Southwest Magazine - September 2018

A Division of the USPTA

September 2018

Southwest has two national award winners at TTC!

Brett Hall won the Lessons For Life National Award

Inside:

President’s Message 2 National Award Winners 3 USTA Southwest News 4-5 Area News 6-11 TTC 12

Greg Prudhomme won the Steve Wilkinson National Coach of The Year Award

President’s Message Jonathan Davis - USPTA Southwest President

Dear Southwest USPTA Pros, In June I flew to Orlando to attend the RacquetFIT Level One certification training held at the National headquarters. It was a two-day program where we learned how to screen an athlete’s body to see where they had physical limitations that would affect their serve technique. Over the course of the weekend we were taught how to administer a 16point screen that checks the range of motion for every body part that is used while serving. We then compared the results of the screen with a detailed breakdown of the serve technique to determine if a player’s serving mistakes were due to physical limitations or improper technique. It was quite amazing how we were able to predict what a person’s serve technique would look like without ever seeing them hit a ball before, all based on their screen results.

I have always prided myself with my ability to teach serving lessons. I was very curious how RacquetFIT would work with my teaching style and how my clients would react to it. When I returned to my club I immediately began screening my members (it takes about 20 minutes) who were taking serving lessons. Everyone was blown away with the entire process and the information they learned about their body. They all said that they learned more from this type of lesson then anything else they have done before. It was quite apparent that I would be giving a lot of RacuetFIT serving lessons.

What I like most about RacquetFIT is how it helps take the guesswork out of diagnosing and correcting someone’s technique. By using the screen test I am able to see what a person is physically able to do or not do. I can more easily adjust someone’s technique

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around their body type to get faster improvement rather then wasting time asking them to do something that they physically aren’t able to do. My clients were more than happy to pay more for a RacquetFIT lesson because it gave them immediate results on their serve.

I have just begun to scratch the surface of what new programs I can offer my members because of RacquetFIT. Once my season kicks into gear I plan on offering a variety of packages where a member gets screened, gets on-court lessons, and off-court training on their problem areas to completely overhaul their serve. I am really looking forward to seeing how this will grow my club’s business.

The next certification training is September 28-29 in Long Beach, CA. If there is any way you can make this training I know you will not regret it. If you have any questions about the certification or how the screening works I would be happy to talk to you about them. You can always email me at jdavisuspta@gmail.com.

Testing Dates Thursday & Friday, Sept. 20-21, 2018 Tucson Country Club Tucson, Arizona Saturday & Sunday, Nov, 3-4, 2018 Jerry Cline Tennis Center Albuquerque, New Mexico

Save The Date 2019 Southwest Conference At La Camarilla Fitness, Racquet & Swim Club May 17-19, 2019

September 2018

GREG PRUDHOMME RECEIVES STEVE WILKINSON COLLEGE COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD NEW YORK – Greg Prudhomme of Glendale, Arizona received the Steve Wilkinson College Coach of the Year Award at the USPTA General Membership Meeting on Friday, August 24th during the 2018 Tennis Teachers Conference at the Grand Hyatt New York in New York City.

Prudhomme is the head coach of the Grand Canyon University men’s and women’s tennis teams. In only four years of coaching at the NCAA Division I level, Prudhomme has won three regular season conference championships with 2017 being the most recent win with his women’s team. He has earned WAC Coach of the Year the past four years and is a former recipient of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Coach of the Year for guiding the GCU men to a top 25 ranking in only their 3rd season as a program.

Prudhomme has also been selected as NCAA DII West Region Coach of the Year, Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year, SWPTA College Coach of the Year, and the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.

“I am very honored and humbled to have received this award. The recipients of the Steve Wilkinson College Coach of the Year from all of the previous years along with the outstanding organization that the USPTA is makes this a special award,” said Prudhomme. “I am grateful to the many people in my life that have supported, assisted, and made my coaching career possible. Earning this award was made possible by a collaborative effort from my family, my friends, my students and players, the executives and athletic administration at GCU, my coaching mentors, and the USPTA.”

