A Division of the USPTA
June 2021
INSIDE:
President’s Message - 2 Southwest Virtual Conference - 3 World Conference - 4 Pickleball Certification - 5 Palm Creek Fund Raiser - 6 Area News - 8-14 USTA Southwest News 16-18
President’s Message Dave Moyer - USPTA Southwest President
Dear USPTA Southwest Tennis Professionals, What a great weekend we had for our 2021 USPTA Southwest Virtual Conference! Even though it would have been great to be in person to see everyone and socialize, the quality of the speakers and the production as a whole was tremendous. A big special thank you goes out to conference chair Laurie Martin and co-chair Amy Badger for all their work putting everything together. They were able to secure commitments from a lot of the speakers that did not get to speak at the 2020 conference as well as add some great new speakers. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention how important Executive Director Jack Michalko was to the success of the conference. Jack not only help with some of the education lineup but was responsible for setting up the virtual conference and making sure that everything ran smoothly all weekend. In everything Jack does for the division you can see the passion and attention to detail that helps give our division a reputation of small but mighty! Thank you Laurie, Amy and Jack for all of your work!
summer at your facilities. Tennis has seen a boom during the pandemic and we all have a responsibility to continue to grow the game and keep all those new and returning players engaged. Getting involved in your USPTA division and attending education opportunities are part of that so I hope to see you all soon. Finally, if you have pickleball at your facility and want to become a certified pickleball professional, the USPTA Southwest is hosting a certification test on October 10 at Phoenix Country Club. I know many of you have been slow to warm up to pickleball but the fact of the matter is that it is here to stay and the more you think like a racquet sports professional and not just a tennis professional the better it is for your growth and longevity in the industry. We need to have a minimum of 12 people to host the certification but I have no doubt we will get there. Once again, I hope to see you all in Vegas. Get registered and we will see you there!
I hope you all enjoyed the slate of speakers and were able to take advantage of the educational opportunity to gain 12.5 credits. If not then please make sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend the 2021 World Conference at the Westgate Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada the week of September 19-23. I am so excited to actually be able to see everyone and have face to face conversations. Let’s represent the Southwest in Vegas! This has been a crazy 15 months and now that things are opening back up and everything starts to get back to normal, I hope you all have a fun and prosperous
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June 2021
Southwest Host First Ever Virtual Conference
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he Southwest Division hosted its first ever virtual conference last month. The decision to go virtual was easy, Covid-19 gave us no choice. Although we could not meet in person, doing a virtual conference certainly had its positive side. For instance, the cost to view the three-day event was only $39.95 for USPTA pros and since it was virtual there were no hotel costs or airfare. That meant more people could afford to participate, and they did. In fact, since it was virtual, we had many pros from other divisions join us as well. We had a total of 116 attendees which was excellent. USPTA Southwest President, Dave Moyer, began the conference with a division update. Following Dave Dr. Gregory Prudhomme presented a seminar on “Unshakeable Confidence” followed by Mike Barrell who gave a four-hour specialty course entitled “Court Warrior”. Day two began with Chuck Provencio speaking on “Managing Millennials” followed by Amanda Fink who spoke on “Lefties: A guide for working with left-handed players for right-handed coaches”. Dr. Jim Loehr followed Amanda speaking on “Leading with Character” which is also the title of his new book. Lori Therrien finished day two with “Utilizing the USTA Adult League Programs. On day three Past USPTA National President, Gary Trost, gave a national board update. Next former world number one player, Mats Wilander, USPTA Intermountain President, Andy Zodin, and Phoenix businessman and two time all american, Jonny Levine spoke on “How junior and pro tennis helped prepare me for life in the real world.” A virtual round table discussion followed and pros chose one of five breakrooms based on their particular interest. Evaluation forms were emailed to all attendees at the conclusion of the conference which will give us valuable input for future conferences. Much appreciation and thanks to conference co-chairs Laurie Martin and Amy Badger for all their hard work in making this year’s conference a great success!
