USPTA Southern Division: Where Excellence is STANDARD
The USPTA Southern Division
Volume 20 Issue 2: July 2019
Saluting Our Most Esteemed
The Hall of Fame
(L to r) Hawes 2010, Earnhart 2019, Andrew 2019, Burdick 2012, Daglis 2010
INSIDE: Summer & Fall Convention Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 3 Southern/State Board Applications Now Open . . . . . . . pg 5 What Ultra Successful People Don't Do . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 7 Get Your 6 - Multiple Ways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 10 Leadership Academy Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 11
Page 2
Volume 20 Issue 2
President’s Message
W
hile I was watching Roland Garros on television with my daughter, a camera flashed to Federer’s box where the commentator noted the presence of Ivan Ljubičić , who was coaching Federer. My daughter asked “Why does Federer need a coach?” I answered that as good as Federer is, he can’t see himself when he trains and plays and it helps to have feedback on one’s performance. Also, sometimes a coach may not be as skilled overall as a player, but a coach may be particularly good in some areas that a player wishes to develop. This is true not just in playing tennis but also in one’s career. The USPTA Career and Leader Program started two years ago in our Southern divi-
sion and is now a National program with hundreds of pros involved. Claire Bartlett is a Mentee in the program and she has written a terrific essay about her experiences in the program so far, and her essay is in this newsletter. Claire’s perspective is not unique. Each quarter, participating pros complete education credit forms and provide feedback on the program, and it is extremely gratifying to read these forms and witness the development of new skills and relationships. In particular, the formation of new and potentially lifelong relationships is
especially compelling, and it is clear many Mentee/Mentor pairs will continue to communicate long after their official mentoring program participation ends. If you want to meet someone who has experienced similar challenges, who can help you achieve more, and who may become a valued lifelong connection, then I invite you to consider joining the Career and Leader Program. The USPTA has emailed a link to the application, but if you no longer have that email, please email me at usptamentoring@gmail.com to receive the link. The deadline to apply is July 31st.
Champions for Growth:
A Mentee’s Perspective on USPTA’s Career and Leader Program By Claire Bartlett
U
pon entering into the USPTA mentor/ mentee program, I was paired with my mentor, Mitch White. At first, I was not sure what to expect as I had not been a part of a program in the tennis industry like this before, but I was excited to see what was in store. Mitch e-mailed me promptly and we set up a phone meeting. We introduced ourselves and from then on, we started talking. Here are my biggest takeaways from our time working together in the program: Mitch took the time to build rapport. He shared his story and then asked me to share mine. Through this conversation, we discovered we had a lot in common. We both played elite level tennis, believed in promoting a healthy lifestyle, and had an entrepreneurial spirit. He shared his thoughts on mentoring and what he found most effective in a mentoring relationship and asked me what I envisioned. He set clear goals and expectations (of both himself and me) in what we would want the mentoring experience to look like. After we got to know each other, each call was geared towards different foci and goals. Each time after we spoke or emailed, it was purposeful. Although it took some time for me to answer some of the questions he was asking (because he asked thought-provoking
questions!), he was patient and offered his assistance if I was ever stuck. Throughout the process, he was a positive encourager and challenged me to reflect on my mindset. We all have the potential to get stuck in old habits or patterns of thinking whether consciously or unconsciously. Mitch was great at identifying these old paradigms/ways of thinking and challenging me to think differently. Once I changed my mindset, I was able to explore alternatives, see possibilities, and no longer felt stagnant. He provided tangible strategies and actionable items. Being a driven, goaloriented individual, this really resonated with me. When we came up with a specific strategy and set of tasks that required action, I felt a sense of agency because I was working towards my goals.
He was honest. There are times when you don’t have enough distance from an issue or a concern and you need someone else who is further removed from a situation to share their thoughts. Mitch was understanding, listened to my concerns, and did not hesitate to tell me what he thought to be true from his perspective. He embodied leadership. Mitch is equipped with great life experience and was very inclusive throughout the mentor-mentee relationship. He asked me open-ended questions and actively listened to my responses. I felt like an active participant in our conversations because he helped me decide what I really wanted instead of telling me what he thought I should do. I always felt like I had a choice in which direction we were going and, in turn, I was motivated to work on what we had discussed. All in all, I had a fabulous mentoring experience and I am thankful to Mitch for being my mentor! I would also like to thank Kevin Theos for encouraging me to join the program and would encourage everyone to apply as it was a transformative learning experience. Applications are being accepted through July for the Career and Leader Program. To receive a link to the application, please email usptamentoring@gmail.com.
