USPTA Southern Division: Where Excellence is STANDARD
The USPTA Southern Division
Volume 19 Issue 1: January 2018
INSIDE:
4 Conventions in 2018. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 2 Transform Your Biggest Weakness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 3 Awards Nominations are Open. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 4 Pigskin Classic – Super Fun Event. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 5 The Volley Challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 12
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Volume 19 Issue 1
President’s Message By Lane Evans-USPTA Southern President Happy January Everyone! I hope this note finds you well and braving this cold weather we have had to endure of late. I have recently been in Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, North and South Carolina and have seen snow in all those states at the same time. Hopefully, it will not last too much longer and we can get back to the business of tennis. I want to thank those state presidents who have hosted workshops in 2017 and most recently this winter. Our workshops were wellattended, and we are truly leading the way here in the south in education. Thank you all for your participation and let’s keep that trend going. We have a few goals on the horizon for our division going forward. In February, we
are going to try a ‘virtual conference’ with a 4-part webinar series and select video seminars for our members. Since we are not going back to Memphis this year we decided that we would offer some educational opportunities for our members. We are already well into the planning stages for our May convention at the Atlanta Athletic Club. USPTA Vice-president, Keven Theos is working hard to put that event together. We look forward to having you there. Finally, in leu of our January Board meeting in Atlanta, we are going to hold the January meeting via conference webinar. Pat has done a great job organizing this event. The management committee felt that we could
better use the funds and time spent to bring the entire board into Atlanta in better ways that will benefit the states and the USPTA Southern organization. This is contingent on a returning board this year. Don’t worry, our USPTA financial health is great. We just want to continue that trend and being fiscally responsible with your money is as always of the utmost importance. We hope you agree. As always, thank you all for your continued support of the USPTA and of USPTA Southern. We value your support. If I can be of service to anyone in our division, please reach out to me. I am always glad to listen and help where I can. Stay Warm and Well, Lane
Virtual Convention to Replace Memphis Convention The Memphis tournament has moved to New York, removing the big draw to Memphis (still BBQ though). For this year, we are planning a Virtual Convention during the month of February, which will allow you to earn at least 5 education points. Full details will be released by the last week of January. Current plans include:
Video webinar every Tuesday - 1:30-2:30 et. Speakers will be Sean Drake (new RacquetFit program director), Doug Cash (former Tennis Corp of America director), Kirk Anderson, and Feisal Hassan. Additionally, 6 videos from our USPTA Southern YouTube channel will be featured on the USPTA Tennis Resources. You
will be able to watch them at any time during February and receive credit automatically through the USPTA National system.
May Convention Returns to the Prestigious Atlanta Athletic Club We are proud to announce that our May 17-19 convention will be returning to the AAC. This is one of the top clubs in the country, and we are most fortunate to be guests at this world class host. The Marriott Peachtree Corners will be our hotel (same that we used last time at the AAC). They have undergone a major refurbishment over the last 2 years, so we are getting a new hotel. Rates are $109, which will include the full breakfast. (convention and hotel registrations details posted soon on Setteo) SPEAKERS - we will have a few new ones.
Convention Chairman Kevin Theos has already confirmed Gigi Fernandez and Emilio Sanchez as our keynote speakers. Cari Buck will be our national board rep. She is a master of marketing and communications, recently with the Tennis Channel. A new and exciting addition will be Tennis Ted Talks. These will be 15 minute talks. It’s a first for us, and probably for the country, and will allow you to absorb ‘the best’ of information in short bursts. Do you have a great topic you would like to present?? Reach out to Kevin at theos@sta.usta.com.
Summer and Fall Conventions But wait - there’s more!! Since we missed the Memphis Convention, we had to find alternates. In order to bring first class programs closer to each member, the board has opted to hold two additional events this
year. First will be the Summer Convention in Nashville, TN at the beautiful Richland Country Club, the first weekend in August. Next we will team up with the Tennis Haus Convention the weekend of November 10th
at Stone Creek Club in Covington, LA. 2017 was the first year, and it was highly successful with an amazing selection of speakers and topics. We are already working with Davor to top last year.
