201106 Racquet Sports Industry

June 2011Volume 39 Number 6 $5.00www.racquetsportsindustry.com

SellingRacquetsSellingRacquets� Importance of swingweight� Tips for success

Finding the Right ShoesPrivate Court Winners

� Importance of swingweight� Tips for success

Finding the Right ShoesPrivate Court Winners

DEPARTMENTS

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INDUSTRY NEWS

7 Daglis gains USPTAprez nomination

8 Easter Egg Roll has 10Utennis, Obama visit

8 New stringer sitelaunched by GSS

8 Gasquet partnerswith Tourna Grip

9 Ferris PTM programcelebrates 25 years

9 Leadership Initiativehonors Judy Levering

9 Allen Fox releasesnew book

10 ASBA announces7 new CTCBs

12 USTA Serves announcesnew paver initiative

12 UCLA wins NationalCampus Championships

12 ‘Tennis Show 2011’planned for NYC Aug. 27

13 PTR to hostClub Conference

4 Our Serve

7 Industry News

17 TIA News

18 Retail Tip

20 Pioneers in Tennis: Howard Brody

22 Junior Programming

26 Kids’ Tennis

28 Racquet Customization

42 Tips & Techniques

44 Ask the Experts

46 String Playtest: Wilson Red Alert

48 Your Serve, by Mary Helen Sprecher

2 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY June 2011 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

ContentsContents30 Help Your Players Find

the Right ShoesTennis shoes are critical pieces of equip-ment. Here are some questions to askyour customers to ensure they find theright pair.

32 Weighty DecisionsPhysics expert Rod Cross says to besthelp your customers pick the rightframe, you need to consider swing-weight.

34 Selling RacquetsThese four shops find success with bothtried-and-true tips and innovative ideas.

38 RSI Champions ofTennis Honor RollWe honor 10 years of tennis heroes, andseek nominations for the 2011 awards.

40 Home Court AdvantageThe residential Facility-of-the-YearAward winners showcase creativity anddetailing.

FEATURES

Our Serve(Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry)

PublishersDavid Bone Jeff Williams

Editorial DirectorPeter Francesconi

Associate EditorGreg Raven

Design/Art DirectorKristine Thom

Contributing EditorsRobin BatemanCynthia CantrellJoe DinofferGreg MoranKent OswaldBob Patterson

Cynthia ShermanMary Helen Sprecher

RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRYCorporate Offices

330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084Phone: 760-536-1177 Fax: 760-536-1171

Email: [email protected]: www.racquetTECH.com

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Advertising DirectorJohn Hanna

770-650-1102, [email protected]

Apparel AdvertisingCynthia Sherman203-263-5243

[email protected]

Racquet Sports Industry is published 10 times per

year: monthly January through August and com-

bined issues in September/October and Novem-

ber/December by Tennis Industry and USRSA, 330

Main St., Vista, CA 92084. Application to Mail at

Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at Vista, CA and

additional mailing offices. June 2011, Volume 39,

Number 5 © 2011 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. All

rights reserved. Racquet Sports Industry, RSI and

logo are trademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A.

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www.racquetsportsindustry.com

A Season of Winners

4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY June 2011

These last few months, I’ve had the privilege ofworking with a small group of tennis industryprofessionals dedicated to helping move this

industry forward in a way that few would suspect, butwhich has a greater impact on this industry than any-one probably realizes.

Now, when you read “tennis industry professionals” in the previous sentence,

you probably were thinking of teaching pros, or some of the high-profile names

you frequently hear in this industry. But not everyone who contributes to this

industry does so with a racquet in their hand, or by signing a check, or by getting

big-money sponsors, or by creating tennis programs. The four industry pros I’m

referring to come from a line of others who have given their time—for free—to

write, edit and revise one of the key reference manuals in this industry, the “Ten-

nis Courts” book, which is the comprehensive construction and maintenance

manual published by the American Sports Builders Association and the USTA.

One colleague described the role of the volunteers who make the “Tennis

Courts” book happen as similar to what happens for a school play: The kids who

are acting and singing on stage may get all the attention, but it’s the ones mov-

ing props, painting scenery, doing the makeup, running lights and sound and

playing in the orchestra who make it all possible.

How important is this book? It’s been described as the “bible” for court

builders. For years, it’s been an invaluable reference manual for everyone

involved in tennis, whether they are builders, contractors, facility owners and

managers, park and rec professionals, school or college sports administrators,

teaching pros, tennis association members, architects or engineers. (If you don’t

have a copy, visit sportsbuilders.org.)

The behind-the-scenes experts who work on the tennis book are not alone in

this vein. There are thousands who volunteer their time and expertise to make

this industry and sport better—they quietly “fill in the gaps” in this industry with-

out seeking the limelight. In fact, for the last 10 years, we’ve honored some of

these mostly “unsung heroes” with RSI’s annual Champions of Tennis Awards

(see page 38 for our “honor roll,” and to nominate for the 2011 awards).

Many organizations—such as the ASBA, PTR, USPTA and USTA—are seeking

nominations for annual awards. For instance (and on a personal note as part of

the USTA’s National CTA Committee), it would be great to see dozens of nomina-

tions for the Eve Kraft Community Service Award—one of this industry’s most

prestigious—and for the CTA of the Year Award. (Go to “About USTA” on

usta.com for more on these and other awards.)

Nothing could be more satisfying than to overwhelm these organizations with

the nominations of dozens of unsung heroes who should receive recognition. If

these people can donate so much of their time to tennis, we can certainly give a

few minutes of ours to submit their names for recognition by their peers.

Peter FrancesconiEditorial DirectorP t F i

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

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June 2011 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 7www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Groppel, Loehr Resign From USPTA Board

The USPTA leadership meeting held the weekend of April 9in Houston brought unusual discord, following a tussle overthe slate of national officers that led to the resignations of

high-profile board members Jack Groppel and Jim Loehr and alawsuit being filed against the USPTA by the organization’s firstvice president.When the dust finally settled, however, the USPTA Nominat-

ing Committee put forth a slate proposing Tom Daglis as repeatpresident and Randy Mattingley as first vice president. The two-year term would start in September 2011 after the USPTA WorldConference. Under USPTA bylaws, once the Nominating Com-mittee names its choices for president and first vice president,the membership can’t make additional nominations for thosetwo offices.The quarrel over the nominees came when the Executive

Committee learned that the slate of nominees that had beenmade public earlier in the year (and printed in the USPTA’sADDvantage magazine and RSI’s April issue) naming Matting-ley as the next president and Groppel as first vice president wasnot, in fact, the Nominating Committee’s original slate.Once that became known, the Nominating Committee’s

original slate was presented to—and approved by—the Execu-tive Committee. This reinstated slate named current presidentDaglis as president for a second term, with Mattingley again asfirst v.p. Apparently it was the presentation of this second slate,and whether it complied with the bylaws of the organization,that prompted the resignations of Groppel and Loehr.After the April meeting, Mattingley filed for a temporary

restraining order and injunction against the USPTA, seeking toprevent the Executive Committee from rescinding the slate thatnamed him as the next president. However, at a hearing onApril 29, the Harris County District Court in Texas lifted therestraining order—allowing the “Daglis” slate of nominees tobe presented to the membership.On May 9, USPTA members received an email with the

Nominating Committee’s proposed “new slate of officers” forthe next term: President: Tom Daglis; First Vice President:Randy Mattingley; Vice Presidents: Mark Fairchilds, BunnyBruning, Chuck Gill, Bill Mountford, Jeff Hawes; Past President:Harry Gilbert. The USPTA’s email says this slate “replaces theslate published in the March issue of ADDvantage.”Additional nominations, except for the offices of president

and first vice president, may be made by the general USPTAmembership. To add a candidate to the ballot, he or she must

be nominated by at least 120 mem-bers. The deadline for submissionof signature forms for additionalcandidates has been extended toJune 19.At the April 9 meeting, after much discus-

sion in which at least 27 members spoke,according to documents filed with theHarris County District Court, the Execu-tive Committee voted 71 to 42 to reinstatethe slate headed by Daglis. An affidavit filedby USPTA general counsel Paul Waldman onApril 11 (and included in the USPTA’s responseto Mattingley’s lawsuit) says that at a meetingin January, the USPTA Board of Directorsessentially changed the original slate so thatMattingley, not Daglis, became the presiden-tial nominee.“The events of the January 8-9 board meeting

were a concern to me because it was the firstinstance in 36 years that a Board of Directors wascircumventing the bylaws and negating the Nom-inating Committee’s choice for president,” Wald-man wrote in the affidavit. Waldman wasinvolved in drafting the USPTA bylaws and hasbeen the organization’s general counsel since1974.Waldman’s affidavit further states, “The clear

intention of the USPTA bylaws was to establish anExecutive Committee with authority over everysignificant decision of the USPTA. … There can beno doubt in the minds of the Board of Directors that the boardis subservient to the Executive Committee.”The USPTA Executive Committee is composed of two offi-

cers from each of the USPTA’s 17 divisions, plus the eight-mem-ber national Board of Directors and the three past presidents.Votes of the Executive Committee are weighted by the numbersof USPTA members in each division.After the April vote reinstating the Daglis slate, the Executive

Committee then passed a resolution “that the national Boardnot reverse decisions made by the Executive Committee at thismeeting.” Waldman’s affidavit went on: “What occurred at theApril 8-9 Executive Committee meeting complied with the let-ter and spirit of the USPTA bylaws.”

—Peter Francesconi

Daglis Emerges as USPTA Presidential Nominee After Board Quarrel

Daglis

Groppel

Loehr

New Stringer Site Launched by GSS

Grand Slam Stringers recently launched the GSSAlliance website, www.gssalliance.com, which co-

founder Tim Strawn says is designedto “present technical data pertainingspecifically to tennis, and to focus onproduct reviews,” among other fea-tures.

The site, which is the result of acollaboration between Strawn andJohn Gugel, both Master RacquetTechnicians, also includes an inter-

national message board that can be translated intomore than 50 languages, along with an interactiveblogging format.“We’re excited about this new project,” Strawn

says. “We designed the site to be data rich, verymember-oriented, and one that presents new ideasand data in an entirely different way.” Visit the sitefor a free two-day trial.

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W.H. Easter Egg Roll Features10U Tennis, Obama Visit

The 133rd annual White House Easter Egg Roll tookplace on April 25 on the South Lawn with 30,000people attendingand lots of activi-ties and entertain-ment, including a10 and Under Ten-nis court that fea-tured a visit fromPresident BarackObama.The theme of

this year’s EasterEgg Roll was “Get Up and Go!” focusing on promotinghealth and wellness and encouraging children to leadhealthy and active lives. This is a central part of FirstLady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative, whichis a national effort to combat childhood obesity.The Easter Egg Roll is the largest annual public

event at the White House and tennis was one of thesports chosen to be showcased this year. Childrenreceived instruction on the 10 and Under Tennis courtfrom USTA tennis pros as well as tennis stars ChrisEvert, Katrina Adams, Mal Washington and ChandaRubin. The mascots from the Washington Kastles ofWorld TeamTennis also came by to lend a helpinghand.But the court’s biggest visit of the day came from

President Obama, who stepped onto the 36-footcourt to hit a few balls with some lucky children withhelp from Evert and Adams.

85th Public Parks Championships in Minnesota

The 85th Annual National Public Parks Tennis Championships will beJuly 28-Aug. 7 at the Baseline Tennis Center at the University of Min-nesota in Minneapolis. The event is open to all USTA members, with agedivisions ranging from the 10s (using the QuickStart Tennis play format)up to the 90s, with prize money to Open division champions.The schedule includes NTRP Division competition for men and

women in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. There is also Age Divi-sion competition and Wheelchair Tennis competition. In addition,there will be Family events (such as husband-wife, parent-child, etc.)and Adaptive Tennis events. For more information, visit nppta.org orbaselinetenniscenter.com.

Gasquet Partners with Tourna Grip

Unique Sports has announceda multi-year agreement with

world No. 16 ATP player RichardGasquet to endorse Tourna Grip.The Frenchman has used Tour-na Grip his entire career, andrecently fought his way backinto the Top 20 after an injury.Gasquet, who has a signature

style of wrapping the grip onlypart way up the handle for hisone-handed backhand, joins theTourna Grip team that includesthe Bryan Brothers, Sam Querry,David Ferrer, Victoria Azarenka,Vera Zvonareva and Juan CarlosFerrero. For more information,visit uniquesports.com.

Sharapova Debuts New Head FrameAt the Madrid WTA Mas-ters event in May, MariaSharapova premiered thenew Head YouTek IGInstinct racquet. The 2004Wimbledon championplayed a key on-court rolein the development of thenew Head Instinct Series,says the company. TheYouTek IG Instinct Serieswill include two newframes, both providingplayers with as Head callsit, “effortless power.” Theframes should be avail-able for consumers inAugust.

