201505 Tennis Industry magazine

TIA Tennis Summit

Key conferencesaddress INDUSTRYCONCERNS

Selling Footwear

Become a SHOE EXPERTto boost sales

Racquet Tech

How to keep yourSTRING MACHINEin peak form

Incorporating USPTA

MAY 2015 / VOLUME 43/ NUMBER 5 / $5.00

EvolutionOf PolyStringsTop manufacturers discuss poly and co-poly strings

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DEPARTMENTS

4 Our Serve

7 Industry News

14 TIA News

16 Racquet Tech

18 Retailing Tip

34 Tips & Tecqniques

40 Your Serve, by Ellen Miller

PLUS

38 CEO’s Message

40 Vice President’s Message

42 Endorsee News

44 Beyond the Court

48 Master Pro Corner

50 USPTA News

54 Career Development

56 Member News

INDUSTRY NEWS

7 Roy Barth elected new PTR president

7 Connor Sport Court surface chosen for Lake Nona

7 John Austin named tennis director at Hall of Fame

7 Boost your business with ‘Try Tennis Free’

8 Babolat offers French, Wimbledon product

8 Diadora announces 2015 shoe line

8 Gill heads proposed USPTA officer slate

8 Susan DiBiase named GM for Babolat USA

9 Hawk-Eye calls lines at PowerShares Series

9 Mauresmo leads 2015 HOF induction class

10 Peoplewatch

10 PTR ACE program set for 33 cities

11 ITA, Tennis Analytics, announce partnership

12 Short Sets

MAY 2015Tennis Industry

20 Industry Addresses Major Issues, Concerns

At the Tennis Summit, top tennis and sports execs examined the state of the tennis industry and ways to grow the sport.

26 Kicking It Up!Becoming a shoe expert will boost your store’s sales and your customers’ loyalty.

28 Evolution of Poly StringsString manufacturers help sort though questions about poly, co-poly and who should play with them.

30 Solid SolutionsThese nine outdoor facility winners are excellent examples of hard-court construction.

40 Diversity and Inclusion within USPTA

42 ReImagine Tennis as Never Before

51 Grass Court Championships Return to Surface Tournament Slate

52 Tennis Heads to New Orleans in September

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2 TennisIndustry May 2015

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FEATURES

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www.tennisindustrymag.com www.tennisindustrymag.com

Read more articles online at www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

www.tennisindustrymag.com

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Our Serve Publishers

David Bone Jeff Williams

Editorial Director Peter Francesconi [email protected]

Associate Editor Greg Raven

Design/Art Director Kristine Thom

Special Projects Manager Bob Patterson

Contributing Editors Robin Bateman Cynthia Cantrell Kent Oswald Cynthia Sherman Mary Helen Sprecher Tim Strawn

Contributing Photographers Bob Kenas David Kenas

TENNIS INDUSTRY Corporate Offices PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096 Phone: 760-536-1177 Fax: 760-536-1171 Email: [email protected] Website: www.TennisIndustryMag.com Office Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Advertising Director John Hanna 770-650-1102, x.125 [email protected] Apparel Advertising Cynthia Sherman 203-263-5243 [email protected]

Tennis Industry is published 10 times per year: monthly January through August and combined issues in September/October and November/ December by Tennis Industry and USRSA, PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096. Periodcal postage paid at Duluth, GA and at additional mailing offices (USPS #004-354). May 2015, Volume 43, Number 5 © 2015 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. All rights reserved. Tennis Industry, TI and logo are trademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A. Phone advertising: 770-650-1102 x 125. Phone circulation and editorial: 760-536-1177. Yearly subscriptions $25 in the U.S., $40 elsewhere. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Tennis Industry, PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096. TI is the official magazine of the USRSA, TIA,and ASBA.

Looking for back issues of Tennis Industry/Racquet Sports Industry? Visit the archives at our website at TennisIndustrymag.com for free digital versions back to 2004.

I ’ve been fortunate over the years to have attended a lot of industry-related events, from

USTA meetings on national, sec-tional, district and local levels, to educational conferences from the PTR and USPTA, to meetings and forums presented by the TIA focus-ing on growth, and much more. I always find something useful in these gatherings, and I never get tired of meeting and networking with col-leagues.

But in mid-March, I attended two concurrent meetings in Indian Wells, Calif.—the TIA Tennis Sum-mit followed by the Tennis Owners & Managers (T.O.M.) Conference—that overall, may well have been the most informative in many years.

In full disclosure, since the mission of this magazine and the mission of the TIA are similar, I work with and for the TIA on many projects and campaigns, and I did help in organiz-ing these two meetings. But, as with everything the TIA does, the meet-ings were more a product of help by the entire industry—many segments came together with the TIA and volunteered their time and expertise to help with the programs.

The Tennis Summit (see pages 14 and 20) had a great lineup of speak-ers and panelists from all walks of tennis, while the T.O.M. had tennis and club industry experts imparting their knowledge to help facility own-ers and managers run their business-es more efficiently and profitably. Af-ter three days at these meetings, I left exhausted, but thoroughly inspired to do what I can to keep growing this sport and get more people playing.

A number of speakers hit on themes that I’ve always felt are criti-cal. Dr. Jim Loehr, for instance, who works with athletes in many sports,

thinks tennis is absolutely the best overall for developing human beings, and for providing healthy exercise for body and mind. He feels we need to do a better job of selling this sport and its benefits.

I’ve long said we’re not getting “out there” enough with messages about all the benefits tennis can offer, and it was gratifying to hear Dr. Loehr and others talk about this. We all know these benefits, but we tend to speak to each other more than to the general public. We like to make ourselves feel good about this sport, but it’s time we focused outward and put together a consumer campaign to reach people who don’t wake up every morning thinking about tennis.

We must give people real, sub-stantive reasons to play. We must do a better job of selling the health and fitness benefits of tennis to the general public. We need a targeted campaign to do this, one that pulls in all segments of this industry.

And we need to realize, whether a volunteer in tennis or someone who makes their living from this sport, that above all, this is a business. As much as we want to do things simply for the good of the game and to help humanity, we need to know we can stay in business and make money in this sport. When tennis companies start shutting down, this whole sport suffers.

The news in tennis isn’t all rosy. We have participation and retail sales challenges. Some of these were men-tioned in Indian Wells, and hopefully, we as an industry won’t shy away from telling not just the good, but the bad and the ugly, too—then finding ways to improve things. The TIA meetings in Indian Wells provided a great launching pad for the next, critical chapters in our sport.

Peter Francesconi, Editorial [email protected]

The Next Chapters

4 TennisIndustry May 2015 www.tennisindustrymag.com www.tennisindustrymag.com

Roy Barth of Kiawah Island, S.C., has been elected as the new president of the PTR Board of Directors. Elected to serve as vice president is Karl Hale of Toronto, Canada. Ajay Pant of College Park, Md., will serve as secretary, and Oivind Sorvald

of Oslo, Norway, will serve as treasurer.Continuing to serve on the PTR board as at-large direc-

tors are Leo Alonso of Buenos Aires; Luciano Botti of Italy; Rodney Harmon of Atlanta; and Pat Van der Meer of Hilton Head Island, S.C. Jorge Andrew of Cayce, S.C., remains on the board as immediate past president.

Barth (at right in photo with Jorge Andrew) was ranked in the U.S. as high as No. 8 in men’s singles and No. 2 in men’s doubles, as well as being ranked in the Top 50 in the world on the pro tour. He also was a founding member of the ATP Tour. In 1976, he was named director of tennis at Kiawah Is-land Golf Resort, where he manages two tennis centers with 24 courts. He has served as chairman of the USTA Davis Cup Committee and is a member of the San Diego, South Carolina and Southern Tennis Halls of Fame. Barth, a PTR Inter-national Master Pro, was named PTR Professional of the Year in 1990 and 2007.

Vice President Hale is the tournament director for the ATP and WTA Rogers Cup in Toronto. He also is the head tennis pro at the Donalda Club in Toronto. Pant is the general manager for the Tennis Center at College Park, Md., and Sorvald is the director of High Performance and Coach Education for the Norwegian Tennis Association.•

May 2015 TennisIndustry 7

Industry NewsInformation to help you run your business

Connor Sport Court Surface Chosen for Lake Nona

Connor Sport Court International has partnered with the USTA to provide 16 courts for the USTA’s new state-of-the-art tennis facility at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla., set to open in 2016.

As the “official and exclusive supplier” of the USTA for 36-foot and 60-foot courts, Connor Sport Court will provide eight 36- and eight 60-foot courts using its Sport Court PowerGame surface, for use by youngsters and adults.

“Connor Sport Court Internation-al is proud to partner with the USTA to provide Sport Court-branded tennis courts for the “new home for American tennis,” says CSCI President and CEO Ron Cerny. “This is a great opportunity for our Sport Court brand to be part of this trans-formational USTA initiative that will help grow the sport of tennis in the U.S. at both the youth and adult levels.”

To keep in line with the USTA’s goals, an advanced surface system was required that provided not only unparalleled safety but also met the green technology initia-tives of USTA and Lake Nona. The Sport Court PowerGame surface will be built on SportBase, a recy-cled concrete replacement product that will provide additional cushion and safety.

“We are working with leaders in the tennis industry to build a game-changing facility and are excited that we are partnering with Sport Court,” says Virgil Christian, the USTA’s senior director of Market/Facility Development & Collegiate Tennis.

Boost Your Business With ‘Try Tennis Free’

Increase traffic to your courts and bring more people into tennis with the industry-supported “Try Tennis Free” (TTF) campaign, which will run


Roy Barth Elected New PTR President

John Austin is the new director of tennis at the Inter-national Tennis Hall of Fame Tennis Club in Newport, R.I. Austin is a former ATP touring professional, ATP

coach and tennis director at prestigious resorts in the West and Southwest.

“I have a deep passion for the game and a strong appre-ciation for the history of this great sport,” Austin says. “I’m looking forward to being part of the club’s future, especially with the renovations and programming that are sure to be an integral part of the club in the years to come.”

He joins the Hall of Fame Tennis Club as the facility undergoes a major renovation that will result in an all-new indoor facility with three hard courts and the addition of three new indoor/outdoor courts. The club also has 13 grass courts and one clay court. Austin will oversee all programming at the Hall of Fame Tennis Club, which is open to the public.

“John has built successful and engaging tennis programs at some of the most popular clubs in the country,” says HoF CEO Todd Martin. “We are eager to bring his expertise to our club to create a world-class experience for our members and guests."

Austin competed on the ATP World Tour for six years, achieving a world ranking of No. 40. In 1980, he partnered with his sister, Hall of Famer Tracy Austin, to win the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon.•

Austin Named Tennis Director at HoF Tennis Club

throughout the month of May.Tennis providers—facilities, certified

teaching pros, Community Tennis Associa-tions, park & recs and others—can choose the best introductory session or program they feel will encourage new and returning players to step onto the court. Free offers can include lessons, clinics, Cardio Tennis, Play Days, and more.

“You decide what will work best in your area to attract people to tennis,” says Jolyn de Boer, executive director of the TIA, which is spearheading Try Ten-nis Free, in conjunction with the USPTA, PTR and USTA. “Tennis providers who partici-pated in the inaugural TTF campaign last May reported that on average, facilities saw 30 new and returning players hitting their courts.”

Providers can easily sign up at PlayTennis.

Industry News

com to participate in TTF and receive free customizable marketing material to down-load to promote the campaign locally.

Diadora Announces 2015 Tennis Shoe Lines

Diadora’s new line of perfor-mance tennis shoes for men and women in-cludes the Star K and Speed Pro EVO models. Designed with an emphasis on perfor-mance, durability and style, each shoe features Diadora’s proprietary technolo-gies. Dunlop Sports Group America is the U.S. distributor for Diadora.

The men’s Star K VI AG shoe is crafted with soft kangaroo leather, has a remov-able Ortholite insole, and uses Axeler 5

Technology for shock absorption and energy recovery, while the Power Flow system provides ventilation and air flow. The Duratech 5000 rubber outsole has a six-month guarantee. Star K models come in two colorways for both men and women. Suggested retail for the Star K VI and Star K III is $139.

The redesigned Speed Pro EVO AG is built for lightweight speed and comfort, says Diadora, with a lightweight Air Mesh/Supreltech upper and uni-tongue construction. The men’s Speed Pro Evo AG is available in three colorways: Blue Prugna/Flame Red, Lime/Fluo, and Black/Fluo. The women’s Speed Pro EVO is available in Blue Plum/Bright Rose. Suggested retail for both models is $119. USPTA Offers Proposed Board of Directors Slate

The USPTA national Nominating Commit-tee has submitted the following slate for the 2016-2017 national Board of Directors:President: Chuck GillFirst Vice President: Gary TrostVice Presidents: Alan Cutler, Feisal Hassan, Jack Michalko, Diane Selke, R.J. Tessier Immediate Past President: Tom McGraw

Additional nominations may be made by the general membership in accordance with the USPTA Bylaws. Procedures and informa-tion for running for a board position may be obtained from the national office ([email protected]). In order for a new candidate to be added to the ballot, he or she must be nominated by at least 120 members. Only one nominee per office will be added to the slate.

DiBiase Named GM for Babolat USA

Susan DiBiase has been named the new General Manager of Babolat USA and will lead the brand strategy and execution in the U.S., working out of the headquarters in Boul-der, Colo. She’s served as the company’s mar-keting director since 2007.

