200902 Racquet Sports Industry

February 2009Volume 37 Number 2 $5.00www.racquetsportsindustry.com

ADVERTORIAL

DEPARTMENTS

R S I F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 9

INDUSTRY NEWS

7 Prince debutsEXO3 racquets

7 USTA names RegionalTraining Centers

8 PTR Symposium tooffer h.s. coaches program

8 Babolat names Tim McCoolmanaging director

8 USPTA announces2009 Certification Exams

9 Bob Bigelow to speak at PTR

9 Emilio Sanchez keynotesUSPTA conference

10 ATP unveils new“Feel It” ad campaign

10 USPTA adds new DVD titles

11 New multi-purpose indoorfacility opens at NTC

12 Nominations sought forTennis Industry Hall of Fame

14 Derek Ameel to direct FerrisState PTM program

15 Martin Blackman namedto USTA post

15 Prince names Dustin Perryrep of the year

4 Our Serve

7 Industry News

17 TIA News & Updates

20 Grassroots Tennis

28 String Playtest: Head ETS 16

30 Ask the Experts

32 Your Serve, by Kevin Theos

2 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY February 2009www.racquetsportsindustry.com

23 ManufacturersGear UpDespite economicworries, the makers ofracquets, shoes,apparel and stringsare optimistic thattheir products willstrike the right chordwith consumers.

26 Style &SubstanceRSI and the ASBABring you the best intennis courtconstruction.

OUTLOOK 2009

FEATURES

On the Cover: Pasternack Residence inOrange, Calif., is the RSI/ASBA ResidentialFacility-of-the-Year winner.

ContentsContents

Outdoor Tennis Facility-of-the-Year Award - Pine Canyon, Flagstaff, Ariz.

n December, I made the annual trek to the Technical Meetingof the American Sports Builders Association, which was held inNew Orleans. I really love this group, and as I’ve said before in

this column, these court builders are literally the foundation ofour business. The fact that so many of them take time out fromtheir businesses to gather for educational seminars and presen-tations, and participate in roundtables and problem-solving ses-sions, really shows the depth of their commitment to thisindustry. (Importantly, the ASBA also puts together constructionguidelines that are the “bible” of this industry, along with testingand designating Certified Tennis Court Builders.)

Part of the meeting included a presentation to a packed house by VirgilChristian of the USTA describing the QuickStart Tennis format for bringing kidsinto the game using, among other things, shorter, more kid-friendly courts.Already, many places have installed permanent QST courts. But if permanentshort courts are not an option, a regular court can be unobtrusively lined forQuickStart Tennis. (For more information, visit www.quickstarttennis.com.)

Thousands of facilities and parks across the country are offering programsfor kids using the QST format, and many rely on the pros, parents and the kidsthemselves to put down temporary lines on the courts. But permanent courtsand permanent lines mean that QST becomes ingrained in a community, andthe QST format is what will bring more and more people into this game. Courtbuilders are an important touchstone to communities, schools, facilities, parkand recs, and Community Tennis Associations, and builders can greatly influ-ence the adoption of QST in their communities.

One of the things I’ve been honored to do at the ASBA meeting is presentthe facility-of-the-year awards, which we cover in RSI in articles throughout theyear. Also, I present RSI’s Court Builder of the Year Award, which for 2008 wentto Boston Tennis Court Construction Co. and its owners Dave Marsden andBruce Mahler.

The ASBA (www.sportsbuilders.org) also recognized longtime executive v.p.Carol Hogan with its highest honor, the Industry Merit Award. Carol recentlyretired, after leading the group for 20 years and presiding over its impressivegrowth. Making a seamless transition into the management of the ASBA is ateam led by association management professional Fred Stringfellow, with assis-tance from longtime ASBA staffer Cynthia Jordan.

Thanks to Carol’s leadership, a committed board of directors and member-ship, and an exciting transition to Fred’s management, the ASBA—which longhad been under the radar in this industry—is helping to move the dial as far astennis growth in this country, and the group is getting the attention it richlydeserves. If you’re not a member, you should consider joining this very impor-tant group.

Peter FrancesconiEditorial Director

Our ServeBuilding On a Solid Foundation (Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry)

PublishersDavid Bone Jeff Williams

Editorial DirectorPeter Francesconi

Associate EditorGreg Raven

Design/Art DirectorKristine Thom

Contributing EditorsRobin BatemanCynthia CantrellKristen DaleyJoe DinofferLiza Horan

James MartinGreg Moran

Chris NicholsonBob Patterson

Cynthia ShermanMary Helen Sprecher

RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRYCorporate Offices

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770-650-1102, [email protected]

Apparel AdvertisingCynthia Sherman203-263-5243

[email protected]

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37, Number 2 © 2009 by USRSA and Tennis Industry.

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INDUSTRY NEWSINDUSTRY NEWSI N F O R M A T I O N T O H E L P Y O U R U N Y O U R B U S I N E S S

In early January, Prince Sports launched EXO3, its newest high-performance tennis racquet line.The new line, which includes four models and six frames, is available now and features “Ener-gy Bridge,” which suspends the string bed to provide a larger sweetspot and other playing ben-

efits, says Prince.John Embree, president of Prince Sports Americas, says the rev-

olutionary core technology “delivers benefits that will be appreci-ated by all levels of frequent players. We have carefully applied thistechnology to each model in the line in order to address all seg-ments of the market.”

The EXO3 Silver 118 and EXO3 Red 105, which both have thepatented Energy Bridge and Energy Channel technologies, are forplayers looking for comfort with power and feature a large sweetspotand up to 50 percent less frame vibration, says Prince.

The EXO3 Graphite (in 100 and 93) and EXO3 Rebel (in 95 and Team95) are designed for more advanced-level players (the EXO3 Rebel isused by pro Gael Monfils). Prince says the frames use Energy Channeland provide increased spin and precision for players with faster swingspeeds.

At the heart of EXO3 is the Energy Bridge, which suspendsalmost the entire string bed from the frame, so that 77 percent ofthe strings never come into contact with the frame, according toPrince, so they move more freely. Energy Channel is a sculptedgroove within the frame that enhances the benefits of EnergyBridge to provide stability, boost ball control and increase spin,says Prince.

“We conducted long and extensive research and development tri-als and elaborate playtest initiatives,” says Tyler Herring, Prince’sglobal business director for performance racquets. “Players repeatedlysaid how much they were ‘feeling’ their shots with EXO3, and how thishelped increase their confidence and raise their game.”

“When a racquet and ball collide, energy gets diffused, causing play-ers to lose some of the important attributes that make a great shot:power, precision, comfort and feel,” says Roberto Gazzara, v.p. of tech-nology at Prince. “EXO3 changes all that by capturing more energy—atimpact—before it is wasted, and channeling it back into the ball on everyshot. The result activates a blend of power, spin and comfort with exception-al feel.”

Prince says EXO3 delivers up to 26 percent more energy back into theball, adds up to 83 percent more to the sweetspot, and provides up to 25percent more control and 26 percent more spin.

Available now are the EXO3 Graphite 100 (suggested retail $200),Graphite 93 ($200), Rebel 95 ($200) and Rebel Team 95 ($180). The EXO3Silver 118 ($300) and Red 105 ($260) will be available Feb. 15. EXO3 prod-ucts also include string and grips. Prince has a website dedicated to thenew line: www.princetennis.com/EXO3.

USTA NamesTwo RegionalTraining CentersIn its expanded efforts to developfuture American tennis champions,the USTA has named the first twoUSTA Certified Regional TrainingCenters—The Junior Tennis Cham-pions Center in Washington, D.C.,and The Racquet Club of the Southin Atlanta.

The Certified Regional TrainingCenters will partner with acade-mies, clubs and tennis centers thathave a proven record of identify-ing and developing tennis players.The USTA plans to name approxi-mately a dozen regional trainingcenters during the next five years.

In addition to continuing theirexisting programs, regional train-ing centers will now also hostUSTA training camps for players intheir region ages 10 to 14. Theseplayers will be selected in conjunc-tion with the USTA national coach-ing staff and their respective USTASection Coaches Commission. Thecenters also will help identify tal-ent in players as young as 6 yearsold, run QuickStart Tennis pro-grams and host QuickStart tourna-ments.

The camps will be staffed by topcoaches at regional training cen-ters with assistance from the USTAnational coaching staff. Coaches atthe USTA training centers also willserve as an extension of the USTACoaching Education program byworking with and training the topcoaches in their region and respec-tive USTA Section. Additionally, thecoaches will attend training ses-sions at the USTA National Train-ing Center in Boca Raton, Fla.

Prince Launches New EXO3 Racquet Line

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February 2009 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 7www.racquetsportsindustry.com

From top to bottom, left to right:EXO3 Graphite 93EXO3 Graphite 100EXO3 Rebel 95EXO3 Rebel TeamEXO3 RedEXO3 Silver

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USPTA Announces2009 Certification Exams

The USPTA is offering more than 110 certi-fication exams nationwide for teaching

professionals in 2009, and will most likely add other dates,too. Visit www.uspta.com for the exam schedule.

The exam includes an on-court evaluation of tennis strokesand playing skills, stroke and grip analysis, private and grouplesson instruction, and other skills needed in the tennis-teach-ing profession. It also includes a two-hour written test coveringteaching, playing and business management skills, rules, clubactivity programming and other topics. Applicants can nowopt to take the written exam and the grip exam online aftercompleting the on-court portions.