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Ferris PTM Program Celebrates 25 Years

The Professional Tennis Management program at Ferris State Universi-ty in Big Rapids, Mich.—the first four-year PTM program in the coun-

try—recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. To mark the milestone, thePTM program played host to presentations by an all-star slate

of speakers.On the program for the celebration weekend were

presentations by USPTA/PTR Master Pros JorgeCapestany and A.J. Pant, Jill Fonte of BusinessVisions Group, and Mike Woody, director of Mid-land (Mich.) Community Tennis Center. Ferris PTMprogram founder and current USTA ManagingDirector of Youth Tennis, Scott Schultz, discussedthe growth and current state of 10 and Under Ten-nis. The keynote speaker for the weekend was for-mer world No. 4 pro player Todd Martin.The event culminated with a banquet honoring

the “25 Years of Excellence” and a presentation of awards andscholarships to recognize the achievements of the top PTM studentperformers of the year. For more information about the Ferris PTM pro-gram, visit ferris.edu/ptm.

Allen Fox Releases New Book

Dr. Allen Fox’s newest book, “Tennis: Win-ning the Mental Match,” is now available.

The book tackles issues faced by players atall levels, and Fox’s solutions are logical andstraightforward, and have been tested oncourt.Chapters deal with the emotional issues

of competition and using emotion to helpyou win, reducing stress, causes of choking,gaining confidence, game plans, maintaining mental effectivenessduring a match, the role of parents, and the psychology of doubles.Fox currently consults with tennis players on mental issues, appearson the Tennis Channel and writes for Tennis Magazine. Visit his web-site, allenfoxtennis.net, for more, and to order his latest book.

Ashaway Debuts Dynamite 17 Soft String

Ashaway has introduced its new Dynamite 17 Soft, which it saysis in response to increased market demand for tennis strings

that are easier on the arm and yet delivermore power. The string uses a new Zyex mul-tifilament fiber core technology that thecompany says provides the increased powerand tension-holding characteristics of theoriginal Dynamite strings, but also provides asofter feel for enhanced ball control.The string comes in a bright fluorescent

green color, in 40-foot sets and 360-footreels. Because of the tension-holding properties of Zyex, Ashawayrecommends stringing at approximately 10 to 15 percent lowerthan normal tension, up to a maximum of 60 pounds. For infor-mation, visit ashawayusa.com.

Tennis Warehouse EuropeFulfills French Open Product

Tennis Warehouse Europe, the European division of Ten-nis Warehouse, will process all online orders for theRoland-Garros store for the 2011 French Open.“We are very excited that the French Tennis Federa-

tion selected Tennis Warehouse Europe to handle the ful-fillment of the exclusive Roland-Garros products forspring 2011,” says Rick Kerpsack, managing director ofTennis Warehouse Europe. Select items from the line willalso be available for purchase from Tennis Warehouse.

USTA Serves LeadershipInitiative Honors Judy Levering

USTA Serves, the national charitable foundation ofthe USTA, has created the Judy Levering Leadership

Initiative to honor Levering, who was the first womanpresident of the USTA, and her work to accelerate thegrowth, expand the network, and improve the qualityof grassroots tennis and education organizations thatare dedicated to building and bettering the lives ofthose most in need.Money raised through the initiative will be used for

the collection and tabulation of best practices ofalready successful tennis and education organizations.To donate online, visit www.ustaserves.com, click on“Donate Now” and specify in honor of “Judy LeveringLeadership Initiative.”

U.S. Bounced Out ofFed Cup World Group

For the first time since the Fed Cup World Group for-mat was instituted in 1995, the U.S. team has beenbounced out of the top group and relegated to “WorldGroup II” competition for 2012. The tumble for Cap-tain Mary Joe Fernandez’s squad came at the hands ofGermany, which routed the U.S., 5-0, in a World GroupPlayoff on clay in Stuttgart in mid-April. This meansthe U.S. is ineligible to compete for the Fed Cup title in2012 and must battle through the second tier to reachthe top World Group for the 2013 competition.Christina McHale and Melanie Oudin lost their sin-

gles matches to Germany’s Andrea Petkovic and JuliaGoerges. The U.S. doubles team of Liezel Huber-VaniaKing lost to Anna-Lena Goenfeld-Sabine Lisicki to com-plete the German sweep. "It's tough to be out of theWorld Group for the first time, but we just came upagainst a better team," Fernandez said. "We did thebest we could."In the World Group semifinals, also played in mid-

April, the Czech Republic defeated Belgium, 3-2, andRussia swept defending champ Italy, 5-0. Russia willhost the Czech Republic in the final, Nov. 5-6.

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• Dunlop has signed 23-year-oldAmerican player Tim Smyczek. Recent-ly Smyczek, playing with a Biomimetic300 Tour, won the USTA’s FrenchOpen Wild Card Playoff.

• Gamma Sports has hired Jeff Frenchas Regional Sales Manager for theMidwest and North Central territorieswith a focus on tennis specialtyaccounts. French comes to Gammafrom Wilson Sporting Goods, wherehe worked with tennis specialty cus-tomers. He can be reached [email protected].

• Team Head Penn collegiate racquet-ball players had excellent results inApril at the National IntercollegiateRacquetball Championships held atArizona State University. Taylor Knoth(playing with a YouTek Royal Flush), asophomore at Oregon State, won themen’s singles. Sharon Jackson (YouTekBlackJack) of University of Alabamaplaced second in women’s singles.

• Michael Augustine is the newworldwide director of apparel for K-Swiss, overseeing design, developmentand merchandising for all inline per-formance apparel, global specialmake-up product, and co-branded col-lections.

• Harlan Stone will continue with theUSTA through 2014, but in a new rolefocusing on television and corporatesponsorships. He will remain theUSTA’s chief business officer, reportingto Executive Director Gordon Smith,but after the 2011 US Open, he willgive up the marketing and communi-cations roles he’s had. Outside of theUSTA, Stone also is a partner in SJXPartners, a private sports marketingagency.

• New Balance President and CEORob DeMartini has been named thecountry's Most Playful CEO in anationwide search for inventive leaderswho incorporate play and innovationinto the work environment to encour-age collaboration and teamwork. The

award is sponsored by Playworks, anational nonprofit organization thatsupports learning and a positiveschool climate by providing healthy,inclusive play and physical activity.

• Three International Tennis Hall-of-Famers from Spain, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Andres Gimeno and ManoloSantana, received Hall of Fame com-memorative rings in a ceremony at theBarcelona Open in April.

• World No. 2 Novak Djokovic joinedthe "Champions for Peace" club inApril. Created by “Peace and Sport,l’Organisation pour la Paix par leSport” based in Monaco, the Champi-ons for Peace club has 55 championswho wish to actively contribute to aculture of peace in the world by pro-moting sport and its values.

• USTA Florida immediate-past Presi-dent Donn Davis has been namedpresident of the USTA Florida SectionFoundation, the charitable arm of thesection. He succeeds Jean Mills, whoserved as Foundation president sinceits inception in 2004.

• The newest inductees into the USTAEastern Tennis Hall of Fame are: Dr.Brian Hainline, Chief Medical Officerof the USTA; Robert L. Litwin, a seniornational and world champion; MelissaBrown, a 1984 French Open singlesquarterfinalist and winner of the Wim-bledon Ladies' Plate; and Al Picker, theveteran tennis columnist of TheNewark Star Ledger.

• Tony Larson of Alexandria, Minn.,won the USPTA’s Indoor Champi-onships singles title in April in Fridley,Minn., then teamed with Roy Bryan ofMinneapolis to win the doubles title.

• RSI Contributing Editor Mary HelenSprecher recently won two second-place awards in the MarylandDelaware D.C. Press Association annu-al editorial contest for reporting.Sprecher is a reporter for the BaltimoreGuide newspaper.

P E O P L E W AT C H

USTA Teams With FirstLady’s ‘Joining Forces’

The USTA is supporting “Joining Forces,” aneffort led by First Lady Michelle Obama andDr. Jill Biden to mobilize all sectors of societyto give U.S. service members and their fami-lies the opportunities and supportthey have earned. A national ini-tiative, it will highlight issues thatare of special importance to mili-tary families, including employ-ment, education and wellness.The USTA will introduce 4,000 National

Guard and Reserve members and families totennis through festivals at Yellow Ribbon pre-deployment events to help reduce stress andencourage social interaction within the servicemembers’ local communities. The USTA alsowill work with the Department of VeteransAffairs and local VA hospitals to expand tennisprograms.Additionally, USTA Tennis on Campus will

work with Joining Forces to create awarenessby welcoming back and engaging student vet-erans and help support those veterans transi-tion to civilian life. Initial plans call for 50colleges and universities to take part in thisprogram by the end of 2011. The USTA willwork with Student Veterans of America toimplement these programs.

ASBA Announces 7 New CTCBs

Seven tennis facility and court builders from theU.S. and Canada recently completed the require-

ments to receive the Certified Tennis Court Builderdesignation from the American Sports BuildersAssociation.� Albert Giamei Jr. of Copeland Coating Co., Nas-sau, NY

� Dale Hendrickson of TDSports Inc., Simi Valley, CA

� Michael Kingsbury ofFowler Construction,Ontario, Canada

� Carlos Navas of Sport Court Midwest,Bensenville, IL

� JR Rockenfield of McConnell & AssociatesCorp., Kansas City, MO

� Pete Smith of The CourtSmiths, Toledo, OH� Pat Walker of Sport Court Midwest, Bensenville,ILFor the complete list of CTCB’s nationwide, and

to find out more about builder certification, visitsportsbuilders.org.


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MEMBER CLASSIFIEDSWANTED. Babolat Star 4. Call Jim @(561) 393-7978

USTA Names Recipients of Annual Awards

Honored recently at the USTA Annual Meeting were:

� Barbara Williams Leadership Award: Lucy Garvin of Greenville, SC� Brad Parks Award: Jim and Annette Buck of Woodland Hills, CA� USTA NJTL Founders’ Service Award: Barbara Wynne, Indianapolis, IN� Ralph W. Westcott USTA Family of the Year Award: the Illges Family,Columbus, GA

� Seniors’ Service Award: Carolyn Nichols, Rancho Santa Fe, CA

USTA Serves Announces ‘Neighborhood’Paver Initiative for Avenue of Aces

USTA Serves, the USTA’s national charitable foundation, islaunching a new “Neighborhood” initiative for its donor-sup-

ported Avenue of Aces, located on the grounds of the USTA BillieJean King National Tennis Center.Past US Open Champions Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl

and John McEnroe will join tennis legend Billie Jean King in lending theirnames to this charitable initiative. The concept will allow fans to order theirown personalized pavers to be placed in the Avenue of Aces next to those oftheir favorite champion by donating to USTA Serves.Since its inception in 2005, the Avenue of Aces initiative has raised more

than $1.4 million to help USTA Serves support programs. To date, USTAServes has awarded more than $13 million in grants and scholarships topeople and programs throughout the country in order to provide the under-served youth with greater opportunities to realize success. Those wishing toorder a paver in the neighborhood of their favorite champion can visitustaserves.com or call (914) 696-7223.

Congratulations To the FollowingFor Achieving MRT Status

New MRTsMarcell Rengifo Copiague, NYSamuel Jones Georgetown, TXPeter Angulo San Luis Obispo, CAChristopher Simmons San Luis Obispo, CANicholas Simmons San Luis Obispo, CAJenn Thomas San Luis Obispo, CASueEng Tiang Temple City, CARichard Chen San Gabriel, CA

New CSsDarren Sidney Colorado Springs, CONathan Frank Ardmore, PA

UCLA Wins National Campus Championship

The team from UCLA won the 2011 USTA National Campus Championship title,defeating a team from the University of Florida, 30-19, in the final. The event

took place April 7-9 in Cary, N.C., with 64 teams from across the country par-ticipating in the 12th annual championship, presented by the USTA, NationalIntramural-Recreation Sports Association, Intercollegiate Tennis Association andWorld TeamTennis.The USTA’s Tennis On Campus program involves more than 500 colleges

and universities and over 30,000 student participants, who form teams to playintramural and club tennis. Visit tennisoncampus.com for more information.

‘Tennis Show 2011’ Planned for NYC Aug. 27

Plans are in the works for “The Tennis Show 2011,” a collaborative cele-bration of tennis featuring informative and educational meetings and

presentations—all on Saturday, Aug. 27, in New York City, prior to the startof the US Open.Presented by both the TIA and USTA, The Tennis Show 2011 will be held

at the Grand Hyatt in the afternoon and evening. It will include a TennisTrade Show, the TIA Tennis Forum, and the Tennis Industry Hall of FameAward Ceremony, then will lead directly into the Opening Session of theUSTA Tennis Teachers Conference. Further details will be announced soon,or visit The Tennis Show page on Facebook.

