USPTA Texas - The Texan Summer Newsletter by RSPA

The Official Publication of the USPTA Texas Division Summer 2022

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SUMMER RETREAT

FROM AROUND THE STATE

GOLF TOURNAMENT

PRO TIPS

A Message from President, Matt Watson TM

PRESIDENT Matt Watson 8407 Crooked Trail Tyler, Texas 75703 matt@hollytreecc.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 3500 Woodhaven Drive Midland, Texas 79707 512-924-7097 michellestallardhome@gmail.com TREASURER Ernie Abraham 13765 Southern Oaks Dr. Burleson, Texas 76028 817-980-9374 abrahamernie@yahoo.com PAST PRESIDENT Jenny Gray 901 Sonterra Blvd San Antonio. Texas 78258 512-930-3783 jgray@clubatsonterra.com EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Tosha Smith 8003 Greenslope Dr. Austin, TX 78759 512-848-0598 tosha.smith@uspta.org

Howdy fellow USPTA Texas Tennis professionals. I had to double check the calendar to ensure that in fact half the year was already in the books – Wow! I hope everyone is enjoying a busy start to the summer with full camps and a busy schedule on the courts. We had a fantastic turnout for our 2nd annual “Fore the Love of Tennis” USPTA Texas golf tournament that was held June 3rd at Waterchase Golf Club in Fort Worth, Texas. There were 22 teams registered that competed for prizes, including a $10,000 hole-in-one opportunity. We were, unfortunately, hit by a monsoon after 15 holes and were not able to complete the tournament but fun was had by all, nonetheless. Many thanks to all our board members who helped make this event such a success. We are excited to announce that we will be coming to the Austin area for our 2022 USPTA Texas Summer Retreat in Lakeway August 12-13. Our host hotel is the Lakeway La Quinta Inn & Suites, and we will have a morning and afternoon seminar, poolside lunch BBQ and golf offered at Lakecliff Racquet Club in nearby Spicewood on Friday. Golf is $99 per person and will be limited to the first 20 players to register so be sure to get your information to Tosha if you would like to play. Saturday’s seminar will be located at the hotel in their meeting room. We will also have a Saturday night social at High Five that will include bowling and a cocktail hour. Other activities will be available such as axe throwing and arcade games. Spicewood offers our members an opportunity for shopping, hanging at the pool, winery tours and more. Adrien Chabria, Education Chair for USPTA Texas, is working diligently to provide our Texas tennis professionals with terrific opportunities Friday and Saturday that I know will be a great benefit to all of you. I am confident you will enjoy the weekend of education and activities that will be available to our membership. We wanted to ensure this would be not only an educational opportunity but a fun retreat of activities and fellowship after a busy summer on the courts. Please see the enclosed registration information in this newsletter for more information. Be sure to mark your calendars for the 2022 World Conference that will be in The Big Easy September 18-22 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. This will be an incredible opportunity for education, fellowship, networking, and fun! Be sure to register early and secure your hotel accommodations. The USPTA Texas Division party will be Tuesday night. Details are forthcoming! Continued health and happiness to all of you, and I hope to see many of you in Lakeway and/or The Big Easy!

Regards, Matt S. Watson, USPTA Elite Professional

DATES that

RATE COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS Awards | Mel McRee

AUGUST 2022 12-13

USPTA Texas Summer Retreat (Spicewood & Lakeway, Texas)

SEPTEMBER 2022 9-11

USPTA Texas Jr. Gran Prix State Championships (New Braunfels, Texas)

18-22 USPTA World Conference (New Orleans, Louisiana)

USPTA Texas Summer Retreat 2022 August 12th & 13th

Hello, USPTA Texas Professionals! Get ready to join us in Austin for some great continuing education speakers on Friday and Saturday. There will also be a fun poolside cookout on Friday afternoon, golf, and a Saturday evening social gathering at High 5. On Friday, the education seminars will be held at Lakecliff Racquet Club located in Spicewood, Texas. Following the morning speakers, we will have a poolside cookout. For those who want to golf, you can head over to the Lakecliff Golf Course for some afternoon play. For those not playing golf on Friday, we will conduct an on-court drill exchange. On Saturday, the presentations will be held at the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Lakeway, Texas. The Saturday evening social will be at High 5 which is walking distance from the hotel. Conference Registration Fee - $99.00 Golf at Lakecliff Golf Club - $99.00 (players limited to first 20 signed-up) Register at: http://www.uspta.com/TexasRetreat