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How to Transform Your Biggest OUTSIDE Weaknesses into Incredible the LINES Strengths by Embracing the Shake The TED Talk guide that will change your limitations. By Elle Kaplan
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hen famous artist and TED Talk Star Phil Hansen was in art school, he developed a tremor in his hand that inhibited him from drawing a straight line and seemingly brought his dreams to a screeching halt. He was only able to produce squiggles and as an aspiring artist, this seemed like an enormous bridge to have to cross. It became so troublesome and painful that Hansen eventually left art school. When leaving art behind became too emotionally difficult, Hansen went to see a neurologist, who gave him the best advice he could have received: “Why don’t you just embrace the shake?” Hansen returned home and did just this. He embraced a limitation that he initially thought would handicap his ability to make art, and turned his biggest weakness into his greatest strength. How can you harness what Phil Hansen did, and also transform your limitations into strengths? Sometimes we hit a wall with what we perceive to be weaknesses, and assume they are insurmountable. We let these weakness become the elephant in the room that holds back our lives instead of addressing it head-on. Here’s how Hansen and other success stories made the massive 180-degree turn to change these weaknesses into strengths, and you can too: It’s not your strengths that will take you to the top When asked what made his career so successful, Will Smith said: “The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be out-worked, period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things — you got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the
treadmill together, there’s two things: You’re getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple, right?” We often look at our flaws and assume “perfect” people that lack those weaknesses are on the fast track to success. But success is a marathon, not a sprint. Even Will Smith has better looking and more talented actors to compete with, so like him, make a determination to never get off that treadmill. Shed the myth of overnight success, and realize that it’s not your weakness that will hold you back — it’s your determination that will take you to the top. You have to know what your weaknesses are, and accept them Hansen finally went to a neurologist because avoiding the problem was causing him so much pain, and by actually confronting his problem, Hansen was able to transform his limitation into a real strength. This allowed him to produce art like never before, and he found himself inspired by his limitation instead of encumbered by it. As Micheal Jordan says, “My attitude is that if you push me towards a weakness, I will turn that weakness into a strength.” Embrace the weakness, discover it and love it. Aggravation is the mother of invention. Take what aggravates you, or what you see as your weakness, and make an effort to create real change instead of ignoring it. Find the hidden upside Hansen found the hidden upside to his weakness by making an incredible array of artwork that pushes the limits of what anyone can accomplish with Starbucks cups or hamburger grease. As author Dave Kerpin put it, “ Every weakness has a corresponding strength.” For instance, you’re not inflexible, you’re organized. You’re not weak, you’re humble. Write down three of your biggest weaknesses, and try to find upsides. Find three ways
to harness those upsides today, and let in snowball from there. You’ll be amazed at how those flaws suddenly become your biggest allies. Find your creativity through limitations Theodor Geisel — better known as Dr. Seuss — wrote “Green Eggs & Ham” after betting that he couldn’t produce a story using less than 50 words. He produced a timeless classic. and research shows that he was onto something more than just a lifetime of royalty checks. O.C. Tanner studied the award winning work of 1.7 million creatives, and what they found was pretty surprising: “Awards are frequently given because people performed Great Work within their constraints. They solved problems. They overcame hurdles. And, they made a difference that someone loved.” Just like Hansen or Dr. Seuss, instead of shying away from your weakness, embrace the hidden well for creativity it presents. Sometimes when we need to harness creativity, it is better to think inside the box rather than outside it. Seek help and advice when you need it. While you need to push yourself, and transforming a weakness to strength is never easy, sometimes you may need help when deciding the right path. Having people in your corner who are there to support you is not a weakness in itself, but rather a mechanism that will help you achieve your goals. No massive success story happened overnight, or involved one individual. People need help, especially in these circumstances. You may become overwhelmed, and you may fail. Having a support system in place is crucial for the realization of your end goals. Transforming weakness into strength involves coming to terms with many aspects of who you are that you may not want to face. It takes strength to get there, and it takes greater strength to continue pushing yourself. But once you get started, you’ll find out your weakness isn’t so bad after all.
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ALAN HENRY SOUTHERN PRO 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 and 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. FRED BURDICK USPTA PRIDE OF THE SOUTH This award is appointed by the awards committee and is not up for nomination. 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, TOURING 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. PLAYER OF THE YEAR 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. 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 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. USPTA 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.
Volume 19 Issue 1
2018 SOUTHERN AWARDS NOMINATIONS
Nominations are now being accepted for the USPTA Southern Annual Awards Program. The winning nominees will be recognized at the Awards Luncheon held May 19th at the Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, GA. You can either self-nominate or nominate others. You are the most familiar with your accomplishments, and the most likely have sole access to any supporting documentation for your nomination.
NEW-EASIER NOMINATION PROCESS!
We have made it easier for you to nominate other worthy candidates! The process is as follows:
NOMINATE A DESERVING CANDIDATE WE GET THE DETAILS • Email: kflaherty07@gmail.com the nominee’s contact information or Complete and send us the nominee’s information on the right side of this page. • The Southern Awards committee will contact that individual directly to have them send us their supporting documentation
It’s that easy! The deadline is February 28, 2018 Any questions should be directed to: Kaitlin Flaherty kflaherty07@gmail.com
NOMINEE INFORMATION Nominee: Address: City:
State
Phone: (H)
(W)
Zip
Club/Facility: USPTA#: E-Mail: Nominated Award:
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION You must send in supporting documentation if you are self-nominating. If you are nominating others, we will contact that individual to have them send us their supporting documentation. The Southern Awards committee does not have the time or resources to research every nominee submitted by name only. USPTA SOUTHERN AWARDS Kaitlin Flaherty kflaherty07@gmail.com
NOMINATION DEADLINE: February 28, 2018 It is to the best of my knowledge, all material(s) I have forwarded to the Southern Awards Committee is truthful & accurate. Signature: Print Name: Phone: (H)
(W)
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PRO PLANS
Poaching Practice By Kaitlin Flaherty Level: 2.5-4.5 Theme: Poaching Definition: When the net person moves across the center of the court to take a volley When to Poach: • When your partner hits a shot down the center of the court past the net person • When your partner serves down the “T” • Be sure to make your move to the center once the baseliners head drops down to hit the ball • Hit your poach in the same direction that you are moving/ aim to hit your volley just past the service line and keep it low Warm-up: Dead Ball Drills: 1. Groundstroke cross-court/ short ball down the middle 2. Short ball down the middle/ volley down the middle 3. Poach across the middle/ volley cross court 4. Poach cross court/ Overhead
Live Ball Play: • Progression 1: Put players in the traditional “1 up, 1 back” doubles format. Have the players play out a point cross court ONLY using the singles court. If the net player poaches and wins the point their team receives 2 points. By taking away the alley this allows for the net person to poach more easily and become comfortable with the new concept. Depending on how many players you have rotate players quickly and to various positions of the court. • Progression 2: Complete the same drill, however, add the alley back in and allow baseline players to mix in alley shots. Make sure that players are not leaving to soon to poach and choosing the right opportunities to move towards the middle. Warm-up Serve: • Let players warm-up their serves • Place a target on the “T” of each service box and have players try to place their serve at the target • Serving down the “T” should set-up partner to poach
Play: • Have players choose a partner and start a set of doubles • Tell the players that if they hit a poach for a winner they win the entire game
End of Practice Review: When to Poach: • When your partner hits a shot down the center of the court past the net person • When your partner serves down the “T” • Be sure to make your move to the center once the baseliners head drops down to hit the ball • Hit your poach in the same direction that you are moving/ aim to hit your volley just past the service line and keep it low Mix it up: • Do not poach every time • Be sure to “fake” every once in a while to keep your opponent guessing
The Social List By Tom Parkes
“The Pigskin Classic”
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ere’s a great social for any time of the year. I run this particular social in early November. The thought behind this timing is it allows me a (Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hanukkah) social and I’m not fighting the different seasonal parties everyone attends. Step 1. Food & Beverage. This is key to most social. My menu for this event differs each year but a combination of these items: pulled pork, baked beans, chicken wings, pigs in a blanket, chips, dip, salsa. Get the theme? Tailgating food. Beer, Wine, Soft Drinks, and Water. Step 2. The Dress Code! Everyone must wear a team uniform, preferably football. It does not have to be a jersey. A t-shirt/ polo shirt with college or pro logo works just fine. I keep extra shirts and jersey just in case someone forgets.