Forest Hills Stadium Doesn’tGet Landmark Status

The effort to save the historic tennis stadium atForest Hills was dealt a blow in May when the

New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Com-mission decided not to consider the venue forlandmark status. The commission said the"deteriorated state of the building's architectur-al features" contributed to the decision.However, supporters of preserving the sta-

dium can apply again to the commission, aspokesman said. And even without landmarkdesignation by the city, the property may notbe redeveloped, since changes of this magni-tude need to be approved by the Forest HillsGardens Corp., which runs the private neigh-borhood and enforces strict guidelines.The US Open moved from Forest Hills to

Flushing Meadows in the late 1970s and theForest Hills stadium fell into disrepair. It’s esti-mated that it would cost more than $15 mil-lion to restore the stadium, money that theWest Side Tennis Club says it doesn’t want tospend.

June 2011 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 13



PTR to Host ClubConference in October

The PTR will host its third Tennis ClubOwners and Facility Managers Confer-ence, Oct. 5-7, at Crowne Plaza Resorton Hilton Head Island, S.C. The eventhas been designed for tennis club own-ers, managers, directors of tennis andthose who aspire to expand their tennisbusiness acumen.

Presentations and break-out sessions will includetopics such as CustomerService, Programming to

Fill Courts, Pro Compensation for Maxi-mizing Productivity, Marketing YourClub & Programs, Grants for 36’ and 60’Courts, Going Green, Evaluating YourStaff, Federal Labor Laws and Your Pros,Court and Facility Maintenance, Creat-ing/Improving Your Website and SocialNetworking, and more.Club consultant Doug Cash will be the

conference facilitator. Others providingtheir expertise to the program includeUSTA’s Kurt Kamperman, TIA ExecutiveDirector Jolyn De Boer, Ed Montecalvo ofLee Tennis, DecoTurf’s Tom Magner andformer pro player Tim Wilkison, knownas “Dr. Dirt,” the owner of Salisbury Ten-nis Academy.The program starts at 10 a.m. on

Wednesday, October 5, and runsthrough 5 p.m. on Oct. 7. The cost, $395before August 1, $445 after August 1,includes all workshops, Cardio Tennisworkouts and vendor exhibits. Addition-al attendees from the same club are$349 each. For info or to register contact800-421-6289 or visit www.ptrtennis.org.

Waters Movesto USTA National

Jeff Waters, the executive director of theUSTA New England section, is movingto the USTA national office as the manag-ing director of Adult Tennis. Waters willoversee the Competitive Tennis Depart-ment, which includes USTA Leagues, FlexLeagues, Adult/Senior Competition, Wheel-chair Tennis, Senior International andTechnical departments. He’ll also haveoversight over Network Services whichincludes USTA meetings and conferences.


> IMG Media is replacing Lagardère asthe USTA’s US Open TV rights negotia-tions representative and TV consultantin Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia(excluding Japan) and the Middle East.The appointment covers the four-yearperiod from 2013 to 2016.

> A special exhibit opening in June atthe International Tennis Hall of Fameand Museum in Newport, R.I., will cele-brate the 25th anniversary of ArthurAshe’s induction into the Hall of Fame.There will also be a tribute and ceremo-ny to the tennis great during the Hall ofFame weekend in July.

> Sales of Oakley sunglasses and otheroptical products grew by 11 percent infirst quarter, according to earningsinformation released by its Italian parentLuxottica Group S.p.A.

> TicketCity of Austin was named theofficial secondary ticket provider of theDavis Cup quarterfinal between theU.S. and Spain, to be held at The FrankErwin Center on the University of Texascampus in Austin, July 8-10.

> The World TeamTennis Rec Leaguevisits two Pro League cities in July, witha Qualifier set for July 15-17 at the BassRiver Tennis Club in Beverly, Mass., andone at the Plaza Tennis Center in KansasCity, Mo., July 22-24. Events are alsoscheduled for Raleigh, N.C. (Aug. 19-21); Irvine, Calif. (Sept. 23-25); and Lan-disville, Pa. (Sept. 30-Oct. 2). Divisionchampions from each event qualify forthe WTT Finals, Nov. 4-6, at the IndianWells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells,

S H O R T S E T SCalif. Visit WTT.com/recleagues.

> Tennis Warehouse and the Women’sTennis Association (WTA) have renewedtheir longstanding partnership through2012, marking the 10th year of collabo-ration. Under terms of the deal, TennisWarehouse will remain an official part-ner of the WTA website.

> The U.S. Junior Fed Cup (16-and-under) team and both the boys’ andgirls’ World Junior Tennis teams (14-and-under) won the North/CentralAmerica & Caribbean Regional Champi-onships in early May to qualify for the2011 World Finals. The World JuniorTennis Finals will be Aug. 1-6 in Proste-jov, Czech Republic; the Junior Davis andFed Cup finals will be Sept. 27-Oct. 2 inSan Luis Potosi, Mexico.

> The USPTA and its “Tennis – for thehealth of it!” initiative, along with theHealthy Weight Commitment Founda-tion, is on board for Together Counts, anationwide program to inspire activeand healthy living. The idea is to getfamilies and community members totake a simple pledge: Eat at least onemeal and do at least one activity togeth-er every week.

> The Orange Bowl International TennisChampionships junior event will beplayed on clay for the first time since1998. The event, scheduled for Dec. 5-11, moves to the Frank Veltri TennisCenter in Plantation, Fla., after spendingthe last 13 years at the Crandon ParkTennis Center in Key Biscayne, Fla.

> USTA Atlanta announced the inau-

USTA Offers Free Membershipfor 10 and Under Kids

The USTA is offering tennis providers a chance to getmore kids on court, and playing 10 and Under Tennis,by giving free one-year USTA memberships to kids under

age 10. The offer ends Dec. 31 and is for newmembers only.To take advantage of this offer, tennis

providers should have parents visitusta.com/membership and use code

JOIN2PLAY to become a member. For moreinformation, visit 10andundertennis.com.

J U N E 2 0 1 1IN

DUSTRYNEW

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gural “Serving Winners – A Celebrationof Women in Tennis Awards” luncheonwill be July 15 in Midtown Atlanta. Theevent will help raise funds and awarenessfor the Atlanta Youth Tennis Foundation(501c3). Atlanta’s WSB TV news anchorand USTA volunteer Monica Pearson willbe honored, as will Karin Korb, U.S. Para-lympic athlete; Amy Bryant, Emory Uni-versity women’s tennis head coach; andGloria Wallace, USTA volunteer.

> Asics Corp. has launched “A BrightTomorrow Through Sport,” a supportprogram for young survivors of the Japanearthquake who lost their parents in thedisaster. The program is for children up to18 who have been orphaned as a resultof the natural disaster. Asics will providethose eligible with sporting goods, main-ly sportswear and shoes.

> The U.S. quad wheelchair tennis teamof Nick Taylor, 31, of Wichita, Kan., DavidWagner, 37, of Hillsboro, Ore., and BryanBarten, 37, of Tucson, Ariz., defeatedIsrael 2-1 in the final to win the 2011World Team Cup title on May 1. It wasthe second consecutive year the U.S.quad team defeated Israel in the final,and also the team’s seventh World TeamCup crown. The U.S. women’s quad teamfinished in eight place. The competitionwas held in Pretoria, South Africa.

> On May 15, the Lifestyle Family Fitnesschain of clubs in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest kicked off its fourthannual “Teen Initiative” by opening itsdoors to all youngsters ages 12 to 17 forfree.

Esurance Expands US Open Deal

Esurance, the direct-to-consumer car insurance provider, hasextended and expanded its spon-

sorship of the US Open. The compa-ny came on board as an Opensponsor in 2010 and will continue through the 2012 event. Itsexpanded deal will include a focus on the US Open’s Green Initiative.One component of the Green Initiative is to encourage attendees

to take mass transit. Esurance will distribute New York City SubwayMetroCards at select times during the two-week tournament.Esurance will also have branding exposure on USTA shuttles andselect on-site maps, and is sponsoring a bag-check station during theevent for the convenience of fans.


InTennis.com Introduces‘The Tennis Network’

Tennis players and fans looking for a“complete” online network should

check out InTennis—The Tennis Network,located at www.InTennis.com. The freenetwork offers tennis news, products, serv-ices and local community court connec-tions.“The Network delivers personal inter-

views, feature stories and tennis tips fromtop tennis professionals,” says founderBob Gore. “With so many sources of infor-mation and services available to tennisplayers, The Tennis Network serves as asingle point of entry.”Gore says The Tennis Network provides

social networking platforms to share yourtennis success, videos, blogs and forums.Players also can perfect tennis strokes andstrategy, including receiving digital post-cards on key items to remember duringtheir next match.The cornerstone of the new site is the

Video Tennis Magazine delivering newvideo features daily, 365 days a year.


Top-Selling Tennis Stringsat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date units,January-March 20111. Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex2.Wilson NXT3. Babolat RPM Blast4.Wilson Sensation5. Prince Lightning XX

Top-Selling Racquetsat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars,January-March 2011Best-Sellers1. Babolat Aero Pro Drive GT (MP)2. Babolat Pure Drive GT (MP)3. Babolat Aero Pro Drive+ GT (MP)4.Wilson BLX Six.One 95 16 x 18 (MS)5. Head YouTek Radical (MP)

“Hot New Racquets”(Introduced in the past 12 months)1.Wilson BLX Blade (MP)2. Prince EXO3 Red (2011) (OS)3.Wilson BLX Ciezro Two (OS)4. Prince EXO3 Blue (2011) (OS)5. Prince EXO3 Tour 16 x 19 (MP)

Tennis Racquet PerformanceSpecialty Stores,January-March, 2011 vs. 2010Units 2011 121,679

2010 126,090% change v. ’10 -3%

Dollars 2011 17,473,0002010 17,700,000% change v. ’10 -1%

Price 2011 $143.602010 $140.38% change v. ’10 2%

Top-Selling Tennis Shoesat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars,January-March 20111. Prince T222. Adidas Barricade 6.03. Nike Air Breathe 2K104. Nike Air Breathe Free 25. K-Swiss Big Shot

(Source: TIA/Sports Marketing Surveys)


Retailing 101


This is the first in aseries of retail tips pre-sented by the TennisIndustry Association

and written by the Gluskin TownleyGroup (www.gluskintownleygroup.com).

Social media is an opportunity: Itgenerates buzz and excitement for storesand products. Customers share their experi-ences—good or bad. More than 500 millionindividuals use Facebook, every minutemore than 35 hours of video are uploadedon YouTube, and Twitter now sends morethan 1 billion tweets per week. Socialmedia platforms are not simply diver-sions—it’s where your current and poten-tial customers interact and engage withothers. You and your store need to bethere, too. Many of the platforms have fea-tures that allow you to integrate themseamlessly with your own website.

Don't forget smartphones: Moreand more browsing and shopping is donevia apps. Don’t make things difficult fortech-savvy consumers—make sure yourwebsite has a version for smartphones.According to a Google smartphone study,95% of users have looked for local infor-mation via their smartphone.

Coming Up: How POS systems canhelp your business. �

walls and displays play up the newestproducts and features, and are coordinat-ed with what you feature on your website.

Sell the fact that you offer bet-ter, faster service to your cus-tomers: Stringing racquets is an obviousexample—you can do it in one day or less.Customers can try on clothes and shoesand know instantly what fits and looksgood. Same for demoing racquets. Play upthe service angle to your customers.

Your store website IS yourbrand&keep it up to date anddynamic: Using the internet effectivelyisn’t all about selling product online: Con-sumers find information online—they maystill like to buy in person, but they go towebsites to get information: products, ser-vices, hours, location, directions andmore. Today, surveys indicate that morethan half of all consumers research prod-ucts online before going to a store to pur-chase them. Make sure your website iseasily searchable for consumers.

Use email for your marketing:TIA research shows that for all tennisretailers, the preferred marketing tech-nique is email—which easily is comple-mented by other methods, such asnewsletters, fliers and advertisements inlocal media.

ennis specialty retailers and proshops are no different than othersmall to mid-size retailers—all

have been affected by the intense com-petition in today’s marketplace. But someof the most successful tennis retailerstoday have been able to utilize a retailstrategy that integrates their store’s mer-chandising and marketing with their web-site and use of social media.

One thing is certain: The internet,social media and online retailing are notgoing away, and their importance toAmerican consumers will increase. Butmake no mistake: Having an effectiveonline strategy doesn’t need to be aboutselling products online.

How do tennis specialty retailers com-pete in today’s business environment?Here are some ideas that can help yourtennis business:

Educate your customers: Whensomeone comes into your store to buy,it’s an opportunity for you and your staffto make sure they know all about theproducts and services you offer, includingnew technologies that make their gamebetter and more enjoyable. Take advan-tage of all the opportunities you havefrom manufacturers and their sales repsto know more about the products yousell. Also, you have the opportunity toinfluence how much tennis people play—tell them about the 10 and Under Tennisinitiative for their kids, direct them toteaching pros for lessons, clinics and pro-grams, and let them know about facilitiesin the area offering social and competi-tive programs.

