String Ping - Text to the Masses

Tech Corner StringPing – Get Your Text to the Masses

By Pat Whitworth – USPTA Master Professional

StringPing is one of our newest endorsees, and they offer a very unique product. Rick Kerpsak, the former head of Wilson Tennis, and now the CEO for Tennis Warehouse, is the brains behind the product. Simply put, Stringping will allow you to send group texts from the app or computer. Of course, there is much more to Strinping.

I used it at our recent conference for sending messages each day to attendees. Day 1 was a reminder of the time and place of the welcome party. Day 2 was a reminder for the awards and Hall of Fame. Day 3 was a reminder for the trade show. All of these messages were set up earlier in the week, and were set to distribute at a selected time. All of this just took minutes and is very easy to accomplish.

This is the perfect tool for quick messages to your students. It is a fact that text messages have a much higher chance of being read than an email. Whether the message is a current update, upcoming news, and basic info, this is the simple solution. Just started raining – no problem. Quickly send a group text to the list of students that would be attending on the current status of the courts. Changing courts for practice – no problem again.

Collecting the information on your client list is a simple step. StringPing can create a QR code that only needs to be scanned, and the date entered. Now you have captured the information needed and that you setup. If birthdays are part of this set, then you can have StringPing send out a birthday note automatically.

StringPing will do much more for those that are looking for a deep dive. Just a few additional features are auto responders, splash page builder, contests, polls, loyalty programs, and much more.

As a USPTA member, you receive a free 1-month trial. The cost is really minimal to use StringPing on a regular basis. $19.99 will let you book 1000 text messages (135 characters). Higher level programs exist at a reduced rate per text.

StringPing really is a no-brainer. We have a tennis industry genius that is behind the system. It is very simple to use, and can save us so much time in communicating at a moments notice. Your students will appreciate receiving a text instead of an email, and there is no way that you would call everyone. I encourage everyone to at least give it a try with the free trial, and beware, you will be hooked.

in my past life! I have seen Phish almost 40 times, and many other bands 10+ times. My love of live music has taken me to concerts and festivals all over the country, including Phish’s Y2K show on a Seminole Indian Reservation, 12 of the first 13 Bonnaroos, multiple SXSWs, and Hangout Fests!

What are your hobbies? I love the outdoors and spending time in the creek behind my house with my 2 sons. Also gardening and keeping my yard looking as good as I can. I still enjoy concerts and live music as much as possible, and I have grand aspirations of winning a BBQ contest someday!

What is your favorite movie? WAY too many to choose from. Big Lebowski, Royal Tenenbaums, Back to the Future, Tombstone, are just a few.

Are you reading anything right now? I do try to keep a few books in rotation, but I sometimes feel like I crawl through them. Right now, I’m reading Essential Tennis by Ian Westerman at work, listening to Atomic Habits by James Clear on audible in my car, and keeping Emotional Agility by Susan David at my bedside.

What is your favorite sports team? Tennessee Titans

Who is your favorite player of all time? Gotta be Agassi. You never forget the player(s) that helped you fall in love with the game, and in my early teens, he was the absolute coolest. The Agassi/Sampras rivalry was one of the main reasons that I fell in love with competitive tennis, so I’ve got to reach back to them. Of the big 3, I’ve always been a Djokovic fan. Yes, he’s cold and doesn’t get the personality points that the other guys get, but his technique is incredible, and he’s won just as much as Fed and Rafa without the crowds on his side, which makes him stronger in my eyes.

What person would you most like to have lunch with? My dad, who passed away in 2018. nis? Probably struggling a lot more than I am now. My career in tennis has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. It has helped define me as a person, and has opened the door for so many other parts of my life to flourish.

If you had a “do over”, what one thing would you have done differently in your teaching career? I once left a job that I REALLY loved to chase a higher job-title and what I thought would be more money. It was a huge mistake, and I took it as a blow to both my career and my confidence. I have since come to understand a much better work/life balance, and have been committed to spreading myself across more facets of the tennis industry than before. I tried to expand my role outside of my own individual club-space, and get into other areas besides just on-court coaching. I aspire to do more mentoring of new coaches, and I have written articles, and gotten into the pipeline to present at industry conferences, all of which have led to much more personal satisfaction than the job-titles and money could ever have given me.

State News

Alabama Our president, John Beaube, has stepped down from his presidency for personal reasons. We are forever grateful for John’s enthusiasm and commitment to the continued growth of tennis education as our president. John’s charisma and passion for tennis and people are unmatched. For example, John was one of the few presidents who successfully put on a safe, live workshop during a calmer stage of the pandemic. J.C. Freeman will become Alabama’s new president, moving up from the position of 1st VP. J.C. is honored for the opportunity to help USPTA AL. He is currently the Director of Tennis at Inverness Country Club in Birmingham. He has been a member of the USPTA since 2010 and takes pride in prioritizing continued growth and education no matter how experienced one becomes. He will strive to match John’s passion for education as well as try to find other new, unique ways to help grow the USPTA in Alabama. Al Garret and Rachel Nix will move up a position, and a new secretary/treasurer will be appointed as soon as possible. If you have any questions or advice for our board, please don’t hesitate to reach out to jc@diamondclubs.com. Arkansas The Arkansas Chapter annual workshop at Rebsamen Tennis Center was a great success. Big thanks to Chris Stuart, Bill Dopp, Allan Jensen, and Camden Riley for the on court presentations.

