The Texan Fall 2021 - USPTA Texas Division

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FROM AROUND THE STATE...

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USPTA Texas Summer Retreat

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USPTA Texas Junior Gran Prix State Championships

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USPTA Texas Pros attend USPTA World Conference!!

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craig's corner 1

PRESIDENT

MATT WATSON

2214 Prestonwood Drive Arlington, Texas 76012 mwatson@tbarmtennis.com

REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT

CRAIG BELL

5201 Westgrove Drive Dallas, Texas 75248 972-931-4950 cbell1360@aol.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT

MEL MCREE

3400 Mesa Road Lubbock, Texas 79403 806-786-2660 mel@lubbockcc.org

2nd VICE PRESIDENT

KELLY MARSHALL

2510 Onion Creek Parkway Austin, Texas 78747 kmarshall@onioncreekclub.com

3rd VICE PRESIDENT

ADRIEN CHABRIA

1912 Abrams Rd. Dallas, TX 75214 214-232-5237 adrien@lakewoodcc.com

SECRETARY

MICHELLE STALLARD PO Box 4950 Horseshoe Bay, Texas 78657 512-924-7097 mstallard@hsbresort.com

TREASURER

ERNIE ABRAHAM

13765 Southern Oaks Dr. Burleson, Texas 76028 817-980-9374 abrahamernie@yahoo.com

PAST PRESIDENT

JENNY GRAY

449 Champions Dr. Georgetown 78628 512-930-3783 jgray@berrycreekcc.com EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

CHARLOTTE WYLIE

2113 Winding Creek Drive Keller, Texas 76248 888-445-0505 817-521-7483 charlottewylie51@gmail.com

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

t’s Fall ya’ll! What a great year it has been out on the courts for so many of our professionals. There has been a lot of excitement and growth within our sport. Programs have bounced back and are in full swing and we were excited to have our USPTA Summer Retreat in San Antonio, as well as host our always popular Jr. Gran Prix event at Newcombe’s Tennis Ranch in September. The USPTA Texas Adult Team Championships are scheduled as planned and will be held January 21-23 in Houston. I am optimistic that the upward trend in tennis activities will continue and we will see a great year of tennis in 2022!

We are already planning for our 2022 USPTA Texas Conference that will be held at the Embassy Suites and Conference Center in Frisco, TX February 10-13. It seems that 2021 was largely about modernizing the educational opportunities for our membership and 2022 will be no different. We are planning to again offer a combination of in-person and virtual seminars so that those that cannot attend will have the ability to access seminars virtually and still participate in great educational opportunities. A.J. Chabria, USPTA Texas Education Chair, is already at work at organizing another great lineup of speakers. The board is looking at all virtual platforms to see what would best serve our membership in this endeavor. We would like to maximize our membership’s knowledge management and ensure you have every opportunity to utilize your membership as it pertains to continuing education by making it very accessible through digital learning.

As a reminder, UTR is now partnered with USPTA and if you are interested in utilizing their platform USPTA members receive a discount. UTR now offers a wide variety of programming and a platform in which to organize and run your club leagues and

Matt Watson events. If you would like more information please contact Jackson Hawk at jackson@ universaltennis.com.

It is with much sadness that I share with you that our Executive Director, Charlotte Wylie, will be retiring after our February conference.

We are certainly excited for her and her next chapter but sad to be losing such an instrumental leader for our division. She has served us with an immense amount of passion and dedication throughout the years and she will be gravely missed! Charlotte first brought me into the industry in 1992 (in Kansas) and then brought me to Texas in 1997. It has been a pleasure working with her throughout the years and we all wish her nothing but happiness and relaxation as she enjoys her retirement. Please be sure to come by at the conference and wish her well as she finishes up an amazing career in our industry!

Regards, Matt S. Watson, USPTA Elite Professional

COMMITTEE

CHAIRPERSONS

DATESTHATRATE!!!

2021

Awards Mel McRee Buying Show Chair Ernie Abraham Division Conference

NOVEMBER 6

Kelly Marshal Education Adrien Chabria Ethics/Legal Tommy Connell

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Jack Foster Ernie Abraham Jr. Development Craig Bell & Adrien Chabria Lessons for Life

Jenny Gray Membership Tom Ingram National Convention

Texas Tennis Coaches Association Convention Horseshoe Bay Resort (Horseshoe Bay)

JANUARY 21-23

Dennis Reblin Long-Range Planning

(Waco)

DECEMBER

Diversity & Inclusion Finance

Texas Tennis Hall of Fame Banquet Texas Sports Hall of Fame

USPTA Texas Adult League Championships Various Indoor Facilities

(Houston)

FEBRUARY 10-13

USPTA Texas 2022 Annual Convention Embassy Suites

(Frisco)

Jim Sciarro Nominating Rex Cuajunco

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Regional Directors Craig Bell Sport Science Bob Haugen Testing & Certification Tom Ingram USPTA Adult Leagues Jenny Gray Elevate Eli Sepulveda USTA Liaison Van Barry

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Join us on Facebook www.facebook.com/USPTATexas

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D N U O R A FROM .. .

