Volume 22 Issue 2: April 2021
Spring
Conference May 10-13
INSIDE: Convention Agenda & Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 4-5 The Non-Tennis Social. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 6 How Ready Are You? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 7 Choices As a Female Coach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 11 Good Ideas from 2021 Business Conference. . . . . pg 14
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Volume 22 Issue 2
President’s Message
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pril 1st marked a new beginning for USPTA certification candidates who will enter our industry after meeting or exceeding the highest certification standards in the world. These adjustments are substantial, and the expectation is that new pros will enter our industry better prepared than ever to succeed, but industry changes also affect long-time pros. If you are active on social media, you may have noticed some new job titles that did not exist a few years ago. Titles such as Director of Racquet Sports, Director of Tennis and Pickleball, and Director of Tennis and Platform Tennis are becoming increasingly com-
mon and represent new expectations that clubs have for their directors. Fortunately, the USPTA is here to help you meet these emerging demands through individual certifications in Pickleball, Platform, and Padel. By taking advantage of these offerings, you can expand your skillset, increase your value to your club, and enhance your ability to secure new employment should you decide to make a change. You may never switch jobs, but by completing additional certifications you are guaranteed to learn something new and maybe even find new revenue streams. The choice is yours.
New Certification Pathway
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ur new pathway began on April 1st. This is the new process to become certified through our professional accreditation. Everyone will agree that this will help in producing tennis professionals that are prepared as they complete the process. The Instructor level becomes the apprentice position where a minimum of education is required. This may also be what a part-time, summer help, or interested person will use that desires to learn more, receive a level of certification, but is possibly not a career professional, or at least not interested in the full Professional certification.
Professional Certification
Tennis Instructor Certification
The USPTA Professional certification pathway takes approximately six to nine months to complete. The process requires handson work experience with guidance from a USPTA-approved mentor, 300 hours of online and/or in-person education and the completion of USTA Safe Play training and background check. The cost to become a Certified Professional includes a $399 one-time application fee. It also includes the prorated amount of the $299 annual membership dues. This includes all online courses and required in-person workshops.
The USPTA Tennis Instructor certification pathway consists of 16 hours of online educational modules, participation in a 2-day Tennis Essentials (TE-1) in-person workshop hosted by the USTA and the completion of USTA Safe Play training and background check. Total cost to become a Tennis Instructor is $199 which is the cost of the annual membership dues for Tennis Instructors.
Application Process 1. Complete USPTA Application 2. Pay Non-Refundable Application Fee 3. Pay USPTA Membership Dues (prorated based on application date)
Application Process 1. Complete USPTA Application 2. Pay USPTA Membership Dues (prorated based on application date) *There is a $25 USTA operational fee to attend any Teaching Essentials 1 courses. *There is an additional $14.95 fee to complete the required CPR training.
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“Success Secrets”
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rett Schwartz is a man of many skills. He has worked as a community club pro, country club director, college coach, author, and now as USTA Southern Board of Directors and general manager. Brett was a varsity letterman at LSU from 1983-1985. He coached collegiately as Assistant Men’s Coach at Tulane and LSU until he became Head Men’s and Women’s Coach at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. In 1997 he co-authored the book Competitive Tennis: Climbing the NTRP Ladder which was published in English and Russian. As Director of Tennis at the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club he coached 22 players that went on to play Divisions I or III tennis. He is a USPTA Master Professional and is currently the general manager at the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club, the oldest tennis club in America. As a USTA volunteer, Brett currently serves as USTA Southern Executive Vice President. He serves on national committees and has been a stalwart on the state, southern, and national level on multiple committees.
tant at a country club. From there I went to Topsl Beach and Racket Club.(ed. note - At age 27, Brett was probably the youngest director of tennis at a top 50 resort).I got into college coaching when I was called by Tulane to help them, and I loved it. Then Jerry Simmons retired at LSU, so I became Jeff Brown’s first assistant. We made the final four that year. After that, I got the head coaching job, men’s and women’s, at University Louisiana, Lafayette.
Did you ever consider playing on the tour?Well, I played some, sadly I only played two satellites.
Many people have the idea to write a book, but you have seen it to completion. How did you make it happen? My good friend Chris Dazet and I had the idea on a trip to Florida. We discussed the idea, and how instruction in Tennis Magazine was not tailored to the level of play. We collaborated to create the book. It was a lot of work with no guarantees, and it has not made us much money, but it was well worth the effort. There was research involved to prove to the publisher it was viable, and we did the work. It has sold over 7000 copies in the U.S. with over 3000 in Russia. I was able to see a copy at the Wimbledon Tennis Museum in the library which was a huge thrill.
Who were some top players that you competed against?In college, I played a lot of really famous players. I played against Rick Leach, Barry Moir, and Paul Annacone. I picked up the paper one day and had played against 13 people in the U.S. Openmain draw. So tell me, what was your first job in tennis?I just taught at a community club out in Metairie, Louisiana, that had some really good players. Donnie Leaycraft won the NCAA tournament. Tim Siegel was an all-American, made the round of 16 at the US Open doubles. I got into it and knew that I was naturally a coach. I coached an 8U basketball team when I was 12. OK, so you’ve had coaching in your blood forever. Did you start coaching college right after college? No, I taught as an assis-
What do you miss from college coaching? The thing I figured out when I went back into college coaching was that I missed competition since I wasn’t playing and competing. This was an outlet for me to compete as a coach. And what do you NOT miss about college coaching?Dealing with eighteen to twentytwo-year-olds, some of which don›t come from the same cultural backgrounds. Difficult to get everybody on the same page.