FACILITIES Friday- Lakecliff Racquet Club - 25609 Kahala Sunset Court, Spicewood, Texas 78669 Saturday- La Quinta Inn & Suites - 1943 Medical Drive, Lakeway, Texas 78734. Saturday Evening- High 5 - 1502 RR 620 South, Lakeway, Texas 78734

Questions? Contact Tosha Smith at Tosha.Smith@uspta.org or (512) 848-0598

USPTA Texas Summer Retreat 2022 Schedule

Friday, August 12, 2022, Lakecliff Racquet Club 7:30 am – 12:00 pm Registration Lakecliff 9:30 am – 11:30 am Practical Doubles Drills for Club Players- Matt Watson

Lakecliff- On Court

11:30 am – 2:00 pm Poolside BBQ Cookout Lakecliff 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Tennis Drill Share- Opportunity to Share Your Favorite Drills

Lakecliff- On Court

2:00 pm– 7:00 pm Golf Lakecliff

Saturday, August 13, 2022, La Quinta Inn & Suites 7:30 am – 12:00 pm Registration La Quinta 9:30 am– 11:30 am Details & Updates for the WIN- Beverly Bowes La Quinta 11:30 am – 1:30 pm Lunch on your own

1:30 pm – 3:00 pm Pickleball Drills & Teaching Differences- Kelly Marshall

La Quinta

7:30 pm– 10:30 pm Social at High 5- Bowling & Axe Throwing

High 5

Featured Summer Retreat Speakers

Beverly Bowes Beverly is currently the Director of Tennis at Riverplace Country Club in Austin, Texas. She has worked in the club business for nearly 16 years, making Riverplace her home for 13 years. Beverly was a top junior in the country and traveled the world (all the grand slams) before the age of 17 with the best coaches at the USTA. Beverly played for the University of Texas at Austin and then went on to coach at her alma mater when they were a national finalist team in the NCAA. She traveled on the WTA tour with Chris Evert (her idol) and was ranked in the top 50 in the world in both singles and doubles. Her highest world ranking was 38. Beverly also previously worked for the USTA in their HighPerformance Junior Program where she took some of the best players in the United States to grand slam tournaments. She recently became certified in pickleball and enjoys playing and teaching. She has 2 great kids- Addie and Harrison. They have both played different sports but are now playing some tennis.

Matt Watson Matt is a USPTA Elite Professional and is currently the Director of Tennis at Hollytree Country Club in Tyler, Texas. He previously held roles as Head Tennis Professional at Richland Tennis Center, Director of Tennis at Colonial Country Club and Membership and Special Events Director at TBarM Racquet Club. He was also a teaching professional and Academy coach for the High-Performance program at TBarM. He has an extensive background in club operations management, teaching, programming, and pro shop management. Matt was the 2017 USPTA Texas Professional of the Year and has served on the USPTA Texas Board since 2015. He has served as President since 2020. He is also currently serving on the USPTA National Membership Committee. He has previously served on the USTA Grievance Committee, been a USTA National Zonals coach and a USTA Area Training Center coach. He also served as a USTA Schools Clinician for 3 years. Matt is USTA Sport Science Certified, and is a certified Mental Toughness Coach through Mental Toughness Inc. He has spoken at previous USPTA Texas conferences on Career Development and HighPerformance Drills.

Kelly Marshall Kelly is the Director of Tennis and Fitness at Onion Creek Country Club. Kelly knows what it takes to succeed on the court. With over three decades of playing and coaching experience on multiple levels, Kelly brings a high level of skill and expertise. Her extensive knowledge provides an atmosphere that is positive and enables athletes to work through the struggles and on to success. Kelly’s tennis background began at age 11 and progressed to a NCAA Division 1 University. She held a national ranking of #3 in doubles and # 10 in singles and was named a Sun Belt AllConference Player. She also led her team as Captain for all four years. Following college, she competed in several professional tournaments before becoming a USPTA Elite Professional. Kelly currently serves as a Vice President of the United States Professional Tennis Association’s Texas Board. Kelly is also a USPTA Certified Pickleball Professional. She began playing pickleball 4 years ago and has become passionate about the sport!