Standard
Page 3
Summer Convention August 2 - 3, Richland Country Club, Nashville, TN - indoor center (class room)
All of this info, registration link, mail in form, and more at usptasouthern.com
3:30 – 4:30 TBA on court
Possible 14 education points by verifying every seminar
4:30 – 5:30 Ashley Freeman – “8 and Under Kids Tennis” (on court)
$79 for the full conference (includes Specialty Course)
5:30 – 6:30 Tom Parks & Ken Andriano – “Quick Fixes for Club Players” (on court)
$49 for U30 members (includes Specialty Course)
6:30 – 8:00 Dinner for attendees & PICKLEBALL PLAY
$30 for Specialty Course Only
Saturday
$49 for 1 day
8 :30 – 9:30 Christine Lewis & Lane Evans – “Athletic Training Basics for Tennis Players” (class room)
HOTELS: • Baymont Inn – $109 + breakfast – Brentwood, 615-376-4666 (USPTA discount)
9:30 – 10:30 Darryl Lewis – “Land a Big Job and Keep It” (class room) 10:30 – 11:30 Todd Upchurch – “Using Schools to Build Your Junior Tennis Program” (class room)
• Hyatt Place – Brentwood • Marriott – Brentwood
11:30 – Noon Ken DeHart – “Top 10 Most Asked Questions interview with Bill Riddle” (class room)
Friday – Saturday Sunday Certification & Upgrade Specialty Course – included with full registration
Noon – 1:15 Lunch & USPTA Update at Tennis Center
SPEAKERS & TOPICS :
1:15 – 2:00 “Mini Session” with “3 New Speakers TBA” (on court)
Friday
2:00 – 3:00 Chris Hoshour – “Performance Development for Junior Players” (on court)
8:00 – Noon “Games & Drills for Strategy and Tactics” Specialty Course with Ken DeHart (included with full registration) Lunch available on site $12 per person for attendees
3:00-4:00 MJ Garnett – “Preparing Your Juniors for College Tennis” (on court) Sunday
1:30 – 2:30 Geoff Brown – Easy Racquet Customization to Increase Revenue (class room) 2:30 – 3:30 Lane Evans – Career Development for Tennis Professionals
8:00-2:00 pm USPTA Testing & Upgrade at Temple Hills Country Club
November 1st-2nd 2019
Featured Speakers:
Arantxa Sanchez
Tennis Haus Haus Tennis
Dr. Mark Richard
Conference Conference 2019 2019
Mike Barrell
partnership with
USPTA Southern Karsten Weigelt
Tamás Bogyo
Ruben Neyens
Walker Sahag
Tim Bainton
REGISTER NOW
Bill Belser
http://www.tennis.haus/ Phone: 504-435-3048 | Email: davord@stonecreekclubandspa.com
Page 4
Volume 20 Issue 2
Highlights from the 2019 Southern Convention: Racquets in Raleigh By Lynn Vosloo
G
oing into this year’s convention I wanted to take on the attitude of Jim Cary from Yes Man. I was ready to experience the convention whole heartedly with an open mind and say yes to every opportunity that presented itself. The 2019 Southern Convention was held at the beautiful North Hills Club in Raleigh, NC. I had no idea what to expect, but I was very excited and intrigued to listen to talks by 8 Master Professionals. I was lucky enough to be able to attend this convention with my husband whom is also a teaching professional. We decided at the beginning of the trip to tackle all of the talks by dividing and conquering. We would split up the two topics that were being presented at the same time so we could compare notes afterwards. I did not want to miss a thing! The first talk on Thursday afternoon that I attended was by Master Pro Jorge Capestany. I really enjoyed his sense of humor on the court. He had so much knowledge and versatility in teaching his drills. It was nice to see some new drills and some drills I had forgotten about, that I will want to dust off and teach again. We checked into the hip AC Marriott Hotel which was conveniently located five minutes away. Once one was there you never had to drive
again, which was a nice treat after driving far to get to Raleigh. Later on at the Welcome Party it was so nice seeing how the board members acted like family members rather than colleagues at a work party. You could see the brotherhood from years of working together in a field they adore, and we were welcomed with open arms. Friday morning came way too early, and boy it was a big day at the club! I listened to on court talks through the morning which followed with a nice trade show over lunch, where I enjoyed seeing the a variety of products from 15 vendors. After the much needed shade break, I ventured finished the day courtside with Jorge Capestany and Jenny Robb. Saturday morning started off with Faisal Hassan regarding the updates in USPTA and accreditation. It was wonderful hearing all the latest developments and feeling like I was in the midst of seeing how the future of coaching tennis is changing in front of our eyes. I took to the courts afterwards and then classroom by Mark McMahon’s about developing a career pathway. This was insightful to see how I could fill gaps in my career so I can keep developing myself as a professional. Lunchtime on Saturday was a very special
time for me. I was honored with the Player of Year Award for my playing accomplishments in 2018. It was so special to be honored in front of my peers for something I have been doing for a lifetime. It was really nice seeing the other people being honored for their achievements, along with Hall of Fame Inductees Jorge Andrew and Ramsey Earnhart. There were even tears shed for some of the amazing people that were in the room furthering the sport of tennis on and off the court. Shortly after the luncheon the convention ended, but IPTPA hosted a Pickleball certification course on Sunday for USPTA tennis professionals. About 25 professionals stayed the extra day to learn about the fastest growing sport in America. It was so much fun battling it out on the mini courts with paddles and learning the rules of the game. I can totally see why Rif called it “addicting.” All in all, the convention was a home run for me! I met amazing people I hope to keep in touch with for a lifetime, I learned new things in the game of tennis, I earned educational credits towards becoming a master professional, and I won an award. I could not have asked for a better weekend, and I got to spend it with my husband, too! So ask me, would I go to the next convention? YES!
Life is not always what it seems By Louis Vosloo
M
y wonderful wife, Elite Tennis Professional, Lynn Vosloo won the 2019 USPTA Player of the Year award for the Southern Division. She was going to receive the award at the magnificent North Hills Club during the USPTA Southern Convention. I had never thought of going to a convention before, but I really wanted to see her accept the award. So off I went! Personally, I’ve been a member of the USPTA for many years, have my Elite Professional status, and I’ve been in tennis my whole life. I played in all of the ITF junior tournaments, played professionally on the ATP Tour, owned my own junior tennis academy, coached top 50 ranked juniors in the world, travelled and coached full time a top 5 ATP Tour Player on the ATP Tour, directed and managed a semi-private country club, a beach resort property and exclusive gated private country club. I have never prioritized a convention because I always felt like I was doing just fine. I thought I had a pretty good handle
on how to be a Tennis Director and how to share my knowledge with my students. How wrong was I? I had some major flawed thinking taking place. I thought that at a convention people got together, shared stories, experiences, lessons, tips, drills, feel like you learn a few things, and then take it back to your club and move on with your life. Four incredible days later, I could not have been more wrong about what happens at a convention. Sure, we did share stories and experiences, lessons, tips and drills but much, much more importantly we shared our love for this wonderful game we call tennis. That’s one thing we do as professionals, we invest in people. Yes, we teach tennis but we are absolutely in the business of people. And for me, that’s exactly what this convention was about: People. We are extremely fortunate to have such talented leaders on our southern board because these people really care about other people.
