USPTA Southern Standard November 2020

USPTA Southern Division: Where Excellence is STANDARD

The USPTA Southern Division

Volume 21 Issue 2: November 2020

INSIDE: 2020 Award Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 3 Business Conference and SO/FL May Conference. . . . pg 4-5 4 Fresh Social Ideas that work NOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 6 A Lifetime of Mentoring with Arnold Bradshaw. . . . . . pg 10

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Volume 21 Issue 2

President’s Message

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rnold Bradshaw has earned our 2020 USPTA Southern Mentor Award, and in this issue, there is a letter from one of his players concerning the impact Coach Bradshaw has had. Reflecting on my interactions with and observations of Coach Bradshaw, as well as my experience chairing the USPTA Career and Leader Mentoring Program, I have come to appreciate some things about mentoring.

What makes an outstanding mentor? If you had asked me this question a few years ago, my answer would have likely centered around the mentor’s knowledge of “how” to do something and an ability to explain it, whether it is how to play one’s best, run a tennis shop, manage a

DID YOU MISS OUT ON THE FREE DUES OFFER? This may be your lucky year.

You can still qualify for the offer provided by USTA and USPTA by fulfilling the requirements, but it will be for 2022.

The deadline is well past for the 2021 dues, but this is an incredible gesture to double back on the offer again. If you were close, use the rest of the year to finalize the requirements. They are listed in the graphic, and it is easy to check from the home page at uspta.org.

staff, etc. While Coach Bradshaw has a wealth of knowledge, and he excels in his ability to teach others, I have come to realize this isn’t the most important thing.

What about winning awards and championships? Coach Bradshaw has won numerous awards and championships, but again, this is not the most important thing.

So, what matters most? Kindness and genuine caring for others are required to be an exceptional mentor. Through many conversations with Coach Bradshaw, I have come to appreciate how much he cares about tennis, fel-

low teaching pros, and his current and past players. This is a quality that other outstanding mentors share. By showing genuine concern for others through kindness, listening, and encouragement, true mentors inspire mentees to put forth their best efforts and personally grow. More importantly, through their behavior, these mentors teach their mentees how to be exceptional individuals.

We are blessed to have Arnold and other mentors like him guide out players to be excellent in tennis, but more importantly, to be outstanding human beings.

CASE STUDY & TESTIMONIALS

On-Site Applications GEP Energy Solutions won my project after 5 years of research into upgrading our old lights here at North Hills Club. I vetted all the other vendors out there and I knew GEP had a superior product and a superior team from sales to install. GEP understood the quality that I demanded and that of my members and they absolutely delivered. My members enjoy playing at night so much more now and I get asked all the time where we got our lights from their guests of other clubs. They instantly notice the difference and ease of picking up the ball, whether it is a high overhead or a driven ball from one of my high-performance players, you can pick up the ball so well. The last and arguably most important aspect of GEP’s suite of service was their install. Our install was planned

for mid-April in the full swing of spring play and I knew I could not have courts down to put lights up. We had 176 lights to install and I was worried it would take 3 weeks and a lot of lost revenue due to courts being down. They got the job done in 5 days and we were able to work around each other like business as usual! I could not believe it. If you are in the market for LEDs at your club and you want the best the tennis lighting industry has to offer from sales to install, you need to go with GEP Energy Solutions. You will not be disappointed.

Shane Wells North Hills Club Director of Tennis

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2020 USPTA Southern Award Recipient C

ongratulations to our 2020 Award Recipients. Southern is extremely proud of the many accomplishments of this fine professionals, and it is with regret that we did not get to celebrate in person at the 2020 Southern Conference.

Not pictured, Southern Assistant Pro of the Year: Rocky Warner USPTA Manager of the Year: John Lofton

High School Coach of the Year: Glendale Zell

Teaching Professional Award: Kevin Caccia

Alan Henry Southern Pro of the Year: William Noblitt

College Coach of the Year: Keith Swindoll

USPTA Southern Mentor of the Year: Arnold Bradshaw

NEW MASTER PROFESSIONALS Bo Gard and Bill Riddle were conferred as Master Professionals this year. Another that we almost count as ours, Lane Evans also joined them. Welcome, and congratulations for this amazing achievement.

Fred Burdick USPTA Pride of the South: Jason Hazley

High Performance Coach of the Year: Jim Harp

U30 Pro of the Year: Lyndsey Kelly

Industry Excellence Award: Scott Hutchinson

2020 USPTA National Award to Kevin Theos Congratulations to our current President, Kevin Theos, on the special honor from National President Feisal Hassan. Kevin received the President’s Award, which goes to a person that has gone above and beyond in service to USPTA. Kevin has been the chairman and driving force of the Career & Mentoring Program. He has also been involved on Diversity & Inclusion, as well as Awards Committee. In addition, Kevin was the host for 12 direct interview web meetings early in the Covid shutdown.

USPTA SERVICE AWARD - 50 YEARS AS A MEMBER Amazing that these special professionals have been with us for 50+ years. Arnold Bradshaw, Ramsey Earnhart, Fritz Gildemeister, Walter Johnson, Dave Power and Bill Tym. Welcome to the 50 club to all of you.

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Volume 21 Issue Page 24

USPTA Southern/Florida Convention 6/3-6/6 MAKE PLANS NOW - This is a MUST attend event, and basically a World Conference for the Eastern side of the country (Las Vegas is the site for the World Conference in 2021). Many of us will be able to drive to Orlando for the conference, and hopefully some fun at Disney and surrounding entertainment.

DATE: June 3-6, main days are ThursdaySaturday SITE: Hyatt Grand Cypress located 1 mile from Disney property. Courts on property CONVENTION REGISTRATION: $250 we have a much higher rate due to the cost of hosting at a top level resort HOTEL COST: with resort fees and parking, $200/ night Visit www.usptasouthern.com to view an agenda from a previous conference. This site will be updated as we have new information

Virtual Business Conference February 2021 e will continue our Winter Business Conference series with a virtual offering. We have been able to learn from some of the top minds in the tennis and business world, and this will be no exception. In fact, we are able to gather a group of presenters that we would not be able to bring in to a live event.

