USPTA Intermountain Newsletter - Fall 2022

Fall 2022

The mission of the USPTA Board of Directors is to grow tennis and to facilitate the success of all USPTA Pros. This newsletter is one tool we employ to fulfill our mission. Therefore, our newsletter provides information, tips, and resources to help you succeed and grow the game of tennis.

Dear Intermountain Pros-

Happy holidays!! I hope all of you are able to reflect on a strong, productive 2022. I can honestly say that 2022 has been a great year. Things are incredibly busy in Colorado at my place, and more importantly, I've had the opportunity to get out and see several of you at YOUR facilities.

So many pros and coaches are doing such great work. While tennis remains strong, pickleball and other racquet & paddle sports are also in expansive growth modes. All of this is positive news for our industry as a whole. We are all obviously having to do some re inventing of sorts as a result of the aforementioned derivative sports, and as we do so we grow our market share, which ultimately is good for business.

We'll be addressing this topic, as well as many others, during our 2023 Annual Intermountain Divisional Conference (which will again be virtual) on February 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. Great presenters are again lined up, and more details on all of that will be out in early January.

In the meantime, enjoy the turkey, the cool weather, the indoor tennis, the presents, and the holiday parties. All the best to all of you!!

Andy Zodin

Director of Tennis, Columbine Country Club

President, USPTA Intermountain Division Host, KickServeRadio.com 303.520.7676

Letter from the President — Andy Zodin

A USPTA Member in Good Standing

To remain a member in good standing with the USPTA, members must pay their annual dues. It also requires compliance in two areas: achieving 12 educational credits over a three year period and completing the USTA’s Safe Play program.

Educational credits can be accumulated by attending divisional conferences or the World Conference. In addition, credits can be attained by utilizing Tennis Resources on the website. Members can log in to their individual account to determine their credit count.

The second area necessary for compliance is completing the USTA Safe Play Program. This program was developed to safeguard young athletes and is comprised of three steps: 1) SafeSport training; 2) acknowledging Safe Play Policies; and 3) Background screening. The Safe Play training is an annual requirement. The training is a four-part cycle that consists of the US Center for SafeSport’s 90 minute “Core Center for SafeSport Training” and 30 minute “Refresher 1”,”Refresher2”, “Refesher3” courses. The cycle will start again with the Core Center for SafeSport Training the calendar year following the completion of Refresher 3. Safe Play Policy acknowledgement and the background screening are required every two years. To check on your status, go to Safe Play.

My reason for writing this article is that I believe that there are misunderstandings about maintaining this compliance. Some think it’s a one off and done. Others are unaware of the cycle. Some confuse the training and the policies. There are different expiration dates as well. To be clear on your expiration dates, check on your status. This concept is very important for our profession, please comply.

All of us as professionals must take responsibility to be current in our educational credits and safe play requirements. As Executive Director of the Intermountain Division, I have spent many hours contacting our noncompliant members to remind them of approaching deadlines.

Please take the time to review your accounts to avoid be suspended. If you have questions please contact me at 719 466 9816.

Mark Chomko, Colorado

Pickleball Certification Testing

On October 8th, Mark Chomko conducted our 2nd pickleball certification clinic at the Ken Caryl Ranch Community Center in Littleton Colorado. USPTA members in attendance were Alden Bock, Jim Hoskins, Tom Ewert, Brian Crawley, Mike Lammens and Krista Vickery.

The game of pickleball continues to explode with new players coming to the game. These USPTA Intermountain Division members have positioned themselves to reap the financial benefits of being a recognized pickleball expert.

League pickleball is on the horizon for 2023. Nothing will drive demand for pickleball instruction like league pickleball. Thus, pickleball certification within our members will help position us to meet the coming demand for instruction.

The next pickleball certification clinic will be on Saturday, February 18th from 4:00 to 8:00 PM @ Ken Caryl Ranch Community Center in Littleton, Colorado.

USPTA members can register to attend the next pickleball certification clinic. Click for the certification calendar.

If you have any questions, then contact

Mark Chomko

USPTA Intermountain Pickleball Tester markchomko@icloud.com

Hey Coach,

Emily Doyle, Colorado

What Makes a Great Coach?

Here at the USPTA Intermountain, we believe that EVERYONE needs a coach. As I am sure you will agree, a great coach can transform your tennis, your career, your relationships, your health, and your life.