Every person we met welcomed us into their world and could not wait to ask how they could be of service. What can possibly be better than that? We teach every day, we try to help people every day. We are in the business of helping other people, and here we have a committee of wonderful people whom are in the business of helping us do our job better. The committee did a great job at diversifying the conference. Talented people spoke about a variety of topics and everything was so convenient and easy to attend. I learned so much from each presentation. If you are interested as to what we did specifically at the convention, please be sure to read Lynn’s article. I just wanted to share with you that moving forward I will prioritize our conventions and I will attend as many as possible per year. Life is not always what it seems, and this is a reminder to have an open mind, because you can sometimes be pleasantly surprised. I really do hope to see you at the next convention!
Standard
Page 5
Call for Application to the State and Southern Board Members of the USPTA Nominating Committees are searching for candidates who are interested in serving on the State or Southern Board for the 2 year term 2020-2021. To serve on the Southern Board you must be a member in good standing with a minimum certification level of Elite Professional. Any member in good standing with at least a Professional rating may serve on the state board (except the President who is a Southern Board member and must be an elite Professional or higher). Those interested should contact the Nominating Chairperson listed below. DEADLINES: The application period will run through July 25th. Interview period will run through August 25th, and the selections will be published by September 10th.
What events/workshops/meetings/USPTA programs have you participated in during the last 12 months? How much time are you able to offer towards your board duties? Could include helping at a 1 or 2 day workshop, writing newsletter articles and contacting members. You should also attend one of the Southern Conventions. Contact the nominating chair of the board you will apply for. Southern - Bill Phillips - phillips@sta.usta.com Alabama - Kevin Theos - Theos@sta.usta.com Arkansas - Travis Johnson - tjohnson@ChenalCC.com Kentucky - TBA usptasouthern@gmail.com
While each committee may draft its own questions, here are some basic questions you should consider.
Georgia - Allan Jensen - Ajensen.tennis@gmail.com
What strengths do you bring to the board?
Mississippi - Billy Gip Clark - bgipclark@gmail.com
In what specific area do you believe you can most positively impact the board and why?
North Carolina - Adam Thomson - a.thomson@forsythcc.com
Louisiana - Grady Wilson - wilsonng@bellsouth.net
South Carolina - Mark Schminke - schminketennisacademy@gmail.com Tennessee - MJ Garnett - windyketennis@aol.com
USPTA Southern Inducts 2019 Hall of Fame at Awards Luncheon At the recent Southern Convention held at North Hills Club, Raleigh NC, the following people were presented during the Awards and Hall of Fame luncheon.Â
Hall of Fame inductees
Allen Henry Southern Pro of the Year: Shane Wells
Fred Burdick Pride of the South: Pat Whitworth
Touring Coach of the Year: Chris Hoshour
Player of the Year: Lynn Vosloo
Teaching Pro of the Year: Geoff Browne​
U30 Pro of the Year: Kaitlin Bisplinghoff
Jorge Andrew
Not pictured: High School Coach of the Year: Tony Cherone College Coach of the Year: MJ Garnett Manager of the Year: Bryant Plese Ramsey Earnhart
Industry Excellence: Tom Daglis
Charity Event of the Year: The Samuel C Robinson Aces for Autism Mixed Doubles Tournament
Congratulations to all of our 2019 recipients!
Page 6
Volume 20 Issue 2
Southern Spotlight Jorge Andrew – Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center and Lexington County Tennis Complex, Cayce and Lexington, SC Give a brief description of your tennis/other career: Youngest Venezuelan National Champion at 16 years old. Played collegiate tennis at the University of Corpus Christy in TX. Played on the ATP Tour for more than 10 years, highest ranking 61singles and 69 in doubles; wins over Rod Laver, Guillermo Vilas, Dick Stockton and Raul Ramirez. Played Davis Cup for Venezuela for 18 years.
What is something people will be surprised to learn about you? I learned to speak English when I came to college in Corpus Christi, TX at 17 years old. I took French, Greek and Latin in school so I could go play tennis in the afternoon. English was offered in my high school only in the afternoon. What are your hobbies? I like to play golf when I have the time. What is your favorite movie? Rudy, I love his resilience. Are you reading anything right now? The book Organizing with-In.
When did you start playing tennis? At 4 years old I start hitting with my dad, I loved the game from the first moment. What other sports did you play? I played many sports growing up in Venezuela but mainly I did tennis, swimming, volleyball and baseball. What moved you to teach tennis? When I was playing on the ATP Tour, I wanted to give back to the game, the club that I grew up the Altamira Tennis Club asked me to be the Touring Pro and I started to hit with the top juniors when I was at home and enjoyed helping the kids with their game. When I retired from the tour got certified with the USPTA and USPTR and started to teach at all levels.
What is your favorite sports team? Soccer, especially during the World Cup. Who is your favorite player of all time? Roger Federer with Rod Laver a very close second. What person would you most like to have lunch with? The Pope, I think he is one of the most interesting people in the world. What would you be doing if you were not in tennis? I probably be a lawyer. If you had a “do over”, what one thing would you have done differently in your teaching career? I will work with more junior and adult beginner players. I didn’t know how much fun was to see a beginner start to rally and play until later on my teaching career.
Shane Wells – North Hills Club, Raleigh, NC Give a brief description of your tennis/other career: Been a Director of Tennis for 23 years for 2 great clubs. I have been lucky to work with some really great junior players during that time who have won state, sectional and national championships. When did you start playing tennis? 13 What other sports did you play? Basketball What moved you to teach tennis? My college tennis coach got me teaching junior clinics after our college practices. What is something people will be surprised to learn about you? Enjoy fishing(just don’t get to do it enough)
What are your hobbies? Family, Golf and Fishing What is your favorite movie? American Sniper Are you reading anything right now? No time What is your favorite sports team? East Carolina Who is your favorite player of all time? John McEnroe/Roger Federer What person would you most like to have lunch with? My Dad What would you be doing if you were not in tennis? Teaching school and coaching If you had a “do over”, what one thing would you have done differently in your teaching career? No do over for me. Have loved every minute of what I do!
Standard
Page 7
OUTSIDE Ultra Successful People the LINES Don’t Use To-Do Lists Time management guru Kevin Kruse reveals one of the top productivity and time management secrets of the world’s most successful people.
