February 2024
A Grand Slam Gathering May 29 - June 2, 2024
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Greetings USPTA Professionals! I trust you had a fantastic holiday season and a promising start to the new year. As the newly appointed Florida President, I am thrilled to collaborate with our outstanding board. I am eager to unveil some exciting new ideas and offerings that we are diligently working on, starting with this year’s Florida Conference at The Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort in Bonita Springs from May 30th to June 2nd. Nestled in one of Florida’s most picturesque resorts, it boasts incredible amenities, a private beach, a lazy river, and exquisite pools – an ideal setting for both professional development and family enjoyment. I am delighted to announce that the Bryan Brothers will headline our conference on Friday, featuring on-court drills, a unique exhibition with live commentary on their thought process, and a panel discussion Q&A later in the day. Saturday will showcase a pickleball theme with on-court clinics and panel discussions featuring Sam Querry and Ryan Sherry. Moreover, we’re honored to host some of the finest General Managers in the state, offering insights into the interview process and envisioning the future of racquets sports in various settings. This year, we’ve expanded our vendor lineup, transforming our Vendor Show into an experience akin to USPTA Nationals, complete with dedicated time, space and complimentary food. This is just a glimpse of what our convention has in store, so be sure to register for what promises to be our best convention yet! Before delving into other leadership initiatives, I want to express gratitude to Mr. John Embree for his years of service and extend a warm welcome to our new CEO, Mr. Brian Dillman. Mr. Dillman’s vision and receptiveness to member input are truly impressive, presenting a unique opportunity for advancement in racquet sports. Now, lets talk about what the USPTA Board has been doing for YOU. With over a dozen meetings, including a Board Retreat in January, we’ve consolidated our mission and planned for the upcoming Florida Convention. Here are the main five goals we’ll be focusing on during my tenure as President: Increase membership by ensuring leaders are proficient in the new pathway, guiding prospective members toward certification. Boost convention participation – we have exciting plans this year! Enhance communication via Baselines, the USPTA App, and social media for more frequent updates. Position ourselves as a legitimate career option for high school and college players through subcommittee initiatives and scheduled career days. Strengthen our relationship with the USTA – collaboration makes both organizations stronger. Please look out for opportunities to nominate someone for a USPTA FL award or apply to be a speaker at our upcoming conventions in our next E News Blast in April.
Thank you for supporting USPTA Florida! Mike Curran USPTA Florida President
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UNLOCKING POTENTIAL THROUGH EDUCATION AND PLAY: A JOURNEY OF LOVE AND LEARNING WITH USPTA CEO BRIAN DILLMAN What business are we in? Teaching? Hospitality? Service? Babysitting (we hope not, but then there is reality)? In truth, we touch them all, but above else, we are teachers, mentors, phycologists, coaches and much more. We are seen as experts of our craft, and we are supposed to know EVERYTHING. How to hit a slice backhand cross court drop shot, what to eat before match day, which racquet and string to use for maximum control and spin, and how our players should keep it together mentally. Racquet Sports Professionals (you) have a lot of responsibility on your plates.
Who do you lean on? Who do you go to for advice, counsel, a sounding board and a shoulder to lean on when things get tough? Your sisters and brothers at the USPTA, but even more locally, the Florida division. When I witness the care, love and compassion between fellow professionals, I am incredibly touched. The comradery and the network you all have in the racquets industry is a gift and a blessing. Who else understands tough customers, tougher bosses, competition, time management, and the stresses of our industry? Your network of professionals. We all started playing racquet sports a long time ago (ok, I did) and somewhere between the training, drilling, tournaments, parents, wins and losses, we all fell in love with playing our sports. Play made it worthwhile. Play made it fun. Play gave us the rewards we needed to keep going. And at some point, along the way, we really fell in love with our sports, but realized, our playing days were over, and it was time to transition into teaching and coaching. Personally, when I finished my college playing days, I wasn’t equipped to play professionally. But my love for the sport never waned and I started teaching and fell in love all over again. Our industry is so rewarding when we have the right perspective about why we are doing what we do. Lead, coach and serve our students and the industry. Ours is such a unique industry because most of us started as players and transition to teaching by choice or as a backup plan. No matter why, we are here, and we have the love and passion to serve others, see them improve and enjoy our incredible sports. When we look at today’s industry and our current members, we witness the love and passion each of them shares and they know the value of the USPTA network. Our newer members, while sharing in the love for teaching and playing, might not have had the same “connections” as some of our older members. It is up to us to change that. Reach out to a newer member. Take them to lunch. Hit some balls. Invite them to your facility and show them around. The more you reach out and show them you are open to helping, listening and being part of their network, the more they will engage and feel the benefits of being a USPTA Florida member. I asked earlier what business are we in? At the end of the day, we are in the PEOPLE business. The impact you have on people is enormous and often, it doesn’t take much. A quick text to check in. A phone call while you are driving home. A regular time for coffee once a month. You can impact people every day and improve their lives. Please take that responsibility seriously and reach out. Remember, it all started with love!
