USPTA San Diego Newsletter - Winter 2020

The OďŹƒcial Publication of the USPTA San Diego Division

Winter 2020

What's Inside Nominations are being accepted for divisional awards. Deadline for submission is February 4. They can be submitted online (see link in the email) or emailed to Geoff Griffin at griffintennis@msn.com. Awards will be given out at the Awards Luncheon during the Division Convention.

The annual Division Convention and Awards Luncheon will be held Saturday and Sunday, March 7 and 8 at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. See pages for the brochure. To sign-up, easiest way is to click on the link in the email.

Division member Dave Kensler wrote an article on Hilary McGuire that is on page 5. Hilary has quite an interesting and diverse background plus he is one of a few honorary members of the USPTA! Starting on page 9 we have Coach Karen's Korner, by Karen Ronney, USTA TSR for our San Diego.

On page 12 we have pictures from the WTT Style Doubles Play Day and Social held at San Dieguito Tennis Club.

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USPTA San Diego Division Board of Officers

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Hello San Diego Division Tennis Professionals: President Conan Lorenzo 619-846-3094 clorenzo@ljbtc.com

Regional Vice President Amanda Fink 818-624-7107 afink15@gmail.com

Vice President (Coachella Valley) Tom Fey 760-200-8200 tfey@iwtg.net

Vice President Geoff Griffin 619-838-1533 griffintennis@msn.com

Vice President Josh Jorgensen 858-610-0000 joshjta@yahoo.com

Vice President Steve Kappes 619-948-4596 stevekappes@hotmail.com

Vice President Nigel O'Rourke 760-486-3294 norourke@toscanacc.com

Calling all USPTA San Diego Members. We have an amazing year ahead of us with an amazing group of board members at the helm looking to help our teaching pros, parents, players and much more.

We are going to kick off the year with the San Diego USPTA Coaches Convention on March 7 and 8. The line-up of speakers range from Hall of Famers to up and coming savvy pros all looking to expand our knowledge of the game. Peter Smith, Bill Riddle, Rosie Bareis, John Embree, Stan Oley, Nate Gross, Michael Harper and Joel Myers all have wonderful topics and valuable information to share. The convention will be at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club during the same time as the renown Pacific Coast Doubles Tournament for two days. Saturday from 1 to 5pm followed by a cocktail party on the beach and Sunday from 8am to noon followed by our awards luncheon.

It will be an amazing weekend of tennis and I encourage everyone to signup online or reach out to me, Conan Lorenzo, at clorenzo@ljbtc.com.

On a side note, please take a moment and thank our board members (Marc Assaraf, Amanda Fink, Josh Jorgenson, Geoff Griffin, Steve Kappes, Jerome Jayapal, Nigel O’ Rourke and Tom Fey) if you see them in the tennis community as well as our Executive Director Don Gomsi.

Have a great spring and hope to see you at our San Diego Convention coming soon.

Conan Lorenzo

Secretary Jerome Jayapal 617-721-5635 jeromejayapal@gmail.com

Treasurer Marc Assaraf 858-342-1128 marca52@gmail.com

Executive Director and Head Tester Don Gomsi 760-636-8061 Don.gomsi@uspta.org

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HILARY PAUL MCGUIRE: A TENNIS RENAISSANCE MAN

by Dave Kensler, USPTA and Karen Ronney, USPTA Elite Hilary Paul McGuire has led an exceptional life. He can be considered a Renaissance man for his accomplishments in sport, education, art and community service.

In tennis, McGuire celebrated a remarkable 50 years as a USPTA pro. He joined the organization in 1970, and in 1982, he received an Honorary Lifetime Membership. Born in Oklahoma, McGuire, 82, eventually settled in San Diego and taught tennis at Landis Park under the guidance of coaching icons Ben Press and Bill Bond. He later moved to Mira Mesa with his wife, Phyllis, also an author, and together they raised their family in San Diego.

McQuire’s background, however, contains more than tennis. He was a Benedictine Monk from 1957 to 1977 at the St. Gregory’s College and Monastery in Oklahoma. He also enjoyed a career in education. He taught math and creative writing in the disadvantaged area of East Los Angeles. Later in San Diego, he was a Community College math teacher. He helped others in the classroom and on the court by using the sport of tennis to teach life skills and transform the lives of at-risk youth.