The exam process also offers a Certification Review Coursethat covers test topics. The CRC can be taken at Regional Test-ing Centers, which offer tests every other month on the sameweekends, or it can be taken online. The course is also usefulto current USPTA members who wish to review specific examareas before upgrading their certification ratings. CRC topicsinclude student psychology, developing student rapport, classorganization, lesson progression and a review of teachingtechniques.

To register for an upcoming exam (advanced registrationrequired) or for more information, call 800-877-8248 or [email protected]. The fee for the exam and CRC appli-cation is $175, plus prorated USPTA membership dues.

PTR Symposium to OfferHigh School Coaches Program

The PTR will offer a special program for high school tenniscoaches over President’s Weekend, Feb. 14 to 16, during its

annual International Tennis Symposium and $25,000 Champi-onships, which will be held at PTR Headquarters on HiltonHead Island, S.C.

The program will begin on Saturday, Feb. 14, with a PTRDrill Exchange from 1-3 p.m., followed by a course by PeteCollins entitled Successful Doubles from 6:30-9:30 p.m. ACoaches Breakfast Reception, sponsored by the USTA, will beheld Sunday morning followed by a special presentation.

Additional courses, including Coaching Today’s Youth withBob Bigelow, Partner Practice Drills and Games,

Pre-Season and Rainy Day Practice Activi-ties, Effectively Coaching the Parents, SoYour Student Wants to Play College Ten-nis?, Team Building - Warm-up & Practice

Ending Games to Bond Your Team and Teaching Your StudentsHow to Stretch Properly, are included and will be conducted onSunday and Monday afternoons. Also included are Cardio Ten-nis and Yoga Stretch.

The registration price of $199 includes a PTR ScholasticCoach Membership. Existing PTR members pay $149. Forcomplete information and registration, visit www.ptrtennis.organd click Upcoming Events. The full Symposium runs fromFeb. 14 to 20.

Hinding Tennis Completes Conn. Job

Hinding Tennis of West Haven, Conn., recently completed ren-ovation of three courts in Darien, Conn. The courts, at the

town’s Weed Beach property on Long Island Sound, originallywere built in the 1980s. “We were repairing cracks every year,without any success,” says Jim Coughlin, the town’s park and recdirector.

Tom Hinding says his company overlayed the existing courtswith a cushioned mat system, Nova’ProXtreme, manufactured byNGI Sports of Chattanooga, Tenn. “I was very happy with theresults,” says Hinding. “The system is very user-friendly to installand the surface will allow players of all levels to enjoy the game.And the town won’t have to deal with the yearly crackingproblem.”

For more information, visit www.hindingtennis.com or call203-285-3055.

U.S. Juniors Win at Int’l. Event

Alex Domijan of Wesley Chapel, Fla., and Lauren Embree ofMarco Island, Fla., won the Boys’ and Girls’ 18-and-under

singles titles at the Eddie Herr International Junior Champi-onships in early December, capping off a strong showing byAmerican players. It was the first time since the event beganin 1987 that the U.S. won both 18s titles.

In addition, the U.S. won three of the six other singlestitles. Raymond Sarmiento of Fontana, Calif., won the Boys’16s, Alexios Halebian of Glendale, Calif., won the Boys’ 14sand Simone Pratt of Deerfield Beach, Fla., won the Girls’12s.


Babolat Taps McCool

After a five-month intensive recruitingand interviewing process, Tim

McCool has been hired as the newmanaging director of Babolat USA,overseeing the US sales and marketingoperations.

McCool has worked with many largebrands in the sporting goods industry,including Nike and Adidas. Most recently, he served as CEOfor Le Coq Sportif NA, creating a US sales force and inte-grated distribution and third-party channels focused in thefashion and tennis business.


I N D U S T R Y N E W S

Velasco Honored in TexasFernando Velasco (left) received the “CATA Senior Player of the Year”from Capital Area Tennis Association incoming president Ray Delk dur-ing the Annual Meeting and Awards Night of the CATA in December.Velasco currently is co-ranked No. 1 in Texas and No. 20 in the Nation-al USTA 65 and Over Singles Division.


Outback Champions SeriesAnnounces 2009 Schedule

The 2009 Outback Champions Series will be comprisedof eight tournaments, highlighted by two new events in

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Theseries, now in it’s fourth full season, also announced newsingle-knockout tournament formats and increased prizemoney for tournament champions

The eight events each offer $150,000 in prizemoney—with six events as single-knockout, six-playerevents, while two events (Rio de Janeiro and Newport,R.I.) will be eight-player, round-robin format events. Tour-nament champions will also receive first-prize paychecksof $60,000 in each single-knockout event, while unde-feated tournament champions in the eight-player round-robin events will continue to earn $54,000.

As in 2008, the player who finishes the year rankedNo. 1 in the Stanford Champions Rankings will earn a$100,000 bonus, courtesy of the Stanford FinancialGroup. The final Stanford Champions Rankings in 2009will be comprised of each player’s best-of-five tournamentresults.

The Outback Champions Series is a collection of glob-al tennis events featuring the greatest names in tennisover the age of 30, including former world No. 1 playersPete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim Courier and StefanEdberg. The 2009 schedule is:� Champions Cup Boston—Boston, Mass., Feb. 13-15� Rio Champions Cup—Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 12-15

� The Del Mar Development Champions Cup—Cabo SanLucas, Mexico, March 18-22

� The Residences at The Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman Leg-ends Championships—Grand Cayman, April 23-26

� International Tennis Hall of Fame Champions Cup—Newport, R.I., Aug. 19-23

� The Citadel Group Championships at The Palisades—Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 25-27

� Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championships atSurprise—Surprise, Ariz., Nov. 6-8

� Emirates NBD The Legends “Rock” Dubai—Dubai,U.A.E., Nov. 19-21

Beach Tennis Schedules 2009 Events

Beach Tennis USA announces its 2009 National Tour. Inaddition to the dates below, other events are expected to

be added.� March 21-22: Clearwater Beach, Fla.� April 4-5, Key Biscayne, Fla.� May 9-10, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.� May 23-24, Long Beach, N.Y.� June 19-21, San Diego� July 18-19, Long Beach, Calif.� Aug. 8-9, Charleston, S.C.� Sept. 5-6, Long Beach, N.Y. (National Championship)� Sept. 11-13, Bermuda

Sanchez Keynotes USPTA ConferenceNearly 130 teaching pros attended the USPTA’s Competitive Play-

er Development Conference, which took place in Naples, Fla., inDecember. The conference, which is traditionally held by the asso-ciation in Houston, was shifted to the Academia Sanchez-Casal sothat attendees got the added benefit of learning about some of theprogressive coaching systems that have propelled Spain to its cur-rent tennis prominence.

Emilio Sanchez-Vicario was on hand as a featured speaker.Sanchez-Vicario led the effort to capture the Davis Cup for Spainas the team’s captain just weeks before the conference. He wasranked No. 7 in the world in men’s singles and No. 1 in doubleswith Sergio Casal as his partner. Luis Mediero, a USPTA MasterProfessional and the president of Registro Profesional de Tenis(RPT) in Madrid, was also on hand to assist with the conference.

Bob Bigelow to Kick Off PTR Symposium

The PTR says one of the country’s foremost speakers on coach-ing youth sports, Bob Bigelow, will kick off its International Ten-

nis Symposium, which will be Feb. 15-19, 2009, on Hilton HeadIsland, S.C.

A former NBA first-round draft pick, Bigelow played four yearsfor the Kansas City Kings, Boston Celtics and San Diego Clippers.He also played at the University of Pennsylvania for Hall of FameCoach Chuck Daly.

Bigelow advocates fully meeting the needs of children as thetop priority in youth sports programs, and provides new approach-es for positive change in youth sports. He has devoted severalthousand hours to researching and lecturing about organized youthsports and its impact on children—and adults—conducting morethan 700 talks since 1993. He was selected as one of the 100 MostInfluential Sports Educators by the Institute for International Sportat the University of Rhode Island. Bigelow also is the co-author of“Just Let Kids Play.”

For more information, go to www.ptrtennis.org.


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USPTA Adds New DVD Titles

The USPTA recently released several new DVD titles, including “On Court” shows andseveral seminars. The instructional DVDs are produced in-house by the USPTA’s mul-

timedia department.The latest TV show titles released are “Think Shots, Not Strokes,” “Secrets’ of Today’s

Serve” and “Ask the Professor” with Jack Groppel. Seminars released include Nick Bol-lettieri on the importance of developing a solid foundation, the Mach 4 Mental TrainingSystem, Todd Martin on all-court player training, Nick Saviano on developing world-class fundamentals for young players, and more.

Visit usprotennisshop.com for specific pricing and special offers on DVDs and toview more than 100 other USPTA-produced DVD titles, or call 800-877-8248 for moreinformation.

ATP Unveils “Feel It” Ad CampaignThe ATP recently unveiled the latest evolution of its advertising campaign—“Feel It.”Now in its second year, the multimillion-dollar campaign will again feature ATP World

Tour stars including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, AndyMurray and James Blake, showcas-ing the sport’s core values as a one-on-one gladiatorial battle ofworld-class athletes.

Created as a flexible and adapt-able central resource that can beutilized in any of the ATP’s 63 tour-nament markets, the campaignhas been designed to include anyplayer featured on the ATP WorldTour and is part of a global market-ing initiative in 2009.

The 2009 version of “Feel It” will focus on bringing to life the unique global aspectof the ATP World Tour. The evolution of the campaign will position ATP World Tourstars as titans of the sport. The new execution will bring to life many of the locationsof the ATP World Tour and will focus on communicating the ultimate goal of the sea-son, to become the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion.