I
have two favors to ask of you. First, don’t shoot the messenger. Second, suspend disbelief to keep an open mind. I’ve long believed in the power of productivity and have been fascinated by time – our most important, non-renewable asset. So I decided I would interview hundreds of highly successful people. I interviewed several selfmade billionaires, over a dozen Olympians, over two dozen straight-A students and over 200 entrepreneurs, most of who were selfmade millionaires. Initially I asked just a single open ended question. “Mark Cuban, what is your #1 secret to productivity?”“Hey, Shannon Miller, what is your #1 secret to time management?”“Hey Dustin Moskovitz (co-founder of Facebook), if you could give just one piece of advice related to productivity, what would it be?” I was about half way through the interviews, looking for patterns and repeats of advice, when I noticed what wasn’t being talked about. Something was missing. Nobody was talking about their to-do list. This was strange. After all, I kept a great massive task list for my whole adult life. Every time management course and book I ever read instructed on the use of the to-do list. The most popular time management book and program in the world, Getting Things Done, teaches a to-do list methodology. I began to ask follow-up questions to understand what was going on. It turns out… Legend has it that the to-do list was invented by Ivy Lee over a hundred years ago. It was a simpler time: fewer tasks, less information, more support staff, a consistent 8-hour day, no globalization, no instant communication 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In today’s dynamic world the to-do list method just doesn’t hold up. Research suggests that 41% of to-do lists are never completed, and half the items that are completed are done on the very same day they are put on the list. (source: idonethis). Task lists can also contribute to our stress levels due to the Zeigarnik effect: unfinished goals cause intrusive, uncontrolled thoughts.
deep work in the mornings; use your afternoons for phone calls, meetings, email and paperwork. When you live exclusively from your calendar you can quickly see if you are living your values. Do you value your health? How many hours do you have budgeted for it this week? Do you value your marriage? How many date nights are scheduled this month? Remember, I asked for you to not shoot the messenger and to suspend disbelief. Will throwing out your to-do list and living from your calendar work for you? Well you won’t know until you try it, but I can tell you each day I receive several emails from strangers like these:
The to-do list has become the graveyard of important, but not urgent, tasks. I began to ask follow-up questions: Why don’t you use a to-do list? What do you use instead? Highly successful people don’t use to-do lists, they use their calendar for everything. The secret: schedule, don’t list. We’ve all been trained that our calendar is for meetings and for phone calls. Put everything else on the to-do list and then prioritize and re-prioritize. What the most successful people are doing is they schedule everything – and usually in 15-minute chunks of time. Every work task has a specific date, time and duration on the calendar. Need to write a strategic plan? It’s scheduled. Fill out the monthly expense report? Already on the calendar. Time to think? Scheduled. Daily workouts? Of course, on the calendar. Living from your calendar has the added benefit of forcing you to slow down and think about the best time to schedule things. Are you cognitively sharper in the morning or mid-afternoon? Good, so you should schedule all your creative work, decision making and
• Chrissy Y. said, “…a life changer for my ADHD mind.” • PJ said, “it has literally changed my life, I am more productive than I have ever been. After studying your book and implementing some changes in my life I now get a whole days work done before lunch.” • Laura T. said, “…it has changed my life!” • Anita S. said, “I’m no longer stressed about getting important stuff done because I know that I’ve allocated time to take care of it. IT’S CHANGED MY LIFE!” If you choose to take the plunge, you’ll do a horrible job of estimating how long things really take, and you’ll be frustrated by all the interruptions, fires to put out and emergencies. My suggestion is to initially over-estimate how long everything will take, and literally schedule two or three “BUFFER TIMES” onto your calendar. If surprises happen, the buffer times will help you to catch up, and if you don’t need them, you can just rest, think strategically, or get a jump on tomorrow’s items. Kevin Kruse is the founder and CEO of LEADx.org, an edutech company that offers free leadership training and professional development to anyone, anywhere, at any time.
Page 8
State News Alabama
We are looking forward to our upcoming workshop on August 17 in Birmingham. The line-up of presenters is becoming a who’s who of our Southern section, with confirmed speakers Margot Carter (TN), Bill Riddle (TN), and Bo Gard (MS) among others. In recent years, we have focused our workshops around a central theme such as 10 & Under Tennis and Tennis specific fitness. This year we are going to offer a variety of topics including on-court and off-court presentations. At our August workshop we will also honor this year’s USPTA Alabama award recipients. We welcome all who would like to attend our summer workshop!
Arkansas
I love going to USPTA conventions. Attaining new drills, ideas, and business practices at conventions increases the value to myself and my facility. The USPTA Southern Conventions did not disappoint. Some incredible presentations like building your Social Media, Building Tennis IQ, Career Pathway Development and more. Selfimprovement makes us better at serving our members and clients. Meeting up with Pat Malone, fellow USPTA Arkansas Professional, also made this convention special. The next educational opportunity, and a bit closer to Arkansas, is the USPTA Southern Summer Conference in Nashville TN August 2-3. It’s my belief and desire that USPTA Arkansas and USTA Arkansas need to work together for the betterment of tennis in Arkansas. For that to happen we need an active USPTA Arkansas board with strong leadership and synergistic perspective. Individual commitment to a group effort—that’s what makes a team work, a company work, a society, work a civilization work – (Vince Lombardi.) Imagine a stronger USPTA Arkansas supporting our fellow professionals and working with the USTA to develop tennis at our facilities and in Arkansas. If you have the desire to serve on the USPTA Arkansas board in this pursuit, please contact Travis Johnson by July 25th.