“I taught gang members from scratch,” wrote McGuire, who founded an National Junior Tennis League (NJTL ) chapter. “I met Gussy Moran at a NJTL meeting and she got a wealthy and resourceful gentleman to bore holes in the pavement of Our Lady of Lourdes Church parking lot to set up a tennis court for my gang members.”

In 1979, he wrote “Hopie and the Los Homes Gang: A Gangland Primer” to show how tennis and friendship can be used to help young people avoid prison and/or an early death. Then in 1984, he wrote “Homeboys in College: Heralds of Progress,” which is now in its second edition.

“My second book focuses on youth who have been kicked out of high school or have done so poorly that they learned nothing,” explained McGuire. “I wrote Homeboys in College because the community college system offers basic math and English, even certain trainings like welding and mechanics. With these, young adults can start over in school, even without a high school diploma.

When they see that a little concentration makes them as smart as other students, the sky is the limit.”

Additionally, McGuire wrote “Tennis Saves: Stewart Orphans Take World by Racket.” The true story follows the lives of Pat and Pam Stewart, orphaned sisters, who had professional tennis careers that included playing at the original home of the US Open in Forest Hills, New York. Later, McGuire quipped: “Imagine two orphan girls trying to survive. Would you say to them, "Play tennis?"

Wrote McGuire, Pat Stewart inaugurated the Open Era on center court versus tennis legend Ann HaydonJones, who won eight Grand Slam Championships during her career. “So impressed were the British press with her “Pat’s” beauty that they twice named her Wimbledon Glamour Girl. Her modeling career led to marriage with England’s favorite cricketer John Edrich.”

Meanwhile Pam Stewart was not only competing in tennis but she also coached notable personalities such as H. Ross Perot and Dinah Shore at famed clubs from New York to Miami.

McGuire transitioned to the world of art and was recognized for his awardwinning sculptures.

His approach included the use of antique iron from historical railroad and agricultural parts. He formed them into shapes portraying deep messages about wisdom and old age.

“My sculptures are like a group of wise and elderly family members coming together to say something new for future generations, “said McGuire, in Mira Mesa Living Magazine (May 2019.) He was recognized by judges in the Oklahoma Annual Exhibition of Art in 1976. Then In 1978 and 1980, his art was displayed at the San Diego Art Institute’s Annual Exhibitions.

In all aspects of life, McGuire said his experiences have taught him that solutions are not necessarily as complicated as they are sometimes appearing to be.

“We need to reach the unreachable kids and teach the unteachable ones who cause trouble in schools. Tennis can save such kids—the fun way,” he suggested. “We don’t need to raise another Roger Federer as much as we need to use tennis to give difficult kids a chance to grow with “tennis values.”

McGuire truly lives up to his motto of “There is not much I can do for the world, but what I can do.”

To learn more about Hilary Paul McGuire go to https://sites.google.com/site/hilarypaulmcguire/home.

His books are available at Amazon at https://www. amazon.com/dp/1475162278/ref=cm_sw_su_dp.

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The San Diego District Tennis Association Is proud to work with the USPTA/San Diego Sec on We couldn’t do it without you!

Thanks to the many USPTA pros who par cipated in the 2019 Tennis Fest.

Mark your calendars for Sunday, June 14, 2020 and plan to par cipate.

T-shirts, lunch and gi card for each of you!

Over 800 tennis enthusiasts from throughout San Diego come out to Balboa Tennis Club to take part in the clinics run by our fabulous pros.

Plan to be one of them!

We are also reaching out to local pros who are willing to host a Family Tennis Day and teach follow-up Drop-In Tennis classes in their area.

The classes are free to par cipants, who must be beginners.

The San Diego District compensates the pros to teach the six hours of clinics.

For more informa on email: sddta@yahoo.com The San Diego District Tennis Associa on is the local aďŹƒliate of the USTA and Southern California Sec on.

Visit www.sandiegotennis.com for more informa on on local tennis ac vi es.

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Column: Coach Karen’s Korner Top 10 Tips of Great Tennis Customer Service

By Karen Ronney, USPTA Elite Pro

idea of participation numbers, start an Excel Spread sheet to include the general progression of the matches that will take place during the week. Include start times for each day’s events. “This enables us to determine if we have enough court capacity on a daily basis and it gives us a way to determine if we need to make arrangements for more off-site court reservation,” Kellogg said. “It also tells us if we need to limit draws.”

Perspective is everything in the business of tennis.

There are two distinct viewpoints. The first is looking at the tennis industry as a whole and success is measure by revenue, metrics and player participation.