Our good friend, Denver resident, speaker, and fellow coach, Emma Doyle, shares this strong belief about the power of coaching. In fact, Emma is so passionate about making a difference that she studied and researched 500, yes 500 of the world's leading coaches.

She was curious to uncover what these experts thought goes into making a great coach. She asked each coach that she interviewed to give her three words that embody what it takes to excel as a coach.

Together with Natalie Ashdown, they condensed every answer they received into the top 10 practices that make up being a great coach. Have a think about what your answer to this question would be. How do you bring these qualities to life daily?

Emily’s book was released on Amazon in September, and we highly recommend you check it out.

Amazon Link

Learn more from Emily Doyle:

USPTA Intermountain Virtual Conference Enhance your Coaching & Communication Toolkit Tuesday, February 21, 2023 @ 7 pm MST

SAVE THE DATE! Registration details available soon

2.5

Matt Kiser, Colorado

Initiative Drawing Winner

District Updates

Bill

I have been the director of tennis and teaching pro at Foothills Swim and Racquet Club for many years and the most fun I have at the club is teaching and interacting with the USTA 2.5 ladies and the 3.0 men. Both groups have a desire to have fun and compete but not with a desire to “win it all”, but to grow and learn how to be a better player. It is so rewarding.

This year, a new 2.5 women’s group and a new 3.0 men’s group played USTA out of my club. Each year, the USPTA offers a fantastic opportunity for teaching pros to enter a drawing for a trip to the USPTA World Conference for having beginner level USTA teams at their club. I do not always have a new group at the beginning level, but thought I would throw in my hat this year and see what happens. I got a call from Intermountain Executive Director Tom Van De Hey announcing that I was one of the drawing winners. I honestly never considered that I would be one of the winners of the drawing. I said I would have to think about it as I would have to rearrange my schedule and take time off my full time job as an elementary school PE teacher. It was a great opportunity that I couldn’t pass up and so I accepted the offer. It was a great decision.

Over the few days I attended that conference, I was able to hear from renowned speakers and coaches and see on court demonstrations from the experts in the field from across the world. I was able to learn from Jorge Capestany some very relevant drills I could use right away at my club. I learned from Sarah Stone how ball control can dominate the baseline. I got a workout in the early morning hours on a Tuesday with the Cardio Tennis expert Michele Krause and how to adapt it to my club’s programming for enjoyment and for revenue influence.

I visited numerous vendors offering their services and products to club professionals looking for that edge for their players and clubs. I specifically checked out club management apps and programs that I could bring back to my member owned club’s board to inform them of options that are out there to streamline the tennis programming I run. I was able to hear from Chanda Rubin, former professional tennis player and Tennis Channel commentator, about her life growing up around tennis, her coaches and their influence over her career, her accomplishments and thoughts on her own children and bringing them up in the tennis world. What a great opportunity it was to hear from one of the greats. The last presenter I was fortunate to see was Sarah Flood who gave me more drills I can use right away for all ages and levels of player at my club.

Thank you USPTA for offering the 2.5 initiative. I was fortunate to be a winner and I wish other tennis professionals good luck in the future of hopefully winning this drawing as it is a valuable trip in education and knowledge.

Matt Kiser Director of Tennis Foothills Swim and Racquet Club

Gray,

Idaho

USPTA News From Idaho

Happy Fall to everyone!

We here in the Intermountain Section and Idaho District hope you all had a fun and active Summer, and are looking forward to the transition to cooler weather and maybe more indoor tennis playing.

As I’m sure many of you are experiencing increased tennis participation and full club memberships, indoor tennis often times requires better planning for reserving courts but at the same time can offer players exciting new group activities like tennis blocks and clinics.

If you find your players are having difficulty finding enough courts to play, you can always encourage them to look at non prime times at their clubs. Early mornings and early afternoons are sometimes less busy and great times to get in a workout.

In Idaho news, the Eagle Tennis Club hosted the Idaho Senior Games from September 9 11th. What a great time was had by all participants and spectators! USPTA Pros John Armstrong and Paul Christensen won the 50 & Over Men’s Doubles to get the gold medal. Paul also went on to win the gold in the 50 & Over Men’s Singles.

The next couple months are often a busy time with several holidays, back to school activities, and fewer tournaments. This is the perfect time to begin some new resolutions for increased health and fitness so you can have a great head start on the New Year.