In-store merchandising is criti-cal: Consumers like to see new prod-ucts, changing displays, the feeling thatthe products they’re looking at are thelatest on the market. Make sure your

T

Check out the tools provided by Ten-nisConnect (TennisConnect.com), theTIA’s cost-effective, premier softwaretool for tennis providers. If you don’thave a website, TennisConnect canhelp you develop one. If you do havea site, TennisConnect Components canenhance all aspects of what you deliv-er to consumers, and will keep yourconsumers engaged with your store.

Tennis Specialty RetailTips: Competing inToday’s Marketplace


Pioneers In Tennis


"Pioneers in Tennis," an occasional column in RSI, draws attention to trailblazers in the sport. Have someone to suggest?E-mail [email protected].

Howard Brody,Tennis’s Chief Scientist

Since then, Brody has written twobooks, contributed to numerous others,authored more than 100 articles on thesubject of ball and racquet interactions,spoken at meetings of everyone fromphysicists to players, and made trainingvideos. He is regarded as the foremostscientist of tennis, having been scienceadvisor to the USPTA and technical advi-sor to the U.S. Racquet Stringers Associa-tion, and having served as a member ofthe USTA’s Sports Science and Technicalcommittees, the ITF Technical Commis-sion, and more.

But ask him what the highlight of hiscareer has been, and he'll say it was tak-ing over as coach of Penn's tennis teamwhen the regular coach quit. He callsthat experience "my dream come true."

"Howard is a gem," says Dan Santo-rum, executive director of the PTR,where Brody has spoken at meetings."He just loves tennis, the sport and thescience. He can take a subject that isabove everyone's head and bring itdown to a point where a layperson canunderstand it and take it back to theirstudents on the court. He's the professoryou can relate to."

Brody's interest in the sport remainsstrong, but the years are catching up.Parkinson's has slowed him down, andhe has lost the sight in one eye, endinghis tennis playing. He talks about mov-ing to a retirement home, and he sayshis memory is not what it used to be.But the scientist inside him is as curiousas ever.

"I've never thought about a differentsport," he says. "You know, I've writtena couple papers on baseball bats. Thatmight be the one. Yep, I think I mightspend time on baseball bats. Or maybepool and billiards. All those angles. Allthose collisions. Now that's interesting."

—Mary Helen Sprecher �

"Everyone said, 'Oh, this has a biggersweetspot,' but they didn't know any-thing about the racquet or why thatmade it better."

Brody did some tests on the racquetand wrote a paper about it, which waspublished in The New York Times. Sud-denly, says Brody, "I had a little reputa-tion as a scientist. I was inundated withvarious things." Head and Brody eventu-ally met, played tennis, and discoveredthey were kindred spirits. "I always saidhe was a scientist wannabe," laughsBrody.

Brody went from studying particlephysics to the science of tennis. Still, itwas a struggle to be taken seriously by asport that had for so long paid attentionto the action on-court, but not thephysics of what made things happen outthere. "When I first wrote an outline fora book, nobody was interested," saysBrody. "Except for one person, DennisVan der Meer. He said he would be will-ing to take the book and make it a train-ing manual. We shook hands, he gaveme a check, and it just worked."

he tennis boom of the 1970swas more than three decadesaway when a kid named

Howard Brody was sitting outside apark tennis court, watching his parentshit. And it would be at least anothertwo decades before young Howardbegan making his mark on the sport.But not as a player.

“I played in a few junior tourna-ments, and really, I didn't do well,"Brody recalls. "I played on the highschool tennis team for one year, andthe coach gave up."

But giving up wasn't in Brody's lexi-con, and tennis wasn't his chosencareer; physics was. He went on to MIT(and played on the team there all fouryears), then got his M.S. and his Ph.D.at CalTech. He became a professor ofphysics at the University of Pennsylva-nia in 1959, and stayed until his retire-ment 50 years later. (He is still listed asprofessor emeritus on Penn's website.)

It was what he did in the interim,however, that made tennis sit up andtake note: the idea that the study ofphysics could help us understand andadvance the game. That idea turnedHoward Brody into one of the sport'sleading voices. His scientific insights ontennis, and particularly racquet/ballinteractions, are renowned amongphysicists, tennis pros and players.

And oddly enough, he made his firstdiscovery not in a lab but on a familyvacation in Florida. "I went down tothe courts and a guy was playing withan oversized racquet. I went out andbought one of my own, took down thepatent numbers and wrote to thepatent office to find out about it."

The owner of the patent was oneHoward Head. Brody wrote to Head.He also asked some tennis pros aboutthe properties of the new racquet.

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Programming

ennis teaching pros face a com-petitive environment—not justfrom other pros, but also from

soccer, swimming, martial arts, videogames, movies and other activities.Two innovative Los Angeles-area ten-nis pros have discovered a series ofdrills, thrills and unique skills that keepyoungsters active, interested andengaged.

Erik Kortland of the Riviera Coun-try Club in Brentwood teaches mostlyin the private sector, while FabrizioCoviello of Coto de Caza Golf & Rac-quet Club in Orange County instructson private and public courts. Both

Build Your Junior Tennis Business

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Juniors Program graduates them fromQuickStart to clinics to private lessonsand eventually, tournaments inside theclub and around the city, state and forsome, the nation. Those with extremelyhigh ability graduate to the “High Perfor-mance” program. Many of these young-sters receive scholarships from theRiviera or tennis industry.

Serious students play national orinternational tournaments or play on tourand train with Kortland every day. Someare home-schooled or done with schooland work out two to three times a day,including a morning session, a condition-ing session and then match play in theafternoon.

“The High Performance kids serve asleaders and mentors to drive our youngerkids to work hard to someday be in thatprogram,” Kortland says. “It also sets thestandards for our kids to work up to eachlevel of our programs, and this elite pro-gram also drives kids from other clinicsto come to ours.” There are a total of 120youngsters in Kortland’s program at theRiviera.

Kortland, who played major collegetennis at Loyola Marymount and compet-ed on the Satellite circuit, serves as a rolemodel for students wishing to perform atthe next level.

Creating FunClasses on CourtFabrizio Coviello, director of the juniorprogram at Coto de Caza Golf & RacquetClub, also teaches at public courts inWest Los Angeles. His best sales methodis the class itself. In some ways, hismodel echoes Chuck Norris, who revolu-tionized karate classes in the 1970s byteaching in crowded malls with largewindows so onlookers could watch. Theircuriosity turned into clients, and a revolu-tion was born.

“The focus is to create fun classeswith a teaching structure,” Coviello says.“By fun I mean drills, running to the ball,

B Y R O B E R T W Y N N E

developed winning game plans thatcould serve as blueprints for other proswishing to grow their teaching businesswith long-term clients. These pros stressdiscipline, structure and focus.

Coviello and Kortland know thatlessons begin on the court, but outsidecommunications are key for buildingclientele. Both augment their lessonswith emails, phone calls and text mes-sages filled with diet plans, workout rou-tines, lesson plans, hitting instructionsand sometimes, just plain encourage-ment.

With their success and willingness toinnovate, Kortland and Coviello provethat structure and innovation, along withlistening to clients and making classesfun, ensure that tennis keeps growingand keeps kids off the couch and on thecourts.

More Kids On CourtAt the Riviera, Kortland works with stu-dents from toddlers up to the collegelevel. The Pee Wee program for kidsages 3 to 6 features the QuickStart Ten-nis play format (10andundertennis.com)with shorter courts, lower nets, shorterracquets and low compression or foamballs.

“I’ve been successful with buildingthe junior tennis program by first start-ing with building our Pee Wees pro-gram,” Kortland says. “Because thecourts are smaller, we are able to fit foursmaller courts on one big court. Thisallows us to get 12 kids on one court.We have a total of 60 Pee Wees in ourafterschool program on only five courts,so it opens up other courts for our otherprograms.”

By starting young, Kortland hopes tobuild a base of longer term clients. “Ifthese 60 kids are happy, they will con-tinue with us until they grow up and gooff to college. That’s around 10 to 12years of steady clients.”

As the children age, the Riviera

challenging feeds, friendly competitiveenvironment. With structure, a pro hasto be obsessed by teaching the bestpossible form depending on the studentathleticism.”

A stickler for appearance and style,Coviello ensures all players and equip-ment are where they need to be. “Keep-ing the court clean and organized isanother big factor to promote tennisclasses,” he says. “Especially in publicfacilities, people are attracted to watcha tennis class when the court is orga-nized, when the energy is high and pos-itive and when the workout looks fun.That is all up to the pro and his tennisdirector in order to establish that kindof environment.”

While Chuck Norris sported a bushymoustache, Coviello keeps a lean, cleanlook for himself and for the courts. Theresult is a fast-paced class with energy,enthusiasm and (seemingly) effortlesslearning.

“Most of my clients come from watch-ing my classes and word of mouth,”Coviello says. “These factors made a big-ger impact on my clientele than advertis-ing over the internet or sending fliersthrough the mail. Keeping the energyhigh, teaching the right form to juniorsand adults, and making it fun are thechallenges to create a successful tennisclass. It'll create such a good impressionthat even good players will join the work-outs.” Several players from the UCLA

men’s team and a few professionals tour-ing in Southern California have droppedby Coviello’s classes in Westwood andother facilities in Los Angeles. �

Robert Wynne is a writer, publicist andavid player who lives in Redondo Beach,Calif. He can be reached [email protected] orwww.wynnepr.com.


Erik Kortland (below) and FrabrizioCoviello (inset)


Kids Tennis

ith the promotion of 10 andUnder Tennis under way inthe U.S., temporary 36- and

60-foot courts have been springing up insurprising places: on the South Lawn ofthe White House, on top of Cincinnati’stallest building, in parking lots, malls andfields across the country. Who’s makingthese courts?Since 2008, Sport Court International

has been the official modular court sur-face of the USTA, and since last year, thecompany has been the USTA’s officialmodular surface of 10 and Under Ten-nis.“The USTA chose Sport Court to pro-

vide a safe surface for kids to play on,”says Lee Sponaugle, the company’sdirector of corporate accounts.“We produce and carefullyengineer a patented modularcourt surface that reducesstress and shock on youngknees and joints. That’s whyour PowerGame surface istagged as ‘the safest court inthe world.’”Sponaugle says his compa-

ny partnered with The Ortho-pedic Specialty Hospital(TOSH) to determine the affectof different playing surfaces onthe body and found that therewas significantly less shock onthe body when landing fromjumps on a Sport Court PowerGame sur-face compared to a concrete-like surface,yet it was just as stable as a harder sur-face. “PowerGame was found to signifi-cantly reduce the amount of shock to thebody of young adults,” says Steve Swan-son, the director of the TOSH Biomechan-ics Lab in Salt Lake City.PowerGame can be installed perma-

nently over existing surfaces or it can be

Bringing Courts to 10 And Under Tennis

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Virgil Christian, director of community ten-nis development for the USTA. “We needfacilities for kids to play on. These promo-tional courts are great for kids to learn thegame of 10 and Under Tennis.”Patrick McEnroe, the USTA’s general

manager of Player Development, adds, “Ilove this surface, running around on it withthe kids. It has great footing and the greatthing is, the kids love it.”Sponaugle says that as the 10 and

Under Tennis initiative continues to gainmomentum across the U.S., the USTA hasplans to use more modular courts for kids.“Sport Courts will work closely with theUSTA’s ‘SmashZone’ tour planned for thissummer,” he adds. The SmashZone tourwill visit 40 to 50 locations around the

country, including tennis tour-naments, festivals and otherevents, traveling with two 60-foot and two 36-foot SportCourts to promote 10 andUnder Tennis.SportCourt also is offering

the “CenterCourt” package thatincludes three PowerGame ten-nis courts (one 60-foot and two36-foot) that are tournament-ready for 10-and-under sanc-tioned play. The portablemodular surfaces can be put onany hard, flat playing area, andthe tiles come with a 15-yearlimited warranty. Sponaugle

says the life cycle cost of a Sport Court sur-face is significantly less than other surfaces.To demo the Sport Court PowerGame

surface, visit www.sportcourt.com or call800-421-8112 to find a nearby location, orcontact your local USTA representative tofind out where and when the next 10 andUnder Tennis promotional event will beheld. Grants from the USTA are available tohelp facilities with 10 and Under Tennis. �

B Y P E T E R F R A N C E S C O N I

used as a sanctioned portable tennis sys-tem. Currently, says Sponaugle, there are 1636-foot PowerGame courts being used bythe USTA around the country. USTA sec-tions and Community Tennis Associationscan use the courts to teach and promote 10and Under Tennis at special events, headds. Sport Court’s PowerGame surface alsois installed as 10 and Under Tennis courts atthe USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis

Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., thehome of the US Open.Sponaugle, a former NCAA tennis tour-

nament qualifier, says one of the reasonsthe USTA chose Sport Court was because ofthe company’s history of safe sports sur-faces, and Sport Court’s national network ofexpert court builders who can help set upthe courts.