“Are You Sure?”Offers Witty T’sChristelle Williams of Marietta, Ga.,spent countless hours with her daugh-

ters at junior tennis tournaments. “Oneday, I heard the phrase, ‘Are you sure?’being echoed from court to court,” shesays. “It occurred to me that ‘Are yousure?’ is one of the most commonly usedphrases in tennis.”

And an idea—and an apparel line—was born.Looking to put a humorous angle on the situation, Williams launched the sports-

wear line this past fall, which features spunky tees with the "are you sure?" logo andwitty taglines on the back, such as “What part of the line is out?” and “Just becauseyou couldn’t get it doesn’t mean it was out.”

The shirts, available in T’s, hoodies and long-sleeved pullovers, are for men,women and children in a variety of colors. Prices range from $18 and up. For moreinformation and to order, and to view the styles and taglines offered, visitwww.areyousure.net, email [email protected] or call 770-273-8787.

February 2009 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 11



Congratulations To the Following ForAchieving MRT & CS Status

New MRTsCasey Reynolds Elsah, ILRobin Doyle Denver, CORon Guse Austin, TXElliott Evazkhani San Luis Obispo, CATiffani Yamamoto San Luis Obispo, CAPaige Cameron San Luis Obispo, CAErin Cabral San Luis Obispo, CAMichael Bowling San Luis Obispo, CAJarryd Guevara San Luis Obispo, CAWilliam Rosenblatt San Luis Obispo, CAJackson Lee San Luis Obispo, CASoo Se Cho San Luis Obispo, CAAaron Sunderland San Luis Obispo, CASara Aston San Luis Obispo, CAMark Boone San Luis Obispo, CAJennifer Salter San Luis Obispo, CA

New Multi-Purpose IndoorFacility Opens at USTA BJK NTC

The USTA in December officially opened its new state-of-the-art indoor tennis facil-ity. The $60 million, 245,000-square-foot facility, on the grounds of the USTA Bil-

lie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., features 12 indoorcourts on two floors, along with a fitness center, classrooms, a year-round pro shopand more.

Funded at no cost to taxpayers through USTA financing and tax-exempt bonds,the indoor facility will allow the USTA to expand its existing tennis programmingat the NTC and provide an opportunity to add new programming for New York areatennis enthusiasts. And the world-class venue affords the USTA greater potential inits Player Development program.

“This is a great investment in the sport of tennis,” said Jane Brown Grimes,USTA president and chairman of the board. “This new facility will provide the USTAflexibility to help grow the sport of tennis throughout the Northeast, provide muchneeded operational support for the US Open, and offer us greater potential toexpand programming at all levels, including Player Development.”

The new facility is a significant expansionand upgrade of the previous indoor facilitylocated at the USTA Billie Jean King NationalTennis Center. Three years in construction, thenew facility now contains:• 12 tennis courts on two floors• Modern locker rooms• State-of-the-art fitness center to support jun-ior programs

• Classrooms for after-school programs• A year-round pro shop• A new USTA Membership booth• New US Open retail space• A 15,000 square foot food commissary tosupport the US Open

• Expanded US Open hospitality areas• A retail merchandise warehouse.

Nominations Soughtfor Top 50 TWC Honors

The TIA, USTA and RSI are once again lookingfor the “Top 50 Tennis Welcome Centers” in

the U.S. These are the tennis facilities—publicand private—that are leading the charge in thegrowth of the sport by providing well-roundedprograms to new and current players of all agesand abilities. As a Top 50 TWC, you can receiveindustry recognition for your facility and for allyour efforts to keep this sport growing.

To nominate your facility for Top 50 TWChonors, visit GrowingTennis.com and take afew minutes to fill out a quick survey on orbefore Feb. 15. Among the Top 50 winners,special recognition will be given for the top-ranked park and recreation tennis facility, pub-lic facility, commercial facility, and privatefacility.


• Ashaway Racket Strings has signed a new two-year sponsorship agreement with racquetballpro Jack Huczek, who will continue to useAshaway Superkill II string as well as his sig-nature Jack Huczek/AMPS 311M racquetballshoes. In addition, under the new agree-ment, Huczek will become more involved withAshaway product development and marketingefforts.

• Jason Thoerner and Chuck Bahn have joined Head/Penn Rac-quet Sports as new sales reps. Thoerner, who will cover the Mid-west territory, is currently ranked in the Top 10 in the world forracquetball. Bahn has over 22 years of experience in thesporting goods industry and has represented companies likeLouisville Slugger, Puma, Adidas/Reebok apparel and others.He will cover the Southwest territory.

• Boar’s Head Inn (Charlottesville, Va.) Tournament Director RonManilla and his family have been awarded the Family of the YearAward from the USTA/Virginia Tennis. The award will be present-ed at the organization’s annual meeting in October. Manillaserved as Boar's Head Sports Club's director of racquet sports andhead professional for 15 years. He is a past president of the PTR-

Mid-Atlantic and the Charlottesville Tennis Patrons Association.

• Head has signed Egyptian squash pro and World No.1Karim Darwish. In 2008, Darwish reached six majorWorld Tour finals. Since turning pro in 1999, the for-mer World Junior Champion has claimed 15 PSAWorld Tour titles.

• Todd Martin of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., (formerly of EastLansing, Mich.), Barbara Mueller of Oconomowoc, Wis., and AlanSchwartz of Chicago were inducted into the 2008 USTA Midwest

Section Hall of Fame in December in Chicago.

• Head has signed a long-term agreement withNovak Djokovic of Serbia, who currently ranks thirdin the South African Airways ATP ranking.

• Fila has signed an endorsement agreementwith WTA Tour pro Anna Chakvetadze, who

ended 2008 ranked No. 18, which was her third Top20 year in a row. In late 2007, Chakvetadze achieveda career-high ranking of No. 5. She debuted Fila’sBaseline Apparel Collection and the Fila Alfa shoe atthe Australian Open in Melbourne. Visit www.fila.com.

P E O P L E W AT C H

INDUSTRYNEW

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Reel Sticks Adds SinglesSticks to Doubles Net

Few players ever play on a true sin-gles court; most people in the U.S.

play singles on a doubles court. Now,the makers of a product called ReelSticks hope that players will finally beplaying singles on a court that meetsthe rules of tennis, which call for thenet to be supported 3 feet outside ofthe singles sideline at 3.5 feet high.(On a doubles court, the net is sup-ported 3 feet outside of the doublessideline.)

Reel Sticks provide a simple andfoolproof way to add “singles sticks” toa doubles net. The Reel Sticks unit ispermanently mounted onto the exist-ing net post, without the use of tools,and stainless-steel cable reels out tothe exact distance of the singles stick.A net band cradles the net at the prop-er elevation, and a wide base preventsdamage to the court surface and stabi-lizes the stick during use and whenstored for doubles. In addition, theReel Sticks housing can be a platformfor advertising.

Skip Scarpa of Tennis Ventures LLCinvented and patented the product.“For over 100 years, the sport has allbut ignored the first rules of tennis,and players have been playing singleson a doubles court,” says Scarpa, ofSullivans Island, S.C. “We aim tochange this.” Scarpa says that if play-ers don’t practice with singles sticks,then when they are confronted withthem during a tournament, theybecome a practical and psychologicalperformance barrier.

For information, visit www.reelsticks.com or contact Scarpa at 843-883-3938 or [email protected].

Nominate for 2009 Tennis Industry Hall of FameThe Tennis Industry Association is looking for nominations to the “Tennis Industry Hallof Fame,” which was started in 2008 to recognize those individuals who have had a

significant impact on the sport of tennis. Last year, Dennis Van der Meer and HowardHead were the inaugural nominees into the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame.

Eligibility is open to anyone who has been or is currently in the tennis industry.TIA membership is not required for consideration. To nominate someone, go towww.tennisindustry.org/hof by Friday, May 29. Nominations, and those submittingnominations, will remain confidential. All nominations will be considered by the Hallof Fame Nominating Committee, then submitted to the TIA Board of Directors.

Inductees into the inaugural Tennis Industry Hall of Fame class will be announcedin New York City in August, in conjunction with the TIA Tennis Forum and the USOpen.


F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 9

> The 2009 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas quarterfinal

between the U.S. and Argentina will be Feb. 7-8 at

the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex in Surprise,

Ariz. The event is being organized, staged and pro-

moted by the USTA, which will construct a 4,000-

seat temporary stadium at the complex for the

best-of-five-match quarterfinal. Ticket prices range

from $50 to $200 for two-day packages and can

be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or by call-

ing 888-334-USTA (8782).

> The USTA announced that the Birmingham-Jef-

ferson Convention Complex Arena in Birmingham,

Ala., has been selected as the site for the 2009

Davis Cup by BNP Paribas first-round match

between the U.S. and Switzerland, March 6-8. The

indoor arena is expected to seat more than

17,000.

> Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Mats Wilander,

Jim Courier and Anna Kournikova will headline a

new-look $150,000 Champions Cup Boston tennis

championships Feb. 13-15 at Boston University's

Agganis Arena. Kournikova will compete in special

mixed doubles exhibition matches on Feb. 14 with

a to-be-announced female player as well as players

from the field of six men's competitors. Visit

www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.

> The LGE Performance Systems, which is known

as the Human Performance Institute, has been

acquired by Johnson & Johnson to expand its Well-

ness & Prevention platform. HPI will continue to be

managed by its current team, including Dr. Jim


S H O R T S E T S

INDUSTRYNEW

S

Loehr and Dr. Jack Groppel, and will operate as a

separate Johnson & Johnson company.

> A new book, “Inside the US Open,” offers a

glimpse of the Open that few people ever see or

experience. Author Richard Kent takes readers

inside the tournament, with stories from and

about pros, media, ushers, ball persons and more.

