Tennis Industry Magazine

Stringing
Professional Development
Rally the Family
Find the right

USTA UNIVERSITY This industrys
HYBRID PAIR
is helping to create largest campaign
for your customer PTM programs
to GROW TENNIS
JANUARY 2016 / VOLUME 44/ NUMBER 1 / $5.00
2015
Champions
of Tennis
Our annual awards honor

those who continue to make
this sport a winner.
C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S TO :
MIKE WOODY
DAVID LASOTA
BONITA BAY TENNIS CENTER
JULIAN LI
LOWER BOS. CO. INC.
CARRIE CIMINO
INDIANAPOLIS RACQUET CLUB
REX MAYNARD
CORPUS CHRISTI TENNIS ASSOCIATION
TIM BLENKIRON
PORTLAND AFTER SCHOOL TENNIS & EDUCATION
DAVID COLBY
SETS IN THE CITY SOUTHWEST
GATES TENNIS CENTER
PHIL PARRISH
PETER IGO PARK
DANNY ESPINOSA
RANDY ORTWEIN
ZAINO TENNIS COURTS INC.
MARK KOVACS
JORGE CAPESTANY
USTA FLORIDA
Person of the Year

Mike Woody
TA
SP
U
g
tin
a
r
o
orp
c
In
3
.5
pg
TennisIndustry
www.tennisindustrymag.com
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015
DEPARTMENTS
4
Our Serve
Industry News
14 Letters
16 TIA News
20 Industry Message,

by Greg Mason
22 Grassroots Tennis
p.33
48 Ask the Experts
FEATURES
50 String Playtest:

Gamma Solace 16
24 R
ally the Family!
52
Your Serve, by Joel Drucker
This industrys largest collaborative campaign

is designed to boost tennis activity and interest
across the U.S.
INDUSTRY NEWS
7
Executive team named
for USTA National Campus
7

PTR International Symposium

set for Feb. 17-20
Lendl, Fish, Craybas

to coach with USTA
Playsight partners with ITA
PHIT America teams with

the tennis industry
The new USTA University is leading the way

in creating Professional Tennis Management
programs throughout the U.S.
T.O.M. Conference topics focus

on growing profits
28 Finding the Perfect Pair
Brothers set world record

for longest volley
Like a sommelier matching the right wine to

your meal, you should help your customers
pair the perfect strings in a hybrid set-up.
9
Steve Simon named CEO of WTA
9
26 Class Acts
p.24
p.26
Krupp Scholarship created

in USTA Midwest Section
33 2015 CHAMPIONS
eople Watch
10 P
OF TENNIS
12 Sports Attack teams with

Oncourt Offcourt
hort Sets
12 S
Our annual awards honor the people,

businesses and organizations that are making
a difference in the tennis industry.
13 Head, PTR extend partnership

14 USTA honors grassroots
providers at TDW
p.28
PLUS
54
CEOs Message
p.53
58 Individual/Family Health
Insurance Options
68 Thoughts on the Kick Serve

for Developing Juniors
66 T
he Ins and Outs of the
Commercial Facility
69 Alternative Concepts
to Teaching Under 10s
56 Presidents Message
58 USPTA News
60 Endorsee News
62 Growing Your Business
66
Beyond the Court
68
Inside Coaching
69 Master Pro Corner
Read more articles online at www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

2 TennisIndustry
January 2016
70
Career Development
72 Member News
Our Serve
Publishers
David Bone Jeff Williams

Editorial Director
Peter Francesconi
peter@tennisindustrymag.com
Associate Editor
Greg Raven
Adding It All Up
ometimes, when an initiative

or program begins, you can
almost see down the road that
it will in some way have a significant impact on the growth of this
sport. It wont be the be-all, end-all
solution we always seem to be looking for, but it will solidly advance
this sport in some way.
I had that feeling 15 years ago
when the USTA took its first steps
with Tennis on Campus. Has
it solved all our participation
challenges? Of course not. But,
now with nearly 700 colleges and
universities offering club tennis and
involving 40,000 students who
simply wouldnt have an organized
place to play tennis after high
school, it certainly has led this sport
in the right direction. And the same
principles that have made TOC a
success are now being echoed with
tennis for high-schoolers.
The same easily could have been
seen 10 years ago with the start of
Cardio Tennis, which put tennis
in line with consumer interest in
health and fitness and now boasts
over 1.6 million players in the U.S.
The Tennis Service Rep program,
also started 10 years ago, is another example. Lately it is coming
on strong with renewed interest,
vigor, support and leadership, and
Im certain it will continue to have
a positive impact at the grassroots
throughout the country.
Now, theres another program
I believe will have a profound
impact and influence on the growth
of this sport. The USTA recently
announced the start of USTA University, which will, among other
goals, help to create, nurture and
support Professional Tennis Management programs at universities

and colleges across the country. For
decades, observers of this industry
have always said we need more
PTM programs in the U.S. to train
teaching pros, coaches, administrators and other future leaders. We
now have the chance to make that
happen, thanks to the support the
USTA is giving this (see page 26).
USTA executive Scott Schultz,
one of the nicest guys in the business and the person who, back in
1987, created the PTM program at
Ferris State University, has been
tapped by the USTA to lead the
USTAU effort. Already, the USTA
has named three colleges that have
started up PTM programs, with
more in the pipeline. In 15 or 20
years, well look back at this move
and realize how significant it was
in pushing this sport and industry
forward.
And you know, thats the thing
about this industryits never going to be one program or initiative
that will break open the participation challenge. Our 2015 Person of
the Year, Mike Woody, who clearly
knows how to grow tennis in a
community, puts it best: You cant
put all your resources in one basket.
We have to be multidimensional
and use not just the newest tools,
but also the ones from years ago.
Its not just one thing that will grow
tennis.
We have to persevere, tweak
things when we need to, continue to
be creative, and embrace the whole
basket. Im convinced that all these
seemingly small steps will add up
to big gains down the road.
Peter Francesconi, Editorial Director

peter@tennisindustrymag.com
4 TennisIndustry
January 2016
Design/Art Director
Kristine Thom
Special Projects Manager
Bob Patterson
Contributing Editors
Robin Bateman
Cynthia Cantrell
Kent Oswald
Cynthia Sherman
Mary Helen Sprecher
Contributing Photographers
Bob Kenas
David Kenas
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IndustryNews
Information to help you run your business
Exec Team Named for USTA

National Campus
urt Kamperman (right) has been named to oversee the

operation of the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.,
adding to his responsibilities as chief executive of Commnity Tennis. In addition, Craig Morris has been hired as general
manager, USTA Community Tennis and Youth Tennis, and Tim
Cass has been hired as general manager, USTA National Campus.
Morris and Cass will report to Kamperman, and all will be based in
Orlando.
The USTA broke ground in April on the USTA National Campus,
which will feature more than 100 tennis courts. Open to the public,
it will be able to accommodate family outings, clinics, camps, leagues and every type of
tennis competition and program, from youth tennis events to age-based national championships to collegiate tennis. The USTAs Community Tennis and Player Development
divisions will also be housed on the site.
With the USTA National Campus, we are creating an unrivaled tennis facility that will
serve as a resource and destination for tennis players of all ages and abilities, and most
importantly a launching pad for the next generation of tennis players and providers, says
USTA Executive Director Gordon Smith.
Kamperman, who will continue to report to Smith, has served as chief executive of
Community Tennis since 2003. Hell continue to oversee the planning and strategy of the
Community Tennis division while also being tasked with oversight of the development
and operations of the USTA National Campus.
Craig Morris will oversee the day-to-day operations of Community Tennis and Youth
Tennis. Prior to joining the USTA, Morris served as the Director of Participation for Tennis Australia since 2013, directing all aspects of strategy and delivery for growing the game
in Australia.
Cass will manage the day-to-day operations of the USTA National Campus, developing
and implementing operating policies, overseeing hiring and personnel development, and
managing usage and scheduling. Cass previously served as COO/Deputy Athletics Director for the University of New Mexico since 2006.
PTR Symposium Set for Feb.
he PTR will hold its International Tennis Symposium Feb. 17-20 at Van der Meer
Shipyard Racquet Club and Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.
The Symposium attracts hundreds of teachers and coaches from around the world.
More than 40 tennis industry experts will conduct classroom and on-court presentations, with subjects ranging from tennis business to teaching tactics and techniques.
Among the speakers are Grand Slam Champion Mary Pierce, Argentinian tour coach Leo
Alonso, Australian Open analyst Craig OShannessy, Tennis Australia High Performance Coach Emma Doyle, Marcin Bieniek of
the Polish Tennis Federation, Human Performance Institute cofounders Dr. Jim Loehr and Dr. Jack Groppel, and Kim Clijsters
former coach, Carl Maes.
The event also includes a tournament beginning Feb. 16, a Tennis Trade Show on Feb. 18, and professional development courses. International Tennis
Hall of Famer Billie Jean King will be inducted into the PTR Hall of Fame at the organizations awards banquet on Feb. 17. Visit ptrtennis.org for more info and to register.
Lendl, Fish, Craybas

To Coach With USTA
Eight-time Grand Slam singles
champion Ivan Lendl, former world
No. 7 Mardy Fish, and former American
Olympian Jill Craybas will begin coaching with USTA Player Development as
part of its strategy to involve former
champions and top American players in
the development of current American
pros and juniors.
We need to cultivate a culture
that is characterized by a champions
mindset, and when one of our young
women or men spends time with a
former champion, it creates a cultural
connection that cannot be over-estimated, says USTA Player Development
General Manager Martin Blackman.
We are just in the beginning stages of
our outreach, and there are American
champions that we have not yet connected with, but so far the response has
been overwhelmingly positive.
Playsight Partners With ITA

PlaySight Interactive (playsight.
com), a sport video and analytics
technology platform, has partnered
with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) to offer cutting-edge
technology throughout all levels of
college tennis, says ITA CEO Timothy
Russell.
Playsight offers tennis clubs, colleges, and academies an all-in-one
solutionfrom live streaming to
real-time analytics to after-action
video review capabilities to professional coaching tools. PlaySight already works very closely with many
collegiate tennis programs, and the
company's U.S. General Manager,
Yuval Bar Yosef, views the ITA partnership as a key next step to an even
stronger relationship between PlaySight and the college tennis market.
Our affordable product offering
is bringing new dimensions to the
college tennis marketSmartCourts
with advanced video-based analytics on one hand, and the LiveCourt
systems, tailored for the college
January 2016
TennisIndustry 7
IndustryNews
market, for streaming matches to the
alumni, fans, families, and storing video
online, he says.
PHIT America Teams

With the Tennis Industry
The tennis industry and PHIT America
are combining efforts to help promote the
sport of tennis and increase physical activity throughout the country. Tennis facilities,
tournaments, organizations, CTAs, teaching
pros, etc. will soon be able to designate PHIT
America as an official charity for their local
tournaments and events. The funds raised
by these local events will be used by PHIT
America (a national non-profit campaign) to
help overcome the inactivity pandemic in
the U.S., which now affects 83 million
Americans.
While specific details of the partnership
with the tennis industry are still being finalized, Local providers will be able to sign
up online to designate PHIT America as an

official charity and commit to donating a
minimum amount to PHIT America from
charity proceeds or other activities, says TIA
Executive Director Jolyn de Boer.
Tennis providers who designate PHIT
America as an official charity will receive
benefits including event posters, special
pricing from Staples for printing and copying, and more.
USTA Tests Rally the

Family Messaging
In November and December, the USTA
spearheaded the testing of Rally the
Family messaging in selected markets
across the country. The nationwide campaign is scheduled to roll out to consumers in March. Rally the Family focuses on
tennis for all ages, using lower compression Red, Orange and Green tennis balls,
shorter courts, shorter racquets and
modified scoring, along with a focus on

family spending time together in fun
and healthy activities.
All tennis providersfacilities,
parks, clubs, teaching pros, etc.are
encouraged to sign-up for this initiative
starting in January. Rally the Family is
receiving the collaborative support of
the TIA, PTR, USPTA, equipment manufacturers, retailers and many other organizations and industry partners. Its
also receiving unprecedented support
and resources from the USTA, which
has committed at least $2 million to the
campaign.
We believe we can make tennis
grow by positioning it as an activity
that families can do together, says Kurt
Kamperman, the USTAs chief executive
of Community Tennis. By using ROG
balls, shorter courts and racquets, and
modified scoring, we can bring more
kids and adults into tennis.
T.O.M. Conference Topics

Focus on Growing Profits
The agenda for the 2016 Tennis Owners
& Managers (T.O.M.) Conference, which
will take place March 23-25 in Miami, includes topics focused on growing revenue
for clubs and facilities. The third annual
T.O.M. Conference, presented by the TIA,
will bring together industry leaders and
top experts in the field of facility operations
and management. The event will include a
separate session on the State of the Tennis
Industry.
Rossetti Brothers Set World

Record for Longest Volley
wins Angelo and Ettore Rossetti of Connecticut are the new Guinness World
Records record holders for the longest tennis volley, at 30,576 hits in 5 hours,
28 minutes, without bouncing on the court, which was set on Aug. 8.
The Rossettis, both tennis pros, were attempting to set a new record for longest
tennis rally, but that attempt fell short. However, Guinness World Records recognized a new record category for longest volley, setting the initial benchmark at
10,000 consecutive volleys, which the Rossetti brothers easily eclipsed.
Its the second Guinness World Records title the brothers have held. The first
was for longest tennis rally set in 2008 at 25,944 consecutive strokes in 14 hours,
31 minutes, which they held for nearly five years. The most recent attempt raised
funds and awareness for Save the Children.
8 TennisIndustry
January 2016
Among the topics will be the new Rally

the Family campaign and how tennis facilities can take advantage of the initiative
to help boost business while increasing
participation. The conference also will include a Tennis Tech Fair & Resource Center,
which will give club and facility owners,
managers and staff an opportunity to learn
more about and try out the latest products
that can engage members and players.
T.O.M. attendees also will have a chance
to attend the Miami Open pro tournament.
Visit TheTomConference.com.
IndustryNews
Steve Simon Named
CEO of WTA
Krupp Scholarship
Created in Midwest
The WTA has

named Steve
Simon, former
tournament
director and
COO of the BNP
Paribas Open
Indian Wells
Tennis Tournament, as the
new CEO of the
women's tour.
"Steve Simon, with his successful
career leading one of tennis' most
prestigious tournaments, is the perfect
person to run the WTA," the WTA board
of directors said in a statement. "Steve
produced results, pursued excellence
and he kept innovating, making the fan
experience even better. He has a very
clear vision for the sport and is held in
high regard by all.
Simon replaces Stacey Allaster, who
left for personal reasons and to spend
more time with her family.
The Midwest
Youth Tennis
& Education
Foundation,
charitable arm
of the USTA
Midwest Section, has created the Anne
Krupp Memorial Scholarship
in partnership with Krupps family and many
of her friends. Krupp, who passed
away in July, was a passionate tennis advocate, working as a teaching
professional, while putting much of
her energy into working with Special
Olympics Tennis, Adaptive Tennis,
and Wheelchair Tennis programs.
The first $2,500 scholarship will be

awarded this spring. The scholarship
will be presented to one or more USTA
Midwest Section players of any age who
need additional training or assistance
with travel to participate in Adaptive
Tennis, Special Olympics, or Wheelchair
Tennis, displays excellent sportsmanship
on and off the court, and exhibits the true
spirit of Anne.
To apply for the Anne Krupp Memorial
Scholarship, and to donate to the scholarship, visit midwesttennisfoundation.
com.
USPTA Seeks Nominations

For Annual Awards
The USPTA is accepting nominations
for its 2016 National Awards Program,
which honors members who are committed to excellence as tennis teachers and as
ambassadors using tennis to impact people
Southern Hall of Fame

To Induct Three
The USTA Southern Section will induct
three into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame
at the sections annual meeting in January.
The 2016 inductees are Tommy Buford of
Boise, Idaho, formerly of Memphis; Rex
Maynard of Belton, S.C.; and Mel Purcell of
Murray, Ky.
Among the many award winners to be
honored at the Southern Annual Meeting
will be:
Educational Merit Award David
Schumacher, As and Aces (New Orleans);Gerrie Rothwell Award Cheryl
Thompson (Knoxville, TN); Marc Kaplan
Media Excellence Award Jay Spivey,
Winston-Salem Journal (Winston-Salem,
NC); Member Organization of the Year
BREC (Baton Rouge, LA); Mickey McNulty
Family of the Year The John & Lisa Scalise
Family (Port Allen, LA); Southern Tennis
Professional of the Year David Poole
(Bristol, TN); NJTL Chapter of the Year As
and Aces (New Orleans); No-Cut Coach
Starfish Award Paul Seegraves
(Piggott, AR).
January 2016
TennisIndustry 9
IndustryNews
People
Watch
Lynne Rolley, formerly the
director of womens tennis for
the USTA, is the new director of
tennis at La Quinta Resort and
Club in California, replacing
Tom Gorman, former U.S. Davis
Cup captain, who moved to
Sun Valley, Idaho.
Ajay Pant has been promoted
to senior vice presidentoperations for the College Park
Tennis Club, which is the home
of the Junior Tennis Champions
Center in College Park, Md.
In addition to managing the
flagship College Park
location, hell
now oversee
JTCCs
satellite
programs in
Jacksonville,
Fla., and
at the YMCA
Bethesda and Silver
Spring locations.
Novak
Djokovic,
who uses
a Head
Graphene XT
Speed racquet,
capped off 2015 defeating
Roger Federer to become
the first man to win a fourth
straight title at the Barclays
ATP World Tour Finals in
London.
Alexandra Hinckley was
promoted to director of marketing for USTA New England.
The Women's Sports Foundation, at its 36th Annual
Salute to Women in Sports
Awards gala in New York
City in October, honored top
women in sports, and named
Serena Williams as the 2015
Sportswoman of the Year.
WSF was founded by Billie
Jean King.
Sid Newcomb has been

hired as the USPTAs national tester. Newcomb will
recruit and train new testers,
conduct USPTA certification
exams, maintain contact with
applicants, and act as a liaison
to divisional head testers.
USTA Chairman of the Board
Katrina Adams was one of 12
Women in Sports honored
by the Alliance for Women in
Media at a breakfast in New
York City on Oct. 19.
The USTA Middles States
Section inducted four into its
Hall of Fame in October: ATP
Senior Supervisor Mark Darby
of Beaver, Pa.; Gamma Sports
founder Harry Ferrari of Pittsburgh; former Middle States
President Bette Salmon; and
PTR CEO Dan Santorum.
Hall of Famer Mike Davies,
an influential tennis executive

credited with paving the way
for todays professional tennis
tours, died Nov. 3. He was 79.
Dominik Koepfer of Tulane
and Francesca Di Lorenzo of
Ohio State won the mens and
womens singles titles at the
2015 USTA/ITA National Indoor
Intercollegiate Championships.
In doubles, Texas Techs Felipe
Soares-Hugo Dojas and North
Carolinas Hayley Carter-Whitney Kay took the titles.
Stefano Ianni of Miami and
Zorana George of Cordova,
Tenn., won the mens and
womens open singles titles,
respectively, at the 2015 USPTA
Hard Court Championships
recently in Tyler, Texas. Ianni
and George also won the mens
and womens open singles
divisions at the USPTA Masters
Invitational in September.
Inaugural USTA Foundation Los Angeles