BRETT HALL RECEIVES USPTA LESSONS FOR LIFE AWARD NEW YORK – Brett Hall of Salem, Oregon and Mesa, Arizona received the USPTA Lessons for Life Award at the USPTA General Membership Meeting on Friday, August 24th during the 2018 Tennis Teachers Conference at the Grand Hyatt New York in New York City. The USPTA Lessons for Life Award recognizes those USPTA-certified members who have done the most to raise money for charities through tennis events. While the award spotlights individuals who have raised large amounts of money, it also honors those hosting the most creative, original or unique tennis event to raise money for charities.

Hall grew up in Texas and has worked as a tennis professional in the tennis industry for 41 years where he directed programs at a private club, corporate club, country club, public tennis center, and resorts in Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, and Texas. Over a 41-year period, he has organized charity tennis events that have raised thousands of dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the American Heart Association, and the Special Olympics. He also instituted and administered community service tennis programs, including the Special Olympics, programs for veterans, seniors, and a 10 and Under program for the kids of veterans at the Boy’s and Girl’s Club in Salem, Oregon.

From 2013 - 2017, he hosted The New Mexico Texas Shootout Team Tournament at the Angel Fire Resort in Angel Fire, New Mexico, which raised over $60,000 in five years with all of the proceeds going to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

“I am truly honored as a USPTA professional and cancer survivor for this prestigious award,” said Hall. “My wish is for cancer survivors to never give up hope and fellow USPTA professionals to get involved in their favorite charity.”

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USTA SOUTHWEST NEWS TEACHING PROS – TIME TO GET YOUR 2019 USTA SOUTHWEST TOURNAMENTS IN AND SANCTIONED! USTA Southwest handles the sanctioning and organizing of many junior and adult tournaments held across our area and puts them on our calendar to promote out to our membership.

The deadline for getting an event sanctioned and onto our TennisLink system for the 2019 calendar year is September 15 and the deadline to submit your tournament director agreements (mandatory) is October 15. Events typically require local approval first and also approval as a tournament director is needed for access to manage events, so there are a couple of things to get nailed down first.

For more info including inquiring about new events contact Nicole Fintell at nfintell@southwest.usta.com (junior events). For more info on adult tournaments, contact Shelby Payne at payne@southwest.usta.com

USTASW ANNUAL MEETING & AWARDS/HALL OF FAME WEEKEND – NOVEMBER 16-18 Attention USPTA teaching pros and facility directors! USTA Southwest’s Annual Meeting weekend and Awards/Hall of Fame event will be held the weekend of Nov. 16-18. This is the Section’s annual celebration of tennis, as well as a working meeting for our Board of Directors.

The Southwest Annual Awards Dinner/Hall of Fame Ceremony will be held Saturday evening, Nov. 17, at Paradise Valley Embassy Suites in Paradise Valley, Arizona. For more info, contact Jeff Sikes at sikes@southwest.usta.com.

PROS ENCOURAGED TO APPLY FOR USTA SW COMMUNITY PROGRAM GRANT Each year, the USTA Southwest Community Tennis Department awards grants to deserving programs and organizations that participate in USTA programs. The following program grants are available, however, grants are not limited just to these programs. USTA Southwest encourages pros to learn more about the process and the monies and opportunities that are available. We welcome all grant applications (must be a USTA Organization Member) for any community-based tennis initiatives including: *School Tennis *After School Tennis *Jr. Team Tennis *10 and Under Tennis Programs *NJTL (National Jr. Tennis and Learning) *CTA- Start Up (Community Tennis Association) *Tennis on Campus *Wheelchair Tennis *Adaptive Tennis *Corporate Tennis Programs *Adult/Senior Recreational Programs * Diversity Outreach *Innovative Programs Click the link below for the grant application or copy/paste this link into your browser: https://form.jotform.com/USTASouthwest/GrantApp

SOUTHWEST TENNIS FOUNDATION NEEDS YOUR HELP! The Southwest Tennis Foundation, the charitable arm of USTA Southwest, is always on the lookout for interesting items of value to receive as donations that we can then auction off to raise money for tennis programs!

