USPTA Southern Standard - Feb 2020

USPTA Southern Division: Where Excellence is STANDARD

The USPTA Southern Division

Volume 21 Issue 1: February 2020

INSIDE: Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 2 9 Execs share inspiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 4 Awards application now open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 6 Spotlight a veteran and a U30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 12 How I got started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 13

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Volume 21 Issue 1

President’s Message

T

ennis teaching professionals are blessed to play numerous roles in their work.

Coach, trainer, advisor, supervisor, shop manager, and numerous other roles provide pros with variety in their work and the chance to enhance the lives of those around them. While all these roles are important, the role of mentor is perhaps the most impactful and gratifying.

Tennis coaches have substantial influence.

By teaching players to play with integrity, be resilient and build confidence, coaches help players develop characteristics that will last a lifetime and go well beyond the confines of the

tennis court. Few players will ever compete at the highest levels of the game, but all players have the chance to develop themselves under the guidance from pros such as yourselves. Thank you for what you do.

In this and future issues we will feature articles from pros who have benefitted from the guidance and example of other pros.

If you would like to share your story, particu-

larly if you became a tennis coach because of your experience with another coach, please send your story to me at theos@sta.usta.com.

Further, we are adding a USPTA Southern Mentor award this year to recognize a pro who has helped develop individuals on and off the court. Consider nominating someone to be recognized for cultivating others.

Thanks again for all you do for tennis and for your players.

Conventions for 2020 and 2021 MARK THE 2021 Date & Location 6/2-6/6 Don’t forget. We will be joining forces with the FL Division in Orlando, at the beautiful Hyatt Cypress Garden. Dates are June 2-6. This is a perfect chance to bring the family and have an early summer getaway.

USPTA Southern Business Conference Ballantyne Country Club, Charlotte NC, February 28 A business oriented program that will suit any business person in the morning session, and specific to tennis professionals in the afternoon. Perfect for a current director, assistant, or any professional looking to improve and prepare for the next step Early registration price until February 14th. Visit usptasouthern. com for all info, agenda, hotel, and online registration link.

MORNING BUSINESS SECTION • 8:30 am- Tim Buwick - Make a Fantastic First…and Last(ing)…

Impression!

• 9:15 am- Katy Moran - The Unique You: How to Creatively Communicate and Connect your Story • 10:00-10:15 am- Coffee/Networking • 10:15am-Tom Daglis - The Art of Leadership- 4 Integral Parts • 11:00am-Mark McMahon - Give Yourself An Advantage In The Job Market and Be Happier In Your Career • 11:45-12:30 pm-Charles Harrington - CEO Parsons CorporationCreate a Transformative Vision and Execute to the Highest Level • 12:30-1:30 pm-Lunch/Networking AFTERNOON TENNIS SPECIFIC SECTION • 1:30-2:30 pm-Tom Daglis - Guerrilla Tennis Marketing • 2:30-3:30 pm- Mark McMahon - Director or Assistant Professional - Understanding Expectations • 3:30 pm- Conference end Questions & info to pat.whitworth@uspta.org 800-438-7782

USPTA Southern Conference May 14-16 Atlanta Athletic Club Johns Creek, GA We have a great lineup of speakers for this year’s Southern Conference.

• Legend and top 10 pro Dick Stockton • Tom Cascarano • AJ Pant • Tom Daglis • Greg Patton • Dr. Sophie Woorons 6 Veteran Pros share Successful League Programs & Drills in a 3 hour block Evan Enquist on wheelchair tennis These are just a few of our speakers. We look forward to seeing you May 14th -16th. We will have updates on more presenters over the next few months.

Summer & Fall Conference – Still TBD World Conference – New Orleans, Sep 21-25

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The Social List Doubles & Bubbles

By Tom Parkes, USPTA Elite Professional

T

his Social is an event that can be rebranded by using different names but at its base it’s about members, and any type of bubbly drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), and fun. This does not have to be a tennis event. As tennis pros we have all expanded into sports directors, so use any game or entertainment at your disposal.

Example of ones that I have run: French Open Bubbles: We have run this event as a French Open first weekend event on a Saturday morning serving drinks with Champagne and Perrier and running a mixed doubles round robin.

Mamma’s Night Off: In the summer this a great

Friday evening event for the ladies who have been keeping the kids entertained all week and need some mommy alone time. We have done everything from champagne, prosecco, sprite zero with fruit juice. The entertainment is part tennis part trivial pursuit.

Galentines: This is a spin on Valentines but ladies only. We give the ladies a small gift bag with a small heart shaped box of sweet tarts, a rose, and a small individual bottle of prosecco in it.

The beauty of this idea is it’s not mine. I found this branding idea at a recent USPTA Southern Conference. Make it a point to get to a workshop or conference soon!

One Good Idea!

Louis Cayer Serve from the best location, then move to optimal position. He likes his player to serve closer to the center in the deuce court, then move to position after the serve. Ad, serve and move to strength, which for many people will be the singles line. When you make the next shot a forehand, you have better vision of the entire court, in place of the backhand where you turn your back to the court.

3 second rule - Partner always first when the point ends.

From match charting of the top doubles players, many of the 2nd shots are directed at the down the line net player. The shot must be driven. If unsure, go cross court.

Volley drill - Louis had the net players sit in chairs. They were able to get back most of the shots that were hit hard, but struggled to reach balls with touch. Showcase why you do not cover angles vs. hard hitters - just camp out in the middle.

A player's job is to make the opponent play poorly. Force them to try low percentage due to position, to feel pressure from team net movement, and feel uncertain because of variation.

To make a habit will take volume. Use basket feeds, then drill, then cooperative play, then live play. This will provide enough reps to lock in a good habit.

David Benzel What do the people in each category have in common?

A OJ Simpson Roger Clemens Jose Canseco Marion Jones Lance Armstrong Michael Vick Mark McGwire Chad Johnson

B Sam Bradford Monica Seles Arthur Ashe Payne Stewart Grant Hill Tim Tebow Tony Dungy John Wooden

Were you always truthful?

Did you play fair?

Did you compete with honor?

Were you positive and constructive with team members?

Were you humble in victory?