What attracted you to your current club, New Orleans Lawn & Tennis Club?When I left college coaching, I had 3 clubs that I targeted: Beau Chene, New Orleans Country Club, and NOLTC. Beau Chene opened up first, and I had directed a very solid program with a big junior component. A friend of mine from NOLTC con-
tacted me about their Director job, but I was not interested at the time. He persisted (thankfully), and after an interview, they made an offer I could not refuse. This was a big honor, and I was able to help grow the program. Evenings were vacant at the time. We quickly built a late afternoon/evening program, getting kids and parents involved. Offer some advice to those looking for their dream job:It is work. You don›t just come out of college to your dream job. You have to work your way up, gain experience. YOU HAVE TO GET THE EXPERIENCE BEFORE YOU GET THE CASH.I was a college coach making 12K a year at LSU. Tulane was only 6K a year. We wrote the book. Now I have shown the ability to work with juniors, and the book targeted ladies league players and showed the expertise. Add a master’s degree in business. None of these were high paying, but all paved the way to my current position. How does someone become involved in their association - USTA/USPTA?I would strongly recommend that all tennis pros be involved with their community and state associations. We have a special expertise that can be helpful on these boards. Just contact them and ask to help. What are a few things that have surprised you about being the GM?A lot of little things. When you become the GM you have a lot of labor/legal issues. As a tennis director, it is more parents, members, but not as much on the labor side. Being able to keep staff, and especially during the last year. Has F&B been difficult to manage?Fortunately, with my master’s degree, I understand how to problem solve. It is important to be aware of all the factors, get the data, analyze, and make decisions from there. With a lot of moving parts and turnover, it is a learning curve. To learn the business, I have worked every position except cook and bartender. I understand how it works, and this helps when hiring. What do you miss from being the director of tennis?The relationships with people. When you teach people. you become part of their lives. It is not the same at GM.
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Volume 22 Issue 2
Spring Virtual Convention Held May 10th – 13th Featuring flexible scheduling with lunch time and early evening time slots ALL TIMES LISTED ARE CST Cost is just $25 for USPTA members, $40 for non-members The first 50 to register will be mailed a special attendee gift 9.75 possible education credits (total of 15 needed in a 3-year period) REGISTER at www. usptasouthern.coachesclinic.com. You can also visit our web site at usptasouthern.com for the link and other info. This year we are using CoachTube as the registration platform and the daily online platform. Here are some of the features of CoachTube: • Easy registration and receipt sent to your email. • The platform will be Zoom, but it will be a push button connection. No need to input Zoom ID and passcode. • You have the option for daily, hourly, and starting now reminders. You can opt in or out. • Choose the presentations you plan to attend for the reminders. You can also return to the login/registration page to attend presentations that were not originally selected. • Miss a session? CoachTube is made for replays, and you will still receive credit for 14 days.
Monday May 10th, TIMES ARE CST
Wednesday May 12th, TIMES ARE CST
12:00-12:45 Dick Stockton - Past, Present, and Future of Tennis Join a chat with Tommy Wade and Dick Stockton on past accomplishments, and what the future looks like. It will be informative & entertaining.
12:00-12:45 Tami Matheny – Creating Confidence How to help instill confidence in your athletes
12:45-1:30 Devin Crotzer –Next Gen Tennis Finding ways to connect and motivate the next generation of your workforce and students 1:30-2:15 Mary Pat Faley – Adult Programming 2:15-3:00 Julio Godreau – Junior Development Pathways for 2021
Tuesday May 11th, TIMES ARE CST 7:00-7:45pm Michele Krause – InTENNSity Fitness for instructors who deliver live ball, cardio focused tennis, or boot camp style classes and want to improve delivery of those sessions, as well as those striving to be better overall tennis coaches 7:45-8:30pm Stephanie Lane & Rodney Grubbs – Closing the Gap with Pickleball and Tennis Show Me The Money: How to assure your teaching court will never be empty again 8:30-9:15pm USPTA Southern AWARDS
12:45-1:30 Allan Jensen – Diversity in Tennis the business case for diversity and inclusion, the importance of an inclusive climate, and resources for engaging diverse markets to USPTA Coaches 1:30-2:15 Rick Barrow – Growing the Business of Your Business Different types of clubs have different marketing goals, but every program starts with the need to answer 4 critical questions… 2:15-3:00 Sara Morse – Leadership & You A slice of the leadership academy emphasizing off court leadership skills
Thursday May 13th, TIMES ARE CST 7:00-7:45 General Membership Meeting 7:45-8:30pm Jenny & Taylor Dent – High Performance Drills “tailored” to Club Players 8:30-9:00pm USPTA “TRIVIA”
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Our Speakers
Rick Barrow
Devon Crotzer
Jenny Dent
Taylor Dent
Mary Pat Faley
Trish Faulkner
Julio Godreau
Rodney Grubb
Allan Jensen
Michele Krause
Stephanie Lane
Tami Metheny
Sara Morse
Bill Riddle
Dick Stockton
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Fit to Hit
Volume 22 Issue 2
The Journey
By Bill Riddle - USPTA Master Professional
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f you are reading this article and wondering what is this going to be about then guess what, I am wondering as well just where am I going as I write this. You may be reading along looking for information about the journey your players are on or may need to take so they are “Fit To Hit” but that’s not it. This article is not about the journey to better fitness for your players or your athletes but more importantly about your journey. Well, there are tons of quotes about fitness being a journey and one of the more famous quotes you have seen or read is “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” by Lao Tzu. Actually, the one that I seem to like the best maybe you never even heard. It goes, “It’s all about the journey not the outcome” by Carl Lewis. Why you ask? Well in this segment of Fit To Hit, I wanted to reflect just a little on my journey and maybe help to plant a seed for your journey. Those that know me or have seen my before and after photos in recent years would know I spent many years as a “before” model meaning I never met a cake, pie, sandwich, or hoagie roll that I didn’t like. Fitness was something that was expected from the players I
coached but not from me. As many of us do, I justified the bad eating and lack of fitness because I had a busy schedule teaching on court and who wants to go to the gym after running around hitting tennis balls all day, right? I didn’t have time and did it really matter since my main focus was teaching tennis. Now, I know what I’m about to say is true because I have talked with many of you over the years and yes, we have walked in the same shoes. Fitness isn’t about dropping a shirt or short size, although this is a great benefit. It’s not about a smaller number on the scale if you even dare get on the scale anymore. Fitness for many of us could mean just not hurting after a long day of teaching on court or maybe just having the energy to do something with our friends and family or more importantly for ourselves. Your journey’s first step could be just taking the few minutes to read this article and think about what better fitness would feel and look like to you. I got lucky and something clicked to help me understand that my fitness journey was about the process and not the outcome. For me, the outcome was dropping 60 pounds but more importantly just feeling
better physically and mentally. So now to the real “meat” of where I am going and what I want to get across. Here are 5 keys that may help you either start, get back on or continue the fitness journey you are on as a tennis teaching professional or tennis coach. 1. Schedule some active time for you before anything else which means lessons, work, and family. 2. Find a buddy, partner, or group that just simply motivates you or you like to be around working out. 3. Go at your pace but push yourself a little each time out of your comfort zone by mixing it up. 4. Try to get or do 1% better each day or at each workout 5. Enjoy the process because it’s “your time” and not a number on the scale. I hope this helps so enjoy your journey because this may have been your first step. A fitter, healthier and happier you will do more to help and benefit your students, players, members, staff, and family than you may know or realize. Remember, feed your body, feed your mind and always have fun!