Georgia
The workshop at the BB&T returns on Sunday, July 21: 9-11:30am New Court Side Grandstand Room. The USPTA GA and GPTA combined their tennis effort for a free joint ATP Professional Coaches Presentation at Atlantic Station in Atlanta , GA. on July 21. Capital City Tennis Director Bill Anderson will open the meeting discussing what programs and developments are taking place with USPTA GA. He will be followed by David Stolle Universal Tennis Registry (UTR), who is discussing a newer approach to competitive tennis and the effects and influence it is having on recruiting with college coaches. The highlight of the event is the presentation by ATP professional coach from the tournament. He/she will discuss the different key elements of being a coach deciding on the daily practice, strategy, preparing a player for his match. Obviously communications is key. The other part of the discussion is going to be how to communicate to a player after a win and/or loss, and lessons learned from both successes and failures. We are looking forward to another great summer workshop.
Kentucky
Here in Kentucky we are hoping to get some more stable weather soon to get our summer programs going. We are planning an event at the Kentucky Bank Challenger tournament in Lexington on July 30. This is a chance to get to know you fellow pros from around the state, There will be free admission to the evening session of the tournament and a hospitality tent for all members. The evening session starts at 6:00pm. We are also trying to have a round robin earlier in the afternoon at the Lexington Tennis Club at 3:00. Please respond to David White @ davidtennis552gmail.com if you can attend.
Louisiana
To my fellow Louisiana pros, please take a moment to consider serving on the USPTA-LA board for the 2020-2021 term. Here are some of the tasks you may be commissioned with fulfilling: 1. Producing a newsletter at least twice a year 2. Calling new and lapsed USPTA-LA members 3. Publishing updates on the emerging USPTA state blog & state Facebook page Any USPTA-LA member interested in serving must send their application to our Nominating Committee Chair, Grady Wilson, by July 25th at wilsonng@ bellsouth.net Our Awards Chair, Chris Dazet, is accepting nominations for USPTA-LA awards for the following categories: 1. Pro of the Year 2. Under 30 Pro of the Year 3. Assistant/Head Pro of the Year To nominate an active USPTA-LA member, please email Chris at cdazet@cox.net Last but not least, the Southern Convention at the North Hills Club in Raleigh last month did not disappoint! The venue was beautifully maintained with
Volume 20 Issue 2
the convention hotel and restaurants nearby. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing multiple speakers including Louisiana’s own, Jeff Hawes. Two big thumbs up go out to Kaitlyn Bisplinghoff for her efforts in putting this convention together! Great job!
Mississippi
Greetings. Not too long ago we had our Southern Division Workshop in Raleigh, NC. It was a great convention with stellar speakers at a very nice tennis club. The club was conveniently located near downtown so it made it for an easy commute. The USTA MS Net Generation numbers for the first half of 2019 just came in. We are on track to achieve all the goals set for this year such as USTA adult participation and unique adult and junior tournament participation. We exceeded our expectations in Junior Team Tennis unique participation and Net Generation Providers for our State. Way to go guys! In June, MS represented in the 35’s, 45’s and 55’s at the Southern Senior Cup in Pelham, AL. Even though we didn’t win the big trophy, we competed well. I would like to thank all of our players for taking the time and playing in this high level tournament. It was my first one and I will hopefully return next year. I am already looking forward to our World Conference in Las Vegas this year. The schedule is out and the venue/hotel looks great. Flights are very affordable and there is no reason not to attend. Until then I’ll see ya’ll on the courts!
North Carolina
Congratulations to the 40+ NC pros who attended the USPTA Southern Division workshop at North Hills in May. It was great to see such a good turnout for what was an outstanding event. Thanks to Dan Beedle for organizing the June Lunch & Learn at Prosperity Athletic Club in Charlotte, and those that braved the weather for a little education. We will hold another Lunch & Learn at Westwood Tennis Center on August 21 in Winston-Salem, which is the Monday of the Winston-Salem Open. Stay for matches afterward if you can. Our Winter Workshop will be held on December 13 in Charlotte featuring Mike Barrell and Bill Riddle. We hope you will make plans to join us. 2019 USPTA NC Awards will be presented at that time so please begin thinking of nominations – information on the process will follow soon. Lastly, give some thought to volunteering your time as a Board member for USPTA NC. The application process is currently open, and you can express interest to Adam Thomson a. thomson@forsythcc.com. As we head into the brunt of the summer, be sure to stay hydrated and we will see you on the other side. As many of you may already know, this is year 3 (the final year) of our second continuing education requirement period. All USPTA professionals must obtain 6 credits by the end of the year and USPTA South Carolina is here to help. Our state workshop will be on Sunday, November 10th, from 8am-4:30pm at the Cayce Tennis Center in Columbia, SC. Yes, you saw those hours correctly, 8 hours of seminars, giving you 4 credits plus a bonus 2 credits for attending a workshop longer then 6 hours, totaling all 6 required credits. The SC board is working hard on bringing in talented and interesting speakers, however if you have any suggestions or are possibly interested in speaking yourself, please email Mark Schminke at USPTASouthCarolina@gmail.com. Prices and speaker topics will be announced soon, but gifts have already been ordered! Hope you all are staying cool this hot summer. The high school state competition held in Murfreesboro was four days of intense team and individual play. Eight team titles and sixteen individual titles were awarded to players and coaches from all over the state. A mere one week later the Southern Qualifying tournament was held in Chattanooga. Many of our Tennessee teaching professionals traded their high school coach’s hats for their junior tennis tournament hat in a matter of days. I am constantly amazed by my fellow teaching professionals and their programs. I want to applaud all of you, and thank you you’re your creativity and continued effort in growing the game. This year I have been especially impressed with The Brentwood Swim & Tennis Program which offers programming for players of all ages and levels. Thirty-three Year USPTA member, Andy Veal and his Staff have been very busy winning. Veal’s programs consistently boast one of the top junior development programs in Tennessee. Recently six of programs players won individual TSSAA High School State Titles. Veal also had fifty plus junior players participate in the 2019 Tennessee State Qualifier claiming four titles, four finalists , three third place finishes, and numerous players qualifying for the upcoming Southern Closed Events in all age groups. Keep up the Great Work Coach Veal and Team.