Step 3. The Event. (Time frame 2.5/3 hours) This event is run with two components. Choose from one of these for part 1: platform tennis, pop tennis, or 60 foot orange ball court with 25 inch rackets. Part 2: Corn hole, bocce ball, or another type of game will work. I ran my event this year with major help from Peg Connor, who loaned me 12 pop tennis paddles. Thank you Peg. Our events were Pop Tennis and Corn hole. In the past I have used the 60foot court and the 25 inch rackets. We keep this social capped at 32 participants. That breaks down into 16 male/female teams. I set up (2) 8 team compass draws. I split my draws the best I can on combined NTRP rating of the teams. Pop Tennis: The format I find that has worked for me is a 7point tie-break. This format should allow you to run a full compass draw in
1hr to 1hr and 15mins. Corn Hole: I totally change the rules to fit my time frame. We play, the first team too 11 or timed on that round and whoever is ahead wins. The time limit is 15 to 18 minutes. The End: The Finals: You will have 2 winners from each event. Group AFC and group NFC. The winner in Pop Tennis played a 10point tiebreak and the Corn hole winners have a playoff. The Winners in each event received Turkeys and the Runner-ups receive large chickens. I would like to take credit for the idea for this event but Chris Stevens & Tom Cascarano have done this event using Platform Tennis coupled with bocce ball or regular tennis. In full disclosure, I borrowed Corn hole boards from members and pop paddles from Peg Connor. It’s something different and members will eat it up.
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Serving Up Sagacity
Volume 19 Issue 1
Our Southern Master Pros Share
Give Them Choices
By Mark Reardon, Master Professional
A
while back I offered up a bit of praise to one of our junior tennis players during our High Performance Clinic. What she had done wasn’t really an athletic feat, but she had managed to stack an unbelievably large amount of tennis balls on her racket while we were in the process of picking up. “Hey Mark, check this out”, she exclaimed. I responded with one of my pet expressions when someone performs admirably. “Good effort”, I said. “Good effort? Are you kidding me?,” came her baffled reply. When we made eye contact I saw she was starring at me like I had two heads. At this point I was clueless as to where we were in the conversation so I just asked, “What were you looking for there? I told you I thought that was a good effort. How was that a miss?” “Mark, ‘good effort’ is what you say to someone who has just lost a match or has failed at something, something you say to losers. It is what you say as a consolation.” WHAT? Has she lost her mind? We continued to debate the subject while we finished the task of picking up the tennis balls. Neither she nor I gave much ground in defending our position. Being that I teach tennis for a living I naturally have a bit of competitiveness about myself, so when the entire group stopped for water I posed the question to the group. To a person, every one of them agreed she was right. Saying ‘good effort’ was, to their way of thinking, a manner of offering consolation and maybe skirting on the edge of saying, “You stunk it up out there today, but ‘good effort’ is a more polite substitute.”