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Volume 21 Issue 1

“Success Secrets” 9 Execs and Entrepreneurs Share the Inspirational Quotes that Changed their Lives for the Better Excerpt from Business Insider

I

nspirational quotes can be more than slogans on a Hallmark card. For high performers, they can be spiritual mantras, rallying cries, or guiding beacons. Leading entrepreneurs and advisors from The Oracles share the time-tested truisms that changed their lives.

1. ‘Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.’

Dean Graziosi, NYT-bestselling author, 16 years daily on TV; follow Dean onFacebook,YouTube, or Instagram: This quote speaks to the one trait all successful entrepreneurs share: the ability to pivot when things go wrong. High achievers don’t break their stride, even when failure is staring them right in the face; instead, they realize their setback only brings them one step closer to accomplishing their ultimate goal. All my best successes have come on the back of my greatest failures.

2. ‘Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.’

Barbara Corcoran, founder of The Corcoran Group, podcast host of Business Unusual, and Sharkon”Shark Tank”: When I read this quote many years ago, I’d spent too much energy resenting someone who’d rewarded my many years of generosity with betrayal. It was constantly on my mind, and I had a hard time getting over it. Then, I figured if Nelson Mandela [to whom this quote is commonly attributed] could spend 27 years in prison and not hate his enemies, I could do the same.

3. ‘Success is failure turned inside out.’

Dottie Herman, CEO of Douglas Elliman: I keep this anonymous quote framed on the wall in my office. It’s a daily reminder to embrace failure instead of fearing it. Success is the inverse of failure, not the lack of it. You succeed when you take on an obstacle, and you flip it. First, you have to embrace the obstacle, though.

Sadly, most people are plain afraid to fail, so they never leave their comfort zones or attempt something challenging. Other people get so stuck in their past mistakes that they can’t learn from them.

Failure is a tremendous teacher. It encourages better thinking and forces you to look back and ask, “What went wrong?” It also shapes you as a person; it makes you resilient. It educates you in ways success simply can’t.

4. ‘The secret of getting ahead is getting started.’

Sharran Srivatsaa, angel investor and CEO of Kingston Lane, a push-button technology execution platform for real estate;follow Sharran on Instagram: We’re living in a perpetual state of information overload. Be it the 14,000-plus advertising messages blitzed at us every day, or the

incessant dings of email and social media, our attention is in constant demand.

While simple, this quote reminds me to cut through the noise and do whatever it takes to begin the process of realizing my greatest goals. This could be as basic as whiteboarding an idea or running a sample Facebook ad to test a sales hypothesis.

There’s immense power in just getting started. I often counsel my team and the CEOs that I mentor with this phrase: “Action drives momentum, momentum drives results.” So the next time you feel stuck, push yourself to take the first step. The magic of momentum will work for you!

5. ‘You don’t know what you don’t know.’

Jason Hall, founder and CEO of Five Channels: This phrase seems overly simplistic, but when applied to business, it helps you to take greater risks and avoid false assumptions.

With marketing, there will always be new software, platforms, and trends that my team and I are not familiar with. We make it a priority to continually educate ourselves. For example, millennials currently make up 70% of all Snapchat users, so I forced myself to learn more about the platform to understand its marketing potential for our clients.

If you’ve settled into a comfort zone of knowledge, it’s time to broaden your horizons. When you accept the fact that “you don’t know what you don’t know,” you can attain the valuable information you didn’t even know you were missing.

6. ‘You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.’

Shaun Rawls, author, lifelong entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Rawls Consulting: This Jim Rohn quote has been game-changing for me. I was fortunate enough to hear Rohn speak for the first time at a live event in Atlanta during my early twenties. I was a young, budding real estate professional who wanted to strike it rich but didn’t quite know how.

This quote continues to be a reminder that success is always a reflection of the value you provide. Ultimately, you don’t get paid for the hour, or the job, or the project, or the deal. You get paid for the value you bring. If you want to earn more money, or you want your company to make more money — heck, if you want almost anything — all you have to do is provide enough value to get it!

7. ‘Relationships are leverage. If you give value to someone else first, you have leverage.’

Richard Blankenship, co-founder of ESP Gaming and Senior Vice President of Poker Central’s Business Development: This Gary Vaynerchuk quote has inspired

me to lead our companies to the next level by leveraging relationships.

When you’re the one to give first in a relationship, you quickly build rapport. One way to do this is to offer a sweetheart deal to an important prospect or strategic partner. Another is to connect people in your industry when there’s a mutually beneficial match. Your network will quickly take notice of your actions and word will spread to their networks, possibly leading to endless opportunities.

The key to this strategy lies in not expecting anything in return for the value you provide. I’ve done many more favors than I’ve received, but the favors that circle back end up being worth exponentially more than I ever imagined.

8. ‘Burn the ships.’

Gail Corder Fischer, Executive Vice Chairman of Fischer & Company, a leading global corporate real estate firm that provides consulting, brokerage and technology solutions: This saying dates back to 1519 when the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in Mexico. He brought with him 500 soldiers and, upon arrival, made history by destroying his ships. This sent a clear message to his men: There was no turning back. Two years later, he succeeded in his conquest of the Aztec empire. The idea behind “burn the ships” is the same as “succeed or die.”

Your outcome is always based on your level of commitment to achieve great things.

This doesn’t mean you can’t ever change course or decide that a current pursuit isn’t working. However, by leaving the ships in the harbor, your people will see that you’re not fully committed to the transition. If you’re not fully committed, why should they be? By removing any available path back to the previous way, your team will become as fully invested as you.

Look inside yourself and see where you’re struggling to commit. Is it because the ships are still in the harbor? Burn ‘em. Force commitment.

Watch what happens.

9. ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going.’

Nafisé Nina Hodjat, founder and managing attorney of The SLS Firm: This quote has been tremendously impactful for my clients and me. I meet most of my clients when they are going through the worst time of their lives. They’re either in jail or recently bailed out and facing criminal charges. As a criminal defense attorney, it’s my job not only to fight the charges, but to also walk with them through hell.

What I’ve come to know is that life is a full-contact, beautiful and brutal sport where nobody gets out alive. At the beginning of a crisis, it inevitably feels like there’s no way out. But if you can summon the energy to put one foot in front of the other, and keep going, eventually you will find a solution.

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The Written Word

By Jeff Ostrowski - GetAbstract Book Summaries

Improve Your Productivity in Just 10 Minutes a Day

T

he biggest accomplishments require years or even decades of hard work. But small adjustments can yield big results, too. We scoured the getAbstract library for ideas that can improve your productivity with small investments of time.

