USPTA Southern California - Line Calls Newsletter December 2021

DECEMBER 2021

LINE CALLS USPTA SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

President's Message Jeff Miller

My Fellow USPTA Southern California Members, I hope all of you are enjoying this holiday season and vibrant tennis activity. Our board is looking forward to a great 2022 that involves getting back in person and seeing folks face to face at our upcoming events.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our board members. The last two years definitely had its challenges, but you all rose to the occasion. It has been an honor to serve alongside you and innovate new things. Thank you to our ED, Sara Morse, who is the gold standard for ED's in our association and who has been a cornerstone of our division for years. And last, but not least, I would like to thank our So Cal members. Your support, collaboration and honest feedback helped direct this board and provide the value that you want and deserve. I look forward to continuing this positive momentum as Past President. I know you are all in great hands with your new President, Scott Burton. See you all on the courts soon.

**SAVE THE DATE** MAY 14 & 15, 2022 USPTA SOCAL DIVISION CONFERENCE. LOCATION TBD AND DETAILS COMING SOON!

DISTRICT NEWS District 1 Happenings District 1: Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties

Happy Holidays & goodbye to 2021 Thankful to all District 1 directors, coaches, members, tennis enthusiasts & our entire community for a re-engaging 2021 tennis year!

2021 Celebrations

District President: Martin Parkes 813-618-0466 martin.parkes@pepperdine.edu

·Growth in tennis during a challenging year! ·Free coaching dues for those that qualified & completed their requirements! ·Full re-opening of tennis facilities & clubs! ·Successful virtual SoCal coaches conference & in-person World Conference! ·USTA leagues, local tournaments, tennis camps & professional tennis events are all back! ·Greater opportunities for competition through Universal Tennis & USPTA expanded partnership “Utilizing the Universal Tennis software & UTR Rating system is a fantastic tool to enhance USPTA member-held events,” said John Embree, CEO, USPTA. “Whether you’re a pro running a top junior tournament or a USPTA tennis teacher developing players, using the UTR Rating and analytics give members an objective and resultsbased measurement of their student’s performance level.”

District 1 Spotlight Congratulations to our very own Scott Burton on becoming the new Athletic Director for Birnam Montecito.

“Tennis has given me everyone & everything I currently love in life.”

Scott develops, plans, coordinates, executes and promotes an exceptional club sports experience for members & guests in the areas of Tennis, Pickleball, Bocce Ball, Croquet, Fitness and Swim.

As former Head Tennis Professional for the City of Ojai, he was voted California’s 2013 Pro of the Year by his peers, & holds numerous awards for his service to the community, & to the furthering of education for fellow certified teaching professionals. In 2016 he was voted High School Coach of the year by both the USPTA & CIF Southern California. In addition to his 20 years as an Elite Professional Tennis coach, he recently became IPTPA pickle-ball certified!

We all are wishing him every success in his new & upcoming leadership roles within our D1 and SoCal tennis community!

Sharing Opportunity & Engagement 😊 As part of my D1 presidential role, I wanted to request some collaboration with fellow coaches in the district that I can contribute to this newsletter! This is a great opportunity to introduce yourself & share some top tips, coaching philosophies, drills, events & introduce yourself same time!! Share your newsletter requests/inserts to myself - positivemindsetperfomance@gmail.com Here’s a few examples!

“Throughout my coaching career, I have never tried to make better tennis players, I have been driven to make better people through the sport of tennis” – Martin Parkes – Owner Martin Parkes Tennis & Pepperdine University “Teach with Passion! Chase Your Dream!” Scott Burton – Athletic Director Birnam Montecito Personal Gratitude: Wanted to share a final photograph & gratitude for being able to host my first inperson tennis event “Mix & Mingle Live-Ball & Social Mixer” in 2 years at my Pepperdine University Crest facility which sadly was restricted for most of my community under LA County guidelines as a higher educational institution until very recently!

DISTRICT NEWS

District 2 There are a few tournaments as a player and coach that we USPTA

District 2: San Fernando Valley & Kern County

members love to compete in because they are truly memorable. I highly recommend you either play or go and watch the Level 1 USTA Hard Court Nationals 40 and over as well as the National father/son. Bill Kellogg, the Owner and General Manager of The Jolla Beach and Tennis Club along with Conan Lorenzo, The Director of Tennis at The LBTC make this tournament venue so special for it’s participates and

District President: Dina McBride 661-904-6237 dinamcbride3@gmail.com

spectators.