Wow! Could I have been any more off the mark? What I have been using with this wonderful group of kids as my way of issuing a compliment has likely been heard as a slight. Not good. It is amazing how sometimes we think we are putting a pretty ‘good effort’ out there and really we may be stinking it up. Once again, one of my students ended up teaching me and has caused me to pay more attention to what comes out of my mouth. As a coach and teacher I have always tried to be aware of how my language may impact my students. Years ago, a good friend who happens to be a Phd in Pyschology gave me a wonderful lesson on how “not to teach kids.” My friend has been the head of his department at every college where he has taught, so I took his advice as that of an expert. Because we are good friends we seldom minced words. One afternoon he arrived early at my club for a fun doubles match and sat courtside while I finished teaching one of my young students. I was pleased to have him there, because I wanted him to see that I was “good at what I do” too. Even the best of friends can still be competitive. When I finished my lesson I introduced my student and his dad to Bill. They exchanged a few words and Bill did what any good teacher will do. He made mention of a couple of the student’s strengths he had observed as he watched, told him to keep up the good work and told his dad that he could find no better coach for his son than me. Good job Bill. He encouraged the student and delivered the official endorsement to the
guy who controls the purse strings. But it did not end there. After they walked away Bill asked if I minded him giving me a bit of advice. After the glowing report I had just received I was sure it would be some tidbit that would only add to the already wonderful lesson I had just taught. Wrong. He went on to explain how often I used the word “don’t.” I immediately began my defense of why I use that ….. He cut me off. “Mark, I am not criticizing you, I just think there is a better word”. He was kind enough to make it about the training he had received in his profession rather than a coach of my years still managing to be inept. He explained that kids go through much of their childhood hearing the word “don’t” from their parents; sometimes to protect them, other times to correct them. But in either event, to the child it feels negative. Now we all know that we should stay positive when teaching, but for me Bill took it a step further. He said, “As an example, use expressions like, Do this, rather than that and leave off “don’t.” It made perfect sense. He went on to say it is better to save the word “don’t” for when the student is being stubborn or misbehaves. Good stuff. As teachers we must monitor what comes out of our mouth, even if it seems benign enough to us. If we pay attention we will continue to speak more precisely and choose the best word for the occasion. Regardless of whether the advice comes from a high school senior or from a professional educator we must hear with their ears. Mark my words, it will change the way you speak.
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USPTA Invited Guest
Lights, Camera, Action … 3 Keys to a Better Lesson By Bill Riddle – PTR/ USPTA Elite Tennis Professional
S
o there are plenty of views and opinions on “How to teach and coach tennis.” You may subscribe to any of the abundant number of methods out there. Is one method better than the other or should you combine a variety of methods. Well that right now is neither here nor there. What I want to touch on are three key elements to what I see is lacking in many lessons, clinics, camps or practices. Now I know there are a few of you that may read this and say what I am proposing only applies to beginners or kids or pick a group. The reality is our job as a tennis coach or teacher is to educate, motivate, facilitate and try not to irritate the process of learning to play this awesome sport. Having spent right at 30 years now teaching and coaching, with many of those years as a clinician, tester or coach of coaches, I have seen my fair share of bad lessons and uninspired students. One of the very best pieces of advice I have ever received as a tennis coach luckily happened early in my career and has stayed with me ever since. This old pro said to me, “when you go on that court to teach imagine you are on stage acting like the best tennis pro on the planet.” For the longest time I did not totally understand those words until I took an acting class and it all came together. You may have been the best tennis player in the world or have coached top players to championship level
tennis but still could be missing the boat. The three key elements that I find missing the majority of the time in most lessons are passion, energy and creativity. Now if your still reading at this point stay with me a little longer and I may win you over. Most of you start your day of teaching with optimism and energy but after a few hours of saying the same thing over and over optimism goes out the window and energy starts to fade. Let’s be honest, by the end of the day or week you may be going through the motions. Its ok, we have all been there and especially if you are old enough to remember wood racquets or you started your career teaching in tight white shorts. Actually, you may be a young buck that spends all day grinding away hitting balls with anyone that will give you a check. If any of this seems to be hitting home or you fear you will get to this point one day then keep the following key points in mind. Tap into your love or passion for the game as much as possible. That passion for tennis or that passion to share the sport can and will get your through some of those tough days or lessons. Without some passion for what you are doing then why are you teaching and coaching? Energy … you know, that stuff you get when you drink a cup of coffee or turn on the radio and your favorite Justin Bieber song is
on. Energy is contagious and the energy you put out can and will be picked up by your students. It can come in many forms from playing music on court to just that smile you have on your face when the student or players walk on the court. Often overlooked is creativity on the court. To me this takes many forms but where I see the lack of creativity the most is in that coach that walks on to the court with the basket of balls and just starts feeding away. No variety in activities, no targets and no direction. Every tennis coach has a handful of their favorite drills or games that is the “go to” day in and day out. The most sought after items at conferences and workshops is always more drills and games. Get out of your box, get out of your comfort zone and try something new because it just might work. Now if your still with me then thanks for taking the time to read this far. Just a little more and we will bring it all home. Those words of wisdom I got early in my career hold true to this day for me and can for you as well. Your will for sure have those days or hours where your mind is off somewhere else or you just are lacking one of the three key components that I touched on. If so then imagine you are on stage and for the next hour your just going to channel your inner Brad Pitt and do a little acting. Lights, camera, action you’re a new tennis coach!
The USPTA Foundation assists programs that bring tennis to economically disadvantaged groups - including under served kids, veterans of war, and wheelchair. · Access at smile.amazon.com · Use your existing amazon account login · In YOUR ACCOUNT, YOUR AMAZON SMILE, choose the USPTA Foundation, typing the full name for USPTA. If you already have a charity, you can change to the Foundation · Buy lots of stuff · In the future, use smile.amazon.com instead of just amazon.com
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s w e N e t a St Alabama
As we look back at a fantastic 2017, we are thankful to all of the outstanding presenters: Mike Barrell, Dean Hollingworth, Dominic King, and Allistair McCaw, and the coaches who attended these workshops throughout the year.Thank you to our board members who helped support these workshops. We wish all the best to Raphael Rodrigues, who is leaving our board as he has accepted a new position in Georgia. Thank you for your service, Raph! Congratulations to our 2017 Award Recipients: Anna Jackson, Assistant Professional of the Year; the Country Club of Birmingham (Jay Weinacker), Program of the Year; The Blue Gray National Tennis Classic, Event of the Year; and Ben Bradshaw, Professional of the Year. We are looking forward to a fabulous 2018! Happy New Year!