Wishing you all my best for a beautiful season!

Bill Gray

USPTA Elite Professional

USPTA District President of Idaho USRSA Certified Racquet Stringer Boise Racquet & Swim Club (208)514 6162 cell

Scott Potter, Montana

Montana USPTA News

It was a great summer in Montana with many of our pros running club, City Park and recreation, or just on their own programs all summer long. Many pros ran tournaments, clinics and grass roots programs.

And many of Montana’s USPTA pros join counterparts from all over the country for the 12th Annual Watson Children’s Shelter Tennis Pro-am presented by Wildfire Defense Systems Inc. held at PEAK Health and Wellness October 20 23th in Missoula.

Thirty two pros and former college players convened in Missoula from all over the country (nine different states represented) to help raise money for Watson Children’s Shelter. The weekend’s activities kicked off with a live auction of 30 pros and 2 raffled pros on Thursday Night.

Friday’s schedule included, private one hour lessons with Mats Wilander, Robert Kendrick, Brenda Schultz McCarthy, Jesse Witten and the Jensen brothers, round one of pro am play, a one hour junior clinic and the a pro/pro doubles tournament. Saturday saw an adult clinic, two rounds of the pro am and a VIP Party and the weekend concluded on Sunday with the final round of the pro-am and the completion of the Silent Auction.

It was an amazing weekend with everyone having fun, playing lots of tennis and most of all giving back to a great cause. Early indications are that the weekend rose close to $115,000 for Watson Children’s Shelter. We look forward to 2023 and having another great event.

Thanks to everyone who attend this year’s event and giving your time and energy to such a great cause!

Scott

Billy DeRango, Nevada

Tennis Tips of the Month for Adults & Junior’s

I have considered myself a developmental tennis coach for as long as I can remember, never afraid of developing good technique either to beginners or high performance players. I take a lot of pride in & enjoy coaching good technique to all my students. I always remember a quote from the great Ivan Lendl, 8-time grand slam champion:

“Good technique never chokes.”

That quote has influenced me to be a developmental technician using this method as one of my focal points of coaching, which I have been doing for over 30 years.

I have a story about a 16 year old boy named Bronson, whom I currently coach. He has been working his way up the junior ranks. This story is about him overcoming a technical flaw in his game so he could get to the next level. He needed help with consistency and confidence with his forehand, which was holding him back against the higher ranked juniors when competing. Sometimes he would hit it with side spin, too flat, and would miss a lot in the net or hit it long in a point way too early. I also noticed when he would miss his forehand, he would get mentally frustrated after which caused him to lose focus on other parts of his game as well.

I quickly attributed the forehand weakness to poor technique, but it was as important to see that his mental game was very unstable as well at times which gave an edge to his opponents. This affected his motivation in practice, and it carried into match play and tournaments. When he was frustrated, he didn’t know what to do. Instead of slowing down and relying on his game plan(s), he would play faster and more frustration and disappointment would creep in. There was no question in my mind that he needed to develop his forehand around the “process” of good technique, as well as building it around a solid, mental game.

Potter, Director of Tennis

Peak Health and Wellness District President Montana scott@peakmissoula.com

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Tennis Tips of the Month for Adults & Junior’s by Billy DeRango cont.

About 5 months ago, I sat down with Bronson and his father. We discussed a plan/blueprint on how to fix his forehand. We all agreed it would take time to focus on the “process” of development and not be too concerned with the outcome (very tough to do). In our discussion of our plan, Bronson asked me this question...

Coach, how do I cut down on my errors and stop missing so soon (either in the net or long)? I have no confidence in my forehand.

My Answer: We need to rebuild your confidence in the forehand by identifying the reasons it is breaking down, and here is what we need to do to fix it.

1. Preparation: He would often be late loading up with incorrect spacing, which caused a late contact point. We added more shoulder turn & added to his preparation by using his non dominate arm correctly.

2. Staying down: Needed to get him lower by using his legs, hips, and shoulders which would help his swing to flow through. We used an AP TRAINING BELT to keep him low and prevent him from lifting up to soon. He hated the AP belt at first, but later learned to like it. We used it every day until he could stay low. We did videotaping & lots of shadowing of swing patterns.