Our high school tennis coach’s association led by Paul Pautsch is working with the AAA to help Arkansas High School tennis and high school tennis coaches. Included is a mentor/mentee program between USPTA certified pros and high school tennis coaches on a regional basis. Georgia USPTA GA is excited to cohost with the GPTA the upcoming coaches’ workshop at the Truist Atlanta Pro Open on Saturday, July 30. It will start at 8:30 a.m. on one of the tournament practice courts and finish at 11:30 a.m. The $25.00 cost includes a day ticket to the men’s semi-final singles and doubles matches. We will have 6 speakers for 30 minutes each. The topics will range from strategy, tactics, formations, playing smarter, defensive foundations, and anticipation. Our goal with this workshop is to take advantage of our under 30 talent of coaches who can bring us some great presentations in all these areas. Thanks to the board and committee for helping to organize this event. If you know of a high school coach who might be interested in attending, let one of our board members know, and there may be some scholarships available as well. We also want to thank Dunlop for their support with a tent to keep us cool during the hot days of summer in Atlanta during the workshop. Dunlop is the official ball of the Truist Atlanta Pro Open. Lousiana We are excited to announce the date of our first USPTA/USTA Louisiana Pro Workshop being held indoors at Red Lerille’s Health and Racquet Club on Friday, June 24th, from 1pm to 6pm. We are honored to welcome Mike Barrell as a presenter. As some of you know, Mike is one of the world’s foremost experts on youth tennis programming, competition, and overall program retention. Whether a Director, Assistant, School Coach or tennis enthusiast interested in the coaching profession, this is an event you won’t want to miss!! Please mark your calendars for this FREE event that will include gifts, food and beverage for all attendees. Register at https://buytickets.at/ usptasouthern/712551 Mississippi Our State Workshop was held Saturday April 9th ,2022 8am- 5pm at the Country Club of Jackson. It was a full day of networking and learning, in the classroom and on court. Our strong line-up of guest speakers included: Michele Krause (Cardio Tennis and Triples Events), Walker Sahag (High Performance Coaching), William Foreman (Digital Updates) and Allan Jensen (Singles Strategies for all levels) . The Workshop was held in conjunction with the USTA Annual Awards Luncheon and Hall of Fame Induction Dinner. We would like to congratulate Billy Gip Clark, a long standing USPTA Member on his induction into the USTA MS Hall of Fame. Rod Hartzog was inducted posthumously. Rod was also a long standing USPTA Member at the time of his passing in 2018.

Our USPTA Chapter 2021 Award Winners were recognized during the USTA Luncheon. Congratulations! • Pro of the Year : Dean Clower - FitLife - McComb,MS • Coach of the Year : Zubin Engineer - USM - Hattiesburg,MS • Assistant of the Year : Kennedy Rodriguez - Northwood CC and Meridian Community College, Meridian, MS.

Several of our member also received USTA Awards and recognition. • USTA Coach of the Year - Rachel Causey - Jackson Prep. • USTA Pro of the Year - Trey Wood - Reunion Golf and Tennis - Madison, MS • USTA Adult Tournament of the Year - Ben Berry - Laurel CC - Laurel , MS • USTA Junior Tournament of the Year - Toby Fasth - Bayou Bluff TC - Gulfport ,MS North Carolina Your USPTA-NC board is busy working on several projects. Allison Himes and Sean Smith are working on better ways to support our professionals who are younger or new members. More details coming in August on this project. David Marquina is creating a partnership with Abilities Tennis. If you are interested in supporting this great initiative, please contact David (david.marquinam@outlook.com).

Our next workshop will be in conjunction with the Winston-Salem Open. We will begin at 8:30am on Saturday, August 20th assisting USTA/ North Carolina with the WSO Kid’s Day, followed by a lunch education session and matches to follow. More details will be sent next week.

If I or the board can help any of our USPTA members, please contact me at LHandback@methodist.edu. South Carolina Greetings from the Palmetto State. A new initiative has begun to recognize excellence as it happens. Mirroring an idea used in business and the military on the spot excellence coins are being presented by the SC board members to those making a positive impact on the game of tennis both on and off the court.

One of our own, Dr. Sophie Woorons of Anderson, SC, will be a featured speaker at the World Conference. Recently the Palmetto Championships were held in Belton, SC. A rich tradition of tennis that celebrated its 65th year. Tennessee Things in Tennessee are very busy which is a good thing. Congrats to USPTA member and Collierville High School Coach Tony Cherone on his boy’s team winning the state championship and the girls team finished in the final four. WOW! We are looking forward to the World Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana and hope to see you there September 18th -22nd. Many great speakers will be there and it’s a wonderful time to learn and network. Save the Date! Saturday December 3rd will be the USPTA Tennessee State Workshop in Murfreesboro. A Grand Slam Champion is slated to speak. Could it be Rafa? You’ll need to sign up and attend to find out. More information will be coming as the date gets closer.