Arkansas
Thank you to USTA and USTA Arkansas for working with us to put on an excellent workshop at the USTA Arkansas Annual meeting. They were instrumental in helping us get Karl Davies, from the USTA National Campus, who brought fresh information on ROGY pathways and Net Generation. We also appreciate so much Manual Cervantes, Master Pro from Arkansas, who brought us information on UTR and doubles inspiration. Twelve USPTA Arkansas Pros showed up to expand and develop their abilities as professional tennis coaches. An unending desire to be better at your craft is the ultimate in service to your members, clients, staff, and peers. Wishing everyone a prosperous spring. —Bob Wagstaff
Georgia
We were very fortunate to have two of the best tennis experts on the same day. Allistair McCaw is a world renowned Sports Performance Consultant, Team Culture Builder, and Mindset Coach. Emma Doyle has been speaking on the world stage inspiring coaches and pros, and is sought after for her expertise in High Performance Coaching to enable coaches and pros maximize their potential having just completed a Ted Talk. Allistair’s first presentation was from his book 7 Keys to Being a Great Coach. The cornerstone of his presentation is that the most powerful performance factor is people by how you connect, energize, and inspire them. Emma’s presentation was on the court. She used court drills and positioning to communicate her points. Her presentation was about momentum. She said as a coach you need to hear what the player is thinking. She said momentum is a changing force in a match. It can be dictated by what to do when the score is up for a player, when the score is down, and what to do when the score is even. Allistair’s second presentation centered around his book Champion Minded co written with Jenny Robb. He said it all starts with culture, for it makes all the difference. If you’re in a positive culture, it is a dynamic environment between people. Culture drives beliefs and behaviors. Emma’s second presentation was on the court again. This was on effective coaching and communication skills for female players. In order to have successful performance, there must be strong communication between player and coach. She emphasized coaching young girls is different than young boys and understand the developmental needs of young girls.
Kentucky
I am excited to assume the role of President of USPTA Kentucky following the departure of Michelle Jones. I am looking forward to growing and supporting the Kentucky USPTA members. I am currently looking for a couple of certified members to serve on the board with me. Please contact me if you are interested or just to introduce yourself. Our joint workshop with the Kentucky High School Tennis Coaches Association is set forFebruary 17at the Top Seed Tennis Club in Lexington. There will also be a certification test onSunday February 18. Please check our Facebook page for the agenda of the workshop. Southern President Lane Evans and Master Professional Bob Love will be presenting at the workshop. The test is listed on the USPTA website. Please feel free to contact me David White atd.white@topseedtennis.netor859-361-1536
Louisiana
I hope all of you are ready for 2018 after this holiday season! The new year also brings us our newest board member Lyndsey Kelly! We look forward to having her on
Volume 19 Issue 1
our board as she joins us from Lafayette. Next month in February, we will offer certification testing at River Ranch. Bill Phillips our TSR will offer certification opportunities to all new members and those who are looking to upgrade their certification. For those looking to attend, please read the following for all pertinent info: February 24-25, USPTA Certification Testing, The City Club at River Ranch, 221 Elysian Fields Dr. Lafayette, LA 70508. Please send all questions regarding testing to Bill Phillips at phillips@sta.usta.com or 337-849-5821 Our LA Junior Grand Prix circuit has under gone quite the transformation this past year. Please consider hosting one of these events at your facility. For details about our new format please check out our video on our Facebook page at USPTA-Louisiana, and while you’re there also “Like” the page to be up to date on all the latest news. This past December at River Ranch we handed out our annual USPTA-LA awards. It gives me great pleasure to recognize these most deserving individuals: • Educational Excellence (most education credits): Dan Beedle • U30 Pro of the Year: Will Huntington • Manager of the Year: Ken Hambrick • Pro of the Year: Davor Dekaris Educational Merit Award to the individual with the most educational credits
Mississippi
We have just completed our 2018 State workshop event on January 12th at the Country Club of Jackson. Despite the freezing temperatures and the flu going around, we still had a great participation. 52 pros were present and we had a great time! It is the largest attendance to date and I just want to thank our pros for all the support. We were fortunate to have Emilio Sanchez as a keynote speaker. He stayed involved in our workshop throughout the day and he presented two sessions.. Other speakers included Tom Daglis, Lane Evans and Robert Garrett. Big thank you to USTA MS, Emilio and all the speakers.
North Carolina
Thanks to all the speakers and attendees who participated in an outstanding workshop at Duke University. 40+ people were in attendance and had the opportunity to gather some great take-home ideas. We look forward to providing additional opportunities for education in 2018, and if your club would be interested in hosting please let us know. We would like 2018 to be the Year of Connection. How many pros in North Carolina do you know? How many are outside your city or community? Our guess is not many. We would like to know how we can best help you connect and find resources that allow you to become a better teacher, a better manager, and simply a better professional. Email our Board atusptanc@gmail. comwith ideas on what the USPTA North Carolina can do for you, and more importantly what you would like to do to help USPTA North Carolina. Start now by Liking the USPTA North Carolina Facebook page and feel free to share your questions and achievement there.