DiBiase, named Tennis Industry maga-zine’s 2012 “Person of the Year,” has


Babolat Offers French, Wimbledon Product

Babolat has come out with new product for both the French Open and Wimbledon.

For the French Open, the Racket Holder comes in 6-pack (suggested retail $75) or 12-pack ($95) models and includes a cooler compartment to help preserve string tension. The Backpack Team ($65) is an ultra compact model. In addition, the company offers a vari-ety of strings, grips and dampeners designed in the spirit of the French Open.

Babolat is the official licensee for racquets, shoes, bags and accesso-ries for Wimbledon and can use the official colors of the event. This year, the company offers the Babolat Pure Strike Wimbledon special edition racquet, with a 98-square-inch head size, 16/19 string pattern, and sug-gested retail of $199.

Footwear includes the all-surface Propulse BPM All Court, in black/green or white/green, with a suggested retail of $119. The Wimbledon models have the tournament’s official logo. The SFX All Court shoe ($105) also is available in green, white and purple. Among Wimbledon logoed equipment bags, Babolat also offers a Pure Strike Wimbledon bag in a new, larger size that can hold up to 15 rac-quets. Visit babolat.com.•


Industry News

May2015 TennisIndustry 9www.tennisindustrymag.com www.tennisindustrymag.com

contributed to major growth in market share by implementing diverse strate-gies and programs for Babolat. Re-cently, she spearheaded the U.S. launch of the first “connected” tennis racquet, the Babolat Play.

“I’m honored and thrilled by the op-portunity to build upon the great work that’s been accomplished, and to con-tinue to cultivate relationships with our partners and look for innovative ways to grow the brand in the U.S.,” she says.

Officials Out, Hawk-Eye Inat PowerShares Series

InsideOut Sports and Entertainment an-nounced that the 2015 PowerShares Series tennis circuit will be the first pro tennis event series to exclusively use electronic line-calling systems in place of linespeople throughout its 12-city tour, which started March 24 in Salt Lake City.

The PowerShares Series, the North American tennis tour for champion tennis players over the age of 30, will now only employ a chair umpire for matches during its four-player nightly events and will have all line-calling responsibilities decided by the Hawk-Eye Officiating System. Players will be allowed unlimited challenges dur-ing a match.

Players competing on the 2015 PowerShares Series are defending points champion John McEnroe; Hall of Famers Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, and Michael Chang; and Andy Roddick, James Blake and Mark Philippoussis.

Mauresmo Leads 2015HOF Induction Class

Former world No. 1 and two-time major champion Amelie Mauresmo has been elected to receive the highest hon-or in the sport of tennis—induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Joining Mauresmo in the Class of 2015 will be David Hall of Australia, a six-time Paralympic medalist. Longtime tennis industry leader Nancy Jeffett has been elected in the Contributor Category in recognition of her lifetime commitment to the growth of the sport, particularly in the areas of women's professional tennis and junior tennis development.

The 2015 Induction Ceremony will be

PeopleWatch

Babolat USA has promoted Daniel Becker to senior mar-keting manager, from brand marketing manager. Becker will oversee communication, sports marketing and field marketing. In 2013, he was named one of Tennis Industry’s “30 Under 30.”

Amer Sports, which owns Wilson Sporting Goods, ap-pointed Vincent Wauters as president of Amer Sports ap-parel business and a member of the company’s executive board. He had been general manager of Amer’s Arc'teryx Inc. brand since 2012. He will report to Amer Sports' Presi-dent and CEO Heikki Takala.

The USTA announced that Gold Badge Chief Umpire Bruce Littrell has been named Chief Umpire of the 2015 US Open. Littrell, who served as Deputy Chief Umpire of last year’s US Open, succeeds former Chief Umpire Phyllis “Woodie” Walker, who retired after succeeding longtime Chief Umpire Rich Kaufman for the 2014 US Open.

Pro Heather Watson of the United Kingdom is the latest player to join the Babolat team. She is playing with Babolat’s Pure Strike racquet with RPM Blast string. At Wimbledon, she’ll use a special edition “Pure Strike Wimbledon” frame in the tournament’s signature green and purple. Babolat is the official licensee of Wimbledon.

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced the six 2015 inductees for the ITA Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame: coaches Fred Kniffen (University of Texas at Tyler & Tyler Junior College) and Jim Schwitters (University of Hawaii); players Jay Berger (Clemson University), Mark Merklein (University of Florida) and Jeff Morrison (University of Florida); and contributor Tim Russell (Northwestern University). The Enshrinement Banquet will be May 20 in Waco, Texas, during the NCAA Division I Men's & Women's Tennis Championships at Bay-lor University.

Bill Kellogg is again the president of the USTA Southern California Section. Kellogg was president from 2009 to 2011, then was on the USTA national board of direc-tors. He took the reins again at SoCal at the section’s annual meeting in March.

Grace Cummings, a student-athlete at Madison (Conn.) Daniel Hand High School, has been selected the 2015 na-tional recipient of the “National High School Spirit of Sport Award” by the National Federa-tion of State High School As-sociations (NFHS). Cummings, who has a 3.98 grade-point av-erage, is a highly accomplished three-sport student-athlete

who plays field hockey in the fall, ice hockey in the winter, and tennis in the spring. She underwent a liver transplant in 2012.

USPTA Elite Professional and former USPTA National President Harry Gilbert is the new executive director of tennis at the Albany resort community in the Bahamas. Gilbert will reside at Albany during November through April and will continue to spend the summer months as director of tennis at Waccabuc Country Club in Westchester County, N.Y.

Steve Hinding and Vin Rapuano have joined Hinding Tennis LLC of West

Haven, Conn., full time. Hinding, who is vice

president and in the process of becom-ing a full partner, has been in the tennis

surfacing industry for 40 years. Rapuano

will promote and sell post-tensioned tennis courts in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Former pro player Jan-Michael Gambill is the new head coach for the Boston Lobsters of the Mylan World TeamTennis Pro League. Gambill was ranked as high as No. 14 in the world in singles and reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2000. He played for WTT for eight seasons, including

with the Lobsters from 2008 to 2012.

The San Diego Aviators of Mylan World TeamTennis has signed tennis champion and BBC tennis commentator John Lloyd as its coach for the 2015 season. Lloyd is a for-mer British No. 1 in singles, peaking at No. 21 in the ATP Rankings. He also won three Grand Slam mixed doubles championships. Lloyd cap-tained the British Davis Cup team from 2006 to 2010.

WTA player and former world No. 1 Caroline Wozni-acki is the newest advocate for USANA Health Sciences, joining more than 700 elite athletes, including tennis players Eugenie Bouchard, Madison Keys, Samanth Sto-sur and Sloane Stephens.

Five-time world racquetball champion Sudsy Monchik has been elected to the Racquetball Hall of Fame in the “professional” category. Monchik led the develop-ment of Dunlop’s global product line, in addition to handling promotions and sponsorships.

Ashaway has signed rising Scottish international badminton player Paul Van Rietvelde. He plays with Ashaway ZyMax 66 Fire.

Industry News


July 18 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. The ceremony will be held in conjunction with the annual Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, an ATP World Tour event. Visit HallofFameT-

ennisChampionships.com.

PTR ACE ProgramSet for 33 U.S. Cities

The PTR is reigniting its ACE Program

aimed primarily at increasing the number of tennis coaches of color in the U.S. The ACE (Advancing the Commitment to Education) Program, which featured Arthur Ashe as its spokesperson when it started in 1991, will


Industry News


travel to 33 cities across the country. ACE is an invitation-only program

offering education and certification at a re-duced rate as a result of scholarships from PTR, participating USTA sections, and in some cases, states and districts. The first three ACE workshops—in Houston, Mil-waukee and Columbia, S.C.—have been sold out. Participants must be at least 4.0 players in order to qualify for certification.

“Our goal for the ACE Program is simple: Increase the number of certified coaches of color in the U.S.,” says PTR CEO Dan Santorum. “Our goal is 33 percent of PTR membership to be coaches of color in three years.”

Gamma Offers New Solace Multifilament String

Gamma’s newest string is Solace, a multifilament featuring a high-energy TNT2 Dual Core technology and high-te-nacity multifilament outer wraps bonded together by a polyurethane matrix and coated with a soft abrasion resistant TPU for maximum comfort and exceptional playability, says Gamma.

In addition to a full set, Solace will be sold as a half set main string paired with Glide cross string—Glide Hybrid with Sol-ace. The company says players with slow to moderate swing speeds will benefit from the power and vibration dampening of Solace, and players with faster swing speeds will benefit from the control, com-fort and feel.

Solace is available in 16 and 17 gauges in “natural” color. Suggested retail is $16.95. Suggested retail for the Glide Hybrid with Solace is $27.95.

ITA Announces Partnership with Tennis Analytics

The Intercollegiate Tennis Associa-tion (ITA) has a new partnership with Tennis Analytics LLC to provide video match tagging for collegiate teams. Raw match footage will be charted and posted to a private online team collec-tion, allowing coaches and players to filter and view important match events. Detailed match reports and player season averages are also provided. The service can be used for home and away matches.

“Initially, Tennis Analytics was a service that we provided to a select few top touring pros and federations," said Warren Pretorius, who founded

The Global Tennis Network.“With the continued growth and popu-

larity of the Advantage Tennis Glove and the growth of tennis, we believe it is the right time to transition from a regional to a national marketplace,” says Robert Gore, CEO of Advantage Tennis Gloves and publisher of INTENNIS. “Advantage Tennis Gloves offer players a better grip on their racquet and game, less stress and fatigue for their hands, and increased protection against blisters. It makes the game more enjoyable, and will keep your players playing more.”

Gore says the direct connection be-tween a player and his piece of sports equipment is the key to success. “Base-ball players hold a bat for just a few min-utes every game, yet they use a batting glove every time. In golf, it takes only


Industry News


ShortSets

Great Britain beat the U.S. in the Davis Cup World Group first round in early March, 3-2, and will host France in the quarterfinal in July. The U.S. will play in Septem-ber’s World Group Playoff against an opponent to be determined.

The USPTA is now ac-cepting nominations for its 2015 awards. USPTA annually honors mem-

bers who go above and beyond to support the industry and the game. Visit uspta.com/awards for nomination forms, rules and more information. Deadline is July 7.

USTA New England and Babolat have formed a partnership in which the France-based company will serve as the section’s official partner for racquets, tennis bags, strings, accessories

and 10 and Under Tennis. Babolat will work with USTA NE to promote the youth aspect of the sport with the goal of growing the game.

Invesco PowerShares (PowerShares QQQ) has renewed its title spon-sorship of the Champi-ons Series tennis circuit though 2018. Power-Shares QQQ has been the title sponsor since 2011. The PowerShares Series is the North

American tennis circuit for champion tennis play-ers over the age of 30.

Junior Tennis Cham-pions Center of College Park, Md., will partner with Special Olympics Maryland for the third straight year. JTCC will provide athletes on Team Montgomery County access to its training facilities, as well as coach-ing from some of JTCC's top junior champions and award-winning coaching staff.

The USTA has renewed its agree-ment with IMG as the US Open media consultant outside of the U.S., Canadian and Latin American territo-ries until 2025. IMG has been repre-senting the USTA since 2013 and will continue to consult the USTA in media negotiations across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.

the company. “A natural extension is the collegiate market, and we already have over 30 top teams as clients. In all major sports, there is a far greater awareness of the importance of analytics and having greater information that allows you to objectively track player and team prog-ress.”

Head Takes Over Stringing at BNP Paribas Open

Head Professional Stringing took over as the official stringer for the 2015 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the first change in stringing teams at the March tournament in decades. The BNP Paribas Open is the larg-est professional two-week combined ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and WTA Premier tennis tournament in the world, with 96 players in the singles draws and 32 teams in the doubles draws.

Head used a new stringing machine at the BNP Paribas Open, however company officials said the Head-branded machine is still in development and not available yet for stringers. With the move to official stringer for the event, Head/Penn Racquet Sports expands its role with the tournament, as Penn has been the official ball since 1982.

Advantage Glove Helps Players Get a Grip

Advantage Tennis Gloves, which has primarily been available to players in the U.S. Southeast, has expanded to more national distribution, following its ownership change to INTENNIS Inc.–

seconds to swing a club, yet golfers can’t do it without using a golf glove to im-prove their grip.

“But tennis players, who must hold their racquet continuously for an hour or more just to play the game, have tra-ditionally avoided using a glove that can help them improve their grip—and there-fore improve their game. We think it’s time tennis players got a better grip on their tennis games.”

Advantage’s patented design provides an improved grip with a seamless palm, minimizing blisters and calluses, Gore says. The mesh back provides greater hand comfort, and the attached sweat-band keeps the hand and the racquet handle perspiration-free.

For more information or to order, visit advantagetennisgloves.com or call 707-888-3714.

US Open National Playoffs Adds Doubles

The US Open National Playoffs will be held for the sixth season this year, providing the opportunity for all players 14 years of age and older to earn a berth into the tourna-ment. New this year, the National Playoffs will include men’s and women’s doubles competition. Also, players can continue to compete in both men’s and women’s singles, as well as mixed doubles.

The US Open National Playoffs singles champions earn a wild card into the US Open Qualifying Tournament, held the week prior to the US Open. The US Open National

www.tennisindustrymag.com www.tennisindustrymag.com May 2015 TennisIndustry 13

Playoffs men’s, women’s and mixed doubles champions receive a wild card into the main doubles draws of the 2015 tournament.