1. Practice power postures Your body language is the outer expression of what you’re feeling inside, writes Akash Karia in 7 Things Resilient People Do Differently. If you’re deflated or depressed, your slumped posture will project defeat. When you’re pleased or proud, your shoulders and head are held high.

By practicing what Karia calls power postures, you can improve your mood and mental outlook. In a power posture, you expand the physical space you occupy. Stand or sit straight with your shoulders back and your feet shoulder-width apart, and breathe deeply for two minutes.

This brief exercise won’t even take 10 minutes – but it will create measurable changes in your body. Your testosterone levels will spike by 20%, while your cortisol levels will fall by 25%. Testosterone, the hormone found in both genders, boosts confidence, and more of it will help you tackle a tough day.

Cortisol, on the other hand, is a stress hormone. This small habit of taking control of your body will help you feel calmer and more resilient, which in turn will help you improve your productivity.

2. Stop to sharpen the saw In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey recounts the tale of an

exhausted man who’s sawing a log with a dull tool. He’s so preoccupied with sawing that he sees no way to stop and sharpen the saw. In Covey’s telling, highly effective people take the time they need to sharpen their tools, which in a modern economy are their bodies and their minds Effective people take care of their bodies with a program of exercise that combines endurance, flexibility and strength.

As evidenced by the growing popularity of short, intense workouts, you need not spend long hours at a gym to make a difference. Exercise your brain, too. Turn off the minddulling television. Instead, read, do puzzles, tackle math problems or engage in some other stimulating activity to keep your mind alert, active and engaged.

3. Improve your productivity by figuring out what to focus on.

Too many hard-driving people mistake being busy with being productive. The most successful achievers know that the real key is focusing on a top priority, writes Kevin Kruse in 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management.

Kruse writes about the primacy of “most important tasks” – high-value activities that will pay the greatest dividends. Successful people focus on their most important tasks and make them a priority. Only

when that work is out of the way do they turn to lower-priority items.

You probably won’t complete your most important task in 10 minutes, but you certainly can invest 10 minutes in thinking about what’s on your schedule for the day and which item should get priority. This simple tip can quickly help you improve your productivity.

4. Ditch the to-do list. Use a calendar instead.

For many people, to-do lists are an exercise in futility, Kruse writes. Crossing off one item simply leads to more tasks on the list – which might be why 40% of tasks on to-do lists are never completed. Instead of writing a to-do list, take 10 minutes to arrange your calendar for the day. The very act of deciding what to put on your calendar is a type of prioritizing. Be ruthless about what deserves a spot in your schedule, and then stick to it.

Working from a calendar can reduce stress and help you focus on your most important task.

5. Get in touch with your emotions.

Before you can control your emotions, you first need to acknowledge them, Karia writes. Resilient people are aware of their emotions and accept responsibility for them. Take time to think about how you’re feeling and how you responded to a recent setback or stressful moment. A traffic jam might leave you feeling anxious and angry. While that’s normal, it’s also healthy to search for what Karia calls the “positive intentions” behind your negative emotions. The traffic jam, for instance, spurred anger because it delayed your schedule and interfered with your pursuit of your goals.

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Volume 21 Issue 1

USPTA Southern Awards Awards are for accomplishments from 2019. This year, awards will be accepted via online system along with supporting documentation. You can choose to self nominate (most common method), or to nominate someone else and have the committee connect for supporting information. The person must be a current member including all of 2019.

We have 2 new awards. First is the Mentor Award, which will recognize the USPTA professional that has inspired and had a big impact on current professionals or those joining.

Second the High Performance Coach, which will replace Touring Coach.

ALAN HENRY SOUTHERN PRO OF THE YEAR

Online Application and info at usptasouthern.com on the AWARDS tab

DEADLINE: March 5th Awards to be presented at the Awards Lunch during the Southern Convention at the Atlanta Athletic Club on Friday, May 15th.

Any questions should be directed to: Kaitlin Flaherty, kflaherty07@gmail.com

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

This award shall be presented for achieving excellence in performing the duties of a USPTA Tennis Professional.

Areas of achievement might include teaching and coaching, management and administration, competitive play, research and publication, and community service. Relevant criteria for this award would include contributions to national, regional and local tennis organizations and programs as an officer, director, founder, committee member, project leader, speaker, participant tand the like. Other criteria would be contributions as a teaching professional and coach in regard to innovative programming, notable students, continuing education, and player rankings.

This award shall be presented for excellence and achievement in competitive men’s and women’s play.

Relevant criteria for all above competitive men’s and women’s player’s awards should include results and rankings from ATP, USPTA National and Division, USTA, STA, and/or District.

Tournament record should be provided.

FRED BURDICK USPTA PRIDE OF THE SOUTH

This award shall be presented for achieving excellence in performing duties of an Assistant Tennis Professional.

Areas of achievement might include teaching and coaching, competitive play, research and publication, and community service. Relevant criteria for this award would include contributions to national, regional and local tennis organizations and programs as a committee member, project member, or an active participant. Other criteria would be contributions as a tennis professional and coach in regard to innovative programming, notable students, continuing education, and rankings.

This award is appointed by the awards committee and is not up for nomination.

MENTOR AWARD

This award recognizes a USPTA member who has, through their coaching and character, made an enduring and positive impact on those around them. While special consideration will be given to those who have inspired others to work in the tennis industry, what is most important is the ability to provide anecdotes and examples of how a coach influenced the lives and character of individuals. In that regard, providing information about individual player rankings is welcome but not necessary.

U30 PRO OF THE YEAR

This award shall be presented to the individual who has made an impact to the tennis industry. Relevant criteria should include contributions, notable accomplishments, and involvement in tennis activity throughout the state, the south, and nationally. This person should also be a member of the U30 team.

HIGH SCHOOL COACH, COLLEGE COACH, HIGH PERFORMANCE COACH ­­­

These three awards shall be presented for excellence in contributing to the notable accomplishments of your team(s) or student(s). Relevant criteria for this award would include competitive record, demonstrated improvement in skills and accomplishments, and other achievements and distinctions earned by your team(s) or player(s) in which the nominee is wholly or partly responsible, such as Scholar-Athlete and Sportsmanship Awards.

