the USPTA. Newcomb has been a USPTA member since 1997. He became a tester in 2004 and served as the USPTA Northern California Division head tester for 11 years. He was the Director of Tennis at Peninsula Community Center (PCC) in Redwood City, Calif. from 1996-2009.

ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017 — 49

Five Reasons to Become a Certified Professional...

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ur Membership team here at the USPTA receive calls daily ranging from collecting member dues to member inquiries about receiving their education credits for the year. Out of all those calls, there is always someone inquiring about becoming a USPTA Professional and every caller always asks the same question. “Why Should I Become a USPTA Professional?”

The answer to this question is quite simple and we have five reasons on why you should become a USPTA Professional.

Benefits

When you become a certified USPTA Professional, you have access to benefits such as healthcare, life insurance, and retirement plans provided by our partners such as Liberty Mutual, Select Quote Life Insurance and on-court and off-court liability insurance.

US Open Series As a certified USPTA Professional, you will be able to attend any of the US Open Series tournaments free of charge. Whether it’s the BB&T Atlanta Open or the Connecticut Open at Yale, attending the tournaments in person is something you don’t want to miss out on, if you’re a certified USPTA Professional.

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Professional Development Here at the USPTA, we want to make sure we are giving our professionals all the tools they need to advance their career.

Whether it’s a Coordinator wanting to become a Manager or a Manager wanting to become a Director of Tennis, we have resources available for you to reach enhance your career.

Here’s a list of all the resources we offer to our members:

Discounts from Endorsees Another perk to becoming a certified USPTA Professional, is that you will have access to discounts on behalf of our endorsees such as Willson Sporting Goods, Fromuth Tennis, Har-Tru, Sportmaster, NetKnacks, Aer-Flo, Setteo, PlayMate and 10-S Tennis Supply.

Networking

By becoming a certified USPTA Professional, you are joining an association with 15,000+ members spread across the U.S. The USPTA offers ways for you to interact with fellow tennisteaching professionals such as USPTA Divisional Conferences and Workshops. Of course the USPTA annual conference is the premier gathering of tennis professionals world-wide.

This year, we have partnered with the USTA to host the NEXT Generation, A Tennis Innovation Workshop, right here in our new home of Orlando. There will be no better opportunity to experience the benefit of membership, while visiting the new, state of the art USPTA world headquarters, across from the USTA National Campus.

ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017

For information on the 2017 workshop, visit www.

NEXTGeneration17.com. We will see you there.

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ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017 — 51

Inside Coaching

Alternatives to using exercise as punishment in youth tennis

By Kim Davis, USPTA Elite Professional

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onditioning is an important part of any youth sports program.

Athletes benefit in practice and competition from being physically fit. Exercises, drills and games can be used to achieve new levels of fitness and sport-specific skill development.

Various types of running and strength training are part of an athlete’s overall development. Using running or any other type of exercise as a punishment, however, can negatively impact the overall strength of the athlete, coach, and team.

“Using punishment with a player who loses a match or makes too many ‘mistakes’ causes a player to be fearful and anxious and overly concerned with outcome,” said Dr. Anne Smith, Wimbledon champion and psychologist.

“This is not the best way to coach. It indicates a deficiency in the coach’s ability to encourage, empathize, and communicate.”

Smith, recipient of the 2008 “Doc” Counsilman Science Award for her contributions in the areas of sports psychology and mental training, suggests that when a coach punishes a player for poor performance, it is a reflection on the coach, not the player.

“Parents should never allow a coach to use any form of punishment with their child,” she said.

Physical education researchers Lydia Burak, Karen Pagnano-Richardson, and Maura Rosenthal suggest, instead of using exercise as punishment, coaches should 1) create a task-involved, studentcentered environment, 2) adopt the FITT principle (frequency, intensity, type, time), 3) adapt the fitness plan in response to schedule and fatigue, 4) use positive, detailed, timely feedback

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to increase desired behaviors, 5) teach for social and personal responsibility, empower students with decision making, 6) focus on the positives, 7) reflect on coaching, class and team performance, and 8) foster mutual respect between teacher/coach and student-athlete.

These aspects can create a more positive team environment and reduce the pressure under which young athletes play.

“I’ve had the opportunity to experience both styles,” said Linda Bentzen, parent of a high school athlete in Fountain, Colo. “My daughter cringes when she goes to basketball because the coach is so negative. It puts her in a different frame of mind in playing the game. She is playing under so much pressure in basketball.”