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September 2018

The Foundation aims to touch the lives of many programs and tennis-loving individuals and organizations, and has given to many incredible programs like the Border Youth Tennis Exchange in Nogales, Special Olympics Arizona, ACEing Autism, wheelchair tennis, veteran’s programs for tennis, schools programs, travel assistance for juniors, and many other awesome causes.

Tennis pros who can speak for their facilities – we are looking for cool package or items to donate (lesson packages, golf foursomes at your clubs, any other things you can think of!).

For more information, contact Brooke Damore at bdamore@southwest.usta.com or 480-289-2351 x. 108.

VENTANA CANYON ANNOUNCED AS USTA SOUTHWEST HARD COURT SITE FOR 2018 The Lodge at Ventana Canyon in Tucson was recently announced as the host venue for this year’s USTA Southwest Adult & Open Hard Court Championships.

The USTA Southwest Hard Courts will be held October 25-28, 2018, pitting some of the top adult competitors in the Southwest. This will be the first time in quite some time that The Lodge at Ventana Canyon will be a host venue for a USTA tournament, and we are quite excited about this partnership! Open and age group play in singles and doubles will be a part of this year’s event.

Entry fee is $50 for singles, $28 for first doubles. Entry deadline will be October 14.

For more info on this year’s event, visit the TennisLink.USTA.com page (Tournament ID 750020718).

ON THE LOOKOUT FOR MORE USTA OFFICIALS Challenge Yourself, Become an Official Today The USTA is always on the lookout for more officials to join our ranks. Give back and help grow the game of tennis by becoming a USTA official. Traditionally, officials start at district and section community events, which include USTAsanctioned wheelchair, junior and adult tournaments. After gaining knowledge and experience, officials may show interest in officiating at professional level events, including the USTA Pro Circuit, ATP World Tour, WTA Tour, Davis and Fed Cup tie and Grand Slam tournaments.

To learn more, visit us online: https://www.usta.com/en/home/about-usta/who-we-are/national/Become-An-Official.html.

Or contact Southwest Officials’ Chair Mei Hand at meihand.az@gmail.com for additional information and the steps required to get you out there on the lines.

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Northern Arizona

by Claudette Laliberte

Chris Howard, Elite Professional Prescott, AZ. It’s been a banner year and summer for tennis in the Prescott area!

May 26th-28th we held our NTRP Memorial Day Tennis Tournament with over 125 entries, followed by our sanctioned PATA Open Mile High July 13-15 with another 125 entries and players from a multitude of states throughout the Southwest and further.

The Yavapai County NTRP Tournament will be held on September 21-23 for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. On September 30th, the 4th Annual Park of Fame clinic and inductions clinic from 8:30-11:30 will be followed by the inductions from 12-2. This year’s inductions are the Austin family, Pam, Jeff, Doug and Tracy. Also, all Prescott area high school tennis players who have won state championship titles in Singles and Doubles from the 1930’s and forward will be inducted.

Check out the PATA website for more information, www.prescotttennis.org <http:// www.prescotttennis.org> .

All of these events will be held at the beautiful Yavapai College Facility.

Many USTA Leagues are continuing throughout the year in Prescott. Mens, womens and mixed teams keep the courts busy as well as weekly drop ins for all abilities. Weekly playing groups, and seasonal college Semester classes round out the activities at the Yavapai College Roughrider Tennis Courts.

Local teaching pros in the Prescott area are Chris Howard, David Hibbs, Bernie Adams, Sterling Fetty and Nick Cristina all of whom are USPTA certified pros.

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Zack Hatterot is working towards his USPTA certification. Fay Matsumoto, and Tim Mclintock are certified USPTR Professionals who also teach in Prescott, as well as, Cathy Low, and Don Jones, the “Human Ball Machine!” All of these Professionals give many options for players to work and improve their games.

Many people who live outside of Prescott area are under the impression that tennis in Prescott is seasonal, but, nothing could be further from the truth. We may get a snow or two int the winter, but, it’s quite unusual when the snow isn’t gone by noon the next day, or sooner. We just dress a little warmer and play when the sun is shining. We also use regular tennis balls (not High Altitude) when the temperature is 50 degrees or less. Other than that, it’s business as usual.