Amanda Fink
Jonny Levine June 2021
Andy Zodin
Mats Wilander
Dr. Jim Loehr
Mike Barrell
Chuck Provencio
Lori Therrien
Dr. Greg Prudhomme
Gary Trost page 3
2021 USPTA World Conference (WC21) Experience the Premier Tennis Education Event Live in Las Vegas!
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he 2021 USPTA World Conference (WC2) will make a triumphant return to an in-person format September 19-23, 2021, at the Westgate Resort and Casino in glamorous Las Vegas, Nevada. The USPTA World Conference is the world’s largest gathering of tennis professionals, industry leaders, representatives, manufacturers, wholesalers, and media. In addition to robust educational offerings, including on-court seminars, the USPTA hosts meetings, industry discussions, evening social events, the 2021 Awards presentations, and so much more! Experience five days of in-person learning from some of the very best in the tennis industry. Attendees will participate in classroom learning sessions, on-court seminars, panel discussions, and more. The impressive speaker lineup includes; Dr. Jim Loehre, a world-renowned performance Psychologist; Katrina Adams, Vice President of the International Tennis Federation; and former world No. 1 tennis player, two-time Grand Slam singles champion, and successful doubles partner, Stan Smith. During the Awards Luncheon, the association will recognize deserving professionals who are growing the game of tennis. The 2021 Awards Program recognizes USPTA members for their 2020 accomplishments. Learn what’s new in the industry by exploring the WC21 Trade Show and visiting 70-plus booths with representatives from every imaginable tennis industry manufacturer and company while enjoying evening festivities. Register today to save $50 with the early bird discount. The cost to attend for members is $399, while nonmembers who register before July 1, 2021, is $449. Once the early bird deadline passes, the member price for the five full days will be $449 and $499 for non-members. Guest passes for WC21 are $179, and day passes are $175. Hotel registration information, including the USPTA WC21 hotel discount link, will be sent to you after registration. (Rooms are $139 plus $10 resort fee plus applicable taxes per night.) For more information and to register, visit www.uspta.com/wc21
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Palm Creek Tennis Club Cancer Event Raises $2600 Dan Hopkins (USPTA Master Professional) Director of Tennis Palm Creek Tennis Club / Palm Creek Resort and Residences, Casa Grande, Arizona
Palm Creek Tennis Club, Casa Grande, Arizona, is an all volunteer club that has existed just over twenty years. One of our main events each year is our Cancer Awareness Fundraiser. Yearly, this event is held in February on our eight court facility. In spite of the Covid-19, significantly curtailed play, social activities, and the absence of half our normal membership, our club continued to be a significant supporter of the annual Cancer fundraiser. Our annual event is normally centered around our tennis Superbowl Tournament and a membership dinner and auction. This year we limited the tournament to one day and held a silent auction during the same time. Our prime contributor was Babolat, who donated three racquets and a beautiful quilt donated by Chris Hopkins. The final result was $2600 donation to the Palm Creek Resort and Residencies. Marion Nelson accepted the check, pictured, by members of the Palm Creek Tennis Club. (In response, Marion Nelson (Sun Communities) wrote the following to our club) Hello Tennis Club, I am writing to thank you for your generous contribution to our Cancer Awareness Fundraiser in February 2021. Through our collective efforts, we were able to raise $15,500+ for the Alliance Cancer Support Center in Casa Grande. In a recent telephone conversation with the Center, our donation is critically needed, especially during the on-going pandemic. They never imagined that we would be able to have the fundraiser this year and were overjoyed with our amazing results. For your club specifically, I want to recognize the tremendous energy and effort you put forth in raising $2,600. You always “tip the scales” with a large contribution for this annual event, but this year was particularly noteworthy with a significantly reduced membership and COVID restrictions. You are definitely the rock stars of our fundraiser. Thank you again for being valued members of our Palm Creek family and making a difference in our local community. With warm regards, Marion Marion E. Nelson Event Manager Palm Creek Resort & Residences
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June 2021
LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD BOARD MEMBERS! Paul Burns - Southwest Nominating Committee Chair
The SWPTA Nominating Committee is now taking requests from any USPTA Southwest Member wishing to be considered for the 2022-23 slate for the Southwest Board of Officers. This also includes any current board member who would like to be considered for the future. The nominating committee will interview all interested candidates who are in good standing with the USPTA. If you are interested contact nominating committee chairman, Paul Burns, no later than Wednesday, June 30, 2021 to apply. Paul can be reached at paul@southwestwealth.com or by calling him at 480-734-4915. The committee will be interviewing prospective SWPTA Members throughout the summer. Once the process is complete the nominating committee will submit a proposed slate of officers to the executive director by October, 2021.