The paperback is available at Amazon.com for

$12.99.

> The World TeamTennis Pro League 2009 regular

season will be from July 2 to 22 and will conclude

with the WTT Championship Weekend, July 24-

26. The League is expected to announce the line-

up of marquee players in early February, with full

team rosters finalized at the WTT Player Draft on

March 31 in Miami.

> The 2009 USTA Georgia Yearbook will be an

online, interactive publication, available on the

home page of the USTA Georgia website to its

55,000 members in late January, nearly two

months earlier than previous years. The digital for-

mat is expected to save about 2 million sheets of

paper, or 240 trees, and will provide direct access

from partner ads to their websites and email

addresses.

> Courtside Racquet Club of Lebanon, N.J.,

recently was honored by USTAMiddle States as the

section’s Organization of the Year. Earlier, Court-

side R.C., whose general manager is Bruce Levine,

was honored by the section as the New Jersey Dis-

trict Club of the Year.

Ameel to DirectFerris State PTMProgram

Ferris State University hasnamed Derek Ameel as

the new director of the Pro-fessional Tennis Manage-ment program and themanager of the FSU Racquet& Fitness Center. Ameelcomes to Ferris State fromBainbridge, Ga., where hemost recently served asdirector of tennis for the Cityof Bainbridge, overseeing thecity’s tennis programs on 26courts.

Ameel is a USPTA P1 anda PTR professional; a Certi-fied Speed, Agility andQuickness Instructor; and aProfessional Tennis TrainingConsultant. He also hasreceived USTA High Perform-ance Certification as a spe-cialist in Competitive PlayerDevelopment and has beencertified by USTA Level I andII Sport Science.

Ameel received a bache-lor of science degree in Busi-ness/Professional TennisManagement from FerrisState in 1994.




Blackman Takes USTA Post;Ray Benton to Head JTCC

Martin Blackman has been hired as Senior Directorfor Talent Identification and Development for USTA

Player Development. Blackman will be based at theUSTA Training Facility in Boca Raton, Fla., and willreport to Tom Jacobs, managing director of administra-tion and business affairs for USTA Player Development.

In this new position, Blackman will interact with theUSTA Player Development coaching and administrativestaffs, as well as top coaches and tennis centers acrossthe country to lead the USTA’s efforts in identifying anddeveloping American talent.

Since 2004, Blackman has served as director of TheJunior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md.,one of the recently announced USTA Certified RegionalTraining Centers. As Blackman leaves the JTCC, indus-try veteran Ray Benton enters as the new CEO of theJTCC and the Tennis Center at College Park, Md., whichis the membership club operated at the same site.

Benton was a teaching pro, college coach, and thefirst national executive director of the NJTL. In addi-tion, he was president of the sports management firmProServe, and founder and operator of the NuveenTour, a worldwide senior tennis circuit featuring JimmyConnors, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.

PerryNamedPrinceRep ofYear

Dustin Perry, based inKansas City, Mo., has

been named Prince SportsSales Representative of theYear for 2008. Perry serv-ices players, coaches,academies and clubs inNebraska, Iowa, Kansas,Missouri and Southern Illi-nois. He was honored atthe Prince InternationalSales Conference held inFlorida at the end ofNovember, which wasattended by nearly 200Prince representatives, dis-tributors and employeesfrom around the world.

T I A N E W S F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 9

The good news ispeople continue toplay tennis in adown economy; fre-quent play mayactually increase(see chart).With ten-

nis relatively inexpensive to playand offering great social, exerciseand health benefits, we have anopportunity to reach those whowere lost to the “ever-growing listof competing activities” for people’sleisure time over the years. Not tomention, the entire family can par-ticipate at thousands of facilities,parks and recs across the country.The USTA will kick off the seasonwith an exciting tie-in betweencommunities and professional ten-nis, on March 2 (see below), andtogether with our industry partners,we are dedicated to finding ways tohelp you increase your businessplus attract and retain players.Withtough economic times ahead, it’smore important than ever to dowhat we do best and work togeth-er. Please keep in touch andinformed at TennisIndustry.org andinvolved at GrowingTennis.com.

NEWS & UPDATESNEWS & UPDATES

Jolyn de Boer

Share Your News and Viewson Growth at TennisIndustryNews.org

We want to hear from you! This industry has had great momen-tum. In 2009, it will be more important than ever to contin-ue our best practices and find supportive ways to keep the

industry vital and strong. Please share any comments—your views andfeedback are important to us.� What do you feel are contributing factors for tennis’s growth?� Please share any individual or business success stories, which wehope to publish in future issues.

� How can we make our industry stronger?� How is this current economy affecting your business?

News You Can Use!

TennisIndustryNews.orgis your one-stop searchfor tennis industry newsand information. The sitefeatures the latestnewfeeds from RSI,along with TIA membernews, plus an official ten-nis industry calendar,GrowingTennis newslet-ters and archives, quick-links to industry partners,industry newsletters, anda tennis media and man-ufacturer search.

The latest USTA/TIA Tennis Participation Survey shows that 1.8 million players joined the gamein 2008, which boosted total U.S. participation to nearly 26.9 million players, the highest levelsince 1992.

Nearly 6 million new players tried tennis forthe first time in 2008. And frequent players,those who play at least 21 times a year, increasedby 7% to 5.62 million in 2008. The annual sur-vey was conducted for the TIA and USTA by theTaylor Research Group.The jump in total participation is a 7% rise

over the previous year’s 25.1 million players, anda 12% increase over the five-year period begin-ning in 2003 through year-end 2007, when totalparticipation was at 24 million.Related to the rise in tennis participation, data

also shows that shipments of tennis racquets andballs over that same five-year period have fol-lowed this same trend. Since 2003, adult racquet shipments were up 30%, and youth racquetsincreased a remarkable 80%. Tennis ball shipments were up 15% over that same time period.However, total 2008 shipments are projected to be down slightly from 2007.There are many contributing factors for tennis’s growth, including:

� The combined efforts of the USTA, TIA and other groups bringing tennisto more and more kids through school programs and other curriculum,helping to make possible the growth in youth racquet shipments.

� Our front-line of dedicated teaching professionals and facilities whoattract and keep players engaged in our sport.

� Positive role models with tennis’s professional players and increasedtournament attendance.

� The sport has developed, and continues to improve, a strong infrastruc-ture that provides more places to play, programs to learn the game, andpartners to play with.

� Tennis is relatively inexpensive to play and promotes a healthy, activelifestyle with great social benefits. And an hour of competitive tennis burns more calories thanmost other sports.

Tennis Continues Strong Participation Growth

February 2009 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 17Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org

Consumer queries to the“postcards” on the Grow-ingTennis System to findlocal tennis programs dou-bled from second quarter2008 to third quarter, from13 million to 26 million.And, the number of facili-ties using the Grow-ingTennis Systemincreased by a remarkable67% in that same period.

Tennis NightIn America

Sign up your facility nowto host a Youth Regis-tration Night event on

March 2, which is part ofTennis Night in America.Youth Registration Nightevents put tennis center-stage in local communitiesacross the country and jump-start youth tennis signups foryour spring and summerprograms. Go to Tennis-Night.com to register.

The TIA compared shipment and participation data vs. maineconomic indicators (2008 projected). Download chart at Ten-nisIndustry.org.

T I A N E W S

Q&A with New TIA President Jon Muir

Our Focus for 2009—And Beyond

As we start this year, our goal is to take an increased focus on strengthening the industry—building stronger businesses,retailers and facilities—to further the economic vitality of tennis, and to work with our industry partners to aggressive-ly promote the positive messaging for our sport.

on Muir, the worldwide general manager of Wilson Racquet Sports, began a two-year term as presidentof the TIA on Jan. 1. Muir grew up in Southern California and has been a lifetime USTA member sincehis junior tennis playing days and went on to play high school and college varsity tennis. Muir, who is

a certified professional by both the USPTA and PTR, began his tennis career as a private tennis coach work-ing mainly with junior players. He joined Wilson over 11 years ago as a Territory Sales Manager and hashad various positions in Wilson management, where he was promoted to his current position in 2006.

18 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY February 2009 Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org

Q: What are your priorities as you begin your term?A: The TIA needs to continue to focus on the growth of ten-nis from a business and economic perspective. Sustainingour growth and continually improving our infrastructure arevital. We must further define and communicate our initia-tives to ensure we continue to work closely with both theUSTA and all of our partners throughout the industry. It’simportant to maintain the momentum we have collectivelyworked towards the past few years.Another major area is in technology, especially in how it

can address our 24/7 society today and improve our effi-ciencies for capturing and retaining new players. The TIAalong with the USTA are taking a lead role in this area, help-ing potential tennis consumers easily find places to play andprograms in their area. We will place a big emphasis towardsonline enrollment access for all facilities and programs withour focus on communicating and enhancing the tools thathave already been developed. Integrating these tools andtechnology can help retailers and facilities manage theirbusiness more efficiently and profitably.

Q: What are some of the key issues facing the industry?A: Given the current economic conditions, we need toensure we are balancing the reality of our short-term chal-lenges with longer term opportunities for our sport andindustry to expand to even higher levels in the years ahead.As an association, we need to work better in general withour tennis retailers, including communication and continu-ing to provide tools that can directly support their businessday to day.We also need to begin a concerted effort to develop a

clearer career path in tennis in all areas (teaching profes-sionals, associations, manufacturers, etc.) that will support

the future opportunities and growth of our industry. Lastly, Ithink we need to continually challenge ourselves to ensurewe are staying focused on what really will make the differ-ence in our industry and in our sport longer term.