The Social List Tennis Social But Not Just a Social By Tom Parkes, USPTA Elite Professional
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ennis players play nothing but tennis on the tennis courts. We play league tennis (USTA, ALTA, Day Leagues, and Interclub leagues) and social play. For my club’s last social before we shut down socials for the COVID Pandemic, I tried something different. No racket or paddle sports. The lineup was as follows: Cornhole, yes lawn darts, beer pong (a.k.a. drop and hit tennis balls into trash cans). Holly cow, I saw adults turn back into 10-year-olds. I put the boys against the girls. Not my idea but the girls. Each event had its own scoring.
• Cornhole – scoring is set. • Beer Pong tennis – Setup – 4 trash cans across the center baseline, 3 more cans in front of the 4, 2 cans in front of the 3 and 1 can in front of the 2. Scoring – I gave 10 points for the back 4, 5 points for the 3 can row, 3 points for the 2 cans and 2 points for the 1 can row. You had to hit from the opposite baseline and you got 5 balls for each round. • Lawn Dart – I followed the lawn dart scoring sheet. We kept each round to 20 mins with break
time to hydrate\eat and get to the next game. We had DJ and grill with burgers, chicken, and wings. We served sides of corn on the cob, potato salad, salad, and fruit. The DJ was one of the members’ sons. This event started at 6:00 pm and the events stopped at 8:30 pm. At 10:30 I had to boot them out and we still had 2/3rds of the participants playing the games. Sometimes it’s good to run just a social but not a tennis social. If you have any questions, please reach out to me. tparkes@pinevalleycountryclub.com
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Ready for the First Day
USPTA Invited Guest
By Kim Dillard, USPTA Master Professional
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hen I left my last Country Club job I hired the perfect replacement months before as my assistant. I took time to go over every possible detail so that this person could be successful from the start. What information would you need to know on day one of the job as the director of tennis, new to the area? With that in mind, I have put together an extensive package of information for my next replacement. The first thought was to put together all the keys with labels for the facility. The phone system has the directions under the phone, not that easy to understand. From the start of my job at the club I have taken before and after pictures of every project done. A notebook was assembled for the next Tennis Professional hired. The notebook was very detailed. The tennis chair was given their copy to report each month to the board on improvements. Included in the Tennis Professionals notebook is every possible detail about the facility, with pictures, to help the professional be successful. The location of each electrical box to the different areas, all the manuals (ball machine, water system, air conditioner, etc. in one drawer and labeled on the drawer. The book contains the locations of the main water
valve to the pro shop and the clay courts. There is information on how to turn on and off the main water valve, and valves to the courts and hoses. Included is how to keep the water pipes from freezing in the winter. There are pictures of the power switches to the court lights and timers, how to take down the nets, and other court maintenance items. Monthly reports of the budget are part of this important book. A section with phone numbers of vendors used for printing, T-shirts, lights, electrician, plumber, air-conditioning, sewer and emergency numbers, sewage, and court equipment, etc. There are key details needed to resurface the courts. How many tons per court, nails, and lines, and even how to work the spreader. I would not assume the next pro knows about the maintenance of clay courts. There is a flash drive in the top drawer that has all of our schedules, forms for lessons, stringing, and court reservations. The drive also has camps, yearly goals, assistant duties, socials, racquet demo forms, lesson sign-up sheets, and club website. There are stringing forms including the record of all the racquets strung. I put together all the junior and adult team information with vendors for team uniforms. Ladder rules are useful to understand
what has gone on in the past. There is a list of businesses we worked with. On the drive is each month’s tennis news. At each month’s board meeting reports include the number of players and guests for each month and any improvements done. The December Report had the yearly total. (You won’t believe the totals). Add in ball machine forms and current members, all the club tournament records, and I have tried every possible form of Club Championships and found out for our club the one day Round Robing worked best. In our shed, the tools are organized so that they are hung up and easy to find including our custom net cord tool we must use. Even the door is labeled where the tools go. I am sure you can put together information particular to your facility essential to know. I have learned that I can always be replaced so nothing is permanent. I work hard each day trying not to make major mistakes so the information I have put down will help any professional make the fewest key mistakes. Start now and give the next pro all the tools to do a great job ready for the first day. Kim Dillard is the Director of Tennis at Colonial Country Club, Thomasville, NC
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s w e N e t a t S Alabama
Jack Broudy will present Non-Linear Tennis Training at Inverness Country Club Tennis Center in Birmingham on May 1-2. This 2-day course is designed to to teach the Broudy Tennis System on the Core Fundamentals of Non-Linear Tennis using the training tools, drills, and lesson plans. The in-class agenda is designed for 8 hours on Saturday of teaching the instructors. USPTA members can attend the Saturday morning session for FREE and it will qualify for (4) hours of USPTA CEs. If you want to attend the Saturday afternoon session, you must become a member during the lunch hour.