“Our No. 1 goal is kids’ tennis,” says

Bringing Courts to 10 And Under TennisKids Tennis


Racquet Customization


Changes Offered At5th Annual GSS Symposium

USRSA certification each year (which hewill do again this year). Other seminarleaders have included industry expertssuch as Ron Rocchi of Wilson, MarkGonzales of Alpha, John Gugel and GrantMorgan.

“Starting a new industry event fiveyears ago was quite a challenge, butwe’ve really come a long way,” Strawnsays. “I have to thank folks like Dave,Ron, Mark, the people at Babolat, andmany others for all their support. We’vemanaged to develop and grow a funevent for stringers.”

Courses at the GSS Symposium haveincluded basic stringing, a four-hourcourse on advanced stringing presentedby Wilson, working with natural gut, rac-quet customization, machine repair &maintenance, string technologies, mar-keting, and customer service. There alsois an open stringing room where atten-dees can try out a variety of stringingmachines from various manufacturers.

Strawn has several additions plannedfor 2011, including:� On-court session for customizing rac-quets

� Round-robin tennis event� Session about the newly launched GSSAlliance website(www.gssalliance.com)

� Racquet record, a Mac-compatible dataprogram

�Working with the Babolat RDCmachine

� Stringing for racquetball and bad-minton racquets

� ATP training with the Saddlebrookhead tennis pro

� Session on evaluating loads and stress-es in racquets during stringing, whenhitting a ball, and when removingstrings from a racquet.For more information about the 2011

Grand Slam Stringers Symposium, or toregister, visit www.grandslamstringers.com. Discounts apply for those register-ing before June 30. �

he Grand Slam Stringers Sympo-sium will celebrate its fifthanniversary in September. This

year, the Symposium—with educationaland hands-on seminars and presenta-tions for racquet stringers, customizersand technicians—will move to Saddle-brook Resort in Tampa, Fla., and followon the heels of the USPTA’s World Con-ference.

The GSS Symposium will start onSaturday night, Sept. 24, with a “meetand greet,” says owner and founder TimStrawn of Roanoke, Va. Seminars andpresentations will run from Sept. 25through 28.

“Our event begins on the day theUSPTA’s conference ends at Saddle-brook,” Strawn says. “In the past, sinceour Symposium was in October, it wasdifficult for USPTA members to attend.But this year, we’ve tried to make itmuch easier. And special discount ratesapply for USPTA members who chooseto stay and attend the GSS Symposium.”

The first GSS Symposium took placein New Braunfels, Texas, in April 2007,with 21 attendees from as far away asSpain and England. The event moved todowntown Disney World in Orlando,Fla., in 2008, and attendance quadru-pled, Strawn says. It’s been held inOctober in Orlando since that year, andattendees have come from not onlyaround the U.S., but also from Brazil,France, Spain, England, Denmark, Cana-da, Puerto Rico and the Republic ofKorea.

Over the five years, sponsors haveincluded Wilson Sporting Goods, AlphaSporting Goods, Babolat, Prince, Head,Gamma, Weed Tennis Racquets, UniqueSports, Kirschbaum and Wise. The U.S.Racquet Stringers Association joined theGSS in 2008 and over the past threeyears, USRSA Executive Director DavidBone (also RSI’s co-publisher) has beena seminar leader, judge for the Princespeed-stringing contest, and conducted

TWhat Stringers Say About the GSS Symposium� “I attended the first GSS Sympo-sium and it was the first time I'dseen this many experts in my fieldtogether at one time, all anxiousto share their knowledge. And thenetworking opportunities are alsothere, as I've gotten referrals fortournament stringing. I’ve attend-ed every Symposium, and amlooking forward to the experienceagain this year. —Matt Steverson

� “It’s the most effective way toimprove your stringing skills. Theseminars are conducted by someof the best racquet technicians inthe world. You are now part of the‘stringing community.’”

—Ed Matheson� “I have attended the symposiumfor three years in a row, and eachyear I take away more. Interactingwith world-renowned stringers isan honor. The Wilson StringingRoom was superb.”

—Diane Hamm-Vida� “Even outside of the classroomsthe learning never stopped—allseminar leaders made themselvesavailable and took ownership inour learning. If you have passionfor tennis and stringing, GSS is theplace to be.” —Vasiliy Guryanov

� “The event has grown, not only inattendance, but also in topics andseminar leaders. I’ve attendedevery year, and I always pick upsomething new. But the best partfor me is meeting all the wonder-ful people.” —Ron Castillo

FOOTWEAR

For tennis players, shoes are critical pieces of equipmentthat can affect performance on the court. Your players’shoes need to be comfortable, yet they need to provide

support that allows for the best movement to the ball. Andthey must be suited to the court surface.

Making sure your players use the right footwear is a key tokeeping them playing tennis more, and continuing to fre-quent your shop to buy equipment.

So, how do you help your customers find the right pair oftennis shoes? Here are some questions you should ask:� Are you looking for a tennis shoe for fashion, for optimumperformance on the court, or for both?

� Are you totally “in love” with the shoe you have been wear-ing? If so, you may want to buy several pairs, as shoe com-panies often carry a certain model for a short period of timebefore introducing a “new and improved” version of yourfavorite shoe.

� Are you a hard-court or clay-court player? The soles of hard-court and clay-court shoes are different. Clay-court shoesallow players to slide, while still providing traction tochange directions. Hard-court shoes should provide tractionwithout sticking to the court, which might cause an ankle-rolling issue.

� Do you have a narrow foot or a wide foot? The shoe needsto support the foot to allow for quick stopping and changeof direction without causing discomfort over the course of amatch.

� Do you prefer a low-cut shoe or a 3/4 high shoe? A highercut shoe does little to support the ankle but it can provideinformation to the player—when the ankle starts to roll out-ward, it touches the higher cut shoe and begins to self-cor-rect.

� Do you prefer mesh or leather uppers for your shoe? Mesh

shoes can “breathe” better and are often lighter than leathershoes. Some mesh shoes are even washable by removingthe insole.

� Are you a “toe dragger” on your serve or ground strokes?You may want a shoe that has a warranty and extra mater-ial in the toe of the shoe to prolong shoe life. Some compa-nies offer a six-month warranty if the shoe wears out beforethat time. This may be a key selling feature for your cus-tomer.

� Does your club have a “white shoe and clothing” rule? Someclubs may still require traditional “all-white” apparel.

� What is your size? Athletic shoe sizes can be different thandress shoes, so be sure to measure your customer’s feet.One foot often is larger than the other, so be sure your cus-tomer tries on both shoes.

� Do you wear orthotics? If so, your customer may need aslightly larger size shoe to accommodate the special insole.The insert may require a taller toe box as well.

� Do you wear one or two pairs of socks? Some players weartwo socks for comfort, especially on hard courts, and toallow moisture to be pulled away from the foot. It mayrequire perhaps a half size larger shoe.

� Does your toe box need to be wider because you have chal-lenging feet? For example, does your customer have abunion that needs to be accommodated, or a second toethat is longer than the big toe (Morton’s syndrome), whichis quite common. Your customer will need to allow for theseto prevent calluses and blisters on the feet.

� Do you need a closed or open lace pattern? Most consumersdon’t realize they can vary the lacing pattern on their shoesfor best fit and comfort. Open patterns allow for the laces atthe end to be pulled tighter, which might work best for anarrow foot. �

B Y K E N D E H A R TP T R & U S P T A M A S T E R P R O F E S S I O N A L

HOW TO HELPYOUR PLAYERSFIND THE RIGHT FIT

HOW TO HELPYOUR PLAYERSFIND THE RIGHT FIT


S E L E C T I N G R A C Q U E T S

Most tennis shops generally have a good selection ofracquets on display. But, from a scientific point ofview, the display itself may not necessarily be

designed to assist the customer in making a good choice ofwhat frame to buy. The display could even be bewilderingto consumers, especially if there are lots of racquets on thewall and if the customer has not already decided which rac-quet he or she wants to buy.

The easiest way to display racquets would be to arrangethem by brand or by price, with less expensive frames onthe left or on the bottom and the more expensive modelson the right or up at the top. That way, a customer who hasalready decided on a brand and a price range can quicklypare down the bewildering array of options available.

Alternatively, the racquets could be arranged accordingto the ability of the player, with beginner racquets on theleft, intermediate player racquets in the middle andadvanced player racquets on the right.

From a scientific point of view, the performance of a rac-quet has nothing to do with its price or brand or its per-ceived level of performance. It has to do with technicalthings such as weight, balance, swingweight, head size andstiffness.

Scientific DisplayA more scientific way to display racquets would be to havelighter weight racquets on the left and heavier racquets onthe right, arranged vertically according to one of the otherphysical parameters. But therein lies a problem. There aretoo many variables to make a logical selection of the top-to-bottom order, especially given the limited vertical and hor-izontal dimensions of the wall on which the racquets aredisplayed.

One way around this problem would be to display onlya small selection of racquets around the perimeter of thewall and to have a large “selection map” or photos of eachracquet with their price and physical properties printedunderneath. The actual frames could then be kept in a backroom, like shoes in a shoe store. Shoes come in so manysizes that it is often impossible to display them all in oneroom.

An even better way to display racquets might be to orga-nize them as a database on a computer, to which your staffand customers would have access.

The Racquet Selection Map published each year in RSI,which plots each racquet in terms of maneuverability

B Y R O D C R O S S

WEIGHTYDECISIONSWEIGHTYDECISIONS


An expert on the physics of tennis says to best helpyour customers pick the right frame, you need toconsider swingweight.

www.racquetsportsindustry.com www.racquetsportsindustry.com

(swingweight) and a“power/control” formula, canbe a useful guide. But researchhas shown that the power of aracquet depends mostly on itsswingweight, for two reasons.One is that the swing speed ofa racquet depends mainly onits swingweight. It alsodepends on how fast the play-er wants to swing the racquet;but if he or she wants to swingit at high speed, then the phys-ical parameter limiting thespeed is its swingweight.

The second reason is that,for any given swing speed, theball speed off the racquetdepends mainly on its swing-weight. The ball speed alsodepends on where on the rac-quet the ball is struck; ballspeed is a maximum near themiddle of the strings or slight-ly toward the racquet tip. Butfor any given impact point onthe strings, the ball speeddepends mainly on the swing-weight.

Racquet stiffness is also afactor if the ball is not strucknear the middle of the strings,but swingweight is the mostimportant factor. If the ball isstruck near the tip or throat ofthe racquet, then the racquetwill vibrate and the outgoingball speed is reduced slightlydue to the energy lost in creat-ing those vibrations.

Mapping WithSwingweightHigh swing-weight racquets,therefore, are more powerful,but not by much. The pointhere is that low swing-weightracquets can be swung faster, and that almost makes up fortheir lower “inbuilt” power.

A good design for a racquet selection map would be tohave racquet weight along one axis and swingweight alongthe other axis. That way, the two most important properties

of a racquet are displayedin a way that is easy tounderstand and that does-n’t involve any complicatedmixture of racquet proper-ties that might confuse thereader. (Editor’s note: RSI isconsidering adding thistype of racquetweight/swingweight chartto our annual RacquetSelection Map.)

Racquet stiffness, headsize and width are alsoimportant factors that affectthe feel and performance ofa racquet, so they shouldalso be listed for each rac-quet, together with a fewwords under the selectionmap to guide and educatethe reader. For example,wide-body racquets are rel-atively stiff and are pre-

ferred by recreationalplayers since they don’tvibrate as much as flexibleracquets. In that respect,they have a largersweetspot where racquetvibrations are relativelyweak so the shot feels good.

Narrow-body racquetsare preferred by playerswho use a lot of topspinsince the ball doesn’t clip anarrow frame as easily as itclips a wide frame. Large-head racquets are preferredby recreational playerssince such players tend tohit the ball all over thestring plane. Smaller headracquets are preferred bygood players since they aremore maneuverable.

There are a lot of factorsthat go into finding the perfect racquet for your customer,but we can’t underestimate the importance of swingweightin this decision. Making sure players are using the rightframe for their games is an important part of keeping themin the game—and buying equipment in your store. �

Rod Cross is an Honorary Associate Professor of Physics at Sydney University, having retired in 2003 to workon the physics of sport and forensic physics. Tennis is his main interest, and he has written two books on thephysics of tennis with Crawford Lindsey and Howard Brody. Cross also has written the books, “The Physics ofBaseball and Softball” and “Evidence for Murder,” based on his forensic investigations into the death of a modelin Sydney. For details, visit www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~cross.