FROM AROUND THE STATE REGIONAL DIRECTORS

AUSTIN-Kelly Marshall The Junior Gran Prix’s continue, and things are heating up as the master’s finale nears! These grassroots tournaments are perfect for new players and for professionals looking to hold a weekend tournament. The Polo Club will host a grand opening of their new Pickleball and Padel facility on July 30th. The club will now have 3 Pickleball courts, 3 Padel courts and an enlarged Fitness Facility. The Austin area is looking forward to the Summer Retreat on August 12th and 13th. Every pro needs a break, relaxation time, networking opportunities, and some new drills! We look forward to seeing everyone there!!

BRAZOS VALLEY-Brandon Carlson We are excited to announce that the City of College Station has proposed bond projects which would renovate and construct new tennis and pickleball courts for the city. Many members of the local tennis community in the Brazos Valley have spoken at City Council meetings, Bond Project Meetings, and have written to the city to support these new projects. We are excited to see Texas A&M Tennis Camps & Aggie Tennis Camps in full swing for the summer months, drawing hundreds of junior players from all over the region to Aggieland. Top tier collegiate players will be heading to College Station July 23-25 at the Mitchell Tennis Center at Texas A&M for the ITA Summer Circuit. Finally, the Brazos Valley Tennis Association is offering its popular Fast 4 Challenge through the summer months for interested players to drop in and participate.

CENTRAL TEXAS-Julian Curatella Tennis activity is heating up in Central Texas! All facilities have rolled out their summer programming and the participation has been nothing short of amazing! French Open and Wimbledon tennis mixers, many pickle ball social events and tournaments are taking place at Ridgewood Country Club, Waco Regional and Harker Heights! Summer tennis and sports camps are also featured across Central Texas and are well attended. Adult mixed leagues are under way! We have had good response and will have more teams in 2022 than in the past years! Let the competition begin! Waco Tennis Association and Ridgewood Country Club are wrapping up the 2022 Junior Gran Prix circuit and look forward to forming another competitive team to go compete at John Newcombe Tennis Ranch in September! Waco Tennis Association Update- The NJTL programming has expanded to Harker Heights under the leadership of USPTA pro Thomas Mizera. Providing free tennis instruction to our area under-resourced youth is important to their success in tennis and in school. We have added programming in another middle school in Waco ISD. Cesar Chavez Middle School doesn’t have courts so we play in a gym with plans to bring the kids to the high school courts next year so they can get the true feel for tennis. Our free summer tennis camps have grown this year. We are currently at 200 kids and counting! The board voted to increase our college scholarship program to $11,000 and is looking forward to hearing of our recipients’ experiences during their Fall semester. Waco Tennis Association helped with the Junior Team Tennis National Qualifying Tournament held at Waco Regional Tennis & Fitness. Four Texas teams are heading to the last National Junior Team Tennis Tournament to be held at the National Campus in October.

CORPUS CHRISTI-Gerry Maingot Summer is in full swing, and tennis is buzzing at all the clubs and tennis centers. Currently, the 18 and over and the 40 and over USTA Mixed Doubles leagues are in the 4th week of play. Our Junior Team Tennis League had its biggest turn out in a long time – thanks to Zach Williams for his hard work to grow the program and run the league. Lenson Smith continues to run the Sets & Sangria 39 & Under Program for the Corpus Christi Tennis Association. There are two Junior Grand Prix Tournaments (July and August) before the selection of the team that will represent Corpus Christi at the USPTA State Gran Prix Championships at Newks – Zack & Jelena Williams will be the organizers and coaches. Pickleball is growing in Corpus Christi – Al Kruse now has 10 permanent pickleball courts, Corpus Christi Country Club 4, HEB Tennis Center 3, and Corpus Christi Athletic Club and NorthShore Country Club line their courts when they have special events.

