24 minute read
Area News
by Leslie Banks
Back to school!
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Summer brought a lot of changes to the Phoenix area tennis scene. One heartbreaking loss, a couple of employment changes for two excellent USPTA leaders in the Valley and Nationally, and of course Summer Camps!
Our passionate leader of the Southwest, USPTA President Laurie Martin had a tragic accident and passed away at the beginning of the summer. Since then, we have been
mourning her loss and celebrating her life. She touched so many with her enthusiasm for life and tennis. She championed those around her to be the best they could be and see in others what they could not see in themselves. Here are 3 different relationships she cultivated: Suk Ong a fellow USPTA Professional and Regional V ice President for the Southwest Division, Judy Hernandez co coach the Xavier team with Laurie, and Lily Gabler a former player for Xavier.
From Suk Ong:
Laurie’s Celebration of Life on July 31st was attended in person or virtually by more than 500 friends and family. Unfortunately, there were few Southwest USPTA pros to represent her impact on our community. Tracy Lawson gave a beautiful speech illustrating her work locally and nationally in High School Tennis, the USTA and the USPTA. Laughter and happiness were shared by her family and friends through their stories, memories, videos, and pictures. It was a beautiful service and was recorded. If anyone would like to watch it, please let us know. Laurie will truly be missed as a leader in Southwest.
From Judy Hernandez:
It is impossible to sum up the life of Laurie Martin in a paragraph or two. She was so much more than a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, coach, and friend. Her positive energy combined with her zest for life and caring nature was mind blowing. Laurie Martin was the most intentional woman I have ever known. She woke up every day with purpose and touched countless lives with her infectious energy and positivity. During the 5 seasons I coached with Laurie at Xavier College Preparatory, I was humbled to be a part of such an impressive High School Tennis program. Laurie had just as much passion for the no-cut tennis program (which gave 80+ girls a chance to play tennis each season who would not have made the “cut” at another school), as she did for her State Championship teams, she led to victory over her many years of coaching Varsity Tennis.
Her passion for tennis extended well beyond the Xavier College Preparatory courts. She was involved in numerous other tennis committees and organizations locally and nationally. She was recognized through her coaching career with awards, but she rarely talked about them. Her focus was finding likeminded coaches who loved the game and Joy Rodney (a Xavier coach), Laurie,
Amanda (Laurie’s daughter)
were interested in building a culture where every player mattered, no matter what their level of tennis. It was more important to her that there were students out in the fresh air, getting exercise, learning teamwork, and making lasting friendships. She had this uncanny gift of making everyone around her feel special. I’m sure every Xavier Varsity player could share a moment that Coach Martin made them feel like they mattered. She gave so much to the sport she loved. Her shoes can never be filled, but the coaches that she worked side by side with will carry on the Legacy that Laurie Martin left and continue to positively impact the next generation of tennis players at Xavier College Preparatory.
From Lily Gabler:
Coach Martin played a huge role in my junior tennis journey, along with my high school career. High school is a developmental time, full of changes and obstacles, both difficult and exciting. Through the tennis team, she created a safe place and “home base” for girls who were struggling. I remember my freshman year and first tryout for Xavier’s tennis team. Coach Martin believed in me and gave me many varsity opportunities during tryouts. Ultimately fueling my excitement for tennis, desire to work hard, and be the best player I could be. From then on, Coach Martin played an active role in my junior tennis career, leading us to become closer and create a bond. By the time I was a senior, I had dramatically improved and felt immense support. You would always see Coach Martin and me laughing about something, or one of us cracking some sort of joke on the court. She made time on the court serious, but also enjoyable, which she always said was the most important part of playing a sport. Having fun. I shared countless embarrassing and slightly vulnerable moments with her that we would constantly find joy in. I believe we had a special relationship; one that influenced me positively and blessed me with a role model, safe space, and friend. I will never forget Coach Martin’s contribution to my years of rapid growth and development on and off the court. She is missed dearly by all the girls she has ever coached.