Arkansas
After record cold temperatures and 10”-20” of snowfall in most of Arkansas in February, our pros and tournaments have thawed out and players are coming out to play tennis. USPTA pro Chip Stearns ran the Level 5 Polar Bear JR Classic in Little Rock in March. 270 kids from 12 states (5 different sections) participated. This was our state’s first opportunity at a higher level open junior tournament with the new system. It was the largest Polar Bear in almost 20 years. Congrats to Chip and all the players on this great event. Shout out to Chris Stuart, our USTA Southern TSR and fellow teaching pro who continues to serve Arkansas pros all over the state in many ways. Chris has helped me and my team stay in touch with what other pros are doing in different parts of the south and continues to support us with his passion and knowledge of growing tennis. The last USPTA certification exam that was scheduled in February at Burns Park in Little Rock was postponed due to weather.
Georgia
USPTA Georgia is very excited to see our state open up as vaccinations roll out. Tennis has been a great constant for many Georgians and we salute all our fellow tennis professionals for leading the way and enriching lives through the pandemic. We consider tennis professionals as community heroes for their commitment to keeping adults and kids active and engaged in physical and social activity. We appreciate your patience and diligence in becoming SafePlay compliant. SafePlay is a vital part of certification and a great educational tool to help keep our students safe. To be sure you’re SafePlay compliant and integrated with USPTA we recommend an email to membership@uspta.org. USPTA Georgia is also very excited to plan in-person workshops this summer. We are currently working with the Truist Atlanta Open to partner with them for our summer workshop in late July. The tournament is moving forward and we are happy to offer a great venue for our members to enjoy. We are looking for Georgia professionals to speak at the summer or winter workshops this year. All professionals are encouraged to submit a presentation outline with supporting materials to USPTA-GA President, Bill Anderson, at billanderson6976@gmail.com. Again, thank you for being heroes and enriching lives through this pandemic. We are grateful you are part of USPTA and we look forward to offering great educational opportunities soon!
Kentucky
In collaboration with USTA Kentucky, the first issue of Serving Court, a newsletter designed for Kentucky tennis facilities and teaching pros (non-certified and certified) was distributed in March. The issue communicated the pathway and value of professional certification, highlighted the 2020 growth in tennis participation as reported by the Physical Activity Council (PAC), and addressed the instructional utility of the USTA Net Generation Mobile App. The issue also invited participation in a USTA Southern Tennis Professionals Committee webinar, “Understanding the New Junior Tennis Pathway” (hosted March 30th), as well as drew attention to a comprehensive and regularly updated list of educational resources and opportunities maintained by the Committee. The first issue of a newsletter designed expressly for USPTA Pros in Kentucky is currently in development, and planning is underway for a workshop sometime this fall. Stay tuned!
Volume 22 Issue 2
Louisiana
Things are getting back to normal. Even Empress LaToya of New Orleans is starting to allow her subjects to go outside and play. A common problem we have is many clubs are looking for teaching staff. There are full time positions available and most facilities are looking for part time pros to help with summer programs. It’s hard to imagine that people wouldn’t be knocking down the doors to do this job. You get to wear shorts, baseball caps, and tennis shoes and tell people you are going to work. No calculus, or thermodynamics, just recess all day long. If anyone is looking for a job like that, this is the time to join us.
Mississippi
April has arrived and tennis activity is picking up across our state. The high school season is in full swing for both the public and private schools. Several of our chapter Pros are involved with high school tennis and everyone is happy to see a season being played as opposed to last year when everything was suspended due to COVID-19. Coach Nash’s Oxford Chargers and Coach Swindoll’s Lafayette County Cougars are both strong contenders for the State Team Titles in their respective classifications. Currently, Coach Buffington and the Jones College Bobcats are Nationally ranked #12 and #14 in Women’s and Men’s ITF JUCO rankings. The JC Women’s team also has a 45 consecutive match winning streak going and hopes to keep that streak alive. Coach Bo Petro and the Delta State Men’s team are also having an outstanding season so far. The dates for our summer virtual webinars are still undecided. We will send those dates out to all our chapter members soon.
North Carolina
As I start the second year of my 2-year term as the NC president, I look back at the resiliency of my fellow NC pros and how we have taken a negative situation in COVID and turned it into a positive one of personal and professional growth. Many of you have continued to learn virtually to make yourself more marketable and valuable to your facilities. Don’t forget to check out the Southern Virtual conference this May. As we look to return to some normalcy, we will have a NC Newsletter going out in May. Thank you to the pros that offered articles for the publication. If you want to contribute to future issues, please email me your ideas. Later this year in December, there will be hopefully an in-person NC Workshop. Look for details in the coming months. In the past couple of months, I have reached out to many of our USPTA pros that needed to update their Safe Play status. I have received a 90% completion rate to date. Check your site to ensure you are compliant. I hope to see many of you at a USPTA function in the coming year. Have a great Spring/Summer!
South Carolina
Mike Pollard will be stepping down as our USPTA SC President, due to having too many ongoing commitments for the remainder of this year. Still on board and moving up one position are President Dean Mays, 1st VP Craig Wells, and VP Tom Ruth. USPTA SC will be looking for a replacement on the board. Please reach out to Dean at deano959@bellsouth.net if interested. This is a great opportunity to help shape the remainder of the year.
Tennessee
Spring has sprung and tennis is in full swing all around the state. In Chattanooga, high school tennis has just begun and happily, most cancellations or rescheduled matches are due to weather. Adult leagues both local and USTA have started back and JTT spring leagues headed up by Amy Gibson, are taking sign-ups. Tournament play is still limited to only one or two sites sending the junior qualifying in June back to Murfreesboro. In Knoxville, several of the private clubs are hosting USTA junior tournaments, High school tennis is a staple, and league play is underway. Things are “so normal” it feels like not much is going on! In Murfreesboro and Nashville, NALTA is starting up and looking for teams in the 2.5-3.5 divisions. USTA leagues are also underway. Tri-Cities has both High School team tennis has a full slate of matches being played. Middle School JTT is coming together with potentially 9 teams participating, which is huge and deserving of a shout out to league coordinator Annette Clemons. Most of the private clubs are boasting a full tennis programming for their members and the communities they serve. On another note, long-time USPTA professional, Todd Smith, who both owned and operated the Bristol Racquet and Fitness Center, has recently retired. I am so happy to report all the good news and happenings in our state. I hope everyone is jumping into spring tennis with enthusiasm. See you at the courts.