June 2011 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 33www.racquetsportsindustry.com www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Swin

gwei

ght

(RD

C)

Weight (grams)

Bala

nce

(cm

)

Weight (grams)

Mapping racquets by swingweight vs. weight or balance vs. weightmay make it easier for consumers to understand how frames match upto each other.

S E L E C T I N G R A C Q U E T S

E-TENNISWINTER PARK, FLA.Eleven years ago Tobias Svantesson opened E-Tennis in theOrlando area, and he hasn’t looked back. A recent move to a2,000-square-foot space has not only increased his sellingspace, but his opportunity.E-Tennis carries most all racquet brands on one 30-foot

wall chock full of about 120 different sku’s. The store hasmultiple demos for every racquet it displays and a veryattractive demo program in which they have about 400 peo-ple actively, and constantly, demoing.When asked how many staff he employed, Svantesson

joked that he had “too many,” but quickly added he wouldn’ttrade any of them because of their “tremendous interactionwith customers coupled with their expert training and knowl-edge of the products.” E-Tennis has two full-time stringers—a necessity for a business that strings 6,000 to 7,000 racquetsa year.Svantesson runs a unique shop. One idea he uses to mer-

chandise racquets, which he says has had a positive impacton sales, is replacing the manufacturer’s racquet “face cards”with his own, which offers his own bullet points on each rac-quet’s characteristics and qualities. Also, instead of organiz-ing racquets by brand, he organizes them by playertypes—from “players’” frames to beginner frames.“This way, it neutralizes the information, giving all the

brands equal play,” he says. “From a sales and customer per-spective, it’s a useful, efficient way of supplying informa-tion.”Svantesson adds, “We work really hard providing great

customer service, because of other local and online competi-

tion. You have to have extensive knowledge of your cus-tomers and products, offer-ing the latest products.” Buthe stresses the need for flex-ibility in marking thingsdown in price when theydon’t move.Additionally, E-Tennis has

partnered with a nearby ten-nis club where Svantessonsends his customers to hitwith his demo racquets. Hehas also established a rela-tionship with a local courtbuilder, which he hopes touse in the future. Svantessonalso builds relationships withthe local teaching pros,“making sure they’re yourfriend”—even hosting quar-terly meetings with them totalk about brands, new devel-opments and the state of ten-nis in the Orlando area.Svantesson insists build-

ing local relationships are“necessary building blocks for a successful busi-ness.” E-Tennis also is involved with communitytennis tournaments, clinics and fundraisers, among otheractivities—further establishing themselves in the community.

—Cynthia Sherman

What does it take to sell racquets? These fourshops find success with both tried-and-true tipsand innovative ideas.

DISPLAYINGAND SELLINGFRAMES

DISPLAYINGAND SELLINGFRAMES


What does it take to sell racquets? These fourshops find success with both tried-and-true tipsand innovative ideas.

E-Tennis Racquet Sales Tips� Provide great customer ser-

vice with well-informed staffmembers, who know theirproducts and customers.

� Think outside the box to bet-ter merchandise and sell rac-quets, and have an attractivedemo program.

� Be flexible in pricing whenproducts don’t move.

� Establish relationships withclubs, tennis professionals,fundraisers—it increasesyour visibility aswell as cementsyour commit-ment to thecommunity.


GAME-SET-MATCHDENVER, COLO.Game-Set-Match opened in 1989 in Littleton, Colo., and nowhas two locations in the Denver area. Owner Adam Burbarysays the store carries all major brands of racquets, with thelargest racquet wall in the Rocky Mountain region. In his Den-ver store, he says, he displays about 800 frames.And one of his key tips is to make sure, when customers

enter the store, they can immediately see your racquets. “Wefeel like if we can show the consumer quickly and plainly thatwe’re invested in the sport, it helps pave the way to sell tothem,” Burbary says. In one of his stores just south of Denver, he displays about

800 racquets on a wall roughly 10-feet high by 35-feet widethat’s directly to the left of the entrance. “As soon as theycome in, they can’t miss all the racquets,” Burbary says. “Abig part of what brick-and-mortar retailers offer is immediategratification of holding and looking at racquets in person.And we’re doing that for sure.”

Also, ask customers about their playing habits and abilitiesand then be quiet. “Listen to what they say, and then probemore. Learn as much as you can and then match them witha nice range of your best options. Learn if they’re a baselineror attacker, if they have full, short or medium strokes, thatkind of thing. And be sure not to overwhelm them with tech-nology. If they want to know about it, they’ll ask.”Another tactic Burbary likes to use is to offer to string any

new racquet purchased while customers wait. “For one thing,it keeps them in the store longer and they may decide to buysomething else,” he says. “And it’s just a nice touch for a cus-tomer who just bought from you.”And finally, Burbary says he likes to occasionally move

things around in the store. “It seems like when I do that, itstirs people up and they start talking more. It’s like they getcurious about what’s going on and it seems to help generatemore interest in the store and more people come in. I’m notsure why this is, but it almost always happens.”

—Doug McPherson

Game-Set-MatchRacquet Sales Tips� Use track lighting above the

racquets to draw interest andto highlight the frames.

� Conduct a mini-interviewwith customers and thenmatch with your best rangeof racquet options.

� Offer to string racquets whilecustomers wait—to keepthem in the store longer.

� Shake things up every oncein a while. Move merchan-dise around to new places togenerate afresh feel inthe store.

36 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY June 2011 www.racquetsportsindustry.com www.racquetsportsindustry.com

DARIEN SPORT SHOPDARIEN, CONN.Chasing innovation in racquet sales is important, but it willonly work if you keep your focus on the primary driver ofsales. "Everything we do is for the convenience of the cus-tomer," explains the Darien Sport Shop's Steve Zangrillo Jr. ofthe theory guiding the local landmark his father opened 65years ago this coming August.The store is re-created seasonally as a one-stop shopping

experience for a well-heeled, suburban New York City clien-tele. It's the sort of place where someone pops in to pick upa cocktail dress and a new racquet and string job. With fiveprivate clubs (each with its own pro shop and teaching pro)as well as a tennis specialty retailer and Sports Authority inthe area, there is one key to helping the independent retailerdefend and expand its niche with tennis sales. "We don't doprice promotion," says Zangrillo. "The Darien Sport Shopstands for customer service, good product, good knowledge,good service."Unmentioned but implied is customer communication,

inventory control and working closely with manufacturers.The store makes regular use of its customer database to trackpurchases and predict interests. The information is thenmatched up with the house list to reach out to the store's ten-nis-buying segment through targeted offers and information-al emails. There is also the regularly updated Facebook pagetalking up the latest products and promotions.In keeping with the theme of specialized retailing, the

Darien Sport Shop carries only two racquet lines: Wilson andBabolat. While Zangrillo is wistful when discussing the possi-

bilities of cherry-pickingfrom different lines, beingdeep in the two specific linesrather than broad in brandsallows the store to offer rac-quets that are recognizableto the customer base andencourages manufacturers’support through staff train-ing and the occasional trunkshow. "We try with the help of

[the manufacturer's] sales-people to get the hotteststuff and we stand behindthe product," he says. Oneexample, "If we string [a racquet] and the person doesn't likeit, we'll restring it for them."The one constant promotion is that each new racquet sale

includes free stringing (a $35 to $40 value), with either Wil-son or Babolat synthetic gut. There also is a rather flexibledemo program—subject to some abuse, Zangrillo admits,although he has no plans to change it—allowing customers totry out (again and again) a new stick at no charge. Most important, there is always the personal touch, the

relationship that comes from first catering to customers inlocal youth programs and making sure they (and their fami-lies) have the right racquet and accessories as they age intime with the store. —Kent Oswald

Darien Sport ShopRacquet Sales Tips� If you have to err in invento-

ry, have too little; if erring oncustomer service, do toomuch.

� Mine your database to pre-dict customer needs and tar-get your offers.

� Better to have deep relation-ships with specific manufac-turers than shallowrelationships with many.


FIRST SERVE TENNISBURBANK, CALIF.If First Serve Tennis Pro Shops had a theme song, it wouldlikely borrow from the '80s sitcom “Cheers” and include theline, "You want to buy a racquet where everybody knowsyour name...." In a world where the internet and big-box stores seem to

promise everything, "Customer service is huge," says man-ager Francis Dimaya. "I believe in the service of it all. I knowall the names of people who have been here more thantwice.”The racquet sales strategy is twofold. For younger players,

who are the majority of the customers at his 500-square-footshop at the Burbank Tennis Center, Dimaya makes sure hehas the racquets with all the promotional materials suggest-ing they will be playing with the same stick as their tennisheroes. For more experienced players, both at the BTC and atthe 1,000-square-foot Valencia store opened last fall acrossthe street from The Paseo Club, he believes in listening tocustomers describe their game and then putting demo rac-quets in their hands until they find just the feel they want. (Asmall demo fee is applied against the purchase price.)As often as possible Dimaya offers same-day stringing—

and even while-you-wait service if business allows. Group dis-counts are provided to players in USTA leagues, at local clubsand at the high school on racquets and other tennis purchas-es. Dimaya goes out of his way to speak to local teams and

work closely with high school coaches, because, "When thecoach says 'go to First Serve,' that is what they do.”He keeps up his store's

Facebook page, updatingstore hours, posting specialsand allowing customers tointeract with the store andeach other. He also monitorspostings about the store onYelp and other social media.Dimaya mines the offer-

ings of the Babolat, Wilson,Prince, Head and Gammareps with whom he works, tooffer the available free stringor clothing or shoe packageswith racquet purchase. How-ever, the emphasis of thesale has to be on what is bestfor the player's game: "Icould probably sell you anyracquet I wanted to eventhough it might not be thebest racquet for you," headmits. "There is only somuch you can do with price. At the end of the day I am hop-ing [customers] will come to buy the racquet from me for myservice." —Kent Oswald

First Serve TennisRacquet Sales Tips� Go the extra mile to reach

out to coaches and teachingpros in the community whocan direct traffic to yourstore.

� Explain the differences, buttake advantage of "team"versions of racquets to putthe right racquet in a cus-tomer's hands while also let-ting them still feel they areplaying with what the proactually uses.

� You don't have to beat thelowest internet price if youare competitively priced andconsistent.


Person of the Year2010: Jon Muir2009: Eric Babolat2008: Dave Haggerty2007: George Napier2006: Kirk Anderson2005: Max Brownlee2004: Arlen Kantarian2003: Jim Baugh &

Kurt Kamperman2002: Alan Schwartz

Pro/SpecialtyRetailerof the Year2010: NYC Racquet Sports2009: Tennis Express2008: Tennis & Golf Co.2007: Michael Lynne’s Tennis

Shop2006: Swetka’s Tennis Shop2005: Racquet World2004: Players Choice Tennis2003: Advantage Yours2002: Chicago Tennis & Golf2001: Dale Queen

Private Facilityof the Year2010: The Polo Club2009: Reynolds Plantation2008: Boar’s Head Sports Club2007: Meadow Creek Tennis

& Fitness2006: Midtown Tennis Center

2005: Brookhaven Country Club2004: Indian Creek Racquet Club2003: New Albany Country Club2002: Woodfield Country Club

Municipal Facilityof the Year2010: Copeland-Cox T.C.2009: Reffkin Tennis Center2008: Surprise Tennis &

Racquet Complex2007: Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis &

Education2006: Cary Tennis Park2005: John Drew Smith T.C.2004: Lexington County T.C.2003: Midland Community T.C.2002: Cooper Tennis Complex2001: George E. Barnes T.C.

Builder of the Year2010: Pro-Sport Construction2009: DeRosa Tennis

Contractors2008: Boston Tennis Court

Constr.2007: Sportsline Inc.2006: Courtsmiths2005: Fast-Dry Companies2004: Zaino Tennis Court2003: General Acrylics2002: Cape & Island Tennis and

Track2001: Welch Tennis Courts

Sales Repof the Year2010: Rick Walsh2009: Tracy Lynch2008: Jim Haneklau2007: Hunter Hines2006: Jim Willwerth2005: Kay Barney2004: Dustin Perry2003: Bob Strimel2002: Bob Pfaender2001: Sheri Norris & David

Blakeley

GrassrootsChampionof the Year2010: Robert Pangrazi2009: Lisa Stone &

Susan Chambers2008: Sue Jollensten2007: Dan Vonk2006: Beverly Bourguet2005: Shirley Ruane2004: Gwen & Dan Ramras2003: Scott Biron2002: Mark Platt2001: Donna Owens

Junior TennisChampionof the Year2010: Butch Staples &

Leah Friedman2009: Dan Faber

RSI Champions o

Our January 2011 issue marked the 10th year thatRSI has named its Champions of Tennis winners.As we start the process for picking this year’s

Champions of Tennis, we’d like to take a quick look backand recognize all of those winners—people, businesses,organizations—that have helped to make a difference intennis, and the business of tennis, over the past decade

Take a look at this list and you’ll see that virtually all ofthese Champions of Tennis are still at it, dedicated to mak-

ing this sport the best it can be, to bringing in new partici-pants, to supplying players with equipment and places toplay, and simply, to making tennis businesses grow. Youcan also see how interdependent all of us are in this indus-try—none of these winners accomplished their goals all bythemselves.