Ryan Johnson and Greg Prudhomme, both nationally recognized USPTA Professionals, changed leadership positions. Ryan moved from Desert Mountain Country Club to Paradise Valley Country Club. Greg moved on from college coaching at Grand Canyon University to accept the Director of Tennis position at the Camelback V illage Health Club and Spa. Greg ended his reign of exceptional collegiate coaching with his men and women’s teams combined to earn 11 Division 1 Conference titles and 3 berths into the NCAAs. While at GCU he earned 20 ‘Coach of the Year’ awards from organizations including the USPTA, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, the Western Athletic Conference, the PacWest Conference, and the Arizona Community Colleges Athletic Conference. Greg said that he has many amazing memories from his college coaching experience, but he is already enjoying his new journey as the Director of Tennis at the V illage.
Summer Camps!
There are many Tennis Summer Camps running throughout the Valley. Here are a couple of them: USPTA Professional Claudio Tascano runs the Tascano Academy at Indian School Park and directed a fantastic summer camp. One of the main components of the Tascano Summer Camp is the Preseason Conditioning, which is run by Horacio Anselmi who worked with 7 top 10 ATP players including Del Potro and Nalbandian. Students arrive at the camp through word of mouth from Tennis coaches hailing from the northern part of Mexico. Claudio is from Argentina and can connect with these particular students because of
Serve the Future AZ’s No-Cost Summer Camp for youth in underserved communities reached over 50 students across 13 schools in the Valley. Leslie held the camp at 3 different locations throughout the summer so that as many students as possible could access the camp without the burden of transportation. Volunteer coaches and speakers added to the positive impact the camp had on the students. Ricardo Jimenez: “I had a lot of fun meeting new people outside of school. Being able to meet students as myself from all over the valley and practice something we love makes it ten times more fun!” their similar cultural backgrounds. This year they had youths from Los Mochis, Navojoa, Culiacan, and Ciudad Obregon (all Mexican players came by referral). This year the program mentored and coached over 50 kids from different backgrounds and ethnicities. Claudio’s love for the sport and enthusiasm for coaching is illustrated by the close-knit tennis family he has created.
New Facility Coming to Santa Fe
by Jessie Lane Hunt
Santa Fe’s tennis community is getting a brand-new facility at which to play and encourage the development of area youth.
First Serve New Mexico, a non-profit organization, will break ground later this year on the Forked Lightning Racquet Club and First Serve Academy. The stateof-the-art tennis facility for the Santa Fe community will provide:
6 indoor tennis courts 6 outdoor courts Acrylic-based hardcourt Plexicushion tennis surface
4 pickleball courts Three classrooms (one each for elementary, middle and high school students) Clubhouse with full amenities
Forked Lightning Racquet Club Executive Director T.J. Middleton, described Forked Lightning as the region’s premiere membership facility. “Forked Lightning will provide the finest quality courts and facilities for all levels of play. This will be a world-class facility complemented by the comfort of Santa Fe’s hometown feel.”
In addition to the tennis facilities, the club will also have an 8,500 square foot adjoining structure to accommodate locker rooms and
classroom space for First Serve New Mexico Academy students. First Serve New Mexico was founded in 2003 by Eleanor Brenner and her late husband, Richard.
First Serve pairs tutoring and life skill lessons with the joy and physical discipline of tennis to prepare students in third-twelfth grades for success in-and-out of the classroom. Students enrolled in the program will receive free-of-charge, after-school tutoring and have private access to the club’s courts and tennis lessons MondayFriday afternoons.
After a chance encounter on a tennis court years ago with First Serve benefactor Kimberley Sheffield, Brenner’s dream of First Serve having its own campus will come to fruition through the Academy and Forked Lightning. The campus will support the tennis and tutoring programs of First Serve, while being a membership facility for all who love tennis in the Santa Fe region.
“I just knew there was something special about First Serve from the moment I learned about it,” Kimberley Sheffield said. “My husband, Scott, and I are thrilled to support First Serve and the building of Forked Lightning and the Academy. We are excited to have a wonderful place to play tennis and watch the students grow.”