South Carolina
I am sure most of you are still trying to thaw out from our frigid weather this past holiday season. Hopefully everyone has received our survey for award nominations for 2017. We are shaking things up a bit and renovating the awards process. This simple survey is a great way for you to nominate yourself or another worthy professional for USPTA State pro of the year. We have an independent committee who will be tasked with deciding the winner. We are going to accept online nominations till February 15th. I would love to see a large amount of nominations. We have so many great professionals here in SC. On another note, the board would love to have even more content for our newsletter. Anyone who would like to be published, please email me your articles at any time. We plan to publish our newsletter 4-5 times this year. We love all kinds of content as well. We will take recipes, tech gear, personal experiences, drills, quotes, and anything related to the 10 and under pathway. This is a great way for you to get some exposure and also get your name out there for networking purposes. The board loves small articles that are clear and concise with pictures if possible. Stay warm out there spring is fast approaching!
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U30 EXPERIENCE
Top 5 to Live By By Kaitlin Flaherty Bisplinghoff
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s a young professional in the tennis industry I have been lucky enough to learn from so many great professionals through conference presentations, networking events, or casual conversations. Over the past 10 years there have been a few quotes that have really resonated with me and have kept me motivated, focused, and humble throughout my career. Below are my “Top 5 to Live By:” 1. “We have a very special job and we need to remember that. As a tennis professional, you are the person that people are choosing to spend their leisure time with. That is the biggest compliment anyone could ever give you.” — Unknown I was at the USPTA Southern U30 Conference in Charlotte two years ago hosted by Todd Upchurch when a man attending the conference made this comment to me. Now whenever I may feel a little burned out or need a little extra motivation I replay this quote in my head and it instantly inspires me.
2. “If you were to record a lesson that you taught and playback only the audio would another professional be able to set-up and run the practice exactly like you?” — Ajay Pant At the very first conference I ever attended Ajay Pant said this in his presentation. What he meant was that if you were to record a lesson and play it back to another professional would they be able to replicate your exact lesson. If not, then you are not giving clear enough directions to your students. When this was brought to my attention for the first time I realized how vague I was in my lessons and this changed the way that I taught.
4. “People are paying a lot of money to take a lesson with you, value that, and make sure they get their money’s worth and more every time they steps on court with you.” — John Flaherty My father is one of the most budget savvy people I have ever met in my life and I love that he gave me this advice the very first time I told him how much I was charging for an hour tennis lesson. It is important to give students above and beyond what they are paying for. It is my goal during every lesson to make sure that my students feel that they are receiving value everytime they take a tennis lesson with me.
3. “Always have a theme and a purpose for your lesson before you walk out onto the court.” — Tom Daglis Although this may seem like common sense to most seasoned pros for a lot of young pros this is not. Always have a game plan before walking onto the court. You may need to alter and adjust your game plan, but never step onto the court unprepared for a lesson.
5. “You’re 8th hour on the court is someone’s first hour on the court with you.” — Bill Anderson I think this is a humbling reminder that no matter the day, the time, or the hour you must always give 100% to your students. Even when you may feel a little burnt out or tired, the person you are teaching deserves the same enthusiasm and quality of a lesson that you gave the first lesson you taught that day.
One Good Idea! Brad Gilbert highlights from the GPTA meeting in 2017. • Youth players should play on clay courts as much as possible. This is what all the European players are doing. This is more difficult since hard courts have the larger court percentage in US. • The two most important teaching components a tennis pro should emphasize are movement and technique. • Use red balls in training, for they really help with technique because the ball
comes off the racquet slower. • Become proficient in the neutral zone and the attack zone. • His answer to many players going to team sports is to ask how much longer can you continue your team sport after graduation? • Tennis can begin in a young child’s life and be a lifelong pursuit. Players enjoy tennis in their 60s, 70s and 80s. • Only think about the current point and current game you’re playing. It helps to keep your eyes focused only on your court as well.
• Speed kills. What he means is how slow recovery, slow to get back in position and slow moving side to side can really cost you in matches. • Gilbert discussed how important it is to get your child playing tournaments early. Competition really brings out strengths and weaknesses to improve, yet kids want to drill for hours avoiding competitive play. • Important to excel in playing offense, defense and developing transition skills to give you an edge in a match.
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Fit to Hit
Volume 19 Issue 1
RacquetFit Updates!