And yes, while our business goals are to grow and pros-per, we are all joined by a common thread: to share thisgreat sport with as many people as we possibly can.�

RSI Champions o

of Tennis Honor Roll

2008: Chuck Kuhle2007: Craig Jones2006: Bwana Chakar Simba2005: Wayne St. Peter2004: Emma Hubbs2003: Phyllis Greene2002: LaMont Bryant2001: Ned Eames

WheelchairTennis Championof the Year2010: Harlon Matthews2009: Dean Oba2008: Michael Mercier2007: Jason Harnett2006: Bruce Karr2005: Karin Korb2004: Julie Jilly2003: Dan James2002: Tina Dale2001: Nancy Olson

CommunityTennis Associationof the Year2010: Southern Crescent T.A.2009: Western Wake T.A.2008: Lee County T.A2007: Grants Pass CTA2006: Montgomery County T.A.2005: Baltimore Tennis Patrons2004: Pikes Peak CTA2003: Milwaukee Tennis &

Education Foundation2002: Macon Tennis Assn.2001: Homewood-Flossmoor

of Tennis Honor Roll


Stringer of the Year2010: Tom Parry2009: Ron Rocchi2008: Nate Ferguson2007: Tim Strawn2006: Grant Morgan2005: Bob Patterson2004: Randy Stephenson

Public Parkof the Year2010: Dwight Davis T.C.2009: Darling Tennis Center2008: Roswell Park & Rec2007: Fort Lauderdale

Park & Rec2006: USTA Billie Jean King

National Tennis Center2005: Scalzi Park

Tennis Advocateof the Year2010: Robin Jones2009: Ellen doll

Online Retailerof the Year2005: Tennis Warehouse

High SchoolCoach of the Year2010: Bill Wagstaff2009: Rich Johns2008: Sue Bordainick2007: Marian DeWane2006: David Steinbach

USTA Section of Year2010: Southern2009: Midwest

2008: Pacific Northwest2007: Florida2006: Texas2005: Florida2004: Pacific Northwest2003: Southern2002: Northern2001: New England

Mass Merchant/Chain of the Year2008: Sport Chalet2007: The Sports Authority2006: PGA Tour Superstores2005: Golfsmith2004: City Sports2003: Sport Chalet2002: Dick’s Sporting Goods2001: Galyan’s

PTRMemberof the Year2010: Rodney Harmon2009: Ken DeHart2008: Jorge Andrew2007: Luke Jensen2006: Ajay Pant2005: Lisa Duncan

USPTAMemberof the Year2010: Ron Woods2009: Robert Greene Jr.2008: Tom Sweitzer2007: Mike Van Zutphen2006: Brett Hobden2005: Bob Reed

Send Us Your 2011 RSI Award NominationsTo nominate for RSI’s 2011 Champions of Tennis, email [email protected], and put “Champions” in the subject line. In the email, includethe category, the name of the person or organization you are nominating, contact info (phone and email) for the nominee, and—briefly—some information about the nominee, including a website address if appropriate. All nominations will be confidential, but we’d also like

your name and contact info, in case we have questions. Deadline for nominations: Sept. 30, 2011.


D I S T I N G U I S H E D F A C I L I T Y - O F - T H E - Y E A R A W A R D S

The award-winning multi-court facilities we feature eachyear in RSI are wonderfully constructed, but when itcomes to really showcasing details and creativity, some-

times it’s just hard to beat the single residential court winnersin the Racquet Sports Industry/American Sports BuildersAssociation Facility-of-the-Year Awards.

For 2010, there were three residential court winners ofRSI/ASBA awards. We featured the “Outstanding” winner inour February 2011 issue (the Justman Residence of Cal-abasas, Calif.), and on these pages, we show the two “Distin-guished” winners—one a new project and one an upgradefrom an existing court.

Despite the Notre Dame logo on the court surface, theowner of the court at the Back Residence in Indiana decidedto go with the popular US Open “blue” color for his cushionedhard court. This new post-tension concrete court was adesign/build project by the court contractor, using theowner’s employees for much of the sub work. Included in thejob were the vinyl-coated fencing, lighting (six fixtures) andadding a basketball goal to the court.

The court is sunken into a hillside so it isn’t a visualobstruction from the road, but the site required retainingwalls on all sides. Hand-cut stone fasciae were applied, andlight switches were grouted into the stone wall. Perimeter

subsurface drainage and surface drainage were installed.There’s a decorative stone walkway leading to the court.

The clay court at the Deane Residence in Massachusetts isan upgrade of a court that was built in 1980 but had falleninto disrepair, until the current owner bought the propertyand wanted to rehabilitate it. The original court was slightlyundersized (57 by 120 feet), with only four light poles withquartz floodlights.

The only portions of the original court deemed salvageablewere the crusher run and stone dust base materials, andabout half an inch of the fast-dry surface; at least a quarter-inch layer of the contaminated fast-dry was removed. The oldfence, lighting system, irrigation system, net posts and redbrick curb were removed and disposed of. Then the area waswidened to 60 feet with the addition of gravel, crusher runand stone dust, and the court was re-centered.

The new court now has eight lighting fixtures on 4-inch-square poles and new powder-coated aluminum fencing. Aperimeter curb was built with 2 by 8 inch bluestone of vary-ing lengths. Another creative touch was using an abuttingledge outcropping 4 feet above court surface: a stone slabpatio was laid on top of the ledge with stone steps leading upto it to create a shaded and elevated viewing area.

—Peter Francesconi �

These residential court winners showcasecreativity and detailing.

HOME COURTADVANTAGEHOME COURTADVANTAGE

Back ResidenceBrookville, Ind.(Nominated by Leslie Coatings Inc., Indianapolis, Ind.)General Contractor: Leslie Coatings Inc.Surface: PlexipaveLighting: LSI Courtsider XLNet Posts, Nets: Douglas Industries


These residential court winners showcasecreativity and detailing..

Deane ResidenceCohasset, Mass.(Nominated by Boston Tennis Court Construction Co. Inc., Hanover, Mass.)Specialty Contractor: Boston Tennis Court Construction Co. Inc.Surface: Lee Tennis Court ProductsLighting: LSI CoursiderNet, Line Tapes: J.A. CisselNet Posts: Edwards/Rol-Dri Div. of Athletic Connection

For details on the 2011 Outstand-ing Facility-of-the-Year Awards,contact the ASBA at 866-501-ASBA or [email protected],or visit www.sportsbuilders.org.



Our digital MIKE also has a memory func-tion, which makes it quick and easy to use.5 sets of Babolat Revenge 16 to:Dr. Carl Love, Albany, OR

SHARPIE SAVES YOUR FINGERNAILSSome polymer strings have so much textureto them that when you are fanning the crossstrings they will tear, bend, and break yourfingernails. To avoid this, try using a Sharpieinstead of your fingernails, as it fits perfectly

RACQUET MICROMETERREVISITEDIn reading the May 2011 "Tips & Tech-niques" item by Kenneth Sachar, OrangeCT, entitled "Racquet Micrometer", I see hewent to considerable expense to build it.My group, Love Sports Enterprises, has

developed a digital racquet micrometer wecall "MIKE." With MIKE, it takes about 18seconds to measure both vertical and hori-zontal dimensions.The selling price is $39.95 without ship-

ping, that is about 25 percent the cost ofMr. Sachar's caliper and caliper extender.

Tips & Techniques

between the main strings. It will allow you topull the crosses without having to get a mani-cure (or bandages) afterwards.5 sets of Dunlop Comfort Synthetic 16 to:Terry Boyle, Denver, CO

CATCHING A WAVEWe came up with a little tip for new stringersto help limit misweaves, especially with dark-er colored string. When stringing one ahead— just before you pull the previous string totension — be a good surfer and look for theperfect set of waves (see photo).


Readers’ Know-How in Action

Tips and Techniques submitted since 2000 by USRSA members,and appearing in this column, have all been gathered into a sin-gle volume of the Stringer’s Digest—Racquet Service Techniqueswhich is a benefit of USRSA membership. Submit tips to: GregRaven, USRSA, 330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084; or [email protected].

If you don’t see that perfect set, thenyou know you have a misweave (seephoto).

Hopefully this will help in not having torestring a racquet. Now go out there andcatch a perfect set, dude.

5 sets of Head Sonic Pro 16 to:Larry Hackney, Union City, NJ

MORE AFFORDABLELEATHER GRIPSFor players who like leather grips, I havefound an affordable alternative to Fair-ways. First, install one of the commercial-ly-available leather grips (I use Babolat, butI am sure Wilson, Volkl, and Gamma workas well). Then apply a light coat of castoroil (available at any drug store), wait a fewhours for it to soak in, and then applyanother light coat. Do not apply too muchcastor oil, as it will make the grip feel slip-pery. Let this final coat penetrate for eighthours and you’re ready to go.

After that, maintenanceconsists of following Balm-forth's restoration instructionsfor Fairways: When the gripgets dirty and/or slick, cleanwith denatured wood alcohol(also known as methylatedspirits), and wait 30 minutesfor the alcohol to evaporatefrom the leather. Then apply athin coat of castor oil, waitingeight hours again to allow the

oil to penetrate the leather.I have played with Fairways for over

40 years and I cannot tell the differencebetween a Fairway and a Babolat that hasbeen treated with castor oil.5 sets of Wilson K-Gut Pro 16 to:Philip Blackwelder, Myrtle Beach, SC

—Greg Raven �


? Ask the Experts

WRONG TIE-OFF HOLEI JUST RECEIVED TWO NEW rac-quets by mail order, and I noticedthat the dealer strung one of them

incorrectly. It tied off the crosses at 8H, andthe tie-off is supposed to be at 5H. Otherthan an unnecessarily smushed 8H grom-met, can there be any damage to the framebecause of this?

IT DEPENDS. AS YOU NOTE, 8H ISneither a normal nor optional tie-off

on your racquet. Although there may havebeen room for the stringer to get the tie-offstring into a regular (non-tie-off) grommethole, if he enlarged the grommet hole tofacilitate tying off, he at least stressed thatgrommet hole unnecessarily, and at worst,damaged that grommet hole and/ordeformed the frame with his awl.

Your best bet is to contact the retailerfrom whom you purchased your racquets,and request that it send you a free replace-ment bumperguard and grommet kit for

your racquet. The next time you restring,replace the bumperguard and grommet kiton that racquet, and while you have the oldpieces off examine the frame to see if thereis any damage. If so, contact the dealerabout a warranty replacement. If theyrefuse, contact the manufacturer.

TENSION REDUCTIONSTHE STRING SPECIFICATIONS data-base on USRSA.com lists stringdiameter, stiffness, and tension loss

(from your lab testing). Knowing that Lux-ilon recommends reducing reference ten-sion by 5 percent when using its strings,coupled with the 5-10 percent reduction intension recommended by Unique Sports inthe recent RSI magazine playtest report onTourna Big Hitter Rough 17, is it safe toassume that other string brands of similarstiffness should also have tension reduced?

NOT REALLY. LUXILON USED TOrecommend reducing the reference

tension by 20 percent for its Big Bangerline compared to the reference tensionfor a typical nylon string, while othermanufacturers of stiff “poly” stringssometimes don’t recommend any tensionreduction, and we’ve seen plenty of play-ers transition from a softer string to astiffer string while maintaining the sametension.If you are switching a customer from a

softer string to a stiffer string, it’s not abad idea to recommend reducing the ref-erence tension. Ultimately, because stiffstrings play differently from soft strings,your first attempt at judging what mightbe a comparable reference tension for astiffer string is still just a guess, the actualdesired reference tension to be arrived atafter your customer has gained someexperience with the new string. And thisis assuming that your customer doesn’thave a “favorite” tension, which remainsthe same regardless of what string or rac-quet he’s using.

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Your Equipment Hotline

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ONE-PIECE VS. TWO-PIECE� AGAIN

I STRING FOR A NATIONALLY-ranked junior, and her dad and Ihave had some interesting discus-

sions. The latest was about two-piecestringing. After watching me string one ofhis daughter’s racquets, the dad said, "Inotice you always do one piece but I wastold that two-piece stringing gave a moreconsistent string bed."

I would think the opposite, consideringthat on this particular racquet, the mainsend at the head. While my wife tells me Idon't know everything, I don't want toassume. Have you ever heard that theory?

IF YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE string-ing for them, then consistency is all

up to you — no matter which stringingtechnique(s) you use. Given that the mainson this player’s racquet end at the head,there is no problem with one-piece string-ing, so you are correct.