This top 100 tennis destination resort has tennis courts, 2 restaurants and beautiful ocean view rooms only a few yards away from the beach!

As part of the tournament, Bill hosts two dinners with an open bar along with happy hours during the week as part of the entry fee for the event and family members are invited to enjoy these events at no additional cost. Bill spares no expense in this event and his generosity to all the players are part of the lure of this wonderful event!

The tournament starts the last week in November and ends the first week of December and always has hundreds of competitors from all over the country participating. The National 40’s are played first and the competition is always fierce.

This year’s 40’s champion is top seeded Anthony Perkins of Lenexa, Kansas defeating Ross Duncan of Laguna Hills 6-1, 6-3. In the women’s draw top seeded Hiromi Sasano, from San Diego defeated 2nd seed Amanda Parson from Vegas 6-3,6-0. This is Hiromi’s Sasano’s 5th straight title. Tennis Hall of Famer Dorothy “Dody Cheny” holds the record with 13 straight singles titles from 1957-1969. In the men’s 40 doubles finals Simon Shen (La jolla) and his partner Ross Duncan (Laguna Hills) defeated Mike Noel (Bakersfield) and Paul Settles (Claremont) the current men’s coach at CMS, in a hard fought battle 6-3, 76. In the women’s doubles I (Dina McBride) was fortunate enough to play with Amanda Parsons and we defeated Millie Yablonicky (Encinitas) and Jen Keller (La Jolla) 6-1, 2-0 inj. for the title.

In the other large event, The National Father/Son boasts a 128 draw over three days and includes many familiar local names competing for the coveted gold ball each year. Some notables this year include Peter Smith, Carston Hoffman, Jonathan Stark, David Thayne, Bruce Man Son-Hing, Kip Brady, Desi McBride, all playing with their sons at a very high level, making it so entertaining for the spectators. Peter Smith and his son Colter Smith captured the title defeating Bruce Man Son Hing and His son Bruce Man Son Hing in the final 6-1,6-2. As a player and a coach it was great to have this tournament back in action after it was canceled in 2020. This tournament is (considered by many players) the best and most organized tournament in Southern California. With one of the most beautiful settings in the world, it will always be a truly memorable experience for players and families alike.

DISTRICT NEWS

District 3: Los Angeles & Immediate Suburbs , Beach Cities (Malibu to Marina del Rey)

District President: Matt Jones 323-842-5592 mattjstennis@gmail.co m

DISTRICT NEWS Follow us for the latest news and happenings.

District 4 Happenings

District 4: South Bay to North Orange County (Including Fullerton & Huntington Beach District President: Rhonda Rabanal 424-282-3675 hi@rhondar.com

““The World Conference from my POV” In September 2019, I attended my first ever in-person educational event hosted by the USPTA, the World Conference in Las Vegas. Since becoming a member in 2015, many tennis professionals told me how important it is to attend conferences to learn from and network with others. Conceptually, I understood. Visually and emotionally, I did not.

In August 2019, I took a leap of faith and spent hard earned income to attend the World Conference the following month. I had no clue what to expect. Had I been shown a short video of how much fun the event is, I would have attended every year since becoming a member over 6 years ago.

If you are unsure of the value of attending conferences, please watch this short video and share it with anyone you believe would benefit.

Hope to see you as a regular at annual Divisional and World Conferences!

DISTRICT NEWS District 5 Happenings

What a year! Tennis was thriving throughout our district following a rough and uncertain 2020. Our pros were resilient, innovative, and passionate about bringing tennis to the people in a wide range of ways. From supporting girls high school tennis, to hosting local UTR tournaments, and promoting pickleball programs, 2021 proved to be a successful year with high participation all around.

District 4: East LA County & North Orange County, San Bernadino & Riverside Counties District President: Evan Parry 951-694-2408 evanmparry@gmail.com

The girls high school CIF Individuals tournament took place in Riverside at iTennis Riverside and at Whittier Narrows Tennis Center in South El Monte. I was privileged enough to have five girls qualify for the first day and one girl advance to the round of sixteen. Many other pros were able to see their students compete in this fantastic tournament.

This will be my final newsletter as your District 5 President. I am leaving the board, but I have been asked to continue serving on the SoCal Division for the 2022/23 slate in a different capacity. I will be transitioning to serve on the executive board as the new treasurer. However, I am confident that district 5 pros will continue to do great things for our sport, and I will make sure the new district 5 President receives the support and guidance necessary to provide educational opportunities to all do you. Let’s keep growing in our knowledge of the sport we love and profession we’ve been called to!