Pro-Am Raises More Than $150,000
10 TennisIndustry
January 2016
C O U RT E S Y U S TA FO U N DAT I O N
he USTA Foundation, the national

charitable organization of the USTA,
raised more than $150,000 on Nov. 8 at
its inaugural USTA Foundation Los Angeles
Pro-Am.
Co-hosts for the event were former world
No. 4 and USTA Foundation Chairman James
Blake and Hall of Famer Pam Shriver. They
were joined by current world top 40 WTA
stars Sloane Stephens (near right) and Coco
Vandeweghe, former world No. 1 and twotime US Open champion Tracy Austin, USTA
President Katrina Adams, and former ATP
stars Hank Pfister and Derrick Rostagno.
Also playing were actors Elisabeth Shue
(far right) and Boris Kodjoe. The day culminated with a reception and buffet dinner
highlighted by an auction, which included
racquets autographed by Hall of Famer Pete
Sampras and five-time Grand Slam champion
Maria Sharapova.
PTR
Celebrates
Support
Of Special
Olympics
Tennis
P H O T O BY D AY L E T H O M A S / C O U RT E S Y P T R
IndustryNews
organization in various capacities ranging

from work with the museum to development
of the Hall of Fame's enshrinement programs
and annual ATP World Tour tennis tournament, as well as supporting vital functions
including fundraising and marketing for the
non-profit organization.
he Special Olympics National Tennis Championship held on Hilton Head

Island in October marked the 16th year the PTR has hosted the event, which
has provided competition and camaraderie for more than 1,500 athletes
from across the U.S., as well as trained hundreds of volunteer coaches to teach tennis to people with intellectual disabilities.
PTR is the Official Training Partner for Special Olympics Tennis, providing coach
education during each tournament and training more than 600 coaches and volunteers. In addition, through its Foundation, PTR has given free tennis equipment to
all programs in attendance.
To get involved with the 2016 Special Olympics Tennis Championships (Oct. 1416), contact Julie Jilly at 843-785-7244.
and communities. All Professional-level

members are eligible.
This year the awards period has been
changed to a calendar year, so for 2016 it is
from Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2015. USPTA
is accepting nominations until the Feb. 28
deadline. Recipients will be recognized
during the USPTA World Conference, Sept.
25-29, in Indian Wells, Calif.
Award nomination forms and guidelines
are available at www.uspta.com/awards or
by sending a request to pr@uspta.org.
Attention Teaching Pros:

Scam Alert!
In the November/December issue,
we mentioned a scam directed toward
racquet stringers that involved a new
customer sending a supposed cashiers
check to a stringer, but then requesting
the stringer send a portion of that money
back, before the bank can notify the
stringer that the original cashiers check
from the customer is fake.
USPTA CEO John Embree reports
that the same type of scheme has been
directed toward teaching pros and
coaches, too. A supposed customer
contacts a pro about lessons for a budding junior, agrees on an amount for a
series of lessons, then sends a fake bank
or cashiers check, but overpays. Then

the customer asks the pro to send back
the difference, before the original check
is found out to be a fake.
This has been going on for some
time, Embree reports. Weve alerted
our pros via email and eblasts to this
scam.
Hall of Fame Names 9

To Board of Governors
Nine individuals hailing from varied backgrounds in business, media, and technology
have been elected to the Board of Governors
of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The new Governors are Lakshman Charanjiva, Vice President and CIO for NextEra Energy, Inc; Guy Forget, a French tennis star and
former world No. 4 on the ATP World Tour;
Tom Glocer, Founder and Managing Partner
of Angelic Ventures, LP; Bob Jeffrey, NonExecutive Chairman of J. Walter Thompson;
Hall of Famer Brad Parks, who pioneered
the sport of wheelchair tennis; Lara Spencer,
co-host of Good Morning America; Dana
Tananbaum, a lifelong tennis player and philanthropist; Gary Tolman, an insurance executive, who served as President and CEO of
Esurance from 2000-2015; and Kurt Wright,
CEO of Quadrant Real Estate Advisors.
Each of the new members will serve the
USTA Gives PTM a Boost

With USTA University
The USTA announced a broad professional development initiative that will
help prepare the next generation of tennis providers including tennis professionals, coaches, and administrators. Titled
USTA University (USTAU), the program
will offer curricula in tennis, management, hospitality and sport science,
through online and in-classroom instruction as well as apprenticeships and experiential learning opportunities. The USTA
has already developed relationships with
five universities and colleges in the U.S.
for the programs launch. (See story on
page 26.)
USTA executive Scott Schultz has been
named to lead and oversee USTA University. Schultzs new role will be based at
the USTA National Campus in Orlando,
Fla. Prior to joining the USTA in 2003,
Schultz founded Ferris State Universitys
professional tennis management (PTM)
program. Visit usta.com/ptm.
5 Earn PTR Master

of Tennis Certification
Five PTR members recently completed
requirements for the Master of Tennis certification. Earning certification for Performance
are Raul Cossio of Palo Alto, Calif.; Sanjin
Kunovac of Philadelphia; Michael Byrd of
Arlington Heights, Ill.; and Michael D. Wright
of Chicago. Jackei Esguerra of Naperville, Ill.,
received a Master of TennisJunior Development certification.
Emirates Airline is
ATP Premier Partner
In a new five-year agreement, Emirates Airline is now the Premier Partner
and Official Airline of the ATP World Tour,
the biggest sponsorship deal in the history of the ATP. Emirates will have global
January 2016
TennisIndustry 11
IndustryNews
Short
Sets
The American Sports
Builders Association
(ASBA) celebrated its
50th anniversary in
December at the ASBA
Technical Meeting in
Scottsdale, Ariz. The
ASBA was created in
1965, originally called
the U.S. Tennis Court &
Track Builders Association.
The Czech Republic
won the 2015 Fed Cup
title after beating Russia
3-2 in the final in Prague
on Nov. 15.
Penn has extended
its contract to be the
official ball of the PTR.
The multi-year deal
includes the premium
pro specialty-exclusive
Pro Penn Marathon. Penn
balls will be used for all

PTR events, including
the PTR International
Tennis Symposium.
The University of
Georgia defeated Boston College, 24-15, on
Oct. 11 to win the 2015
USTA Tennis on Campus
Fall Invitational, which
took place at the
Palmetto Dunes Tennis
Center on Hilton Head
Island, S.C. By making
the final, both teams
received an automatic
bid into the 2016 Tennis
On Campus National
Championships set for
April 14-16 in Cary, N.C.
Serena Williams will
take on former No. 1
Caroline Wozniacki,
while current No. 4
mens player Stan Wawrinka will square off with

French star Gael Monfils
in the ninth annual BNP
Paribas Showdown at
Madison Square Garden.
The one-night event,
which is being held on
World Tennis Day for
the fourth straight year,
will be March 8. Tickets
start at $35 and can
be purchased at the
Madison Square Garden
box office, online at www.
thegarden.com and at
Ticketmaster outlets.
Cliff Drysdale Management has purchased
10 acres in the Oak
Creek Development in
Tyler, Texas, to build a
14,000-square-foot clubhouse, outdoor pool and
12 lighted tennis courts.
Sports Attack Teams With

Oncourt Offcourt
ncourt Offcourt and Sports Attack Ball

Machines have signed a long-term
worldwide exclusive distribution
agreement for Oncourt Offcourt to handle all
marketing and sales of the Ace Attack Tennis
Ball Machine.
The Ace Attack Tennis Ball Machine has
been available for 15 years but under-promoted in the tennis industry, says Oncourt
Offcourt founder Joe Dinoffer. The time has
come to re-launch this solid technology, with
a handful of key improvements, including a
flashing ball-feed indicator, improved control
panel function, random ball-feed option, and
easier access to the machines unique seethrough polycarbonite ball basket. We are
confident this machine will be recognized as an
all-star in tennis as it is for other sports, such
as pro football where every team in the NFL
uses the Sports Attack machine.
Contact heather@OncourtOffcourt.com or
call 888-366-4711.
12 TennisIndustry
January 2016
In a new global
partnership to begin
in 2016, Peugeot will
become the Official
Car of the ATP World
Tour, with a fleet of 500
vehicles worldwide.
Peugeot will become a
Platinum partner of the
ATP World Tour as well
as the Official Car at
more than 20 ATP World
Tour tournaments.
ceeds benefitting local

charity Aid for AIDS of
Nevada. Mylan WTT
Smash Hits, co-hosted
by Sir Elton John and
Billie Jean King, has
now raised more than
$14 million to support
HIV and AIDS prevention and awareness
programs since the
first event was held in
1993.
Team Elton beat Team

Billie Jean at Mylan WTT
Smash Hits in front of a
capacity crowd at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
on Oct. 12. For the third
time in event history,
Mylan WTT Smash Hits
raised more than $1
million for the Elton John
AIDS Foundation with
a portion of those pro-
Wellness company
Jeunesse is a new partner with the USPTA
and will be a contributor to the Retirement
Gold+ program.
Alex Tegels has
acquired the TGA tennis franchise in Central
Hennepin County,
Minn.
marketing rights at approximately 60

tournaments worldwide to reach a cumulative broadcast audience in excess of
800 million. The partnership also will see
extensive activation through ATPWorldTour.com.
SFIA Elects New President

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association
(SFIA) has elected Life Fitness President
Chris Clawson as Chairman of the Board for
a one-year term. SFIAs Tom Cove will remain
as President and CEO.
As the association enters its 109th year,
we have the responsibility to unite our members and use all of our resources to reverse
the inactivity crisis and increase participation, Clawson said.
New additions to the board this year
are: Kevin Davis (CEO; Performance Sports
Group), Jim Weber (CEO; Brooks Running
Company), Mike Zlaket (President & CEO;
Rawlings Sporting Goods), Simha Kumar
(SVP & President for Sporting Goods, Fitness, and Childrens Entertainment, Sears),
Adam Peake (Executive Vice President of
Global Marketing; Under Armour, Inc.), and
Jonathan Ram (Executive Vice President,

North America; New Balance Athletic Shoe,
Inc.).
Those re-elected to the board are: Jennifer
Bendall (Sr. Director of Government Affairs;
Nike, Inc.), Jim Gerson (President; Speedo
USA), Jeff Padovan (CEO; Bite Tech Inc), and
Michael Savage (CEO; Fitness EM, LLC.).
Head, PTR Extend Partnership

PTR and Head have announced an extension of their partnership, which goes
back more than 30 years. The partnership
means PTR members will gain access to
the PTR Team Head Program, as well as
discounted products.
To see the growth PTR has had and
the positive impact they continue to have
on teaching professionals around the
world is incredibly impressive, says Greg
Mason, president of Head USA Racquet
Sports.
PTR is proud of our decades-long
sponsorship from Head, which is the longest standing relationship in the tennis
industry, adds PTR CEO Dan Santorum.
Tennis for the Blind in Florida
C O U RT E S Y S U E K I L L I O N
In Florida, the blind and visually impaired

are playing tennis in the community of
Rotonda West in Charlotte County, thanks
to the efforts of Art Richards. Richards is
an ambassador for USTA Floridas successful Masters Tennis, and he led sessions in
November at Rotonda Community Park for
juniors and adults, who attended classes on
court according to their visual classification.
USTA Florida and the Cultural Guild of the
Greater Cape Haze Peninsula, in cooperation
with the county, provided rackets and special
sound-emitting tennis balls. Players position
themselves on court by feeling specially
designed tactile lines with their feet.
Henin, Safin, Sukova

Nominated for HOF
Justine Henin, a former WTA Tour world
No. 1 and seven-time major champion;
Marat Safin, a two-time major champion
and former world No. 1 on the ATP World
Tour; and Helena Sukova, who won 14
major titles in doubles and mixed doubles,
have all been nominated for induction into
the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the
Recent Player Category for induction in the
Class of 2016.
In addition, Yvon Petra, a notable French
tennis player of the 1940s, and Margaret
Scriven, British tennis champion of the
1930s, have been nominated posthumously in the Master Player Category. There are
no nominees in the Contributor Category
for 2016.
USTA Announces 2015

No-Cut Coach All-Stars
The USTA recently recognized 12 middleand high-school coaches for its 2015 No-Cut
Coach All-Star Team for implementing a nocut policy that welcomes all interested students to be a part of their schools tennis team.
These coaches play a critical role not only in
the development of student-athletes throughout the year, but in the success of No-Cut
Tennis and the sport of tennis as a whole, said
Glenn Arrington, director of USTA High School
Tennis. Since 2006, more than 4,000 tennis
coaches nationwide have made a commitment
to offering a no-cut policy, with some programs
including more than 100 team members on a
high school team. Visit usta.com/no-cut.
The 2015 No-Cut Coach All-Star Team is:
Don Ackerly, Valhalla High School, El Cajon,
Calif.; Doug Chapman, Somerset-Berkley Regional High School, Somerset, Mass.; Teresa
Cunningham, Winter Park High School, Winter
Park, Fla.; Ted Dasler, Lakeland High School,
Minocqua, Wis.; Jeanie Duncan, Lincoln High
School, Lincoln, Calif.; Danny Espinosa , Rivera
Early College High School, Brownsville, Texas;
Debra Gable, Dallastown High School, Dallastown, Pa.; Suzie Heideman, East Ridge High
School, Woodbury, Minn.; Lisa OHanahan,
Carl Junction High School, Carl Junction, Mo.;
Paul Seegraves, Piggott High School, Piggot,
Ark.; Donna Swanson, Moapa Valley Empowerment High School, Overton, Nev.; and Wendy
Thomas, La Cueva High School, Albuquerque.
Bouchard Sues USTA

Over Locker-Room Fall
Tennis star Eugenie Bouchard filed a
lawsuit in October against the USTA that
alleges the sport's national governing

body was negligent in a slip and fall
incident in a locker room during the US
Open. In the federal lawsuit filed in U.S.
District Court in Brooklyn, Bouchard,
who was a runner-up at Wimbledon in
2014, says she has suffered severe pain
and economic loss after the Sept. 4 incident and seeks unspecified monetary
damages.
The suit says the fall on the tile floor
of a physiotherapy room that is inside
the locker room left the Canadian player
with a concussion and "serious head
injury." Bouchard later withdrew from
the Open and from tournaments in
China and Japan.
Tennis Channel, ATP

Renew Telecast Deal
Tennis Channel has renewed its telecast
rights partnership with the ATP World
Tour. The multiyear agreement includes 21
annual men's Masters 1000 and 500-level
events, among them March's BNP Paribas
Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open,
in addition to the season-ending Barclays
ATP World Tour Finals. As part of the agreement, Tennis Channel will add to its live
coverage and have exclusive television and
authenticated-digital rights for all but four
of the Masters 1000 and 500-level events.
Wilson Launches Ultra Line

Wilson recently launched Ultra, a
high-performance racquet collection
designed for all-court players. The
company says the frames are for players seeking a racquet that is easy to
swing and provides power, maneuverability and comfort. Wilson Advisory
Staff Member and World No. 16 player
Feliciano Lopez will debut the Ultra on
tour in 2016.
The Ultra features octagon geometry
inside the frame and rounded geometry
outside the frame, along with High
Performance Carbon Fiber. There are
four Ultra models97, 100, 103S and
108with a suggested retail price of
$229. Visit wilson.com.
iTPA Holds Inaugural World

Tennis Fitness Conference
The International Tennis Performance
Association (iTPA) held the first annual
World Tennis Fitness Conference in July.
About 140 people attended. The conference focused on techniques and evidence-
January 2016
TennisIndustry 13
IndustryNews Letters
based information to help participants
acquire additional techniques to more
effectively train tennis players. Among the
26 speakers were Martin Blackman, general
manager of USTA Player Development; renowned fitness professionals Loren Landow
and Allistair McCaw; Dr. Nick DiNubile, wellknown orthopaedic surgeon; and mental
skills expert Dr. Larry Lauer.
The tennis fitness industry is evolving,
and the iTPA World Tennis Fitness Conference was established to ensure coaches
and trainers receive the best and most up to
date training, said Dr. Mark Kovacs, the iTPA
Executive Director.
USTA Honors Grassroots

At TDW in San Diego
Carol G. Cohen of Rockville, Md., is the
2015 winner of the USTAs Eve Kraft Community Service Award. Cohen, along with
other award winners, were honored in
November at the USTAs Tennis Development Workshop in San Diego.
Innercity Tennis Foundation of Minneapolis received the 2015 Community
Tennis Association of the Year Award, and
Legacy Youth Tennis and Education of
Philadelphia received the NJTL Chapter of
the Year Award.
Also honored at the TDW were the
San Diego District Tennis Association
Wounded Warrior Tennis Program, with
the Adaptive Tennis Community Service
Award; Bill Dopp of Monroe, Ga., with the
Faculty Member of the Year Award; and
Jennifer Toomy of Chesapeake, Va., with
the Janet Louer Junior Team Tennis Organizer of the Year Award.
USRSA Announces
New MRTs and CSs
Master Racquet Technician