Best Kept Self by Dr. Greg Prudhomme
Wise and successful people have often said that the only form of failure is giving up. It can be incredibly challenging to make continued mistakes and repeatedly fall short. But instead of interpreting each error as a sign of failure they should be viewed as necessary steppingstones that will eventually lead to success. When we reframe the meaning of our mistakes to important learning moments in our journeys, we will meet our challenges with more optimism, we will be more prepared to grow, and we will reach more milestones. Never give up and you never know just how far you can go!
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Northern New Mexico by Dick Johnson
Dick Johnson USPTA Southwest Northern NM District Coordinator It has been a wild Spring with teams dodging Covid tracing and trying to keep a stable team atmosphere. My high school boys are still required to wear masks while playing and I certainly hope the governor and the NMAA eliminate this procedure soon. We are still finishing up dual match playing with district championship slated for early June, followed by State Individual Championships for singles and doubles on June 10-12, followed by the State Team Championships (limited to 8 teams) on June 14-19. At this time, I am still waiting to get the okay to start our summer tennis camps at my school. It has been a long 15 months since we last had any camps. Congratulations to Amy Badger for her new post as the Director of Tennis at the Highpoint Sports and Wellness. Stay well everyone. I hope everyone has received their shots and we can get this country going again. I thought it was interesting that tennis balls are in short supply. With the increase in new and old players manufacturers are having trouble keeping up with the demand. Our game is “rocking and rolling” and I am excited about that. See you soon everyone! And in person!
lesson series. He also volunteered helping coach the Rio Rancho High boys’ and girls’ varsity and JV teams. And he was able to keep teaching some private and semi-private lessons. Dave continued to benefit from USPTA online conferences in various parts of the country, ahead of USPTA Southwest.
John Damgaard in Santa Fe has a whopping 10 teams that he oversees with the Santa Fe Tennis Association. They are all playing in the USTA 18+ Tennis Leagues.
Joe Felice has been at Sierra Vista Tennis Center for 15 years. When Joe started at Sierra Vista in 2006, there was no full time Professionals. Sierra Vista has 4 or 5 USTA League Teams for the year. Now there are 30-35 USTA League Teams each year. Joe will be holding his annual Sierra Vista Grand Prix NTRP Doubles Tournament the last weekend of August. This Tournament has been going for twenty five years and has become one of the most popular events in Northern New Mexico with 150-200 participants. Last year was the only year we did not have it due to the pandemic. Joe also hopes to get his Super Senior Tennis Program going again in the fall or spring.
Kurt Edelbrock in Taos sent me a varied report: Thank you Kurt! You are the best! -He has scheduled: 1. Elevated Tennis camps June 1214 2. Pickleball camps- June 12-14 3. Jr. camps start June 14-16 And: -USTA Taos Open Tennis Tournament (Doubles & Mixed Doubles only) -His “award winning” Aly’s Taos East” (will be serving scrumptious food items out on the patio). Kurt looks forward to terrific season of tennis, pickleball, and swim time! (And do not forget dining)! Plus- His is active with the Taos High School team during the season and offering extra courts for their teams.