Larry Lineberry, Master Professional Sedona, AZ. Larry spent mid-July to mid-August in Maine near Bar Harbor teaching a junior whose family also owns a home in Sedona.

Average temperature in Maine was about 70 degrees which is much better than the Southwest at this time.

Bonus, the kid is improving!

Larry is training to become the SWPTA Tester for Northern Az. He should be able to test on his own by early next year. Larry is also serving on the USTA Southwest section Hall of Fame committee along with Brian Cheney and Chris Howard.

If you are coming to Prescott, and the hotels are full, try using Airbnb for great deals and super places to stay.

Claudette Laliberte, Elite Professional Sedona, AZ. It’s been a busy summer filled with private lessons, clinics, drills for skills, and Cardio Tennis Classes in Sedona.

Also, many Sedona area players have participated in USTA leagues this summer.

This year on Oct. 27 and 28th Poco Diablo Resort will be hosting a breast cancer fundraiser for “Littlepink.org.”

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Little Pink is an organization for cancer survivors. The organization donates “vacation destinations” for the survivors and their families to enjoy their time together after going through such an ordeal as surviving cancer.

Southeastern Arizona

by Bryan Dirk

Claudette will be directing the event which includes a cocktail/reception party kick off on the 27th with a silent auction, raffle, speakers, and music.

The Tennis Tournament will be held on Sunday, October 28th. It is a Tennis Team format where each team will consist of 2 men, and 2 women.

For more information on this event, contact: Claudette at claliberte1@aol.com <mailto:claliberte1@aol.com> or 928-300-8702.

Nicole Chambers, Elite Professional Flagstaff, AZ. Nicole is in her 8th season as Director of Tennis at Forest Highlands. With another successful summer camp session over, her focus moves to school tennis, and helping to promote and develop PE and after school / FACTS Tennis opportunities. Nicole works closely with Kaitlyn Verfuerth, a, wheelchair paralympian who is the Director of the FACTS after school program in Flagstaff.

Nicole and staff will be offering junior development programming in the fall to compliment Flagstaff school programming.

Forest Highlands will also be offering USTA Adult Team Tennis for Flagstaff and Northern Arizona tennis players.

Nicole enjoyed the 2018 Tennis Teachers’ Conference in NY City, held Aug. 23-28, and watching professional tennis at the US Open.

Hello from Tucson Country Club! First want to congratulate our own Ladies 4.0 team, they are headed to sectionals in Albuquerque.

Way to go ladies! We have also had a terrific summer kids program, 8 weeks of tennis camp along with our all day sports camp. We have great momentum headed into the fall season and plan on a full schedule of junior and adult programs.

The 39th year of summer camp at the Tucson Racquet Club has been in full swing. Camp goes from red ball to yellow ball, introducing new kids to the sport and fine tuning advanced players. Everyone works hard to earn the famous “Ciulla Buck” to cash in for candy at the end of each week!

Tucson Community Tennis Program (TCTP) was founded in 1993 by USPTA Tennis Professional, Britt Feldhausen. In 2017, TCTP taught over 700 students, and gave over 200 racquets away. The students range from 1st - 12th grades and come from Tucson’s underserved elementary, middle and high schools.

Currently 20 of the high school students moved up through the ranks from red ball to orange ball, and now play with regulation balls. They completed a month long tennis camp this June which leads into the JTT (Junior Team Tennis) league season.

On Saturday, July 14 Ventana Canyon Golf & Racquet Club had 12 players compete in the Summer Grass Stain, a foam ball, 23” racquet tournament on a custom mini court laid out on a croquet pit. It was team format with singles, doubles, and mixed matches. Matches were first to 4 games with only 1 second serve per game. In typical Wimbledon fashion, they had to play around rain showers but were able to get all 7 matches in. Team Davis beat Team continued on page 8

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Perry 5-2 to defend their championship. There were three USPTA pros (along with four sons of USPTA pros) in the field, Jonathan Davis, John Perry, and Sean Oseran (one of the newest USPTA members in the Southwest). This was the second year of the team format for the summer event and it was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Northern New Mexico

by Dick Johnson

It is time for our fall tennis season to begin. Northern New Mexico tennis pros have seen a very HOT HOT summer.

join her team. Amy has been heading up to Santa Fe on a part time basis to bring new programming and private and group instruction to its membership. After the terrific POP Tennis presentation by Peg Connor at our recent annual conference in May, Amy has been able to bring this fun game to the membership at Las Campanas. She has held 2 free clinics and has really enjoyed the members.