Kody Cassidy - Denver, CO
Clayton Emmerich - Evergreen, CO
Cole Heule - Big Rapids, MI
Ryan Leman - Austin, TX
William Reynolds - Cary, NC
David Scott - Littleton, CO
Laurence Sombito - Houston, TX
Thomas Wallis - Littleton, CO
David Williams - Denver, CO
Certified Stringers
Eric Smith - Golden, CO
14 TennisIndustry
January 2016
Offer ROG Tennis for All Ages
Regarding the article Pickleball

and Tennis: Can They Be Friends?
in the November/December issue, I
believe tennis facilities should offer
adults ROG tennis on 36- and 60-foot
courts, rather than lose tennis courts
to pickleball. ROG tennis on 36- or
60-foot courts offers the same fun
and social elements that pickleball
does.
Before a facility converts a tennis court to a pickleball court and
removes a tennis court from permanent use, I suggest the facility try the
pop-up nets used for red-ball tennis.
Four 18-foot pop-up nets easily fit on
a regular tennis court, and sometimes
six will fit depending upon the space
behind the baseline. This means you
can have at least eight people playing
in the space of one 78-foot court, and
possibly up to 24 players. That is a
significant revenue opportunity!
Another option would be to add
blended lines for a 60-foot court,
with the orange ball. The smaller
court and slower balls are similar to
pickleball. Beginners can focus on
stroke production and movement;
older players who no longer can cover
the full tennis court can continue to
have fun playing with their peers.
Using 36-60 blended lines, ROG
balls and shorter nets gives a tennis
facility options that can provide for
fun, social interaction and competition without permanently converting a tennis court to pickleball. ROG
allows students of all ages to learn
tennis. It allows for an older tennis
player to stay on the court and play
the game he or she loves.
Bruce Hunt
Executive Director
USTA Southern California
Pickleball Growth
Thank you so much for putting the

pickleball article in Tennis Industrys
November/December issue. I am a
tennis pro at Five Seasons Sports
Club in Cincinnati and heading up
our pickleball. It is really taking off
and many of our tennis players are
picking it up. I love the exposure!
Kerri Wachtel
Five Seasons Sports Club
Cincinnati
A Health Problem-Solver
I read with great interest the excellent

editorial "Catching More Players" in
the November/December issue, and
it really struck a chord with me. As an
orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist (also a USPTA member) whose lifelong passion has been
exercise, including the promotion and
prescription of exercise and activity
by physicians and other health-care
professionals, I believe we have made
some small strides in getting the medical community to embrace their role
as exercise advocates, but really have
not touched the surface. We could
do so much better, and I sincerely
believe tennis could be a huge health
problem-solver for many, especially
our aging population.
In the late 1980s, I was part of the
President's Council on Physical Activity and Sports (PCPFS) under the
leadership of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
One of my personal initiatives was the
creation of a prescription pad geared
toward having physicians prescribe
exercise. Hopefully the Canadian
physicians you referenced will be
more successful than we were, as U.S.
physicians were not quite ready for
our program. I still believe this should
be taught in every medical school, and
I continue to work on that goal.
In terms of the health benefits of
tennis, Dr. Jack Groppel and I cowrote an article for The Physician and
Sportsmedicine titled Tennis: For
the Health of It! which underscores
the power and potential of tennis to
improve the health of our nation, just
as you emphasized in your editorial.
I believe you are spot on! Tennis has
numerous scientifically documented
health benefits and it would behoove
us to get that word out any way we can.
I have often discussed this with tennis pros and believe it is an untapped
strategy for motivating and activating
our relatively sedentary adult population. Tennis pros and the tennis
industry have not figured out how to
connect these dots, but it can be done.
This will not only help those who take
up the wonderful, healthy lifelong
sport of tennis, but could also be a
boon to the tennis industry.
Nicholas DiNubile, MD
Havertown, Pa.
2015year
in
REVIEW
2015 has been a productive year for the Tennis Industry

Association, as industry businesses and organizations continue
to work collaboratively to grow the sport and the business of
tennis. While the tennis economy and tennis participation have
remained relatively stable, the industry does face challenges,
which spurred key industry stakeholders to come together over
the summer to develop a groundbreaking initiative. The result
is the new Rally the Family campaign, which will roll out to
consumers in the first quarter of 2016. Thanks to the efforts
of thousands in this industry, the TIA continues to take steps
toward long-term growth for all stakeholders.
JANUARY
The latest Physical Activity Council
study shows overall participation rose
1% to 17.9 million players in 2014, with
more than 14 million Americans who
express an interest in playing tennis,
and another 12 million who consider
themselves players.
TIA presents a webinar about the
USTA National Campus at Lake Nona,
with the USTA sharing its vision
and exclusive details about the
innovative project.
Cardio Tennis is featured on the Tennis
Channel in On Court With USPTA.
TIA conducts its annual Tennis Facility and Retail
Census, helping to ensure accurate tennis provider data is being
delivered to consumer websites such as PlayTennis.com.
Tennis Industry magazine names its 2014 Champions of Tennis.
FEBRUARY
TIAs annual Economic Index is released, showing that the 2014 U.S.
tennis economy is $5.73 billion, up 3.2% from 2013.
TIA releases 2014 year-end manufacturer wholesale shipments for
tennis racquets, balls, ROG balls and tennis strings.
TIA attends the 2015 PTR International Tennis Symposium and Trade
Show, where Cardio Tennis is on the morning schedule and coaches
from across the country and internationally participate in training
courses to become Cardio Tennis Authorized Providers.
TIA releases the 2014 Dealer Trends Study, highlighting trends in
equipment, apparel and the
specialty tennis retail market.
Veteran sportscaster
Ted Robinson, along
with coaching legend Nick
Bollettieri and other notable
speakers and top experts,
announce they will be
speaking at the 2015 TIA
Tennis Summit and T.O.M.
Conference.
16 TennisIndustry
January 2016
MARCH
The Second Annual
TIA Tennis Summit is
held in Indian Wells,
Calif., during the BNP
Paribas Open, drawing
hundreds of industry
executives and
providers, discussing
how we can continue
to collaboratively
move the industry and sport forward.
Indian Wells, Calif., also is the setting for
the second annual Tennis
Owners & Managers
(T.O.M.) Conference,
providing practical
information from industry
experts to help improve
facility operations,
streamline business, and
increase the bottom line.
TIA holds its annual
board meeting at the
Westin Mission Hills
Golf Resort & Spa in
Indian Wells, Calif.
TIA updates the
Tennis Talking
Points and
distributes to Summit
attendees and industry media.
TIA supports World Tennis Day by
encouraging tennis providers across the
country to offer tennis play events to bring
new consumers into the game.
TIA supports the SFIAs annual National
Health Through Fitness Day in Washington,
D.C., lobbying Congress to pass bills that
help curtail the inactivity pandemic in
the U.S.
Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org
APRIL
TIA releases its 2015 edition of the State of the Industry report, which outlines key
research and data in the industry. The report shows overall participation rose 1% to
17.9 million players. Core tennis participation, those who play 10 or more times a
year, was at 9.91 million, down 1%.
Cardio Tennis continues its
growth, with 1.62 million
players participating in the
program in 2014, up 5% from
the previous year, according
to the Physical Activity
Councils Participation
Report.
Top tennis and fitness professionals
from across the U.S. take part in a Cardio Tennis
Trainer Summit held at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.,
learning the skills and knowledge required to be a TIA Cardio
Tennis Trainer.
Photo by Chris Nicholson
Representatives from the TIA travel to Boca Raton, Fla., to attend the USTA Annual Meeting.
TIA creates a Business Directory on the home page at TennisIndustry.org with complete,
searchable listings of businesses in the tennis industry.
MAY
Nearly 2,000 tennis facilities
participate in the industry-wide
Try Tennis Free national
campaign, designed to bring nonplayers and former players into
the sport.
TIA press releases for
Try Tennis Free are sent to
more than 4,200 media outlets,
garnering 30-million-plus
impressions. Website traffic
on PlayTennis.com grows 150%
during May, and the social media reach is
up more than 800%.
On average, participating facilities
see 24 new and/or returning tennis
consumers for the month as a result
of Try Tennis Free.
Play Tennis Fast, a new adult
program with six one-hour sessions
using ROG balls and shorter courts,
is introduced on a broad scale during
Try Tennis Free.
The PlayTennis.com website, which
is the central portal for bringing
people into tennis, receives key
upgrades with new features and
functionality to help boost play
during the Try Tennis Free
campaign.
Cliff Drysdale Tennis joins the Try Tennis Free campaign.
At the invitation of the Italian Tennis Federation, Cardio
Tennis is presented to more than 4,000 tennis professionals
and coaches at the Foro Italico in
Rome during the Second Annual
International Tennis Coaches
Symposium. Attendees also had an
audience with Pope Francis, where
he talked about sports and tennis as
an educational experience.
JUNE
TIA presents the
Second Annual
Tennis Media Award
to Scott Fowler,
sports columnist
for The Charlotte
(N.C.) Observer,
at the National
Sportscasters &
Sportswriters
Association in
Salisbury, N.C.
TIA publishes
T.O.M.
Conference
Takeaways in
Tennis Industry
magazine, with
key points from the many presenters at
the Tennis Owners & Managers Conference
held in Indian Wells in
March.
TIA releases the
first Global Tennis
Marketplace report
focusing on 27
countries.
TIA supports the
work of USTA
Diversity & Inclusion
by helping to
promote the
USTAs Diversity
Engagement Guides.
New TIA board
members include
John Suchenski of
ESPN and HansMartin Reh of Wilson
Sporting Goods.
January 2016
TennisIndustry 17
JULY
The TIA, together with the USTA and key industry
partners, meets in New York to focus on developing a
major new, industry-wide national campaign to help
grow tennis participation in the U.S.
TIA releases 2015 first-half manufacturer wholesale
shipments for racquets, balls, ROG balls and strings.
TIA creates a new Tech Partner level of membership
designed for companies that provide consumer-based
software and products to help connect the tennisplaying community.
TIA highlights the Emirates Airline US
Open Series on PlayTennis.com. The
website features an ESPN player so
fans can watch USOS matches.
The PlayTennis.com website gets
important renovations to the home
page and navigation with the addition of a Tennis
Concierge feature and a new Visitor Monitor.
SEPTEMBER
Cardio Tennis turns 10 years old! The program,
launched by the TIA in conjunction with the USTA,
debuted at the 2005 US Open and now has 1.62
million participants in the U.S. and is in more than 30
countries. In the past decade, more than 3,500 tennis
and fitness professionals have taken the Cardio Tennis
Training Course.
TIA representatives attend the USTA Semi-Annual
Meeting in New York during the US Open.
TIA representatives attend the USPTA World
Conference in New Orleans.
Cardio Tennis morning workout
sessions are held at the USPTA
World Conference, and a Cardio
Tennis provider seminar is held
on court.
Past TIA and USTA President
Dave Haggerty is elected
president of the International
Tennis Federation.
TIA again partners with
American Express to support
Small Business Saturday.
TIA begins the process
for the annual Consumer
Reports, which provides
insight
into tennis
consumer buying, playing and
tennis media consumption habits.
Nickelodeons Worldwide Day of
Play gets support from TIA, which
encourages tennis providers to
register Play Events at
YouthTennis.com.
AUGUST
The 8th Annual TIA Tennis Forum is held in New
York City as the US Open begins, and attracts more
nearly 300 industry executives and tennis providers.
The Forum outlines the state of the industry and plans for industry growth.
A new industry-supported initiative, Rally the Family, is announced at the TIA Tennis Forum. The family tennis
campaign, designed to bring in more players of all ages, will roll out to
consumers in March 2016.
USTA President, CEO and Chairman of the Board Katrina Adams updates the
crowd at the TIA Tennis Forum on three key initiatives: engaging the Hispanic
community, focusing on high school players, and improving sportsmanship.
During the TIA Tennis Forum, Peter Burwash (left) becomes
the 10th inductee into the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame.
TIA holds its semi-annual board meeting and manufacturer/
retailer meetings in New York during the US Open.
TIA announces that among the events to be held at the
T.O.M. Conference in Miami in March 2016 will be a Tennis
Tech Fair & Resource Center.
TIA encourages providers to register September Play
Events at YouthTennis.com.
TIA updates and makes available for free download
Tennis Talking Points, for providers to use in helping
promote tennis both locally and nationally.
Dates for the 2016 Tennis Owners & Managers Conference are set for March
23-25 in Miami, during the Miami Open.
18 TennisIndustry
January 2016
OCTOBER
TIA begins its annual tennis facility, business

and retail census, encouraging providers to
update their information on courts, programs,
retail, etc., in the, free industry databases that
supply information for consumer searches
on PlayTennis.com, YouthTennis.com,
CardioTennis.com and more.
TIA releases a poster on social media

about the physical, mental and social
benefits of playing tennis, which
garners much attention.
The agenda for the T.O.M.
Conference in Miami in March
2016 takes shape and includes
topics focused on growing revenue
for clubs and facilities. It will
also include a Tennis Tech Fair
& Resource Center, highlighting
the most current products as
far as technology to help grow
participation and improve business.
TIA supports the important launch of

USTA University, which will help develop
Professional Tennis Management programs
across the country, and provide key
education to future tennis providers.
Q3 Census Reports conducted by the TIA
indicate a growth of 8.5% in unit shipments
of Red, Orange, and Green tennis balls.
Together with the USTA and industry partners, the TIA

TIA delivers a State of the Industry update at the PTRs
identifies several test markets for messaging for the
annual Directors of Tennis Conference on Hilton Head
Rally the Family campaign, which will be rolled out
Island, S.C. and at the USTA Texas Community Tennis
nationally in March. TIA is leading a Rally the Industry
Development Workshop.
effort to get manufacturers, facilities, teaching groups,
retailers and other tennis providers to focus on ways to USTA offers 100% funding to add 36- and 60-foot
playing lines for school programs.
reach families with all the benefits tennis can offer.
2016 TEN
NIS
2016
NOVEMBER
January
TIA attends the USTA Tennis Development Workshop in San Diego.

A Cardio Tennis Global Trainer Summit
is held at the LTA National Tennis
Centre to train the trainers. About 40
professionals from 11 countries attend.
TIA announces sessions for the 2016
T.O.M. Conference in March will include
New Revenue-Generating Models
for Clubs and Facilities; Protecting &
Modernizing Your Most Valuable Real
Estate; Understanding Key Financial
Benchmarks for Your Business; Digital
and Social Marketing; Affordable
Sustainability of the Modern Tennis
Facility; and more.
Career Center and Job board on
CareersInTennis.com launches a new
responsive design for ease of use across
all digital devices.
Through a new partnership, tennis
facilities and organizations can designate
the nonprofit PHIT America as an official
charity to raise funds that both promote
tennis and increased activity throughout
the country.
Messaging for Rally the Family is tested
in several markets across the U.S.
Rally
Family
to play tennis
INDUS
M T
Event Date
W T
F S
2016
3 4
1
5 6
January
2
10 11
18-31
7
8 9
12 13
February
17 18
6-7
14 15
February
16
24 25 19 20 21
17-20
22 23
26 27
February
31
28 29
19-21
30
February
DECEMBER
TIA continues to line up key speakers for the

T.O.M. Conference to be held March 23-25
in Miami, during the 2016 Miami Open.
TIA representatives attend the American
Sports Builders Association Technical
Meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., and the ITA
Coaches Convention in Naples, Fla.
T CALE
NDAR
Event Nam
Melbourn
TBD
e, Aust
ralia
Australian
2016
Open
by BNP
Paribas
21-25
PTR Inter
S M
Opening
February
national
T W
Round
Tennis
25-27
ASBA Wint
T F
Symposiu
er Meet
S
m
S M
ing
CMAA
3 4
March
World
T W
1
4-6
5
Conferen
2
6 7
T F
10 11
Emerging
ce
1
March
TBD
8 9
2 3
S
7-20
12 13
Conferen Recreational
7 8
17 18
4
14 15
Sports
ce (NIR
March
5 6
Indian
9 10
Leaders
8
19 20
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16
Wells,
Davis Cup
14 15
24 25
11 12
CA
21 22
March
First Roun
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16 17
13
26 27
8-9
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Event
BNP Parib
21 22
d
31
18 19
28 29
March
as Open
23 24
Washing
20
12-14
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Worl
28 29
ton, D.C.
25 26
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March
is Day
Carlsbad,
27
21-24
SFIA Natio
CA
March
nal
Orlan
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21 - April
do, FL
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USTA Annu
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March
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Miami,
T W
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March
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Miami,
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S M
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Miami,
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9 10
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State of
T F
14 15
April 3-6
11 12
The Indu
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13
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2 3
6
TIA Own
21 22
m
18 19
7 8
Gaylord
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23 24
Tech Fairers and Man
5
Palms,
20
9 10
April 4-10
13 14
agers
28 29
FL
25 26
Conferen
11 12
30 31
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April 9-11
20 21 15 16 17
Charlesto
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18 19
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Conferen
22 23
n, SC
Exposition
April 16-1
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27 28
24 25
Cary, NC
7
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Volvo Cars
29 30
26
May 23
Open
TBD
31
- June
Tennis
5
On Cam
June 20-2
S M
Paris, Fran
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3
Fed Cup
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T W
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June 27-J
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July 15-1
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July 15-1
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11 12
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July 18-2
3 4
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18 19
TBD
15 16
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4
5 6
Hall of
20 21
2
17
Fame Indu
10 11
July 25-3
25 26
7 8
Stanford,
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12 13
Davis Cup
27 28 22 23 24
CA
9
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17 18
July 25-3
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29 30
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19 20
Bank of
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24 25
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July 31-A
21 22
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26 27
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August
28 29
(Men)
Various
1-7
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August
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August
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9 10
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August
16 17
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18 19
n, CT
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15 16
August
12 13
23 24
alem Open
TBD
20 21
29
17 18
Connectic
14
25 26
22
22 23
30 31
August
ut Open
27 28
New York
29 - Sep
24 25 19 20 21
Mylan
, NY
29
29 30
11
World
26 27
Septemb
Flushing
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TIA
Meadows,
is Final
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NY
New York
US Open
, NY
Septemb
S M
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2016 USTA
T W
Septemb
TBD
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er 26-2
Conferen Semiannu
9
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October
S M
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2
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6 7
TBD
3 4
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T W
8 9
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5
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Hilton Head CA
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1
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29 30
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21 22
WTA Final
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26 27
Novembe
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23
SC
TBD
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r 14-21
28 29
PTR Tenn
25
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30
London,
nology
r 25-27
Fed Cup
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by BNP
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TBD
S M
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Baribas-Fi
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Barclays
T W
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Amelia
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Industry
r 10-13
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Davis Cup- World Tour Final
S
Events
FL
s
Final
Dates
Naples,
4 5
1
subject
Grand
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2 3
6 7
to chan
Slam Tour
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11 12
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8 9
ITA Coac
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13 14
10
US ATP
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18 19
15 16
Masters
ention
20 21
1000/WTA
17
25 26
22 23
Premier/W
27 28
24
TT Even
29 30
t
US Open
31
Series
Tournam
ents
Davis Cup/
Fed Cup/
Olympics
Holidays
2016
For 2016, TIA updates its popular Tennis