DALLAS-Adrien Chabria Tremendous spring and summer of tennis in the Dallas area! Highlights include: • Learning from the best of the best (and earning CEUs) at the Master Camp seminar by Rafael Nadal’s coach, Francis Roig of Spain. This was two hours of practical on-court and court-side training, hosted by Grant Chen at the SMU indoor facility. • TCU hosted the Big XII Championships, as UT defeated OU in women’s tennis, and Baylor edged TCU for the crown. Thousands of fans enjoyed the topnotch college tennis, right here in Fort Worth, Texas! • Kudos to you, the USPTA community of professionals, for the camaraderie and fellowship at the USPTA golf outing at Waterchase Golf Club in beautiful Arlington, TX • Congratulations to Timmy Hsu in his winning effort over Adrian Boitan in the ITF Futures $25K in Dallas, TX on July 3, 2022, amid an enthusiastic crowd at the SMU campus.

SAN ANTONIO-Dan Cantu The Club at Sonterra hosted a USPTA Teaching Essentials 3 Certification in May and a USPTA Pickleball certification in June. San Antonio 18+ City Champs from June 24-26, 2022, Playoffs- 4.5 Women: Green Tree, 4.0 Women: SACC Monday Alley Cats, 3.0 Men: Sonterra Overserved, and 3.0 Women: Dominion Dolls. Congrats to all the teams and good luck at the state playoffs in August.

VALLEY-Andy Carter McAllen Country Club and Director of Tennis Rudi Hilbert are preparing for their Men’s $15,000 USTA/ ITF World Tour Tennis Tournament slated for the week of October 10. The HEB Tennis Center at Pendleton Park in Harlingen had its ribbon cutting in celebration of their new Tennis Center. The Tennis center includes a pro shop, snack bar, lobby, bathrooms, and a covered deck. The Harlingen Country Club has their Men’s $25,000 USTA/ITF World Tour Tennis Tournament scheduled for the week of October 17.

Successful

USPTA TEXAS GOLF TOURNAMENT We had a fantastic turnout for our 2nd annual “Fore the Love of Tennis” USPTA Texas golf tournament that was held June 3rd at Waterchase Golf Club in Fort Worth, Texas. There were 22 teams registered that competed for prizes. Unfortunately, we were hit with a huge rainstorm after 15 holes and were not able to complete the tournament. However, everyone had tons of fun in spite of the soggy conditions. Many thanks to our President, Matt Watson, who put the event together, and our board members who helped make the event such a success.

PRO TIPS/DRILLS DRILL – By Matt Watson, USPTA Elite Professional

STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN With the increased popularity of Pickleball, this drill is relatable to a lot of tennis players in terms of the concept. The drill has multiple functions: •

Volleyers not positioning too tight on the net and thus able to cover more balls (groundies AND lobs). I constantly emphasize to my adults that the hardest place to defend is behind them. Any ball in front of them is much easier to make a play on – keeping in mind that the lob is a very common shot in club play.

•

Baseliners able to work on “finding the feet” by either dipping the ball (if able to hit with topspin) or reducing pace to get the ball low to the feet

•

Volleyers are now able to work on half volleys, low volleys AND high volleys vs standing on top of the net and only getting to practice volleys above the net. Stress the importance of being able to manage balls to the feet as they will get those types of balls in matches

I use flat lines and lay them across the court (2 or 3 in each box) and players must stay behind the lines (unless a net court) and stay “out of the kitchen” during points. I position them about 2/3 of the way back in box. Feed to baseliners and have them play out points. You can add more elements to this drill as desired. For example: targets for depth on volleys / singles court only to emphasize playing with margin / Groundstroke patterns – dip, dip, lob / etc. I sometimes use the rope zone across the net, as well, to help with baseliners focusing on low clearance (all balls under the rope). This works better with higher level players (4.0+) as the rope can sometimes be too much of a distraction to the volleyers if level is 3.5 and below. You can determine if the rope zone is helpful or harmful for your players!

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CRAIG’S CORNER A big Texas sized “Howdy” to all of you out there who are reading this latest edition of Craig’s Corner. Summer is here and I’m glad for the hot weather – I’m not much of a cold weather fan as I lived in the mountains for three years during my college days and you know what boys and girls – it’s cold in them thar hills! Summer time suits this author just fine! 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. Let’s see what’s happening on the Lone Star tennis front. As I was thinking about what to write in this issue of Craig’s Corner, I was reflecting about all the great Texas pro’s I’ve met since I arrived on the Texas scene in 1987. For thirty-five years, I’ve been doing business in the Great State and I wanted to say “Thanks” to all those who’ve helped me along the way. There are way too many people to mention but you know who you are and I really appreciate your kindness, friendship, and willingness to help me become a better tennis professional by freely sharing your information and your thoughts. And where did most all this learning take place – well at our USPTA Texas Conventions and Buying Shows. I recall when I first attended a USPTA Texas conference in 1987 being held at the DFW Grapevine Hilton I didn’t know anyone (not one single person) when I walked in those doors.