Dave Shambach at Rio Rancho reports: The first time since March, 2020, Dave started teaching for the City of Rio Rancho Parks and summer program
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Amy Badger: I started April 1 as the Tennis Director for Highpoint June 2021
Sports and Wellness. A beautiful 15 court facility nestled in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque. My priority has been focused on enhancing the junior program. I have had a great time seeing old friends, meeting new and getting our socials back on track beginning with a Cinco de Mayo fun round robin. This club has some wonderful tennis history and shoes from the past to fill. It’s my privilege and honor to work towards that end by bringing all my knowledge, experience, and 45 years of tennis in this community. Wish me luck! I continue this season as head coach of the Albuquerque Academy girls’ varsity. We are halfway through our season and as the 2019 defending state team champions, the team is geared up for some great competition. Doug MacCurdy reports: Still grounded as we enter our fifteenth month of virtually no international travel. Professional and tournament tennis seem to be limping along making major adjustments from week to week, and country to country. Conversely, recreational tennis in the US is doing better than it has a for a long time. Interestingly — this uptick in participation does not seem to be a result of any new or revolutionary programming ideas. People are just looking for activities that they can do safely, particularly outdoors. With gyms closed or operating on a very limited basis, our tennis courts, golf courses, and hiking and bike trails are seeing unusually heavy use. The challenge, of course, will be to see if this interest by a new influx of players can be maintained when life returns to normal when people can choose whatever recreational and fitness activities they like. I love the professional clay court season that got underway in early April. All eyes begin to focus on the big events in Europe culminating in Roland Garros in Paris. The clay is demanding. To be successful, the unforced error count must be kept to a minimum, while the ability to produce your own power is at a premium. It is very difficult to just hit “through” the court to elicit a weak shot from you opponent. Instead, the ability to create openings by changing angles and depth pays dividends. Mentally, your ability to maintain concentration is taxed to the limit. It may take you 40 minutes to build, say, a 4-0 lead. If you let you guard
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down, that lead can disappear in 10 minutes. Here are a few teaching questions to ask yourself. During the past six weeks, I have taken the opportunity to watch at least parts of numerous clay court pro matches. I have seen dozens of players hit thousands of forehands. When players are standing behind the baseline in backcourt rallies, (not if they have to step forward to reach a shorter ball), I have not seen one forehand where the player steps into the ball with the front foot, i.e., right-handed player stepping forward or across with the left foot to hit a forehand. One of the main reasons for this is that much more racket head speed is generated through angular momentum than linear momentum. Angular momentum is characterized by hip and shoulder rotation. Stepping forward essentially blocks the players ability to fully rotate the hips and shoulders. Linear momentum is forward movement towards the net. This becomes very important as a source of power on a shot like a volley where there is relatively little hip and shoulder rotation. The questions are: * When and why would you introduce/teach open stances to inexperienced players on the forehand? * When and why would you introduce/teach to step into the ball on the forehand? * If a young tournament player, has the tendency to step into the forehand on baseline shots, would you encourage them to change to more open stances in order to play more like the pros? * Would you teach an older intermediate player to hit an open stance forehand if they don’t do it? * Does the surface influence whether a player may use more open stance or neutral/closed stance forehands? There are not right or wrong answers to these questions, but I think it is important for teachers to constantly review and evaluate their teaching beliefs, not just keep doing what they have always done out of habit.