Industry Event Calendar, which is mailed
to tennis industry member businesses and
included with every monthly Industry Insider
newsletter.
TRY EV
EN
Location
February
Hilton Head
Island,
SC
Dominica
n Repu
blic
San Dieg
o, CA
Hattiesbu
rg, MS
Fed Cup
2016
2016
August
March
2016
Septemb
er
2016
April
2016
2016
2016
2016
Octobe
May
Novemb
er
June
2016
Decemb
er
At Midtown Chicago, Cardio Tennis passes

the 10,000-player mark.
The TIA, with its research partners, compile
data for annual participation reports, U.S.
and global tennis marketplace research
reports, and TIA Economic Index profile.
Since going live in 2009, the free TIAmanaged Careers in Tennis
website (CareersInTennis.com)
has nearly 200,000 page views.
In 2015, 47 new employers
registered on the site, bringing
the total employers listing jobs to
380. More than 2,800 job seekers
are registered on
the site.
An industry Knowledge Base
is added to TennisIndustry.org,
so the industry and tennis providers have access to tools and
resources for growing their business.
Jeff Williams, the managing partner of the Tennis Media Company,
becomes the next president of the Tennis Industry Association,
starting his term in January 2016.
As we move into 2016, the TIA is more focused than ever on key initiatives and platforms to achieve our mission:
To promote the growth and economic vitality of the tennis industry. We look forward to the continued support and
involvement of all industry stakeholders. Visit TennisIndustry.org - Get involved, get informed and support your industry.
THE BUSINESS OF TENNIS powered by the TIA.
Join
Jointhe
theTIA
TIA......Increase
IncreaseYour
YourProfits
Profits......Grow
Growthe
theGame
Game......www.TennisIndustry.org
www.TennisIndustry.org
July
January 2016
TennisIndustry 19
Industry Message
Growth Factors
The outgoing president of the TIA

shines a light on the often behindthe-scenes role the organization
has when it comes to growing the
business of tennis.
By Greg Mason
'C
ongratulations on becoming
TIA president, a friend said
to me three years ago. Then he
paused, So, what does the TIA do?
That was how I was greeted in 2012,
at the start of my term.
The easy answer to my friends
question is that the Tennis Industry
Association is in business to grow the
business of tennis. While the USTAs
public mission is to grow the game of
tennis, the TIA is all about the revenue.
The two goals are clearly linked, but the
TIA is and will continue to be about the
business of the game.
TIA Executive Director Jolyn de
Boer and the entire team are the go-to
resource when people need information on anything regarding the business
of tennis. I must give a sincere thanks
to Jolyn, the TIA staff and the board of
directors for all of their support during
my tenure as president. I know incoming TIA President Jeff Williams will
have their complete support.
After a few years of increased involvement at multiple levels, I can tell you
the TIA does more than most realize.
Listing everything here would be impractical, but highlights include coordinating and planning industry research
that includes more than 70 reports and
surveys, including key measurements
of product shipped from manufactur-
20 TennisIndustry
January 2016
ers; consumer retail sell-through data;

managing the Cardio Tennis program;
producing the annual Tennis Owners &
Rally the Family is the first

truly joint effort to grow
the game in over seven
years through the industry, which we know is the
best delivery system of the
game to consumers.
Managers (T.O.M.) Conference to help
owners and managers run their businesses better; coordinating the annual
Tennis Forum in New York during the
US Open, along with Future of Tennis
Summits; and so much more.
Another key TIA initiative over the
past three years has been PlayTennis.
com, which continues to evolve as this
industrys central portal for all things
Today, this industry isnt in

crisis mode, but the challenges we face are real and
daunting.
tennis, such as finding courts, programs, coaches, retailers, partners and
more. As an industry-wide, unbranded,
free website simply devoted to getting
people into the game, PlayTennis.com
continues to have significant growth

since its launch and new features are
added regularly. We continue to make
the site a key driver to grow the business.
Many people know the TIA was born
four decades ago when tennis was
facing enormous challenges keeping
players. As a result, all pieces of the
game were suffering. The leaders of the
industry came together with a commitment to check their brands at the door
and work to build the sportregardless
of how it impacted their individual businessesso all could prosper in the long
run. They werent out to increase their
slice of the pie; they wanted to make the
entire pie bigger for everyone.
Today, we arent in crisis mode, but
the challenges we face are real and
daunting. There were 1.6 million fewer
racquets shipped in 2014 compared to
2008, which translates to 40% fewer
frames bought by largely entry-level
players. The average age of teaching
pros continues to climb; to be a delivery
system for the longer term, we must get
younger pros coming into the game. An
increasing number of American youngsters are inactive and overweighttodays youngest generation will be the
first in the history of the world to have
a shorter life expectancy than their
parents.
The good news is ball sales and per-
formance frame sales are solid and in

fact are outpacing the overall sporting goods world, so people continue
to play the game. But we dont have
a sustainable feeder system to
keep players coming up through the
pipeline, from kids, to young adults
right through to senior players. The
numbersour own research data
dont lie.
This isnt an easy fix. It requires
support across the industry. So based
on this, a few leaders came together
over the summer, analyzed the
research, and challenged the status
quo. Are we really working together
effectively? Is there a path not taken
that will help us address these real
issues in a way potential players will
understand and embrace?
The result is Rally the Family, an
initiative to roll out this spring, after
We dont have a sustainable feeder system to

keep players coming up
through the pipeline, from
kids, to young adults right
through to senior players.
testing in a few markets this past fall
to determine the best way to deliver
the message. The concept is simple
bring people to the tennis court to
satisfy the need families have to be
active and have fun togetherand the
message is compelling. Designed as an
ongoing program, the USTA has committed at least $2 million to support
this effort in its first year.
This is the first truly joint effort
to grow the game in over seven years
through the industry, which we know
is the best delivery system of the game
to consumers. The time is right and
the need is clear for all of us in this
industry to make a difference.
Its often said that the tennis industry is a family. Now is the time to
rally our family to make a long-term,
sustainable difference. Thanks in
advance for your support of Rally the
Family, and thank you for allowing me
to preside over the Tennis Industry
Association these last three years.
January 2016
TennisIndustry 21
Grassroots Tennis
Play It Forward!
CTAs, public parks and NJTLs are on the front lines
when it comes to growing this sport in communities.
USTA Eastern
Serve for the Cure Tournament
The second annual Serve for the Cure tennis tournament was
held in Latham, N.Y., on Sept. 27, bringing in a total of 60 participants (up 30 percent from the inaugural year). The day-long
event featured a morning womens doubles round robin, followed
by a luncheon for the women. Then in the afternoon, the men
took the court with their own doubles round robin, followed by a
social hour with pizza and wings.
TriCity Fitness, a local tennis club, generously donated the
entire club and lounge for the day to host Serve for the Cure.
The event was sponsored by USTA Easterns Northern Region
and local businesses donated raffle prizes. Serve for the Cure
was promoted and organized by All Points Tennis, a local CTA
that runs leagues, tournaments and new player clinics for adults
and juniors in upstate New York. All Points Tennis donated 100
percent of the event proceeds, totaling approximately $3,500, to
Susan G. Komen of Northeastern New York to support local breast cancer programs.
The Serve for the Cure tournament provided a great opportunity for the CTA to partner
with Tri-City to raise awareness and funds for the local Komen affiliate on such an important cause, says All Points Tennis board member Wendy Goffin. Jenny Irwin
USTA New England

School Tennis Week Makes an Impact
From Oct. 19-23, Sportsmens Tennis and Enrichment Center, located in the diverse
Boston neighborhood of Dorchester, held its 20th annual School Tennis Week geared
toward familiarizing Greater Boston Area students with tennis, sportsmanship and
exercise. This year, more than 1,600 students were able to participate in School Tennis Week, and for some students, it was their first time picking up a racquet. Students
played games and completed team-building activities, each of which ended with the
traditional handshake or high-five.
School Tennis Week has become a Sportsmen's tradition that promotes the sport
of tennis and contributes to the growing numbers of youth players in our community, says Jelani Haynes, director of community outreach. Its great to see 50 to
100 students all actively engaged simultaneously, and I enjoy hearing students tell
our staff and their teachers, I want to play more or I'm definitely coming back and
bringing friends.
This fall, officers from the Boston Police Department were invited to volunteer
throughout the week. They participated in full uniform and hit with students as well
as spoke to them following the session. The kids were drawn to the officers, whose
primary purpose for volunteering was to reiterate that they are regular people just
like them, and are there to help.
The more we have positive interactions with these kids, the less time we have to spend
convincing them that were on their side, says police Lt. Lisa Butner. James Maimonis
22 TennisIndustry
January 2016
Rally
Family
to play tennis
This industrys
largest collaborative
campaign EVER is designed
to boost tennis activity and
interest across the U.S.
ast summer, executives from a

number of tennis organizations
and manufacturers came together
with the USTA at a meeting in New
York arranged by the TIA. The concern
was how to turn around some of
the challenging numbers that were
coming out for flat tennis participation
and lagging equipment sales.
Based on the research, and with
input from the many industry
segments represented, the result
of the meeting was a unified,
collaborative focus on family tennis
an appeal to kids, parents, siblings
and grandparents in a way that
would get them out onto the court,
creating regular and core tennis
players, and helping to sustain this
sport well into the future.
This family tennis initiative was

soon dubbed Rally the Family, and
its receiving collaborative industry
support along with unprecedented
support and resources from the
USTA, which has committed at least
$2 million to the campaign.
We believe we can make tennis
grow by positioning it as an activity
that families can do together, says
Kurt Kamperman, the USTAs chief
executive of Community Tennis.
By using lower compression Red,
Orange and Green tennis balls,
shorter courts, shorter racquets and
modified scoring, we can bring
What is Rally the Family?

A campaign to increase tennis activity for all ages.
The largest marketing campaign EVER to introduce new
players to tennis!
An initiative recommending a family tennis model.
It encourages tennis facilities to offer instructional
programming and events to get started and social
activities where families can be active at the same time.
A new platform for players to learn through using an easy
24 TennisIndustry
January 2016
more kids and adults of all ages

into tennis in a fun, social way.
In November, the USTA spearheaded
the testing of Rally the Family
messaging in selected markets
across the country. The nationwide
campaign is scheduled to roll out to
consumers in March.
Rally the Family is easily one of the
largest, most exciting, collaborative
undertakings by this entire industry.
Here is a quick overview of Rally the
Family and how it can help grow the
sport in this countryand grow your
business, too.
and fast method. The use of modified equipment, ROG

balls and shorter courts makes tennis an activity the whole
family can play together.
A way to develop and retain a new generation of
beginning, or returning, tennis players. The campaign
includes a comprehensive guide tennis providers can
use as a tool kit for multi-session programs and events.
Depending on needs, expertise and budget, providers
can choose and use what is helpful to their facilitys
programming.
Why Should You and Your Facility Help Rally the Family?
Rally the Family will attract more people,
and more business, to your club, tennis
center, or public park facility.
It will add new members, create added
demand for court time and increase pro
shop sales. New players need racquets,
shoes, and additional instruction, and
they add revenue to your operations.
The campaign can help fill existing
programs or be a launching point for
new, fresh programs.
A major national advertising/awareness
campaign will be launched to support
Rally the Family. Youll benefit by

leveraging the national campaign at
your local leveland youll save on
marketing and advertising dollars.
It will attract and provide activities for
important family time and provide
families with a health and fitness option.
It is a new, exciting campaign that
is supported by the entire tennis
industryyoull help to support the
game both in your community and on a
national level.
Whats in the Rally the Family Guide?
2016 G
uid
Ra y
Family
With input from many tennis programming experts,

ll
longtime tennis director and former Lifetime Fitness
to play
national tennnis director Greg Lappin assembled a
tennis
comprehensive Rally the Family Guide designed to help
both experienced and less-experienced tennis providers
run successful programs for beginners, getting families
both parents and childrento try tennis together.
Depending on what you need, the Guide can
be used in total or in part. There are hundreds of
suggestions and ideas as well as an entire teaching
model. Less-experienced providers may want to
use the teaching model that is laid out in the Guide;
experienced teachers may want to pick and choose from among
the valuable ideas. (By the way, the ideas and programs in the Guide can also be
applied to other junior and adult programs you may have at your facility.)
Elements in the Rally the Family Guide include:
Kick-Off Events/Carnivals. A tennis carnival is a great way to kick off a Rally the
Family program at your facility or park. The Guide contains several examples of
carnivals as well as an event preparation checklist.
Extensive Lesson Plan Models. The Guide includes details on how to instruct
a multi-session program. Run with it in total, or use pieces to fill in your existing
program.
Fun Ideas. All players want to have fun and start playing as soon as they get in a
program. How do we make sure we do not put new players in boring lines? How do
we get new players to hit balls immediately and ensure it is play-based and fun? The
Guide has hundreds of activities and drills to assist with this.
Use of Short Courts, ROG Balls, Modified Equipment. Use the latest proven
ideas to make tennis fun for the whole family and create an environment where
skills improve quickly and players keep coming back. Shorter courts, Red, Orange and
Green balls, and shorter racquets (where appropriate) make tennis an activity the
whole family can play together.
Play-to-Learn Format. Rather than the old style of teaching detailed (and boring)
mechanics first, the Guide shows how a games-based approach will have beginners
playing points and games first, while picking up the mechanics of the game in a
fun, social way.
5 Keys to Player Success. These five major teaching principles are the secrets
to player success, and they must be communicated to beginning players of all
ages. The Guide clearly lays out these principles and how they can quickly and
easily be incorporated for players of all ages.
Become a (More) Successful Teacher. The Guide has a number of key ideas
that can help every tennis provider become as successful as possible.
Extensive Marketing Ideas. Youre all set to Rally the Family, but how do
you get the word out to your community? The Guide presents numerous proven
marketing ideas and templates that will make it easy to rally families to your
tennis courts.
What Do You Need

to Do to Join the
Rally the Family
Campaign?
Register to participate and
be part of the campaign at
RallyTheFamily.com.
Agree to offer multi-week
entry-level programs
for all ages.
Utilize Red, Orange and Green
tennis balls on 36- and 60foot courts.
Make sure your staff has
gone through the free Coach
Youth Tennis training (visit
CoachYouthTennis.com).
Offer online registration
(through your own website or
options provided at PlayTennis.
com or YouthTennis.com).
Offer the option to pay online,
either through your own
registration payment gateway,
Active, PayPal, etc.
Agree to participant tracking
research.
Join Your Industry
To Help Revitalize Tennis
In America!
Help promote and grow
this great sport.
To sign up, go to
RallyTheFamily.com
36 60
January 2016
TennisIndustry 25
Class
Acts
The new USTA University
is leading the way in creating
new Professional Tennis
Management programs
throughout the U.S.
By Cindy Cantrell and Peter Francesconi
rofessional development in the tennis

industryand the next generation of tennis
providersjust got a huge boost through a
new initiative called USTA University.
USTA University (USTAU) will benefit
providers, including tennis professionals, coaches and
administrators, by offering curricula in tennis, management,
hospitality and sport science, through both online and inclassroom instruction as well as apprenticeships and experiential learning opportunities. While the new USTA National
Campus in Orlando, Fla., will be utilized for USTAU, the
initiative involves partnering with universities and colleges
around the country for Professional Tennis Management
degree programs.
Were dedicated to delivering education, resources and
training to providers to help them with their businesses, says
Scott Schultz, a longtime industry and USTA executive who
has been named to lead and oversee USTAU. By providing
education for students pursuing a career in the tennis industry, USTAU will ensure the development of the next generation of tennis industry leaders in the sport.
Schultz has a solid history in this area of the industry. Prior
to joining the USTA in 2003, where he has managed several
departments and initiatives including Coaching Education
and Community Development, Schultz founded the PTM
program at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich. The
Ferris program was the nations first bachelor degree program
in tennis that achieved a 100 percent participant placement
26 TennisIndustry
January 2016
record upon graduation. Schultz served as the programs

director from 1987 to 1998. He earned tenure and the rank
of full professor in 1999 for PTM in Ferris State Universitys
College of Business.
Scotts unique background in college education and tennis
will provide invaluable experience to lead our efforts in this
new division, says Gordon Smith, USTA Executive Director
and COO. USTA University will serve as a platform for aspiring students and professionals to pursue careers in the tennis
industry, while strengthening how we deliver the sport as a
whole.
PTM Around the U.S.
In addition to partnering with Ferris State, the USTA has

also partnered with the existing PTM program at Methodist
University in Fayetteville, N.C. In 2016, the USTA will expand
its efforts to new programs that will include the University
of Central Florida in Orlando, Berry College in Mount Berry,
Ga., and Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.
Well have five programs in 2016 ready for students, and a
couple of years after that, we hope to expand to another five
or more, Schultz says. We want this to appeal to people who
want to pursue their love of tennis as a career.
The USTAs core tennis curriculum, designed to provide resources and skills to bring success on and off the tennis court,
is being developed with subject matter experts in education
and tennis, including working in collaboration with the PTR,
USPTA and USTA Player Development. Schultz says that to
P H O T O S C O U RT E S Y U S TA
further enhance professional development for current tennis