By Lane Evans-USPTA Elite Professional, RacquetFit Advisory Board
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by RacquetFit by visiting TPI facils I have stated in a past “Hit to Fit” ity for his screen and analysis. article, RacquetFit is coming! We Lorenzo states, “RacquetFit will have a few updates that I think be the next stage in our evolueveryone will be interested in. “RacquetFit medical, and fitness professionals interested tion as a tennis community while is an organization comprised of many of the in the tennis athlete and looking to take their we all use it in our progress to become more leading experts in tennis coaching, fitness, skills and marketability being sponsored by educated with the game.” and medical. With tennis continuing to push the USPTA to another level would benefit So, who needs these courses? All tennis, for higher performance, it is the goal at greatly from our RacquetFit CertifiRacquetFit to bridge the tennis procation. There are several tentative fessional, fitness professional, and sites and dates picked out for the medical professional into a model certification rollouts listed below. that improves player outcomes and raises the level of the game,” • Orlando May USPTA states Sean Drake, Vice-President of Headquarters RacquetFit and part of the team at May 25th and 26th FMS(Foundational Movement Sys• Chicago tems, the developer of RacquetFit. July 20th and 21st Drake continues, “Taking the • Long Beach guesswork out of the athlete’s abilSeptember 28th and 29th ity to perform and using state of the • Atlanta art technology and biomechanical November 16th and 17th analysis, we can better understand the strengths and limitations of the These locations will be finalized tennis athlete while working as a and posted at RaquetFit.com. The team will improve the player’s outsite will be going live March 1st for comes over the period of coaching registration. If anyone has questions and care. “ regarding RacquetFit, please reach Conan Lorenzo, USPTA Past out to RacquetFit VP, Dr. Sean Drake President San Diego Division Conan Lorenzo, USPTA Past President San Diego Division at sean.drake@mytpi.com. participated in some data collection
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“Success Secrets” Emilio Sánchez Vicario By Lane Evans-USPTA Elite Professional
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t our recent USPTA Mississippi Workshop in Jackson, we had the great pleasure of welcoming and listening to one of the best tennis minds, coaches and players in the world, Emilio Sánchez Vicario. Emilio is a former professional tennis player who led tennis in Spain during the 80s and part of the 90s. Emilio and his entire family have been a tremendous impact in Spanish tennis and he as a player, coach, academy director, businessman and successful Davis Cup Champion Team Captain 2008, has been an essential piece in the development and success of Spanish tennis in the last 20 years. As a player, Emilio reached the #7 position in the world in singles. The six-time National Champion in Spain, winner of 15 major ATP tournaments, was 12 years a player of the Davis Cup and classified for the Masters Cup. In Doubles, Emilio Sánchez has been the best player in Spain and the 3rd best doubles team in the history partnering with Sergio Casal. Emilio reached the #1 position in the world and has won 50 titles, including 5 Grand Slam tournaments, being qualified 9 times for the Masters Cup. He won the Silver Medal in the Olympic Games of Seúl in 1988. After finishing his career as a professional tennis player, Emilio has been actively involved in tennis in Spain. He has been a TV tennis commentator for Eurosport and TVE1. He has also organized major ATP events and has been the director for several years of the Nations Senior Cup, considered the Senior Davis Cup. Emilio has also collaborated with several prestigious newspapers (La Vanguardia, El País, Sportlife, ABC…) and writes in numerous magazines worldwide such as Marca (Spain), Tenis a Fondo (Spain), Tenis Italiano (Italy), Solo Tenis (Argentina), Protenis (Portugal), Tennis View (Brasil), Quince Cero (Chile), Grip (Argentina), among others. Emilio continued transmitting his knowledge in tennis by coaching his sister Arantxa from 1997 to 2001. In 1999, Emilio founded the Academia Sánchez-Casal, one of the most prestigious tennis academies in the world, developing young student-athletes who combine high performance tennis with quality
studies. The Academia SánchezCasal has a unique training system applied by a top-quality coaching team which includes renowned coaches like Sergio Casal, Angel Gimenez, Antonio Hernandez, Pato Alvarez, Lorenzo Fargas, Juan Balcells and German Puentes among many others, all directed by Emilio Sánchez. In its 10 years of existence, the Academia Sánchez-Casal training system has developed top professional tennis players such as Svetlana Kuznetsova, Andy Murray and Juan Monaco. Currently, distinguished professional players like Feliciano Lopez, Janko Tipsarevic, Elena Bovina and Tamira Pascek practice year-round at the academy, together with other top players who come temporary to the academy to train hard and boost their tennis game such as Anna Ivanovic, Daniela Hantuchova and Maria Kirilenko. The academy has also been developing top world junior players to make the step into professional tennis, like Grigor Dimitrov, champion of the US Open Junior and Wimbledon Junior in 2008. In 2007, Emilio opened a second academy in Naples, Florida, which is following the steps of the academy in Barcelona by applying the Sánchez-Casal training system through a top qualified coaches team. Today, Emilio is fully dedicated to the development of players in his academies in Barcelona and Naples, spreading his knowledge through tennis clinics worldwide about the academy training system (he imparted clinics in Italy, Dubai, USA, Poland, Mexico, Brasil, Argentina, Chile, Portugal…) and conferences about tennis and sports management in prestigious entities (IESE, University of Chicago, IQS, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Universidad de Navarra, Universidad de Alfonso X…). Also, last year Emilio was selected as the National Coordinator of Tennis in Brazil, a project in which he is restructuring the national tennis system in order for that country to have a successful development of tennis players. Recently, the US TV Tennis Channel selected the Academia Sánchez-Casal to release a series of videos about the unique training system of the academy, which are currently shown on TV. As a reward of his long career actively
contributing to tennis worldwide, Emilio has been awarded with the prestigious status of International Master Professional by the RPT and Master Professional by the USPTA. Not one to miss a great opportunity when I see it, I asked Emilio to share his thoughts on success and what he thinks are the keys to it. Here is what he had to say. My success comes from applying the lessons I learn in tennis to the rest of important things I do in my life. 1. Effort, try to be the best version of yourself in everything you do 2. Respect, is something that I try to show to my family, my friends, my students, my rivals, my coaches or my colleagues 3. Hard work, always give the 100% even when you don’t feel like doing it 4. Discipline, consistency and creating a habit to always be present on your commitments is something that came from my matches. 5. I am always in second place when it comes to coaching, my player always comes before me and you really need to understand him or her before you can help them. 6. We have two ears and one mouth to listen twice as much and speak less. These are important steps in understanding my players better. 7. Creating opportunities through tennis is my biggest goal. Tennis gave me all I have and has made me as a person. I use my sport to help others create opportunities, in coaching kids and adults, in making journeys, in making a difference, in creating programs for disadvantage people like my Foundation does in Spain. 8. Choose your own destiny. You must write your own story and my biggest goal is to leave a legacy that my kids and grandkids will be proud of. I always hope of helping the tennis world to become better and help more people. We thank Emilio for his contributions to the Southern Standard and to tennis. We are working on having Emilio at our May USPTA Southern Convention at the Atlanta Athletic Club in May. Look for details soon.