This approach, said Bentzen, can jeopardize the young athlete’s selfesteem and make them hate the sport.

Bentzen’s daughter plays basketball and tennis and has coaches on both ends of the spectrum of athlete discipline. One uses exercise, such as running suicides, as punishment, while the other uses player contracts and performance goals, with the goals of accountability and team building.

Performance goals include sportspecific items such as increasing top spin on a forehand or accelerating the racquet head speed on the serve. They may also include mental aspects such as staying focused or staying positive throughout the match.

In addition to performance goals, teams can establish player, parent, and coach contracts. Athletes, parents, and coaches collaborate on a list of acceptables and unacceptables when it comes to player conduct on and off the court.

“If a coach involves their players in the running of the team, if they make an agreement and know the consequences of breaking a rule, they love it,” said Jim Thompson, president and CEO of Positive Coaching Alliance. “You’re being clear with them. Either they’ve helped establish the rules or they’ve agreed to buy in.”

Punishment, on the other hand, said Thompson, can result in athletes losing motivation or even quitting their sport.

“I’m not in favor of punishment period,” said Thompson. “Punishment implies something angry and emotional.

As a coach you want your players to have a lifetime love of their sport.”

Instead of punishment, Thompson uses a three-step approach: 1) Reward what you want, 2) ignore what you don’t want, and 3) when you can’t ignore, intervene in the least attention way possible. Rewarding young athletes progress is one way of encouraging the child to keep working toward their personal goals, regardless of winning or losing the game.

“You want kids to love running, not hate it,” said Thompson. “Sports are not just about teaching a kid how to play. It’s about learning lessons that will help them be successful in life.”

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About Kim Davis: Kim Davis is a USPTA Elite professional who has been coaching in Colorado Springs for over 20 years. Kim played collegiate tennis at the USAF Academy and then served in the Air Force as a KC-135 pilot, T-3 instructor pilot, and USAFA women’s tennis coach. She is currently the Director of Tennis at Colorado Springs Country Club.

ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017

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Career Development Exams, Upgrades & PTCA I (4 credits for PTCA I segment) Sept. 2 - 3 Rome, Ga. Sept. 7 Mineapolis, Minn.

Sept. 9 – 10 Aurora, Ill.

Clearwater, Fla.

Boise, Idaho Sept. 16 - 17 Boca Raton, Fla.

Paradise Valley, Ariz.

Des Moines, Iowa Sept. 17 Midlothian, Va. Sept. 18 San Diego Sept. 30-Oct. 1 Baltimore Oct. 1 Hilton Head, S.C.

West Bloomfield, Mich.

Oct. 5 Mt. Kisco, N.Y. Oct. 6 Nichols Hills, Okla.

Oct. 7 - 8 North Richland Hills, Texas

Huntington Beach, Calif Oct.14 Atlanta Oct.15 - 16 Vienna, Va. 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 – $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.

Exams, Upgrades & PTCA I - Continued Oct.15 - 16 *Orlando, Fla. Oct. 21 Vancouver, Wash.

Oct. 22 Richmond, Va. * This course is held at the USPTA World Headquarters in Lake Nona, Fla.

(Division Conferences – 6 credits; Tennis Innovation Workshop – 10 credits)

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Sept.17

NEXT Gen. Tennis Inn. Workshop Orlando, Fla Hawaii Division Convention Honolulu

Briarcliff Manor, NY Sleepy Hollow Country Club

Cardio Tennis Sept. 8:

Conferences/ Activities Oct. 11

Platform Tennis

Cardio Tennis Training Course Level 2 Alpharetta, Ga.

Sept. 30: Cardio Tennis Training Course Level 1 Naples, Fla. Oct. 11: Cardio Tennis Training Course Level 1 Fayetteville, N.C. Oct. 16: Cardio Tennis Training Course Level 1 Wayne, N.J. Oct. 29:

Cardio Tennis Training Course Level2 Naples, Fla.

Nov. 11-12: Cardio Tennis Training Course Level 1 and 2 Big Rapids, Mich.

Webinars (.5 credits) Watch all recorded webinars at tennisresources.com More info: visit uspta.com/Education

Please visit www.cardiotennistraining.com to register.

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.

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.

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ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017

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ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017 — 55

USPTA News T

he USPTA has filled each of the remaining positions for their national staff in Lake Nona, Fla. Each USPTA member of the staff brings a unique contribution to the team.