The second perspective is to consider the business of tennis as a customer service experience with emphasis on satisfying an individual’s needs first. The bottom line is offering fun, friendly and competitive tennis events that can lead to life enriching memories. This encourages players of all ages and stages to make tennis their choice for a lifetime sport.

3. C o m m u n i c a t e with Players: Once the general timeline is established and it is closer to the event, key customer service considerations are to let players know potential schedules. This early communication allows players to confirm travel plans.

So why does this matter? Tennis customer service is everything.

Just ask Bill Kellogg and Conan Lorenzo of the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, and they’ll tell you all you need to know. The two have set the bar and were recently recognized as offering Tournament(s) of the Year by the San Diego District Tennis Association (SDDTA) in a January 17 celebration at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club (pictured). In 2019, the duo ran the USTA National 40s, Father & Son and the Grandfather/Grandson Tournaments. They exemplify elite customer service and serve as a model for the tennis industry at large.

In a recent conversation, they shared their “Customer Service Secrets of Success” and I am thrilled to pass on their words of wisdom.

4. I m m e d i a t e l y Respond to Special Requests: Do everything in your power to quickly accommodate special requests.

If it’s not possible, then let players know and refund their entry fees. If it is possible, create a wish list log. “After the draws are made, we recheck to see that we have accomplished this goal,” Kellogg said.

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1. Start Planning Early: Tournament organization begins one year in advance of the start date in terms of sanction application, securing a referee, court reservations, staffing and more. These elements are revisited until the conclusion of the event. Then construct a 12-month timeline that includes staff feedback to assess things that might have been overlooked. A group think tank session can produce amazing results.

2. Develop an Excel Spreadsheet: With a general

Early Tournament Desk Preparation and Volunteer Recruitment: Set up the tournament desk and other related facility needs as soon as possible. La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club is typically ready a week in advance. All supplies have been ordered and the desk is up and running before players arrive. Gather a group of dedicated volunteers to work the tournament desk and assist with various aspects of running Continued on page 10

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Continued from page 9

an event. This ensures a very friendly reception for the players.

6. Secure Tournament Officials: A quality tennis experience starts with hiring enough officials at least a month in advance. During the event, use radios to connect officials with the tournament desk to speed up court transition time. This is a key element to staying on schedule.

7. Post Accurate Website Tournament Information: Double check all information posted on the tournament website. Players will refer to this in making travel plans and schedules. “The website is also critical for posting weather delays and it cuts down on phone calls requesting information.

“The website gives us the ability to let everyone know in real time the condition of the courts when inclement weather comes our way,” Kellogg said.

8. Off-Court Social Fun: Offer social time for players and their families. Playing a tournament is more than time spent on a court. It’s about having fun and making memories with other players and their families.

Special thanks to Bill Kellogg and Conan Lorenzo from the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club for contributing to this column.

About: Karen Ronney is a USPTA Elite Professional, former pro and top college player, award-winning author, high school coach and a USTA Tennis Service Representative. She has a Masters Degree in Professional Tennis Management from San Diego State University, and is honored to be a part of the San Diego tennis community for over 30 years. She is married to former CSU Northridge star, Doug, for 29 years. They’ve raised three daughters, who have played NCAA Division I, II and III tennis. The Ronney family motto is #TennisIsMySport.

9. Publicize the Tournament: Engage local print and television news media to possibly include the tournament in their morning news segments.

Submit daily results in the newspapers. Also use Social Media to let people know how matches are going from afar. Finally, consider using cameras on select courts to stream matches on the internet.

10. Post Season Wrap Up: At the post season meeting, review the five “W’s” of who, what, when, where and why to determine how to improve for the following year. “We meet with staff to see what we might’ve missed,” Kellogg said. “Then we include that information into future plans. Our end goal is for players to have a great experience and return year after year.”

Other local San Diego pros and players honored at the SDDTA Awards include Jenny Rens Keller (Female Player of the Year), Karel Placek (Male Player of the Year), Curt Wheeler (Male Pro of the Year), Jennifer “JJ” Knightly (Women’s Sportsmanship Award), Mark Bauer (Men’s Sportsmanship Award), the Castaneda’s (Family of the Year), Mary Ann McCauley (Community Service Award), Sports Tutor (Sponsor of the Year) and Santaluz (Club of the Year.)