CHARITY EVENT OF THE YEAR

This award is given to the Professional that raises money for a charity. Please verify the event on the letterhead of the charity or with a newspaper clipping.

SOUTHERN ASSISTANT PRO OF THE YEAR

MANAGER OF THE YEAR

This award shall be presented to the club manager who has shown dedication to the USPTA and its members. Criteria may include USPTA membership, hiring and supporting USPTA members.

INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE

This award recognizes those USPTA-certified members who have done the most to promote tennis at the grassroots level and thereby increased player participation in the sport.

Entrepreneurial initiative also is an important criterion.

TEACHING PROFESSIONAL AWARD

This award is presented for having demonstrated excellence in teaching. Considerations include: use of the ROGY pathway for juniors and adults; consistent use of teaching aids such as ball machines, video analysis, as well as any other implements to help players grasp concepts; demonstrated ability to modify teaching styles based on the learning needs of students; and success in having inspired beginners of all ages to become lifelong tennis players.

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USPTA Invited Guest

Navigating Negative Actions Develop a Niche to Grow Your Tennis Business

By Tom Sweitzer – USPTA Master Professional

H

ave you ever played someone who consistently hooked you on line calls?

How about having dealt with a parent or coach who was helping to make line calls or who heckled you or your student during match play? No matter how much or how well you have been trained that positive thoughts bring positive results, the reality is that not everyone plays by the same rules or values.

Many are taught to win at all costs, both on and off the court. So it is up to you to be on the alert as to when an individual or organization crosses the line of fair play in their dealings with you. In business, this is called “caveat emptor,” which is a Latin term for “let the buyer beware” or simply “sold as is.”

Tennis is a great training ground for many of life’s struggles, especially how you will handle yourself in a difficult challenging confrontation of differences of opinion or interpretations of an issue. Do not go thru life with your eyes wide shut! There are people who will consciously be looking to take advantage of your good nature or lack of experience. Maybe they are jealous or dishonest, but for sure they are not your friend!

In the end, you are responsible for making the final decision as to determining that person’s true intentions.

Today it might be a line call, tomorrow it might be an insurance or investment salesperson who is “up selling” you something that is more to their benefit than to your best interest.

It is a complicated world and we all need to keep ourselves as informed as possible of the many aspects that affect our day to day lives so that we can make well informed decisions. It is difficult to believe that in today’s world, high

schools and colleges still do not offer adequate training on the many issues that we are faced with repeatedly during our lives such as insurance, investments, real estate and marriage and the family issues.

Instead we rely on others to advise us on these areas, which many times that same advisor profits from. Unless that person is highly recommended and or certified, you could be getting yourself some bad advice which you might pay dearly for, financially and emotionally for many years to come. Your responsibility is to be aware of and use your freedom of thought in judging what decisions are in your best interest as well as not negatively affecting others.

Negative actions by others may affect you in many ways despite the many laws in place to protect you from such issues as work place, racial, age and sexual discrimination. Proving these negative actions against you sometimes can be very costly in terms of financial and emotional costs. Many times the affected person decides to just move on, electing to get a clean start. Thus the perpetrator continues on their reign of terror, maybe even being promoted up the line of responsibility.

“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people whom are evil, but because of the people who do nothing about it”.

— Albert Einstein The following are some tips to recognize, combat and negate actions against you.

1. Do research on topics so you are able to make educated decisions.

2. Secure references on advisors you plan to do

business with.

3. Make sure your professional advisors are certified or licensed.

4. Don’t be afraid to negotiate in any financial dealing.

5. Make sure your peers do not take advantage of you.

6. Being good at what you do will not insulate you from evil. In fact being successful might put a bulls-eye on you because of jealousy.

7. Confront someone if you feel they are being unfair to you.

8. Be aware of the ethics of your position.

Always protect your integrity.

9. If you leave your job, who own your customers?

10. Do not step on others 11. Must you reimburse for training if you leave your job?

12. Pay attention to actions that cause red flags of your associates.

13. Limit your association with toxic people.

14. Be prepared to take the road less traveled to achieve your goals.

15. Find and associate with positive role models.

16. Be respectful of others as it is a small world.

17. If someone harms you, help other from falling into the same trap.

18. Keep your eyes wide open, Things are not always what they seem.

19. Listen to others advice, but make and own your own decisions.

20. Help others if you see they are being taken advantage of.

“May the forces of evil become confused on their way to your house”. ­— George Carlin

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Volume 21 Issue 1

State News Alabama

We kick off the new year by welcoming our new board members, President John Beaube, Stephanie Ginsburg, J.C. Freeman, Ben Bradshaw and honorary board member Arnold Bradshaw. Mr. Bradshaw has the distinction of over 50 years teaching and the amazingly low USPTA number of 468. In addition, we are proud to announce our new chairperson for our U30’s, Joey Francis. Our first U30 gettogether will be will February 13, 2020, in Birmingham, AL. Please contact Joey if you are interested in attending. Joey Francis - (205) 908-6227.

The Winter Workshop will be held on November 14, 2020 at the Mountain Brook YMCA. Thank you to USPTA Pro Pam Wildt for hosting. Our line-up will include David Smith and Bill Patton, as well as a demonstration of wheelchair tennis from Evan Enquist, Head Tennis Coach at the University of Alabama. David Smith is not only an accomplished tennis coach and mentor to thousands of young men and women, but he also is an accomplished author, with a number of best-selling books, including Tennis Mastery, Coaching Mastery and his newest work, High School Coaching Mastery. David will be giving a 3-hour lecture both indoor and on-court sharing over 75 drills, programming ideas, and an introduction to his Advanced Foundation Principles.

Bill Patton is a Maverick Leader. With the publication of The Athlete Centered Coach, he is working hard to influence sports culture globally. Bill has published 12 books, including The Art of Coaching High School Tennis, and Top 5 Strategies for Winning Tennis, and some call Visual Training for Tennis his best book. He is now featured on coachtube.com, with three different tennis courses.

We have a big year coming up for Alabama. I am proud to be your new USPTA President and ask that you reach out to me with any questions: John Beaube - 205-447-5465.

Arkansas

“Start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can.’’ Arthur Ashe. These are wise words from a great man that some of us tennis pros have turned into action. I am honored to serve as your new USPTA Arkansas President and starting a new decade of tennis. Barry Brady and Gail Nankervis will continue to serve on the board and both have told me they are ready to help us grow and make our organization important. Chris Stuart, who also serves as Southern TSR for USTA AR, will help our team with USTA Southern/USPTA AR pro relations.