When asked about the program development of First Serve, Brenner said, “my dreams for First Serve to have a world-class facility to serve the students of Santa Fe are coming true. This incredible gift from Kimberley and Scott will ensure more students from Santa Fe are able to access these life-changing programs.”
Middleton stated, “Forked Lightning is going to bring so much to our tennis community throughout the southwest region, and we’re excited to see that community grow because of First Serve.”
The new club should open late 2023 and will be located near the Santa Fe Fairgrounds. For more information visit www.flrc.org.
by John Perry
Greetings from Southern Arizona,
Summer tennis programs have wrapped up for the year and everyone in Tucson is gearing up for a successful Fall season.
I was fortunate to attend Wimbledon this past June. After tenting out in the famous Wimbledon queue, we were rewarded with amazing tickets up close on Centre Court and Court 1. It was an incredible experience at the cathedral of tennis watching Rafael Nadal among many others. If you ever get a chance to get to Wimbledon you can get amazing tickets if you are willing to brave the queue!
After returning home I brought the All-England Club to Tucson, continuing a yearly tradition by hosting our annual Wimbledon Whites and Woods Day. With white tennis clothes, strawberries and cream, and wood rackets, the only thing missing was the grass courts! I also attended the USTA National Boys 16s and 18s Hard Courts in Kalamazoo as a dad/ coach. While Wimbledon has strawberries and cream, The Zoo has their own tradition of blueberries and cream. It’s always special to see the best in the country playing for the title and the US Open main draw wildcard that goes with it.
Ronnie Smith and Reffkin Tennis Center hosted the 2022 Southwests Junior Closed and USTA 12s Zonals this summer. The best juniors from the section and around the country battled in the heat during two of the premier events on the calendar.
Amanda Fink, La Paloma Country Club Head Pro reports, “La Paloma is gearing up for Fall season with a bunch of additional classes that our USPTA pro Emma Ryan will be providing players in August that include fast paced drill series as well as “shot of the week” clinics. The clay courts will be getting a makeover as they deal with the repercussions of this year’s monsoon season. We will be adding new programming come mid-September to continue to add value to our already awesome membership! If Eric, Amanda and Emma survive scheduling it, this should be quite the year in terms of variety of programming offered at La Paloma!”
Bryan Dirk of Tucson Country Club announced that the club’s summer camps were a success again this year.
Nancy Hosford and Jane Hagerty will be continuing to grow pickleball in Tucson and plan to organize a USPTA pickleball certification this Fall.
Britt Feldhausen says, “Tucson Community Tennis Program wrapped up its summer camp and had a stellar turnout. TCTP then sent several players to camps at Smith-Perry Tennis Academy at Reffkin Tennis Center and The Tucson Racquet Club on scholarships and with help from the respective programs. Thanks is due to so many for the continuous support of this local endeavor to bring tennis to an underserved community that would struggle to participate in tennis otherwise.”
Doug Miller says he, “has had his 3rd and hopefully his last hip replacement/revision surgery in July. He is currently enjoying rehabilitation and physical therapy. Look for Doug to return by mid-September!” I look forward to attending the US Open and then the USPTA World Conference in New Orleans in September. Hope to see you there! Summer monsoon rain in Tucson is a great relief for the desert, but for tennis coaches fortunately it dries quickly and we’re back on the court!
by Andrea Meyer
The Oxendale Auto Group Championships in Cottonwood headline NAZ tennis this fall. (All proceeds benefit junior tennis in NAZ.) The Sept 30- Oct 2 adult and junior tournaments offer outstanding tennis with a bonus: The Verde Valley tournament held at Mingus Union High School’s eight courts offers players and families the opportunity to kayak the Verde River (at a 25% discount), take the Verde Canyon Railway, and enjoy hiking and biking gorgeous trails. When the tennis day is over, Old Town Cottonwood offers wine tasting, boutique hotels, and scrumptious dining. There’s good reason why Old Town Cottonwood has usurped Sedona’s reputation for delicious dining and shopping off the beaten tourist path.