pros and coaches, USTAU will provide continuing education
through a digital resource center that will house the latest
educational and coaching resources. Additionally, USTAU
will organize workshops and conferences to bring providers
together for interactive on-court sessions and presentations.
Through USTAU, the core curriculum will include all types
of courses necessary to become a tennis pro and run a facility, including such subjects as tennis teaching techniques,
programming, racquet stringing and customizing, marketing,
administration, etc. Well make these available to the PTM
programs to deliver to their students, Schultz says, adding that hes estimating there also will be about 1,200 hours
of internships or practical experience to go along with the
USTA core curriculum. In addition to internships available at
facilities across the country, the USTA National Campus will
be utilized for students to gain experience in all aspects of the
tennis industry.
University Interest in PTM
Schultz says the USTAs support of PTM programs has generated a lot of interest from educational institutions of all sizes,
from Big 10 and Pac 10 universities to small colleges. Theres
a huge demand for PTM interns and graduates, which makes it
pretty attractive for a school to work with the USTA to deliver
these PTM programs, he notes.
Today, the Ferris State program is under the direction of
Derek Ameel, who himself graduated from Ferriss PTM program in 1994 and joined the faculty in 2009. Graduates of the
four-year program earn a Bachelor of Science in business with
a concentration in marketing or resort management, along
with their USPTA and PTR tennis professional certifications.
As a result, many transition into roles of teaching pros, tennis
directors, club and resort managers, camp directors, pro shop
managers, manufacturer sales representatives and tennis
industry administrators.
While the hands-on management experience and training
in business best practices are advantageous in all industries,
a career specifically in tennis means you go to work in a
business that is people-centered, passion-driven, and serviceoriented in a sport you love, says Ameel.
One of the challenges Ameel has, however, is getting the
word out about a career in the tennis industry. If you talk
to the majority of high school students, they have no idea
you can get a degree in tennis and dont think theyre good
enough anyway, Ameel says. Thats a huge problem, especially because its usually not the best player who makes the
best teacher. Its the player with the most passion who has
struggled with their own game, and has patience and empathy
for their students.
Drawing Attention
But the attention drawn to PTM programs through USTAU

may help to overcome this challenge. I welcome the idea
of more PTM programs because there is such a need for
young, energetic pros to come into the industry, says Kaitlin
Flaherty, the PTM assistant director at Methodist University.
That kind of attention will be beneficial for PTM, the industry, and growing tennis in general.
Among the new PTM venues, Grand Canyon University is
now the first NCAA Division 1 school to have a PTM program.
The 120-credit program will be incorporated with the schools
growing sports business program, as well as its hospitality
program. If you love business, love tennis and want to be in
the industry, this is the program for you, says Dr. Randy Gibb,
dean of the GCU Colangelo College of Business. You can work
on the operations side or on the hospitality side. Either way,
graduates will have a solid business foundation.
Another new program is at the University of Central
Florida, located in Orlando about 30 minutes from the USTA
National Campus. The PTM program is part of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management.
Were very excited with the partnership with the USTA,
says Dr. Jill Fjelstul, UCFs director of hospitality in sports.
Our focus will be on the hospitality side of the tennis industry, with our key focus areas on leadership and management.
I think our curriculum and what the USTA is all about will be
tremendous for the students.
January 2016
TennisIndustry 27
Racquet Stringing
Finding
the Perfect
Pair
Like a sommelier matching the right wine to your
meal, you should be helping your customers pair the
perfect strings in a hybrid set-up.
By Bob Patterson
s racquet technicians, our job is not only

about putting strings in the racquet properly.
While that is certainly an important part of
it, before you get to that stage you must first
help your customer choose the right string
for their game and style of play. It is your job to guide them
to find a string set-up that will enhance their game and thus
their enjoyment.
Becoming proficient at installing strings properly takes
training and experience. The same is true for knowing how to
help your customer choose the right string set-up. First, you
have to know your stuff! You need to know how tension and
string-bed deflection affect performance. And how racquet
head size and string pattern contribute to the puzzle. And
how the main strings and cross strings work together to produce power, control, comfort and other attributes that may be
importantalong with a multitude of other facts.
This knowledge base is always growing because new strings
are constantly being introduced. New racquets and technologies are also being introduced. To do your job properly, you
have to keep up and know what is out there and how to apply
28 TennisIndustry
January 2016
that knowledge to give your customer the very best set-up you
can to improve their game.
Become a String Sommelier
A wine sommelier knows all the complexities and nuances of

wines. From the type of grape, to the region it was grown and
the year it was produced. They also know how those subtle
differences affect the taste buds and interact with the accompanying food. Pairing the right wine with the meal will make
both taste better and thus be more enjoyable.
So, how do you apply your vast knowledge of strings and
racquets to help your customer? You are going to have to
engage them in conversation, especially if you havent seen
them play.
Start by asking questions to determine what is important to
them. What do they think they need? More spin? More power? Chances are they have something in mind, but dont stop
there. Remember, you are the expert! Apply your knowledge
to what they think they need and work toward a solution.
Lets say they want more spin. If their swing is flat, no matter what you do with the set-up, theyre not going to see a big
change. You need to let them know that up front. You dont
want to set their expectations too high. Be honest and tell them
what you can do with the set-up to increase spin potential, but
unless they apply the correct technique in their stroke, they
may not see a big change.
By asking more questions, most likely, there is some part of
their game you can enhance by changing their set-up. On the
other hand, if they are the local spin master, you might find that
their stroke along with their string set-up may be producing
too much spin, keeping their balls from penetrating deep into
the court, and they could see a big improvement with less spin.
It is all about information. The more information you have, the
better you can apply your knowledge to help them.
Hybrid Pairings
There is no doubt that hybrid string set-ups are popular now.

The majority of touring pros are using hybrid pairings, and TV
commentators are talking about them. This provides a great
opportunity for you to introduce hybrids to your customer. As
a matter of fact, many may ask you about them. Clearly, there is
no one size fits all solution, which provides a perfect opening
for you as the racquet technician to establish yourself as the
string sommelier.
Tom Parry of Pacific elaborates on the opportunity: While
those of us in the industry often cringe when hearing TV commentators incorrectly discuss pro player equipment, at least
lately with their mentioning that a player is using two different
strings, this has really helped to inform the viewing consumer
that there are some amazing advantages available to them
regarding stringing their racquet. Obviously, this makes it
much easier for the local shop/stringer to really talk with their
customers about the possible benefits they might receive from
trying a hybrid set-up.
By discussing the various options with your customer, not
only are you informing them, you are also gaining their trust.
And when they trust your advice, you will have a customer for
life. Work with them to experiment with not only different
strings and combinations, but also tweak the tension.
With the popularity of poly strings, hybrids of poly/gut or
poly/nylon have become commonplace. But dont get stuck in
the rut of only using those combos for hybrids. Remember, it is
about pairing the string with the player. You can combine any
two strings in a hybrid.
A Radical Idea
According to Parry, Pacific was the first company to introduce

a packaged hybrid back in 1972. Pacific Dual Gut was actually
two half-sets of natural gut in two different gauges. Details
were clearly printed on the packaging to inform the stringer/
consumer that the thinner string should be used in the mains
for more power and the thicker string used as the main if more
control and durability was desired, says Parry.
The industry didnt quite know what to think about this

radical idea of using two different strings but the stringers embraced it, Parry notes. We received a lot of positive feedback
from stringers who said they had been doing this for years!
During this era when natural gut was the dominant string in
the marketplace and new synthetics were being introduced,
it was common to see natural gut and synthetic hybrids. If for
no other reason, the difference in price made the hybrid much
cheaper and popular. That can still apply today for price-conscious customers.
The first hybrid appearing with regularity on the Pro Tours
was in the early 1990sa Kevlar main string paired with either
a nylon synthetic gut or natural gut cross string. Andre Agassi
used a hybrid of Ashaway Kevlar and Babolat VS for most of his
career.
According to Steve Crandall of Ashaway, today most hybrids
take that same form. The evolution has been to replace the
stiffer Kevlar string with poly or co-poly, Crandall says, adding
that many tour players use a natural gut as the cross string, but
many opt for a soft multifilament synthetic or a Zyex polymer monofilament like Ashaway Monogut ZX. According to
Crandall, MZX is just as effective as natural gut but a third the
price, and it is much smoother and more durable than natural
gut, which provides better snap-back and spin characteristics.
Stiffer Strings for Mains?
While the stiffer string in the mains and softer string in the
cross is the predominant set-up for hybrids, it is certainly not
the only way. Roger Federer is probably the most famous player
to buck the normal trend by using natural gut in the mains and
a co-poly for the crosses.
It is pretty well documented that the main strings are the
driving force on play and overall string-bed stiffness. A natural
gut/poly hybrid strung at 55 pounds will play and have a drastically different string-bed reading than the same racquet strung
with the poly in the mains and gut in the crosses at the same
tension. Remember it is not better or worse. It is just different!
One may be the best for one player and the opposite may work
better for someone else.
With your knowledge, take into consideration the stiffness
of the strings used and adjust the tension accordingly. If your
customer as been using a full racquet of a soft multifilament at
60 pounds and you suggest a poly/multifilament hybrid, youll
need to explain why it is necessary to drop the tension a bit to
get the best results.
Use All You Have
Dont just limit yourself to packaged hybrids. Every string in

your inventory should be open for consideration in a hybrid
pairing. This increases your inventory selection exponentially
without stocking additional strings. It also allows for much
more flexibility in choosing the strings with your customer.
January 2016
TennisIndustry 29
Racquet Stringing
Utilizing the String Specification and
other tools on the USRSA website (www.
RacquetTech.com) will ensure that your
inventory is diverse. You may want to make
a list of your inventory with the stiffness
index of each string to help you and your
customer decide on the best combination
to try.
Make sure to follow up with customers trying a new set-up. Is it achieving the
desired goal? Could it be better? Work with
them to tweak the set-up until it is dialed
in. They will appreciate your attention to
detail and concern for their game. It will
also add to your knowledge base as to what
string combos work best together and at
what tensions.
With the laboratory analysis of our
string data available on the USRSA website
tools and your applied knowledge of
real-world results, your knowledge base
will continue to grow as you assist more
customers.
As your reputation as the string sommelier grows, so will your customer base
and your bottom line.
30 TennisIndustry
January 2016
This issue marks the 15th year that weve named

our Champions of Tennis winners, honoring
the often-unsung heroes of this sport who go above
and beyond in helping to make a difference
in tennis, and in the business of tennis.
We hope they inspire you, too, to continue to
move this industry forward.
C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S TO :
MIKE WOODY DAVID LASOTA BONITA BAY TENNIS CENTER JULIAN LI LOWER BOS. CO. INC.
CARRIE CIMINO INDIANAPOLIS RACQUET CLUB REX MAYNARD CORPUS CHRISTI TENNIS ASSOCIATION
TIM BLENKIRON PORTLAND AFTER SCHOOL TENNIS & EDUCATION DAVID COLBY SETS IN THE CITY SOUTHWEST
GATES TENNIS CENTER PHIL PARRISH PETER IGO PARK DANNY ESPINOSA RANDY ORTWEIN
ZAINO TENNIS COURTS INC. MARK KOVACS JORGE CAPESTANY USTA FLORIDA
January 2016
TennisIndustry 33
PERSON OF THE YEAR

Mike Woody
34 TennisIndustry
January 2016
f you were to pick a pied-piper for tennis, its a good

bet Mike Woody would be at the top of the list.
For decades, Woody brought the sport in all its
forms to Midland, Mich., where he directed tennis
at the renowned Greater Midland Tennis Center
(GMTC). But his influenceand his infectious
enthusiasmhas helped grow the sport well beyond the Midland community.
This past July, after 22 years in Midland, Woody left for
Wichita, Kan., where he is now the national tennis director for Genesis Health Clubs. But one thing he clearly didnt
leave behind is his passion for the sport, and for getting more
people playing it.
Tennis changes peoples lives in a lot of different ways,
he says. You hear people talk about the sport from many
anglesits health and fitness, how social it is, how competitive it can be, how much fun it is. Whatever the angle they find
appealing, thats what gets me pumped and going.
Woody, who is certified by both the USPTA and PTR, has
been on the front lines of growing this sport for a long time.
Hes been a USTA National Trainer for 10 and Under Tennis, a
Cardio Tennis National Trainer, a High School Development
Trainer for the PTR, attended over 1,000 hours of industry
workshops and trainings, led tennis workshops around the
U.S. and internationally, been named the USPTA National
Facility Manager of the Year and USPTA Midwest Pro of the
Year, and much more.
Its fair to say that over the last two decades, Woody has
been an important force in many of the key initiatives that
have helped to move this sport forward from the grassroots
to the highest levels. For his dedication, passion and effectiveness in growing this sport at many levels, Tennis Industry
magazine is thrilled to name Mike Woody our 2015 Person of
the Year.
Woodys passion in helping this game grow seems to come
naturally to him. One of the high points in his career was
when, in 2008, Midland was named the inaugural winner
of the USTAs Best Tennis Town in the U.S. contest. We
achieved excellence on so many different levels, Woody says,
from 10-and-Under Tennis right through to the pros. The
Greater Midland Tennis Center is the longtime home to the
Dow Corning Tennis Classic USTA Pro Circuit event.
Mikes infectious passion for tennis was the catalyst, says
Chris Tointon, president and CEO of GMTC. Even if you
never played tennis before, Mike makes you believe that it is
the best thing in the world. You want to be a part of it.
What makes Mike so special is that he has a pure joy
for the sport itself, notes TIA Executive Director Jolyn de
Boer. He has always been a true supporter of this industry
strongly involved in the TIA and all industry initiatives, and is
amazingly service-minded and collaborative.
Mike was an early member of the Cardio Tennis Speakers Team and played a big role in educating teaching profes-
sionals and growing the program, says Michele Krause, the

Cardio Tennis Global Education Director. Not only that, but
he was a personal testament to the benefits of Cardio Tennis
in reaching health and fitness goals.
I think being involved in the tennis industry has helped
me be successful, Woody says. I use all the tools that were
presented to me through the industryoff the shelf, modified,
or tweaked, I never stopped using them.
Now, Woody will have a chance to use the industrys tools
at Genesis, which has 22 health and fitness clubs, seven of
which currently have tennis, with approximately 30 pros and
50 tennis courts. I want to make tennis at Genesis a model in
the industry, he says. When I look at the landscape of tennis,
and the amount of opportunity we have in this industry, that
gets me excited. All it takes is a good vision and a bunch of
hard-working people. Peter Francesconi
Tips For Success

Keep the laser focus in check. Our tipping point will be
because we hit it from four or five different positions, not
just one, says Woody.
People are looking to go on a health-fitness-wellness
adventure, and tennis can do that. They need to see the
game for its healthy benefits.
To grow the sport, we need to increase support for Cardio
Tennis, Youth Tennis and the senior market.
People dont care if they play with Red, Orange or Green
balls. What they care about is getting a good workout.
Tennis is a great way to keep people connected, and its
a great way to keep people engaged in a healthy life choice.
January 2016
TennisIndustry 35
PRIVATE FACILITY OF THE YEAR
Bonita Bay
Tennis Center
TENNIS INDUSTRY SERVICE AWARD
David LaSota
hen it comes to
tennis in the U.S.,
its hard to find
an area of this country that
has not in some way been
touched by the work of David
LaSota.
A licensed professional
engineer and founder of DW
LaSota Engineering Inc. of
Patton, Pa., LaSota has over
25 years of civil engineering
expertise, and for the past
decade hes been working
with the USTA in all areas of
facility consultation, design
and construction. Hes contributed to projects ranging
from a single court at a park,
to private clubs, to large municipal facilities, to the USTA
Billie Jean King National
Tennis Center in New York
and the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
This year, Tennis Industry
magazine has created the
Tennis Industry Service
Award, and were thrilled to
honor David LaSota as our
inaugural winner.
If a group comes to the
USTA looking for help with
courts, that request will land

with LaSota. Ive worked on
more than 6,000 facilities for
which weve provided technical assistance, concepts,
facility assessments, or some
other sort of help, says
LaSota, who himself is an
avid recreational and league
tennis player.
In addition to his handson work, he is the chair of
the USTA/American Sports
Builders Association group
that updates and revises the
massive Tennis Courts:
Construction & Maintenance Manual every few
years.
Were so thankful David
lent his expertise and experience to us and the tennis
community, says Virgil
Christian, the USTAs senior
director of market/facility
development and collegiate
tennis. There is hardly a
community that has not
benefited in some way from
his design and technical
knowledge. He has had an
incredible impact on tennis.
Peter Francesconi

Tips For Success

Keep up with trends and dont be afraid to be a trailblazer.
Be meticulous. Pay attention to all the details.
Invest in quality design and materials. It will reduce maintenance, rehabilitation and replacement going forward.
Remember, tennis is a lifetime sport. Build something
that all ages can enjoy.
36 TennisIndustry
January 2016
ever resting on its laurels, the Bonita Bay Tennis

Center in Bonita Springs, Fla., constantly strives to
make everything old
new again, which leads to comTips For Success
mendation as Tennis Industrys
Make sure members
2015 Private Facility of the
know it is their club and
Year.
staff is here to serve
This past year, in service to
them.
750 tennis-playing members
Be on the lookout to
of the luxury Bonita Bay Club,
upgrade facilities ahead
the Tennis Center debuted a
of membership requests.
new stadium court and cafe,
Build member-toadding amenities to the 18 Harmember
bonds in
Tru courts resurfaced in 2010,
support of staff-member
smart-court technology and
interactions.
LED lighting, all of which support the more than 20 league
teams and the areas most
active and competitive tennis program. New for the club as a
whole is an 18,000-square-foot health and fitness facility.
Director of Tennis Paula Scheb explains that delivery on
the intangibles and not just the tangibles is primary: What
we try and do every day is touch our members with as many
positive interactions as we can [and] try hard to have each
member be our only focus at that moment, and to try and find
a way to say yes as many times a day as we can.
Two USPTA master pros head a teaching staff that plays in a
member event at least once a week. Attention to membership
needs includes a full-service pro shop, TV monitors displaying the days court assignments and patio service of drinks
on the way to or from the court. Club veterans are enlisted as
ambassadors to help new members integrate into the tennis
community as quickly as possible.
While honors from others are appreciated, as Scheb explains it, success is measured with each member who receives
the message from the staff that, We are glad you are here and
we know you are special. Kent Oswald
STRINGER OF THE YEAR
Julian Li
ulian Li and his brother John opened their retail store,