“This year, by adding men’s and women’s doubles, the National Playoffs are giving competitors the opportunity to earn their way into the US Open in every possible way,” said Katrina Adams, USTA Chairman of the Board, CEO and President. “We look forward to watching top juniors, collegians, aspir-ing pros, and weekend warriors compete for the chance to play on tennis’ grandest stage.” Registration for sectional qualifying tournaments is at www.USOpen.org/Na-tionalPlayoffs.

TIA Joins DC Lobbying Effort Peg Connor, the grassroots program

manager for the Tennis Industry Asso-ciation, represented the industry at the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s 2015 National Health Through Fitness Day in Washington, D.C. on March 4.

Among the sports celebrities who joined more than 100 sports industry executives in lobbying Congress for key legislation to battle the “inactivity pan-demic” in the U.S. were six Olympic gold medalists, one Heisman trophy winner, a Super Bowl champion, and athletes from Major League Baseball, NHL, NBA, USA Swimming and more.

Connor (above) spent time visiting lawmakers’ offices with former MLB pitcher Tommy John, who was honored with the SFIA Lifetime Achievement Award. The sports execs pushed lawmak-ers to support the PEP Bill (Carol M. White Physical Education Program) and the PHIT Act (Personal Health Investment Today). For info, visit sfia.org/nhtf.

USRSA Announces New MRTs Anthony Heckle - Cincinnati, OH Kristi Kelly - Glen Mills, PA Steve Leane - Tucson, AZ

14 TennisIndustry May 2015 Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org

The TIA Tennis Summit took place March 17-18 at the Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif., during the BNP Paribas Open pro tournament. The event brought together top tennis and sports industry executives, who examined the state of the tennis industry and ways to grow the sport (see page 20 for more on the Summit). Here are some of the top “takeaways” from the 2015 Summit.

• There still are challenges to overcome: Sales of entry-level racquets have declined. Players and teaching pros are aging. (Greg Mason)

• The Try Tennis Free campaign, ramping up for the month of May, will help increase

participation and bring business to tennis facilities. (Greg Mason)

• Health & wellness will be the No. 1 driver for recreational sports and activities. (Tom Cove)

• Parents want a good experience for the whole family, one that fits into modern lifestyles. (Tom Cove)

• Fitness trackers are huge; over 51% of millennials wear a fitness tracker. (Tom Cove)

• Retail is not dead, but a well connected, omni-channel experience is a key for success. Retail is more and more about the “Amazon effect”—get it to the customer faster and faster. (Tom Cove)

• Inactivity is a huge problem. It’s increased 28% over the past seven years. We need to build a culture of activity based on fun sports and recreation. (Tom Cove)

• USTA is focusing on the ABC’s: Accountability, Behavior, Communication. (Katrina Adams)

• USTA needs to tell a better story, needs to make sure people know what we do. (Katrina Adams)

• Fastest growing demographic group is Hispanics, so reaching out to this group is a priority. (Katrina Adams)

• There is a huge opportunity with high school tennis players. There are more than 300,000 high school players, but over 90% don’t compete outside of their school team. (Katrina Adams)

• We must refocus and address sportsmanship in tennis. (Katrina Adams)

• Lake Nona will include 102 courts. It will serve as a training ground not just for players, but also for coaches. (Gordon Smith)

• Cost of Lake Nona will be $50 million. The plan is to be revenue neutral at first, then revenue positive. (Gordon Smith)

• Improving the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center will cost more than $500 million over the next four years. (Gordon Smith)

• The focus for the ATP Tour is to use the players to make tennis cool to attract millennials. (George Ciz)

• Although the ATP tour is global, the tour needs to act locally. The ATP is planning hundreds of PR and grassroots events. (George Ciz)

• Mylan World TeamTennis grows the sport in local communities through spectator and participatory experiences. WTT takes pro tennis to smaller markets. Over the years, WTT has give out over 300,000 free racquets. (Ilana Kloss)

• WTA asked 5,000 sports fans (not tennis fans) what they want in a sports event/experience. They want national stars, rising stars, story telling, defined seasons, better scheduling. (Stacey Allaster)

• We need to get more kids and girls involved; we need to get kids on court with the athletes. (Stacey Allaster)

• USTA Sections and Tennis Service Reps use local events, including Futures and Challengers, as platforms for promoting tennis. (J. Wayne Richmond)

• For pro players to get involved in growing the recreational game, you have to make it easy for the pros. Playing the

tour is a full-time job; partners need to get organized and streamline player participation. (Ilana Kloss)

• The Emirates Airline US Open Series events get involved with community efforts by adopting a local NJTL chapter and using it as a platform to host 10 and Under coaches workshops. (J. Wayne Richmond)

• Tennis must do a better job of addressing parents to let them know how tennis is different from any other sport. Tennis is the No. 1 sport for enhancing health and personal development for a lifetime. (Dr. Jim Loehr)

TAKEAWAYSF R O M T H E 2 0 1 5 T E N N I S S U M M I T

Greg Mason

Tom Cove

Dr. Jim Loehr

Katrina Adams

Stacey Allaster, Ilana KlossJ. Wayne Richmond

• We need to accelerate tennis learning, make tennis friendlier, make learning the game more fun, awaken the world to the value of tennis in life. (Dr. Jim Loehr)

• We need to sell tennis better: you can play for a lifetime, there’s a low risk of injury, it’s

a full-body workout you can get in 45 to 60 minutes, it’s an extraordinary brain workout, it’s an individual and team sport, it’s cleansing physically, mentally and emotionally. (Dr. Jim Loehr)

• Embracing technology is vital

and will bring more people into the sport from a spectator and participant perspective. (Ted Robinson)

• Look at different ways to introduce tennis to kids. Kids get introduced to golf through caddying—is there a way for tennis to emulate that, such as being a ball kid? (Ted Robinson)

• Every golf shop has the Golf Channel on; tennis clubs and facilities should have the Tennis Channel on all the time. (Ted Robinson)

• Be proud of tennis— it’s a phenomenal activity. (Ted Robinson)

• Dedication to senior management is crucial…take care of them so they take care of the customers. (Bahram Akradi)

• Don’t do it unless you can do it right and do it big. (Bahram Akradi)

• The point of view of the customer must be front and center. (Bahram Akradi)

• Tennis members are loyal and social. They spend two to three times as much as other types of customers at a fitness club. Tennis members are the most valuable members for Life Time Fitness. (Bahram Akradi)

• Everyone, including club owners/managers, has an obligation to emphasize the importance of continuing education for coaches and teaching pros. (John Embree)

• This is the first time in U.S. history that children will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents due to the obesity epidemic and inactivity pandemic. (Kurt Kamperman)

• Millennial parents want more local

sports, shorter play formats, and non-elimination formats. (Kurt Kamperman)

• USTA is one of the few federations that doesn’t require certification, but there is movement toward licensing for youth providers, not just from an education perspective but also from a safety/background check perspective, because the marketplace demands it. (Dr. Paul Lubbers)

• There’s a very small percentage of college tennis players who want to teach/coach tennis as a profession.

It’s imperative to reach kids earlier, in high school, about considering tennis as a profession. (Dan Santorum)

• Physical literacy is important. Many kids are not being exposed to physical education and thus are struggling to get into more specialized sports. You’ve got to learn to become an athlete before you can learn tennis. Increasing

the number of kids with physical literacy is key. (Kurt Kamperman)

• We’ve got to be better at selling tennis, not just clinics or leagues, but selling tennis as a lifestyle, as a way to better your family. It’s a key to growth among millennials. (Dr. Paul Lubbers)

• Wearable technology is the next big opportunity; less than 35% of millennials watch TV. (Adam Ware)

• Human growth is driven by three things: appreciation, recognition and creative freedom. (Peter Burwash)

• The characteristics of good leaders are: enthusiasm, great creativity, expands horizons, empathy, appreciation. (Peter Burwash)

• The strongest leaders are lifetime learners. (Peter Burwash)

• Keep your mission top of mind at all times. (Nick Bollettieri)

• Don’t be afraid to fail…it’s critical to success. (Nick Bollettieri)

The third annual Tennis Owners & Managers (T.O.M.) Conference took place March 18-19, immediately following the Tennis Summit in Rancho Mirage, Calif. The T.O.M. Conference brought together some of this industry’s leading experts in club and facility management and programming

to help provide practical information, strategies, ideas and other takeaways that facility and club owners/managers can implement to be more competitive and profitable.

We’d like to give a special thanks to our T.O.M. Conference Advisory Board—Doug Cash, Rod Heckelman, Greg Lappin and Mark McMahon—for their invaluable help in assembling speakers and sessions for this year’s conference.

We realize that bringing more people into this sport isn’t possible

without tennis facilities and clubs, which continue to grow this game and create opportunities for more people to play. We have tentative plans to present our fourth annual T.O.M. Conference next year in Miami, during the

Miami Open. We hope you can join us, as we plan to continue to work together to grow the game, grow this industry, and grow your business.

Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org May 2015 TennisIndustry 15

T.O.M. CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON

INCREASING PLAYERS AND BUSINESS

Ted Robinson

Bahram Akradi

Dr. Gerry Faust

Lin Conrad

John Embree, Dan Santorum, Dr. Paul Lubbers, Kurt Kamperman

Nick Bollettieri

Rod Heckelman, Greg Lappin, Jolyn de Boer, Mark McMahon, Doug Cash

Peter Burwash

David LaSota, Richard Zaino, Randy Futty

Maintain Your InvestmentBy Bob Patterson

Racquet Tech


If you string racquets, your stringing machine is obviously vital to your business. If it breaks down, your in-

come stops. For the most part, profes-sional-level stringing machines are very reliable. A maintenance routine will ensure that your machine is operating at peak efficiency and will keep any problems to a minimum.

Since machines vary, we will just speak in general terms here, but be sure and check your machine’s owner’s manual to see if other steps may be re-quired or if any of the information here is not valid for your machine.

Keep It CleanBesides being detrimental to the ef-ficient operation of your machine, dirt and grime send the wrong message to your client. Keeping your machine clean, as well as your workspace, will let your customers know that you care about your equipment and, importantly, their racquets.

For most machines, rubbing alcohol, a cloth and an old toothbrush are all you need to keep your machine clean. Dampen the cloth with the alcohol and rub down glide bars, glide rails or clamp plate surfaces to remove any buildups.

For glide bar clamps be sure to clean the bar jaw area, too. For fixed clamps, clean the post. On all clamps, use the toothbrush saturated in the alcohol to get into the clamp and brush away any build up of silicone, dirt and anything else that collects in the tight spaces.

Don’t forget to clean the pulling head jaws, your starting clamps and pliers jaws, too.

We recommend cleaning your ma-

chine after about every 25 string-jobs or whenever you see build up or experi-ence clamp slippage. Keeping a log will make sure you stay on track rather than guessing at how long it’s been since the last clean up. If your workload is steady, pick a day and clean machines in the morning before you start to make sure you never go too long.

Check OperationsFor electronic machines, it is a good time to run through the functions to make sure everything is operating as it should and that all displays and lights are functional. Manual machines need to be checked for wear around springs and all of the interactive parts. If your lock-out machine is not used on a daily basis it is a good idea to set the tension

to near zero when not in use. This will relieve pressure on the spring and make it last longer.

Check Your CalibrationAfter cleaning is a good time to check the calibration of your machine to make sure your tension is accurate. If you have it set on 60, it should pull your calibration scale to 60. Otherwise, you will need to follow directions for your machine to re-calibrate.

Pick a good tension in the middle of your normal tension range. If you only string tennis racquets, checking at 50 or 60 is sufficient. However, if you also string badminton and/or racquetball racquets, you may also want to run a second pull at a lower tension just to make sure everything is spot-on.•

If you are like many specialty tennis retailers, you staff the sales floor and are directly involved with your

sales associates in serving shoppers and customers. You lead by example and, whether you do it consciously or not, you are a mentor to your employees.

You surely already know from your experience the power of a well-honed customer greeting. But, you need to constantly review, refine and improve your store’s greeting in both form and content—to stay current with shopper and customer expectations. In today’s consumer-controlled retail market-place, a simple smile and a cheerful “Hi” within seconds of a shopper entering your brick-and-mortar store may not be enough.

Customer service starts with your greeting and the attitude of both hospi-tality and assistance it conveys. Millions of shoppers walk past mass-merchant retail greeters every day, ignoring their canned words of welcome because the greeters don’t express real helpfulness and are just there to create the illusion of customer service.

Consumers today want a genuine greeting that is sincere and not canned, but is also not overbearing or impos-ing. Think about your store greeting as welcoming a guest to your “home” and really paying attention to helping them with their wants and needs.

This means you and your associates need to stop whatever you are doing—unless already engaged with a custom-er—to greet a new guest entering your store.

The greeting skill set you and your sales associates (both full- and part-time) have to develop and fine tune is:• Greeting within 15 seconds (literally

count the seconds to get used to the time frame). This gives shoppers time

to transition to your store and engage with you without you being seen as overbearing and an obstacle that makes shopping a chore.

• Focus on the shopper. If they are a returning customer that you recognize, personalize your greeting and welcome them back.

• If they are a new shopper, literally wel-come them to your store! “Welcome to Jay’s Tennis Shop. My name is Jay—how can I be of service to you?”

• Immediately give them a face and a name (wearing your name tag will help) and assurance they will receive the help and service they need. It will get them to put down their phone and begin to feel comfortable.