3. Visual: His eyes would look up too soon which caused no extension and improper swing patterns through the hitting zone. It also caused problems in his movement due to lack of anticipation and recognition of the ball, so we worked on keeping his head down through contact point and then track the ball where it goes.

4. Recovery: We spent a lot of time on his recovery footwork and balance after he finished his shot. Again, I used the AP TRAINING BELT to keep him down and strengthen his BIG MUSCLE GROUPS with balance. We added explosive wide base crossover steps to return to the middle of the court. He used to take small shuffle steps to recover to the middle which made him late for the next shot.

5. Mentality: Mentally, we had to toughen him up & work on his in between point behavior. It helped him to focus on staying cool, calm, and relaxed during practice and especially in his matches. I told him to take 15 to 20 seconds to regroup after each point.

Continued from previous column

The great thing about Bronson is he is very willing to learn, which I love about him. He is going in the right direction now and his most recent results have proven the hard work and dedication to the process is working. It was a lot of work and there is still a lot more if wants to continue with his dream of playing college tennis. He is on his way!

The result: The changes have become more natural and his body language and composure have become very visible. Bronson is ripping his new forehand with accuracy. We controlled “The Process” and the outcome was delivered. It took time, but it finally kicked in on a bigger junior tournament stage (Level 3).

Bronson’s confidence has finally soared, and he ended up as the finalist at this year’s Level 3, Boys 16 & under tournament at Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unseeded entering the tournament, he beat 2 top seeds on the way to the final as well as another junior that he historically struggled with to become this year’s runner up in the early November 2022 event.

I asked Bronson, “What was your reason you had such a successful breakthrough in this tournament?”

He said without hesitation, “My forehand was the difference; my forehand is a weapon now!”.

Great Job Bronson! Focus on “the 5 month process” was the key to getting good results. Next project: The serve!

Hope my story of Bronson's achievement helps to give us as coaches the reason why we love to coach and teach/mentor our students. To me the reward of seeing the joy in his face when he broke through as this year’s Boys 16’s finalist was amazing. The picture I posted of him tells it all.

Thank you USPTA for asking me to write an article to all our tennis brothers & sisters.

Coach Billy DeRango USPTA Nevada

Dan Maccanello, Nevada

Las Vegas 2022 USPTA Annual Meeting

Hosted by: Andy Zodin Daniel Maccanello Karl Jones Hassan Humayun

TopGolf October 29, 2022

USPTA Nevada President

American Cancer Society Tournament Director

Chris Painter, Nevada

Written by Ethan Malik

Red Rock’s Gold

We are delighted to share our success with the rest of the national tennis community. In 2018, the club’s Tennis Directors, Chris Painter and Mike Copenhaver, both USTPA professionals, turned their focus toward developing our adult program.

We wanted to build an enjoyable, competitive atmosphere. Thus, we enacted strategies toward our vision to great success. Results over the past several years exceeded our greatest expectations!

Since 2018, we have sent 19 teams to nationals and over 30 teams to sectionals. In the last two seasons, we have won 4 national titles, 3 of which were won in 2022. Our victorious team captains are Dan Michalski and Ed Song, who each led their teams to victory twice!

This stands as one of Red Rock’s greatest accomplishments considering the massive competition from a myriad teams across the U.S. and across every division. From women’s 2.5 to men’s 5.0, Red Rock has been leading the nation over the past four years.

We could not have accomplished such victory without the time and effort from our USPTA professionals and Adult League Director, Sean Hubbard, who all helped facilitate this environment.

Special thanks to our USPTA president, Daniel Maccanello for his exceptional help leading Las Vegas to this point. We have all built a community of camaraderie across the entire valley. Not only do we compete against each other, we all work as USPTA pros together.

Last but certainly not the least we want to thank all our Red Rock members and league players for achieving such great lengths in tennis!

Chris Painter

Chris Painter

Sports Club & Tennis Director

Red Rock Country Club

Daniel Maccanello

District Updates

Utah Tennis Update

Utah County is buzzing with Tennis Activity. Courts are packed, events are full, and it is easy to see that while the mountains are calling to some, tennis is definitely calling many others to the courts!

We are reflective at this time of year and grateful for so many who are willing to spend the time, talent, and resources to provide such quality facilities, programs, and more for all of those who have such a passion for tennis.

See you on the courts !