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Southeastern Arizona
sportsmanship education for the players and (perhaps more importantly) for the parents as well. High school tennis completed its season in May with some nice personal highlights. My son Jared won the individual Arizona
by John Perry
Hello from Southern Arizona, As summer approaches I am pleased we were able to have a wonderful USPTA Southwest Conference and look forward to the World Conference in person and spending time together again. I am also thankful to feel like things are feeling close to normal at Reffkin Tennis Center. Our junior program continues to thrive with more than 80 players of all levels training throughout the week in the spring. Adult classes of all levels have been filled as restrictions have been eased. Reffkin has also been host to the Southern Arizona Adaptive Athletics wheelchair tennis clinics for all new players, organized with help from the USTA and wheelchair pro Jason Keatseangsilp. I have been training Jason for the past 4 years and have enjoyed watching him compete in tournaments around the world. Representing the University of Arizona, Jason recently made the finals of the USTA National Collegiate Wheelchair Championships in Orlando. At Reffkin we have hosted and run several Slam Series entry-level orange and green ball events in conjunction with the USTA. In addition to the fun competition these events include etiquette and
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State singles title and led his team to victory in the State Team Championship match as well. Six of my students make up the varsity team for Catalina Foothills High School and it was overly exciting to watch them clinch the team state championship! As a follow up, I have received good reports from around town that more high school players than in years past have been signing up for summer tennis rather than stopping and not playing until the following season. Also, at Reffkin Tennis Center, USPTA Pro Ronnie Smith has overseen the resurfacing of 20 courts at the facility, as well as the new post-tension concrete pouring and rebuild of 3 additional courts. Ronnie has been running events of all levels, from single day junior supersets and adult mixed doubles to multiple Level 3 National Junior Championships. Players from around the country competed in these successful 3-day events. June 2021
Amanda Fink USPTA professional at La Paloma reports, “La Paloma has been hustling and bustling this spring. We have just completed resurfacing all our hard courts as well as adding additional pickle ball courts. Some of the hard courts we have been able to change to True Bounce surfaces which adds a layer of rubber making the courts softer! Eric is getting ready for tennis camp season and Amanda is trying to adjust to consistent 95 + degree temperatures. We had a men’s mixer in addition to a Spring mixer for all levels. We have had a 3.5 as well as a 4.0 USTA team competing in addition to our regular programming. Britt Feldhausen states that the Tucson Community Tennis Program Summer Camp will run the month of June at Pueblo High School. Britt’s Tennis Academy is wrapping up a successful spring season and is shutting down for the summer. Britt says the fall is already shaping up to be a busy schedule. His grandchildren like to carry rackets around the house and hit balls (and other things). A special thank you to USPTA professional Sean Oseran for his help on the USPTA Southwest awards committee for 2021. As we move into the hot summer season, it is refreshing to hear reports that summer tennis camps in Tucson appear to be filling up. It has always been a challenge in the summer in Arizona, and even more so as parents have hundreds of options for summer activities these days. This mini “tennis boom” is still in effect and it is a good sign that parents and players are braving the heat to play. Once again, I advocate that we try to bridge these players from summer camp to continued play in the fall and beyond by instilling a love of the game and turning kids who play tennis into tennis players!
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Phoenix, Arizona by Ryan Johnson
Greetings Southwest Pros and Tennis Enthusiasts! I hope this finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. The first quarter of 2021 has witnessed a tremendous boom with tennis activity across the country. Just a few months ago, the USTA released its 2020 data, indicating a 22% increase in total participation, which translates into about 4 million more players—bringing total tennis participation for 2020 to 21.64 million players. As the article concludes, the time has never been better for the industry to capture and continue the momentum surrounding participation. I believe the key initiative will be implementing effective programming that captures and retains all levels. Through my own observations and conversations with local pros and leaders, we are doing a fantastic job here around the Valley. Below are a few updates. At Desert Mountain, there has been strong growth over the first quarter of 2021 compared to prior year. Tennis reservations are up 110%, pickleball reservations are up 220%, and billable program participation, which includes lessons, clinics, and events, are up 57%. We continue to provide fun programming with the goal of building and retaining recent participation levels. Most recently, we hosted 17-time grand slam champion and 2-time gold medalist, Gigi Fernandez, for a