• First impressions are important. A shopper may not want or need your help right away, and that’s fine, but they will remember that help was sin-cerely offered.

• You don’t need to stalk shoppers after greeting them, but watch to see if there is an opportunity to offer to help or answer questions. Again, this is a skill that needs to be practiced and refined. Research shows the higher the “in-tercept rate” (meaning more contact between shopper and staff ), the greater the average sale.

• Remember, women shop differently than men! Women will seek you out to

This is part of a series of retail tips presented by the Tinnis Industry As-sociation and written by the Gluskin Townley Group (www.gluskintown-leygroup.com).

ask questions and for help; men will avoid contact, even though they may want it. If left on their own, men will seek the product they are interested in, gather as much information as they can read or pick up, and leave as quickly as they can. Research shows that men will visit, seeking informa-tion, three times before purchasing. This can work for you if you greet them to start a consultative-adviso-ry relationship that integrates your store into their Path to Purchase and increases your store’s close rates during their visits.

• Greeters on busy days! Have a desig-nated greeter to welcome customers within 15 seconds and ask how they can help them or direct them. The greeter should then hand them off to a sales associate or stringer who can best serve them.Maintaining the power of your

specialty tennis retail store’s greeting by continually refining, practicing and updating will enhance your store’s overall selling process and keep your close rates high. •

The Power of ‘Hello’Successful specialty retailers continue to refine their store’s greeting to make it timely, sincere and helpful. By Jay Townley

Retailing 137

www.tennisindustrymag.com www.tennisindustrymag.com18 TennisIndustry May 2015


2015 Tennis Summit

Industry Addresses Major Issues and Concerns Top tennis and sports executives examined the state of the tennis industry and ways to grow the sport at every level at key conferences in Indian Wells.

The 2015 TIA Tennis Summit, held March 17-18 in conjunction with the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, brought together a high-powered lineup of tennis, sports and business executives who shared their insights, issues,

and concerns about the sport and discussed how to grow the industry.

Among the speakers at the Summit, held at the Westin Mis-sion Hills Golf Resort & Spa, were TV sports broadcaster Ted Robinson, sports and performance psychologist and best-sell-ing author Dr. Jim Loehr, USTA President and CEO Katrina Adams, Women’s Tennis Association Chairman and CEO Stac-ey Allaster, ATP Tour Vice President of Marketing George Ciz, Life Time Fitness Founder and CEO Bahram Akradi, Sports & Fitness Industry Association President and CEO Tom Cove, USPTA CEO John Embree, PTR CEO Dan Santorum, Hall of Fame coaching legend Nick Bollettieri, tennis management company founder Peter Burwash, Mylan World TeamTennis CEO Ilana Kloss, Tennis Magazine/Tennis Industry Magazine Publisher Jeff Williams, and Tennis Channel Vice President David Egdes.

“We brought together a terrific lineup of industry execu-

tives, legends, pros, coaches and other sports and business per-sonalities to examine the state of the the sport,” said TIA Pres-ident Greg Mason. “Our speakers hit key topics and themes that will affect growth in every segment of the industry. Plus, attendees were able to ask questions and make comments at a number of ‘Open Forums.’ The interaction produced spirited discussions that will help the sport move forward.”

Topics that were addressed at the Summit included:• How the sport can remain relevant—and grow—in today’s

business climate.• The importance of tennis in today’s society and what the

sport can learn from other sports.• Challenges and opportunities facing tennis, including the

key tennis delivery system and teaching professionals.• The drive for healthy and fit lifestyles through tennis.• The importance of two major tennis infrastructure proj-

ects—one in Florida, the other in at the US Open in New York—to the growth of the sport.

• The growth of the professional tours and how they’re con-necting with grassroots players.

• How digital media is changing the landscape of sports enter-tainment.


May 2015 TennisIndustry 29www.tennisindustrymag.com www.tennisindustrymag.com

Mason, TIA Executive Director Jolyn de Boer and sports marketing research expert Keith Storey led off the Summit with the “State of the Industry.” Among the data they pre-sented was the value of the overall “tennis economy,” which was at 5.73 billion at year-end 2014, up 3 percent from 2013.

Mason outlined concerns he has about the industry, in-cluding the fact that 1.5 million fewer entry-level tennis rac-quets were purchased from 2008 to 2014. Another concern is that the age of the average player is getting older. “We need to make sure we’re doing all we can to attract younger players to our sport,” he said, adding that it also extends to needing to bring younger people into the business of tennis, too.

One key to helping boost participation, Mason said, is the industry-wide “Try Tennis Free” initiative, which runs throughout the month of May and is designed to give new and returning players an opportunity to get into tennis for free at local facilities and with local pros. “The Try Tennis Free campaign can bring in large numbers of players, of all ages, looking to benefit from all that tennis has to offer,” Ma-son said. He urged all tennis providers to register their free program offers at PlayTennis.com.

Following Mason and the TIA, Tom Cove, the CEO of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, identified and defined trends that will impact the tennis and sports indus-tries, among them that health and wellness will be the “No. 1

driver” of sports participation in 2015 and that “parents want a good experience for the whole family” when it comes to sports and recreation.

Cove also discussed the “inactivity pandemic” in the U.S., including how 80 million Americans on a recent survey reported they do no sports or activity at all. “Inactivity has increased 28 percent over the past seven years,” Cove said. “We need to build a culture of activity based on fun sports activities.”

Katrina Adams, the USTA president, chairman and CEO, talked about her priorities for her two-year term, which includes targeting the Hispanic community as a way to give tennis participation a boost. Her goals also include finding more and better ways to reach out to recreational high school players, which she called a “huge opportunity” for the indus-try, and also emphasizing the importance of sportsmanship. Adams also plans to continue to increase the USTA’s collabo-ration and partnerships with other groups and organizations.

USTA Executive Director Gordon Smith discussed the on-going improvements to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, home of the US Open. Plans call for spending more than $500 million over the next four years, including completion of a roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium. “It’s important to be the leader, especially in the sports and entertainment capital of the world,” he said.


2015 Tennis Summit

Smith also discussed the 102-court facility the USTA will build at Lake Nona, Fla., which will break ground on April 18 and has been dubbed the “new home of American tennis.” The site will serve as a training ground for players and coaches, and will be the home to the USTA Player Development and Commu-nity Tennis departments.

The professional game was on display with updates from WTA Chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster and ATP Tour Vice President of Marketing George Ciz. Allaster then joined a panel with David Egdes of Tennis Channel, Ilana Kloss of WTT and J. Wayne Richmond of the Emirates Airline US Open Series for a discussion on how the pro tours and their players connect to the grassroots.

World-renowned sports and performance psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Jim Loehr wrapped up the Summit’s first

day with insights into how the tennis and sports industry can remain relevant to today’s athletes and culture.

“There is a lot of competition for kids’ participation in sports and activities,” Loehr said. “Tennis must do a better job of ad-

‘We need to make sure we’re doing all we can to attract

younger players to our sport,’ said Greg Mason.

TIA President Greg Mason

‘Inactivity has increased 28 percent over the past seven years,’ Tom Cove said. ‘We need to build a culture ...

based on fun sports activities.’


Katrina Adams


2015 Tennis Summit


dressing parents to let them know how tennis is different than any other sport. How do we accelerate tennis learning? How do we make tennis friendlier? How do we make learning tennis more fun? How do we awaken the world to the value of tennis in life?”

Loehr said the industry needs to do a better job selling tennis to parents, noting several points that work in tennis’s favor, including how the sport provides a full-body workout, exercises the brain, can be played for a lifetime, and helps to make a better, more fully functioning person.

The second day opened with Emmy Award-winning TV sportscaster Ted Robinson, who offered his take on the im-portance of tennis in today’s society and on what tennis can

learn from other sports. “Tennis is unique in that some of the greatest players still talk about tennis and are great ambas-sadors for the sport,” he said.

To bring more spectators and participants into the sport, Robinson said technology was vital, especially for embracing millennials through digital content. “Be proud of tennis,” he said. “It’s a phenomenal activity.”

Life Time Fitness founder and CEO Bahram Akradi, named Tennis Industry magazine’s “Person of the Year” for his company’s commitment to tennis, explained why tennis has been a wise investment for his business and how he is looking to help the sport grow through his facilities. Life Time is the largest operator of indoor courts in the U.S. “Ten-nis courts change the space from a fitness club to a country club,” Akradi said. “If there’s any chance to put in tennis courts, we will. Tennis is here to stay, and we plan to grow it at every opportunity.”

The USTA’s chief executive of Community Tennis, Kurt Kamperman, led a panel discussion and Open Forum on the challenges and opportunities of growing tennis at the rec-reational level. Panelist included Dan Santorum of the PTR, John Embree of the USPTA and Dr. Paul Lubbers, senior di-rector of coaching education and performance for the USTA.

“Millennial parents want more local sports, shorter play formats, and non-elimination formats,” Kamperman said. “We’ve got senior players covered, but we still have work to do with youth players and getting them into the game.”

Peter Burwash, a former pro tour player and founder of the Peter Burwash International tennis management company, discussed lessons he learned in his personal and professional life and how they can apply to growing the sport. A good leader, he said, has certain characteristics: enthusiasm, great creativity, expanding your horizons, empathy and apprecia-tion. “The strongest leaders are lifetime learners,” he added.

Immediately following the Tennis Summit, on March

‘Tennis must do a better job of addressing parents to

let them know how tennis is different than any other sport,’ said Dr. Jim Loehr.

Dr. Jim Loehr

18-19, top tennis facility managers and consultants shared their knowledge and experience at the third annual Tennis Owners & Managers (T.O.M.) Conference, also presented by the TIA.

Coaching legend Nick Bollettieri, who received the high-est honor in tennis last July when he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, spoke at a lunch kicking off

the T.O.M. Conference. “Keep your mission top of mind at all times,” he told the crowd, “and don’t be afraid to fail—it’s critical to success.”

“As a follow-up to both the Tennis Summit and the T.O.M. Conference, we’re meeting to outline a plan that we hope will go a long way to achieving transformational change within this industry,” said the TIA’s de Boer. “These conferences examined the industry and our sport, and where it’s headed, and helped to define ways to ensure growth. We want to make sure we’re on the right path for the long-term.” •

The TIA plans to present its annual Tennis Forum on Aug. 31 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City, as the US Open begins. Details for 2016 tennis industry events will be announced in the near future.

Visit TennisIndustry.org for more information.

‘Be proud of tennis,’ said sportscaster Ted Robinson. ‘It’s a phenomenal activity.’

From left: John Embree, Dan Santorum, Dr. Paul Lubbers and Kurt Kamperman


Footwear

Kicking It Up Becoming a shoe expert will boost your store’s sales and your customers’ loyalty.By Bob Patterson

The growing trend in tennis shoes is lighter weight for increased speed and maneuver-ability. Manufacturers are accomplishing this using lighter materials, less layers and a profile that puts the foot closer to the ground.

According to tennis shoe manufacturers, as the game has progressed to a hard-hitting slugfest, the need for speed has never been greater. But as with most things in tennis, not every player has the same needs. As a retailer, it’s important to keep abreast of trends to ensure your inventory is relevant, but you also need to assess your overall inventory needs.

While it is definitely true that today’s game is faster, we must not forget that tennis appeals to a broad audience. In my “old man” USTA League, speed is measured with a calendar, so comfort and stability are the characteristics that are most important to us. Just like there is no “perfect” racquet for everyone, the same is true for shoes.

Knowing your customers and your inventory will ensure your sales grow, inventory turns and your customers are satis-fied. Make sure you have a wide selection that appeals to a broad range, but tweak your inventory so it fits your customer profile. If the majority of your customers are seniors, then you’ll want to skew more styles to comfort and stability. On the other hand, if juniors are your base, you’ll want to stock more shoes for durability and speed.

Just like fitting a racquet to a player, knowing what shoes work best for each player will take some education, but the ef-fort will pay dividends. Shoes must be fitted to the foot shape, the style of play, the court surface and then prioritized to the importance of the individual’s preference. Some players may choose to give up a little cushioning and comfort for a lower profile and lighter weight. Others may want stability above all else, so choosing the right shoe and the right fit is vital to hav-ing a satisfied customer.

It’s About the Fit We often see references to pronated, supinated and neutral

foot types, and this is often used as the basis for shoe selec-tion. Several of the experts we interviewed say that while this is very true for running shoes, it has little reference to tennis. Unlike running, a tennis player is moving in all directions, so most tennis shoes are designed to be foot neutral.

The Wilson design team explains, “In tennis, feet move in all directions, especially laterally with a lot of start, go and breaks. Players also tend to be on their forefoot most of the time to be more reactive. Players are often encouraged to add orthotic insoles versus buying by a foot type, as you would do in a running shoe. Pronation control could create discomfort on the push back for example, or supinator products could enhance ankle twists.”

The toe box is another area of fit that is important, espe-cially to aggressive competitors. Again, balance is the key. The forefoot needs support but a toe box that is too tight will cause discomfort.

Fitting Your Customers So how do you know how to fit your customer? Unfortunately you can’t have a shoe demo program like you do with racquets, but you can go through a similar process right on the sales floor.

Have the customer try on several different shoes in the store. Have them do some quick starts and stops, as well as lateral movements mimicking court movements. Get their assessment of how they feel in the shoe.