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Southern Spotlight Takura Musungwa Tennis Arukat Academy Atlanta, GA Give a brief description of your tennis/other career: I have been playing and coaching tennis for over 30 years. I moved to London in 1998 for 2 years and Glasgow for another 2 years where I worked at the famous David Lloyds Academies before moving to the US. I›ve been still learning the trade since 1996. After 4 years of extensive research of tennis academies in Europe, mostly Germany, I started my own academy in 2011. I run an Academy out of Hudlow Tennis Center, just moved from Dunwoody Village Mill where I was for 10 years. I was the youngest national Coach for Zimbabwe when I took 12 of the country’s top juniors to a 1-month ITF training camp headquartered in South Africa. I am ITF (International Tennis Federation), Zimbabwean, German, and US certified When did you start playing tennis? I started playing tennis at age 12. Growing up in Zimbabwe the popular sports were soccer (football) rugby and cricket. I was a bit scrawny growing up and all the other sports required a bigger, more athletic body, and that was not the case with tennis. I liked that there is more strategy than the other sports, so I won a lot of matches against more technically sound players. I was that kid all my students hate playing now, an unorthodox scrappy player that got everything back. What other sports did you play? I loved basketball and still do, but with tennis as my major focus, I only got as far as pick up club basketball. I also started playing golf in Scotland, very sporadically, but over the last decade I have played more regularly. I love to play golf more than I do competitive tennis. What moved you to teach tennis? I knew I was going to be a tennis pro in 1993. I remember the moment like it was yesterday. It was midJune on the second Friday of the month (Winter in Zimbabwe) break time at school was almost over and the whole class was sunbathing waiting outside our next class, when this 14-year-old kid came running through waving his hands and screaming my name, “Takura! Takura! I did it he yelled «I aced him twice and I won the match» he exclaimed. “Thank you so much” and he rushed off to his class. I felt a concoction of feelings I have never felt before, 100 times better than any feeling I ever got for winning a match or game. Right then I knew I was going to be teaching tennis my whole life and I have never had any other job since.
Bob Wagstaff Coronado Tennis Center Hot Springs Village, AR Give a brief description of your tennis/other career:I Played high school tennis at Lake Elsinore High in California. I never played a junior tournament. Played for two years for Riverside City College in Ca. Played two years for Lewis Clark State in Idaho. Coached the Lewis Clark State Women’s team one year. Took my first job as a tennis professional in Hot Springs Village AR in 1985. Co-Director of junior development at Mid-Town Tennis in Rochester NY in 1986. Head Pro at Bally’s in Federal Way WA in 1988. Went back to Hot Spring Village in 1989 as junior coordinator. Coached Jr. Davis and Fed Cup for Arkansas in 94 & 95. Coached Zonals for Southern 92 to 95. Head Pro at Pine Bluff CC in Arkansas 1997. Went back to Hot Spring Village again as Head Pro from 2002 to the present. When did you start playing tennis?The high school coach encouraged me to try tennis at age fourteen as a freshman. Tennis quickly became my main passion. What other sports did you play?I played a lot of Little League Baseball as a boy. Also did a lot of water skiing and motor cross. What moved you to teach tennis?After playing tennis for Riverside City College for two years, I was bumming and playing tennis tournaments in the So. California beach area. One day while cradling a transmission in my hands to install, I realized that working on cars was not my dream. So, I decided to
What is something people will be surprised to learn about you? I love skiing. I don›t know if it›s the destinations more or the Après Ski that I enjoy. I have been to some amazing places. No black diamonds, I stay in my lane, just blues. I lived in Germany for 4 years so I can speak conversational Deutsche. What are your hobbies? Between tennis, golf, a bit of ski and basketball there isn›t any more time. I have been hooked on video editing and content creation for my Youtube Channel. Time is now down from 16 hours to create a 10-minute video to 5 hours. What is your favorite movie? So many!!! Most movies with Denzel, Samuel L Jackson, Al Pacino, Deniro, Will Smith.... but if you have to press me on it PULP FICTION comes to mind right now. Are you reading anything right now? I re-read the same 6 books, right now it›s Simon Sinek START WITH WHY What is your favorite sports team? Right now, Golden State Warriors, before that Lakers and Bulls. Yeah I know I do not have any allegiance to any team, it depends on the decade and which team has good players, coaches, and work ethic Who is your favorite player of all time? That›s easy #23 The G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan-His Airness, the original bald head and long shorts. Mr. tongue out while I dunk in your face, 6x NBA champ What person would you most like to have lunch with? Again a tough one, I could think of 10 easily. My perfect foursome on the golf course would be Michael Jordan, Will Smith, and of course Tiger. What would you be doing if you were not in tennis? Playing golf or teaching golf f you had a do-over what one thing would you have done differently in your teaching career? This might be the most cliché answer, and I hope it doesn’t sound too generic. I am where I am because of all the lessons I had to go through to get where I am. The tremendous success I have right now would not have been possible if my skin was not toughened throughout the process, I can stand so much more heat now and the success tastes sooo much sweeter now that I know what bitter tastes like. I wouldn’t change a single thing. get back to school and play out my tennis eligibility to become a tennis coach. What is something people will be surprised to learn about you?That I was an automotive mechanic. What are your hobbies?I love working out at the gym, but helping people with their tennis is my greatest joy. What is your favorite movie?The Rocky Series. Are you reading anything right now?Just finished “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy, reading again “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell. What is your favorite sports team?The Razorbacks. I like cheering the local teams and don’t really follow major team sports. Who is your favorite player of all time?Stan Smith is my inspiration and who I tried to emulate as a player, hit and run to the net. Any more today it’s difficult to hit and run past the baseline. What person would you most like to have lunch with?My beautiful wife. What would you be doing if you were not in tennis?I would be lost. If you had a «do-over», what one thing would you have done differently in your teaching career? As I near the end of my career and look back, I am grateful and realized how blessed my life has been. So, I’m glad how it all turned out and don’t really want it to end. Wouldn’t want a do-over.