ITENNIS RIVERSIDE HOSTED MULTIPLE UNIVERSAL TENNIS TOURNAMENTS, WHICH ATTRACTED PLAYERS FROM THE YOUNGER JUNIOR LEVEL TO COLLEGE PLAYERS. UNIVERSAL TENNIS DOES A GREAT JOB OF SUPPORTING TEACHING PROFESSIONALS BY PROVIDING A GREAT PLATFORM FOR MARKETING, USER-FRIENDLY SOFTWARE TO EASILY CREATE DRAWS, AND GIVES TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS A LOT OF FREEDOM TO CREATE A FORMAT AND STRUCTURE THAT BEST SUITS THEIR FACILITY.

TEACHING PROFESSIONALS WERE ALSO COMPETING AT A HIGH LEVEL THIS YEAR. PAUL SETTLES, ELITE PROFESSIONAL AND HEAD MEN’S TENNIS COACH AT CLAREMONT-MUDDSCRIPPS COLLEGE, COMPETED AT THE USTA NATIONAL 40 HARD COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BOTH THE FATHER-SON AND MEN’S 40S DOUBLES. HE AND HIS PARTNER MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE FINALS. SETTLES SAID, “IT WAS A REALLY FUN WEEK AND I HAD AMAZING PARTNERS.”

PICKLEBALL WAS ALSO A HUGE SUCCESS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT AND DIVISION. ITENNIS ARCADIA WAS ONE OF THOSE SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS DURING 2021. ARCADIA DID A GREAT JOB OF BLENDING PICKLEBALL WITH TENNIS BY USING OFF PEAK TIMES TO MAXIMIZE PICKLEBALL PLAY ON COURTS. MANY PLAYERS THERE PLAY BOTH SPORTS. THEY USE PROGRAMMING, AND SPECIAL EVENTS TO ATTRACT PLAYERS TO PLAY PICKLEBALL FOR OFF PEAK TIMES.

HELLO FELLOW TENNIS PROFESSIONALS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, WHAT A PLEASURE IT IS FOR ME TO REACH OUT TO YOU TODAY. WHAT WE HAVE ALL EXPERIENCED OVER ALMOST 2 YEARS IS NOTHING SHORT OF HISTORICAL WORLDWIDE. IT SEEMS LIKE ONLY A SHORT WHILE AGO WHERE WE, YOUR USPTA SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BOARD OF DIRECTORS WAS EXCITED TO CONVENE FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE ON YOUR BEHALF. LITTLE DID WE KNOW WHAT LIE AHEAD. WE AS A NEWLY FORMED BOARD MET IN JANUARY OF 2020 WITH IDEAS AND ASPIRATIONS FOR LOCAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT SOCAL., AS WELL OUR ANNUAL USPTA SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE. EVERY ONE OF US HAS BEEN IMPACTED BY COVID IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER. MANY OF US LOST FAMILY MEMBERS AND CLOSE FRIENDS. THE LOSS HAS BEEN FELT AROUND THE WORLD AND IN OUR OWN HOMES. AS A TENNIS PROFESSIONAL WE KNOW MANY ON OUR COMMUNITIES. MOST ALL OF US HAVE BEEN TOUCHED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, YET WE CLOSE OUT OUR 2021 YEAR I LOOK AHEAD WITH A TREMENDOUS OPTIMISM IN THE YEAR AHEAD. WHO’D OF THOUGHT TENNIS WOULD EXPLODE AS IT HAS! I THOUGHT EARLY ON THAT TENNIS COULD BE THE PERFECT SPORT FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING AS DID MANY OF YOU. WE WERE THE FIRST APPROVED OUTDOOR ACTIVITY FOR MANY MUNICIPAL SITES SUCH AS MINE HERE IN OJAI, CA. MY JR. PROGRAMS WERE PACKED FULL OF KIDS FROM TEAM SPORTS! HECK… MY REGULAR STUDENTS HAD TROUBLE GETTING INTO MY (NEW) SMALL CLASS SIZE BECAUSE BASEBALL PLAYERS HAD SWITCHED TO TENNIS! WE HAVE HAD A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE TO RECRUIT FROM. IT HAS BEEN UP TO EACH COACH TO RETAIN THESE PLAYERS IN ORDER TO BOLSTER OUR SUSTAINABILITY AS A SPORT. IN THIS ERA OF ZOOM, WE AS A BOARD NATIONALLY HAVE HAD TO GET COMFORTABLE EDUCATING AND REMAINING CONNECTED FROM A DISTANCE. I FOR ONE NEVER GOT COMFORTABLE WITH THIS. SO, AS WE LOOK TOWARDS THE COMING NEW YEAR, WE LOOK WITH CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM AND HOPE. AS YOUR INCOMING PRESIDENT, IT WILL BE MY MISSION/PASSION AND THE GOAL OF YOUR BOARD TO REUNITE THROUGH IN-PERSON TENNIS EVENTS HERE IN SOCAL. PROTOCOL WILL LIKELY BE DIFFERENT THAN IN YEARS PAST, YET OUR GOAL WILL BE TO EDUCATE, REUNITE AND CONNECT AS A DIVISION. YOUR NEW BOARD OF OFFICERS AND DISTRICT PRESIDENTS WILL GET TO WORK IN JANUARY. WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR ACCOMPLISHED TENNIS TEACHING PROFESSIONALS TO PRESENT AT OUR EVENTS AND INSPIRE OUR COMMUNITY. WE WILL BE LOOKING TO MENTOR AND ASSIST THE NEWLY CERTIFIED OR WANTING TO CERTIFY TENNIS PROFESSIONAL. WE WILL BE LOOKING AT OUR PATHWAY TO CERTIFICATION AND OFFERING THE NECESSARY RESOURCES TO OBTAIN CERTIFICATION FROM OUR HIGHLY REGARDED ORGANIZATION. SO, STAY TUNED IN AS THE NEXT YEAR OFFERS PROMISE AND HOPE FOR ALL OF US. I HOPE TO SEE YOU AT OUR NEXT EVENT HERE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. SCOTT BURTON SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT

DISTRICT NEWS District 6 Happenings Hello District 6 USPTA members, I hope you and your families are all doing well and you are on the court as much as you want to be.

District 6: South Orange County (from Anaheim & Newport Beach) District President: Tim Ludeke 714-553-1473 Timludeke@gmail.com

I would like to welcome our 2022/2023 board members and thank our former board members with whom I enjoyed working and from whom I learned a lot.

For those of you I haven’t met yet, I’m looking forward to meeting you. I would love to host a District 6 get-together.

Please let me know what kind of event you would like to attend.

We are working on having an actual in-person convention in May 2022. Let’s hope 2022 is as close to “normal” as possible so we can get together at a traditional convention instead of a Zoom convention. We will update you periodically with information about the convention If there is anything I can do to help you make the most of your USPTA So Cal Division membership, please feel free to contact me.

THE 10TH ANNUAL OCCTA TENNIS SEMINAR WAS HOSTED BY THE CITY OF MISSION VIEJO AND DAVE BORELLI FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND IT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS. THE FOLLOWING SPEAKERS SHARED THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES TO MAKE IT A GREAT LEARNING EXPERIENCE; JOHN MICHAEL CHAM-A-KOON, DINA MCBRIDE, EVAN PARRY, KAREN RONNEY, NIC IZUMI, BROOKE RONNEY, RANDY HOUSTON, DAVE HAGLER, AMANDA FINK, MARTIN PARKES, MIKE GENNETTE, KEN DEHART AND DAVE BORELLI. WE APPRECIATE ALL THE SUPPORT FROM THE USPTA, SCTA, OCCTA, HEAD/PENN, WILSON, BABOLAT, PTR, L&L HAWAIIAN BBQ. THANK YOU TO ALL THE PARTICIPANTS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO ATTEND AS WELL. THE 11TH ANNUAL OCCTA TENNIS SEMINAR WILL BE HELD ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 2022.

PLEASE CONTACT STEVE RIGGS AT RIGGSTWINS@OUTLOOK.COM IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SPEAKING OR ATTENDING.