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Rod Heckleman – Relationships Between Tennis and Fitness Programs

FEATURED SPEAKERS AND TENTATIVE TOPICS ARE: Ajay Pant– Learning vs. Teaching

Alan Cutler – Where Do You Want To Be in 5 Years

Jarrett Chirico – Connecting the Dots Through Racquet Sports: Monetizing and Using Pickleball to Grow Tennis Kim Bastable – A former collegiate NCAA All-American Gator tennis player and a 30+-year USPTA-certified tennis professional who has worked in tennis as a Division I college coach, high school coach, country club professional, league director and park program director. She is the current Director for the University of FL PTM Program.

Jarrett Chirico – is the Director of Racquets at Baltimore Country Club which is a top 50 Platinum club in the country. He played NCAA at the University of Virginia, and world team tennis for the Philadelphia

Candace Kaufman – Ultimate Marketing Your Tennis Programs Kim Bastable – A section of their Masters Program on Becoming A Racquets Director DATE: February 11th 1:30-5:00, and 12th 9:30-1:00 (all eastern times) REGISTRATION: $10 (not open yet)

Freedoms. He has directed the largest pickleball program in the country retaining over 1,000 people weekly. He is currently one of the best pickleball players in the world and the founder of clay court pickleball.

Alan Cutler – a USPTA and RPT Master Professional, and a Senior IT Management Consultant.

Alan holds two specialist degrees (High Performance and Computers).

He is a former USPTA National Board Vice President as well as a past president of the USPTA Southern California division. He has spoken at many of USPTA’s Division and World Conferences. In addition, he has had articles published in international, national and regional tennis magazines. Some of his previous honors

have included USPTA Industry Excellence Award, USPTA California Division Pro of the Year and the USPTA California Division Presidents award.

Rod Heckleman – His career started in 1966 when he began his fiveyear role as a teacher at John Gardiner’s Tennis Ranch in Carmel Valley, California. In 1976 he took over as head pro/tennis director at the Mt. Tam Racquet Club in Larkspur, California, and added the title and responsibilities of general manager in 1982. In 2010 he was awarded “Manager of the Year” for the USPTA NorCal Division and the “Manager of the Year” at the USPTA World Conference. He has written several books including, “Down Your Alley” in 1993, “Playing Into the Sun-

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PRO PLANS

By Rick Willett, USPTA GA ZOOMBIES This pandemic has created many virtual schools with online classes plus a lack of social interaction for junior players. The result has given rise to zoombies. They are on Zoom all day at home learning online. When they come to tennis, they aren’t focused, less responsive.

Why? Their brain is fatigued from information overload staying still in front of a computer 6-8 hours.

What is the remedy for pros? Recognize this zoombie factor requires patience, quick thinking, and real time creativity to find a common purpose. The following are suggested techniques and games that are generating positive results geared for a private lesson or semi-private lesson.

Games & Challengers for Your Players Purpose: Maintain proper balance and footwork when striking the ball without spilling water.

Action: Fill a 12 oz. cup with water. Feed each player a deep forehand or backhand to lob back while holding the cup of water in other hand. Stay in as long as no water spilled.

When it occurs, next player comes in.

Variation: Player B is on opposite side hitting lobs back to player A with goal of having a 6 or 8 ball rally.

In summary, parents are eager to have their kids interact, get exercise, and be active playing tennis.

Game: Cup Erupt

Game: Marathon Purpose: Increase endurance and recovery by hitting a high volume of various shots at the end of the lesson.

Action: Each player in single line striking 3 balls before rotating. This includes hitting wide and deep groundstrokes or drop shots without a pattern. Pro could feed up to 3 balls in a row to same spot. Each round of marathon is for a minute. 2 rounds.

Variation: Add volleys and overheads to the shot selection.

Games to 11 These are match play situations to add pressure and vary shot selection. Use for juniors or adults Passers/Approachers - Both players at baseline. Passer feeds first ball into service box, and approacher must hit approach and come in playing out point. Switch sides after 2 rounds. Points won on winners to 11.

Run Down Lob - 4 players. Side A on Baseline. Side B at net. Pro feeds lob over players who must run to baseline and lob it back. Play to 11.

Crossover - 4 on court. Side A has one player on baseline and one at net. Pro feeds ball over net person to person on baseline, so they have to cross over to other side just like in a match. Switch after 2 rallies playing to 11.

Feed in Play - 4 players on baseline. Pro feeds first ball. If any player’s ball lands inside service line, that side must come in. If not, lose 2 points. Play to 11.

1 ball - 4 players on baseline. 1 ball rally. Keep track how many shots per point. Accumulate points each rally. Play to 11.

3 in play - Scoring counts starting on 4th shot. Doubles rally. If short ball, team must come in. Play to 11.

Serve plus 1 - Doubles game. Each player serves 2 points playing out the point. To increase proficiency, serve and return must be in, and point starts to count on 3rd shot. Play to 11.

set” in 2013 and most recently, “250 Ways to Play Tennis.” He also produced the “Facility Manager’s Manual” and the “Business Handbook for Tennis Pros,” which is distributed by the TIA. Candace Kaufman – Joined the USTA North Carolina Tennis Staff in April of 2019 as the Director of Marketing. She has a degree in Marketing and Graphic Design from Appalachian State University and a Masters in Holistic Nutrition from her days developing products for a snack food

and natural body care company. Candace has worked for a variety of ad agencies and large companies over the years developing products and marketing brands. As a Brand Manager and Consumer Brand Strategist she has worked with a variety of companies over the years creating marketing promotions with Nascar, the NBA, MLB and WTA. Ajay Pant – As the National Tennis Director for Life Time, Pant oversees 28 Life Time tennis clubs and 300 coaches across the United States. Prior to joining Life Time, he was Senior Vice President Operations for the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC), in Maryland and JTCC satellite operations in Florida and Connecticut.