The other big news in Northern Arizona is Junior Team Tennis! Under the wings of Prescott Pro Sterling Fetty and assisted by Clarkdale Pro Andrea Meyer, two of NAZ’s three JTT teams are making their flight reservations for Nationals in Orlando come October. The 14U intermediate team and one of the 18U intermediate teams won their pools in Albuquerque July 29- 31 at Jerry Cline Tennis Center. The NAZ 18U’s narrowly edged out (by 10 games) the strong, cohesive First Serve team from Santa Fe while the NAZ 14U intermediate
team ran away with a 38-game lead against a smaller field to capture their title. “I adore coaching JTT tennis”, says Andrea. “I get to coach kids whom I don’t otherwise coach, so what I say to them at the fence is fresh to them. It offers them something new to think about and it gives me the chance to work with different appetites and personalities from those I see on my high school team.”
JTT is Sterling’s favorite event, too. “It was great to see kids compete and fight together as a team. Orlando will mean lasting memories for players, parents, and coaches.”
Prescott High’s new courts are still under construction, Sterling reports. Cement has not yet been poured as the lighting has taken the bulk of construction time. Sterling continues his Advantage Tennis Academy instruction at the Yavapai College courts.
The Prescott Area Tennis Association hosted the L 6 Mile High Open at the YC courts over Labor Day weekend. Pros Dave Hibbs and Zach Hackerott, directors, awarded trophies to players from NAZ and the Valley who enjoyed a reprieve from the Phoenix heat. Forest Highlands is looking forward to the expansion to their tennis facilities which will include an expanded Pro Shop and lounge for entertaining. Along with this expansion they will be adding 8 pickleball courts and a large Club house at a separate location. These new expanded facilities will allow Director of Racquets Sports, Nicole Chambers a chance to host more events, leagues, and exhibitions.
Forest Highlands started the first pickleball league in Flagstaff, the Pine Pickleball League between Forest Highlands, Flagstaff Ranch and Continental. This is a team-based league for 4.0 and 3.5 men and women and will take place every Fall and Spring going forward Forest Highlands welcomed USPTA Professional, Garrett Lakey from Florida as their new Head Professional. Garrett oversees all Junior Development and grassroots Adult Development.
The Flagstaff Tennis Association recently hosted a USTA Team Challenge for orange, green and yellow ball juniors at the Hal Jensen tennis courts. They look forward to hosting these events monthly throughout 2022 and into 2023.
SAVE THE DATE!
V irtual Conference Coming November 9-10th
Our second virtual conference of the year will be November 9-10. This conference will include 7 divisions: Southwest, Florida, Mid West, New England, Eastern, Hawaii and Pacific Northwest divisions!
You will receive 8 education points for attending all sessions – available for credit for 3 weeks after the live webinars. So, if you can’t watch all (any) of the
presentations live you can always watch later at your leisure and receive credit.
The cost for this conference is just $40 for members and $50 for non members.
Registration link and more details coming soon!
by Dick Johnson
Hi everybody! I am so sorry that we lost Laurie this summer. She was so energetic, a driving force for high school tennis and nocut programs. My best to her family and I know she is looking down at our new President, Amy Badger, and cheering her on to do a wonderful job for our section. God bless you, Laurie. You will be so missed. You were a dear friend.
In July, I coached the DC Breakers at the National Junior World Team Tennis Championship in Orlando, Florida. We finished 8th out of 16 teams. My good friend Coach AG Longoria, who passed away in March, started this team and asked me to continue the tradition. It was fun because 2 of my La Cueva players, Alex Lumanog and Calvin Van Dyke, played on our team. Hot and humid, but a great time!
On the home front, Northern New Mexico has had a busy summer with record heat throughout the state, plus horrible fires in the north. I had a summer tennis camp with approximately 40 kids and am planning a 5-week Saturday camp starting in the middle of September.