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WTT Style Doubles Play Day and Social January 11 at San Dieguito Tennis Club, the division held a WTT Style Doubles Play Day and Social. There were 4 teams with 4 players each playing Fast Four sets in a round-robin format. It was quick, fun and the club members (of which there were about 50 watching) loved it! Thanks go to Amanda and Juan for arranging it plus the Aviators for providing refreshments and food for the event which was added to by the club members bringing in food! And don’t forget about the March 1 Aviator’s WTT Celebrity All Star Match at La Costa.

Aviator's management. Left to right: Troy Morrison, (new team president), Emily Pierce (operations manager) and Daniel Norwood.

The Winning Team L-R Franco Castejon, Sam Stone, Amanda Fink and Nathan Welden

L-R Nick Szyndlar, Kelley Klebenow, Aran Wong, and Greg Kipnis L-R Juan Garcia, Michelle Okhremchuk, Pete Kelly and Steve Thom

L-R Scott Wheeler, Charlie Ball, Trent Aaron / Matt Previdi and Hanna Pajunen

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Fresno State: January 18th

San Diego Shakedown: March 15th (Penn State, Arizona and Texas Tech)

Central Florida @ UCLA: January 25th @ 9:00am

Harvard: March 19th @ 12:00pm

UCLA/SDSU @ UCLA: January 26th Washington: February 2nd @ 12:00pm

Princeton: March 21st @ 2:00pm

Oklahoma State: Feb 7th @ 5:00pm

Gonzaga: March 26th @ 11:00am

Oklahoma: Feb 9th @ 1:00pm

Portland: March 29th @ 12:00pm

Oregon: Feb 22nd @ 2:00pm

BYU: April 4th @ 1:00pm

LMU: Feb 23rd @ 12:30pm

San Fran: April 9th @ 1:00pm

UCSB: March 2nd @ 1:30pm Pacific: March 7th @ 1:00pm San Diego Shakedown: March 14th (Penn State, Arizona and Texas Tech)

Texas: March 22nd @ 1:00pm

USD MEN'S TENNIS SCHEDULE

Saint Mary’s College: April 10th @ 12:30pm Santa Clara: April 12th @ 12:00pm Pepperdine: April 19th @ 12:30pm

EDUCATION FORUM MAXIMIZING YOUR INCOME AND TIME ON COURT February 15 starting at 2:00 PM Location: Lake Murray Tennis Club, 7003 Murray Park Dr, San Diego, CA 92119 Focus of the forum is maximizing court space, time, and income through offering session-based classes to members. Fletcher Hills Tennis (Stephen Thom and Nathan Welden) will present their model of session-based adult/junior tennis classes along with an on court demonstration with ideas/drills to successfully run group classes to help increase income to teaching professionals and to clubs. Please bring any ideas you may contribute to the group as the last 15 minutes will be open discussion and collaboration.

Educational credit will be given to USPTA pros. We ran a forum on camp games that lots of people were bummed they missed out on. Make sure you catch this one!

Sign-up by emailing Steve Thom at fletcherhillstennis@gmail.com.

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U30 is now ELEVATE U30 has changed its name to Elevate.

This better aligns with their goal of helping new members in the USPTA. Elevate is planning to have a meeting at Bushfire in Del Mar, 2602 Del Mar Heights Rd, Del Mar, CA 92014 starting at 7pm on Friday Jan 31.

Items for discussion include: 1. Update on National USPTA topics/ changes 2. Division update/conference update To RSVP, email Amanda at afink15@gmail. com.

Award winners at the recent San Diego District Tennis Association annual awards dinner at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club.

San Diego Junior Team Tennis Spring I want to take a moment and congratulate all the clubs who participated at this years Fall Team Tennis Sectionals in Palm Springs: Surf and Turf, RPTC, LJBTC, Barnes, Rancho Valencia, La Costa, La Jolla High School, Rancho Santa Fe, Mountain View and the San Diego Slammers.

Junior tennis is available in many forms here in San Diego. Kids are able to participate in programs at their tennis clubs, take private lessons and compete in local USTA tournaments.

Junior Team Tennis (JTT) is also another avenue that represents junior tennis in such a wonderful way. The concept is simple: Allow juniors to feel part of a team while competing in tennis. It is what soccer, basketball, baseball, football and more have been doing for years…and with much success. A team consists of six players with two singles and two doubles where the total amount of games won in all four spots determines the winner. The team style of play is what keeps kids in the game while creating so many indelible memories.