He was also the National Tennis Director for Tennis Corporation of America (TCA)/Midtown clubs.

Pant is one of 10 tennis pros who have been conferred as a Master Professional by both the PTR and USPTA. He served on the PTR Board of Directors, and as the two term Chair for the USTA National Ten and Under Committee. Tennis Industry magazine named Pant its Tennis Person of the Year for 2017 and he was the 2019 USPTA Alex Gordon Professional of the Year.

Game: Pick and Hit- fill a cup with post it notes of shots to hit.

Purpose: Adjust to each required shot, adapting quickly to changing scenarios.

Action: Each player picks out a post it for a running groundstroke or a volley required to hit. The other player feeds the ball to the hitter.

If the player hits it correctly, receives 5 points. If not, lose 3 points.

Reverse the process with the feeder becoming the hitter. Only the hitter can score points each turn. Game lasts 7 rounds.

Variation: the feeder calls the shot for hitter to make. 7 rounds.

Game: Sudden Death Serve Purpose: Timed, competitive serving game pressuring players to set up and serve.

Action: Player A in deuce court, and Player B in ad court. Each player has 2 minutes to serve balls in respective court keeping track of how many are in. Players change sides serving 2 minutes again. Play 2 out of 3 serving games.

Variation: cut serve time to 1 minute. Play 2 out of 3 games.

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Volume 21 Issue 2

The Social List These are from the One Good Idea Collection from 2009. See over 200 pages of ideas on socials, programming, teaching, management, stringing, and 15 other subjects. Visit usptasouthern.com for the direct link to the PDF book.

with names and winners. This is a great social during college football season and is full every year. Note: Make a determination on how to split skill levels. We use a combo rating of 6.5 and below, and then 7.0 and above.

IRON BOWL TENNIS SOCIAL Submitted by: Rhett Russell, Orange Beach, AL The Idea: Have each team wear their college football team’s colors. ex: Alabama – Crimson and White, Auburn – Orange and Blue. Since Rhett is in Alabama football country, he does Alabama vs Auburn. In other areas, it will be appropriate to wear your college colors.

Rules: Flip a coin to see who begins to serve and which team starts on the North or South side.

The server from each team must win 2 points in a row in order to declare a field goal (3 points)-3 in a row or touchdown (6 points)-4 points in a row and if necessary an extra point (1 point)-5 points in a row. If the server loses at anytime, then it results in a turnover---the other team gets to serve (follow the order who serves). Play and finish until whistle is blown.

Play 25 minute rounds 4 times. Half time is after 2 quarters where the people socialize (eat and drink). Everyone brings a dish, tennis balls, or drink.

Keep a plaque with the annual Iron Bowl winner in the trophy case. Take pictures of each team before the event and send to the press

MIX IT UP MIXERS FOR A FUN TIME!!

Submitted by: Ken DeHart, San Jose, Ca The Idea: Running out of ideas for your social mixers? Use the same format but with: 1. Foam Balls – the balls stay in play and the big hitters can’t dominate play.

2. Low Compression Balls – once again, the big hitters can’t dominate as much and the points last longer so everyone has more fun.

3. Tail Balls – not only are they difficult to put away, they make a noise as the go through the air and the visual of the tail ball is awesome.

4. Altered Scoring – 1 serve only, all 4 players must start on the baseline, ball cannot touch the ground after the serve, under hand serves only, must lob the return of serve on every point or play Australian formation only.

These are simple ways to Mix up your Mixer and create a fun atmosphere.

PRIZES AT TENNIS SOCIALS Submitted by: Chuck Gill, West Palm Beach, FL The Idea: We used to have a problem with players getting too serious at our tennis socials, which are really just ways for players to meet each other,

The “Other” Socially Distant Tennis

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ow many of us thought or even said the word “socially distant” before 2020?

Probably none of us, but now it is constant and for good reasons since no one wants to get “The Rona”. Tennis is a socially distant sport, which is one of the reasons many of us have found ourselves busy on the courts even during the worldwide pandemic.

I am not going to hit you with more about why tennis is a great sport during CORONA season, but more about how we have become somewhat “socially distant” from social tennis and how we may find our way back. The typical tennis social at our club or facility has lost its luster or finds itself somewhat stale. Gone are the days when the pro sets a window of time aside on a Friday night and says “Just show up and Play”. Why you ask? Well as we discussed in a recent USPTA Lunch and Learn meeting in Nashville, “that’s not how we do it anymore”.

Some suggested the pro needs to know how many people they will have to plan better and

greet new members, meet their neighbors, etc.

When we used high scores for prizes, it took away from the “social’ aspect of the game.

Now I “semi-jokingly” tell all of the players that if they play well with each other, at the end of the event, they will be entered into a drawing for gift certificates, which will be raffled off.

At the end of the event, just before the BBQ, I gather the group and thank them for their participation. I list every player with a number (which is totally at random) and ask another member, (usually my committee chair) to “pick a number between 1-52” (or whatever the number of players)...

They pick #29 (or whatever) and then #29 gets their certificate, and THEY (#29) get to pick the next number. It proceeds until all of the certificates are gone. Usually someone will pick a spouse or a neighbor or a friend, or on occasion a jerk that they really don’t like...at any rate it is a great way to ad-lib some great one-liners, get a few laughs, etc. It also keeps the emphasis on fun and social and keeps the players from getting too serious during play. Have a trustworthy participant or staff member around to look over the list and verify that you are not cheating. When the first 3 numbers drawn are the members who take the most lessons...YOU WILL BE TOAST!!!!!

I typically give away 6-8 $25 certificates per event, which can be used for shop purchases or applied toward clinics and lessons.