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Volume 22 Issue 2
Try It Out
By Mark Schminke USPTA Elite Professional
The Radar Coach
I
t’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a genuinely fun product. At this point in my product review journey when I show up to a lesson with a new tool to test out my student automatically becomes silent, quickly questioning what type of torture they’re about to be subjected to. However, this was not the case with the new Radar Coach by OncourtOffcourt. My students went nuts over this radar gun which makes it an easy recommendation for all tennis pros. The Radar Coach is a compact machine that has a multitude of settings, allowing the user to tailor to their specific use. It has a very large screen that is easy to read in both daylight and darkness. It can say the read speed which is easily audible from across the court as well as switch between MPH and KPH. There is a unique feature on the Radar Coach which allows you to ignore any speeds under 25mph. This prevents the Radar Coach from detecting the racket
speed as opposed to the ball speed. It comes with a nice stand and a compact bag allowing for easy transport. I used mine not only to determine serve speed (obviously), but also groundstrokes, volleys, overheads, and even sprinting! While it’s cool to have a player see how fast they can crack a serve, I find the Radar Coach more valuable as a tool to show improvement through growth on all of the shots I listed. Players base their game improvement on match results and shot accuracy, but what about shot power? How do you know if the footwork you’ve been working on is increasing shot power? Yes, you can most likely see giant changes in power, say 20-30mph of additional speed, but what about 5mph, or even 10? The Radar Coach is essential for this measurement and has been invaluable to me over the past few weeks of testing. Bottom line is that the Radar Coach is a
simple and effective radar gun that has allowed me to increase lesson quality by eliminating the boredom of repetition through accuracy. No longer do my players have to hit 10 balls down the line. Now, they have to hit 10 balls down the line that are faster than 40mph otherwise they know their change of direction will be ineffective in a real match. This is a huge gamechanger for me for me as a coach and I know it will be for you too.
Foldable Yoga Mat
I
’ve finally succumbed to the “stay at home” forces that be and I’ve built a garage gym. Yea, yea, yea, I know what you’re already thinking, “Another guy building a gym in his garage because of Covid”, but you would be wrong! My 10-month old baby that doesn’t let me get out of the house without a whole bag prepping procedure on top of the 50/50 chance she will scream in the car since she isn’t the biggest fan of car rides is the reason for my home gym. An hour at the gym quickly turned into three hours after you add the time it takes to drop the baby at grandma’s house and the additional bag packing prior to leaving. Try carving a three-hour window into your day 5
days a week and you’ve got a recipe for getting fat right there. So, needless to say, I’ve been slowly procuring gym equipment for the past few months. I can go over all the equipment I’ve purchased over the next few magazine editions, but today I’d like to address one simple piece of equipment, my yoga mat. I lined the floor of my gym with horse stall mats (yes, horse stall mats) but that didn’t even come close to cutting it for support on ab exercises or any other motions on the floor. This is how I found myself interested in purchasing a yoga mat. Every yoga mat I’ve looked into was rolled up, causing it to never lay flat on the floor. The Foldable Yoga Mat by OncourtOffcourt used an incredibly simple folding design and applied it to a really high-quality material yoga mat.
The Foldable Yoga Mat works exactly how it should. It stays flat, giving you a very comfortable yet sturdy base to conduct any yoga or ab exercise you wish. The ability to fold the mat is not only beneficial for packing and unpacking with ease. I’ve found myself folding only a few portions for extra padding behind my head during certain exercises. This has been extremely nice when doing weighted ab exercises. If you have bad knees you can fold just one of the middle sections to give your knees double the cushion support underneath. There are two different textures on the mat allowing you to get more grip on one side if you need it. It’s also extremely lightweight without giving up stability or cushion. The Foldable Yoga Mat has been an essential part of my home gym over the past few weeks. The versatility has been a great feature for my neck and knees and the fact that it lays completely flat is very nice. Get yourself a nice yoga mat and your body will thank you! Stay tuned for more home gym product reviews since I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s working out from home.
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Ladies Vantage I am A Female Tennis Player – What Are My Career Choices? By Trish Faulkner USPTA Master Professional, USPTA Vice President
A
s someone who has been in the tennis world for a long time, I frequently get asked about my tennis career and how I got to be such a long-termer, involved in so many different areas. My answer has always included the same three things – being in the right place at the right time, not being afraid to try something new out of my comfort zone, and being around people who have taken the risks to achieve their own goals in the sport of tennis. The first thing you need to have is passion for the sport. If your goal is to have a career in tennis, then you will need to love the game and learn all you can about the sport. Find someone who has more experience, more knowledge, and the willingness to teach you all the aspects and nuances once you select tennis as your full-time job. One of the most satisfying jobs is of course as a certified USPTA professional. Even with this decision, you have many choices depending on your time commitment, job opportunities, location, your tennis experience, salary or pay arrangements, and opportunities to advance. Networking with other USPTA professionals is one sure way to hear about job openings and other opportunities. Checking the USPTA job posting website and making sure your resume is well done and current is also something you must consistently do if you are looking to move up or change your situation. Ask for a USPTA mentor, put the word out that you are looking to advance, or even for an entry level position. Our profession is a networking goldmine so make sure you use it. If you do not know where to turn, call the USPTA office and they will give you all the tools you need to put yourself in the job market. If you are a Director looking to move into a high-level position do not forget we have McMahon Director Search as a great option. I am sure you have all heard the phrase “being a great player doesn’t make you a great teacher”! That also applies to many