I have just returned from the USTA/USPTA Southern annual meeting in Atlanta and had the opportunity to meet most of the other state USPTA presidents, USPTA board members, and many USTA Southern and National leaders.

From the new junior competitive structure, new technology, new USTA credentialing, educational events, conferences and more, we tennis pros must stay ahead of the game. We must work smarter and help one another with growing our business and growing the game. The average age of a USPTA pro is around 51 years. We plan to actively get involved with USPTA Southern in recruiting young players in high school, college, and coaches to join our ranks.

As materials are released, please share it with friends, players, and parents and most importantly high school coaches. We are putting together a strong USPTA Arkansas team that will uphold the mission and values of the USPTA and that will help illuminate the territory so you can be the best you can be.

Georgia

2019 was another exciting year for USPTA Georgia; the Winter Conference sold out at 95 participants and two great speakers brought down the house. We are dedicated to continually pushing ourselves to exceed the high bar set by Billy Uelze, Past President, in the last couple of years. With 90% of the past Board Members staying on we expect to continue our success with a July workshop during the BB&T Atlanta Open and another great Winter Workshop in early December.

We’ve found a proven formula of gathering two great speakers for our Winter Workshop who have the knowledge to educate our members in various ways. A strong focus on leadership, a growth mindset, and various skills to make USPTA members better people, teammates, employees, and managers will continue to be our mission. In 2020 we also want to hear from you!!! It’s very important to receive feedback and ideas from our members. At any time we welcome your input to recommend future speakers, topics of discussion,

and how USPTA Georgia can benefit managers and tennis professionals more.

We’re also available to assist your staff in certification at all levels of USPTA. Another exciting benefit is our dedication to partner with the Georgia Professional Tennis Association. This partnership has given an opportunity to all professionals in Georgia more and more chances to learn, network, and advance their knowledge. The USPTA and GPTA will work strongly together in 2020 to add greater benefit to tennis professionals at all levels of employment.

We are here to serve the tennis professional community, which is you! Our mission is to advance the tennis profession and those involved and connected to it. You can reach us at usptaga@gmail.com or on Facebook at USPTA Georgia. Follow USPTASouthern on Instagram. We appreciate your commitment to the tennis profession and look forward to serving you in 2020!

Kentucky

Everyone is excited for tennis coming up in Kentucky. The High School tennis season officially starts on February 15. A lot of players, coaches, parents and tennis pros have been working hard to prepare for the 2020 season. Good luck to everyone.

Professional Tennis hits Kentucky February 10-16! The Kentucky Open is a $100,000 USTA Women’s Pro Circuit Event held at Top Seed Tennis Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky right outside Lexington. This tournament was brought to Kentucky to help grow the sport of tennis in the state and promote the game to everyone! They have partnered with the Lexington Humane Society as part of their commitment to the community and giving back. 100% of ticket sales for the 2020 Kentucky Open will go the Lexington Humane Society.

Players like Genie Bouchard and Coco Vandewegh will be competing. Go to topseed tennis.net for more information.

USPTA Kentucky will be hosting a Tennis Workshop this October. More information to come in your USPTA Kentucky Newsletter. If you are interested in participating in the USPTA Kentucky Board please contact Chuck Brown at chuckb0489@msn.com.

Louisiana

The new Louisiana board of directors is: President Bill Bryan, 1st Vice President Lyndsey Kelly, 2nd Vice President Hassan Abbas, Sec/Treasurer John Wahlborg. Our goal is to give people a reason to be a member. Certification of a teaching professional separates a teaching professional from a person who just takes people’s money and gives the profession a bad name. We will provide educational opportunities and hold a few social events to provide a chance to network with other teaching pros.

Education can be done online or by attending state workshops. Our National Convention will be held in New Orleans this fall. What a great benefit to our state. New Orleans isn’t a bad place to spend a few days.

Some dates to remember, USPTA testing will be held at City Club in Lafayette, La. February 21st and 22nd. Bill Phillips has once again put something together that provides a big benefit without a major travel expense. Hope people take advantage of this. The Louisiana State Workshop will be held April 18th at the Raising Canes Tennis Center located at the Youngsville Sports Complex. Further details will be coming soon. Bill Byan

Mississippi

The Mississippi Pros' Workshop was held on January 9-10th in Jackson, MS. Once again, the strong line-up of guest speakers did not disappoint. Lane Evans did a Fitness specialty course on Thursday. Friday we had 45 in attendance.

Guest speakers included Geoff Norton (USTA MS ED.), Tracy Duff (NWMS CTA), William Foreman, Kevin Theos (USPTA Southern President), Lane Evans (USPTA National 1st VP), George Christoforatos, Chris Tran and Bo Gard, Terri Sisk and Dan Holman. Tracy Duff, Northwest MS CTA, gave us their insight on utilizing the USTA Adult Entry Level product, Tennis Apprentice. The CTA brought more people in to the game in the last year than any other area in Mississippi, largely due to hosting several Tennis Apprentice sessions.

Dan Holman, USTA Director of Junior Player Development, gave us an introduction to the changes coming to the junior competitive structure in 2021.

Dan gave a more in-depth presentation the following day during the USTA MS Annual Meeting and Tournament Directors Workshop.

For 2020, I am looking to host additional regional workshops. Please email

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me at usptams@gmail.com, if you would like to make your club or facility available to such a workshop.

North Carolina

With winter on its final weeks( hopefully), I look forward to my term as NC President along with a very capable board of Scott Handback & Michele Jones. We will work to keep you informed, get you involved and hopefully grow our base of NC pros. Contact us through usptaNC1@gmail.com if you need anything related to your job,career or if you want to” get involved.”

Our winter workshop December 13th at Olde Providence Racquet Club in Charlotte was very well attended. It was highlighted by presenters Bill Riddle,( who is always challenging you to work “out of the box” and Mike Barrell who always delivers creative ways to make our programs more inclusive for our students. Tthanks to Teresa Boylan on how to assist our juniors through the college recruiting process.

We have a Southern Business Conference in Charlotte on February 28. If you have designs on becoming a tennis director or want to have a better understanding of how tennis and business relates - this will be a valuable day of presentations.