Of course, the first order of business is to make sure you know your inventory. Knowing the nuances of the fit and make-up of each shoe is vital to helping your customer find the right fit. Listen to what your customers say about each and recommend the next model for them to try just as you would in the racquet demo process.

Taking the time to become the shoe expert will not only make your customers have more confidence in their purchase but will also lead to more sales and more repeat business in the future. •

May 2015 TennisIndustry 29www.tennisindustrymag.com www.tennisindustrymag.comf acebook .com / YONE XTENNIS

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Yonex-Vcore-TennisIndustry.pdf 1 3/27/15 12:31 PM


Strings

The Evolution of Poly Strings A panel of string manufacturers helps sort through questions about poly, co-poly and who should play with them.By Bob Patterson

There is no doubt poly strings are popular with everyone from top touring pros down to junior and recreational players. Along with that popularity, there seems to be an equal amount of confusion. What is the difference

between “poly” and “co-poly”? What tension should I use? Is poly a good string choice for me?

The questions seem unending. So we set out to get some answers from the top manufacturers of poly strings.

What’s In a Name? The confusion seems to start in the name. Originally called “polyester string” (yes, the same material your leisure suit was made from if you are as old as I am), they are now referred to as simply “poly” or “co-poly.” So what’s the difference?

The experts are fairly unanimous on this one. A “poly” string generally refers to a monofilament made from a single polymer called polyethaleneterephthalate (PET). Other poly-mers are also used such as PTT and PBT, according to Evan Specht, director of operations at Diadem Sports.

Tom Parry of Pacific relates the confusion of poly/co-poly to the similar confusion of what is “synthetic gut.” “Synthetic gut is simply a marketing term that became an accepted description of an advanced nylon string,” Parry says. “Essen-tially, both in their respective ways are derivatives of the same originating materials and compositions—nylons for synthetic guts and plastics for poly. We see higher grades of materials being used in both types, allowing for numerous differences in performance characteristics, as well as more complex manu-facturing processes.”

“Co-poly” is generally referred to as this same string with other additives. Hunter Hines with Dunlop explains that addi-tives are included in the mix to “bring about different physical

properties (softer, more elastic, better tension maintenance, etc.)” than are found in the base poly.

Steve Crandall of Ashaway explains it this way: “Co-poly is a marketing term for poly strings with some additives in the polymer formation to modify the polyester’s negative properties.” Crandall also adds one tidbit that should not be overlooked. “No matter what additives are used,” he says, “the resulting string is much stiffer and less elastic than any other type of tennis string.”

What Are the Benefits? So now that we know what it is, what are the primary benefits of this type of string to tennis players? Our panel generally agrees that durability and spin generation are the key compo-nents, although not all see it exactly alike.

Both Parry with Pacific and Josh Newton of Babolat point out a key ingredient needed for spin—player technique and skill. “You must already possess sufficient technique and racquet-head speed in order to get more spin from a poly or co-poly string,” Newton says.

Parry elaborates that the potential for spin is there, but a player will see the full benefit only when the “head speed and technique are there.” Parry provided the chart (opposite page) to illustrate the variations in the string and ball interaction with the various string types. As you can see in the illustra-tion, “See how each type has its own bending curve, as well as how the ball energy is lessened as you go from gut to poly.”

Hines points out one often overlooked benefit: “The strings never seem to move, and rarely need adjusting, even at lower tensions. Of course, poly strings do move on impact, but are better at snapping back into place between shots.”

This snap-back seems to be the key ingredient to spin generation. Recent tests with high-speed video and tracking



software shows that the snap-back generates the spin, but as our panel points out, it takes a lot of racquet speed at impact to move the stiffer strings in order for them to snap back and generate the spin players are looking for.

Durability is also misunderstood for most people. Yes the string is more durable in that it doesn’t break as quickly as other materials. However, the string does lose resiliency much faster than other materials, so if the player is not a frequent string-breaker, the durability is of no conse-quence. Newton points out, “Poly/co-poly strings lose tension incredibly fast, both statically (after stringing but before playing) and dynamically (while playing). Therefore they need to be replaced very frequently, or else you will lose control and power.” This could be the reason top tour-ing pros go for a “fresh” racquet on every ball change (nine games).

John Elliott of YTex says poly/co-poly strings need to be restrung every two to eight hours of play depending on the density of the string pattern, the type of string and the gauge.

Who Should Use Poly/Co-Poly? Are poly/co-poly strings suited for all player types and skill levels?

Most of our panel agree that poly/co-poly strings are best suited for skilled players who can generate the neces-sary racquet-head speed to flatten out the ball on impact. However, Specht says, “I think a well-made co-poly could be suited for anyone. I think if you have a soft co-poly that also increases spin, you have a win-win.”

Hines says, “If you are not a string-breaker and/or a spin player, I’m not sure you’d get much benefit out of poly/co-poly strings. The average recreational player would be wise to really weigh the options, as there are certainly draw-backs to poly/co-poly strings—especially for players who are prone to arm trouble or need more power and depth on their shots.”

Newton adds, “Most recreational players, including competitive juniors, do not possess the ability to get the spin benefits from poly/co-poly strings, and their games and often their bodies suffer from the down sides of poly—stiff, low power, poor tension holding.” He explains that to get the full snap-back effect to create spin, the player must first be able to move the stiffer string in order for it to snap back and only the top-level players have the ability to do so.

What’s Next? So, what does the future hold for poly/co-poly string? Although most agree that poly/co-poly strings are best-suited for a small segment of the market, they also think they are with us to stay. Most feel companies will continue to develop new constructions and additives to decrease the problems of quick tension loss and stiffness.

“My feeling is the drive is to make the strings more


playable, powerful and have more spin potential, in an effort to make them more usable by a wider range of players,” Elliott says. “Unfortunately, poly/co-poly strings have limitations in these categories due to their molecular make-up.”

Hines adds, “There is a generation of younger players in the game who have only ever played with polyester or co-poly strings, so I think it’s more ingrained in the market than ever.”

Most agree that hybrids will be a big part of the advancement. “I think with today’s fast-paced, ‘knock the cover off the ball’ attitude and new stroke production being taught, poly is here to stay,” says Parry. “Hybrids are going to rule as players are real-izing they can tweak more and more their performance using different strings.”

Several of our panel members say we will be seeing more hybrids in the future, including poly/poly hybrids.

Crandall says he thinks there is not a lot of room for technical developments of co-polys, but he sees “the future going to other polymers, filament designs, and physical structure.” •


Solid Solutions These outdoor facility winners are excellent examples of hard-court construction.


Regency @ MonroeMonroe, N.J.(Nominated by Halecon Inc.)General Contractor: Halecon Inc.No. of Courts: 6Surface: California Sports SurfacesLighting: LSI LightingNets, Posts, Cabanas: Har-Tru Sports


Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards

The majority of the nine outdoor hard-court winners of the Tennis Industry/American Sports Builders Association distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards for 2014 are located in the eastern part of the country, with one in Tennessee and one in Arizona. Two of the projects used a post-tensioned concrete base, while

the rest are asphalt.The six asphalt courts, in two abutting batteries, at Bishop Feehan High School in Attle-

boro, Mass., were about 20 years old and had significant cracking. After the fence, net posts and concrete footing were removed, the asphalt was pulverized and blended with base materials to a depth of about 8 inches. The asphalt surface was installed in two courses and a new fence was installed during the curing time.

The owner provided a basic sketch and concept for the upgraded Gene Clayton Tennis Cen-ter at Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C., then the contractor filled in the specs and design details and oversaw demolition of the old courts and construction of the new facility. Because the base stone under the existing courts was insufficient, the asphalt was pulverized then 4 inches of new stone was added to provide a stable base. The new courts, which also have lines for Youth Tennis, are home to the university’s Professional Tennis Management program.

At Mino Park in Boca Raton, Fla., the contractor was tasked with demolishing the existing tennis courts, basketball courts and hitting wall, then re-graded and compacted the site, put down new asphalt and installed two new tennis courts, two basketball courts, four pickleball courts and a practice tennis court. The project also included concrete curbing and adjustments to the exist-ing fence.

When work began on redoing the eight courts at Prince George’s Community College, it was discovered that the original courts were built without a stone base. After a quick meeting, the contractor came up with a cost-effective solution to refurbish the courts, which included filling existing cracks, installing paving fabric then 3 inches of stone dust, adding asphalt, then the acrylic color system. The results, achieved through assistance from the USTA, are seven new 78-foot courts and two 36-foot courts. Since the opening of the new facility, the college will have a new tennis team and host multiple events, including Youth Tennis events.

The project at Regency@Monroe in New Jersey resulted in six new cushioned hard courts, complete with lighting, court cabanas, walking paths and more. To improve drainage at the site, a new French drain was installed with decorative stone on top.

The site for the new tennis facility at Richard Stockton College in the New Jersey was virgin woods and needed to be cleared of oak and pine trees, then clay-like material had to be excavated and disposed of, and the site was backfilled with stable material, all while fighting heavy rains. But the result is a new college facility with two batteries of three and four courts each, plus a stadium court with spectator seating. The courts are all connected by a series of 8-foot-wide walkways.

The three asphalt courts at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., had structural and age is-sues; the courts had been covered with a rolled turf system and acrylic infield system that was fail-ing. A full demolition and redesign was not feasible, so the contractor designed a post-tensioned concrete overlay system. One major obstacle was the elevation changes—existing grate drains had to be removed then reinstalled to match the higher elevation, as did light poles, junction boxes and gates. New pavers were installed at each court entrance to match the new heights.

The two new courts for the varsity tennis team at the private University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., required retaining walls to be built around the courts, since there was not enough room to taper out from the site due to the close proximity of a neighboring golf course. Fill dirt was brought in to bring the courts up to grade, and the fence was built into the retaining wall.

When Hurricane Sandy hit the Connecticut coast, it ruined the six asphalt courts at Weed Beach Park in Darien. To guard against future storm damage, the new courts, in two batteries of three courts each, were raised by 2 feet and built with post-tensioned concrete engineered to withstand extreme weather. The grade was raised to allow runoff from the courts to pitch into the town storm drainage system. The project also included the backboard practice area.

—Peter Francesconi •



Bishop Feehan High School Tennis FacilityAttleboro, Mass.(Nominated by Boston Tennis Court Construction Co. Inc.)General Contractor: Boston Tennis Court Construc-tion Co. Inc.No. of Courts: 6Surface: Nova Sports USANets, Posts, Center Straps, Anchors: J.A. Cissel/Har-Tru Sports

Gene Clayton Tennis Center at Methodist UniversityFayetteville, N.C.(Nominated by Court One)General/Specialty Contractor: Court OneNo. of Courts: 8Surface: SealmasterLighting: LSI IndustriesNet Posts: Har-Tru Sports

Mino ParkBoca Raton, Fla.(Nominated by Welch Tennis Courts Inc.)Specialty Contractor: Welch Tennis Courts Inc.No. of Courts: 2Surface: California Products DecoColorNets, Posts: Welch Tennis Courts Inc.Backboard: Bakko Backboards

Prince George’s Community College Tennis FacilityLargo, Md.(Nominated by American Tennis Courts Inc.)General Contractor: American Tennis Courts Inc.Architect/Engineer: LaSota EngineeringNo. of Courts: 9Surface: Latex-Ite InternationalLighting: Musco LightingNets, Posts: Douglas Sports Equipment

Richard Stockton College of New Jersey–Barlow Athletic Complex Tennis FacilityGalloway, N.J.(Nominated by American Athletic Courts Inc.)General Contractor: American Athletic Courts Inc.No. of Courts: 8Surface: California Sports SurfacesWindscreen: Aer-FloNets, Posts: Athletic Connection


Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards


Troon Country ClubScottsdale, Ariz.(Nominated by Sunland Asphalt/Sunland Sports)General Contractor: Sunland Asphalt/Sunland SportsNo. of Courts: 3Surface: California Sports Surfaces

University of the SouthSewanee, Tenn.(Nominated by Baseline Sports Construction LLC)General Contractor: Baseline Sports Construction LLCNo. of Courts: 2Surface: Nova Sports USAWindscreen, Nets, Straps: Putterman AthleticsPosts: Athletic Connection/Edwards

Weed Beach Tennis ParkDarien, Conn.(Nominated by Cape & Island Tennis & Track)Specialty Contractor: Cape & Island Tennis & TrackNo. of Courts: 6Surface: California Sports SurfacesNets: Har-Tru SportsPosts: Douglas Industries


For details on the 2015 Outstanding Facility-of-the-Year Awards, contact the ASBA at 866-501-ASBA or [email protected], or visit www.sportsbuilders.org.

Mounting it right-side up In a stringing frenzy, it's easy to just grab a racquet and mount it on your stringer. However, if for some reason you need to check the specs printed on the frame and it's been mounted upside down, you have to stand on your head to see the information. So I have developed the habit of making certain that I mount each racquet with the printed specs facing up so I don't have to take extra time figuring out the information. 5 sets of Luxilon Savage White 127 to:Terry Boyle, Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Switching from starting clamp to machine clamp

I do most of my string jobs using two-pieces of string, employing a starting clamp when starting the crosses in-stead of a starting knot. When it comes time to tie-off the crosses at the head, I recommend re-pulling the top cross before removing the starting clamp

and applying the machine clamp. That is, don’t just apply the machine clamp, and then release the starting clamp.

In special cases, you may have to use a starting clamp instead of a machine clamp on the mains, too, and here again I recommend re-ten-sioning the string before removing the starting clamp and applying the machine clamp.