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Remembering ANDY BRANDI 1952-2024
Photo c/o USTA
It's with sadness that we share the news of the passing of Andy Brandi, a 47-year member and USPTA Elite Professional, Andy was immensely influential in Florida tennis. He served the head women’s tennis coach at the University of Florida from 1985-2001, leading the Gators to three NCAA team championships, 14 SEC conference titles, and six undefeated regular seasons. His teams posted a 460-43 overall record, and his overall winning percentage of 91.5 percent ranks as the highest for any coach in the history of women’s collegiate tennis with at least five years of experience. Andy taught at academies across Florida and finished his career as co-head men's coach at LSU with his son, Chris. He was named USPTA Coach of the Year in 1988 and 1998. Brandi was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1952 and attended Trinity College in San Antonio, Texas, where he played on the men's tennis team and turned to coaching after graduating with a business degree. He was executive director of the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton when Florida hired him at age 33. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, and son, Chris. Our thoughts are with Andy's family and friends, and we will remain inspired by his incredible accomplishments throughout a lifetime dedicated to teaching tennis. 3
It’s time to nominate for USPTA Florida Awards! It’s that time of the year again to think about nominating an individual who shines above the rest in our industry in 2023. If you would like to nominate someone in any of the award’s categories, you may do so at the link below. Please keep in mind that this is for the coveted Florida awards, which if honored, you will automatically be nominated for the national awards.
Nominate HERE! Deadline to nominate is April 1st!
NOMINATE FOR... Hall of Fame Award Professional of the Year Award Lifetime Achievement Award Diversity Award USPTA Industry Excellence Award College Coach of the Year Award USPTA Star Award High School Coach of the Year Touring Coach of the Year Facility Manager of the Year (Small or Large) USPTA Elevate Award
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USPTA Florida Division Convention
Join Mike and Bob Bryan, Sam Querrey & more!!! Agenda and Convention Registration Coming Soon! HYATT REGENCY COCONUT POINT RESORT AND SPA Room block: Wednesday, May 29- Sunday, June 2 2024 Click here to reserve your room now! Group Code: G-eust or call 877-803-7534
February 2024 Monday, February 19th & 20. (In-person in Orlando, Fla.)USPTA Level 1 Workshop Thursday, February 22nd Central Florida Regional Zoom Call Friday, February 23rd Region 6 Meeting
March 2024 Tuesday, March 5th & 12th 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. USPTA Level 1 Workshop Thursday, March 7th & 14, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. USPTA Level 1 Workshop Saturday, March 9th & 16, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. USPTA Level 1 Workshop Saturday, March 9th Cardio Tennis Workshop at Lake Cane Tennis Center Sunday, March 10th Cardio Tennis Workshop at Lake Cane Tennis Center Miami Open March 17th – March 31st
April 2024 Friday, April 12th & 13th Billie Jean King Cup at USTA National Campus April 9th – 13th USTA Collegiate Wheelchair National Championships April 12th USTA Annual Meeting April 16th – 19th ITF World Championships Regional Qualifier at USTA National Campus
May 2024 USPTA Florida Convention May 30th - June 2nd Bonita Springs, FL
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USPTA Florida Region Presidents
REGION 1 District 1 Panhandle District 2 Tallahassee
Valentim Goncalves (209) 298-3389 valgoncalvesjr@gmail.com
REGION 2
REGION 5 District 8 Sarasota
Jackie Bohannon (941) 544-7547 jackiebohannon@aol.com
REGION 6
District 3 Jacksonville District 17 Gainesville
District 9 Vero Beach District 10 West Palm District 11 Boca Raton
Thomas Gonzalzez (610) 554-1871 Gonztomas@gmail.com
Tim Brueggeman (772) 494-3095 tim@blvdtennisclub.com
REGION 3 District 7A Tampa District 7B St. Pete
Brandon Feldman (813) 419-3752 brandon.b.feldman@gmail.com
REGION 4
District 4 Central FL District 5 Lakeland District 6 Daytona Beach District 15 Melbourne Greg "Moose" DeMoustes (202) 669-3808 moose@mgtennis.com
REGION 7 District 12 Naples District 14 Lee County District 18 Bonita Area
John Ramsey (239) 229-7556 jramsey.ilc@gmail.com
REGION 8 District 13A S. Miami District 13B N. Miami/Aventura District 16 N. Dade/S. Broward District 19 Keys
Paulo Barros (407) 259-8944 pbarros@fisherislandclub.com
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Revised Dec 10, 2023
USPTA Florida District Presidents REGION ONE
Valentim Goncalves