DeVonte’ Martin Public Relations Coordinator DeVonte’ Martin is a Public Relations and Marketing professional with experience working in the sports industry. He most recently worked as a Communications Assistant with the LPGA and as a Marketing Intern for The NASCAR Foundation creating press releases, marketing materials, managing and creating social media content, handling media requests. He has a Bachelor’s in Communications from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Gustavo Reyes Graphic Design Specialist Gustavo Reyes is a creative Graphic Designer and excels at creating beautifully designed web layouts, mobile designs, flyers, motion graphics and videos.

He recently worked at Appeals Law Group where he designed the layout for their website, crafted promotional videos, created motion graphics and marketing materials. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Digital Art and Design from Full Sail University.

Julian Romoleroux Accounting Clerk Julian Romoleroux brings a vast amount of knowledge in preparing and maintaining financial documents and providing account support. He most recently worked

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The new staff of the USPTA (Left to Right) Ramona Husaru, Sarah Fisher, John Cornell, Michael Tomassini, DeVonte’ Martin, John Gerard, Fred Viancos, Dana Dasch, John Embree, Kelli Ferry, Sid Newcomb, Risa Epstein, Trevor Trudelle, Ellen Weatherford, Rico Edwards, Brittany Cabral, Amy Buchanan, Gustavo Reyes, Julian Romoleroux as a Front Desk Lead & Inventory Control Account Payable Specialist at HomeWood Suites handling customer inquiries, creating financial reports, and logging inventory for the hotel. In his spare time, he likes to play soccer and spend time with his wife Zorangelie and their five kids. He studied Accounting at Valencia College.

Trevor Trudelle Member and Computer Services Coordinator Trevor Trudelle brings to the USPTA a proven history of mining data to create data-driven results for executives and board members. His duties as Member and Computer Services Coordinator include maintaining the membership database, facilitating due payments, updating the Find-aPro website, and compiling statistical reports for various staff members and committee. He also works as a statistician for the MLS, USL, and NWSL divisions of the Orlando City Soccer Club.

ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017

Playmate Becomes Official Ball Machine of USPTA The United States Professional Tennis Association announced it will enter into a three-year agreement with Playmate. Under the terms of agreement, Playmate will become the official ball machine of the USPTA.

USPTA Joins Amazon Smile The USPTA Foundation has signed on to became a member of the Amazon Smiles program. AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. When purchases are made through AmazonSmile, 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products is donated to the USPTA Foundation. To access our Amazon Smile, visit https://smile.amazon.com/ch/ 13-2923684.

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October 11-15, 2017 Orlando, Florida ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017 — 57 © 2017 United States Tennis Association. All rights reserved.

USPTA News Hardcourts Head to Austin River Place Country Club Austin, Texas Nov. 3-5 $10,000 in prize money.

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ith the USPTA Surface Championships season coming to an end, the last tournament of the year will be the USPTA Hard Court Championships which will take place Nov. 3-5 at the River Place Country Club in Austin, Texas. To register for this event, visit: https://www.setteo.com/torneos/uspta-hard-courtchampionships/ before the Oct. 22 deadline.

Obregon, Schwartz win Grass Court Championships NEWPORT, R.I. --- Rudy Obregon (San Antonio, Texas) (top)& Anne Schwartz (North Hatfield, Mass) (bottom) won the Men’s and Women’s Open Singles titles at the 2017 USPTA Grass Court Championships that took place June 20-23 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. Obregon dominated Brandon Cutter (Harwich, Mass) in two sets 6-1, 6-0 to win the Men’s Open Singles and his first victory in the 2017 USPTA Surface Championship Series. Obregon then teamed up with David Wanja (Huffman, Texas) to win the Men’s Open Doubles over Cutter and Nick Majewski (Brewster, Mass) 3-6, 7-6, 1-0, (10-8).

Schwartz defeated Michelle Brown (Acton, Mass) with a 6-0, 6-0 victory to capture her first win in the Surface Championship Series.

Election for 2018-2019 National Board

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t the end of 2017, the current term of the USPTA board of directors ends. The Nominating Committee presented its slate for the board for the 2018-2019 term which was communicated to the membership in the August issue of Tennis Industry Magazine in our ADDvantage section.