Racquets Rackets, in Arcadia, Calif., in 1991. Now, it
is known throughout California as the place to go for
superior racquet service. And while the brothers serve local
customers through their shop, both men also string on the pro
tour as well.
In 1993, not long after opening the store, Julian Li was
selected to be part of the US Open stringing team, and he
hasnt slowed down since, adding tournaments all over the
world to his long resume. Traveling to these tournaments
has allowed me to work with and learn from some of the
industrys best stringers, racquet and string engineers, and
stringing machine designers, he says. I cant thank these
people enough. They allow me to enter their world to help me
further hone my craft and expand my knowledge.
When you add his 22 years of pro tour stringing to his
extensive experience in providing top-notch service for recreational customersgaining the respect of pro and rec players
alike, along with coaches and his peers in the industryyou
have Tennis Industrys 2015 Stringer of the Year.
For 2015, Li was selected to lead the new Head stringing
BUILDER/CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR
Tips For Success

Never stop learning! You can always continue to refine
your craft by learning from others.
Consistency is vital for any racquet service, but especially
for the pros, where you are stringing multiple racquets
every day.
Networking among your peers and others within the
industry will allow you to find opportunities for growth.
team at the BNP Paribas Open. Julian did a great job running
the stringing booth at Indian Wells in Heads first year stringing for the event, says Head USA President Greg Mason. His
work ethic, consistency and tennis knowledge gives him the
ability to work well with players of all levels. Bob Patterson
Lower Bros. Co. Inc.
ower Bros. Co. Inc.

of Birmingham, Ala.,
didnt start out as a
court construction companyit was in the waterproofing business. A promotional
partnership with Laykold,
however, convinced the
company president at the
time to give tennis courts a
try. And today, after 45 years,
its fair to say the company

has cemented its place in the
industry, and along with it, is
2015s TI Builder/Contractor
of the Year.
Current President Linn
Lower, who started working
on tennis courts as a teenager, has been able to see
technical advancements in
the industry help the sport
evolve. More
importantly, he
has been able to
help his customers make the right
decisions when
it comes to court
care because, as
Tips For Success

Always take care of
the client. People know
they can count on us,
Lower says.
Do quality work;
people will always remember that.
You can expand your
capabilities without
overextending. If
you can consolidate
workforce and overhead,
youll still be able to
expand during the boom
times but maintain the
flexibility to keep up
when work drops off.
he puts it, When they look

at their courts 10 years from
now, the only person they are
going to remember is me.
The company has contributed significantly to the
industry. Linn Lower currently is on the ASBA Board
and is a Certified Tennis
Court Builder. He assisted
with the development of
certification forms and also is
on the Technical Committee.
The companys projects have
also been honored in ASBAs
dents give us a job and think
awards program.
we can work miracles, he
Lower realizes his comsays. So we try.
panys reputation is always
Mary Helen Sprecher
at stake. Some superinten-
January 2016
TennisIndustry 37
PRO/SPECIALTY RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Indianapolis
Racquet Club
TENNIS SALES REP OF THE YEAR
Carrie Cimino
assion. Knowledge.
Accountability. Each
can make for a good
sales representative. But
combine all three, as found
every day by the clients of
Head/Penn District Sales
Manager Carrie Cimino, and
you have the 2015 Tennis Industry Sales Rep of the Year.
The University of Texas
graduate and USPTAcertified elite professional
began with the company in
1995 as Penn Racquet Sports
Western Regional Promotions manager. She served
as a district sales manager
in Atlanta before moving
to Southern California to
head up sales for that region.
She has been recognized as
Head/Penns 2009 District
Sales Manager of the Year
and with the companys 2013
Hall of Fame award.
My success is based on my
customers success, Cimino
says. From day one with a
new retailer, she learns as

much about their business as
she can. Her aim is to create
an account-specific product
assortment plan and serve as
a bridge of trust between her
company and the people (not
just clients) of her territory.
Carrie is a consummate
professional and always
balances the needs of the
retailer with the goals of the
company, says Greg Mason,
president of Head USA. She
is always working to make
sure its a win/win. And she
lives by the 5 P rule: Proper
planning prevents poor performance.
You have to have a genuine passion for the company
that you represent and for
and the products that you are
selling, but more importantly
a lifetime love for tennis!
Cimino says. Passion brings
enthusiasm and enthusiasm is contagious.
Kent Oswald

Tips For Success

Learn all you can about the clients business in order to
make sure they have the best fit of products for them.
Communicate your passion for the products you are
selling.
Make yourself available for clients on their timetable.
Follow up on all issues to make sure they are resolved and
earn client trust every day.
38 TennisIndustry
January 2016
Tips For Success

Employ friendly and
outgoing individuals
who are well-versed in
the products, and passionate about the game.
Make all customers feel
welcome and valued,
whether they purchase
or not.
Maintain an inviting,
clean, organized and
well-merchandised retail
environment focused on
variables customers say
are most important.
Support vendor
initiatives, launches and
programs and expect
vendors to be as interested in your success and
sell-through as they are
in receiving your order.
veryone knows what a

good forehand should
look like, but only the
best execute it every time.
Similarly, everyone knows
that the building block for any
retailer is the development and
maintenance of customer relationships, but few consistently
execute like the Indianapolis
Racquet Club, Tennis Industrys Pro/Specialty Retailer of
the Year.
Much credit goes to Director of Retail Operations Jeff
Rodefeld, whose connection
with the club traces back to his
high school tennis days. According to Head/Penn Eastern
Regional Sales Manager John
Tranfaglia, Jeff is one of the
best retailers in the business
year in and year out. Jeffs
attention to detail, product merchandising and knowledge of
what his customers want sets him apart in the industry.
The IRCs two locations are a 3,500-square-foot flagship location associated with 16 indoor hard courts, and a
400-square-foot outpost at an eight-court site about 10 minutes to the east. Rodefelds mantra is that, the ultimate point
of differentiation [between retail success and failure] comes
down to the relationship developed with the customer and
the personalized service that is provided.
Communications are sent to club members and the general
public about new product arrivals, upcoming events and promotions. Customers are welcome to touch, feel and demo; and
an on-site stringer is always available. There is also a frequent
stringer program, special ordering service, and adult and
school team discounts. Finally, a well-tenured staff is taught
to be always on-point and focused on making sure everyone
walks out feeling well cared for. Kent Oswald
TENNIS ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR
Rex Maynard
ex Maynard has helped tennis at nearly every level in

the U.S. At the national level, hes served on numerous
USTA committees. Regionally, hes been a member
and the president of the USTA Southern Board of Directors.
As president years ago, he helped bring pro tennis back to
Atlanta with the BB&T Atlanta Open.
But nowhere has Maynard given more of his time than
in his hometown of Belton, S.C., where he grew up and still
lives. He voluntarily directs tournaments and has created
new events to help attract more interest in tennis. He also
volunteers and runs youth clinics. The countless hours Maynard has devoted to tennis make him Tennis Industrys 2015
Tennis Advocate of the Year.
I dont know how he does it all, says Chuck Waldron, a
tennis coach in the area for more than 40 years. The thing is,
you never see him make a mistake.
Maynards time-management skills are most tested during
the Palmetto Championships, South Carolinas state qualifier for boys and girls looking to play in the USTA National
Tips For Success

Follow the Golden Rule: Treat others like you want to be
treated.
Try to be fair in everything you do.
Enjoy life, enjoy yourself and have fun. Dont take things
too seriously.
Work hard.
Championships. The tournament was started in Belton in

1957, and Maynard, then 10, played in it. In 1976, he started
volunteering for the event, and a couple of years later, he was
co-directing it.
Next year, Maynard will run the 60th Palmetto Championships. He says its the people hes met who motivate him to
give back. I enjoy the people, he says, and I especially appreciate the friendships. Jonathon Braden
COMMUNITY TENNIS ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR
Corpus Christi Tennis Association
STA Texass 2016

initiativePlay It
Forwardis designed to encourage players
to give the gift of tennis. The
Corpus Christi Tennis Association (CCTA), however,
has been "playing it forward"
since its founding in 1960.
And for this year, CCTA is
TIs Community Tennis Association of the Year.
Under the direction of
current Executive Director
Penny Maingot, its 19-member board, and a group of
dedicated advisors, CCTA
works diligently to build on
its successes and positively
impact the lives of the residents of the Coastal Bend.
Grassroots programming,
partnerships and charitable initiatives have always
been the heart of the CCTA.
Every year, the organization
introduces more than 500
kids to tennis, awards up to
10 scholarships to graduating
seniors, and runs the tennis
competition for Special
Olympics South Texas. CCTA
also hosts seven USTA-sanc-
tioned tournaments each

year, and boasts over 700
USTA League players. The
groups recent efforts include
funding renovations to the
HEB and Al Kruse tennis
centers. And CCTA recently
embarked on two innovative
grow-the-game initiatives:
a Diversity and Wellness
Program, and a new 39 and
Under Social Tennis Club.
The passion behind the

Corpus Christi Tennis Associations hard work helps
to ensure we have enough
resources in order to play it
forward, says past President
Terry Sweet. Katy Rogers
Tips For Success

Remain clear about
your mission.
Recruit and train
people with a passion for
the game, and leverage
their strengths.
Forge partnerships
with other entities that
share your goals and will
promote success.
January 2016
TennisIndustry 39
NJTL OF THE YEAR
GRASSROOTS CHAMPION OF THE YEAR
Portland After
School Tennis
& Education
Tim Blenkiron
f we could bottle and sell

Tim Blenkirons energy,
wed all be rich. Tim has
a passion that I cant describe
an appetite for life and a
joy of teaching that amazes
me every day, says his wife,
Lisa.
Blenkiron is the executive director of the No Quit
Training Academy in Las
Vegas and a USTA High
Performance coach. An
Australian native and former
NCAA champion who has
been playing since he was
a 2-year-old, he works with
hundreds of players annually
who come from all over the
world.
Tennis is a metaphor for
life for me, he says. When
things get difficult, you dig
deeper and try even harder,
try new things, never give
up. There is nothing more
rewarding than teaching
these life lessons through
this wonderful game.
Off the court, Blenkiron is
on the board of directors for

the USTA Nevada District
and the Marty Hennessy
Jr. Tennis Foundation. Hes
also board president for the
USTA Intermountain Section. And for all his passion
and dedication, Blenkiron is
TIs Grassroots Champion of
the Year.
Tim is the pied-piper everyone wants to work with,
says USTA Intermountain
Executive Director Rob
Scott. He has instant likability and credibility. He won
our Jon Messick Leadership
Award because he is a master
of collaboration and inclusiveness as a leader in our
section.
I dont know how he does
it, adds Lisa. He works
very long days, but he always
comes home happy. He finds
something positive in every
aspect of what he does. If we
could all be more like him,
the world would be a better
place. Wendy Anderson
Tips For Success

Having fun at the grassroots level is the most important thing. If it is fun, players will continue; if not, theyll
try something else.
Make sure students leave a practice having achieved
some level of success, so they continue to gain confidence and feel attached to tennis.
People appreciate organization because it shows you
have put thought into what you are doing.
40 TennisIndustry
January 2016
Tips For Success

or nearly 20 years, Portland After School Tennis
Parents need to con& Education in Oregon
nect with and underhas been helping to deliver
stand tennis, so create
services that have significantly
opportunities for them
impacted the lives of at-risk
to learn and play the
children and their families.
game, too.
The organization was started
Programs need to think
in 1996 by Ernest Hartzog,
in terms of the needs of
the former assistant superinthe children. To have a
tendent for Portland schools,
real impact on kids, they
whose goal was for low-income
spend at least 12 hours
kids to learn how to play tennis,
a week at PAST&E; 60
says current Executive Director
percent of their time is
Danice Brown. Thanks to his
on academics and 40
solid foundation, the program
percent on tennis/fithas evolved to include much,
ness.
much more.
Parternships, partnerAfter I came on board in
ships, partnerships! Take
2007, I told the board, Were
advantage of all you can
keeping a group of children
to reach your goals.
kind of safe for one hour.
I suggested we limit it to 12
children, participating for eight weeks, two hours a day, with
two coaches.
The year-round program now has 64 kids, who receive 12 to
16 hours a week of tutoring or enrichment, in addition to tennis (lessons, clinics, JTT and tournaments). But PAST&E also
touches more than 1,000 kids a year through programming
throughout Portland.
PAST&E has been recognized as a Best in Class program
for the USTAs National Junior Tennis & Learning network,
and for 2015, its Tennis Industrys inaugural winner of the
NJTL of the Year award.
Brown, a former general manager at a private club, herself
was named TIs Grassroots Champion in 2012 for her work
with PAST&E, but shes quick to credit the help of many in the
NJTLs success, including her mentor, Dave Higaki of East
Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring. Peter Francesconi
YOUTH TENNIS PROVIDER OF THE YEAR
David Colby
s director of junior development at Manchester Athletic Club (MAC) in Manchester, Mass., David Colby
has been molding the next generation of players for 13
years.
Kirk Anderson, director of the USTAs recreational coaches
and programs, says there is a reason why Colby also serves as
a USTA national trainer for Youth Tennis, running workshops throughout New England for the Coach Youth Tennis
pathway. Hes really excellent with kids and has great ideas,
Anderson says of Colby, who is TIs 2015 Youth Tennis Provider of the Year. Year in and year out, his club turns out a lot
of kids who are hooked on the game.
At MAC, more than 250 juniors of all levels participate in a
full gamut of programming. An early adopter of 10 and Under
Tennis, the club has three 60-foot courts among its 12 hard
courts, four of which are bubbled during the winter. Just dont
use the word lesson to describe the instructional component.
Thats the worst word ever. We have a game-based approach, Colby says. The beauty of 10 and Under Tennis is
youre getting kids competing much faster. Its a smaller court,
Tips For Success

Get on the same page. All 14 teaching pros at MAC strive
to be a cohesive unit through shared commitment, clear
communication about goals and regular feedback with
management.
Try, try again. During the transition to Youth Tennis in
2005, the 300-junior program lost players due to confusion
over the new format. Participation rebounded as communication improved and the advantages of the program
became evident.
Put your best coach forward. Inexperienced pros often
are assigned to beginners, but Colby supports the opposite
model in order to hook kids on tennis while ensuring the
pros financial future.
but theyre real tennis players. Colby ensures a solid foundation by pairing veteran coaches with beginners. Alternating
between practice and game days is facilitated by USTA and
in-house tournaments.
Tennis is a great sport, but we keep the smallest percentage of kids in it, he says. Im all about turning that around.
Cindy Cantrell

ADULT TENNIS PROVIDER OF THE YEAR
Sets in the City Southwest
big key to getting

people playing tennis
today is that time
spent on court can't just be a
night of instruction or formal
play, bang a few balls, then
head home. It's about making
and creating a memorable,
social tennis experience that
makes participants want to
return.
That was the inspiration for Sets in
the City Southwest,
a weekly co-ed
league in four cities
focused on 18- to 39-yearolds. It's been one of the best
examples nationally of how
to reach out to young adult

players, and its the inaugural
winner of Tennis Industrys
Adult Tennis Provider of the
Year Award.
In the past year or so,
more than 60 social tennis leagues have sprung up
across the country, says
Marilyn Sherman, USTA
National Promotions Manager, Adult Tennis. Sets in
the City Southwest is doing
it right and doing it with a
social focus.
Up from 40 participants
and a single site in the first
season in Phoenix in 2014,
Sets in the City has since
expanded to Tucson, El
Paso and Albuquerque and
had over 500 participants.
Numerous friendships (and
even a few romances) have
been forged through the
program, and host facilities
have found an uptick in their
businesses from participants
seeking extra clinics and play
opportunities.
"We just try to make it as
fun and social as possible,
says Sets in the City cocreator and USTA Southwest
staff member Laura Stussie.
That's our thought process:
How do we make this unique
and fun? Jeff Sikes
Tips For Success

Relentless promotion
and marketing through
social media and email,
then deliver program
well and let word of
mouth take over.
Change the vibe and
feel of your marketing
sales pitch for younger
generations. Language
and tone are important.
Keep it conversational,
off-the-cuff, humor-filled
and energetic.
Themed days, costumed days, music
playing and beverages
flowing makes for a lively
atmosphere players
enjoy.
Social experience afterward is a must.
January 2016
TennisIndustry 41
JUNIOR TENNIS CHAMPION OF THE YEAR
Phil Parrish
Tips For Success
MUNICIPAL TENNIS
FACILITY OF THE YEAR
Gates T.C.
very year, 125,000

unique visitors walk
through the doors
of the Gates Tennis Center,
making it one of the largest
and busiest public facilities
in the USTA Intermountain
Section. It would be easy for
Gates to bank on its location, location, location in
downtown Denver to ensure
long-term sustainability. But
the highly motivated proprietors have always set the bar
much higher.
There is no denying this
is a special place, says Ted
Bradley, general manager of
the center, which has operated for more than 30 years
without city funds. Our
owners are really driven to
see tennis in Denver succeed. We want our facility
to be a recreational hub that
provides the absolute highest
quality programs for people
of all ages, abilities and
backgrounds. And for all its
success in those goals, Gates
is Tennis Industrys Municipal Facility of the Year.
Gates Tennis Center is

a pay as you play public
facility with no residency requirements. All 20 courts are
outdoors, with four courts
with blended lines and four
more to be added in 2016.
Gates also has four 36-foot
courts.
The current management group has done a lot
over the years to bring to
light that this is not a private
club, but a public facility with
a wide array of programs,
events and activities for the
community, says USTA
Colorado Executive Director
Fritz Garger. In addition to
their own events and programs, Gates hosts USTAsanctioned junior, adult and
senior leagues as well as a
number of USTA sanctioned
tournaments that include
Futures/Entry level and
Challengers/Intermediate
A.C.E. one-day format junior
events, junior championship
and USTA Colorados Colorado State Open.