Q: Where do you see growth opportunities for the sport?A: We need to improve awareness that tennis is relativelyinexpensive to play and truly is a lifetime sport. If we lookat all sports, there are very few where the majority base ofplayers can continue to play and excel even further afterhigh school or college. Our challenge is to help acceleratethe younger base of new and continuing players prior tohigh school.The QuickStart Tennis format is beginning to show early

success and get real traction at this key time. Expanding theawareness of this approach and format for entry-level play-ers is a huge opportunity to not just get more kids in the 6to 10 age range into our sport (and their families), but alsoan opportunity to increase revenue per court and revenueoverall coming into our industry. If we can get more kidsstarted and staying in our sport, our core serious player basewill continue to grow in the years ahead.

Q: What do you think is important in terms of keeping every-one—manufacturers, teaching pros, retailers, etc.—focusedon growing the brand of tennis?A: Having strong research that shows our joint efforts aremaking a difference. No other sport pulls together both inour research and efforts like our industry. We need to main-tain open and direct communication with everyone to main-tain a clear focus on the growth of tennis and economicvitality of our sport. In working together, we will continuethe success we have already experienced.

J

� New Research Analytics—for greater insight and trend-lines in the marketplace.

� Business Advantages—to reduce your costs and expenses,including TennisInsure, a comprehensive insurance pro-gram specifically for the tennis industry (does not includepersonal liability insurance), shipping discounts, merchantcard processing discounts, travel and media discounts.

� TennisConnect—Powerful online software for any sizetennis business, designed to save you time and increase

your profits, and in 2009, TennisConnect Retailer adds anonline catalog, string center and racquet demo center tomake your website the ultimate in customer service.

� Online Registration—including TennisCollect, an onlinepayment system to help streamline your business.

� Technology through the GrowingTennis System—Log into update your free facility listing and programs for con-sumers to find you, sign up for workshops, apply for fund-ing, and much more at GrowingTennis.com.

Grassroots GameGrips ProgramTakes HoldA unique program uses grip colors tohelp push new players to higher levels.

It's a scenario that has played outcountless times at tennis facilitiesacross the country. Riviera Tennis

Club junior development director CraigCignarelli was approached by the motherof a young player. She asked that herson be included in his class. Cignarellisaid the boy lacked the skills for thatlevel of play.

But when the mother accused him ofbeing unfair, Cignarelli took action.

"I told her, you're right. Let me writea skills test for him, and if he can pass,I'll put him in the class," Cignarelli recallsof that 2006 conversation. "Well, the kidfailed the test. But six weeks later hecame back and retook the test andpassed. And his mom said to me, youknow, that really inspired my child. It's agreat idea, and it was totally fair."

Six months later Cignarelli and hiscolleague, Aaron Fox, also a teachingprofessional at the Los Angeles-area club,had developed 11 on-court skills tests,each more difficult than the previousone.

Augmented by 11 off-court exams that incorpo-rate history,sportsmanship, rules,strategy and fitness, thosetests marked the birth ofthe Grips Program(www.gripsprogram.com).

Based on the beltsassociated with martialarts proficiency, the pro-gram's 11 stages ascendfrom beginner's white toexpert's black. Once a stu-dent has taken andpassed an online test for aspecific level via the pro-gram's interactive web-

site, he or she can take the on-courtexam. If successful at demonstrating theskills pegged to that level, the playerreceives a certificate of achievement,recognition on the website and, mostimportantly, the next grip color for theirracquet.

"It's a structured curriculum withobjective benchmarks which makesadministering a junior program easierfor coaches," says Cignarelli, 38, whohas been teaching tennis for 13 years.

"But mostly, it's effective at capturingnew players and pushing them to higherlevels, because it provides a path to skilldevelopment that rests in the hands ofthe player. They have a path to improve-ment independent of the coach."

Clubs adopting the program, whichnow number more than 100, pay noth-

B Y C O L E T T E L E W I S

ing, and receive 12 books with all thedrills and tests included. The cost, $6 amonth or $60 a year, is generally paidby the player, and is set intentionallylow to encourage participation not just atcountry clubs, but also at public parksand in recreation programs. With nation-al interest in the concept growing, Foxand Cignarelli are now hiring regionalcommission-based representatives to aidthe expansion.

Dale Miller, regional director for Club-Sport, a group of five fitness clubs in Cal-ifornia, Oregon and Nevada, believes theGrips Program has brought additionalobjectivity and focus to his juniors atClubSport Valley Vista in Walnut Creek,Calif.

"It was an easy decision for us,because we have a very active juniorprogram of about 80 kids," says Miller,

who learned aboutthe Grips Program viathe USPTA and hasbeen using it fornearly a year.

"It helps you tosee patterns on whatthe kids are doingwell and what thekids are strugglingwith," Miller says."The great majorityof our kids and par-ents see it as a reallynice addition to ourprogram."

It's a system thatco-founder Fox

20 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY February 2009 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

believes fills two voids. "The informa-tion and the structure that we're pro-viding the kids is definitely something Iwish I would have had," says Fox, 29,who was a nationally ranked junior inPennsylvania and a standout at DrakeUniversity in Des Moines.

"And, in my mind, the play, the funin the game, has sort of been lost tothe opportunities that are there now. Ijust took the gray grip (one level belowblack) test myself, which I have nownot passed for the third time, and it isjust fun. When I was taking the test,the kids were on the sideline cheeringand we were having fun."

But aside from injecting some funinto tennis practice and drills, Cignarelliand Fox are also serious about provid-ing a connection between the world'stop players and those aspiring to jointhem.

"If we had stopped at the greengrip, which is where most kids at thehighest level at the club were, wewouldn't have put it in relationship tothe best players in the world," saysFox.

Lester Cook, ranked around 300 onthe ATP tour, has yet to pass his blackgrip test in three tries, and for Cignarel-li, who has worked with Cook for overa dozen years, that typifies the pro-gram's ability to motivate.

"He's still out on the practice courts,working to get better and get to thatlevel," says Cignarelli, who also workswith touring professionals ShaneLaPorte, Maureen Diaz and PrakashAmritraj. "I think it inspires people atall levels."

That's certainly true of 6-year-oldSamantha Corrigan Morris and herbrother, 8-year-old Stanley. Stanley wasone of the first participants in the GripsProgram, while Samantha has graduat-ed from the Little Grips, a program foryoung beginners, to a white grip.(Cignarelli and Fox are also developingan assessment for QuickStart Tennisparticipants).

Their father, Stanley Morris, hasseen the difference it has made in thechildren's attitude toward practice."Anything you can do to motivate kids,especially to do something that is a lit-tle bit of drudgery, is good," says Mor-ris. "I know my daughter is very

motivated to get her nextgrip and catch her brother."

"That's not going tohappen," chimes in theyoung Stanley, who hasearned a green grip,squarely in the middle ofthe spectrum. But he’sdetermined to keep pro-gressing toward the blackgrip.

"Last time I heard, noone had done it. But I hopeto be the first one." �



O U T L O O K 2 0 0 9

Despite worries aboutthe economy, themakers of racquets,shoes, apparel andstrings are optimistic thattheir products will strike theright chord with consumers.

While tennis participation continues to be strong—and by thelatest research, growing—clearly manufacturers of tennisproducts are worried about the economy, and concerned

that consumers will continue to cut back on their pur-chases. But that hasn’t stopped manufacturers from

coming out with new and innovative products.Many are searching for that holy grail of

marketing—tremendous value for the moneyand a unique product that offers consumers areason to spend. Here is a brief, and by nomeans complete, look at what you mightexpect in the new year.

RACQUETSHead (www.head.com; 800-237-5497), which

just signed world No. 3 Novak Djokovic, is opti-mistic about 2009, says Roger Petersman, seniorbusiness manager of tennis racquets. The companyalso has pro Andy Murray, and he’s been hot lately,playing with his popular MicroGel Radical MP (at left).Planned for first quarter are new products, includingracquets, that Head says will provide retailers with“great opportunities to motivate their consumers tobuy.”

For Prince (www.princesports.com; 800-2-TEN-NIS), the EXO3 line, which launched in the begin-ning of January in the U.S., is the big story (seepage 7). The initial line includes the EXO3 Silver118, EXO3 Red 105, EXO3 Graphite 100 (shownat right) and 93, and EXO3 Rebel 95 and RebelTeam 95. Tyler Herring, global business directorfor performance racquets, says Prince will intro-duce additional models to the EXO3 line “in theback half of the year, in a continued effort to tar-get the growing players sector, while providing rac-quets for all player types.”

It’s all about control for Wilson (www.wil-son.com; 773-714-6400). “Power has been where itwas at for many years,” says Marketing Manager CorySpringer, “but we took a closer look at control and itbecame clear that the player who was more controlled,which we took to mean fewer unforced errors, won theirmatches a larger percent of the time.” Wilson set aboutenhancing control in its newest [K] Factor fames: theK3 FX, the Cobra and Cobra Team FX, and the K TourTeam FX (shown next page top left). All start shippingin the first quarter.

New frames from Babolat (www.babolat.com;

MANUFACTURERS

GEAR UP



877-316-9435) will hit retail in March, but Tim McCool,managing director for North America, says the brand isnot flooding the market with new models. “It’s aboutpositioning and keeping our inventory under controland managing our product lifecy-cles,” he says. “It’s better for retail-ers because they can get theresiduals from their investment withlonger lifecycles, and it’s better forconsumers, too.” McCool says thenew racquets will target new con-sumer groups, to bring participants inthe game.