Panhandle Tallahassee
Regional President Panhandle
valgoncalvesjr@gmail.com
REGION TWO
Thomas Gonzalzez Regional President Jacksonville
Jacksonville
Gonztomas@gmail.com
REGION THREE Tampa St. Petersburg
Regional President Tampa
brandon.b.feldman@gmail.com
REGION FOUR Central Florida Lakeland Daytona Beach
REGION FIVE Sarasota
REGION SIX Vero Beach West Palm Boca Raton
Brandon Feldman
Greg "Moose" DeMoustes
Cy Smith
Michael Sanders
Regional President Central Florida
District President Lakeland
District President Daytona Beach
moose@mgtennis.com
cyspro3@gmail.com
mike@occ1907.com
Jackie Bohannon
Whit Reutlinger
Regional President Sarasota
Vice President Sarasota
Jackiebohannon@aol.com
Whitreutlinger@gmail.com
Tim Brueggeman
Jimmy Dunseith
Vernon Gettone
Regional President Vero Beach
District President West Palm JimmyDunseith@gmail.com
District President Boca Raton
tim@blvdtennisclub.com
vernongjr@gmail.com
Chris Lee Vice President Boca Raton
chrisandrosita@comcast.net
REGION SEVEN John Ramsey Lee County Bonita Naples
Isabella Graf
Christian Karlovits
Matt Kuk
Regional President Lee County
District President Lee County
District President Bonita
jramsey.ilc@gmail.com
igraf0493@gmail.com
District President Naples mattkuk10s@gmail.com
ckarlovits@gmail.com
Alex Sweet Vice President Naples
REGION EIGHT
Paulo Barros
South Miami North Miami Beach/ Aventura
Vinnie Barros
Scott Pukys
Regional President South Miami
District President North MiamiBeach/ Aventura
District President North Dade/ S. Broward
North Dade/ S. Broward
pbarros@fisherislandclub.com
vbarros@williamsislandclub.com
spukys1@hotmail.com
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SERVING SMILES WITH SIBO KANGWA: ACEING AUTISM ON THE TENNIS COURT By Sandy LoPiccolo, Contributing Writer
It’s moments when you connect with a player that makes being a tennis pro worth it. As Sibongile “Sibo” Kangwa described it, “I had one girl named Georgia who always came straight to me and would hold on to my hand until I introduced her to someone else and assured her that I would be close by. I remember how excited she would get when rallying a little with me.” That little girl was one of a handful of kids being coached by Kangwa at an ACEing Autism clinic for the Lee County Tennis Association. The volunteer-based non-profit is dedicated to helping children with autism grow through tennis. Originally from Zambia, Africa, Kangwa has been involved with recreational and competitive tennis for over 20 years and is currently the director of tennis at Three Oaks Tennis Center in Fort Myers, Florida. “I first heard of ACEing Autism from the USPTA network but got involved after an autism program coordinator from Florida Gulf Coast University contacted the Lee County Tennis Association looking for someone to be a program director in our area,” Kangwa said. You could say volunteering is in her blood. Before becoming a certified tennis pro in 2007, she volunteered at summer camps and CTA tournaments. In 2016 she was named USTA Florida Volunteer of the Month, and her family was recognized as USTA’s Florida Family of the Year. So, it’s no surprise that she raised her racket for ACEing Autism, serving as Lee County’s program director for the past two years.
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“ACEing Autism has had a powerful impact on my life. I’m sharing my skills as a tennis player and coach to those who wish to learn while also learning more about autism and elping raise awareness,” Kangwa said. Since 2008, ACEing Autism has served more than 3,400 children with autism across more than 125 locations nationwide. Trained program directors and volunteers lead participants aged 5-18 through their curriculum in six- to eight-week sessions. “This program has a beneficial impact in so many ways – it’s inclusive, it promotes knowledge growth about autism, and it allows individuals to stay healthy by exercising and learning something new,” said Kangwa. A survey conducted by the UCLA Center for Autism and Treatment (CART) found that most program directors saw an improvement in tennis skills and social skills among participants in one session, further evidence that the program helps build a foundation for children with autism to improve their game while making social connections. “What I love the most working as program director is all the smiles and love l see in the kids' faces when they are on the court,” said Kangwa. “It’s one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had.” When asked what she would tell other prospective program directors and volunteers, Kangwa put it simply: “Their lives will be changed in a good way.” Support ACEing Autism in Florida For more information on how to get involved and start an ACEing Autism program in your area, please visit aceingautism.org.