Back at home Amy works with juniors and adults as well as captaining, coaching 70-80 kids at Albuquerque Academy. She also coached a JTT team this summer. The Albuquerque Academy middle school tennis program is no-cut and she enjoys seeing so many youngsters learning and enjoying our wonderful game. Amy and I bring in student coaches and train them properly. To see them develop into leaders and role-models on the court is extremely rewarding. As Amy says, “you never know- someone may find a career path never considered before”.

Net Generation has been working well with her families, parents love the interactive nature and the kids see results in a whole new light.

My summer junior camps went well, then a week later I was an assistant coach for one of the Southern Cal WTT teams. The championships were held in San Diego at the Barnes Tennis Center. The coaches were treated to a WTT match between the San Diego Aviators and the Orange County Breakers. Our kids had a great time and finished 6th out of 16 teams. It was especially exciting for one of my players, Julian Lee, who played on the team. Many D-1 and D-2 players from throughout the country competing so it was top-notch competition.

The NMHSCA coach’s conference just finished and she enjoyed the presentations. Amy will be going to the TTC conference at the end of August and wishes her best to USPTA Professional, Tracy Lawson, who will be doing a presentation for Net Generation.

USPTA testing for the Southwest section will be taking place in Tucson on September 21-22 and in Albuquerque November 3-4. Great opportunity for some of our young new pros to get certified and for current members to get upgraded. If you have any questions about testing you can contact me or Southwest Executive Director, Jack Michalko for guidance.

JOHN DAMGAARD-is excited about what is going on in Santa Fe. There are at least 16 teams participating in the 4.0+ Men’s and Women’s fall season from Santa Fe.

Thank you to the following Northern New Mexico pro’s that sent me their current activity: AMY BADGER-recently received a call from the Director of Tennis at Las Campanas in Santa Fe asking to

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DOUG MacCURDY-has just returned from China for 5 weeks and really enjoyed his time with Malachi Coleman, the 2016-17 4-A State Champion. Malachi joined Doug as an intern for a three-week camp in Shanghai. Doug is spenting another week seeing some of the main sites in China before heading back to the University of Chicago in September. What a way for diverse cultures to enjoy the great game of tennis.

He is also excited that the USTA will have WTT for the 18-39 age group. This is much needed for the growth of tennis.

In Santa Fe, we are going to try Santa Fe Community Tennis on Sundays and Mondays at the Train Park. Play starts at 10:00 am. This is a great program for players that cannot play leagues or have the money to join a club.

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JIM FALVO-is currently renewing his Mental Coach Certification with Mental Training out of Dallas.

While I was talking to Jim, who is also the girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tennis coach at Sandia Prep, here in Albuquerque, I must have sparked some interest which led to him telling me he was going on the court and do some tennis specific court movements that he does with his high school players.

Jim told me later that it gave him the stimulus to rekindle his passion and to be in shape for tennis. Good luck Jim and I will be anxious to hear about your progress.

KURT EDELBROCK-says WOW, where did the summer go? In Taos you pack the warm months (high of 85 degrees) with lots of tennis events.

Due to his hand surgery, Kurt is blessed with three pros that have taken the reins of the program starting in June with WTT and 60 players rotating on four Saturdays.

Wendy Whiteman and Teppy Wooley co-captained the championship team that went undefeated.

July is a big month for Kurt and really the Southwest. He had a whopping 312 entries for his Taos Open. It takes place over the July 6-8 weekend and just might be the largest tournament in New Mexico.

The always popular Taos Tennis/Angel Fire rivalry continues in July too and after all was said and done ended in an 11-11 tie.