I find that re-pulling the string pre-viously held with the starting clamp before tying the knot gives more consistent string tensions. 5 sets of Babolat Origin 17 to:Luis De Santis T., Venezuela

Alternative to silicone

I have never been a fan of injecting silicone into a racquet handle, mostly because I know that removing it will be a bear if it doesn't work out.

Instead, if I am looking to add weight inside the handle I use hot-

melt glue and lead. I purchase a 5-pound lead ingot from my local hardware store (lead fishing weights are illegal in my area) and I cut small pieces off of it with a diagonal cutter.

[Editor’s note: Be careful handling lead, as it can cause lead poisoning and, if disposed of improperly, can enter the environment.]

After popping open the trap door on the butt cap, I stuff a cotton ball into both sides of the handle and put in enough hot melt glue to cover the cotton. Then I insert a piece of lead and then another squirt of hot melt glue. Repeat until the desired weight is reached.

If I am asked to remove this ma-terial, I usually can just yank it out with needle-nosed pliers. But if that doesn’t work, all I have to do is heat the handle with a hot-air gun (same as used for heat-shrink tubing), and it all comes out easy as pie. An ad-

Readers' Know-How in ActionTips and Techniques


burning the string while pulling the crosses through the mains, but don’t forget that you can burn the string when pulling strings through blocked holes, or holes with an anchor string. Unfortunately, there is no “fanning” procedure to prevent burning the blocking or anchor string, as there is with the mains and crosses; you just have to pull the loose end through slowly enough to prevent damage.

Also, if you use a knot such as the close-quarters knot, where the loose end presses up against other strings, pulling the loose end through too quickly can burn the tie-off and/or anchor strings. Again, go slowly.5 sets of Ashaway Crossfire ZX 17 to:L. Hodges, Apple Valley, Calif. —Greg Raven •

Tips and Techniques submitted since 1992 by USRSA members and ap-pearing in this column have all been gathered into a searchable database on www.racquettech.com, the official member only website of the USRSA. Submit tips to: Greg Raven, USRSA, PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096 or email greg @racquettech.com.

www.tennisindustrymag.com www.tennisindustrymag.com May 2015 TennisIndustry 35

ditional advantage to hot-melt glue is that it sets in minutes.5 sets of Gosen Tec Gut Pro 16 to:Ed Goldzweig, New Hyde Park, N.Y.

Protecting worn grommets I have been stringing tennis racquets for years and have been protecting the grommets with a leather pad. Just recently I built a new addition. It is a 5/8-inch rubber hose glued to a 3/4-inch wood dowel. It sits on a small base and I push it with my thumb so as to cause the string to go into the grommet at nearly a 90-degree angle when tensioning.

I just purchased the Wise 2086 tension head complete with a foot control, which makes it easy to have a hands-free operation. This is not a requirement though. It takes all of a

second or two to position this protec-tive device, and it is used only on the last four main strings on each side.

I tell my customers when they come in for a string job about build-ing this tool to protect their grom-mets and they appreciate it with their loyalty.5 3-packs of Wilson Profile Overgrips to:Dr. Carl Love, Albany, Ore.

Making room for tubing Our tennis pro had been shearing off his poly strings (18 gauge mains) at the top of the frame within a week or two. I wanted to install tubing in the center 12 mains, but the tubing was too big for the grommets. I took out the top center 12 main grommets with an RAB grinder and replaced them with 3.7mm Fittex grommets, which will accept the tubing. This ex-tended the string life to eight weeks before the cross strings broke.5 3-packs of Head Prestige Pro Over-grips to:Don Howe, Chester, N.Y.

Burn Notice Everyone knows the dangers of

I hear a lot of inane comments about 10 and Under Tennis: It shouldn’t be mandatory; the balls are too

slow; competition is being watered down; the courts are too small and kids can’t keep the ball in play. That last comment is my favorite, something I hear from uninformed parents: My child needs to move to a full court because he can’t keep the ball in the (36-foot) court. (I tell them to ask their pro to teach their kid topspin.)

We seem to have these resistance fighters battling this innovative Youth Tennis movement, but for what? We have a Youth Tennis program that is actually a boon to our industry. Kids are learning and having fun. What’s wrong with that?

So, if not for this, what would we have in its place? Well, I’ll tell you, because I’ve had to endure it.

During a recent visit to the Northeast, I witnessed—at two separate clubs—two of the worst youth lessons I’ve ever seen. In one, the boy (maybe 8) could barely hit the yellow balls back and had no movement skills—likely because he didn’t need any with the feed-the-ball-directly-to him methodology of this ill-paced lesson. After he hit about 15 balls (mostly sideways), the coach said, let’s work on inside-out forehands. What!? Just hitting the ball over the net should have been the goal.

Had I been able to, I would have done my alley rally with the boy using red balls (which were sitting in a basket next to the court, btw), then progressed to a short-court rally and just seen what he could do. No doubt he would have had more fun and success in five min-

utes of rallying with me than he did in an hour with this out-of-touch coach.

In the second lesson, I watched a pro feeding seven yellow balls in a row to a single kid who couldn’t hit anything back. In the meantime the other five kids ranging in age from 5 to 11 were just standing on the sidelines, looking around aimlessly.

Is this what dissenting coaches want to maintain? A status quo that is de-signed to drive kids away?

As a teacher I spend a great deal of time observing how kids learn. One common theme I see is what many in education call “discovery learning”—kids learn by doing. That learning takes place when students are placed in prob-lem-solving situations that force them to draw on their own experiences and knowledge as they interact with their environment. The teacher becomes the facilitator, not simply the “transmis-sionist” of information. (On the tennis court, this old-school “transmissionist” is the cart-loving coach who spews balls along with instructions.)

High-performance coaches will tell you our best junior players are adept problem-solvers, always adapting, mak-ing key decisions. What if we let the kids in on the action? Let them feed balls to each other and put a rally together; let them work with a partner on athletic development; let them develop games they would like to play as a group?

We did this for a 10 and Under com-petency video that I was in with another coach, Rita Gladstone. The day of the shoot, we grabbed kids from our camp and they learned as they went. Many were playing tennis for the first time. It

may not have been perfect, but they all got it. So, what’s so bad about that?

For a coach, it requires some lesson organization and a bit of trial and er-ror, but most likely it scares the coach because he or she has to loosen control over the group. But take that chance. The results will surprise you. This type of learning shows the kid that the teacher believes in him—that he can be responsible enough to a) help someone else learn and b) be a team player. It’s a powerful motivator.

Since I’ve been using the 10 and Under kid-centered, learn-by-doing methodology, I can’t go back to the other way. Sure, I do some hand toss-ing and racquet-feed drills from time to time, but only when the drills are too advanced for the kids to execute themselves. I like to let the kids work together, and they like that more than they like working with me!

“Hitting” and “rallying” a ball are two very different things. The coach-fed ball randomly gets “hit” back; the partner-rallied ball gets finessed so it stays in the court at a speed and depth that will improve the chances it will come back. Two very different things. Two very dif-ferent ways of looking at Youth Tennis.

Which path do you want to take?•

Fix Your Delivery!A Youth Tennis expert says when it comes to bringing tennis to kids, “hitting” and “rallying” are very different. By Ellen Miller

Your Serve

Ellen Miller is certified by the PTR, USPTA and USTA High Performance and has a master’s degree in elementary education. A former player for Rice University, she is a Youth Tennis workshop faculty member. She also is Tennis Industry magazine’s 2014 Grassroots Champion of the Year.

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


38 CEO’s Message 40 Vice President’s Message42 Endorsee News44 Beyond the Court48 Master Pro Corner50 USPTA News54 Career Development56 Member News

On the cover: Grand Canyon University in Phoenix joins USPTA PTM Program. See Page 50.

Departments:

Diversity and Inclusion within USPTA – 40

ReImagine Tennis as Never Before – 42

Read more articles online at www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Inside this issue

Tennis Heads to New Orleans in Sept. – 52

Golf and Tennis: Working Together CEO’s Message

38 www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Since the beginning of the year, I have traveled to industry gath-erings with the opportunity to speak about tennis and have

discussed the challenges that face our sport. After recently attending a discus-sion panel comprised of leaders in the golf and club industries, I realized our sport is not alone; golf and tennis are in a similar position. At the CMAA World Conference on Club Management and Business Expo in San Antonio, several CEOs came to-gether to discuss ways to grow both golf and tennis and overcome the obstacles facing both sports. Serving on that panel were: Peter Bevacqua, CEO of the PGA of America; Jeff Morgan, CEO of CMAA; Rhett Evans, CEO of Golf Course Super-intendents Association of America; and Mike Davis, CEO of the United States Golf Association. Many of golf’s concerns raised during the discussion are strikingly parallel to tennis. One of the PGA’s main goals is to increase value for its mem-bers, which is why continu-ing education and increasing employment opportunities are top priorities, just like they are for USPTA. Both the PGA and USPTA strive to be invaluable resources to current and aspir-ing professionals as general managers seek well-educated pros. USPTA has worked toward modernizing our educa-tion curriculum to make earning cred-its more accessible to our membership through CoachYouthTennis.com and increased webinars, for example. Golf and tennis recognize the hurdle of an aging membership, and the PGA and USGA have taken steps to reach out to aspiring young professionals. Simi-

larly, the USPTA established the U30 Initiative to recruit young people to our profession. USPTA has also partnered with Professional Tennis Manage-ment programs around the country to educate and prepare individuals for careers within the tennis industry at Ferris State Uni-versity, Methodist University and Tyler Junior Col-lege. We are also excited about the University of Central Florida and Grand Canyon University coming on stream with PTM programs in the next several months to provide students the opportunity to acquire a college business degree with a specialty in tennis management.

Just like golf, tennis is also in the “experience business,” and constantly strives to improve the member expe-rience. Clubs are looking for ways to bridge the gap between traditional players and attracting new players to the game. Many golf superintendents are under pressure to make golf easier for beginners while traditional golfers want the game to be harder by placing more pins in more difficult locations and

growing the rough longer. Similarly, tra-ditional tennis players don’t want short-er sets and different scoring formats that make the game more accessible for new, young and senior players. Studies show that by introducing a

sport at a young age, players tend to stick with it. Adults can also benefit from short courts and low- compression balls to learn the game; it’s

not just for kids. Tennis has had junior team tennis for a long time, and the PGA recently launched junior team golf in 2011 with structured leagues in an easier scramble format to get kids 13 and under involved in the game. To help increase participation

among the millennial gen-eration, the tennis industry has worked to engage that age group through a variety of new and innovative pro-gramming. Pilot programs around the country are in-tended to attract a younger audience by establishing defined times of play, co-ed leagues, and a different scor-ing format that is easy for people to understand. Golf is struggling with

course closures, rounds of play are down, and people are leaving the sport because of time constraints, expense and how difficult it is to play. The golf industry is trying to unite and pull resources together to focus on joint initiatives to face these challenges head on, as the tennis industry has been do-ing for over 20 years. Our associations can learn from each other in order to help both of our sports grow. h

by John Embree

To help increase participation among the millennial generation, the tennis industry has worked to engage that age group through a variety of new and innovative programming.

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Diversity and Inclusion within USPTA

Vice President’s Message

Where are we now with di-versity and inclusion? As the 5th Pillar of USPTA's Strategic Plan, we have

accomplished the following:

• Changed the Diversity Mission Statement to: The USPTA recog-nizes and appreciates diversity and inclusion within the game of tennis and within its membership of ten-nis professionals. By promoting the USPTA as a more diverse and in-clusive organization, we will enrich the sport of tennis and add a deeper, richer and broader experience for everyone. Diversity and inclusion permits the USPTA and its members to embrace the world and also allows the organization to reflect its society.

• A call for national committee mem-bers was sent to the membership. If you have been serving on a divisional committee, then think about serv-ing on a USPTA national commit-tee. Information went out recently looking for candidates for the 2016 – 2018 term. Send your resume and completed questionnaire to [email protected]. New committee members will be appointed in the Fall of 2015 following an interview with the committee chair.

• USPTA is reviewing their vendors for pricing and diversity.

• Chuck Gill, Trish Faulkner and John Embree attended the 2014 National Diversity and Inclusion Conference in Florida. A USPTA representative will now attend this yearly conference.

• Continuing work with the subcom-mittees, Roles and Responsibilities, Recruitment and Development Strategies and Tactics, and Strate-gic Plan. We can incorporate all or

most of this information into all of our five USPTA pillars.

• In the March issue, in honor of Women's History Month, we fea-tured USPTA women members who have had an impact on the tennis industry. USPTA wants to recognize members who are influential with diverse populations in their com-munity. If you create awareness of diversity in your area or you know of a USPTA Professional who has made an impact on his or her community, please send his or her name and a couple of paragraphs of information to [email protected].

• Bill Leong, co-chair of the USPTA Diversity and Inclusion Committee, will give a webinar on diversity and inclusion this year.

• USTA offers a wealth of information on their website on Diversity and In-clusion with the USTA Engagement Guide – covering African-Americans, Hispanic, Asian-Americans and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgenders. Go to usta.com and view this infor-mation for your knowledge. See and learn what the future tennis demo-graphics will be in your area.

History of USPTA Diversity and Inclusion• Women’s meetings began in 1978,

and in 1980, the first women’s com-mittee chairperson was Charlene Grafton of California. Minutes of this meeting were documented.

• Women were pairing as roommates for conventions and setting prac-tices times for tournament play.