E T A T S E H T

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DALLAS

Adrien Chabria 214-821-8440

BRAZOS VALLEY

CENTRAL TEXAS

Brandon Carlson (817) 691-7055

Julien Curatella 254-498-6379

The Brazos Valley Tennis Association is currently sponsoring 3 adult leagues for the Fall, which began in mid-September: Men's League on Tuesday evenings at Traditions & Ladies League on Thursday mornings at Traditions, and Tri-Level League on Thursday evenings at Traditions. Fall lessons began for the City of College Station on September 20th, and registrations are at capacity for most adult and junior classes. A generous USTA grant was received by College Station Parks & Recreation this Fall for new teaching equipment and tennis instruction. Finally, discussions are beginning with City government officials in College Station about the resurfacing of existing courts, as well as the development of a new tennis facility!

The second half of 2021 has had plenty in store for North Texas tennis professionals, fans, parents, and players.

After a good showing of pros eager to learn and recreate at the fantastic August USPTA Summer Retreat at Sonterra in San Antonio, Forth Worth and Dallas fielded three teams at the USPTA Jr. Grand Prix at Newcombe’s Ranch in September. Team Fort Worth won the A.C.E. Award in their division. A.C.E. Stands for Attitude, Character, and Effort.

it!

Waco Tennis Association: Still rocking

We have a wonderful group of hard-working kids in our NJTL program and a fun-loving group in our Special Olympics Tennis program. When the two groups come together, amazing things happen. Special Olympics had not been allowed to practice or compete due to Covid-19 for over a year. Once we were cleared to return to play, the Special Olympians had to complete Covid training, sign waivers, and watch videos before being allowed to attend practice. We started off with small numbers due to these requirements but we were able to grow the program throughout the summer thanks to our

amazing NJTL volunteers.

Our NJTL group played all summer in our summer camps. They voted to have the Special Olympians come join their practice so they could give back to the community. One player shared that they had a family member with special needs that loved competing in Special Olympics. From that moment on, it grew into a passion. Practices were not missed and no one asked to leave early. We setup courts with all 5 levels: Skills, Red Ball, Orange Ball, Green Ball, and Yellow Ball. High school players took charge of each court, playing Unified Doubles, being score keepers, cheerleaders and ball crew.

Respect for each other and compassion for our differences grew each week. Our NJTL kids were in awe of the athlete that knitted hats for them in their high school team colors. We are currently on another Covid pause but

we hope to be back together soon.

Ridgewood country Club and the WTA took 22 kids to the USPTA Jr Gran Prix State Championships, our full team plus six others to help round out Texas Wild and Dallas 2. All of our kids had a great time and are already planning our trip next year. Thank you, USPTA, this is a great program and we appreciate all of the hard work that goes into making this such a wonderful event.

The Bryan brother showcase came into Waco in September for the second time!

Good attendance and an obvious treat for the community to see professional tennis! A clinic was offered as well as a pro-am.

Central Texas’s tennis activities is ramping up with lots of clinics offered for various level, tournaments and social events! We are happy to see the game continue to grow!

FORT WORTH Laura Gilbert 817 312-2045

Best Wishes to David Webb for becoming the varsity coach of Plainview High School in west Texas.

Congratulations to Bobby Reeves for taking over as the Director of Tennis at Richland Tennis Center.

John Ingram III and Stan Smith at USPTA World Conference in Las Vegas

SAN ANTONIO

Mark Knowles, Johnny Isner, Dirk Nowitzki, ATP Tournament Director, Peter Lebedevs, and Monica Paul of the Dallas Sports Comission promoting the upcoming ATP 250 at SMU. Amid a busy fall slate of leagues, tournaments, and a stellar ITF J5 in McKinney (won by local standout Landon Ardila), the region turns its eyes to one of the ten ATP events in the US ~ the Dallas Open. This ATP 250 comes to town February 6-13, 2022, and we expect fans from all over Texas, and from the world over!