South Carolina
Tennessee
Standard
Page 9
Try It Out
By Mark Schminke, USPTA Elite Professional
Sweet Spot Trainer
T
raining the eye is no simple task. It takes ample amounts of repetition and affirmation that what you’re doing is correct. There are tons of coaching tools that are geared towards training our eye to focus on the ball rather than the destination. The Sweet Spot Trainer from OncourtOffcourt is an inexpensive teaching tool that both helps focus your eye on the contact point as well as makes you aware when hitting off-center. Made from neoprene, the Sweet Spot Trainer is essentially a very aerodynamic racket slip cover with a large circle in the middle for making contact. Because of the material, you are completely capable of generating spin and pace with the Sweet Spot Trainer over your racket. I’ve had a chance to try out the Sweet Spot Trainer over the past month with a majority of my students, and
while it definitely helped focus the eye with forehands and backhands, I found it most useful when teaching volleys. Eliminating a big swinging volley motion has been a difficult task for a handful of my junior players. I slipped the Sweet Spot Trainer over their rackets, told them to focus on clean contact, and voila, their attention was on clean hitting rather than downward swinging. Easily money well spent. So while the training aid can definitely let you know when you do hit off-center, I find it more useful as a pre-contact focus tool, gearing the player more towards a clean contact and solid racket face. Overall it’s another simple and intuitive teaching aid that has earned it’s way into my basket. The Sweet Spot Trainer can be found at www. OncourtOffcourt.com for only $29.
The Social List Triples Tennis Social By Tom Parkes
A
while back I wanted to run a “Triples” social for my senior ladies because it was a little different, so I looked up the “Triples Rules.” I found out that the “Triples Rules” were written down in 1979 by 2 Penn State University professors Geoffrey Godbey and Frank Guadagnolo. I found them too complex for a tennis social, so I came up with my own rule on how to play. This is what I came up with to give me the most flexibility on scoring 1. At the start of each point, the serving team has 2 players at the baseline and 1 player at the net and the receiving team has 2 players at the baseline with 1 player at the service line.
2. All players must take a turn serving, with service switching after each completed point. The rotation is in a clockwise circle. 3. The receiving team changes position after each point, moving in a clockwise circle. Triples lends itself to being flexible which makes it great for social event. Where I used triples the most is getting new player to participate in their first tennis social. Because there are 3 players on the court you can diversify your teams to allow the new player to feel less self-conscious and have fun. The higher-level players like because it’s different and it gives them more people to socialize with. Try Triples for your next social, it’s great for adults or juniors.
Page 10
Volume 20 Issue 2
“Success Secrets” Ashley Dodgen Freeman (Mississippi) By Bill Riddle Success can be measured in a number of ways. Some people measure success in numbers. Coaches often count the numbers of players they coach who win matches or tournaments or dollars they make. "I can tell you our "Success Secrets" USPTA contributor this issue, Ashley Dodgen, measures success in her junior program in participation and smiles." Ashley Dodgen Freeman was born and raised in Port Gibson, Mississippi, and started playing tennis at age 3 under the watchful eye of her father and Coach, Tony Dodgen who coached in the college ranks for many years. At the junior level Ashley was ranked top in the state and received full athletic scholarships to both Hinds Community College and then on to Mississippi State University where she played and competed in ladies singles and doubles. After moving to Oxford, MS, she started
coaching tennis for Oxford High School and for the Oxford Park Commission in 2009. Currently, Ashley is lead pro and coordinator for Quickstart tennis and little kids tennis at the Oxford Park Commission. Over the past 10 years, Ashley has been instrumental in the overall growth of Tennis in Oxford and she is known for her passion, energy, enthusiasm and helping children learn to love the game of tennis. I can promise you those qualities
not only come across in her on court activities, but if you spend 5 minutes with Ashley you will quickly feel her passion, energy and enthusiasm for life and people in general. Many times, we look to the big clubs or facilities with large numbers of kids and tournament champions to define “tennis success”. Quite often we overlook real success in smaller facilities with smaller seasonal tennis programs and activities where real grassroots success is thriving. Ashley will be speaking at the upcoming USPTA Southern Summer Conference in Nashville, Tennessee in August. The title of her presentation is...“Hook, line, and Sinker: How to lure kids into loving the game of tennis.” Don’t miss Ashley or any of the other great presentations on tap for August 2-3 in Music City as we offer up passion, energy and enthusiasm in our upcoming summer conference.
Get Your 6 - Last Year of Education Cycle
W
e are in the third year of our education cycle, and it is important for all member’s to GET THEIR 6 education points. There are many ways to fulfill your education require-
ments. Each state holds at least 1 workshop will either move you part way, or in some cases, complete your requirements. Southern is holding 4 conventions this year, and each of those will offer double the amount of education needed. Summer and Fall Conventions • SUMMER CONVENTION, August 2-3 Richland Country Club Nashville, TN • FALL CONVENTION, November 1-2 Partner with Tennis Haus, Stone Creek Club Covington, LA
AL Workshop SC Workshop GA Workshop NC Workshop
Birmingham Cayce Atlanta Charlotte
August 17 November 10 December 7 December 13
If you cannot make a live workshop, USPTA Tennis Resources is a fantastic online collection of hundreds of videos. As a member, many videos are available at no charge, and a nice selection of videos will provide education credit. You will need to log into your account, and then watch the entire video. As you start the video, you will be asked if this is for credit. uspta.com/GetYourSix is a direct page link into Tennis Resources that has 6 credits worth of FREE videos than can be clicked on directly from the page. It is also regularly updated as new free content becomes available.