Wendy Anderson
Tips For Success

Personally connect with clients. Only 20 percent of
emails are opened, so our staff spends hours each week
making personal phone calls to players, says Bradley.
Trust your pros and make sure they are your biggest
advocates. Someone taking a lesson may not want to play
in a certain program, but if their pro encourages them to try
it, many more of them will.
Offer creative programming and be open to new ideas. Be
willing to take a risk, analyze and tweak.
42 TennisIndustry
January 2016
Develop a feeder
system. The Longfellow
Club runs low-cost programs through neighboring towns park and
rec departments. In addition to extra revenue,
the partnership acts
as a feeder system into
other club offerings.
At your convenience.
For players reluctant
or unable to commit to
weekly sessions, match
play can be scheduled
during club downtime.
Network, network,
network. Whether you
meet with your peers on
the job, or as part of the
PTR/USPTA certification process, networking will equip you with
new ideas and skills.
hen Phil Parrish

joined the Longfellow Club in Wayland,
Mass., as tennis director 13 years
ago, he brought to the role all the
best practices discovered through
his travels to clubs nationwide as
a sales director for Reebok. And
while the club has thriving adult
programs, its Parrishs success
with junior tennis, including
embracing new ideas and turning
them into successful programs,
that makes him Tennis Industrys Junior Tennis Champion of
the Year.
Parrish is brilliant with youth tennis, says USTA Director
of Junior Tournaments Bill Mountford. What Phil has been
doing with offering shortened-duration, entry-level junior
tournamentsincluding times that are more convenient for
parentshas been fantastic. He has a ton of kids in his programs and feeding into junior tournaments.
With three indoor and five bubbled hard courtsall with
60-foot linesthe Longfellow Club offers comprehensive
programming for hundreds of juniors. For ages 4 to 8, the red
ball Zip Tennis follows the USTAs 10 and Under program.
The USA Tennis program for ages 8 to 12 incorporates orange
and green balls. There also is a 12 & Under Tennis Academy
to develop tournament players from red to yellow; programs
for ages 12 to 18; and a Tournament Training Program also 12
to 18.
With a staff of 24 certified pros, Parrish drives the commitment to developing well-rounded players through tournaments, interclub competitions, round robins, and match-play
opportunities that are extended to non-member players, too.
The facility also hosts Handi-Racket Tennis for players with
autism and other challenges.
Our goal is simple: Provide tennis for everybody, Parrish
says. Cindy Cantrell
PUBLIC PARK OF THE YEAR
Peter Igo Park
en years ago, the 17-acre Peter Igo Park abutting Green

Harbor River in Marshfield, Mass., had deteriorated
from neglect. Enter the Friends of Peter Igo Park, a
group of tennis enthusiasts-turned-fundraisers. Their newly
designed, handicapped-accessible facility with enhanced
programming has earned Tennis Industrys Public Park of the
Year Award.
Sam Gaeddert, the USTA New England tennis service
representative for Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, says the organization focused on the right intentions
throughout the design and construction process.
As a result of fundraising activities, in addition to a $40,000
USTA facilities grant, the Friends of Peter Igo Park oversaw
the installation of four short tennis courts along with three
regulation-sized courts and an adjacent multi-purpose area.
Basketball and street hockey courts are also fenced and lighted, and plans are in place to add wheelchair tennis programs
and outdoor fitness stations. Volunteers provide maintenance
park-wide.
Along with the beautiful surroundings, the location is safe,
easily accessible, free to use and offers a variety of functions
for a variety of people, Gaeddert says. Any community
would be lucky to have a facility like Peter Igo Park.
Tips For Success

Dont go it alone. The Marshfield Tennis Club partners
with the local recreation department, YMCA and boys and
girls club, while maintaining relationships with the towns
police and public works departments.
Put your money where your racquet is. The Marshfield
Tennis Club pays for its pros successful certification.
Think ahead. In preparation for a wheelchair tennis program, the Friends of Peter Igo Park negotiated a discount
and obtained a grant to purchase two sports wheelchairs.
According to Bud Duksta, president of the Marshfield Tennis Club and chairman of the Friends of Peter Igo Park, its
tennis-playing membership has grown to 100. Today, all 10 instructors of the clubs University of Tennisology programs
are certified by the PTR or USPTA.
One of our greatest accomplishments is building a place in
which people take pride, he says. Now we want to get more
people into tennis so this place really rocks and rolls.
Cindy Cantrell
HIGH SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR
Danny Espinosa
is unwavering
leadership skills,
dedication and
enthusiasm for tennis, along
with the profound impact
he continues to make in the
lives of so many young players, is why Danny Espinosa of
Brownsville, Texas, recently
was named to the 2015 USTA
No-Cut Coach All-Star Team.
And now he is Tennis Industrys choice for High School
Coach of the Year.
Espinosa has been coaching at Rivera Early College
High School for 22 years.
Hes coached a number of
district champions, and
has coached his team to

a second-place finish in
2011-2012. But Espinosas expertise with coaching young
players has also allowed his
influence to go beyond the
court. He has served on the
Brownsville Tennis Associations Board of Directors
Tips For Success

for 20 years. He is an active
member of the South Texas
Tennis Coaches Association,
and he played an integral role
in the planning, fundraising
and building of the 16-court
Brownsville Tennis Center
in 1999.
Espinosa would be the
It is not how much you

know, but how much you
care.
In order to remain a
team with a culture of
success, every coach and
player must be mindful
of the teams core values.
There is no substitute
for hard work.
first to say his greatest accomplishment was acting

as a change-agent for the
future of tennis in the City of
Brownsville and inspiring the
hearts and minds of todays
student-athletes.

Katy Rogers
January 2016
TennisIndustry 43
YOUTH TENNIS FACILITY

DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR
Zaino Tennis
Courts Inc.
WHEELCHAIR TENNIS
CHAMPION OF THE YEAR
Randy Ortwein
ver since tennis pro

Randy Ortwein of
Magnolia, Texas, met
fellow Texan and wheelchair
tennis pioneer Randy Snow,
who passed away in 2009, he
has devoted much of his free
time to the sport of wheelchair tennis, says Dan James,
the USTAs national manager for Wheelchair Tennis,
including helping to develop
several strategies to track the
sport.
Ortweins motivation
comes from his admiration
of wheelchair athletes. All
you have to do is spend one
hour with these athletes,
and my inspiration becomes crystal clear, he
says. They overcome many
obstacles just getting to the
courts to play tennisobstacles that most of us will
Tips For Success

Learn to Play It
Forward by giving to
others what the game of
tennis has given to you.
Think about other
populations that could
benefit from playing
tennis.
Growth comes from
stepping out of your
comfort zone.
44 TennisIndustry
January 2016
never truly understand.

For wheelchair tennis in
Texas, Ortwein not only has
helped develop and support
local programs, but he was
instrumental in securing 12
sport wheelchairs, clearing
away a large obstacle for
many who want to start playing wheelchair tennis while
also increasing the awareness of the sport.
Ortwein has been president of the Houston Tennis
Association (HTA), chair of
the USTA Texas Wheelchair
Tennis Committee, a member and chair of the national
USTA Wheelchair Tennis
Committee, president of the
Houston Wheelchair Tennis
Association, and more. In
2012, he was awarded the
USTA Texas Sections W.T.
Caswell Service Award, and
now, he is Tennis Industry
magazines 2015 Wheelchair
Tennis Champion of the
Year.
HTA Executive Director
Cheryl Hultquist Horvath
says Ortwein makes players feel at ease. Randy just
went up to a young man in a
wheelchair and started talking to him about his capabilities, then suggested wheelchair tennis. The guy was
very impressed. It was very
moving.Todd Carlson
Tips For Success

Communication is key.
aino Tennis Courts of

Im always pushing for
Orange, Calif., has seen
the constant circle of
its share of projects,
communication, not just
from single-court residential
within our company but
facilities, all the way up to colwith the owners of the
lege-level complexes. And they
projects.
all have been completed with
Hire the right people.
the same sense of integrity in
Some of our field workbusiness dealings and the same
ers have been with us 20
attention to detail.
or more years.
One detail that is rarely
Have a business plan.
missed is the potential to inteIf you want a successgrate youth tennis lines onto
ful business, you need
an adult court. In fact, says,
to have a great business
Richard Zaino, founder and
plan and you need to
president of the company, its
stick to it.
something he notices.
We were looking at a
project in a parka pretty good size with multiple courts, and
I said, Wait a minute, there are no lines for 30- and 60-foot
courts. This park would be perfect for that. Zaino Tennis
Courts has been incorporating blended lines on courts for
several years now, and has also made a habit of recommending that they be added to playgrounds as well so pop-up nets
can be set up. For 2015, Zaino Tennis Courts is TIs Youth
Tennis Facility Developer of the Year.
To a longtime player like Zaino, the idea of getting the next
generation involved in the sport strikes a chord. He started
his company in 1985, and it has flourished, thanks to a commitment to the sport, to customers and a strong base of ethics.
Zaino himself has served on the ASBA Board and is a Certified
Tennis Court Builder. He is also a big believer in putting the
customer first.
To me, every person I talk to for every job is important.
And if Im talking to a client, they are the most important person in my world because theyre the one Im talking to right
now. Mary Helen Sprecher
Tips For Success

Find areas in the tennis
industry youre passionate about and commit to
being the best you can be
in that segment.
Be a lifelong learner,
because there is so much
new information coming
out, you have to keep up
to date.
Make sure your energy
level is at the highest, at
all times, whether its the
first lesson of the day or
the last one at night.
Be respectful and learn
from everyone.
PTR MEMBER OF THE YEAR
Mark Kovacs
t seems hard to turn anywhere in this sport and not run

into Dr. Mark Kovacs. A renowned performance physiologist, researcher, university professor, author, speaker
and coach, Kovacs has an extensive background training and
researching athletes at all levels. His many honors include
receiving the Stanley Plagenhoef Award for sports science
achievement and in 2012, he became the youngest ever recipient of the International Tennis Hall of Fames Educational
Merit Award.
Kovacs, who is a Fellow of the American College of Sports
Medicine, also chairs the PTRs Sports Science Committee.
Hes been a PTR member for many years, and works closely
with the PTR on many initiatives. And for 2015, Kovacs is our
PTR Member of the Year.
Mark has established himself as one of the leading experts
in his field, says PTR CEO Dan Santorum. He and his organizationthe International Tennis Performance Association
(ITPA)have done a great

deal to provide quality
education to PTR members
throughout the world.
Kovacs formerly directed
the Sport Science, Strength
& Conditioning and Coaching Education departments
for USTA. Now, though, hes
the founder and executive
director of the ITPA, which has members in 35 countries.
There is a lot going on, he says. A lot of the tennis-specific
education is delivered through the ITPA. I also work individually with athletes. Hes worked with more than two dozen top
professional tennis players on all aspects of physical training.
Its all good stuff, all fun stuff, and all very enjoyable, he
says. Peter Francesconi
USPTA MEMBER OF THE YEAR
Jorge Capestany
ith 33 years of
experience as a
tennis teaching
professional, along with
worldwide recognition for
what he is doing to grow the
sport, create more players,
and help players improve and
enjoy the game, its easy to
see why Jorge Capestany of
Holland, Mich., was honored in September with the
USPTAs 2015 Alex Gordon

Award for the Professional of
the Year.
Now, wed like to add to
the accolades hes received
throughout his career by recognizing Capestany as Tennis
Industrys 2015 USPTA
Member of the Year.
Jorge truly embodies
what the word professional
means, says USPTA CEO
John Embree. He is one of
the hardest working members of our association, not
only because of his responsibilities at his home facility
in Michigan, but because of
his industry involvement and
speaking obligations, which
are vast.
Capestany is one of only
10 people worldwide to
hold Master Professional
Tips For Success
distinction with both the

USPTA and PTR. He has
been a speaker at more than
70 conferences, attended 27
consecutive USPTA World
Conferences, and held
multiple leadership positions
within the USPTA nationally
and in the Midwest Division.
While his day job is managing the DeWitt Tennis
Center at Hope College in
Holland, Mich., he may be
best known now for the drills
and instruction available at
tennisdrills.tv and jorgecapestany.com.
I think I have kind of
diversified over the years,
Capestany says. I totaled
up all the hours Ive spent
on court and its more than
60,000, plus about 17,000
hours watching my students
Be a lifelong learner.
I cant imagine not going to the USPTA World
Conference, Capestany
says.
Recognize how this
industry can affect the
family of those in it and
have a plan for that. I
have young pros that
work for me, and Im
constantly helping to
make sure they have
family time for themselves.
Make sure you work for
a company or boss that
has your back, especially
when it comes to dealing
with members.
at tournaments. As a speaker,
Ive been able to go all over
the world. Im really blessed
to get to do what I do.
Peter Francesconi
January 2016
TennisIndustry 45
USTA SECTION OF THE YEAR
USTA Florida
ometimes, you just have to go back to the well for another drink.
Such is the case with our 2015 USTA Section of the
Year, which is USTA Floridathe third time Florida has won
TIs Section of the Year honors (it won in 2005 and 2007).
Florida again continues to lead in so many areas, its hard
to highlight them all. But one key to the sections accomplishments has been how it pared down its governance structure,
going from a seven-member Executive Committee plus a
17-member Board of Directors to a single nine-member
Board, which greatly streamlined and focused efforts to grow
the game.
The section has also championed Masters Tennis, an
adult short-court program using ROG that continues to
spread to other parts of the country. USTA Floridas Tenis
Para Todos diversity initiative was so successful that USTA
national has picked up the name and website for a national
launch. To encourage 10 and under tournament players, the
section introduced an innovative Youth Tournament Pathway.
46 TennisIndustry
January 2016
Tips For Success

Focus on promoting and growing the game together with
other groups.
Develop young teaching pros and future industry leaders.
Partner with and leverage pro events in your area to grow
the grassroots game.
Dont be afraid to voice or publicize an opinion or idea
that may go against the party line.
Four years ago, the section partnered with the USPTA Florida Section to grow the game, and this year, it partnered with
the PTR to provide scholarships for coaches of diverse backgrounds or those working with diverse populations. "With
our partnership with USPTA and PTR, we will become even
stronger in our efforts to get more people in the game," says
USTA Florida President Nancy Horowitz.
The list of accomplishments and innovations in USTA
Florida, led by longtime Executive Director Doug Booth, are
too numerous to mention. But its safe to say the section continues to lead in the growth of this sport. Cynthia Sherman
Ask the Experts

Your Equipment Hotline
Wrong stringing
instructions
I recently strung an older

racquet that doesnt appear in the
Stringers Digest, but seems to be
the same as another racquet from
the same manufacturer. But there is
something wrong with the instructions as the Digest recommends one
piece but shows the mains ending at
the throat and the crosses starting at
the head, and the tie-offs were wrong,
too. This is the first of these racquets
I've strung, so I'm assuming there
aren't many of them out there, but
the pattern in the Digest needs to be
changed.
You may be seeing one of a

couple of issues here. First,
when stringing any older racquet that is in the Digest, the chances
are good that the stringing instructions
are accurate, not only because we check

everything thoroughly during the initial
data entry, but also because with all the
members we have, someone out there
is almost certain to have caught any bad
information shortly after it appears.
There hasnt been a case in at least
10 years where there was an error in
the stringing instructions for an older
racquet.
Second, if the names of the racquets
are different, you could be looking at
the stringing instructions for a different
racquet model than the one you have.
USRSA members who run into this
situation are encouraged to call for
tech support, as we quickly can search
our racquet database based on known
features of the racquet you have (such
as, where the mains start, the numbers
of mains and crosses, etc.), as opposed
to just looking at the names and trying
to scan across to see if the pattern might
work.
Help stringing
a Prince O3
Ive been having troubles

lately stringing Prince O3 racquets.
1) I would like to install the strings
using the one-piece method, because
the racquet starts at the head and
it is a 16 x 19 pattern. It was strung
with the two-piece method previously. What do you recommend?
2) I notice the cross tie-off is
marked on the right side at 9T, when
I have the short side on the right
side. If I string it like this will the
last cross end up on the right side?
I am used to having my last cross on
most 16 x 19 racquets end up on the
left. Is this frame made differently?
3) Because Im stringing the
racquet one-piece, I have a mess of
uncoiled string tangled up on my
long side. How can I prevent these
tangles in the future? Usually I put
We welcome your questions. Please send them to Tennis Industry, PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096; fax: 760-536-1171; email: greg@racquettech.com.
48 TennisIndustry
January 2016
the coil around my wrist and unroll

it. Do you recommend doing that
and unwinding it? Right now I have
the long side spread across the
room, but I was thinking maybe I
should have left it coiled up some
way and unrolled it as I proceeded
with my string job.
Even though many racquets

including the Prince O3 can
be strung using either one
piece (where you start the crosses
with the same piece of string that
finishes one side of the mains, and
two knots) or two piece (where you
use one piece of string for the mains
and a separate piece for the crosses,
and four knots), choosing one-piece
stringing for the Prince O-port
racquets makes it easier to avoid
cross-overs at the top of the frame on
the long side, so using the one-piece
method is just fine.