Finally, I’m challenging all of our USPTA pros to find 2 to 3 ways to improve yourself and any programs that you are involved with. Send me your ideas to share with the membership- to make us better.

South Carolina

I want to introduce you to your new 2020-22 Board members.

President Mike Pollard (Bluffton). 1st Vice President Craig Wells (Six Mile). 2nd Vice President Dean Mays (Anderson). Secretary/Treasurer Tom Ruth (Bluffton).

In an effort to grow our states opportunities for educational days, networking lunches, and just getting to know each other better in our local areas, we are currently in the works of breaking South Carolina into 7 districts.

We are always looking for content in our South Carolina newsletter. The Palmetto State news will be published 3 times this year. If you have written a tennis related article that you would like to share with the state, this is a great way

to get yourself some deserved recognition. Nominations are now open for the state’s most deserving pros! This year we are looking for someone deserving of Pro of the year, U30 professional, and Charity Event of the Year. Don’t be afraid to nominate yourself as well.

We have 3 USPTA certification opportunities in South Carolina this year. If you have any uncertified staff members, or know of anyone that should be joining our USPTA team, please let us know so we can help them become certified this year.

Please send all tennis related articles, award nominations, or any questions you have to usptasouthcarolina@gmail.com.

Tennessee

Happy New Year from Tennessee. We just wrapped up our one-day workshop in Nashville, TN at the Centennial Sportsplex. This year we partnered with USTA TN to host a free one-day workshop in conjunction with the USTA TN’s annual meeting on Sunday, January 26, with on court presentations from Karl Davies and Craig Jones. Forty participants, 30 of whom are USPTA certified professionals, were in attendance! We moved into the classroom around 11:00 to learn about the new netgen tools, junior pathway changes, and the upcoming overhaul to competitive tournaments and software. Our lunch was spent honoring the 2019 USPTA awards winners: Andy Veal (Pro of the Year), Dylan Nelson (U30 Pro of the year), and Mike Hurley representing Tennis Nashville (Event of the year).

The day concluded with a Highschool Coaches workshop. PTA pros who attended every seminar were able to accumulate up to 5.5 hours of continuing education and enjoy a great lunch with lots of networking opportunities.

Many thanks to Michael Chamberlain and his staff at the USTA TN office for all their work in making this an awesome workshop. I am thrilled with the turn out and the positive response we have had. I look forward to partnering with the USTA in the future to bring more education opportunities to our professionals that are relative to what we do every day. I am also thrilled we are all working together to grow the game. Meg Bandy President

PRO PLANS

By Ken Andriano USPTA Elite Professional

T

his is a 2 week plan because we will repeat the same concepts for 2 weeks to allow the information to be absorbed and hopefully implemented in play.

This is a great concept to begin the season lesson program. For the second week, the drills may advance or be different, but the message will be the same. There are also some adjustments to the level of player, but we do the drill with all of our players.

Week #1 & #2 Focus: Down the middle solves the riddle ROUND #1 30 minutes • 9-9:15/10:30-10:45 Warm-up • Mini tennis with players working on half

volleys and volley. If they hit a low ball they should come in, if it is high they should stay back and defend.

• Feeding drill- two lines feeding three balls, Neutral ball (cross court middle), deep ball(cross court middle), and shorter ball they can step in and be aggressive down the line and middle.

ROUND #2 40-45 minutes • Live ball drill: court 1- 1 up and 1 back (Add side back), court 2- 1 up and 1 back (Deuce side back), court 3- 1 up and 1 back (Deuce side back) vs. 2 back (feed from behind the 2 back team) • Feed to the back player a mix of neutral and deep balls. We want for them to recognize

the feed and the position they are in. If the feed is deep and they back up they need to avoid the net player, if the feed is neutral and they can be aggressive from the baseline they should hit cross court middle to help set up their partner, if the feed is short they should attack the net player or aggressive down the middle to set up their partner.

• Playing more middle sets up their partner and is an easier shot to hit when they are tight. We want the net player to read the middle shot and be more aggressive.

ROUND #3 15-20 minutes • Serve and return practice with a focus on location of serve • Point play

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Volume 21 Issue 1

How To Be A Super-Achiever: OUTSIDE the LINES The 10 Qualities That Matter Excerpt from Forbes

W

hat do actor Alec Baldwin, gameshow champion Ken Jennings and baseball icon Yogi Berra have in

common?

That’s what husband-and-wife duo Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield set out to discover.

For their upcoming book The Art of Doing: How Superachievers Do What They Do and How They Do It So Well, they interviewed 36 star performers that climbed to the tops of their various fields.

“We didn’t want to theorize about success,” says Gosfield. “We went straight to the source, finding the most amazing people in all fields and asking them, ‘How do you do what you do?’”

Interview after interview with some of the world’s most successful people—actress Laura Linney, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, crossword mastermind Will Shortz—they began seeing patterns emerge. No matter how diverse their goals or crafts, these super-achievers shared many of the same habits. How can you follow in their footsteps? These are the 10 qualities that will set you apart.

Dedication To A Vision “Every great success starts with inspiration, but not every inspiration leads to success,” Gosfield says. “The most common thing we found was these people’s devotion to the day-to-day struggle.” Glossy magazine success stories often don’t show the dark moments, the daily grind or flagging energy that super-achievers endure to realize their goals. However, that dedication is essential to their success.

Intelligent Persistence One thing successful people know: Dedication and blind persistence are two very different things. “You can work hard but not smart,” says Sweeney. “When something’s not working, you’ve got to tweak it. Some people just keep banging their heads against the wall.” Instead of doggedly using the same ineffective tactics, super-achievers pivot and try to tackle the problem from a different angle.

Fostering A Community Star performers know they can’t achieve

success on their own. Instead, they must galvanize a group of people around their idea or goal. Teamwork, or having an ecosystem of supporters, turns out to be critically vital for success. It doesn’t just include partners and coworkers. It might also mean employees, customers, investors, mentors, fans and social media followers. They quote business guru Guy Kawasaki: “First you have to create something worthy of an ecosystem. Then pick your evangelists.”

Listening And Remaining Open “You don’t normally think of hard-charging, action-oriented leaders as being good listeners,” says Sweeney. “These people’s ability to practice the art of listening helped them learn what they needed to know about the world around them.” For example, Zappos’ Hsieh asked all his employees to share their personal values so that he could incorporate them into the company’s values and culture. Likewise, Linney says she never accepts a role unless she has read and reread the script so many times that it has opened up to her.