However, the player’s dad is also cor-rect (as far as he goes) if considering otherracquets and other stringers. With racquetswhere the mains end at the throat,stringers at different tournaments will take

Qdifferent approaches. Some may stringone-piece with the crosses going from thethroat up. Some may string one-pieceusing an around-the-world technique so asto install the crosses from the head down.Some may string one-piece using a boxpattern so as to install the crosses fromthe head down. Finally, some may stringtwo-piece. If the player doesn’t specifywhich technique to use, there’s virtuallyno way that this player is going to havehis racquets strung the same from tourna-ment to tournament.

There are other factors, too. Let’s saythe player (using a racquet with the mainsending at the throat) asks the stringer touse a box pattern. First, not all stringers

are familiarwith box pat-terns. In thiscase, there’sno tellingwhat the play-er will get.Second, thereare differentbox patternsfor any givenracquet, so

there can be variations in how many crossesare installed (and where) before the mainsare completed. Also, box patterns normallyrequire that the stringer switch from amachine clamp to a starting clamp at somepoint in the process. Some stringers do thistwice, while other stringers do it once. Somestringers make this switch at the head, whileothers do it at the throat. These differences intechnique mean there will be differences inWHICH STRINGS ARE PULLED TWICE,DEPENDING ON THE STRINGER.

Of course, even with racquets where themains end at the head, some stringers simplydon’t enjoy wrestling with the long side dur-ing one-piece stringing, and will install thestrings using the two-piece technique in theabsence of instructions to the contrary.

Depending on the racquet and the play-er’s attention to detail when telling the string-ing crew how to handle his racquets, therecan be tremendous variation in the finalproduct. That’s why — in general — two-piece stringing can be said to offer betterconsistency to the player, all things consid-ered. —Greg Raven �We welcome your questions. Please send them to RacquetSports Industry, 330 Main St., Vista, CA, 92084; fax: 760-536-1171; email: [email protected].

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String Playtest

EASE OF STRINGING(compared to other strings)Number of testers who said it was:much easier 2somewhat easier 11about as easy 22not quite as easy 4not 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 11not quite as playable 15not nearly as playable 4

OVERALL DURABILITY(compared to other stringsof similar gauge)Number of testers who said it was:much better 4somewhat better 12about as durable 20not quite as durable 3not nearly as durable 0

RATING AVERAGESFrom 1 to 5 (best)Playability 3.3Durability 3.7Power 3.3Control 3.5Comfort 3.5Touch/Feel 3.2Spin Potential 3.3Holding Tension 3.6Resistance to Movement 3.2

Red Alert is a new solid-core multifila-ment nylon that Wilson tells us wasengineered to be the most durable syn-thetic gut produced. Part of that durabil-ity comes from Red Alert’s HighMolecular Weight (HMW) nylon coating.The single wrap layer alternates triangu-lar and cylindrical filaments to allow formore HMW nylon in the coating. The tri-angular wraps also provide a slight tex-ture for increased ball bite.

The result, according to Wilson, is acrisp-playing string with more than twicethe durability of comparable nylon strings.

Wilson recommends Red Alert to play-ers looking for crisp playability and unsur-passed durability in a budget-friendlysynthetic gut string.

Red Alert is available as a 16-gauge(1.32 mm) string in red only. It is pricedfrom $6 for sets of 40 feet, $75 for 660-foot reels. For more information or toorder, contact Wilson at 773-714-6400, orvisit wilson.com/redalert. Be sure to readthe conclusion for more information aboutgetting a free set to try for yourself.

IN THE LABThe coil measured 40 feet. The diametermeasured 1.33-1.34 mm prior to stringing,and 1.27-1.28 mm after stringing. Werecorded a stringbed stiffness of 80 RDCunits immediately after stringing at 60pounds in a Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95 (16 x18 pattern) on a constant-pull machine.

After 24 hours (no playing), stringbedstiffness measured 74 RDC units, repre-senting an 8 percent tension loss. Our con-trol string, Prince Synthetic Gut OriginalGold 16, measured 78 RDC units immedi-ately after stringing and 71 RDC units after24 hours, representing a 9 percent tensionloss. In lab testing, Prince Synthetic GutOriginal has a stiffness of 217 and a ten-sion loss of 11.67 pounds, while WilsonRed Alert 16 has a stiffness of 231 and atension loss of 11.55 pounds. Red Alertadded 15 grams to the weight of ourunstrung frame.

The string was tested for five weeks by39 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP ratingsfrom 3.0 to 6.0. These are blind tests, with

playtesters receiving unmarked strings inunmarked packages. Average number ofhours playtested was 27.8.

Our sample felt oily when we removedit from the package. We wiped it with aclean towel several times, working fromone end to the other, and then washedour hands before installation. Red Alert stillhad enough lubrication on it to pick up lintand dirt from what we had thought was aclean floor. None of our playtesters men-tioned this, though, so maybe we’re justoverly sensitive in this regard. Red Alertholds a nice point when you cut it at anangle; blocked holes were no problem. Thetexture from the triangle-shaped wraps isstrong, but did not interfere with installa-


tion in any way.No playtester broke his sample during

stringing, none reported problems withcoil memory, one reported problemstying knots, and one reported frictionburn.

ON THE COURTRed Alert lived up to its durability claims,scoring well above average in the Dura-bility category. As bonuses, it also scoredwell above average in Tension Retention,Comfort, and Spin Potential. Other scoreswere nicely balanced, resulting in anabove-average overall score.

Two playtesters broke the sample dur-ing the playtest period, one at four hoursand one at 11 hours.

CONCLUSIONSeveral playtesters commented on RedAlert’s durability compared to poly, giv-ing hope to those players who need amore durable string but either need thecomfort of a nylon or simply prefer thefeel of a nylon string. Given the relativepaucity of heavy-gauge nylon strings,having a new, ultra-durable nylon is awonderful thing — especially consideringRed Alert’s high rating in the Comfort cat-egory.

Speaking of comments, each one ofour testers had something nice to sayabout Red Alert. This fits well with thebalanced scores it achieved from ourplaytest team. Players in the market for adurable nylon won’t have to forego theother benefits you normally associatewith nylon strings.

If you think that Wilson Red Alertmight be for you, check out the Red Alertmicrosite on the web (see the URLabove), and then fill out the coupon toget a free set to try. —Greg Raven �

Wilson Red Alert


FREE PLAYTEST STRING PROGRAM

Wilson will send a free set of Red Alert

to USRSA members who cut out (or

copy) this coupon and send it to:

Offer expires 15 June 2011Offer 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.


USRSA, Attn: Wilson String Offer330 Main Street, Vista, CA 92084

or fax to 760-536-1171, or email the info below to

[email protected]

“ Great spin and tension maintenance.Excellent durability for a nylon basedstring.” 4.5 male serve-and-volley playerusing Head Liquidmetal Radical MP strungat 60 pounds LO (Gamma TNT2 17)

“ Above average spin, control, and dura-bility, with power to spare.” 4.5 male allcourt player using Wilson BLX Tour strungat 56 pounds CP (Wilson Sensation 16)

“ This is a great all around string withhigh marks for touch and comfort.” 4.0male all-court player using Prince TripleThreat Hornet strung at 62 pounds CP(Tecnifibre Black Code 17)

“ Nice pop on ground strokes. Excel-lence tension maintenance.” 4.0 maleall-court player using Head CrossBow 4strung at 57 pounds CP (Wilson EnduroPro 16)

“ Nice mix of feel, comfort, andpower.” 4.5 male all-court player usingHead MicroGEL Monster strung at 60pounds LO (Polyester/Nylon Multifilament16/16)

“ Good blend of feel and power. I woulddefinitely recommend this to my cus-tomers.” 6.0 male serve-and-volleyplayer using Prince EXO3 White Litestrung at 65 pounds CP (Prince LightningXX 17)

“ Easy installation. Great spin andpower. Pocketing and feel are on the lowside.” 4.0 male all-court player usingHead Youtek Radical OS strung at 57pounds CP (Pacific ATP Hybrid 17)

“ Spin potential is slightly lacking.Power and playability are decent.” 4.5female all-court player using Head YoutekSix Star strung at 58 pounds CP (HeadSonic Pro 17)

“ Comfortable, but not as much controland spin as I expected.” 4.5 male all-court player using Wilson K Six One

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

(16x18) strung at 55 pounds CP(Gamma Zo Magic 16)

“ Comfort is above average, but spinis a sub par.” 4.0 male all-court play-er using Prince Triple Threat Viperstrung at 60 pounds LO (Gamma TNT2Ruff 16)

“ Nice spin, especially on serves. Verycomfortable, but not enough power”3.5 male baseliner with heavy spinusing Prince EXO3 Ignite Team strungat 60 pounds LO (Luxilon Adrenaline16L)

“ Feel and power are on the low side.Comfort is adequate. Control is thestrong suit.” 4.0 male all-court playerusing Wilson K Six One (16x18) strungat 62 pounds CP (Head Sonic Pro 17)

TESTERS TALK

Ah, the tennis vacation. A happycouple or a group of friends headout to some great resort destina-

tion and hit the courts. Amazing matchesagainst gorgeous beachfront or mountain-side backdrops, nice facilities with a vari-ety of surfaces, and all kinds of funamenities. Clinics, lessons, Cardio Tennis,social matches, tournaments, round-robins—then drinks by the court after-ward. It made for some great memoriesfor them, and some nice income for youand your tennis facility or resort.

But then those couples had kids, andnow they think tennis vacations are a partof their misty past. Bye-bye, backhandpractice with the ball machine, followed byBloody Mary’s overlooking the courts,hello, costumed fairy tale characters andchicken fingers. So what can you do tobring these people back, and convincethem their vacations don't just have to con-sist of visits to theme parks and beaches?

Well, you can't babysit, but you can trymarketing 10 and Under Tennis to parentsand kids as part of a tennis vacation. Manyfacilities are already using the QuickStartTennis play format—hopefully you are,too.

We've already seen the all-day or half-day “kids' club” model at work at skiresorts. It includes lessons in a fun formatinterspersed with downtime for snacksand play, walks around the resort to look atthe local wildlife and more. (Bonus: It givesparents an opportunity to get some seriousslope time in, knowing their kids are ingood hands). For the day, or part of it, par-ents can enjoy some downhill and someapres-ski time, then rejoin the family unitin time for dinner.

The best part? It works on all levels:Kids love it. They learn a new skill they canshow their parents. Parents love it because

their kids grow as athletes. And in a fewyears, everyone in the family is skiingtogether on vacations. And where are theyskiing? Right back at the same resort thatgave them such a good experience and suchgreat memories.

So, why not bring that concept to ten-

nis? Maybe your resort already offers day-time recreation for guests' kids, but doesthat program include tennis? It definitelyshould. Working at a resort means that 10and Under Tennis can be one part of yourkids' programming component.

Kids might be too young to understandthe way a different surface can change thegame for them as a player, but we as adultsalready know the low compression andfoam balls used for 10 and Under Tenniswork on all of those surfaces, and can yielda fun experience. If the kids already play, it'sa chance to improve their game. If theyhaven't yet played—well, what can we sayabout QST and 10U tennis that hasn't beensaid before? It's the perfect way to get themstarted.

The sports travel industry is in a uniqueposition right now. Yes, the economy has

RSI Contributing Editor MaryHelen Sprecher also is themanaging editor of SportsDestinations ManagementMagazine, a niche business-to-business publication for plan-ners of sports travel events.

She is the technical writer for the AmericanSports Builders Association and works as anewspaper reporter in Baltimore City.


‘We have to harnesspeople's enthusiasm forsports—and theirpriorities for spendingtime with theirfamilies—and showthem how much fun atennis vacation can beagain.’

made many people rethink their leisureplans and cancel or downgrade their stand-alone family vacations. What we've seenhappen at the same time, however, is thatthey continue to pay their dues for their fit-ness club and take advantage of programsoffered there.

What's more interesting? Those par-ents are traveling to their kids' out of towntournaments in sports like soccer,wrestling or lacrosse, and they're going totheir own events like marathons. They'realso bringing their families along for theride when they go to any of those sportingevents. In fact, they're extending thosetrips for a few days in order to get a familyvacation, particularly if the area has histor-ical, cultural or other significance, or if it'sjust plain fun.

The thing we have to do here is harnesspeople's enthusiasm for sports—and theirpriorities for spending time with their fam-ilies—and show them how much fun a ten-nis vacation can be again. If you canimplement that kind of value-added pro-gramming that provides fun for the kids,and keeps them active and happy, you'llstand a better chance of getting your adulttennis players back, and (bonus points) ofraising a whole new generation of playerswho love the tradition of a tennis vaca-tion.�

We welcome your opinions. Please emailcomments to [email protected].

Your Serve


Family Fun

B Y M A R Y H E L E N S P R E C H E R

10 and Under Tennis can be akey to bringing families backto taking tennis vacations.

201106 Racquet Sports Industry

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