COACHING TIPS FOR PARENTS/ COACHES BY DINA MCBRIDE I HAVE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO COACH MY OWN KIDS THROUGH JUNIOR TENNIS. MY OLDEST SON PARKER IS AT CAL LUTHERAN PLAYING NUMBER 1, MY DAUGHTER JORDYN IS PLAYING #2 AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO AND MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER IS #1 ON HER LOUISVILLE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM. I HAVE BEEN THE PLAYER AT ONE TIME, THE PARENT AND COACH SIMULTANEOUSLY AND I KNOW HOW HARD IT CAN BE TO COACH YOUR OWN KIDS. I HAVE A PERSPECTIVE FROM ALL SIDES. I WANT TO GIVE COACHES SOME TIPS ON COACHING THEIR OWN KIDS AND SOME HELPFUL REMINDERS TO PARENTS TO MAKE THE JOURNEY OF JUNIOR TENNIS REWARDING AND MEMORABLE. RECENTLY A TENNIS COACH ASKED ME SOME ADVICE ON HIS DAUGHTER. “MY DAUGHTER DOESN’T WANT ME TO WATCH HER PLAY ANYMORE ON HER HIGH SCHOOL TEAM”, HE SAID. “CAN I STILL COME TO WATCH HER PLAY ANYWAY?” I SAID, “LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION”. AFTER SHE IS DONE WITH A MATCH, DO YOU LET HER KNOW ALL THE THINGS SHE NEEDS TO WORK ON? HE, SHEEPISHLY SAID, “WELL YES”. THESE TIPS THAT I WILL SHARE WITH YOU ARE THE TIPS THAT HELPED THIS COACH GET BACK WATCHING HIS DAUGHTER ONCE AGAIN. 1. AFTER THE MATCH, GIVE YOUR CHILD/STUDENT SPACE. WAIT 24 HOURS BEFORE YOU TALKED TO THEM ABOUT THE MATCH. THEIR HEART AND SPIRIT ARE CRUSHED ALREADY; THEY DON’T NEED A LAUNDRY LIST ON WAYS TO IMPROVE THEIR GAME. THEY ACTUALLY NEED A HUG OR SOME GOOD FOOD. THE LIST CAN WAIT. 2. DON’T LET THEM KNOW WHAT SHOT IS “SO TERRIBLE”, OR SAY WE WORKED ON THAT AND YOU STILL DIDN’T DO IT. INSTEAD JUST WORK ON IT, THEY DON’T HAVE TO KNOW YOU’RE WORKING ON IT BECAUSE THEY STILL DON’T DO IT WELL UNDER PRESSURE. WHEN I WAS YOUNGER MY DAD WOULD TELL ME ALL THE SHOTS THAT I “CHOKED” ON, SO IN TURN, EVERY TIME THAT SHOT OR SITUATION CAME AROUND AGAIN I CHOKED BECAUSE THAT SEED WAS PLANTED FROM MY DAD (AND I BELIEVED IT). BE CAREFUL OF YOUR LANGUAGE AND MAKE IT POSITIVE. 3. TELL THEM AFTER THEY PLAY, “I LOVED WATCHING YOU PLAY”. NOTHING ELSE NEEDED. THIS WORKS MIRACLES IN THEIR CONFIDENCE. KIDS/ STUDENTS WANT YOUR APPROVAL AND WANT TO SEE YOU HAPPY. IF YOU LET THEM KNOW, JUST THEIR PRESENCE MAKES YOU PROUD, THEY WILL RELAX AND START TO PLAY BETTER UNDER PRESSURE BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOTHING TO PROVE TO YOU. 4. THE RIDE TO AND FROM THE TOURNAMENT IS THE TIME NOT TO TALK ABOUT TENNIS, BUT RATHER WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THEIR LIVES. IF THEY BELIEVE THE TOURNAMENT ISN’T A BIG DEAL TO YOU, THEY WILL WANT YOUR COMPANY MORE OFTEN AND PLAY BETTER EACH TIME. SOME OF MY BEST MEMORIES ARE THE TRAVEL TIME TO AND FROM THE TOURNAMENTS. 5. AS THE PARENT/COACH IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE PRACTICE TIME FUN. KIDS DON’T WANT TO ALWAYS PRACTICE SO IF YOU CAN BRING GROUPS TOGETHER THAT WILL MAKE IT MORE FUN FOR THE PLAYERS. CONTINUOUS PRIVATES WITHOUT GROUPS ARE STALE AND BORING. OTHER KIDS MAKE IT MORE FUN AND COMPETITIVE. REMEMBER, EACH CHILD/STUDENT IS DIFFERENT IN HOW THEY LEARN CONCEPTS, BUT ALL STUDENTS WANT TO PLEASE YOU AND DO WELL. TENNIS IS A LIFETIME GAME SO MAKE IT FUN, GIVE PRAISE AND STAY POSITIVE AND YOUR CHILD WILL HAVE A LOVE FOR THE GAME THAT WILL NEVER WAVER.