• Many, many meetings and minutes have been documented since then. The history of the women’s commit-tee is available from USPTA.

• Since 1927, there has been only one woman national USPTA President, Kathy Woods, and one national USPTA Pro of the Year, Avis Murray.

• The Multicultural Committee began in 1998 due to the USTA Multicul-tural initiative. The first chairperson was Joe Edles of the Intermountain Division.

• Many meetings were held at divi-sional and world conferences.

• In 2007 the USPTA conducted a diversity audit. Since then the women’s and multicultural com-mittees were combined to form the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

• Currently women members are 17 percent of the membership. As women serve their families and careers, playing dual roles, they are competing for positions in a male -dominated field. The women want to meet and network separately from the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

• In 2013 and 2014, women members held non-scheduled meetings at the USPTA World Conferences. At this year’s conference in New Orleans, there will be a separate time for a meeting for women to gather and network. All members are welcome to attend this meeting, similarly to every past women’s meeting.

USPTA AwardsDon’t forget that the 2015 USPTA Awards period is now open. This is open to any certified member in good stand-ing. Each applicant has to send a nomi-nation form and back-up materials. Go to uspta.com/awards and download the nomination forms, rules and criteria. Deadline to have everything received by the National Office is July 7. h


by Diane Selke

ReImagine Tennis, a new initia-tive from Prince and Sport Court International, was a huge hit at the recent TIA

Summit and TOM Conference in Indi-an Wells, Calif., as the program and the new Prince Sport Court were officially introduced. With the introduction of the new courts and the ReImagine Ten-nis program, tennis can be played on safer, fun and colorful surfaces; tennis can be played anywhere; and tennis can be played by adults and kids alike on official 36' and 60' sized tennis courts with properly sized equipment. “Sport Court is very excited about the tennis industry’s acceptance of the patented PowerGame surface as a safe tennis surface that can be used as a training court in non-utilized locations at tennis clubs around the country, encouraging family tennis play, and for promotions of clubs and facilities at lo-cal shopping malls, sporting events and

festivals,” said Lee Sponaugle, Direc-tor of Sales, National Accounts, Sport Court International. The likes of Kurt Kamperman, USTA Chief Executive of Community Tennis, Nick Bollettieri, International Tennis Hall of Famer, and Mike Ballardie, CEO Prince Global Sports, along with USTA executives, and tennis facilities owners and manag-ers, all had an opportunity to step on – and play on – the Prince Sport Court micro-court that was on display. The micro-court is a smaller version of the USTA-sanctioned 36' and 60' court and can be used for training and promo-tions for the game of tennis in nontra-ditional locations. The two courts that were at the TIA Summit and TOM Conference will be donated to the local Boys and Girls Clubs for their use in teaching kids and

their parents how to play tennis in a fun and less intimidating setting. Everyone can pick up a smaller racquet and foam ball and instantly have fun learning the game of tennis.

In addition to the development of the 36' and 60' sized tennis courts, Prince has also developed racquets and balls to be used specifically for ReImag-ine Tennis. Prince Global Sports Director of Brand Marketing Paige Miller said, “People need to see tennis courts move from inside their usual fenced-in loca-tions to outside, unexpected and fami-ly-friendly places. Prince is very excited to ‘ReImagine Tennis’ in ways never seen and experienced before.” h


ReImagine Tennis as Never BeforeEndorsee News

With the introduction of the new Prince Sport Court and the ReImagine Tennis program, tennis can be played on safer, fun and colorful surfaces anywhere.

When Ann Dunwoody re-tired in 2012 as the Armed Forces’ first female four-star general, she could

look back at a 38-year Army career and a profound legacy. Chief of Staff of the Army, General Ray Odierno said, “Ann is a leader who lived our Army values, who always led from the front. Her true legacy and reward will be the thousands of soldiers and civilians whose lives she has touched.” Dunwoody continues to touch thousands, including the children and spouses of America’s soldiers, by signing on to ThanksUSA’s Tennis Thanks the Troops campaign in partnership with USPTA. A national non-profit organiza-tion, ThanksUSA provides scholarships to children and spouses of America’s Armed Forces. Dunwoody is also busy with speech-es, the spring release of a book, and plans to play tennis at her USPTA club near her home in Tampa. [Recent hip replacement surgery and travel are in-terfering – for the moment.] A chat with Ann Dunwoody:

You must be quite the tennis player, having played the sport in college (1971-75). We had tennis teams that competed against other colleges, but back then there were no scholarships or varsity letters for women who excelled in sports. With my incredible (SUNY) coach, Sylvia Stokes, I never even thought about Title IX for women. We felt like an all-star team and had a win-ning record to support it. I was so happy to be part of a team that I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. I learned a lot from winning as I did from losing, and I learned a lot about team-work and team spirit. Those lifelong lessons stayed with me throughout my military career and made me a better leader and person.

Has tennis been a passion for your fam-ily? I learned to play tennis from my mom and dad and brothers and sisters back in junior high school. An afternoon on the tennis courts was a family outing for us. Even after I was in the Army, every visit home involved a tennis match or two with Mom and Dad. When I met my husband, Craig, our first date was a tennis match with the loser having to make dinner. I lost the match, but Craig still made dinner [smiles]. We continued to play tennis, of-ten motivated by my mom who continued to play in her 80s. She was a fierce com-petitor. I know if there is tennis in heaven, she is on the court right now.

Have you received training from a ten-nis professional? Yes, I went to Lew Hoad’s tennis camp in Spain back in the 1960s, and got to see first-hand what finesse, talent, and top-notch perfor-mance looked like on the court. He inspired all of us in the camp to be bet-ter by working hard and not giving up. Practice, practice, and more practice. I

watched him, I learned from him, and I tried to replicate his moves on the court.

What do tennis and your military career have in common? Fitness and coaching. The military is a very demand-ing profession, both physically and men-tally, and so is tennis. You have to be in great shape and on your toes at all times in both professions. As good players become more senior, they become good coaches to teach and share their experi-ences with the next generation. The Army is no different. It is the senior leadership of the Army’s respon-sibility to teach and coach the next gen-eration waiting on the bench.

How important to military families are post-secondary school scholarships, like those from ThanksUSA? I think that great performance and hard work should be rewarded. And that’s exactly what these scholarships do. Reinforcement of good performance inspires even better perfor-mance. I think education and sports are both critical components in good leader-ship. They go hand in hand: Being mentally and physically fit, as well as having the edu-cation and the intellectual tools to prepare students for success in the real world.

So you encourage USPTA and tennis enthusiasts everywhere to get involved in supporting our troops. I encourage every organization, tennis, business industry and colleges where I speak, to reach out to welcome our troops home and make sure that their quality of life is equal to their quality of service.

America’s servicemen and women are volunteers. Do we say “thank you” often enough? I think a lot of Americans are try-ing to help and there are a lot of wonderful organizations that have made a huge dif-ference for our service men and women. There is always more work to be done. h


America’s First Female Four-Star General Applauds USPTA’s Support of ThanksUSA

Beyond the Court


Why should you aspire to become a USPTA Master Professional?

Master Pro Corner

When I first began coach-ing, the cell phone and Internet did not exist. I was extremely interested

in becoming a better coach, so I reached out to three others who at that time were considered the best in the country. I wrote to Jim Loehr, Dennis Van der Meer, and Vic Braden. All three were at an extremely high level in their careers at the time. All three responded to my note with a personal letter, answering my questions and encouraging me to keep stretching myself as a coach. To become a Master Professional, go out and engage current Master Profes-sionals, talk to them, ask them ques-tions, and involve them in your own journey. Each Master Professional start-ed as a beginning coach and progressed through various stages of learning and growth to become who they are today. While I cannot speak for others, I get excited when younger coaches ask me for my opinion or thoughts about issues that are important to them. What other steps can you take on the path to becoming a Master Professional? Whether you are a club pro, a high school coach, a junior developer or work with adults, education is the key to im-

proving yourself as a coach. Education can mean a broad spectrum of activities, including playing competitive tennis; teaching your students to play; formal education that you might receive at a college or university or from our association at conferences; informal education that you impart or receive from working with your coaching peers; writing about tennis; reading about ten-nis; watching tennis; and interacting with your peers in our professional organiza-tion or other professional organizations. Becoming a Master Professional means that you have taken the time to educate yourself in all of the above men-tioned ways to gain knowledge so that you are prepared to lead a mature life as a coach and that you have kept track of your journey. The reason you should aspire to at-tain your Master Professional status is to become the best coach you possibly can be, thereby developing into the best person you can be, as well as helping your students to the highest level of your capabilities. Like many endeavors, the process of becoming a Master Professional has

more elements of challenge and fulfillment than actually gaining the title. Many coaches I know are already quali-fied to be Master

Professionals; they just have not realized it or have not sat down and accumulated their results, education and involvement in the game of tennis. What are the most important things for you to do if you wish to be a Master Professional?

1. Keep records. Keep track of when you begin working with a player, how he did in tournaments, what his rankings are and when he moved on. Keep track of your own rankings. Keep track of your visits to confer-ences and courses.

2. Become engaged in the educational elements the USPTA puts out there for you. Go to conferences and sign up for specialty courses. You will meet some of the top coaches in your field and make important contacts.

3. Become engaged in your regional USPTA or USTA organization. Get on a committee, or volunteer to help with some event that is meaningful to you. Again you will meet others who are trying to become their best and you will make contacts that will help you.

4. Become an expert in your local area. Write tips or articles for the local resi-dential community newsletters or your local tennis association newsletter. Start small and work your way up. h

By Jack Newman, USPTA Master Professional

Jack Newman serves as Austin Tennis Academy’s CEO as well as one of the lead coaches. Newman is a primary coach to Academy players, but also takes on the larger role of leading prac-

tice, planning the optimum tournament schedules and organizing the Academy logistics.

Go out and engage current Master Professionals, talk to them, ask them questions, and involve them in your own journey.

Education, nounThe act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.


Students who have a love-at-first-set attitude about tennis now have another university where they can learn how to

make the sport their profession no mat-ter how well they serve and volley. Grand Canyon University in Phoenix has announced that this fall it will introduce the first tennis manage-ment program among NCAA Division I schools. The Colangelo College of Busi-ness, named after Phoenix sports icon Jerry Colangelo, will offer a Bachelor of Science degree in business man-agement with an emphasis in tennis management. The 120-credit program will be in-corporated with the Colangelo School of Sports Business and with the Uni-versity’s new hospitality program, also being rolled out in the fall. It will be a USPTA-accredited professional tennis management program and will cover the skills needed to manage tennis operations, including facility manage-ment, merchandising, event planning and introduction to food and beverage management. It also will teach player develop-ment and the skills needed to become an effective instructor, and students will be required to get at least 100 hours of experience in the industry before they graduate. GCU supports its students with an extensive internship program that includes many sports franchises and companies among its possible destinations. “If you love business, love tennis and want to be in the industry, this is the way to do it,” said Randy Gibb, Ph.D., dean of the Colangelo Col-lege of Business. “Your goal could be to become the general manager of a beautiful resort that has golf and ten-nis, and you’re a tennis player through and through. You can go on the busi-ness side or on the hospitality side, or you can work for Prince, Wilson and a

whole host of other companies.” GCU, located in one of the foremost resort areas in the country, is one of the nation’s most dynamic and fast-growing universities, and its athletic program is accelerating at the same rate. The GCU men’s and women’s ten-nis teams both had a winning record in 2014, their first year in Division I, and the University also has started a club tennis team with a paid coach that com-petes throughout the school year. “Business is a popular degree among tennis players, and there are a lot of them going into the tennis business,” GCU tennis coach Greg Prudhomme, USPTA, said. “There’s a demand in the tennis industry for more qualified pro-fessionals, and the reason is that there’s not a lot of formal training available. As a result, most of the people getting

hired are former players.” GCU also is planning a new tennis facility on campus that will be run by students, but they will be able to gain internship experience elsewhere as well. “We’re trying to attract students from all around the country,” Prud-homme said. “There are opportunities in the industry. Every few months I get a call from a colleague trying to find someone to fill a job at a resort some-where.” Founded in 1949, Grand Canyon University is Arizona’s premier private Christian university and it emphasizes individual attention for both tradi-tional undergraduate students and the working professional. It also has online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. h

Grand Canyon University Joins USPTA PTM Program FamilyBy Rick Vacek, GCU News Bureau

USPTA News

Grand Canyon University joins the USPTA-accredited professional tennis management program and will cover the skills needed to manage tennis op-erations, including facility management, merchandising, event planning and introduction to food and beverage management.

USPTA News

For the first time since 2011, grass will be a part of the USPTA Surface Champion-ship Series. The USPTA Grass

Court Championships presented by PaycheckCity.com will be held May 29 – 31 at Desert Highlands Racquet Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. This will be the final tourna-ment to qualify for the series before the USPTA Mas-ters Invitational in New Orleans and is open for registra-tion to USPTA-certified Professionals through May 19. Total prize money for the tourna-ment is $6,000 and will feature events in the following categories: men's and women's open singles and doubles competition, men’s and women’s 35 singles, men's and women's 45 singles and doubles, men’s 55 singles and doubles, and men’s 65 singles and doubles. The club will also host a play-er party on Saturday, May 30, and all tournament participants will receive a gift bag. Desert Highlands sits in the So-

noran Desert nestled in the granite boulders of the Pinnacle Peak sum-mit. The club has annually hosted the USTA Junior Grass & Clay Court Championships since 2003 and the USTA Senior Slam Grass Court Cham-pionships since 2012. Desert High-lands was listed as one of the “6 Great

Places to Retire” by Tennis maga-zine in 2006 and awarded Court of the Year by Tennis Industry magazine in 2000.