Good Storytelling Stories have the ability to transport people to your world, and then they’re more likely to invest in you and your brand. Philippe Petit, famous for his high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York City’s World Trade Center in the 1970s, believed other wire-walkers were trying to make it look hard. “But he wanted to be a poet in the sky and seem effortless,” Sweeney says. “His narrative wasn’t in words, but it was a story he was communicating.”

Testing Ideas In The Market “Everybody has a bias to think their own idea is brilliant,” says Gosfield. “[Achievers] roll it out in an environment that’s as close as possible to the market.” Bill Gross, serial entrepreneur and founder of Idealab, always tests before he invests. When he had an idea for an online car dealer, CarsDirect, no one was sure if people would actually buy a car from a Web site. He decided to put up a test site to see what would happen. Before they had any inventory, they’d

sold four cars and had to shut down the site. On the upside, Gross then knew for a fact there was a market for the service.

Managing Emotions “We found that managing emotions is a key element to success,” Sweeney says. “It’s so easy to be derailed by them, but these people are able to channel anger and frustration into their work.” This was an important lesson for Jessica Watson, the Australian sailor who circumnavigated the world alone at only 16 years old.

While out at sea, when loneliness or negativity set in, she would acknowledge her emotions and remind herself that she could get past them. “You can’t change conditions—just the way you deal with them,” Watson said.

Constantly Evolving Successful people maintain success by consistently learning and adapting to the environment around them. Tennis champion Martina Navratilova realized this when her game suddenly started sliding. She decided to transform her training routine and diet, and soon was back on track to become an all-star athlete.

Practicing Patience Inaction, or stillness, can sometimes be just as useful as action. The importance of patience was a primary theme among the super-achievers–whether it’s strategically waiting for the best time to make a move or continuing to pursue a larger vision without receiving immediate rewards. Jill Tarter, a director of the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), has been searching for life on other planets for the last 50 years without any guarantee of success.

Pursuing Happiness Success fuels happiness, and happiness in turn fuels greater success. Jennings, “the winningest game-show champion in history,” said once he became a contestant on a game show, it filled his entire life with passion. That happiness helped him win, and winning ended up giving him the confidence he needed to pursue a career he loved: writing. Seeking happiness in your life and work turns out to be a win-win.

TENNIS MAGAZINE 2019 EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD FOR TENNIS MAGAZINE 2019 EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD FOR

BEST NEW INNOVATION BEST NEW INNOVATION

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Volume 21 Issue 1

Southern Spotlight Julie Fusik – Rome Tennis Center at Berry College, Rome, Georgia

sional Tennis Management from Ferris State University. I also competed on the Women’s Tennis Team while going to school there.

I’m now the Director of 10 & Under Tennis/ Tournament Director in Training at one of the nation’s largest hard court facilities. I am the current U30 chair person for USPTA Southern.

I was born. When I'm at home, my family speaks Polish.

When did you start playing tennis? I started playing tennis at age 4.

Are you reading anything right now? “Champion Minded” by Allistair McCaw

What other sports did you play? I was a big time volleyball player in addition to tennis. I also played basketball and soccer growing up.

What is your favorite sports team? Detroit Lions

What moved you to teach tennis? I had an amazing tennis coach from age 14 on. He was a PTM graduate from Ferris State University.

Luckily, he noticed my passion and encouraged me to pursue a career in tennis. I’m very grateful that he pushed me towards it because I truly have the best job in the world.

Give a brief description of your tennis/other career: I’m originally from Muskegon, Michigan and graduated with a degree in Profes-

What is something people will be surprised to learn about you? I am bilingual. My parents moved to the United States a few years before

Jim Carella – Sugarloaf Country Club, Duluth, Georgia

for 6 years and attended Brussels American Junior high and High School.

Give a brief description of your tennis/other career: I began teaching tennis in 1979 after graduating from University of South Florida with a degree in Physical Education. After nearly 25 years full time as a tennis professional I made a career move away from the game and into the corporate world. After working for several Fortune 100 Companies I came back to the tennis profession February of 2019 and could not be happier!!

When did you start playing tennis? In 1969 in 7th grade.

What other sports did you play? Everything, basketball, wrestled, ran cross country and played soccer.

What moved you to teach tennis? I loved playing the sport and with my degree it just seemed like the perfect fit.

What is something people will be surprised to learn about you? I lived in Brussel Belgium

What are your hobbies? Cooking, What is your favorite movie? Wow that is a tough one, for Christmas “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “The Hunt for Red October” Are you reading anything right now? Yes the latest John Grisham Novel What is your favorite sports team? The Atlanta Braves Who is your favorite player of all time? Roger Federer What person would you most like to have lunch with? My first tennis coach from high school.

If you had a “do over”, what one thing would you have done differently in your teaching career? I have no regrets because the “do overs” I had made me a better pro!

What are your hobbies? Video games and playing with my puppy, Lilly.

What is your favorite movie? Mean Girls

Who is your favorite player of all time? Serena Williams What person would you most like to have lunch with? Will Smith What would you be doing if you were not in tennis? Coaching volleyball or a math teacher.

If you had a “do over”, what one thing would you have done differently in your teaching career?

I would move to the south sooner because the weather is way better than the Midwest.

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How I Got Started

By Al Garrett USPTA

I

n the spring of 1991, I spoke to members of an adult tennis team/club about passing on the game of tennis to local kids. That June, the Space City Racquet Club (SCRC) began a summer junior development program with 35 kids in Huntsville/Madison, AL. The program was conducted at the Historical Black College/University (HBCU) Alabama A&M University. The development of our juniors can only be described as miraculous.

They soared. I knew we had to step up our game.

I reached out to Certified Tennis Pro, Joe Goldthreat. Joe was the president of the adult

tennis team/club at Hadley Park in Nashville, TN. Joe was also Hadley’s Director of Junior Development. He was more than just a little open to my interest in becoming a better tennis coach. He recognized my passion and willingness to do the work. With Joe’s guidance/support, I received my first certification at a workshop led by Dan Santorum, PTR. As I watched continued growth in students and teaching opportunities, I sought to continue my development. My next step was to pursue USPTA Certification. The hunger to grow was increased by my USPTA Tester, Tommy Wade.