JTT has two seasons of fall and winter, with each season lasting seven to ten weeks. Juniors ages eight to 18 are placed in categories of 10U, 12U, 14U and 18U. Levels of play range from the beginner novice to the most advanced open tournament level.

Local area clubs, including but not limited to, who participate in the league are Carmel Valley, Rancho Penasquitos Tennis Center, Barnes Tennis Center, Coronado, East County, La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Bay Club, Surf and Turf and many more. If you would like to get more information, contact Conan Lorenzo, San Diego Junior Team Tennis Area League Coordinator at clorenzo@ljbtc.com. You may also reference our JTT website at www.sandiegoteamtennis.com.

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10th Annual Shoebacca Women’s Open February 23 – 29, 2020 Morgan Run Club & Resort 5690 Cancha de Golf Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

This will be a great tournament to bring your students to see what it is like on the women's pro tour!

9 1 4 A l y s s u m R d . • C a r l s b a d , C A 9 2 0 11 Editor Don Gomsi Asst. Editor Karen Ronney Contributors Conan Lorenzo, Karen Ronney, Dave Kensler, and Amanda Fink.

San Diego is published quarterly by the San Diego Division of the United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. The opinions expressed in San Diego are those of the authors and not necessarily those of San Diego or the USPTA San Diego Division.

Copyright© San Diego Division/United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2020. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of the newsletter is not permitted without written permission from the USPTA San Diego Division.

Advertising information Ads will be in black and white. Prices are per issue.

Full page .....................$125 Half page..................... $75 1/4 page ................... $50 Contact Don at Don.Gomsi@USPTA.org for information.

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New Members Maksym Bartiuk (La Quinta), Brandon Beardsley (Ramona), Raul De La Torre (San Diego), Cassidy Ferrell (San Diego), Sean Lee (Coronado), Joshua Parker (San Diego), Edward Sengendo (San Diego), Anthony Shirley (San Diego), Sammie Watson (San Diego).

Reinstatements Mike Bannister (Palm Desert), Jacky Cheong (San Diego), Seth Mikkelson (San Diego), and Antonio Ramos (Chula Vista).

Upcoming Events

Date

Time

Event

Fri. Jan. 31

7:00 PM

Elevate meeting at Bushfire in Del Mar

Wed. Feb. 5

11:30 AM

Board meeting, La Jolla Shores Restaurant

Sun. Mar 1

Evening

WTT Celebrity All Star Match at La Costa

Sat. + Sun. Mar 7 + 8 Aft. and Morn.

Division Convention and Awards Luncheon, LJBTC

Mon. Mar. 9

All day

Certification Exam, LJBTC

Mon. Mar. 16

All day

Tentative - USPTA Day at the BNP Paribas Open

Wed. Apr. 8

11:30 AM

Board meeting, La Jolla Shores Restaurant

Sat. May 9

All day

Certification Exam at Eastlake High School

Find-a-Pro. Visit USPTA's free job listing service, Find-a-Pro, at www.uspta.com, to find a job, list a job or find other USPTA Pros.

Have you moved?

If you change your address, phone or email, change your information online at uspta.com in the members section or call the USPTA World Headquarters at 800-USPTA-4U (877-8248) and ask for the Computer Services Department.

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San Diego Division of the USPTA 914 Alyssum Rd. Carlsbad, CA 92011

DIVISION AWARD NOMINATIONS Deadline is Feb. 4 The San Division is accepting awards online this year and years going forward. There are nine national awards plus one additional divisional award which is Player of the Year. We would like for many people to apply for each award. Our Awards Committee will select one person for each award and forward that name on to national for consideration of their award. The Awards Committee will select winners but not all categories necessarily will receive a divisional award. You may nominate yourself for an award. Awards will be presented Sunday, March 8 during the awards luncheon. Deadline for submission is Feb. 4.

Visit https://www.cognitoforms.com/USPTA1/_2020U SPTAAwardsNominationForm to nominate yourself or someone else for an award (or just click on the link in the email online). Or, easiest is email your nomination information to Geoff Griffin, Awards Committee Chair, at griffintennis@msn.com.

AWARD CATEGORIES Ben Press Pro of the Year Bob Bacon Lifetime Achievement Player of the Year High School or College Coach of the Year Community Service Award Facility of the Year Facility Manager of the Year (does not have to be USPTA) New Member of the Year Industry Excellence Touring Coach of the Year U30 Pro of the Year Award Diversity Award