Standard
Page 11
USPTA Invited Guest
The Leadership Academy By Sadie Mayou
I
am so glad that I was able to attend the 2019 USPTA Leadership Academy at Lake Nona in Orlando. It was also an opportunity for me to visit the USTA national campus and the USPTA headquarters. The CEO of the USPTA, John Embree gave us an amazing tour of the USPTA facility, the history behind it, the USTA national campus and introduced us to the staff. I was impressed by the sustainable building built by the USPTA to minimize the use of resources that causes climate change. I am proud to be a part of an organization that cares about the environment. The Leadership Academy was well organized and very informative with great speakers. I will recommend it to all the tennis profession-
als in the U.S and around the world. My high expectations were met exceedingly. The program helped me discover the kind of leader or manager I am and how to become a better one by improving in areas that I lack. I learned that being able to effectively work with the people around me by delegating tasks and trusting them to get the job done is important. We also touched on effective communication skills, time management, effectively hiring and training your employees, having a great customer service, and building a team that will work hands in hands. Since we are in a hospitality business, we all need to have great customer service to retain customers or members, have a solid hiring system into place so the employees can have a
sense of ownership, and recruit or hire people who are willing to be trained, mentored, and grow within the company. Additionally, putting a great policy in place that would cover both customers and employees is necessary to avoid major disputes. The best part of the leadership program was budgeting. It was nicely dissected, explained, and illustrated with real life situations. Like Ajay Pant nicely put it, "budgeting goes beyond adding and subtracting numbers." I would like to thank the USPTA for putting a great program into place for its members and choosing great speakers like: Ajay Pant, Feisal Hassan, Sara Morse and Jose Pastrello to take on the task.
By Nesbert Vaval
T
he Leadership Academy did not disappoint. The wealth of knowledge alone in the room was mind blowing. I loved the interactive teaching style of our instructors. They not only shared their knowledge but challenged us to assess and plan for where we are going. I did not know how diverse the tennis industry was until Friday, April 12. Through our instructors and attendees, the conference validated my belief that there is way more to tennis than coaching. Our instructors created a collaborative environment with many group activities and projects which challenged and forced us to break the ice and know our peers and what they are doing in the industry. This environment challenged me to be more collaborative with other attendees and also future employees, utilizing strengths and weaknesses to form a team. We were advised that delegation should be empowering not cumbersome or degrading. Moreover, micromanaging was strongly discouraged while sharing power and responsibilities was promoted. One of the instructors and USPTA ist Vice President, Feisal Hassan, shed some light on our individualistic, selfish nature as
tennis players and encouraged us to operate outside our comfort zone. However, there are times when leaders are required to be the “lone wolf” and make no mistake, leading can be very lonely as Ajay Pant, national tennis director for Life Time, confirmed. However, as we move up in our respective careers and responsibilities are added, it is important that we build a team and delegate jobs to get the task done. Team building and delegation frees the leader to focus and develop the bigger picture and allocate resources necessary for the team to achieve the dream. Time management was also discussed which was great for me, because I struggle with that. One of the instructors Sara Morse, a USPTA Elite Professional, told her story that resonated with me and gave her solution called “time batching” which is creating time slots for tasks and only doing them during that time. Another mentioned anticipating and accounting for the interruptions. I will try a combination of the two. We went over communication, budgeting, and customer service. I am always looking for ways to better communicate to my clients
and coworkers. I also saw how communication could either enhance or hinder customer service. The leadership academy made me more attuned to the effects of non-verbal communication, because it crucial in being a effective communicator. The budget module Ajay shared challenged us to look beyond the finances and interpret the business’s story depicted by the numbers. We also covered HR, legal, and team building. I learned about the nuisances of the hiring and firing aspects of the job, and who we should or should not be looking for as employees, assessing skills and motivation of prospects. The Leadership Academy was extremely informative and motivating especially seeing where tennis is and where it is going on a corporate level with the USPTA and the USTA. The career paths highlighted by our instructors are truly remarkable and empowering. I am extremely thankful for this opportunity. All the material cover in the modules and all the wisdom and conversations have made me more knowledgeable and eager to learn more as a coach and individual.
NEW LOOK. SAME DNA. The Official Ball of the USPTA sports a new look with Wilson’s premium tennis ball packaging. This durable ball remains a top option for club players, as high-visibility felt allows for easier ball tracking and penetrating ink provides excellent logo wear. SKU
WRT109500
NAME
ULTRA USPTA BALL
SURFACE TYPE
ALL COURT
As the official equipment supplier of the USPTA, Wilson provides USPTA-certified tennis professionals with the best and most innovative equipment in theindustry to enrich teaching and playing experiences across the country. Through this long-standing partnership, Wilson and the USPTA share a renewed focus on bringing excitement back to grassroots tennis.
Standard
Page 13
The Written Word By Pat Whitworth
Mental and Emotional Training by Dr. Peter Scales, USPTA
P
eter is a self proscribed tennis fanatic that was late to the game but has made up for time with his passion for tennis. He has playing achievements with a bronze medal in the St. Louis Sr. Olympics. His doctorate is in psychology, which does make him an expert on the mental side of the game. What does set Peter’s views apart from most mental training books is the observations are not from the top end, high performance level, but from the ‘normal’ player. Much of the material is his philosophy on coaching with high school players. A few excerpts that totally describe Scales’ coaching philosophy: Grow as a person and as a tennis player, and you have had a successful season. All of us enjoy winning more than losing, and we try to give our players every help to win. BUT we do not measure our season by wins and losses. Tennis, like life, is a game of emergencies. Ultimately, we are trying to help your kids make better decisions as they face emergencies. Be aware of everything around them. Be respectful of all. Be cool, calm, and collected. Love the battle that is a tennis match. Enjoy it and have fun. Peter admits that all of the suggestions in the book can only work if players learn to love the game and how well they do. The book has mental and emotional strengthening principles that are rooted in psychology and sport science. These form a basis for positive habits. The book is organized into the 3 basic concepts of Compete, Learn, and Honor. Each section has about 10 sub sections. Compete =
Give 100 percent. Learn = Be an open, curious, humble learner. Honor = How you act on and off the court, bring credit to yourself, your family, your teammates, your school, and the game of tennis. Honor is the first section, and the most important of the 3 sections. Honor is being fair on the court, respecting players, coaches, and family. Honor is learning to love the game and the challenge, not just the win. Boris Becker was quoted “I love the winning, I can take the losing. But most of all, I love to play”. Regardless of how good or bad your opponent, play with respect and enjoy the play. This can stop the whining player who cannot understand how he/she could possibly be losing to someone that is so bad. Never giving up is another honor of the game. Nadal is the perfect example of all of these traits. He seems to play every point with honor. Learning is the next section. Peter says the key to learning is for your players to lose their focus on self. When a player focuses on self, then they will not try something that may look stupid. There will not be change, there will not be learning since there will not be ‘bad’ mistakes. Adjust - Adapt - Survive was used from a variation of the Marines Improvise - Adapt - Overcome. It is something that players need to learn in order to solve the emergencies in a tennis
match. Areas to train include playing in the elements, playing against high speeds or spins, and having multiple game plans. Game rules are included to help train pressure and adapting. Compete is the last section. The first chapter is Think During Practice - Feel During the Match. What a perfect title. Peter discusses how to practice the feel and that players must be aware while practicing. Solving the puzzle is a big part of competing, and players need to figure out how to play well against the current opponent. Game plan, routines, targets, and having a purpose for every stroke are next. Another perfect title chapter is What Matters is Right now, This Shot, This Point. I really like the chapter on how to combat the stress of match play. Be Humble and Grateful are keys. People who are humble and grateful are not as anxious or depressed, are happier and more satisfied, and will be less affected by match stressors. This is an easy read that is not full of complex ideas and terminology. It is written for the average player and can be put to practice quickly. While this is by no means saying that Mental Training will be simple, the process to improving in this area is made simple by Dr. Scales. Find this book on Amazon.