By Bill Riddle

to know the income for that window of time.

I am not going to agree or disagree on those statements, but we only need look at pickleball to see that model happens weekly and mind you, without the presence of a “pro”.

Consider a couple of “other” options for your tennis socials with the first being the “Play Day”. Simple, straight forward and to the point from above… just show up and PLAY. My club offers this at least once per quarter usually on a Thursday night when we do not have other activities at the club or locally. We set aside 6-8pm on designated courts and the fee is $10 per person. Requirements are that you can serve and keep score. Turnover is quick with 5 to 7 no ad games total. I control pairings based on play that night, which means I keep the pairings as equal in skill level and personality as possible. Everyone knows the goal for the night is to PLAY as much tennis and enjoy the time. Flexibility, quick thinking and no pressure are key elements to the success of the Play

Day, but guaranteed set income may not be something you can count on.

The other social tennis event we have offered more recently is the “Shoot Out”. This is for our singles players (men, women and children) who are looking for or need more matches. The key is “low fee” with multiple, no ad short sets, played in a compass draw or round robin format. A player has the chance to play multiple players (3-4) in a small window of time, which is great if some of the skills are a bit lopsided. This has been great for our middle and high school tennis players to play some of the adults because it gives everyone much needed match play in a controlled quick environment.

Remember, socially distant is a good thing in some cases but being socially distant from new ideas, changes, or modifications to the way we operate is not so good. Look at other options to get and keep people playing tennis because that is the important thing we all should be working towards.

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USPTA Invited Guest

Overlooked and Forgotten Tennis Opportunities

By Bill Riddle – USPTA Master Professional

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ou have probably all heard and seen the news reports about college sports taking a “hit” due to the budget crunches since the world wide pandemic hit us back at the beginning of the year. I am sure many of you have paid close attention to the number of college tennis programs that have found themselves cut during these difficult times. As of this article there have been over 69 (men and women’s) college tennis teams cut, dropped or suspended over the last year with notable NCAA division 1 programs like Minnesota and recently Fresno State on that list. Additionally, reports show that the #1 dropped college sport since the 1990’s (including all sports) is Men’s Tennis.

Many of you may want to speculate the variety of reasons for men’s tennis to be at the top of this list. It could be a combination of many factors but the simple truth is there are many schools that are drastically looking and sometimes begging kids to come and play tennis at the collegiate level. There is a good chance that many of you reading this played college tennis at some level before you entered the business. There is an even better chance that you have or aspire to send your junior players in your program onto play college tennis.

My question to you is, how would it affect your tennis lessons, camps, tournaments or your “academy” program IF there are fewer and fewer college tennis teams or potentially no college tennis at all? All it takes is a conversation with almost any tennis parents or club

pro to know the goal for little “Johnny or Sally” is to play “D1” college tennis, right?? Unfortunately, the tennis teams at the D1 and D2 level are at the top of the list of sports being dropped or cut. The other reality is that most college coaches at those levels or schools are first looking at international kids before they look at American kids. Just look at any D1 or D2 school tennis team roster on their website.

I challenge you to find more than 5 schools in the country that have more American players than foreign players on the roster.

The point I am working toward is that there is still the opportunity to play college tennis for our American juniors, but we need to look at all of the options. Some of you may have played college tennis at the NAIA level and

know the real truth about tennis at that division. There is really good tennis at that level and as current NAIA college tennis coach, I can tell you there are lots of opportunities to play. Here are some stats to consider: • 250 NAIA schools • $800 million in scholarships • 21 Conferences • 77,000 student athletes * source: NAIA website Often we (club teaching pros) miss the mark in educating our players and parents about all of the opportunities that are available at the college level. We also are not connected with the NAIA schools and college teams that are options for our junior players.

Keep in mind, the recruiting budget for NAIA tennis teams is almost nonexistent, and to be fair many of the coaches at these schools are not connected to USPTA pros. The opportunity for your players to play and compete at the NAIA college level are available and there is both athletic and academic scholarships available. I encourage those of you that coach junior players to explore and educate yourself on all of the options and opportunities that are out there. You will be surprised at what is available both from a play and scholarship opportunity with an NAIA tennis team for your junior players.

Bill is in his fourth stint as a college coach at Martin Methodist College. He has coached 6 AllAmerican players and numerous with national singles and doubles rankings

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s w e N e t a t S Alabama

The Alabama State Workshop featuring Bill Patton, David Smith and Chuck Tomlin will be held November 14th at Greystone Country Club from 9:00am-4:00pm.

Looking Ahead to the spring with Jack Broudy The Swing. Play Natural, Effortless, Powerful Tennis ...Today! Learn the true secrets of the natural athlete and transform your game. Sponsored by Inverness Country Club for Spring 2021.Check out theswingtennis.com

Georgia

USPTA Georgia is excited to announce our plan for the Winter Workshop. This workshop will be unlike any other and held virtually. Mark McMahon is the owner of McMahon 10S, a top search firm for our industry. Please continue to monitor the USPTA Georgia Facebook page for continued updates on times and costs. There are spots for 50 attendees for this program and the cost is $25. The topic is A Strategic Plan For Your Professional Development.

Friday December 4 includes Introduction – Why Plan Your Professional Development, Five Steps to Creating a Professional Development Plan, and Your Personal Professional Development Questionnaire Friday December 11 includes Discovering What You Want, Assessing What You Have, Planning What You Need, Deciding What You Will Pursue, Acting on What You Desire, and Finalizing your 2021 Professional Development Plan.

Details to register and additional info coming soon.

Louisiana

Greetings from the 2020 Hurricane Capital of the World. Lake Charles leads the league with 2 major hurricanes back to back. Not to be left out of the competition, the New Orleans area came through with a lot of damage from the most recent storm. All of these storms have done damage throughout Louisiana including the northern part of the state. We are all trying to get our facilities up and running and make a living. There were several area social gathering scheduled, but they have taken a back seat to our current situations. The members who have been able to stay in business have been very willing to hire pros from the Lake Charles area, which will be out for an extended period of time. If anyone wonders why they should be a USPTA member just go through a disaster and you will see how much help and generosity come from your fellow professionals. Good luck to everyone.