Our National USPTA Conference is in New Orleans and should be spectacular. It is always such a positive meeting and seeing fellow professionals is great. I hope I will see you there, September 18-22. Have a great fall season!
Sincerely, DJ
Amy Badger:
We’ve just concluded 10 very successful weeks of junior summer camp and running junior and adult tournaments. We are hosting the USTA League Sectionals the weekend of August 12-14 and several tournaments planned through the fall. Middle school tennis is starting up and looking forward to working with 60-80 kids over a 6-week period. Can’t wait for the world conference and to connect with our fellow pros. I will do my very best to fill our former president’s Laurie Martin’s shoes and thank you for all your support.
Ralph Bolton:
Rocky Royer is back in town after teaching in Europe most of the summer. Santa Fe Tennis & Swim will be holding a doubles tournament called “The John Silver Memorial”. John, a former tennis pro and attorney, has impacted so many people’s lives in a positive way.
Dave Shambach in Rio Rancho:
Working to recover from a physical setback, Dave Shambach has resumed teaching privately and in coordinating the program and serving as one of the teachers for Rio Rancho Parks and Recreation, along with USPTA-in-training Gian Poteste. He is also, for the 4th year, serving as the Rio Rancho teams’ coordinator (and coaching one of the teams) in the USTA Middle School Tennis league.
Doug MacCurdy:
What’s your view on coaching during matches?
After Wimbledon 2022, the Association of Tennis Professional (ATP) announced that they will have a trial period lasting through the end of this year in which some coaching, with several restrictions, will be alallowed.” Organizations that sanction
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the custodian of the Rules of Tennis. Rule 30 states that coaching “Coaching is considered to be communication, advice, or instruction of any kind and by any means to a player.” It goes on to say that a team captain can sit on the court and coach the players in team events. However, “ in all other matches, coaching is not allowed.” Organizations that sanction tournaments or tours such as the WTA Tour can apply to the ITF to allow flexible coaching rules in the events they control.
In my experience, the no-coaching rule has been the most difficult rule to enforce at all levels of the game from local tournaments for pre-teens through Grand Slams. I have seen parents and coaches change ends every time the player does in matches with or without umpires and basically chatter the whole time. Sometimes, the person doing the coaching uses clandestine methods like standing behind trees out of view of the umpire. Continuous coaching can also occur if a variety of languages are used. Once at Wimbledon, a good Italian team was playing a good Chinese team in women’s doubles. I noticed that the Italian team had coaches posted in both the northwest and southwest corners of the court. The coaches orchestrated every point including what formation to use on first and second serve, placement, and spin of the first and second serve, whether to poach, fake or stay, and then some general tips like watch for the lob. The players were essentially robots carrying out the orders of the coaches.
I am in the camp that feels that one of the things that makes tennis so great and so demanding is that the player is out there making thousands of decisions on his/her own. This decision-making capability, along with other factors like technical skills, physical qualities and fitness, and other mental abilities under stress makes the game very intriguing. An important part of our job as coaches is to help prepare players to make good independent decisions during matches. The other side of the coin is that the rule is so abused by coaches and parents, and it is for all practical purposes unenforceable. And if you can’t enforce it — why have it? Unfortunately, if you do offer advice in most forms and levels of individual competition, it is cheating. This is not sending a very clear picture to young athletes about fairness and sportsmanship. If Rule 30 is still on the books, I would recommend reviewing your own stance on coaching during matches and to share your thoughts regularly with players and parents.
John Damgaard in Santa Fe:
USTA Mixed Doubles Season is in mid-season with EG having two 9.0 Teams (Gorence and Miller) Monica mcLin has a 6.0 and a 7.0 out of ALTO Park.
Herb Martinez (Camino Carlos Rey) has been taken down to tierra firma as the four courts that were there have been removed and the four tennis courts below have also been removed - they will now be replaced and should last for 30 years.
The older men (ladies welcome too) have a drop-in (usually two courts) on MWF at 9:30 am and rotate play (server out) until almost 12 noon.