The USPTA democratic process allows individuals who went through the nominating process to challenge a nominated person for a vice president position on the board. In accordance with the provisions contained in the USPTA bylaws Article VII, Section 3, the following individuals have been added to the ballot election for the 2018-2019 board of directors: Vice President: Diane Selke (Midwest) is challenging the nomination of Bill Mountford (New England) Jenny Gray (Texas) is challenging the nomination of Cari Buck (Southern California) The board members listed below are unopposed.

President: Gary Trost First Vice President: Feisal Hassan Vice Presidents: Alan Cutler, Mark Faber, Rich Silvocka Immediate Past President: Chuck Gill Ballots for the election are being mailed on or before Aug. 25 and must be returned no later than Sept 25. Thank you for participating in the democratic process for selecting our USPTA leadership.

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ADDvantageUSPTA.com • September/October 2017

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Member News

Phillips and McGraw inducted into Southern Division Hall of Fame where she led the Women’s Tennis Team to their first ever ASUN Regular Season Championship in school history. In addition, she has led FGCU athletes into earning a total of 43 ASUN All-Conference and All-Academic honors.

Pictured with Fred Burdick, USPTA Elite Professional Bill Phillips (Center) and Master Professional Tom McGraw (Right) were inducted into the USPTA Southern Division Hall of Fame Saturday, May 20 at the organization’s annual convention at the City Club at River Ranch. Bill Phillips works for the USTA Section and covers the state of Louisiana.

With 31 years of USPTA membership, Phillips has served at the state, divisional and national level. His recent offices were Division Regional Vice-President and President. He has received numerous awards, including Louisiana Chapter Professional of the Year, USPTA Southern Division Pride of the South Award and the Alan Henry Southern Professional of the Year Award.

Florida Gulf Coast University Head Tennis Coach and USPTA professional Courtney Vernon has been named the USPTA Florida Division College Coach of the Year. Vernon was recognized at the USPTA Florida Division Conference that was held at the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club. Vernon is coming off a record-breaking season

Michigan Women’s Tennis player Brienne Minor took home the NCAA Women’s Singles title to become the first ever African-American female to win the championship.

Minor is coached by USPTA Elite professional Mark Bey. Bey has coached Minor ever since she was 11 years-old and both appear in an episode of On the Court with the USPTA. Marco Pineda has been named tennis professional at Mountain Park Racquet & Fitness Club. Pineda, brings 10 years of teaching experience coaching competitive juniors and recreational adult tennis players. Pineda played Division I college tennis at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., from 2004-07.

In 2007, Pineda was awarded All-West Coast Conference accolades, with 23 singles wins in his senior season.

Ken Sumrow was recognized for his 40 years of service as Director of Tennis at High Point Tennis Center in Plano, Texas. Sumrow started working for High Point Tennis Center in June 1977 as the high school tennis coach for Plano Senior High while also working for the Plano Parks & Recreation as a summer tennis coach. During his tenure as Director of Tennis, Sumrow contributed to attracting more than four million visitors to the High Point Tennis Center along with teaching hundreds of players.

Radford University named USPTA Professional Rolando Vargas head coach of the men’s tennis team. Vargas comes to Radford after spending seven seasons as the head coach for the men’s and women’s programs at Auburn University at Montgomery. In his seven seasons at Auburn University at Montgomery, he helped the men’s team to a 14037 record and the women’s squad to an impressive 150-35 mark. He also coached 58 All-Americans, 30 ITA All-Americans and 10 conference players of the year.

Got a good member news story?

Send it to us at Magazine@USPTA.org

Virginia Men’s Tennis player Thai-Son Kwiatkowski won the NCAA Men’s Single title and earned a spot in the draw of the 2017 US Open Tennis Championships. Kwiatkowski is coached by USPTA Elite Professional and USPTA Southern member Bill Belser

National Board of Directors President.............................Chuck Gill First Vice President ...........Gary Trost Vice Presidents...................Alan Cutler

Feisal Hassan

Ken McAllister

Jack Michalko Past President....................Tom McGraw CEO.....................................John Embree Legal Counsel.....................George Parnell

ADDvantage magazine editorial offices USPTA World Headquarters 11961 Performance Drive Orlando, Fla.

Director of Communications....................John Cornell Public Relations Coordinator............. DeVonte’ Martin Circulation...............................................John Cornell

The opinions expressed in ADDvantage are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ADDvantage or the USPTA.

Office hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern time

Phone – / 800-USPTA-4U email – magazine@uspta.org

ADDvantage is published monthly by the United States Professional Tennis Association.

Copyright© United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2017. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of the magazine is not permitted without written permission from USPTA.

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