The training I received and later the friendship with Tommy shaped my moving forward in tennis. This includes becoming Director of Tennis for the City of Madison; Director of NJTL Chapter and NET GENERATION for Youth Development Association, Inc. - a 501(c)(3) CTA serving North Alabama.

When I called, Joe and Tommy always answered, encouraged and challenged me to be better. Joe and Tommy inspired me to change the trajectory of the lives of over 14,000 kids through the USTA National Tennis and Education Network.

A special thanks to both.

Ladies Vantage This is Not a Parent Trap

By Teresa Boylan – USPTA Elite Professional

T

he world of the certified tennis teaching professional is what I would call “dynamic”, and I am fortunate to have been in a variety of roles within the tennis industry. My current role allows me to educate, however it is mostly “off-court”; a primary audience is often tennis parents. If our objective is to grow the game of tennis, we cannot and should not avoid this integral factor in our tennis environments.

My experiences and recent parent feedback tell me that parents, especially those new to tennis, are without direction and are intimidated by our sport. There are a lot of things to know and they’re just not sure where to start.

We are the educators of our students, and our juniors are attached to their parents; shouldn’t we fully include them in the process?

We are part of a very exciting time in our Tennis Industry, that is if you find change exciting!

We are in the midst of some epic changes in so many facets of tennis. Safety today requires additional background checks of our providers within our sport through Net Generation Safe Play. There is a current overhaul of how and what we offer as Play opportunities through United States Tennis Association (USTA). Our own USPTA certifying body has a new accreditation and certification that is becoming increasingly more vocational and is openly being promoted as a long-term career path. And

for good or bad, the way our families of 2020 approach sport and recreation is much different than what most that are reading this grew up with! There are not too many “drop you off and pick up later” parents these days. In order to continue to grow collectively as professionals, I am urging an awareness to all to make sure we are paying attention to our member families— including “the parents!”

It is so easy for parents of our players to get caught up in the rules and regs, the clinics and lessons, the friends in carpools and leagues.

The sideline banter, “What tournament are you going to? what level is your child? what pro does your child work with? What’s their ranking, standing, rating? That player cheats…Did you win?” Parents too often learn by trial-anderror in an environment that can contentious.

Possibly a local tournament that is a higher level than their child is ready for, but they don’t know that. This is something a pro can help parents need help with, planning the right level event for the skill level of their child. Tournaments are not “one-size-fits-all” and they will no longer be for the “entry level” or novice player come 2021.

We need to guide the parents so the players have a positive play experience, win-loss record aside. There are now more events offered in addition to tournaments; do you know what other play events are offered in your area so

you can pass it on and educate your students?

Please learn about and offer them; you will build your tennis community and grow the game for the long term!

We as tennis teaching professionals are an integral part of guiding our players AND parents to appropriate playing levels and events.

We can educate about the tennis “culture” of self-governed matches and sportsmanship, a unique characteristic for a sport in today’s world. We can help parents manage a disappointed child after a tough loss, and conversely, help them manage an exuberant victor and the roller coaster of emotions that can accompany development. We have the ability, through tennis, to turn some negatives into positives and keep them happily playing this great game. You, Coach, can make a positive impact on tennis with some small changes; find a way to include the parents in your education plan. Keep growing the game!

A NEW BALL IS BORN: ONE THAT’S GENTLER ON THE EARTH THROUGH LONGER LASTING, FRESH-BALL FEEL & 100% SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING. THAT BALL IS TRINITI.

WILSON.COM © 2019 Wilson Sporting Goods Co. Trademarks advertised other than those of Wilson Sporting Goods Co. are properties of their respective owners. 18-1417

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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 Rogers, AJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sherwood AR Yielding, Dillon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fayetteville AR McAfee, Casey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta GA O’Reilly, Patricia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sandy Springs GA Aubone, Patrick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roswell GA Moore, Danny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St.Simons GA Deo, Chaitanya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta GA White, Mason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fortson GA Yun, Daniel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marietta GA McCullough, Evan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Louisville KY Theriot, Brian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Berwick LA Krutzer, Victoria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LA Dornier Jr., Randall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baton Rouge LA Lofton, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brookhaven MS Clower, Dean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grenada MS Lewis, Sydni Mount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Holly NC Laney, Luke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Catawba NC Newsome, Patrick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cary NC Tucker, Jessica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wilmington NC Lawrence, Jill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fayetteville NC Karpman, Brett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charlotte NC Bissett, William . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Greenville NC Marquina, David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NC Segnini, Vivian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rock Hill SC Leonard, Chris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Murrells Inlet SC Miller, Megan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hartsville SC Barringer, Duncan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Indian Land SC Buss, Barry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Franklin TN Hall, Joey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Old Hickory 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

“Spoon feeding, in the long run, teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon” — E.M.Forster “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

— John Quincy Adams “The best teachers are those who tell you where to look – but don’t tell you what to see.”

— Alexandra K.Trenfor “A mentor empowers a person to see a possible future, and believe it can be obtained.”

– Shawn Hitchcock “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

FAST FACTS

About the Australian Open The tournament used to be played in several cities across Australia, but from 1987 has always been played in Melbourne.

The first Australian Open men’s singles was held in 1905 and women’s in 1922 40,000 tennis balls are used every year in this tournament 49 nations were represented among the 256 players competing in main draw singles.

USA was most represented with 21 players.

Australian Open was always played on grass court. In 1988, they introduced hard courts for the tournament At age 18 and 37, Ken Rosewall remains the youngest as well as the oldest winner in the men’s singles

USPTA Certification Tests & Upgrades Feb. 21-22, The City Club at River Ranch Lafayette, LA

Mar. 21-22, Green Island Country Club Columbus GA

Apr. 11-12, Atlanta Athletic Club Johns Creek GA

May 17, Williamson County Indoor Sports Complex Brentwood TN

May 23-24, Green Island Country Club Columbus GA

June 6-7, Atlanta Athletic Club Johns Creek GA

June 7, Haig Point Tennis Center Hilton Head Island SC

July 24-25, The City Club at River Ranch Lafayette LA

July 25-26, Bayou Bluff Tennis Club Gulfport MS

USPTA SOUTHERN DIVISION

NEWSLETTER 337 Rhodes House Court SUWANEE, GA 30024

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.

CopyrightŠ The Standard/United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2020. 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.

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