Park Plaza has a very nice group for gays and gals on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am - 12 noon.
The money was allocated for five pickleball courts at Romero Park.
There is a new head pro at El Gancho.
Santa Fe Tennis and Swim Club has pickleball memberships along with the tennis and swimming pool memberships.
Santa Fe Tennis Club meets every Saturday (11 am - 1 pm) throughout the year at The Train Park (Salvador Perez Park Tennis Courts).
The two tennis courts at Fort Marcy/Magers Field have been converted into four pickleball courts with the tennis nets acting as ball stops - lots of folks participating throughout the day and evenings too.
With the closing of Shellaberger Tennis Center, El Gancho and Santa Fe Tennis and Swim Clubs each have had a sudden increase in memberships.
All the public courts in Santa Fe are being resurfaced during the next three months.
The First Serve Program will be building indoor and outdoor tennis courts in the next 2-3 years - the program is currently out of Santa Fe High School with over 50 kids and 7+ instructors.
Joe Felice:
Joe Felice will be running his annual Sierra V ista Grand Prix Doubles Tournament, August 26-28, 2022. This Tournament received the USTA Southwest Section Tournament Enrichment Award for 2021. Tournament T-Shirts are being provided by State Farm Agent, Jeremy Dudar this year. Joe had 67 Seniors in his spring Super Senior Tennis Program which had five groups for the 12-week program. Joe is Captain and playing on six different USTA League Teams for 2022.
Taos Tennis:
Summer started a little slow here in Taos. The dry hot conditions and terrible fires around the area left our tennis players wanting. But as the monsoons have arrived, the days are cool and lovely again. We have clinics for both men and women throughout the week, from Shot of the Day, Men’s Drop ins on Thursdays and Saturdays, Women’s Drop Ins on Saturdays, Working Women’s Tequila Tuesdays, and Sunday Mixed Doubles, there is much tennis to be played.
Highlights of the Taos Tennis Summer have included the Taos Open, July 8th-10th, that brought in over 150 players from 5 states, and our match against Angel Fire Resort, which ended in a 5-5 draw. But no worries, the rematch is already set for August 13th at Angel Fire! Other exciting events include the Taos Junior Open Level 6, August 20th and 21st, the Taos High School Benefit Classic on September 17th and 18th, and finally the Taos Championship, September 29 - October 2, 2022.
We are also introducing our new Head Pro and Junior Development Program Director, Roger Pastore. Not only is he teaching new skills to our adult members, but he is finding those ever-elusive teens and juniors and shaping them into our future Taos Tennis Champions. As always, our tennis director, Kurt Edelbrock, is leading the charge.
As the summer begins winding down, our fall after school program starts kicking in for our Shorty Swatters, Juniors, and High School Players. Although our pool closes the week after Labor Day, our tennis and pickleball courts remain open and ready to play. Come play with us!
SOUTHWEST OFFICERS
President Amy Badger 505-379-6728 badgertennis505@gmail.com Regional VP Suk Ong 602-881-0467 sukong.uspta@gmail.com V ice President Greg Prudhomme 602-301-1394 pruperformance@gmail.com Secretary Ryan Johnson 480-267-0725 m.ryanjohnson@gmail.com Treasurer John Perry 520-403-8290 jptennis25@gmail.com Past President Dave Moyer 480-342-7240 davemoyertennis@gmail.com Executive Director Jack Michalko 602-740-0126 jack.michalko@uspta.org
SOUTHWEST COORDINATORS
Northern New Mexico Dick Johnson 505-507-6795 lctenniscamps@gmail.com Phoenix Leslie Banks 419-302-7663 lesliealison16@gmail.com Southeastern Arizona Amanda Fink Moore 818-624-7107 afink15@gmail.com Northern Arizona Andrea Meyer 928-300-4352 andreameyertennis@gmail.com Southern New Mexico & l Paso TBD Head Tester Greg Prudhomme 602-301-1394 pruperformance@gmail.com