different options available in the sport of tennis. Being a great teacher does not make you a qualified Pro Shop Manager or buyer. However, if you like tennis and you have had some retail experience or if you simply have a good eye for fashion and colors then you might lean towards the retail side of the tennis world. A good Pro Shop Manager is hard to find and most of them can keep their position for many years. Or along these lines, you could be a company rep visiting all the stores selling them frames, or clothing lines. There are many opportunities both on and off the court -College or High School coach, working for a Sports Management Company, sports writer, or photographer. In our recent Women’s Empowerment Seminar Mary Carillo was asked how she got into broadcasting. She said she just happened to be playing at a tournament where one of the regular announcers got snowbound and as she had been chatting with the producer and was telling him all about the players in the tournament. He had no other viable option for that broadcast, so he asked Mary to step in and provide color for the match. The rest is history as Mary is one of the most recognizable female sports announcers on television today. She does the Olympics, dogs shows, skiing as well as tennis. She was the first to admit it had never occurred to her to be an announcer, but she was in the right place, fate intervened, and she took a giant step into the unknown and found she had a gift of the gab which she said she got from her family dinners. She said that tennis got her there in the first place. On that same call, Leslie Allen, former top ten circuit player, was asked how she decided what to do after she retired from the tour. She said she knew that she did not want to be an on-court coach, but she had a lot of experience in dealing with the business world due to her meeting CEOs at various Pro-am events she participated in. She said she felt extremely comfortable in that environment
and so she formed her own motivational coaching company working with businesspeople and athletes. Again, tennis took her to the place where she found her passion. Leslie said tennis taught her about life, and wins and losses, so she applies these lessons to help others. These are just a few examples of taking your passion and talent for tennis and using it to find a job you love. Usually, tennis professionals are looking to becoming a Tennis Director or Racquet Sports Director at a beautiful facility with lots of courts, members, and thriving activities. This is not for everyone as it is a 7 day a week responsibility with long hours and some difficult situations to deal with. However, it is also a perk that many long-time USPTA professionals find attractive. It is often an arrangement that allows you to teach a little, manage a lot and it gives you time to mentor others, train your staff and do a better job of running the facility. This position is not easily attained as you need experience in all areas to be a great Director at a large facility. We are involved in a great sport! Even during these trying last twelve months, tennis has been a safe place for many new and former players. Lesson revenue is up, equipment sales are up, and people who have not played in years are coming back to our sport. So many clubs are looking for certified professionals. Reach out, reach up, extend yourself as now is the time for all professionals, especially certified women professionals, to meet these needs.
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Volume 22 Issue 2
One Good Idea! From the 2021 Virtual Business Conference (videos on the USPTA Southern YouTube channel) Rod Heckleman – New Programming for Our New Opportunities Tennis has life after dying recently. Families are what we need to concentrate on. Tennis is on a renaissance like the 70s. The difference is we are seeing a lot of parents and kids out together. A new program they are doing is to teach the parent and child together. Now the kids have a practice partner and the parent members are more active in the facility programs. Customer satisfaction is not a goal; it is a standard. It is one of the great things in our industry that many of our pros are good at creating customer satisfaction. We are in a great position right now, and pros are better trained to handle the tennis surge than we were in the 70s. There are more pros, and generally much better trained. This is important to allow us to retain the many people that have come to tennis during the last year.
Kim Bastable – How To Gain An Advantage In Your Career We need to think differently, unlearn, reinvent, and rethink. Kim shared the idea of a casual meeting with doctors, lawyers, tennis pros, and more. Who is the essential worker? She said the tennis pro, who has been so instrumental in the health and mental health of so many people during the last year. Tennis has been a savior to many families serving as an essential, and sometimes the only activity. We must Wow them, or lose them. She shared a story of a nice hotel in California, but from the general look, nothing special. YET this hotel received higher satisfaction marks than the InterContinental or the Sheraton Grande. HOW?? Special experiences. Just one special thing that they do is a Popsicle Hotline, where a kid can hit the RED button phone, be greeted by POPSICLE HOTLINE, and be served by someone in white gloves and a silver tray. There is much more, but all simple. What can YOUR club do to create delight? This worked because it exceeded expectations of which they were not even aware. Alan Cutler – Where Do You Want To Be in 5 Years When deciding the future, consider the following items about yourself. Married or single. Children – ages now and in 5 years. Displacing your children has a big impact. Is my spouse working? What do you like to do in your spare time? Motivations. Money, Power – and this is a perception, Lifestyle and what is costs, Family & Friends (big motivation for Millennials), Free Time/Experiences (younger professionals more interested in time than money). What can you see yourself in 5 years? Dream big. NOW BIGGER.
Alan showed minimum qualifications for Head pro, Director, Senior Manager, GM, and Owner. He also spoke about how regions have different types of jobs and different requirements. Examples for California where many jobs are HOA based. Country Clubs are not as prevalent as the South region. It is important to start small, take 1 step at a time, and write down your goals. Review often as our surroundings and life change. START NOW.