Dan Cantu 210-355-1336

Bryan Brothers farewell tour came through San Antonio on September 18th. Thanks for a great Exhibition (Dominion CC), Pro-Am (Sonterra CC) and Clinic (San Antonio CC). Bryan Brothers Foundation is dedicated to helping support and grow the dreams of children across the US. For more information please visit www.bryanbros. com/about-the-foundation.html.

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Ball boys/ girls hanging out with Bryan Brothers

(Note: Stan’s new book is “Some People Think I’m A Shoe”) Congratulations to Laura Gilbert for Retiring from USTA TX after 20 years of service. she has now jumped back on the court helping out at RTC and building Grapevine Faith Christian School after-school tennis program.

The Tennis Industry United Appreciation Tour is hosting events in four key cities this fall - Dallas/Fort Worth, Atlanta, Denver and Scottsdale - to “thank you” for all you’re doing to grow the game and keep players engaged. On October 17-18 Las Colinas Country Club hosted this event with pros from all over the area.

Texas Wesleyan University won the women’s doubles regional in Kansas and are going to Nationals in Georgia! Congrats to coach Angel Martinez!

VALLEY

Andy Carter 956-412-4100 x104

The new construction of The Tennis Center at The HEB Tennis Center at Pendleton Park in Harlingen is almost complete. The new Tennis Center building features a new pro shop, bathrooms, snack bar and patio overlooking the tennis courts.

The 2021 Harlingen Country Club $25,000 Men’s Pro Circuit ITF World Tour Tennis Tournament is

scheduled for November 8-14. The wild Card doubles tournament will be held November 7-8. The winning team will get a direct entry into the main draw.

Singles qualifying starts November 8 followed by the main draw starting November 9.

Some of the proceeds benefit The Sunny Glen Children’s Home of San Benito

SAN ANTONIO TOURNAMENTS

Level 3 - Texas Super Senior Sectionals McFarlin Tennis Center, 1503 San Pedro Ave, San Antonio, Tx, 78212 - October 21 - 24, 2021 Level 4 Closed - 2021 40+ and 55+ NTRP Masters McFarlin Tennis Center, 1503 San Pedro Ave, San Antonio, Tx, 78212 - November 5 - 7, 2021 5

Jenny Gray hosted the USPTA Texas Summer Retreat, August 13 – 15, 2021, at the Club at Sonterra in San Antonio, Texas. Although we were a small group of 31 attendees, we did not lack for great education, golf shenanigans and awesome party at the Rebecca Creek Distillery. The weekend kicked off with the Thursday night board meeting at Milano Italian Grill. On Friday there was 6 ½ hours of education highlighted by a specialty course by Scott Mitchell which was virtual and on court. We enjoyed an informative membership luncheon. The day was capped off by a tasting and tour at Rebecca Creek Distillery. Saturday was highlighted by more education from 8:00 am – 4:30pm. Golf was played by those that chose to brave the heat on both Friday and Saturday afternoons.

We ended the weekend with a specialty course given by the very popular Craig O’Shannessy on Sunday morning.

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Co-tournament directors Craig Bell and Adrien Chabria did a great job bringing the USPTA Texas Junior Gran Prix State Championships back to life at John Newcombe’s Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels September 10 – 12, 2021.

There were 12 teams from across the state. Teams were divided into 2 groups appropriately named the Kangaroos and the Gorillas. During the round robin format, a total of 2,761 games were played in the Kangaroo group and 2,742 were played by the Gorillas. San Antonio won the Kangaroos with 561 games won with East Texas placing 2nd with 500 games won. In the Gorilla group, a second San Antonio team won with 602 games and Corpus Christi placed second winning 556 games. The Fort Worth took home A. E. C. award for their division.

The award stands for Attitude, Character and Effort.

The weekend was a great success for the players, parents, and coaches alike. Even the deer had fun spectating!

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We are back in person for our annual divisional conference and still partnering with our good friends at USTA Texas.

So, join us….it has been too long since we all got together.

More information to follow but get it on your calendar now!

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USPTA Texas Pros attend USPTA World Conference!!

Thirty-four (34) USPTA Texas pros attended the USPTA World Conference at the Westgate Resort and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada September 19-23, 2021. We had 31 division partyers at Battista’s Hole In The Wall and a great time was had by all!!!

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CRAIG'S CORNER and Ft Worth in the Kangaroo Flight. Also, a big “Thanks” go out to our sponsors – Wilson Racquet Sports, Patrick Fontana with Wealth Partners Alliance and At The Net Podcast – we couldn’t have done this without you! This was definitely a Great Event, Great Time with Great People Playing and Honoring the GREAT GAME!!