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doubles workshop. This one-day event included 24 total participants, with 3 level-based clinics, culminating with lunch and the roadmap to mental dominance presentation from Gigi. Arizona Country Club recently held its Pickleball Doubles Club Championships, and the member response was phenomenal! Over 120 entries in men’s, women’s and mixed doubles at various levels played in a unique weeklong format. The tournament ran for an entire week culminating in a Finals Night on April 16. Basically, each division played a double elimination draw throughout the week, stopping without playing the final match. All the final matches were held on “Finals Night” in conjunction with a huge viewing party that included a “stadium court” set up.’ A crowd of 150+ showed up to watch the final matches and enjoyed a taco dinner and full bar. The event was a resounding success, both on and off the court. Brett Hall had a very successful tennis season at Venture Out 55+ Community in Mesa and Gilbert Parks and Recreation from January through April. He offered a weekly schedule of private and group clinics and volunteered time to run a Mixed Doubles Play Day averaging 24 players. The junior program in Gilbert exploded, introducing 60 new players to the game from ages 6-14. The city of Gilbert gave a 50% discount to residents to help them
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financially from Covid. Head Penn Racquet Sports provided sunglasses and posters for prizes at the end of each session. Brett also ran a successful weeklong tennis camp in March with 30 players. Since many of the kids wanted to continue playing, Brett referred them to USPTA professional Mike Lowdermilk at Val Vista Lakes in Gilbert. Brett is now back in Oregon spending time playing guitar and bicycling around the state. He looks forward to returning in January and hopes things will be back to normal. A huge congrats to GCU Head Coach, Greg Prudhomme, and the rest of the team for a truly historical year. Greg led both programs to Conference Regular Season Titles, WAC Conference Tournament Titles, qualifying for the NCAAs, Player of the Year Awards, and Coach of the Year Awards. The men’s team earned Freshman of the Year, and Greg’s daughter, Autum, a new UPSTA Pro, earned WAC First Team AllConference and WAC All-Tournament Team honors. Another big congrats to the Arizona State Men’s Program and Head Coach Matt Hill on a remarkable season. The Sun Devils reached the finals of the Pac12 Conference Tournament with wins over UCLA and Stanford before falling to USC. The team reached a high ranking of 17 and finished by advancing to the second round of NCAAs. Scottsdale native, Nathan Ponwith, who is ranked 84 in the nation, also qualified for the singles portion of the NCAA Tennis Championship.
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SOUTHWEST OFFICERS President Dave Moyer 480-342-7240 dmoyer@ccdranch.com Regional VP Laurie Martin 480-213-2083 lmartin@ppiarizona.com Vice President Amy Badger 505-379-6728 badgers3@me.com Secretary Suk Ong 602-881-0467 suk_ong@tempe.gov Treasurer Greg Prudhomme 602-301-1394 gmprudhomme@yahoo.com Past President Jonathan Davis 520-360-0182 jdavisuspta@gmail.com Pro Emeritus Britt Feldhausen 520-886-1885 brittfeldhausen@mac.comesident Executive Director Jack Michalko 602-740-0126 usptasw@cox.com
SOUTHWEST COORDINATORS Northern New Mexico Dick Johnson 505-507-6795 richarddjtennis@aol.com Phoenix Ryan Johnson 480-267-0725 rjohnson@dmbclubs.com Southeastern Arizona John Perry 520-403-8290 jptennis25@yahoo.com Northern Arizona Andrea Meyer 928-300-4352 andreajmeyer@yahoo.com Southern New Mexico & l Paso TBD Head Tester Greg Prudhomme 602-301-1394 gmprudhomme@yahoo.com The Southwest Magazine is the official Publication of the USPTA Southwest Division of the United States Professional Tennis Association.
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Northern Arizona by Andrea Meyer
Taking advantage of yearlong Covid court closings at Yavapai College, USPTA Elite Pro Chris Howard set off April 1 to “Bike and Tennis Across America, “ as he called his 2,500- mile bike ride from coast to coast. Chris, tennis manager at Yavapai College’s courts, pulled into St. Augustine, FL on May 3, stopping in towns along the way to play tennis and promote the idea of rejuvenating public park courts across the country. Chris’ idea is to build low-cost tennis sheds at small public venues and hire pros at fair wages to teach, design programming, and maintain public courts. “As I rode through all the big and small towns, it was evident that many of our expensively built tennis complexes, big and especially small, public, and private, are not taken care of very well. And in a matter of years are unplayable, do not have anyone running programs on them, let alone any structured play. It is sad and will be the demise of our sport,” Chris notes.” Chris feels that his trip gave him the platform to have a great adventure while promoting the idea of growing tennis by taking care of the facilities we already have instead of inventing new ever- changing programs.