Ajay Pant – Learning vs. Teaching Learning vs. Teaching is non-negotiable at Lifetime. If you do not implement the concept, then you are not continuing at Lifetime. Ajay showed a series of questions. Are you 1) Certified and what level 2) ITF certification 3) Master Pro, 4) College Player – what division, 5) Pro Tour 6) Coaching any top player 7) students playing college tennis. WHO CARES. It is not about you; it is about your student. If the student is not learning, you are not teaching. Real Learning takes time, is not a quick fix. A new habit/behavior must take place. Learning is done BY the learner, not TO the learner. Ajay was fortunate to be invited to a think tank with a group of 24 of the top coaches. The purpose was to determine commonalities amongst the group, but this was not obvious during the session. The #1 commonality was everyone was a LEARNER. Another interesting item was that 22 of the 24 did not consider themselves to be the experts. Learning Tips for Effective Instructors Set a friendly, open atmosphere. 2) Set an appropriate level of concern. 3) Set an appropriate level of difficulty. Jarrett Chirico – Connecting the Dots: Monetizing and Using Pickleball to Grow Tennis Important to think about trends. Jarrett was a top-ranked tennis player, so pickleball was not in his background. He has found pickleball helps in the growth of rackets throughout the club. In the past, tennis has been flat, pickleball and other racquet sports are growing double digits. In 2019, 50,000 new tennis players came from pickleball. Simply put, it is one racquet sport working to grow all racquet sports. Every leader needs to be an expert, and be passionate. The tennis boom in the 70s was fueled by a tremendous passion for tennis. We need to take risks. Nothing great ever comes from a comfort zone. Pickleball is the foundation for other racquet sports. Most people can play pickleball. At Jarrett’s club, they have seen 60% of the members come to experience pickleball that has not been to the racquets area in the past. Kids that learn, can now
come and play tennis, then play pickleball, extending the length of time spent at the club. Parents love this. Now the kids are active for 3+ hours instead of 1 or 2 hours. It is important to have a well-trained staff that can connect all racquet sports. It is important to have activity at your club, regardless of the racquet sport played. The industry is moving towards racquets professionals. Clubs cannot afford to hire multiple experts for each sport. It also becomes competitive when professionals are only trained in one sport. BCC has an 85% crossover rate. They had a 204% growth in 2020. We need to make space. Jarrett converted one of the club clay courts to 4 pickleball courts. This helped to 8U and 10U tennis program and allowed the pickleball program to blow up. This has created much more value for the members. These are the 3 tiers used to grow a program. 1) Open Play, 2) Professional Camps & Clinics, 3) Exhibition with Top Players. Open play is not about monetizing. Many pickleball players come 3-5 times a week, where tennis tends to be 1-3 times a week. Candace Kauffman – Marketing Beyond Programs Branding is what makes people loyal to your service and product. Your Product is playing tennis. Your Brand is a lifetime sport, played by all ages, abilities. It is a great way to stay fit and helps to stay both physically and mentally healthy. In fact, it has been a great stress reliever from Covid over the last year. Once you start a marketing plan, you need to ask the right questions. Who are current and potential players? Where do they live? Are we offering the right programs? You need to understand your audience. Example – if marketing to Baby Boomers (55-70), you will use a very different method than Gen X (40-55). Boomers want personal connection while Gen X are more tech connected. Millennials are a major growing segment, and this group will not respond to the traditional type of communication. Once your segment is determined, then you need to determine the method to connect. Twitter, Instagram, and TicToc for the younger groups. Use holidayinsights.com. It is a national calendar that will show you what is being celebrated on a chosen day. Great way to tie into a fun event. No matter what you do to market tennis, there are 3 key things. 1) Know your audience, 2) Use your knowledge of your audience to craft content, 3) Create emotional content. What will move them? All of this will take some homework to ensure your message will hit home.
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Southern Officers The “Standard” is the official newsletter for the Southern Division of the United States Professional Tennis Association.
President Kevin Theos theos@sta.usta.com 205-790-7256 1st Vice President Tom Parkes pvcctennis@gmail.com 910-233-4755 2nd Vice President Kaitlin Flaherty-Bisplinghoff kflaherty07@gmail.com 832-656-4472 Secretary/Treasurer Ken Andriano kandriano@theriverclub-ga.com 336-541-5876 Past President/Regional VP Todd Upchurch tupchurch1@gmail
Directors at Large Bill Riddle tennisun@aol.com 615-243-6698 Jason Hazley usptala@gmail.com 225-247-3028 Executive Director Pat Whitworth pat.whitworth@uspta.org 800-438-7782 (phone/fax) Head Tester Ron Gwyn rgwyn@haigpoint.com 843-341-8114 ALABAMA John Beaube jbeaube@green2grocer.com ARKANSAS patmalone67@gmail.com
You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. — Zig Ziglar If you buy things you do not need, soon you will have to see things you need. Warren Buffett If you cannot see where you are going, ask someone who has been there before. — J Loren Norris Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful...that’s what matters to me. — Steve Jobs Never depend on a single income. — Warren Buffett
GEORGIA Bill Anderson banderson@capitalcityclub.org KENTUCKY Tim McCollum mccollum@sta.usta.com 502-709-0021 LOUISIANA Bill Bryan billb1481@gmail.com MISSISSIPPI Emilia Viljoen stayplaytennis@gmail.com NORTH CAROLINA Fred Pfuhl usptanc1@gmail.com SOUTH CAROLINA Dean Mays deano959@bellsouth.net TENNESSEE Meg Bandy mbandy@mccallie.org
An anthropologist showed a game to the children of an African tribe. He placed a basket of delicious fruits near a tree trunk and told them: The first child to reach the tree will get the basket. When he gave them the start signal, he was surprised that they were walking together, holding hands until they reached the tree and shared the fruit! When he asked them why you did that when every one of you could get the basket only for him! They answered with astonishment: Ubuntu. “That is, how can one of us be happy while the rest are miserable?” Ubuntu in their civilization means: (I am because we are). That tribe knows the secret of happiness that has been lost in all societies that transcend them and which consider themselves civilized societies!!
FAST FACTS
Dubia Tennis Championship The Dubai Tennis Championships debuted at the Aviation Club in 1993 as an ATP 250 tournament. At the time there was no formal stadium, and the tournament was hosted on hardcourts surrounded by temporary scaffold seating to host a total of 3000 viewers across all courts. The inaugural ATP men’s tournament was won by Karel Nováček in 1993 who was ranked number 23 in the world at the time. The inaugural WTA women›s tournament debuted in 2001 as a Premier tournament and was won by Martina Hingis. Now Dubai is one of the premier events on both the women’s and men’s tour. In 1996 Dubai Tennis Championships upgraded its facilities with a newly erected Dubai Tennis Stadium at the Aviation Club. The construction of the Dubai Tennis Stadium also led to the development of various food & beverage entertainment locations in and around the stadium base, like the Irish and Century Villages. In 2012, a 293-bedroom hotel was constructed on-site that hosts many of the players and officials during the 2-week event. Roger Federer & Justine Henin have each won the tournament 4 times between 2003 and 2007. In 2005, the Dubai Tennis Championships implemented equal prize money policy[2] becoming the third professional tennis event to do so after the US Open and Australian Open.
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The Standard is published every 60 days by the Southern Division of the United States Professional Tennis Association. The opinions expressed in The Standard are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Standard, the USPTA or Southern Division. Copyright© The Standard/United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of the newsletter is not permitted without the written permission from the USPTA Southern Division. Advertising information: All ads must be camera ready and in color, if possible. Prices are per issue. Full Page........ $400 Half Page........ $275 1/4 Page......... $140
ULTIMATE CONTROL Nike Zoom Vapor X for Men and Women.
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