Mississippi

It has been a busy Fall on the courts for the Pros in Mississippi.

Several teaching Pros have reported an increase in player participation at their facilities and clubs. We saw an increase in demand for beginner and intro lessons in both adults and youth. I hope the trend continues.

Our industry certainly needs the resurgence of players to grow. Some of our Pros partnered with USTA MS and hosted multiple Tennis Apprentice sessions. This has helped grow tennis in Southaven and Columbus very successfully.

Unfortunately, we have also had an increase in Hurricanes making landfall on the coast this year. Our Pros on the coast are currently dealing with storm damage from the most recent storm, Zeta. I hope everyone will recover and be fully operational in the very near future.

On behalf of our MS Chapter, I would like to congratulate Bo Gard

Volume 21 Issue 2

on becoming a USPTA Master Professional. Bo was MS Chapter president for 8 years. During that time, he greatly increased attendance of our annual Pros Workshop. Bo has been a USPTA Member for 14 years.

Lastly, the in-person State Pro Workshop for 2021 has been canceled. Our event is usually hosted by USTA Mississippi in conjunction with the USTA Annual State Meeting. They have decided to host a virtual meeting in 2021. The plan for 2021 is now to host two or three regional workshops, most likely in summer. Those will be shorter in duration than our normal one-day event. Dates will be determined soon.

North Carolina

Well my fellow pros, with the long summer days behind it is a time to reflect on the uptick in our teaching and programming business from COVID -19. Many feel that our business will continue thru the winter.

Winter is a good time to look for more education and build your skills for 2021. If you have not looked into it, get your pickleball certification and continuing education videos on some areas that are of interest to you. Pickleball is a fast growing market that needs pros to drive lessons, clinics and programming. If you need any assistance in this area, please do not hesitate to contact me. I even ran pickleball on only clay courts!

I want to send out some props to a pro that made the most of a difficult situation due to Covid. Mark Troutman from Winston Salem normally hosts the Buddy Up tennis event to benefit Forsyth County Mental Health. Since there was no tennis could be played, an online One Team for mental Health was formed to raise money and the results were impressive. Highest numbers ever! Great job Mark!

Pros, look out for a possible fraudulent solicitation that a couple of NC pros have experienced. The pros received text messages looking for lessons and want to pay thru credit card. No accounts were given out, but clearly the perpetrator wanted account info. Finally, I look forward to the day when we can gather and celebrate, educate and have some fun at a meeting or convention. Have a great winter form NC.

South Carolina

There is no big news in South Carolina. Our SC clubs remain open and everyone is busy, but league play has not resumed in most areas.

Tennessee

Happy Fall. In speaking with a number of you over the past months the biggest thing I am hearing is that a lot of tennis is going on in Tennessee. Many of you never slowed down. Some have even put in more hours on the court helping people improve their games, train, or just get some healthy exercise.

As things are getting back to what is being called our “new normal”, tennis has been deemed a “safer” sport to participate in. Camps, JTT, adult league and junior tournaments have been increasing in number since mid-June.

We do have a for sure lunch and learn hosted by Bill Riddle, Thursday, November 5, 12:30-2:00 at the Richland Country Club, Nashville.

Lunch will be provided for all USPTA member who attend. Be looking for additional lunch and learn opportunities to be announced in Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Johnson City.

Regardless of all the craziness all around us, one thing is for certain: people need and want healthy activity. Many rec team sports are still on hold. Tennis is a great option for a huge cross section of our population.

Let’s continue to grow the game together. Stay safe and stay healthy.

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Art of the Pitch and OUTSIDE the LINES Closing the Sale Tim Bainton President & CEO at Blue Chip Sports Management. Blue Chip Sports has optimized/managed over 30 facilities Without sales there is no investment. Some fitness entrepreneurs and coaches seem to have it all figured out. Their business is thriving, their book of business is packed, and the community is buzzing about their talent and expertise. It’s not necessarily because they really are the best in the world at what they do. There are probably thousands of wonderfully talented and highly experienced fitness pros who could help clients just as well as these fully-booked superstars.

And yet those thousands of pros don’t have packed schedules and swelling bank accounts.

What gives?

The difference is all in the pitch.

Always be pitching At a fundamental level, a “pitch” is just an effort to close a deal. It could be a pitch to investors, where the deal is more funding for the business. Most often, a pitch is a prelude to a sale, and a great pitch can dramatically improve your chances of closing a sale. The definition of a great sales pitch has changed over time as buying preferences and consumer tastes have evolved, but many elements of great pitches have remained consistent for decades or centuries. Some people respond well to data and factual arguments, but the majority of your audience is likely to respond most strongly to emotional appeals. To pitch them on your service or company, you have to find the right emotional touchpoints that can compel them to act. Why should they pay for your services or invest in your business? What’s the downside to their inaction — that is, what will they miss out on if they don’t use your services or invest in you? A successful pitch finds answers to these questions, even if the prospect isn’t looking for those answers on their own.

Know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em

There might be any number of answers to those two questions, but as you become more adept at pitching a particular audience, you’re likely to find common responses coming up time after time. This can help you better target your pitch and improve your delivery. As you gain a better understanding of your audience, you’ll be better able to correctly assess their emotional triggers, and you’ll also be better able to respond to common objections that are bound to arise during the pitching process.

One of the best ways to master your pitch is simply to practice pitching all the time. There’s an opportunity to pitch your services every time you meet someone new. After all, everyone could use better health, right? But there’s a fine line between a good pitch and an unwanted intrusion into a stranger’s day. Successful pitching requires more than an understanding of emotional triggers and how to address them. If you aren’t emotionally receptive and empathetic enough to read your audience’s emotions, you’ll have a far harder time closing them on your offer. Being emotionally receptive and empathetic are key traits for successful coaches and fitness trainers, so it’s undoubtedly important to develop these traits if you want to build a rewarding career in the fitness industry.