Fast forward some thirty-five years later and it now takes me two hours to walk through the parking lot just to get in the front door – which I’m certainly not complaining about as I really enjoy catching up with all of you every six months or so. I am 100% certain that I have benefited immensely from becoming involved in our professional organization. I cannot stress this enough – GET INVOLVED in some way, shape, or fashion with USPTA Texas or maybe your local tennis teaching organization – and if you live in an area that doesn’t have a teaching professional organization then start one up! Through my willingness to get involved, I have learned so much more than I have given back in return. I am positive that if I would not have gotten involved with USPTA Texas, then I wouldn’t have had the opportunities I’ve had in my professional life – I can guarantee you this! This is not a PSA (Public Service Announcement) for USPTA or USPTA Texas as I write this column solely on what I can come up with, not what anyone tells me to do - so if you are a young professional, middle aged or older more mature professional like me, it’s never too late for you to offer up your services to the group. You too will personally benefit for the small amount of time that you help shape this organization. We need good tennis professionals like you who are reading this article!! For the success of USPTA Texas, we need talented individuals (male or female) to hold up your hand and say I’ll help in a large way or a small way – really, there is no role to small! But in the end, I can guarantee you that if you do hold up your hand, then you will be welcomed to an organization\association of fellow tennis professionals that will gladly share their thoughts on how you too can and will become a better teaching professional both on and off the court. Hey, guess what – there’s an opportunity to join us (USPTA Texas) in Austin at our Summer Retreat. If you’d like to speak more with me about all the great things you can GET INVOLVED with and how you can personally benefit, I’d be more than happy to speak with anyone. But GET INVOLVED – we need you and you won’t be sorry you did! On the National front, speaking of BEING INVOLVED, I wanted to give

a “shout out” to our USPTA National Board Member and fellow USPTA Texas tennis professional, Jenny Gray and all the fine work she is continuing to do as Chairwoman of our USPTA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Jenny heads up a very important USPTA National Committee focused on making sure our association is open to any and all tennis professionals’ ideology. Those USPTA members serving on the DEI Task Force, along with Jenny are as follows: Autism – Lisa LaCroix, Asian American – Chris Tran, LGBTQ+ - Sarah Flood, Adaptive – Lisa LaCroix, Hispanic American – Hiram Gonzalez and American Indian – Craig Bell. If you identify with one of these particular task forces, be sure to get involved – WE NEED YOU! On the world stage, speaking of someone who has been TOTALLY INVOLVED, what’s everyone thinking are Serena’s chance to win another Grand Slam and tie Margaret Courts all-time record of 24 Slammies singles titles? As I’m writing this Craig’s Corner edition, Wimbledon is on tv and after watching Serena play her first-round singles match and loose in three sets, I’m not certain that she is going to even get close to winning another singles title on tour, much less a Grand Slam event. Granted she hasn’t played a tournament match in a year. As we all know, you can recreate all types of “match” situations in practice but not until you get to an actual tournament match does a player experience real match circumstances and I just don’t know if Serena has the desire, dedication and determination (3-D tennis) to climb back up that mountain she has climbed successfully 23 other times. She has been such a great champion for the past 20+ years, it’s hard to believe that her brilliant career is more than likely coming to an end. I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on Serena winning a 24th Slam? Well kids, it’s time to circle the wagons, put out the fire and call in the dogs -until next time, whenever that is, was or could be, Keep Your Eye on the Ball and Don’t Forget the Sunscreen...

CB cbell1360@aol.com craigbell@benttreecc.org 214-762-8600 (cell\text)

Hope you can join us at the

2022 USPTA WORLD CONFERENCE!

8003 Greenslope Dr. Austin, TX 78759 512-848-0598

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