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Volume 19 Issue 1
Play Tennis Month - May 2018 A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO GET AMERICA MOVING AND PLAYING TENNIS It’s the first industry wide program in years. WHY?? We need to get people active. The couch has become the cigarette for our current generation. We have an inactivity pandemic right now. The goal is to bring many players (and new players) burning over 10,000,000 calories. Another side benefit is fund raising for the USPTA Foundation and PHIT America. Advertising will be featured on the Tennis Channel, print magazines, and much more this spring. The USTA National Tennis Center is planning the largest cardio tennis event ever on 28 courts on April 20th, burning 1.000,000 calories!! Southern is tasked to hold 220 events. Many clubs will hold multiple events, so this will be EASY for us to accomplish. Make sure to register once full details are released.
1,500 USPTA events 20 participants at each event 350 calories burned by each participant 10,500,000 calories burned!
Ladies Vantage The Volley Challenge By Jenny Robb
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he Volley Challenge - United in Tennis and Sport will take place on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2018. The mission is to engage girls and empower women around the world to participate in the Volley Dance, Volley Challenge in order to raise awareness within the youth of today of just how far women have come towards equality in sport and just how far we still have to go. Emma Doyle, founder of the Volley Dance, Volley Challenge, explains, “We want to connect girls with sport and empower women as role models in sport so that we make use of the talents of all.” The Volley Dance
is a series of simple steps that anyone can attempt. The movements slowly become quicker and quicker until they turn into a fast salsa-style movement finishing by bringing everyone together in a circle. The Volley Challenge is a continuous partner volley rally in which the ball cannot bounce. One partner remains in the same place (doubles sideline) while the other partner takes one step backward with each successful hit or catch. How far can you go? All female coaches, teachers, leaders, parents, volunteers, and athletes who recognize the need to engage girls and empower women are invited to participate. Although 8 players on half a tennis court is recommended, the activities do not have to take place on a tennis court, and the rally does not have to be tennis - other sports are welcome to par-
ticipate as well, the activities easily translate to basketball, volleyball, soccer, etc. This video was filmed during the USPTA Georgia Winter Workshop at Atlanta Athletic Club, and shows the Volley Dance and Volley Challenge: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQEkR S1WMng&feature=youtu.be it can also be found by searching “Volley Dance” in the YouTube search bar. Thursday, March 8, 2018 4:00pm in your state/country’s time zone Use hashtags: #VolleyChallenge and #PressforProgress when you upload a video of your participation on social media Registration is open on Eventbrite. Join us in the #VolleyChallenge as we #PressforProgress together!
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Southern Officers The “Standard” is the official newsletter for the Southern Division of the United States Professional Tennis Association.
President Lane Evans Levans290@gmail 707-386-6206 1st Vice President Kevin Theos theos@sta.usta.com 205-790-7256 2nd Vice President Kaitlin Flaherty kflaherty07@gmail.com 832-656-4472 Secretary/Treasurer Tom Parkes pvcctennis@gmail.com 910-233-4755 Past President/Regional VP Todd Upchurch tupchurch1@gmail.com 704-258-7220 Directors at Large Ken Andriano kandriano@theriverclub-ga.com 336-541-5876
Bill Riddle tennisun@aol.com 615-243-6698 Executive Director Pat Whitworth usptasouthern@gmail.com 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
FAST FACTS Australian Open Ken Rosewall is the youngest winner to win the championship at the age of 18 Margaret Court is the leading winner of most female titles of Australian Open Rafael Nadal won the longest ever tennis match in 2009 against Fernando Verdasco Martina Hingis is the youngest woman to win the game at the age of 16 40,000 tennis balls are used every year in this tournament Typically there are more than 300 ball boys and girls in attendance each year
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 Kevin Jackson camdencctennis@gmail.com 803-432-6711 TENNESSEE Michael Chamberlain chamberlaintennis@gmail.com 901-765-4414
USPTA Welcomes Our New Members Fintak, Jonathan........... Fayetteville NC Harrison, Andrew........ Wilmington NC Himes, Allison............... Fayetteville NC Holloway, Jackson.............Moultrie GA Huntington, William......Mandeville LA Imwalle, Lisa.......................Chelsea AL Johnson, Jamison..... Lawrenceville GA Laukys, Tomas....................Marietta GA Mitropoulos, Alexander..... Alpharetta GA Mueller, Eric..................... Memphis TN Steinbach, Ralf...................Roswell GA Thompson, Clifford....... Fayetteville NC Threadgill, Travis..............Braselton GA
USPTA Certification Tests & Upgrades Feb 10, Southern Village Club Chapel Hill, NC
Feb 17, Top Seed Tennis Club Nicholasville, KY
Feb 18, Haig Point Club Hilton Head, SC
Feb 24, The City Club at River Ranch Lafayette, LA
March 3 - 4, Rome Tennis Center at Berry College March 9, Camden Country Club Camden SC
March 16, Park Crossing Charlotte, N.C
April 14, Medlock Bridge Tennis Club Atlanta, GA
C Don’t cling to a mistake just because you took a long time making it — Aubrey DeGraf I never dreamed about success, I worked for it —Estee Lauder You can’t have a million dollar dream with a minimum wage work ethic —Stephen Hogan Luck is a word lazy people use to describe people that are hustlin —Jon Acuff Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can do what others can’t —Jerry Rice
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. 2018. 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