Standard
Page 15
FAST FACTS
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 Kaitlin Flaherty-Bisplinghoff kflaherty07@gmail.com 832-656-4472 2nd Vice President Tom Parkes pvcctennis@gmail.com 910-233-4755 Secretary/Treasurer Bill Riddle tennisun@aol.com 615-243-6698 Past President/Regional VP Todd Upchurch tupchurch1@gmail.com 704-258-7220 Directors at Large Ken Andriano kandriano@theriverclub-ga.com 336-541-5876
Executive Director Pat Whitworth pat.whitworth@uspta.org 800-438-7782 (phone/fax) Head Tester Ron Gwyn rgwyn@haigpoint.com 843-341-8114 State Presidents ALABAMA Jenny Robb jennywrobb@gmail.com 205-902-1188 ARKANSAS Bob Wagstaff bwagstaff@hsvpoa.org 501-922-5054 GEORGIA Billy Uelze buelze@me.com KENTUCKY David White d.white@topseedtennis.net 859-361-1536
LOUISIANA Jason Hazley usptala@gmail.com 225-247-3028 MISSISSIPPI Bo Gard bogdangard@yahoo.com 228-243-3110 NORTH CAROLINA Darryl Lewis usptanc@gmail.com 828-964-8490 SOUTH CAROLINA Mark Schminke schminketennisacademy@ gmail.com 803-432-6711 TENNESSEE Meg Bandy mbandy@mccallie.org 423-593-5523
USPTA Welcomes Our New Members Antonio, Christopher . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roswell GA Atkins, Jonathan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta GA Banck, Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fort Smith AR Beall, Ross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roswell GA Bolick, Daniel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Raleigh NC Burkett, Cristian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Southaven MS Burnett, Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bolivar TN Cottingham, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hartsville SC Dills, Karleigh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gainesville GA Dohnalova, Klara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cumming GA Edborg, Drew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Newnan GA Fleming, Robert . . . . . . . . North Charleston SC Fly, Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Memphis TN Harris, Catharine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Decatur GA Heggie, Ekaterina Kill . . . . . . . . . . Devil Hills NC Hernandez, Drake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Franklin TN Hudson, Shannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rogers AR Johnson, Michael . . . . . . . . . . .New Orleans LA Kearney, Candace . . . . . . . Stone Mountain GA Koifman, Jorge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharpsburg GA Kovacs, Gabriella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta GA Kuchler, Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Metairie LA
Lemongo, Fred . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rocky Mount NC Lockette, Bruce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mobile AL Mayew, Rebecca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cary NC Miller, Stephen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Greensboro NC Niemi, Emma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cumming GA Peck, Chris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Smyrna GA Pennington Jr., Gordon . . . . . . . . . Franklin, TN Perrin, Sarah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Smyrna GA Raffalovich, Alexandria . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta GA Rogers, Andrew . . . . . . . . . . . . Timmonsville SC Rogers, David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta GA Talley, Morgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . Germantown TN Tan, Kevin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cumming GA Trandafir, Elena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Snellville GA Ulrich, Courtney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Biloxi MS Wagner, Pedro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gadsden AL Wahlborg, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Folsom LA Waid, Rick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Canton GA Woog, Stefan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cordova TN Zerbinos, Frank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enterprise AL Zerbinos, Lindsey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Troy AL
French Open
The event is named after the stadium it is played in, which is in turn named after a World War I pilot named Roland Garros. The event began as a national tournament in 1891. The French Open tennis tournament was once played on grass. In 1968, the French Championships became the first Grand Slam tournament to go “open”, allowing both amateurs and professional players to compete It was announced in March 2007 that the event will provide equal prize money for both men and women in all rounds.
USPTA Certification Tests & Upgrades Jul 26, The City Club at River Ranch Lafayette, LA Jul 26, Rome Tennis Center Rome, GA Aug 4, Temple Hills Country CLub Franklin, TN Aug 4, Haig Point Tennis Center Hilton Head Island, SC Aug 10, Atlanta Athletic Club Johns Creek, GA Aug 11, Williamson County Indoor Brentwood, TN Aug 16 Birmingham Tennis Academy Birmingham, AL Sep 14, Rome Tennis Center Rome, GA Oct 6, Haig Point Tennis Center Hilton Head Island, SC Oct 12, Atlanta Athletic Club Johns Creek, GA
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. 2019. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of the newsletter is not permitted without the written permission from the USPTA Southern Division. Advertising information: All ads must be camera ready and in color, if possible. Prices are per issue. Full Page......... $400 Half Page........ $275 1/4 Page......... $140
ULTIMATE CONTROL Nike Zoom Vapor X for Men and Women.
Preferred USPTA MEMBER Pricing online at uspta.fromuthtennis.com