Kurt does it all. He has drop in Saturday doubles which benefit for his Taos High School team in September, TAOS AQUI, with singles, doubles and mixed doubles later in September, and every week he has 5 drop in doubles events, ten hours of junior clinics and 5 hours of adult clinics.

The ability of the Taos Tennis Program to blend local members with resort guests continues to stimulate the tennis atmosphere. Great job Kurt!

SOUTHWEST OFFICERS President Jonathan Davis 520-360-0182 jonpricedavis@hotmail.com Regional VP Dave Moyer 480-342-7240 dmoyer@ccdranch.com Vice President Laurie Martin 480-213-2083 lmartin@ppiarizona.com Secretary Amy Badger 505-379-6728 badger3@me.com Treasurer Suk Ong 602-881-0467 suk_ong@tempe.gov Past President Britt Feldhausen 520-886-1885 brittfeldhausen@mac.comesident Pro Emeritus Mark Frampton 602-952-7234 mframpton22@gmail.com Executive Director Jack Michalko 602-740-0126 usptasw@cox.com

SOUTHWEST COORDINATORS Northern New Mexico Dick Johnson 505-507-6795 richarddjtennis@aol.com Phoenix Greg Prudhomme 602-301-1394 gmprudhomme@yahoo.com Southeastern Arizona Bryan Dirk 310-663-1185 bdirk@tucsoncountryclub.com Northern Arizona Claudette Laliberte 928-300-8702 claiberte1@aol.com Southern New Mexico & El Paso TBD Head Tester Greg Prudhomme 602-301-1394 gmprudhomme@yahoo.com

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Phoenix, Arizona

by Greg Prudhomme

Hello fellow USPTA Southwest Pros! I hope everyone is having a great summer and is looking forward to the fastapproaching fall. I started out the summer on a very high note attending the great USPTA/USTA Southwest Conference at the La Camarilla Racquet Club in May. Everyone that was involved putting on the event did a first-class job. It was fantastic to continue my education, to spend time with fellow USPTA pros, and to nurture the great relationship that the USPTA and the USTA continue to grow. A highlight in June was spending the week in Pennsylvania with Phoenix USPTA Pro, Tom Breece, and former Phoenix USPTA Pro, Rob Horsch (now in Laguna Niguel, CA). I assisted Tom at his 50-student summer camp during his 32nd summer teaching at the Pocono Lake Preserve. It was impressive to witness the great job that Tom and his wife, Gail, do with the tennis program there. I now look forward to finishing the summer with a bang at the USPTA/USTA Tennis Teachers Conference in New York. I hope to see many of you there.

USPTA Pro Captain Class Brian Cheney, a USPTA Elite Professional and the Tennis Pro Emeritus at the Camelback Village Racket and Health Club, is second to none in countless categories. Brian as well as his family’s legacy is widely known, but someone as accomplished as he is cannot be overly touted. It is only the tip of the iceberg to mention his #1 national rankings, national USTA titles, and his international team titles. Adding to this is his excellent reputation as a coach and how great of a person he is. It was such a pleasure while also a valuable lesson to see Brian at the last Southwest Convention. As much as Brian has already accomplished in tennis, he is still trying to learn. He certainly is a leader of the Captain’s

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Class by showing a commitment to continuing his education among all of his other accolades. Thanks for showing us how it’s done, Brian!

Upcoming Events * Eric Anderson, USPTA Elite Professional and Director of Tennis at the Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, will be organizing and hosting a fund raiser for the Grand Canyon University men’s and women’s tennis teams on November 24th. The GCU team will be putting on a clinic for the Desert Highlands members. The team is looking forward to the event and appreciates the effort from Eric in putting this event on. Eric has put on fundraising events in the past for ASU, U of A, Scottsdale Community College, and Mesa Community College.