Frank Giampaolo Frank is an award winning coach, popular international speaker, and sports researcher. He is the bestselling author of Championship Tennis (Human Kinetics Publishing), Raising Athletic Royalty, The Tennis Parent’s Bible (volume I & II) and The Mental Emotional Workbook Series.

Tim, my initial pitch is to give a future client something free & powerful. It’s a customized gift. It’s something they didn’t even know...they needed desperately to know. Then....I exchange contact into and wish them the best. 75% of the time they call me within a week for help. Is this a typical puppy dog close?

Peter Freeman Owner of Crunchtime Coaching, a major online tennis coaching entity that just completed their 4th Tennis Con with over 60 segments.

This may be uncomfortable to many people, but most offers are open ended. The more you can add urgency or scarcity to your offers, the better. At my last club, I would offer a free clinic, normally having 10 or more. I then make a special offer at the end of the clinic. First ask if they had a good time, and everyone did. The next ask was if they wanted to continue, and most/all did. Normally this class is $20/person. I can only take 6 for the next session. If you sign up tonight, it will come out to $14/lesson. This created both scarcity and urgency and provided a high rate of booked clinics.

The big part of all offers today, whether online or on the court, is FREE. Show people what is possible and what they can experience before they commit financially.

Jorge Capestany Owner of Tennisdrills.tv, the largest online drill resource, and now includes lessons plans, and The Lab. Tim Bainton is spot on with his assessment of how tennis coaches can be successful. It’s one thing to be great on the court, but perhaps even more important is your ability to sell yourself, your programs, and your club, so that you have the traffic flow to keep all your pro busy on the court.

Ken DeHart Author of numerous books and videos, a lifelong learner and educator, and a featured presenter around the world.

A successful pitch is to help the client realize they already have the answer and you can help them successfully apply it. Discover what experience a client has that you can relate your service or product to expedite their success.

Page 10

Volume 21 Issue 2

“Success Secrets”

Coach Arnold Bradshaw: Stories from a Lifetime of Mentoring An article from the Geneva Newspaper mid 90’s about Coach Bradshaw retiring ementos of Bradshaw’s 28 years as Geneva High School’s boy’s tennis team were on dis-play at the country club. After a social hour and fine meal, it was time to tend to business. First, Rick S announced the plans for adding to and re-furbishing the tennis courts in Arnie’s name. About $7,000 has already been collected for that purpose. Plans for the Geneva Area Tennis Expansion Fund include adding two new courts, repairing the four old ones and upgrading the fencing. lighting, bleachers, wind screens, nets and net posts.

Phil D, one of Bradshaw’s former players acted as master of ceremonies, took his turn at “roasting” Bradshaw and introduced Pete R, who passed the microphone from table to table in a session entitled “Fry the ’Shaw.” Most of the participants had difficulty finding anything to “fry” Bradshaw about, however.

Many of Bradshaw’s former players related incidents showing how Bradshaw taught them not only to play tennis, but how to live their lives. “He not only taught me how to win, he taught me how to lose,” said one of Bradshaw’s former players. “He teaches students lessons that they can use their entire life,” said another former player, Rob P. “There are so many things he’s taught me that I use in my life, my work and my family.”

Doug B mentioned the notes Bradshaw always left his players after matches, notes that included tips on how to play belter and be a better sportsman, notes that his players have kept over the years. One of the notes in his racket cover was affixed to B’s racket and read, “Please don’t kick me,” a reference to one of B’s ways of showing his displeasure. “I haven’t kicked a racket since,” B said.

M

A recent note from a former player to Coach Bradshaw. Names abbreviated for privacy. had dinner with KA, DS and BS last week to celebrate K’s 60th birthday and your name came up (names abbreviated for privacy) S and I were lamenting the fact that the GT Reunion got cancelled this summer because we were planning on attending. I was certainly looking forward to catching up with you and Coach K!

I

I was checking in with others and I know JM had told me he was coming as well as J Mc and several others.

I sure hope we can reschedule the event for next year and that we can again, all get together. That is one thing, among many that I learned from you, the strength that we have when we all come together. I think you know this, but I learned a great deal from you and the way you pulled a group together every season and created an atmosphere of family had an impact on me. I have been on many teams and I don’t want to take anything away from other coaches, but you were the first that talked to me like an adult when I was still a kid and you created a family atmosphere.

You expected things from me and held me accountable, but I always felt the love and respect went both ways. I know that you showed me the path to becoming a good man, husband and father. You were just an incredible role model and I have tried to shape myself into the type of man that you exemplified to us all.

I have built a small business with the structure that you showed me. No one person more important than the other and getting people to understand their individual role is critical to our success. We will exceed $15 million in sales this year and that is only happening because everyone on our team has buy-in, wants to be held accountable and more importantly, wants to win “the right way”. They actually get frustrated dealing with some of our supplier partners “because they just don’t seem to care as much as we do!” Sounds like A Tennis (just kidding; gotta take a shot at BW ha ha).

Speaking of BW, I ran into him a few years back and we had a great conversation. He talked about how he loved my era of players and how easy we were to coach in tennis and basketball. He said what a great rivalry we had in tennis. I looked at him like I was shocked and I joked with him, “A nail doesn’t really have a rivalry with a hammer does it?!?”

And then we both laughed and I told him how much we respected his school program and what a class act he was. I then reminded him that he was the man that started the name “Clean Vince” from Coach K’s Basketball

camp. He talked at length about how much fun those camps were.