FOOTWEARAdidas (www.adidasus.com; 800-448-1796) says it expectscolor to continue to be popular in men’s and women’s ten-nis shoes in 2009. Its black and dark-based Barricade Vthat came out late last year has been very strong,says the company. Adidas also makestraditional a white-based version(shown at right), too, to satisfy all play-ers. New models for ’09 include the CCGenius and Feather IV, which will contin-

ue the color trend.Babolat says it is bringing its years of

R&D working with expert players to theclub-level player. This tennis-only compa-ny says that its shoe designs take intoaccount that 80 percent of movement intennis is lateral and diagonal and thatplayers need effective “relaunch.” The

company’s new Propulse shoe, wornby Andy Roddick, features “Footbelt”technology for a secure fit andemphasizes “relaunch” anddurability. For women, thenew Team Lady has a newdesign and improved com-fort, says Babolat, with anexclusive last that is thinnerin the forefoot and shaped tofit a women’s foot, for perfor-

mance, comfort and light weight.Greg Mason of Head says retail

price points at $100 and below will becritical in today’s marketplace. “In productperformance and value to shoppers, Headcompetes exceptionally well,” he says.New shoes for ’09 include the PrestigePro for men (shown at right, seconddown) and women.

K-Swiss (www.kswiss.com; 800-714-4477) is hoping itsnew shoe, the Defier MiSoul Tech (third down), which launchedin January, will be a runaway favorite among tennis players. It’sthe first in a planned tennis line that allows players to customize

the shoe for practice days and match days, using switchableinsoles. The Cushion 1.0 insole is for practice days, providing long-

lasting and comfortable cushioning, says K-Swiss. The Light 1.0insole for match days provides a springier feel and extra support,among other features. K-Swiss is planning additional MiSoul Techinsoles that help with added stability, for those who wear orthotics

and more.Spring footwear for Prince includes

two new colorways in the men’s (fourthdown) and women’s T22 shoe, says

George Poulos, the global director offootwear. Also, the company launched the new

Cobra, a lightweight, low-silhouette shoewith lateral support, built on Prince’s NFSlast. And the updated NFS Viper V hasmesh for breathability and lighter weight.

Three new Prince shoes are slated for later thisyear: an addition to the T Series, an “aggressive”update to the original M and O Series shoesfeaturing second-generation Precision Tubecushioning system, and a women’s shoethat combines a performance outsole withcontemporary styling.

For Wilson, new shoes for 2009include the all-court Tour Spin (bottom), a

lightweight high-performance shoe thatemphasizes comfort.

APPARELAt Bolle (www.bolleten-niswear.com; 301-

362-0360), product manager ShawnChesney says players are looking forquality and a good value, with an edgy,

fashion-forward look. “We’re trying to lookout for the consumer,” Chesney says, “so

we’re not raising any prices, we’re keeping thingsthe same. And we want our clothes to look great on the court

as well as in the gym. Chesney says pink has been a sta-ple for Bolle. “Every season, we do pink, and people

love it,” she says. In addition to the Tennisline, the High-Performance line (facingpage) is geared toward a younger mar-ket, with silhouettes cut closer to thebody, skirts slightly shorter, and morevibrant, loud colors.

Lauren Mallon, the global marketing man-ager at Fila (previous page) (www.fila.com; 410-773-3000),

says women are looking for performance and feminin-ity, with dresses continuing to be popular. “Lay-

ering and mesh details incorporated intothe design make it look more feminine,but performance is the most impor-tant,” she says. “Products are

designed with the player in mind.” Formen, color is a huge trend, she adds. And men are

moving away from collared shirts—“most of our business is increwneck.”

Fila is building more products in its Eco category and intro-ducing them into the tennis category. “The trend toward eco andgreen is here to say,” Mallon says. “It’s important that products


perform and are eco-friendly.” Fila hasa large “basics” business—led by teamand league wear purchases.

STRINGSteve Crandall of Ashaway(www.ashawayusa.com; 800-556-7260) says that possibly as a func-tion of the aging population,“Recreational players are losing theirinfatuation with high-end poly-ester—‘gut on steroids.’ They’re real-izing that normal, everyday playersjust don’t get enough benefit fromthat type of string to warrant thecost.” Crandall says that instead,“They’re turning to more traditionalmulti-filament and synthetic gutstrings, which offer a good combinationof performance, economy and durabili-ty, and they play softer.” Ashaway’s lineincludes multifilaments such as Dyna-

mite WB and 17, and its classic SyntheticGut 16 and 17, among many other models.

Gamma (www.gammasports .com;800-333-0337) is finding that more playerswant to use polyester strings, like theirfavorite pros. “But most polys are too stifffor the average club player,” says GammaSport’s Chuck Vietmeier. “We’re intro-ducing softer, more forgiving polyestersthat still offer good control but are much

easier on the arm.” Vietmeier saysGamma’s Twist Technology poly con-struction, where the string is twistedright after extrusion, creates a texturedpoly for maximum ball bite. For 2009,two new strings will use this process, ZoTwist and Zo Tour Rough.

In March, Head will introduce its Per-fect Match stringing system, which indoorcourt sports and accessories businessmanager Ben Simons says is designed tohelp all players make their racquets playbetter. Simons says last year, the indus-try saw string sales continue to increase.“I feel optimistic for the string businessin 2009,” he says, “even with the chal-lenges we all will be facing. For Headstring and accessories, 2009 will be anexciting year.”

Luxilon (www.wilson.com; 773-714-6400) is adding a new productthis year, M2, a multi-monofilament

that uses a unique manufacturing process to com-bine the best qualities of a monofilament and a multi, saysWilson.

Tom Parry at Pacific (www. pacific.com; 941-795-1789) says

that in 2008, the company found playerswere focusing on playing more tennis andregripping and restringing their oldframes more often. “It seems that in ’09,this trend is growing stronger,” he says.And in his travels around the world,Parry says it’s the stringing businessthat is keeping the doors open atmany tennis shops. Pacific, whichoffers popular models such as HybridPower 16L, PolyForce and Xtrack, is the officialstring of the ATP World Tour.

Prince has a number of new strings out, some designed forits new EXO3 line of racquets. “We’ve taken poly strings to anew level with a co-extrusion technology that gives the player allthe benefits of poly with 50 percent less shock to the arm,” saysDave Malinowski, global director of strings and accessories. Inthe multifilament segment, Prince’s Premier LT, which stands for“linear technology,” aligns the inner fibers and allows the stringto play more like natural gut, says Malinowski. Twisted is a new,fun two-toned performance string. Other new Prince stringincludes the Poly EXP and Recoil.

At Tecnifibre USA (877-336-1613), Paul Kidexpects players to be more cautious with theirequipment purchases in the current eco-nomic climate and more inquisitive regard-ing the features and benefits of products.“This is a great opportunity for retailersto better educate players about the per-formance characteristics of prod-ucts, especially strings,”says Kid. “Our concern isthat players may lookfor more durablestrings [opting torestring less often],but that might notbe the best choicefor that particularplayer. Also,though, a playermay want tohold off on some-thing as importantas restringing byusing a product pastits prime perfor-mance, diminishing theplayer’s on-court perfor-mance.” Kid says thatTecnifibre’s NRG2string, introduced in1999 and used bythe Bryan Broth-ers, is still thecompany’smost popularstring. �


26 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY February 2008 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

RSI and the ASBA bring you the best in tennis courtconstruction.

One of the striking things about the most recent crop of tennis facility winners in theRSI/American Sports Builders Association Facility-of-the-Year Awards is the numberof facilities that have soft-court surfaces. Of the 22 total winners, 13 have soft sur-

faces. That includes some predominantly hard-court facilities that also offer players afew softer courts. (And there are additional winners that use a cushioned hard-court sur-face, too.)

Each year, based on entries submitted by an ASBA member—whether a contractor,designer or supplier—the association selects outstanding tennis facilities that meet thestandard of excellence determined by the judging committee. For 2008, the panel ofjudges deemed 22 courts or tennis facilities to be outstanding, or “distinguished,” as theaward reads.

Three of those winners, however, were chosen for special “Facility-of-the-Year” hon-ors: the Pasternack Residence in Orange County, Calif., received the Residential Ten-nis Facility-of-the-Year Award; Pine Canyon in Flagstaff, Ariz., was honored with theOutdoor Tennis Facility-of-the-Year Award; and the Larson Sports Center at JamestownCollege in North Dakota received the Indoor Multi-Purpose Facility-of-the Year Award.

The Pasternack Residence, new construction by Zaino Tennis Courts of Orange,Calif., uses a post-tension concrete foundation and Plexicushion surface in the popularUS Open blue color. Zaino also handled installation of a channel drain and the lightingsystem, among many other tasks.

Pine Canyon is an exquisite private community in Flagstaff, Ariz., known for it’sgreat golf and scenery. Now, it has two new hard courts at its “Camp Pine Canyon” com-plex, which also includes three swimming pools. General Acrylics of Phoenix built thepost-tension concrete courts and supplied the surface, in a kind of “design as we go” sit-uation, where they worked closely with the general contractor to meet the changingideas of the owner during construction.

The award-winning Larson Sports Center at Jamestown College in North Dakota hasa multi-purpose indoor facility offering three tennis courts, among other uses, on a pre-fab rubber surface, put down by Kiefer Specialty Flooring. The installation included anoverlay of an existing sports floor and the installation of a new sports floor on a newconcrete slab, requiring contractors to resolve elevation differences between the two.And the tight schedule also posed problems with the curing of the concrete. But, in truewinning fashion, the project was brought in on schedule, and within budget.