Other News * Ryan Johnson, a USPTA Elite Professional, is the new Tennis Director at Camelback Village Racket and Health Club. His previous position was at the Seattle Tennis Club and he served on the USPTA Division Board for the Pacific Northwest. As a player, Ryan played #1 doubles and #2 singles for the University of North Carolina, he won an Atlantic 10 Conference Championship, and he participated in the NCAA DI National Championships. Ryan has also spent time in Arizona as a former assistant coach for the men’s team at the University of Arizona. Welcome to Phoenix, Ryan! * Stuart McNicol has been hired as the new Head Professional at Desert Highlands. Eric Anderson, USPTA Elite Pro and the Director of Tennis, reported that Stuart replaced longtime Head Professional, David Smith, who will be getting married and moving back to Tucson. Stuart said that he is “honored and excited to be a part of Desert Highlands and its strong tennis community.” * Our very own USPTA Southwest President, Jonathan Davis, is the new Director of Tennis at Desert Mountain. He will surely be missed at the Lodge at Ventana Canyon in Tucson, but we welcome him and his wife to the Phoenix Area and wish him luck in his new position!

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* Brett Hall, who is a USPTA Elite Professional and the recent winner of the Southwest USPTA Lessons for Life Award, will be the Director of the Parks Tennis Program at Freestone Park for the City of Gilbert from January to April 2019. Brett will incorporate many of the successful programs that he used while he was the Tennis Director at Angel Fire Resort in New Mexico for the past six summers, such as weekly adult pro supervised play days, tennis Olympics, adult tennis camps, and weekly programs for children of all ages and abilities. Brett is looking for Phoenix pros that would be willing to help at his Grand Opening in January that will include free adult and junior clinics as well as doubles play with the pros. He can be reached at brettwarrenhall@outlook.com. Brett said he is “looking forward to living and promoting tennis in the Gilbert area!” Good luck, Brett! * Congratulations to USPTA Elite Professional, Chris Langdon, for completing his first book, Tennisism. Chris is the director of Arizona Tennis & Golf Academy and co-wrote this tennis book/workbook with Larry Snow who is a veteran senior tennis player from Gold Canyon, Arizona. This is the first in a series of books that will focus on preparation, technique, and strategies for playing winning tennis. Tennis Legend, Brian Sidney Parrott, said this about Tennisism: “I would say every tennis club in the country would benefit from that book being in their library or for members to read…especially new members.” * USPTA Elite Pro, Eric Anderson, once again reached full capacity with the 200 entrants in the Desert Highlands Grass Court Classic. Eric would like to thank his

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sponsor, Berkshire Hathaway for annually contributing to the tournament success. (I personally was able to enjoy the tournament for 3 days while watching my two daughters, Tatum and Autum, win the women’s doubles tournament and play each other in the finals of the singles tournament – Eric was an outstanding tournament director and put on a great event.) Additionally, Eric was recently selected by USTA Phoenix as the 2018 Sally Grabham Tournament Enrichment Award winner and will receive the award on September 22nd during the USTA Phoenix Hall of Fame/ Awards Banquet. Congrats, Eric! * Our thoughts for a speedy recovery go out to Dave Moyer, the USPTA Southwest Regional Vice-President, who underwent surgery due to a skimboarding accident in Mexico. Dave fractured his fibula in multiple places, tore tendons and ligaments, and dislocated his ankle. The surgery that put in a plate and 5 screws went well and he is on the road to recovery. Get well soon, Dave! * Laurie Martin, USPTA Pro and Head Coach for girls tennis at Xavier College Prep High School, recently returned from the USTA 16s Zonal Team Championships in Salt Lake City as the assistant coach/chaperone. The team won several singles and doubles matches during the event. Laurie said that the team had a great experience and competed well. Next up for Laurie is freshman tennis at Xavier. She is expecting 80 girls to play! Great job, Laurie!

Remember, please feel free to contact me any time with questions, suggestions, and information for the quarterly newsletters at gmprudhomme@yahoo.com or 602-301-1394.

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2018 Tennis Teachers Conference/NYC

ATTENDEES Anderson, Eric Badger, Amy Lawson, Tracy Moyer, David Chambers, Nicole Martin, Laurie Michalko, Jack Davis, Jonathan Prudhomme, Greg Prudhomme, Mandy Feldhausen, Britt Weir, Karen Chambers, Shelley Ong, Suk

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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: usptasw@cox.net 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.

CopyrightŠ Southwest Division/United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2018. 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.

Full Page.............$150 Half Page............$100 1/4 Page..............$70

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