It also serves as a host for ATP World Tour and WTA Tour players preparing on clay and grass surfaces for upcom-ing tournaments. As a benefit to certified members, the surface championships provide an opportunity to play against other USPTA Professionals, showcase skills, and win prize money. Members who play in the surface championships have the opportunity to play their way into the USPTA Masters Invitational. The brand new event will be held at the 2015 USPTA World Conference in New Orleans. This tournament,

which replaces the International Championships, gives USPTA-certified Professionals an added opportunity to showcase their skills and earn a portion of the $15,000 prize money, which is the largest amount awarded of all the USPTA tournaments. Players receive points in both the main draw (if they win at least one match) and in consolation play (if it is offered). In consolation matches, a player or team advancing by default will receive credit for a win as long as that player or team does not default the next match. Doubles players will receive in-dividual rankings. Entry deadline for the 2015 USPTA Grass Court Championships is May 19. Register online and receive more information at www.usptaplayer.com/tournaments/734. The USPTA Surface Champion-ships are open to all USPTA-certified Professionals in good standing. To see the current rankings or learn more about ranking rules, sanctioned tour-naments, and tournament regulations and requirements, go to uspta.com/tournaments. All tournaments are run through usptaplayer.com. h

Grass Court Championships Return to Surface Tournament Slate

USPTA Grass Court ChampionshipsMay 29-31, 2015

Desert HighlandsScottsdale, AZ

USPTA Masters InvitationalSept. 21-23, 2015

Hilton New Orleans RiversideNew Orleans, LA

USPTA Hard Court Championships

Nov. 6-8, 2015Hollytree Country Club

Tyler, TX

Visit uspta.com/tournaments for more information.

Members who play in the surface championships have the opportunity to play their way into the USPTA Masters Invitational ... and earn a portion of the $15,000 prize money.

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com 51


For the first time, the USPTA is going down to the Big Easy this fall to once again host the

premier event in the tennis in-dustry. The 2015 USPTA World Conference is set for Sept. 21-25 at the Hilton New Orleans Riv-erside. It will bring together the leading tennis-teaching profes-sionals and coaches in the indus-try for a week of education and fun events in one of the most exciting and unique cities in the world – New Orleans. This event provides the best learning experience for tennis teachers and coaches by offering educational re-sources, facilitating innovative teaching techniques, and creating networking opportunities among the members of the various associations. USPTA mem-bers will earn 8 continuing education credits for a full registration, plus ad-ditional credits for courses attended. All sessions will fall under one of four categories: business, teaching, manage-ment and sport science. The traditional World Conference format returns in 2015 for the first time in two years, when the event was in Orlando. Last year, the USPTA partnered with the USTA to co-host the Tennis Teachers Conference in New York. Other highlights of the USPTA event return-ing include: the USPTA-hosted Buying Show, Silent Auction to benefit the USPTA Foundation, awards luncheon, and registration discounts for first-time attendees, new USPTA members, and three or more USPTA members attend-ing from the same club or facility. On Tuesday evening, the USPTA will host a welcoming gala at the National WWII Museum, one of the top-rated tour-ist destinations in New Orleans that offers an unforgettable way to experience World War II. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served, and the first 700 registered at-tendees who check in at the museum will receive a free ticket to one of three exclu-

sive showings of the Tom Hanks’ narrated documentary “Beyond All Boundaries.” The 2015 USPTA Surface Champi-onship season will culminate with the first-ever Masters Invitational finals on Wednesday afternoon. The top point earners from the four USPTA Surface Championships have been invited to participate in the $15,000 Masters Invitational. All conference attendees are invited to enjoy stadium seating and a dinner reception as they cheer on USPTA’s top tennis players. Following the tournament’s finale will be the USPTA division parties. En-joy the city’s famous culinary scene and nightlife and meet your fellow division members. Each division will announce information on its individual party as it gets closer to the conference. On Thursday evening, the USPTA will host the largest national tennis-

only trade show. Exhibitors include tennis equipment, apparel and footwear compa-nies, marketers and wholesal-ers of hard and soft goods, video analysis, Web-based programs and software, teaching aids, court surfacing and lighting, awards, educa-tional materials, nutrition bars and vitamins, and more. A reception will be held in conjunction with the Buying Show and the silent auction, which benefits the USPTA Foundation. The 501 (c)(3)

charitable organization is devoted to fund programs that help economically disadvantage people learn tennis. Capping the weeklong festivities and education will be an awards luncheon on Friday at noon. The USPTA annually hon-ors members who are committed to excel-lence as tennis teachers and as ambas-sadors using tennis to impact people and communities. All conferences attendees are invited for a lunch and presentation. Nominations are now being accepted through July 7, 2015. Details and forms are available at www.uspta.com/awards. Early bird registration will begin early this summer and go through Aug. 31. Registration rates also available are: spouse/guest registration, daily rates and specialty courses. A full schedule will be available once speakers and times are confirmed. Stay tuned for more de-tails in the next issue. h

Tennis Heads to New Orleans in Sept. USPTA News

2015 USPTA World ConferenceSept. 21-25Hilton Riverside New OrleansRoom rate: $121/night + taxes & feesParking: $10/day (USPTA discount)

Schedule of Events:Tuesday: Welcoming Gala at the National WWII MuseumWednesday: USPTA Masters Invitational and Division PartiesThursday: Buying Show and Silent AuctionFriday: Awards Luncheon

For more information visit www.uspta.com/conference.

May 2 Mt. Kisco, N.Y.

May 2-3 Big Rapids, Mich.

May 2-3 Sedona, Ariz.

May 9-10 Huntington Beach, Calif.

May 10 Conway, Ark.

May 10 St. Louis, Mo.

May 15-16 Houston*

May 16 Pensacola, Fla.

May 16-17 Charlotte, N.C.

May 16 Des Moines, Iowa

May 18 Vienna, Va.


* This course is held at the USPTA World Headquarters. Exam reservations must be made at least 21 days prior to the dates listed. Each date includes an exam, upgrade and PTCA I unless noted. Exam cancellations must be received no later than 14 days before the exam, or a cancellation fee will be charged accordingly. Applicant: late cancellation fee – $95; failure to cancel – application fee is forfeited. Certified members: late cancellation fee – $25; failure to cancel – $25 plus the upgrade fee is forfeited. Registration for another exam will not be accepted until cancellation fees are paid.

(4 credits for PTCA I segment)

Career DevelopmentExams, Upgrades & PTCA I

Register your Accredited Professional Coach (APC) and specialty course credits earned with the USPTA SmartCode Education System. This uses your smartphone to instantly register your attendance to all seminars

and specialty courses earning APC. To use the system at a seminar, general session or specialty course, you must scan two QR codes. One QR code is on your conference badge. The second QR code will be in your conference notebook and cannot be scanned until the end of the session or the beginning of the next session. If you do not have a smartphone, you may use someone else’s. Forms are available upon request.

Accredited Professional Coach

Education requirementsAll USPTA-certified Professionals must earn 6 education credits in a three-year period to remain current. Go to USPTA.com/Education for a partial list of eli-gible activities. Please send verification (email, letter, certificate, receipt, etc.) that shows you attended the event/activity and submit it along with the date and agenda to [email protected] to receive your credit. (International members, Recreational Coaches and those over the age of 65 are exempt.) Questions? Write to [email protected] or call 800-877-8248, ext. 147.

May 1 St. Paul, Minn.

May 3 Mt. Kisco, N.Y.

May 9 Staunton, Va.

May 9 Lewisburg, Pa.

May 9 Fremont, Calif.

May 9 Destin, Fla.

May 15 Charlotte, N.C.

May 15 Titusville, Fla.

May 16 Springfield, Mo.

May 16 Palm Coast, Fla.

May 16 Fort Collins, Colo.

May 16 Pensacola, Fla.

May 16 Charlottesville, Va.

May 16 Palmetto Bay, Fla.

TAUT Workshops

Go to www.coachyouthtennis.com for more workshops or to register.

(2 credits)

Conventions

May 14-16 Southern Division Convention Charlotte, N.C.

May 26-31 Florida Division Convention Naples, Fla.

June 5 Pacific Northwest Division Convention TBD

(5 credits)

May 16 Altamonte Springs, Fla.

May 18 Sioux Falls, S.D.

May 23 Farmington, Vt.

May 23 New Orleans

May 21 Washington, D.C.

May 26 Bismarck, N.D.

May 28 Fargo, N.D.

May 29 Naples, Fla.

May 30 Denver

May 31 Glendale, Wis.

June 6 Barrington, Ill.

June 6 Edina, Minn.

June 6 Mayodan, N.C.

June 6 West Palm Beach, Fla.

June 20 Schunectady, N.Y.

June 20 Portland, Maine

June 20 Philadelphia

June 26 San Francisco

Member News• The Washington University-St. Louis Bears

not only played well, but also carried them-

selves well to earn the inaugural ITA Team

Sportsmanship Award at

the 2015 ITA Division III

National Women’s Team

Indoor Championship.

Led by head coach Kelly Stahlhuth, USPTA, Wash

U.-St. Louis matched a

program-best finish at

the event by reaching the semifinals and

finishing in fourth place. The Bears’ on- and

off-court demeanor was recognized by the

participating coaches as deserving of the

award, which is presented to the team that

has displayed exceptional sportsmanship,

character and ethical conduct in the true

spirit of competition and college tennis dur-

ing the championship. Wash U.-St. Louis will

receive a plaque for earning this honor. The

team has had two semifinal appearances at

this event in the last four years.

• USPTA Elite Professional Kyle LaCroix has

been promoted to Assistant Director of

Tennis at The Oaks of Boca Raton (Fla.). In

his previous role as head

tennis professional, he was

instrumental in helping

manage, organize and

oversee numerous aspects

of the tennis operations.

LaCroix is also heavily in-

volved in the USPTA, partic-

ipating in events, meetings and continuing

education. Most recently, in 2014 the USPTA

awarded LaCroix with the George Basco

National Tester of the Year Award for his role

in mentoring, administering and certifying

many new tennis teaching professionals.

• Claudio Armandi was recently named

the 2014 USPTA Eastern Division Profes-

sional of the Year. The

honor is awarded annually

to a USPTA member in

the Eastern Division

who demonstrates a

significant contribution

to tennis. Armandi is a

USPTA-certified tennis

Professional, specializing in 10 and Under

programming and high performance train-

ing. He is the Founder & CEO of Armandi

Tennis Consulting, a national consulting

company that helps clubs and organiza-

tions raise their revenue through innovative

programming solutions.

• Oncourt Offcourt President Joe Dinoffer,

USPTA, and veteran Midwest tennis leader

Rod Schroeder, USPTA, sign a distribu-

tion agreement for Schroeder’s patented

Start Rite Grip Trainer. This unique and

popular training aid was

formerly distributed

by tennis company

Balle de Match as

the Yippee Grip

Trainer. Accord-

ing to Schroeder,

the training aid’s

inventor, “This

is the first racquet

sport grip aid that is

easy to use, durable, and works

quickly. One of the biggest challenges for

players and coaches is to start with the

continental grip on the serve. The Start Rite

Grip Trainer meets this challenge,” Dinoffer

said. “Rod’s Start Rite Grip Trainer is one of

the best training aids in the world and fits

perfectly into our product line and distribu-

tion network. We are excited to have this

opportunity.” The Start Rite Grip Trainer is

available for under $3 each and sells in packs

of one dozen. Visit OncourtOffcourt.com

or contact the company for a free 96-page

20th Anniversary catalog. Call toll free in the

United States 888-366-4711.

ADDvantage magazine editorial offices

USPTA World Headquarters3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite 202Houston, TX 77042Phone – 713-978-7782 / 800-USPTA-4UFax – 713-358-7794email – [email protected]

Managing editor Kimberly ForresterCirculation Kathy Buchanan

Office hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central time

ADDvantage is published monthly by the United States Professional Tennis Association.

The opinions expressed in ADDvantage are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ADDvantage or the USPTA.

Copyright© United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2015. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of the magazine is not permitted without written permission from USPTA.


NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President Tom McGraw First Vice Chuck Gill

President

Vice Presidents Alan Cutler Jack Michalko

Dan Moster Diane Selke Gary Trost

Past President Tom DaglisCEO John EmbreeLegal Counsel George Parnell

TM

• Arizona Special Olympians took to the courts at Troon Country Club (Scottsdale, Ariz.) in the

5th annual Tennis Fun Day on Saturday, Jan. 24. Mark Pachtner, director of tennis at Troon

Country Club, coordinated the event that attracted more than 170 participants. Tennis Fun

Day is a well-established fundraiser for the Special Olympics Arizona, raising more than

$13,000 from this year’s event. During the free Tennis Fun Day of clinics and exhibitions,

local tennis professionals, including USPTA Pros Pachtner, Mark Frampton, John DeBoer, Ivan Rodriquez and Karen Weir, covered the basics of the sport of tennis and taught certain

basic tennis skills for the special Olympians. Each athlete received a commemorative Fun Day

T-shirt, free tennis racquet and a gold medal for participation. Athletes and volunteers also

enjoyed a visit from therapy dogs from the Arizona Golden Retriever Rescue Connection.

201505 Tennis Industry magazine

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