I remember sitting with my Dad during his last days and reflecting on my days in G and we talked about you. He said, “I hope you realize how lucky you are that you had such good men as coaches in high school.” He went on and said something like, “As a father, knowing that you were spending a lot of time with Arnie Bradshaw and BK after school made my job a lot easier.” To answer his question; Yes I know how lucky I am to have spent so much time with you.

I believe you know how grateful I am for teaching me tennis, giving me my first racquet for like $10 so I could go to practice the next week and give tennis a try. I still have that magic wooden stick! Good ol’ Dunlop Maxply!!! But it is so much more than that, like our undefeated 7th grade basketball team when you made me your captain even though I was not the best player on the roster. You trusted me, I was 13 years old and you trusted me!!! And you taught me that I may be the most talented, but I could let others lead too.

I miss not seeing you more often and I hope we can all get together next year and celebrate the institution that you started and nourished for so many years...G EAGLES TENNIS! Coach, I love you like family and I think of you often.

You are one of a kind and as important in my life as my Dad was. I’m so grateful to have been touched, influenced and shaped by you and your impact on me has been so appreciated.

By the way - in 30 years of coaching he compiled a career record of 485-44 and a conference record of 346-4 from 1966-1993. Arnold Bradshaw lived the Leading with Love way.

Editors note: I was lucky enough to be a recipient of some of Coach Bradshaw’s special treatment. He gave me a hand written note at one of the past conferences, and it included a copy of a letter sent to Sports Illustrated, a sheet of quotes good for teaching, 2 sheets from the 1976 USPTA newsletter (and I have learned he keeps EVERYTHING), and a super special gift. Coach used Tennis Trading Cards as prizes for his players, and he gifted me a rare and old Roger Federer card. It listed his highest ranking as 6 in the world.

Thanks Coach

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Southern Spotlight William Noblitt, Providence Country Club Charlotte, NC Give a brief description of your tennis/other career: I grew up in Shelby, NC where I started playing tennis at the Cleveland Country Club.

Played soccer and tennis all growing up before focusing more on tennis through high school. Played college tennis at NC State University, where I was a 2 time First Team All ACC selection. Ended my career at NC State with the most singles and doubles wins in school history. Started as an assistant tennis professional at a club in Raleigh after college and have been in the industry ever since!

When did you start playing tennis? 5 yrs old

What are your hobbies? Spending time with my family and playing golf What is your favorite movie? Miracle Are you reading anything right now?

Listening to an audio book...”One Year After” What is your favorite sports team? NC State Wolfpack!!!

What other sports did you play? Soccer

Who is your favorite player of all time?

Rafael Nadal

What moved you to teach tennis? Always loved the game and wanted to be able to share my knowledge and passion with others.

What person would you most like to have lunch with? Tiger Woods

What is something people will be surprised to learn about you? Had a two hand backhand volley and extreme western forehand grip when I got to college.

What would you be doing if you were not in tennis? Real Estate

Lyndsey Kelly, Lafayette Junior & Adult Tennis, Lafayette, LA

Are you reading anything right now?

Where the Crawdads Sing

Give a brief description of your tennis/other career: I founded LJAT in March 2017 in a mission to grow accessible and sustainable public parks programs for junior and adults in Lafayette. I currently operate out of two public park facilities. I am a USPTA Professional and a Licensed Cardio Tennis Professional.

Who is your favorite player of all time? I have loved Nadal ever since I started playing. How cool is it he’s still dominating 16 years later?!

When did you start playing tennis? I started as a Freshman in high school (13yrs old) after a friend convinced me to help her start up a team. I believe we had 8 players on our entire high school team that first year.

What other sports did you play? Ski Racing, Figure Skating, Soccer, Softball What moved you to teach tennis? Wherever I have moved in the world, the local tennis community has always become an extension of my family. Introducing people to tennis and creating a safe and fun environment to learn and play is my primary motivation as a coach.

What is something people will be surprised to learn about you? I am originally from New Zealand, but was raised in Alaska for 12 years and ended up in Lafayette after a 30,000 mile road trip across the US. Nearly 5 years later I think it’s safe to say I chose a great spot!

What are your hobbies? I have two crazy dogs and a wonderful fiancé so any time I get to spend with them. I’ve also enjoyed getting into Pickleball and Volleyball this year.

If you had a “do over”, what one thing would you have done differently in your teaching career? Wearing more sunscreen and a bucket hat early on!

What person would you most like to have lunch with? I lost my mom in August of this year, so I would give anything to have lunch with her one more time. She was always such a massive supporter of mine and even when I started this journey with only a handful of juniors she believed in my vision to grow.

What would you be doing if you were not in tennis? My degree is in Environmental Science so I would probably be putting that to use.

If you had a “do over”, what one thing would you have done differently in your teaching career? Ask me again in 5 years! I’ve learned so much in my young career and am constantly looking for ways to improve, so any mistake I’ve made along the way has created opportunities to grow and learn which I wouldn’t change for anything. My main challenge is learning the art of balance between running a program, coaching, and personal life -- that is still a work in progress!

THE WHY BEHIND THE WHOA The secret innovation that makes Clash unequaled?

Its newly patent-protected, 3D Bending frame technology – the reason you’ve felt its difference and why it’s the world’s number one racket. Learm more at:

WILSON.COM/CLASH

Page 14

Volume 21 Issue 2

Tech Corner

The Best Free Software of 2020

By Eric Griffith Continued from last issue FILE VIEWERS AND CONVERTERS IrfanView IrfanView (pronounced ear-fan-view) has been the leader in file viewing for over two decades. Not only does it view multiple file types, it can convert them, batch process changes, even play media. Plug-ins and addons give it even more power.

XnView MP With an enhanced version that works across platforms, XnView MP actually has multiple uses, like batch file conversion and support for 500 image formats. It’s only free for private or educational use.

FastStone Image Viewer View, manage, and compare your images with this fast and intuitive freebie. It supports a slew of image formats, plus a ton of RAW image formats from specific digital camera manufacturers. It has companion apps for screenshots and photo resizing.