—Peter Francesconi

R S I / A S B A F A C I L I T Y - O F - T H E - Y E A R A W A R D S

Distinguishing HonorsIn addition to the Pasternack Residenceprivate court, the Pine Canyon facility,and the Larson Sports Center atJamestown College, these 19 locationswere chosen by the 2008 panel of judgesfor the ASBA as excellent examples ofcourt construction, receiving Distin-guished Facility-of-the-Year Awards.You’ll read more about them in upcomingissues of Racquet Sports Industry. (Thenominating company is in parentheses.)� Brian Piccolo Park Tennis Center, Cooper City, Fla.(Fast-Dry Courts)

� City of Auburn/Auburn Univ. Yarbrough TennisCenter, Auburn, Ala. (Welch Tennis Courts)

� Constant at Diamond Mountain Vineyards, Calis-toga, Calif. (Vintage Contractors Inc.)

� Fertita Tennis Complex, Univ. of Nevada–LasVegas (L.E.R. Inc./Renner Sports Surfaces)

� Greenville-Greene County Tennis Center,Greenville, Tenn. (Baseline Sports Construction)

� Homewood Middle School, Homewood, Ala. (Hol-combe Norton Partners)

� Islandwalk at the West Villages, Northport, Fla.(Welch Tennis Courts)

� Ortwein Residence, High Meadow Ranch, Magno-lia, Texas (Patriot Court Systems)

� Palm Coast Tennis Center, Palm Coast, Fla. (WelchTennis Courts)

� Palmilla Tennis Club at Villas de Oro, Los Cabos,Mexico (Global Sports & Tennis Design Group)

� Paseo-Fort Myers Facility, Fort Myers, Fla. (WelchTennis Courts)

� Pilara Tenis Club Facility, Pilar, Argentina (GlobalSports & Tennis Design Group)

� Private Residence, Boca Raton, Fla. (Fast-DryCourts)

� Private Residence, Las Vegas, Nev. (Fast-DryCourts)

� Private Residence, Napa, Calif. (Vintage Contrac-tors Inc.)

� Samford University Outdoor Tennis Facility, Home-wood, Ala. (Lower Bros. Co.)

� Samford University Indoor Tennis Facility, Home-wood, Ala. (Lower Bros. Co.)

� Southeast Park & Tennis Complex, Columbia, S.C.(Global Sports & Tennis Design Group)

� Turnberry Isle Tennis Facility, Aventura, Fla. (Fast-Dry Courts)

RSI and the ASBA bring you the best in tennis courtconstruction.


Indoor Multi-PurposeFacility-of-the-Year AwardLarson Sports CenterJamestown College, Jamestown, N.D.Specialty Contractor: Kiefer Specialty Flooring Inc.Architect/Engineer: EAPC of Fargo, N.D.General Contractor: Hillerud ConstructionSurface: Mondo Rubber Sports Flooring


For details on the 2009 Distin-guished Facility-of-the-YearAwards, contact the ASBA at866-501-ASBA [email protected].

Residential TennisFacility-of-the-Year AwardPasternack ResidenceOrange County, Calif.Specialty Contractor: Zaino Tennis CourtsGeneral Contractor: Hobson Construction Inc.Architect: Steven PhillipsSurface: Plexipave Plexicushion PrestigeLights: Visionaire Lighting, Advantage Light FixturesNet, Net Posts: Edwards

Outdoor Tennis Facility-of-the-Year AwardPine CanyonFlagstaff, Ariz.Specialty Contractor: General Acrylics Inc.Surface: Gameco Products by General AcrylicsNets, Straps, Posts, Windscreens: Douglas Industries


String Playtest

EASE OF STRINGING(compared to other strings)Number of testers who said it was:much easier 0somewhat easier 2about as easy 23not quite as easy 10not nearly as easy 0

OVERALL PLAYABILITY(compared to string played most often)Number of testers who said it was:much better 2somewhat better 7about as playable 10not quite as playable 14not nearly as playable 2

OVERALL DURABILITY(compared to other stringsof similar gauge)Number of testers who said it was:much better 3somewhat better 10about as durable 18not quite as durable 4not nearly as durable 0

RATING AVERAGESFrom 1 to 5 (best)Playability 3.5Durability 3.4Power 3.1Control 3.3Comfort 3.3Touch/Feel 3.2Spin Potential 3.3Holding Tension 3.4Resistance to Movement 3.5

Head ETS is a wrapped multifilamentnylon string. According to Head, thehighly elastic multifilament core movesfreely within its unique polypropyleneouter wrap, providing optimal elasticityand energy transfer for unprecedentedpower, playability, and perfect sound.The outer wrap is abrasion resistant forexcellent durability.

Head ETS has been speciallydesigned for oversized racquets and forplayers looking to add more power totheir game.

ETS is available in 16 (1.31 mm) and17 (1.24 mm) in white only. It is pricedfrom $11.50 per 40’ set (no reels avail-able). For more information or to order,contact Head at 800-289-7366, or visitwww.head.com. Be sure to read the con-clusion for more information about get-ting a free set to try for yourself.

IN THE LABThe coil measured 40’. The diametermeasured 1.29-1.33 mm prior to string-ing, and 1.24-1.26 mm after stringing.We recorded a stringbed stiffness of 74RDC units immediately after stringing at60 pounds in a Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95(16 x 18 pattern) on a constant-pullmachine.

After 24 hours (no playing), stringbedstiffness measured 64 RDC units, repre-senting a 14 percent tension loss. Ourcontrol string, Prince Synthetic Gut Origi-nal Gold 16, measured 78 RDC unitsimmediately after stringing and 71 RDCunits after 24 hours, representing a 9percent tension loss. ETS added 15grams to the weight of our unstrungframe.

The string was tested for five weeksby 35 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP rat-ings from 3.5 to 6.0. These are blindtests, with playtesters receivingunmarked strings in unmarked packages.Average number of hours playtested was27.6.

Out of the package, there is a tightbut not aggressive coil memory, so youhave to watch for kinks through the

string job. The texture referred toby our playtesters is not so much of aroughness as it is a pronounced lumpi-ness. This texture isn’t the kind thatsounds as if it is sawing through thegrommets and across the mains. Finally,because of the texture, knots feel oddlywhen you’re pulling them tight, but theycinch up just fine.

No playtester broke his sample dur-ing stringing, 14 reported problems withcoil memory, none reported a problemtying knots, and one reported frictionburn.

ON THE COURTOur playtest team scored ETS wellabove average in Playability, Touch/Feel,Spin Potential, and Resistance to Move-ment. Additionally, many of ourplaytesters commented on how comfort-able ETS is in play. The score for poweris about average, but this is appropriatein this string, given its target market ofplayers using oversize racquets.

Three playtesters broke the sampleduring the playtest, one each at four, 17,and 24 hours of play.

CONCLUSIONIt is sometimes difficult to find the rightstring for customers with oversize rac-quets, especially those with open stringpatterns, because they want a durablestring that doesn’t move all over theplace, and has great feel and playability.According to our playtest results, thisdescribes Head ETS 16.

If you think that Head ETS might befor you, fill out the coupon to get a freeset to try. —Greg Raven �

Head ETS 16



“ This is a crisp, predictable string. Spinpotential is very pronounced. It has high ten-sion maintenance and low string movement. Itis easily one of the best strings I’ve tested.”4.5 male serve-and-volleyer using Wilson nSix-One (68 Holes) strung at 58 pounds CP (WilsonNXT 16)

“ This is the best string I’ve tested. Holds ten-sion extremely well. There is no string move-ment. It handles a wide range of shots withremarkable ease, from drop volleys to heavyground strokes. This string is as good as itgets.” 4.5 male all-court player using PrinceOZone Pro Tour MP strung at 58 pounds LO(Prince Synthetic Gut w/Duraflex 16)

“ This is a comfortable multifilament thatreduces shock very effectively.” 5.0 male all-court player using Prince O3 White MP strungat 55 pounds LO (Luxilon Big Banger Original130 16L)

“ This string seems to make the sweetspotbigger. The entire string bed feels comfortable.Shots in the upper hoop are not punished withanemic responses. Considering the string type,

TESTERS TALKthere is refreshingly little tension loss.” 5.0male all-court player using Head MicroGELExtreme strung at 60 pounds CP (Wilson NaturalGut 16)

“ This string plays surprisingly crisp. Controland comfort are there from start to finish. Hardhitters and string breakers might have somedurability issues. This string is a good option forthose who prefer the crisp and firm feel of poly-ester without the harsh response.” 4.5 maleall-court player using Babolat Pure Storm strungat 65 pounds CP (Gamma Zo Tour 16)

“ This string has a soft feel without beingmushy. There is some string movement. Spinpotential is excellent.” 4.0 male all-court play-er using Babolat Aeropro Drive + (with Cortex)strung at 60 pounds CP (Luxilon Big Banger AluPower 16L)

“ Stringing gets easier after the initial coilmemory recedes. Playability, resistance to move-ment, control, and durability are all verygood.” 4.5 male all-court player using PrinceO3 Blue strung at 57 pounds LO (Gamma LiveWar Pro 17)

FREE PLAYTESTSTRING PROGRAMHead will send a free set of ETS 16 to the first 500 USRSAmembers who cut out (or copy) this coupon and mail it to:

Offer expires 15 February 2009Offer only available to USRSA members

in the US.

Name:USRSA Member number: Phone:Email:If you print your email clearly, we will notify

you when your sample will be sent.