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Prescott Pro and Southwest USPTA Star Award winner Zach Hackerott is looking forward to more social tennis matches he is organizing between Wickenburg Ranch players and Prescott players. Zach also helped to run Prescott Area Tennis Association’s Memorial Day Tournament May 29-31 at Yavapai College. Congratulations to Prescott Pro and PHS High School coach Sterling Fetty for dominating not only NAZ high school tennis but having several PHS players chosen by the Arizona High School Tennis Coaches Association for All-State honors. Ava Andrews and Ava Strasser both received second team honors. Sterling also heads up the USTA efforts to bring Team Challenges to NAZ towns. Flagstaff Area Tennis Association members hosted a successful Team Challenge in March with over 20 juniors participating and even more participants in an April 10 TC at PHS. In the Verde Valley USPTA Elite Pro Jake Worseldine and USPTA Pro Andrea Meyer put together a FamilyPlayer Tournament to end Mingus Union High’s tennis season. Each player teamed with a family member to play a round-robin with goofy prizes given for ball hogging, partner abuse, and getting tangled in the net. “A family tournament is more friendly than a stuffy awards banquet and helps parents experience and appreciate how challenging it is to play a point well,” said Andrea. Jake (@ remotetennis.com) and Andrea will be teaching summer camp sessions in June and July at Mingus Union High School. September 24-26 will see the return of the Oxendale Auto Group Tournament to the Verde Valley. Organized by Master Professional Larry Lineberry three years ago, the L6 tournament includes junior and adult NTRP and age - group divisions. Sedona USPTA Elite Pro, Claudette Laliberte has had to curtail lessons recently. While mountain biking in the hills around Cornville, she suffered a broken left wrist. On her second cast now, Claudette is healing and looking forward to some time in Mexico and getting back on the court in Sedona.
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USTA SOUTHWEST NEWS - June 2021 Become a USTA Southwest Board Member!
The Nominating Committee of the Southwest Section of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) invites prospective future board members to submit an application to be on the USTA Southwest Board of Directors and Nominating Committee. Term of service is two years commencing on Jan. 1, 2022 - Dec. 31, 2023. Applications must be completed and submitted electronically no later than midnight PST, July 5, 2021. Once completed, the applications will be submitted to the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee may seek feedback from individuals familiar with an applicant’s performance in the roles listed on the application. All positions are on volunteer basis. Learn about this process & apply by clicking HERE.
USTA Southwest is Hiring For Two Jobs
We currently have two vacant Tennis Service Representative jobs at USTA Southwest that we are looking to hire soon. Open positions for these jobs are located in the Phoenix Region and El Paso/Southern New Mexico Regions. These are community-focused full-time service and sales jobs, promoting the USTA brand and programs. To learn more about these positions, click HERE. Apply by June 5 with cover letter, resume and salary requirements to Eric Mitchell at mitchell@southwest.usta.com
‘Growing the Game’ grants continue USTA commitment to COVID relief
We currently have two vacant Tennis Service Representative jobs at USTA Southwest that we are looking With an additional $3 million in “Growing the Game” grants targeted for organizations that attract and engage new and returning tennis players from May to November, the USTA is moving forward with the next phase of its funding to continue rebuilding the sport of tennis.
