2023 USPTA MIDWEST DIVISION NANCY MICKLER MEMORIAL AWARD

Trude Mihalovich-Pletcher USPTA

I have humble beginnings in this wonderful world which includes the sport of tennis. My dad was the son of Bohemian immigrants who all seemed to be gifted in every sport available at the time. He was a semi-pro football player, discuss, ice waltzing in the winter, and softball and tennis all summer. In the 50’s I was 5+ and absolutely fell in love with the game of tennis However, I could not find any friends willing to play, and going to the country club where the lessons and courts were was out of the question I hung around at the little court a few blocks away whenever I found anyone who would hit with me Finally, when I was old enough to drive, I signed up for a tournament and lost 6-0,6-0 in my first match. BUT my opponent was ever so nice, and I got to see these 5-year-old twins play in the tourney, Tim & Tom Gullickson.

I am writing about this because I want to offer tennis opportunities to all children, whether they can afford professional lessons or even a racket or a couple of tennis balls It is an amazing sport, and a healthy one in so many ways A lifelong teacher, when Title IX finally came, I was able to be the Girls Tennis Coach at my middle school and high school. I was thrilled and scared. Never having been on a team, how would I learn how to coach? I made it through my first year, and now after coaching almost 50 years, I am more devoted than ever to the importance of introducing children to tennis.

These are some of the opportunities for children and tennis that I have been working on for many years

First, at the high school level, it was clear that not everyone could afford a racket I started by asking friends, then recruiting in the community, and then asking my tennis club members to donate rackets and tennis balls. This has continued to be a goal. I have also been able to receive some grant money to purchase rackets. (My next goal is to start a Little Tennis Library in our CTA areas.)

We wanted to start a community effort to offer tennis programs to much younger children We were so lucky to be at a time when child sized rackets and balls were being introduced and manufactured My good friend Kirk Anderson and I just talked last year about the importance to tennis of this development Now, we really need the cooperation of community parent volunteers as well as expertise from USTA and USPTA. We formed the South Suburban Milwaukee Community Tennis Association and ordered child sized equipment and set up tennis camps for kids aged 5-10 (at that time called 10 and Under Tennis). The inspiring USPTA Rick Vetter came to our courts to train the first parent and coach volunteers. I am so proud today to share that the daughter of one of my former players has now returned from college tennis and is helping run that program

Our next endeavor was to start the Tennis in Schools program My assistant coach and I worked with the PE teachers and went to the grade schools to help them teach their lessons. To this day, we continue our K-12 tennis programs in the physical-ed curriculum!

I will continue to volunteer with “kids” and tennis as long as I can keep moving! I am sure we all can think of a special person to thank for introducing us to tennis Sharing efforts to promote a lifelong healthy and fun activity has given me more rewards than I could ever dream of And, yes, I am also now the neighborhood tennis coach My grandchildren are 6 and 8 and we have at least one child of every age within walking distance. Every sunny day I set the portable net up in the driveway, put out a bucket of every size racket and orange and red balls, and enjoy coaching the next generation of tennis players!

I also would like to add that I am a past president of our Wisconsin High School Tennis Coaches Association and currently volunteer as the coordinator for our annual tennis clinics We have appreciated the USPTA professionals presenting at our annual clinics ever since I was President USPTA Denny Schackter helped us form our first state tennis association, and volunteers to this day to help with planning and speakers. USPTA has been a major part of our success by providing speakers as well as attending and leading our discussions. I am grateful and humbled to receive the Nancy Mickler Memorial Award and want to thank the USPTA.

NANCY MICKLER MEMORIAL AWARD – is presented to the Midwest woman member who has done the most to promote tennis within the Midwest

All Your Fingers Want to Play!

By Annette Malloy, USPTA, Brookfield East JV Tennis Coach, Elm Grove Wi.

Why do many beginner tennis players, adults, and juniors, hold the racket incorrectly? The thumb is up, not around the grip. Index finger is up, not around the grip. Choking up and putting a finger inside the throat of the racket. Flipping the hands for a two-handed backhand (like holding a baseball bat). Hands separated on a two-handed backhand.

Some reasons are lack of lessons and just learning to hit on their own Maybe it feels more comfortable Teaching pros and coaches should notice all the above problems and address and correct them for their students Our goal is to help people play tennis as best as they can, and a proper grip is a good start

I love telling kids especially, but adults can also hear it…” All your fingers want to play!” By wrapping all your fingers and thumb around the grip, the palm of the hand is better secured in alignment with the grip. This hand position keeps the strings or racket face more stable. As you swing through the ball, the stable racket face will give you better control and power. Better contact with the ball or “feeling” the ball on your strings will improve consistency, give you more control and ultimately help you win more points

Tell your students this little tip or if they are more competitive, you can add, “Grip it and Rip it!”

Another quick tip, from a 5-year-old red ball student. As I was teaching her to keep her hands together on a two-handed backhand explaining that they had to touch each other, she said, “oh, like two people kissing!”

Keeping tennis lessons fun will keep your students coming back. Put some humor or fun anecdotes like these into your lessons as you are explaining fundamentals

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