USRSAAttn: Head String Offer,

330 Main Street, Vista, CA 92084 or fax to 760-536-1171, or email the info below to

[email protected]

For the rest of the tester comments, visitwww.racquetsportsindustry.com.


Ask the Experts

EKTELON O3 WHITE PATTERNS

THE 16X17 STRINGING PATTERNyou have listed for the Ektelon O3White racquetball racquet is the

optional pattern for this frame. The stockstringing pattern (the one that comes pre-strung) is 14x17. You might want to men-tion this in the Digest for those who areunfamiliar with this new racquetballframe.

WE CONTACTED SCOTT Wintersat Ektelon before we printed the

new Digest. Ektelon recommends the16x17 pattern because it is less confusingas it doesn’t leave any holes empty. Also,it is a little easier to install. As you maybe aware, there is also a 12x17 patternoption for this frame. We’ll provide theinstructions for each of the three patternsin both the Digest and the Digest On-line.Finally, the 14x17 pattern used by thefactory is the most complicated because itinvolves empty holes, and you need to

install the short side on the side opposite ofthe markings on the frame.

ADDING LEAD TAPEUNDER THE BUMPERGUARD

I JUST RECEIVED TWO BRAND NEWracquets today. However, after tak-ing grommet strips off to add weight

under the bumper guard, I found it impossi-ble to put the grommets back through theracquet holes because some of the grommetends are flared. Any suggestions?

MANY NEW RACQUETS COME withgrommets that are flared after the

bumperguard and grommet strip have beenmounted on the racquet. Even if removingthese flared grommets didn’t destroy them,you’d still have to throw away the grommetstrip and replace it with a new one, for justthe reason you’ve discovered.If, after adding your lead tape and

installing the replacement bumperguard andgrommet kit, you want to re-flare the grom-

mets for that “factory” look (or evenjust to help retain the bumpguard),check out the Flare-It™ Grommet Wiz-ard, which is available at ATS Sports(www.atssports.com).

RACQUET SHORTENINGHOW DO YOU SHORTEN A rac-quet by ¼ or even ½ inches?

THE TRICKY PART OF shorten-ing a racquet is usually gettingthe butt cap back on securely.

On most racquets, you remove thereplacement grip (and overgrip, if fit-ted), remove the butt cap, measure howmuch you want to cut off, do your cut(making very certain to perform asquare cut), reattached the butt cap,and then rewrap the grip (and overgrip,if desired).The trick with reattaching the butt

cap is that most people don’t have astapler that can penetrate the carbonfiber in the handle area. Sometimes,

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the carbon fiber is inside of a foam pallet, but sometimes not. Either way, yourstaples have to penetrate the carbon fiber to hold the butt cap securely. For extrahold on the butt cap, you can try Super Glue gel. The normal warnings apply forworking with Super Glue.

GUESTIMATING TENSION RANGEI HAVE A SNAUWAERT Graphite Composite and a Wilson Butch BuchholzSignature racquet made for Sears Roebuck & Co. Any idea as to recom-mended stringing range on these?

USRSA MEMBERS CAN guesstimate the tension for any racquet with theon-line tool we have here:

www.usrsa.com/members/tools/tension_guess.htmlThe figures returned by this tool come from looking at hundreds of racquets

with known head size and stringbed density. You simply plug in the head size,number of mains, and number of crosses from your racquet, and the tool will rec-ommend a normal tension range for a typical racquet with those characteristics.

TYING OFF NATURAL GUTI HAVE HAD SEVERAL INSTANCES OF THE MAIN STRING BREAKING ATthe point where the cross string is tied off such as 7H. In two instances ithappened in the bag, that is, not during play. I use a double granny knot. I

do tend to pull the knot fairly hard. Any suggestions?

FIRST, USE A DOUBLE HALF HITCH. THE GRANNY KNOT IS NOT A goodknot for any application. If you’re unclear on how to tie a double half

hitch, refer to the section on “Forming Your Tie-Off Knot” in the Stringer’s Digest,page 59.Second, generally speaking you don’t need to pull knots as tight as you might

think. In specific, you cannot pull hard on natural gut anchor strings, as you willdamage the anchor string, causing it to break prematurely. Try gently pulling theloose end of the knot until the slack is just out of the string you’re tying off, andthen stop. If the anchor string is breaking while the racquet is in the bag, you’repulling too hard.

HYBRID WEIGHT DIFFERENCESI NOTICED IN YOUR PLAYTEST REPORT OF PACIFIC POWER HYBRIDthat the total racquet weight was different depending on which string wasused in the mains. How is that possible?

THE REASON WE PUBLISH THE CHANGE IN RACQUET WEIGHT DUE TOstringing is that strings don’t all weigh the same, whether because of diam-

eter, materials, construction, or all three. On a hybrid such as Pacific PowerHybrid, we noted a fairly significant difference in mass between the two strings(Poly Force and Power Line). When you use the heavier of the two strings in thelonger mains, the total racquet weight is slightly higher than when you use theheavier of the two strings in the shorter crosses.

—Greg Raven �We welcome your questions. Please send them to Racquet Sports Industry, 330 Main St., Vista, CA, 92084; fax:760-536-1171; email: [email protected].

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New Lessonsfor Teaching Pros

Consumers expect “certified” tennisteaching professionals to be knowl-edgeable about the latest advances

in tennis instruction. The use of adaptiveequipment and formats are modernimprovements to youth tennis, but neitherUSPTA nor PTR pros need to know any-thing about their use in order to becomecertified. It is time for that to change.Adaptive play formats, equipment, and

playing areas are nothing new to youthsports. Baseball, basketball and soccer arejust a few sports in which enthusiasts longago recognized the value of adaptingsports to the modest strength and abilitiesof young athletes. Beyond making intu-itive sense, youth-based modifications arenow time-tested, and it is hard to imagineany sports that have made such adjust-ments going back to their previous waysof operating. While slow to change, thetennis market is now adopting the use ofdifferent equipment, court sizes and for-mats for younger athletes.In 2008, over a thousand locations reg-

istered as QuickStart Tennis sites. Moreimportantly, experienced tennis pros arenow embracing the use of adaptive equip-ment and formats."I am completely blown away by the

response to the QuickStart Tennis play for-mat from certified tennis professionals,”says PTR and USPTA professional andclub owner Craig S. Jones of Martinez, Ga.“I have done trainings and presentationsto over a thousand teaching pros in Amer-ica this past year. Everywhere I go, teach-ing pros comment on the substantialincreases in revenue they are experienc-ing and incredible technical and tacticaltransformations in their young students."Former USPTA tester and current Lake

Charles (La.) Racquet Club Tennis DirectorBobby Walker adds, “I use the QuickStart

format in our programming and view it ascritical to the growth of tennis. Adaptiveequipment for youth has to be a majorplayer, and educating the professionals onthe usage of such equipment is para-mount.”Manufacturers also indicate that the

tennis market is different than it used tobe. "The market has changed tremendous-ly in recent years," says Dunlop RegionalSales Manager Hunter Hines of Georgia."Five years ago, there were few optionsfor purchasing modified equipment forformats like QuickStart Tennis. Today,Dunlop produces a wide variety of balls,portable nets and other teaching aids tai-lored to helping young beginners learntennis faster and easier, and other compa-nies are doing the same. The rapidlyexpanding market absolutely demands it.”It should come as no surprise that

manufacturers, pros, and players are grav-itating toward modified tennis. Today,children in many communities have analmost endless array of recreationaloptions. To sustain any kind of commit-ment, children must be engaged whilefeeling a considerable measure of successand enjoyment from the outset. Adaptivetennis provides children with the engage-ment and early success that they demand,while traditional tennis instruction involv-ing the monotony of spending excessivetime standing in line waiting to be fed ten-nis balls does not. To their credit, whilethey have not gone as far as the Interna-tional Tennis Federation in evolving, thePTR and USPTA have moved in the rightdirection.“LittleTennis” and “PTR Kids Tennis”

are youth instructional formats of theUSPTA and PTR, respectively. Both ofthese teaching formats involve modifiedequipment and courts, and are far superi-

B Y K E V I N T H E O S

Your Serve

We welcome your opinions. Please emailcomments to [email protected] or faxthem to 760-536-1171.


An industry insider says it’s time the USPTA and PTR fully embrace modified tennisfor youngsters by requiring knowledge of it for certification.

or to traditional instruction in terms ofmeeting consumer demands. But they areonly offered as specialty courses.In contrast, under Level 1 of ITF certifi-

cation, one must undertake nine days oftraining, the first two of which are entirelydevoted to learning how to teach withadaptive equipment on smaller tenniscourts. No doubt, the success of formerWorld No. 1 Justine Henin, who competedon shorter tennis courts as a junior, hashastened the acceptance of modified ten-nis outside the U.S. But the PTR andUSPTA need not wait for a similar Ameri-can champion to emerge to accept themodern direction of youth tennis.Modified tennis for juniors is here to

stay. Manufacturers are selling more adap-tive equipment and producing a greatervariety all the time. Clubs are increasinglyusing modified equipment and formats intheir programs. More and more facilitiesare installing permanent QST courts andlines. Short courts and modified teachingmethods are observably and profoundlysuperior to traditional instruction in termsof player engagement and enjoyment, andare sorely needed to compete with alterna-tive youth recreational activities.It is time for the USPTA and the PTR to

require certification candidates to under-stand modified tennis in order to becomecertified. �


Kevin Theos is the USTA SouthernSection Tennis Service Representa-tive for Alabama. He is a USPTAmember with more than 17 years

of teaching experience and is the former execu-tive director of the Birmingham Area TennisAssociation. He may be reached [email protected].

200902 Racquet Sports Industry

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