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big Texas sized “Howdy” to all of you out there who are reading this, my 29th edition of Craig’s Corner.

It’s hard to believe I’ve been penning my thoughts on paper, since mid-May of 2013. I wouldn’t have bet a plug nickel, much less your nickel, I would still be asked to write this article for our USPTA Texan! As the ol’ saying goes, times flies when you are having fun, is very appropriate as I’ve really enjoyed writing and coming up with a few thoughts the past eight years.

Well, Anywho, with that being said (which ain’t a whole lot), here are my latest thoughts, mental musings and other such mind-bending nuggets to digest for you, the faithful.

On the Lonestar scene I wanted to say a huge “Texas Thanks” to all those USPTA Tennis Professionals (plus players/ parents/volunteers) who made the USPTA Texas Jr Gran Prix State Championships a success last month in New Braunfels at Newk’s. Right at 192 junior tennis players participated representing cities/areas from all over the state -- East Texas, The Woodlands, Corpus Christi, San Antonio (two teams), Dallas (two teams), Ft Worth, West Texas, Waco and Austin. After all was said and done in The Kangaroo Flight, the team Winner was San Antonio and the Finalists were from East Texas. In The Gorilla Flight, the team Winner was once again from San Antonio with the Finalists from Corpus Christi. Something must be in the water they are giving the kiddos in San Antonio!! We also presented a new award this year called the A.C.E. Award (Attitude, Character and Effort) and it was presented to Waco in the Gorilla Flight

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On the national front what’s everyone thinking about the new National Jr Levels Tournament & Ranking System? I know it’s been a complete overhaul of the old USTA Sectional based system and I’m almost 100% certain it’s injured a lot of brain cells along this new pathway. I do like the fact that there is one ranking for everyone – not seventeen different sectional rankings and one set of national rankings for boys and girls. Also, I’m of the mindset that this new ranking system is pretty smart and in time all the kinks will be worked out.

On the tournament side of the equation, I’m hearing it’s tougher to get into some of our very own Texas state events with players from outside the Great State taking up valuable playing spots for our Texas kiddos. Side note: I realize Texas players could do the exact same thing in other states not named Texas. I still think overall a nationwide ranking and tournament unification, in theory, is probably better for everyone. I’m somewhat of a traditionalist and like the good old Texas ranking system names of (a) Challenger (formerly ZAT – if you know what ZAT stands for you win a major prize and if you know what the rules associated with these letters you win a super major prize!), (b) Champ and (c) Super Champ. Time will certainly tell, won’t it!

On the world stage I wanted to get everyone’s thoughts on the recent Laver Cup? Let me first start off by saying I’m a huge fan of the Laver Cup as it was started for all the right reasons, mainly to honor the great Rod Laver. To this author, I think the event needs an ever so slight bit of tweaking to be competitive in future editions. Team World, in four times the Laver Cup has been played, has not been

very competitive with Team Europe, let’s just say. This year Team Europe’s “junior varsity” – minus Roger, Rafa, Djoker and Andy – literally smoked Team World (14-1) as The World tried to put up a good fight but were only victorious in one match out of twelve total matches! How fun and fair is this for the fans in the stadium and for those watching on television? Side note, I really, really like the charcoalcolored court as you can easily see the points being played on television – I think more tournaments being played indoors should switch to this court. Ok, so here’s a thought I’m going to throw out there for consumption today – what if Captain Borg and Captain McEnroe had a chance to (a) draw for their teams or even (b) pick their teams – doesn’t matter to me which way you determine the teams in my mind. Plus, you could use the exact same qualifying procedures (if there are any) in place as to produce high quality tennis for the Laver Cup throughout the weekend. So, in Craig Bell’s Laver Cup, you would pit Team Borg -vs- Team McEnroe instead of Team World, who literally has no chance -vs- Team Europe who has a fully stocked player war chest to choose from. I can almost guarantee (you can write this in 3” headlines) that this new and improved format, would go down to the wire as all the players would be dispersed out evenly onto the two teams in a more “fair and balanced” manner. Your thoughts on my thoughts – or would you have a different way to determine the teams??

Anyway, it's time to circle the wagons, put out the fire and call in the dogs -- until next time, Keep Your Eye on the Ball and Don't Forget the Sunscreen...

Craig Bell

CB cbell1360@aol.com craigbell@benttreecc.org 214-762-4691 (cell\text)

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