GRAPHICS AND IMAGING Adobe Photoshop Express When you don’t need the full strength of Photoshop, but still want Adobe in your arsenal, the low-end, consumer-oriented Express is there to help you with the basics of image editing. It’ll auto-fix a lot in your images, plus has photo filters and, of course, in-app purchases to extend functions. (Read our review of Photoshop Express for iPhone.)

GIMP The GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) remains a top pick for free image editing for good reason. It has all the high-end tools you could want for playing with graphics and, naturally, costs 100 percent less than Photoshop.

Pixlr X Pixlr X is a “next generation” web-based photo editor for making quick adjustments and

retouches to a photo when more advanced tools aren’t available. Every change is automatically saved and it also works directly with Dropbox.

MEDIA PLAYERS/CENTERS

grams for Windows all at once, like after you purchase a new PC? Don’t grab them all individually—visit Ninite to check off all the programs you want. Then download a custom installer that will place all the programs on the PC in one massive installation session.

VLC media player The premier way to watch just about any video, ever, no matter what the weird codec, VLC has features like auto-rotating smartphone videos taken at the wrong orientation, and resuming playback from where you stopped.

Seriously, VLC plays back anything on all desktop platforms, and guarantees it comes with no ads, tracking, or spyware.

Unchecky This doesn’t uninstall as much as it prevents installs. We’ve mentioned how you might be accidentally getting Windows software you don’t want when you install something you do. Unchecky ensures all the checkboxes in the installer programs are unchecked, and warns you if you may be getting a potentially unwanted program (PUP) or offer.

Kodi Kodi has become the open-source serious media center. Run the software in one place and stream all your media (you bring the content) to other devices. It’s all about content, so it’s the best option in many ways for a home media center.

VIDEO

Plex If you don’t know or care what a media server is—you just want to stream your videos and music collection around the house—Plex is probably for you. Install it on all your devices, point it at some media, and those audio and video files become available on everything.

Even remotely over the internet.

UNINSTALLERS AND INSTALLERS IObit Uninstaller This is the tool you need to get rid of stubborn programs, plug-ins, and toolbars on a Windows PC. It outpaces the competition by including a community-based suggestion feature, so the rest of the internet is helping you delete extraneous crud from the PC, too.

(Read our review of IObit Uninstaller Free, a PCMag Editors’ Choice.)

Ninite Ready to install a whole butt-load of pro-

Lightworks Pro-level video editing, with quality up to 4K? You can get it if you download Lightworks.

The free version limits output to 720p videos on Vimeo or YouTube, but has most of the same tools as the $25/month Pro version.

HandBrake No one would call HandBrake simple, but for power and comprehensiveness, it’s hard for any other video transcoder to compete.

Transcode means to convert; Handbrake will turn almost any video format into another video format. It’s free, open source, and has years of practice.

Blender Budding CGI animators of the world have free access to Blender, a magnificent open-source tool to do full 3D modeling of characters and worlds. It even features an integrated game engine.

Eric has been writing about tech for 28 years. He was on the founding staff of Windows Sources, FamilyPC, and Access Internet Magazine (all defunct, and it’s not his fault).

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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

USPTA Welcomes Our New Members Jimmie Collins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jackson, MS David Drew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta, GA Greg Howe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham, AL Jackson, Plyler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matthews, NC Beau Summersill . . . . . . . . . . . Wilmington, NC Richard Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jackson, MS

USPTA Certification Tests & Upgrades Nov, 8, Life Time Fitness Peachtree Corners GA Nov 15, Park Crossing Club Charlotte NC Dec 5/6, Atlanta Athletic Club Johns Creek GA Dec 6, Williamson County Indoor Sports Complex Brentwood TN

GEORGIA Bill Anderson banderson@capitalcityclub.org KENTUCKY Chuck Brown chuckb0489@msn.com LOUISIANA Bill Bryan billb1481@gmail.com MISSISSIPPI Emilia Viljoen stayplaytennis@gmail.com NORTH CAROLINA Fred Pfuhl hpfuhl@tollbrothers.com SOUTH CAROLINA Mike Pollard mpollard@wexfordplantation.com TENNESSEE Meg Bandy mbandy@mccallie.org

C

“Pivoting is not the end of the disruption process, but the beginning of the next leg of your journey.”

—Jay Samit “The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of all kinds.”

—Dalai Lama “Pivoting isn’t plan B; it’s part of the process.” ­—Jeff Goins “A problem is a chance for you to do your best.”

—Duke Ellington “Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want.”

—Jim Rohn

FAST FACTS Tennis Stars and Coaches Who Have Appeared in Movies or on Stage?

Bill Tilden was the first to appear on Broadway. He was great friends with Charlie Chaplin, but this did not stop him from having 3 flops on Broadway. Bill wrote and acted in all 3 of his Plays.

Althea Gibson was the first tennis star to hit the big screen. She was a big part of John Wayne and John Ford’s blockbuster movie “Horse Soldier”. Althea went from the big screen to the golf links to earn a living.

Vijay Amritraj was given a screen test between the second and third rounds of Wimbledon 1982 and landed more than just a cameo part in the James Bond movie “Octopussy.” He played other roles in movies produced in Bollywood. His Last movie appearance was in Star Trek IV but he made a handful of appearances on top TV shows in the US.

John McEnroe, who was once married to the movie star Tatum O’Neal, has appeared in six films, the last in Adam Sandler’s 2008 release “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” where he played himself.

Other notable players who have had time on the big screen; Ilie Nastase, Guillermo Vilas,Tom Gullikson, John Lloyd, Dennis Ralston, Ion Tiriac, and Leander Paes on the men’s side.

Notable women have been Maria Sharapova and Anna Kournikova. Rafael Nadal is the latest super star who appeared with Colombian rock star Shakira in her music video.

USPTA SOUTHERN DIVISION

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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.

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