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The initial funding effort began in April 2020 and was designed to provide immediate relief, spur the industry’s recovery and help the industry rebuild through a year severely impacted by the COVID-19 virus. That funding, coupled with the support and services of the USTA and the 17 USTA sections, amounted to a total of $50 million infused into the tennis economy by the sport’s national governing body. With this commitment, as well as the formation of Tennis Industry United in March 2020—which better allowed the sport to harness its collective power— tennis saw a surge of 6.7 million new and returning players in 2020. In distributing the new grants, the USTA will work with its sections and Tennis Industry United to identify and reward deserving organizations. The USTA previously announced a continued commitment of $45 million in 2021 to grassroots tennis, which is funneled through the 17 USTA sections. “Tennis starts at the local level, and therefore we must invest funds into local communities,” said USTA CEO Mike Dowse. “Our efforts in 2020 guided tennis through one of the worst crises the sport, and the world, has ever faced, and we are committed to maintaining our momentum. By investing at the local level, we can continue to attract and retain millions of players.”
HOW TO QUALIFY
To qualify for the “Growing the Game” grants, organizations will be encouraged to develop entry-level programs to engage and retain new or returning players coming to the game, regardless of age. Special emphasis will be placed on those supporting Parks & Rec programs across the country. Grants will be awarded on a sliding scale, depending on the number of new and returning players who participate in entrylevel programming. Applications for the grants will be available on the Tennis Industry United website through October 1. Interested providers and organizations should reach out to USTA Southwest’s Ashley Portwood at portwood@southwest.usta.com for more details on the ‘Grow the Game’ Grants. READ ABOUT ‘GROW THE GAME’ GRANTS HERE
Become a Tennis Champion Tennis thrives in communities when dedicated, passionate volunteers advocate for the sport. Do you find yourself always talking about tennis? Always encouraging your friends to play, or constantly seeking out a way to promote the sport of a lifetime?
Become a Tennis Champion! The USTA is launching this effort to educate, celebrate, connect, and inspire people with a passion for tennis to join a team with a mission to grow tennis in their local communities. What does a Tennis Champion do? The USTA will serve up fun ‘monthly challenges’ for Tennis Champions to complete. There will be June 2021
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tools and resources provided to help with challenges. Once you complete the challenge, you will submit proof and receive a prize. It’s that easy! What are the Monthly Challenges? The challenges require digital and in-person tasks, including: * Connector Challenges, designed to encourage Tennis Champions to connect their social circle and community groups to tennis. * Community Challenges, where Tennis Champions help their community experience tennis at local venues. * Communicator Challenges, where Tennis Champions share local tennis information digitally and physically throughout their communities. Tennis Champions Benefits and Rewards * Opportunities to get up to $600 worth of incentives* * Exclusive tennis promo codes and coupons * Monthly educational webinar opportunities * Networking opportunities Are you in? If this sounds like it is right up your alley and you’re 18 or older, apply today. Come be a Tennis Champion and spread your passion and help grow the game! Applications are now open. Hurry, space is limited to the first 500 chosen! USTA Southwest Section League Tennis Championship Dates – 2021 ADULT 40 & OVER June 18-20, 2021 Reffkin Tennis Center - Tucson, AZ ADULT 18 & OVER August 13-15, 2021 Albuquerque, NM (Various sites) ADULT 55 & OVER September 10-12, 2021 El Paso, Texas MIXED 18 & OVER/MIXED 40 & OVER September 24-26, 2021 Surprise, AZ (Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex) ADULT 65 & OVER December 3-5, 2021 Tucson, AZ (El Conquistador Tennis Center)
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A Publication of the USPTA Southwest Division Jack Michalko / editor 77 East Missouri Avenue, Suite 62, Phoenix, AZ 85012 602-740-0126 / e-mail: jack.michalko@uspta.org The Southwest Magazine is published quarterly by the Southwest Division of the United States Professional Tennis Association. The opinions expressed in the Southwest Magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Southwest Magazine or the USPTA Southwest Division. Copyright© Southwest Division/United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this newsletter is not permitted without written permission from the USPTA Southwest Division. Advertising information: All ads must be camera ready and in color if possible. Prices are per issue.
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June 2021