“I had one girl named Georgia who always came straight to me and would hold on to my hand until I introduced her to someone else and assured her that I would be close by. I remember how excited she would get when rallying a little with me.”
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USPTA FLORIDA LEADERSHIP RETREAT
UNLOCKING LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE: INSIGHTS FROM THE DIVISION RETREAT by Jim Morton, USPTA Florida Vice President
This past January, your Florida USPTA Board held its first Board retreat with the Regional & District Presidents at the USPTA National office in Lake Nona. The purpose of the retreat was to bring the leaders of our State together and share the vision of USPTA FL Board President Mike Curran and the current board while getting to know each other on a more personal basis. The meetings started with a catered Italian luncheon followed by President Curran’s five goals for his twoyear term that you can read about in his President’s message on the page one. Following Mike, was our new National CEO Brian Dillman who answered questions and shared his vision of the direction of the USPTA as a trade association. You’ll be hearing more about that in the coming months! All of us in the room were energized by his passion and knowledge of our association and the challenges that we face ahead. The afternoon was filled with important information with the planning of the upcoming Fl. State Conference at the top of the list. The conference is set to take place at the beautiful Hyatt Regency at Coconut Point May 30 – June 2nd. Without a doubt this is going to be one of the best conferences in recent memory as we have already secured the Bryan Brothers for the tennis seminars while in pickleball we have secured Sam Querrey and Ryan Sherry to lead the pickleball sessions. On the business side we have three seminars of which two will feature prominent CMAA General Managers speaking to our group and the 3rd will be a session put on by Human Resource experts in the Club field. Presenting next to the group was Ramona Husaru the Director of Education & Certification for USPTA who gave a terrific power point on understanding how to lead new Pros into the educational pathway for USPTA. It is now clearer to the Board and Regional/District Presidents not only on how to get new Instructors into our educational process but the ease in doing so. Maintaining our close relationship with USTA Florida, current USTA Florida President Phil Girardi spoke to the group about the need for securing sites for the USTA Coaches Workshop which trains high school and college tennis players or adults with tennis backgrounds to be ball feeders for summer camps and for community parks that are in desperate need of basic instructors. If you are interested in hosting one of these programs you can contact Lori Burdell at the USTA. Last but not least, our meetings ended on an upbeat note as the Regional & District Presidents were divided into two groups and challenged to a game of Family Feud using information that they provided to make them more effective leaders of their Districts. This along with all of the information obtained in this day long meeting will help us all come together to be stronger leaders and a stronger organization!
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Safe Play Compliance is: * FREE (Plus you earn education credits!) * QUICK & EASY * IMPORTANT * THE RIGHT THING TO DO!
As you know, all USPTA members in good standing are required to be Safe Play trained and background screened. It is important that our tennis-teaching professionals and coaches create a safe environment for all of their students. You need to both make sure you take the steps to become Safe Play compliant AND then be sure your Safe Play account is linked to your USPTA account. Click here to see if your Safe Play status is current with USPTA. (Log in to your USPTA member profile to view your status.) *You MUST have linked your Safe Play account for your profile to show your status.* OR Click here to get started to become Safe Play compliant. We hope USPTA members who have yet to go through the Safe Play certification and get the background check will do so. Please contact membership at usptamembership@uspta.org
Proud sponsor of the Florida Division Convention
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REFER A NEW APPLICANT, EARN A $50 TENNIS WAREHOUSE GIFT CARD! The process is easy! If you are an existing USPTA member, active and in good standing, refer a new applicant! Once the new applicant completes the USPTA application online to become a Certified Instructor or Certified Professional (which includes payment of the one-time application fee and prorated portion of membership dues for the current calendar year), then you will earn a $50 Tennis Warehouse gift card! Each existing member can refer up to six applicants and earn a maximum of $300 in Tennis Warehouse gift cards per calendar year! To qualify, the new applicant must list the referring members’ name in the “Refer & Earn Referring Member” field on the online application.
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2024-2025
USPTA FLORIDA BOARD Mike Curran President
Jose Pastrello Regional Vice President
Jim Morton Vice President
Michele Krause Vice President
If you have pictures or a story to share, please email Mike Baugh at mike.baugh@uspta.org
USPTA Florida
USPTAFL
Matt Bacon Vice President
Ron St. John Vice President
Joe D’Aleo Past President
Mike Baugh Executive Director