Laurie Lambert, Utah

Utah Tennis Association & Pickleball

The Utah Tennis Association (UTA) has added pickleball to its menu of products offered to the public. With the hire of full time Pickleball Manager, Jeremy Horner in November 2021, the UTA now offers junior and adult programming with tournaments, socials, and a new team pickleball league.

The Utah Team Pickleball League has an adult season running now with 18 teams competing in doubles and mixed doubles formats. Similar to USTA league tennis, the team pickleball league is the newest concept in pickleball play.

Previously, pickleball had offered social drop in leagues and tournaments, but not team competition. The Utah Team Pickleball league adds the team concept, with multiple players on a team competing against another club’s players in weekly competition. Having the potential to advance to state championships, and then compete against other states is the vision for the Utah Team Pickleball League.

Arizona has been running their version of this team pickleball league for several years and the Utah league is following their format in order to create a Utah vs Arizona competition in the near future.

As an organization that knows how to run tennis socials, leagues and tournaments, it is a natural fit to add pickleball to our offerings. Many of the players are the same, and many people who can no longer play tennis due to the stress on their bodies are finding pickleball to be a great way to stay fit.

The Utah Tennis Association believes that tennis and pickleball are sibling sports that can create more play opportunities and ultimately support infrastructure development of more tennis and pickleball courts in our state.

Lambert Executive Director

Utah Tennis Association

801 944 8782 x 112

Laurie

Michelle Rawstorne, Utah

Michelle Rawstorne USPTA District President Utah

Glen Alex is The Recipient of the Barbara Clark Award

The Barbara Clark Award is given annually to honor significant contributions to diverse populations and communities. First and foremost, Glen’s most incredible contribution to the community is through G. Alex Foundation, the non profit she founded and ran for eleven years. Glen’s organization introduced new players to tennis and invited those who took a break to come back to tennis. G. Alex Foundation also helped and supported low income and uninsured people get medical care.

Second, Glen created and organized the Davis Kup of Las Vegas tournament and fundraiser (with USPTA Pro Mike Copenhaver). Davis Kup ran for seven years and brought the best teaching professionals throughout the city together to play in a singles and doubles tournament. This tournament celebrated the local pros, created camaraderie, and allowed students to come and cheer them on to win both prize money and accolades. This was one of the best events in the city and brought the community together.

Third, Glen was the creator and producer of Camp Bryan, her annual event with the Bryan Brothers, bringing the #1 doubles team in history to Las Vegas to do clinics and concerts, and giving the Las Vegas fans a chance to play with the greatest doubles team, to create relationships with two of the nicest and best tennis players of all time. Glen also worked with the Bryan Brothers as their personal Massage Therapist on tour.

Congratulations Glen!

Congratulations to Palo Verde High School for winning both the boys and girls High School State Championships in Nevada!!

In addition to the team championships, Coach Tyler Marchand successfully coached the team to individual championships:

Girls Singles

Caroline Lemke Girls Doubles Campbell Ricci and Mandalay LaBarre Boys Doubles Nolan Dubay and Sam Fouse

Karl Jones Regional Vice President, Nevada

Do Tell

Please share your tennis knowledge and tips with Intermountain Pros. Simply write an article and send it in a Word doc or text in an email along with pics to Tom Van De Hey: tomuspta1@gmail.com.

Like and Follow us on Facebook! We share up to date information for your success. https://www.facebook.com/Official USPTA Intermountain Division 261338808330/

Intermountain Board of Directors and District Presidents

Andy Zodin, President

Tom Van De Hey, Executive Director arzodin@aol.com tomuspta1@gmail.com

Karl Jones, Regional Vice President

Karen Schott, District President Colorado karlos.jones@hotmail.com kschott@broadmoor.com

Marshall Carpenter, Vice President

Bill Gray, District President Idaho mc10s@yahoo.com wgstrings@yahoo.com

Matt Helm, Vice President

Scott Potter, District President Montana mhelm@denvercc.net scott@peakmissoula.com

Laurie Lambert, Treasurer

Dan Maccanello, District President Nevada llambert@utahtennis.com dmaccanello@gmail.com

Glen Alex, Secretary Michelle Rawstorne, District President Utah tma@messageadvantagelv.com michelle0215@yahoo.com

Hassan Humayun, Past President

Josh Cossitt, District President Wyoming tennishassan@live.com farnorthtennis@gmail.com