If the racquet is mounted
so the short side is on the right, then
the short side ties off on the right,
and the crosses start from the left.
With an odd number of crosses, the
crosses have to finish on the right, so
that is normal for this racquet.
The first step to avoid tangles is to
uncoil the string in such a way that
it isnt knotted and snarled up on
the floor, and you are holding one of
the free ends in your hand. Mark (or
figure out) the length of the short
side, and then feed the string into
the frame until you have threaded
the first main on both the short and
the long sides, with your mark in the
middle. You can then start stringing
as you normally would, or you can
clamp or otherwise hold the first two
mains in place (untensioned), and
pre-string the entire long side.
All the loose string on the long side
can make it difficult to ensure that
youve got two mains in each O-port,
so pay attention. Leave a big enough
first loop between the first long-side
main and the second long-side main
to reach the tension head, and much
smaller loops outside the frame
between each of the other mains. You
need only enough to be able to grab
the string, because youll be feeding
through the excess from the first big
loop after you start tensioning the
long side. This gets a lot of your string up

off of the floor, but then you will have to
manage it to get to your clamps, but try
it a couple times to see if pre-stringing
the long-side mains works better for you
than leaving the long side string on the
floor. There wont be enough string on
the short side to do much pre-stringing,
so dont worry about it.
Once you have the long side pre-
strung, tension the mains alternating

from side to side as you normally
would. Unfortunately, when you
alternate tension on the mains, there
is no way to maintain a coil of string
for the long side without re-coiling it
after threading in each new long-side
main, so your only reasonable options
are the floor or pre-stringing the long
side mains.Greg Raven
January 2016
TennisIndustry 49
String Playtest
By Greg Raven
Gamma Solace 16
Gamma Solace is an advanced multifilament string comprised of

a high-energy TNT2-processed dual-filament core surrounded by
high-tenacity multifilaments. The core and filaments of Solace are
bonded together by a polyurethane matrix, and coated with a soft,
abrasion-resistant thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) for maximum comfort and exceptional playability.
According to Gamma, the combination of the TNT2 dual-core
technology and multifilament construction is highly elastic, with
up to 9.5 percent greater string-bed deflection than other strings.
This equates to less shock for more comfort, greater pocketing
for more feel and touch, and more energy returned to the strings
for more power. You can see a video of Gamma Solace in action at
youtu.be/Eqr9qaJkSCw.
Gamma tells us that Solace is for players looking for a high-performance string with power, feel, and additional comfort.
Solace is available in 16 and 17 gauges in Natural. It is priced
from $16.95 per 40-foot set. For more information or to order,
contact Gamma at 800-333-0337, or visit gammasports.com. Be
sure to read the conclusion for more information about getting a
free set to try for yourself.
In the Lab
We tested the 16-gauge Solace. The coil measured 40 feet, 2 inches. The diameter
measured 1.30 mm prior to stringing, and 1.22 mm after stringing. We recorded a
string-bed stiffness of 76 RDC units immediately after stringing at 60 pounds in a
50 TennisIndustry
January 2016
Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95 (16 x 18 pattern) on

a constant-pull machine.
After 24 hours (no playing), stringbed stiffness measured 68 RDC units,
representing an 11 percent tension loss.
Our control string, Prince Synthetic Gut
Original Gold 16, measured 84 RDC units
immediately after stringing and 77 RDC
units after 24 hours, representing an 8.3
percent tension loss. In lab testing, Prince
Synthetic Gut Original has a stiffness of
217 and a tension loss of 11.67 pounds,
while Gamma Solace 16 has a stiffness of
137 and a tension loss of 14.84 pounds.
Solace 16 added 13.8 grams to the weight of
our unstrung frame.
The string was tested for five weeks by
35 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP ratings
from 3.5 to 6.0. These are blind tests, with
testers receiving unmarked strings in
unmarked packages. Average number of
hours tested was 24.8.
On taking it out of the package, the first
impression was that Solace is a polyurethane-bonded string, which was confirmed
when pulling tension and clamping. Even
so, we didnt have a problem with burning,
and despite Solaces softness, there were
no problems with blocked holes. We found
Solace easy to install.
Playtester Ratings
Ease of Stringing
(compared to other strings)
much easier
somewhat easier
about as easy
not quite as easy
not nearly as easy
8
11
13
3
0
Overall Playability
(compared to the string played most often)
much better
somewhat better
about as playable
not quite as playable
not nearly as playable
2
11
8
12
2
Overall Durability
(compared to other strings of similar gauge)
much better
somewhat better
about as durable
not quite as durable
not nearly as durable
2
9
14
7
3
Rating Averages
From 1 to 5 (best)
Playability
Durability
Power
Control
Comfort (6th overall)
Touch/Feel (9th overall)
Spin Potential
Holding Tension
Resistance to Movement
3.7
3.2
3.5
3.6
4.1
3.8
3.1
3.4
3.0
No playtester broke his sample during stringing, none reported problems with coil memory, one reported
problems tying knots, three reported
friction burn, and none reported other
problems.
On the Court
Of the 188 strings weve playtested for

publication, our playtesters ranked
Gamma Solace sixth in the Comfort
category and ninth for Touch/Feel.
They also found Solace had excellent
Playability and Power, and was well
above average in the Control category.
Overall, Solace scored well above average.
None of the playtesters reported
premature fraying or peeling, none
reported buzzing, and eight reported
notching.
Seven playtesters broke the sample
during the playtest period, one each at
3, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 16 hours.
Conclusion
Given the scores assigned by members

of our playtest team, youd be justified
in concluding Gamma Solace is at the
playability end of the scale. Even so,
when comparing Gamma Solace to their
preferred string, our playtesters actually
believed Solace to have a slight edge in
Overall Durability, a result not often
seen.
If you think that Gamma Solace might
be for you, fill out the coupon to get a
free set to try.
Playtester
Comments
"I really liked this string.

Since I normally use a
hybrid string set-up (poly
mains and nylon crosses)
I was surprised to find
this string performed in
a similar manner to my
normal string.
4.0 male all-court player
using Pro Kennex Ki 15 PSE
strung at 63 pounds CP
(Pacific X Force/Pacific
PowerLine 18/16L)
Excellent playing string.
Good for people who
want comfort, power and
control.
using Babolat Pure Aero
(Babolat Origin 17)
I liked this string. I did
notice right after stringing it began to lose tension and strings started
to move around quite a
bit. Other than that, it felt
good. Nice soft string.

using Wilson BLX Five strung
at 58 pounds LO (Wilson
NXT 17)
The string was one of the
more playable ones in a
while.
5.0 male baseliner with
moderate spin using Babolat
Pure Drive + strung at 45/50
pounds CP (Babolat RPM
Blast/Babolat Xcel 17/17)
Very enjoyable string.
The softness was pleasant and had good feel.
using Prince Tour 100T ESP
(Prince Premiere Power 17)
Great, soft string. Held
tension decently. Slipped
well. I would be interested in trying a half set
of this.
4.5 male touch player
using Angell TC strung at
54/51 pounds CP (Babolat
VS Touch/Babolat RPM Blast
16/17)
String was easy on the

arm. It lost tension easily
and the strings moved
easily. Hard to control
shots after a few hours of
play.
using Head Prestige Graphene strung at 60 pounds
LO (Head Sonic Pro 16)
Nice and easy to install.
Strings were prone to
movement during play.
Good power production,
but less spin than Im
used to. Good comfort
and better touch than I
am used to.
4.0 male baseliner with
heavy spin using Volkl Organix 8 Super G 300 strung
at 57 pounds LO (Solinco
Tour Bite/Babolat RPM Blast
17/17)
(Strings normally used by
testers are indicated in
parentheses. For the rest of
the tester comments, visit
www.tennisindustrymag.
com.)
FREE PLAYTEST STRING PROGRAM

Gamma will send a free set of
Solace 16 to the USRSA members
who cut out (or copy) this coupon
and send it to:
USRSA, Attn: Gamma String Offer
PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096
or fax to 760-536-1171,
or email the info below to
stringsample@racquettech.com
Offer expires 15 Jan 2016 Offer only
available to USRSA members in the US.
Name: __________________________
USRSA Member number: ___________
Phone: _________________________
Email: __________________________
If you print your email clearly, we will
notify you when your sample will be sent.
January 2016
TennisIndustry 51
Your Serve
Why Tennis is Strangling Itself
A longtime player and observer of the game says

instruction for recreational players needs to include more
real life situations on court.
By Joel Drucker
ennis is strangling itself. Consider a 30-something tennis player

Ill call Jane. By age 12, shed been
issued the stock-order contemporary
game: Western forehand grip, twohanded backhand. No one had taught
her how to volley, where to stand when
practicing volleys, how to take pace off
the ball (other than the moonball she
taught herself ), the difference between
a groundstroke and an approach shot,
how to feed a lob, how to deploy the
drop shot, how to alter her receiving
position, how to serve and volley, come
in on a return, or play to the score.
Steady enough to play at a Division
III school, Janes matches became epic
baseline duels, won mostly by attrition.
A curious student, engaged by everything from Shakespeare to Freud, by the
time shed graduated, Jane saw tennis
as boring and these days hardly plays.
Jane was sold down the river by her
instructors.
Her male counterpart, Robert, was
similarly sold out, but he continues to
play. Perhaps the difference is that as a
hormonal young man, Robert enjoyed
live ball drills and Cardio Tennis,
high-volume activities that are ostensibly aerobics classes with racquets.
He often competes in USTA leagues.
Of course, league plays emphasis on
doubles leaves Robert ill-equipped at
such transitional skills as serve-volley,
chip-charge or hitting an offensive lob
and following it up to the net.
Doubles is all about playing for your
partner by hitting smart, controlled
52 TennisIndustry
January 2016
shots that help your team appropriately

apply pressure. This is best done by
both partners being at the net. But did
anyone ever teach these nuances to
Jane and Robertnot just for doubles,
but also for singles?
Then again, the same holds true for
Jane and Roberts peers. The result:
league matches flavored by forehandto-forehand baseline rallies. There
is little team play, mental exertion,
skill-building or even exercise. Is that
the kind of sport people will stay in for
a lifetime?
League play is a major culprit. The
team format heavily focuses outcome:
Winning the current match over
sharpening skills and experimentation.
Its a horrible paradox. While those
who generate outcomes for a living like
Roger Federer relish the process of enhancing their tools, recreational players
with zero genuine stake in results have
created a rather repressed culture. Jane
and Robert are deprived, depraved and
soon enough, departed.
Whats a tennis community to do?
Instructors say they must satisfy the
demands of results-oriented parents
and children rather than invest time
in building a wide range of techniques
and match tactics. So rather than even
broach broader ideas and risk losing
students, they focus strictly on the
groundstrokes that dominate todays
junior tennis world. But might it be possible to even spend merely 10 minutes
on sound volley technique, variety and
court positioning? And please: Teach
your students to practice volleys from

just inside the service line rather than
2 feet from the net.
When it comes to adults, a USPTA
executive once told me that 80 percent
of players rated 4.0 and better do not
take lessons. Is this the result of an
unmotivated player populace? Or do
teachers have an opportunity to revolutionize the lesson model?
Instead of the longstanding approach that initially and heavily
focuses on technique, why not address
real-life playing situations? Why not
watch Robert play a league match and
then afterward explain the court position patterns and tactics that would
help him and his partner compete
more effectively? Once Robert grasps
these patterns and tactics, hell then
hopefully see which techniques he
needs to master. Im not sure what can
bring Jane back to our sport.
Considering our sport has such
a vast literature, its a shame our
students and teachers mostly focus on
composition.
Oakland-based Joel Drucker,
author of the book Jimmy
Connors Saved My Life, has
been involved in tennis for
more than 40 years as a recreational player and writer.
He writes frequently for such outlets as
Tennis Channel, Huffington Post and
many others.
We welcome your opinions. Please email
comments to TI@racquetTECH.com.
Inside this issue

The Ins and Outs of the
Commercial Facility 66
Thoughts on the Kick Serve
for Developing Juniors 68
Departments:
66 Beyond the Court
54 CEOs Message
68 Inside Coaching
56 Presidents Message
69 Master Pro Corner
58 USPTA News
Career Development
70
60 Endorsee News
72 Member News
62 Growing Your Business
Read more articles online at www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
On the cover: TGA & USPTA work together to provide professionals a
unique opportunity to ensure their future. See Page 62.
CEOs Message
Reflections on 2015
s we prepare for an eventful

2016, it is always important to
take stock in what transpired
in 2015. Using our strategic
plan as the barometer for everything
that we do, lets recall the five core pillars as the template for this evaluation:
1. Financial Stability:
All indications are that we will
finish the year with another surplus.
That will be three straight years of
fiscal discipline with positive results
after five consecutive years of losses
previously.
We added two new endorsees to
the mix during the year plus a new
affiliation with Liberty Mutual Insurance for home and auto insurance.
We welcomed Plannit!, a new mobile
business app to help manage your
teaching and revenue electronically.
We also were delighted to add
Jeunesse as our official nutrition
company through Athletic Advantage to help pros increase their residual income off the court so that they
do not have to rely solely on their
time on court to make money. With
health and wellness becoming more
important to us personally as well as
to your customer base, you owe it to
yourself to investigate how Jeunesse
can help grow your business.
2. Growing our membership:
After a stellar year in 2014 where
we posted a 10 percent gain in paid
memberships, we are off slightly this
year with a modest decline of less
than 2 percent. In aggregate, we are
still up 8 percent over the two years
combined, which is just below our
original target of net 5 percent each
year. It is also worth noting that
through October, the number of new
applicants, the number of members
reinstating and the number of people who have tested are all showing
increases versus last year.
During the year, we announced
54 www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
by John Embree
two new initiatives to help increase
our membership: one is the creation
of a School Coaches category that
allows high school or middle school
institutions (not the coach) to pay a
one-time, $99 fee so that all tennis
coaches can access tennisresources.
com, our practice planner and hundreds of drills and videos. Coaches
can also get Tennis Industry magazine, Tennis magazine and attend
USPTA educational offerings as a
part of this membership category.
In addition, we rolled out an incentive called AIM (Admire, Invite, Mentor) for existing members to recruit
and encourage aspiring tennis professionals to join the USPTA and receive
a $50 credit toward his/her annual
dues. Existing members can really impact our association for years to come!
Finally, the USPTA absorbed the
Professional Platform Tennis Association (PPTA) into its family. With
so many USPTA Professionals also
teaching platform tennis in the winter,
we are pleased to be able to offer them
platform tennis certification and all
USPTA Professional-level benefits.
3. Elevating the standards of tennisteaching professionals and coaches:
There is one year left on the three
year timetable for professional level
members (under the age of 65) to
comply with the professional development requirement of 12 hours or
6 credits before December 2016. If
you have not yet complied, thanks in
advance for making the effort to do
so within the next 12 months.
By now, you have heard that our
World Conference in New Orleans
was a huge success! I am proud to
say that we had our highest registrations since 2008 and the most paid
attendance since 2007.
4. Stronger alliances with allied
organizations:
This continues to be a top prior-
ity with two associations in particular, the USTA and CMAA. We should
be tied to the hip with the USTA
because of the impact that our professionals have in delivering USTA
programs at their respective facilities. It is gratifying to see so many
of our divisions working in concert
with USTA sections.
As for the CMAA, club managers
are the people who employ a large
percentage of our membership.
Thus, building a bridge with this entity is vital so that they understand
how important it is to hire USPTAcertified Professionals and to encourage their tennis staff at all levels
to get the necessary education.
The USPTA should be a partner
with those entities that are committed to growing our sport, such as
IHRSA, TIA, ITA and anyone else
who is a stakeholder in tennis.
5. Make diversity and inclusion a
higher priority:
While translating our website
and testing materials into Spanish is a start, there is so much more
that we will be doing in the future to
make the USPTA more representative of our community at large. Toward that end, we will conduct five
pilot programs in conjunction with
five division conferences in early
2016 to help elevate the standards
to Hispanic and Latino coaches in
those respective regions. If successful, we will expand this outreach to
other divisions in future years.
Under Tom McGraws leadership
as President, we accomplished a great
deal in 2015. I want to thank him and the
board for their commitment to the association. It has been a pleasure to work
with them.
In January, we welcome a new board
under the guidance of new President
Chuck Gill. I look forward to an exciting
two years to come. h
Helping Courts Look

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Presidents Message
2016 to Bring Opportunities

for Professional Growth
irst a happy, healthy and prosperous 2016 to each of you in

the USPTA family. By being a
member of USPTA, you have
shown your commitment to tennis and
the mission of elevating the standards
of tennis-teaching professionals and
coaches. While our association is diverse geographically as well as in job
scope, we all share the goal of being
able to deliver tennis programs to the
tennis community in the best possible
way. As the incoming president, I am
committed to furthering that mission,
making sure that we grow tennis and
our careers, and providing pathways
for tennis coaches and professionals
to stay relevant in the industry. 2016
promises to be an exciting year for tennis, especially USPTA Professionals.
Here are just a few things that you will
be hearing about in the coming year:
2016 will be the final year of the first
three-year professional development requirement period. While
many of our pros regularly obtain 6
credits each year, we have the minimum requirement that professionals
earn in 6 CE credits over the threeyear cycle that began January 2014.
While this has been the norm for
other trade associations, it is a culture shift for us. Golf professionals,
licensed massage therapists and
personal trainers all have some form
of continuing education and professional development requirements.
For us to elevate the standards of
our profession, we should as well!
Being a certified tennis professional
should have some form of post-certification development, as well as simply passing an exam. While we realize that everyone will not have the
time or the means to attend a World

Conference or division convention,
we are working hard to provide local and online education (at little or
NO cost) that our members will find
useful. Please stay tuned to your local USPTA publications as well as
our e-blasts to see how easy getting
your 6 can be.
by Chuck Gill
Allied Associations
The past few years we have made
great strides in working on alignment and shared goals with both
the USTA and TIA. As the governing body of tennis in the United
States, the USTA is an invaluable
ally to teaching professionals and
coaches. Simply put, more play-
By being a member of USPTA you have shown your commitment to tennis

and the mission of elevating the standards of tennis-teaching professionals
and coaches. As the incoming president, I am committed to furthering that
mission, making sure that we grow tennis and our careers, and providing
pathways for tennis coaches and professionals to stay relevant in the industry.
l
Division Conventions
and Regional Workshops
The schedule of division conventions for 2016 has been completed
and each of our 17 division leaders
has been tasked with providing the
best, most accessible educational
events possible. We want the seminars to be sessions that you will
WANT to attend, not feel you NEED
or are FORCED to attend! Each one
will feature education obviously,
but also opportunities to socialize,
network with fellow professionals,
and meet with your division leaders.
Please feel free to seek out the national board representative and inquire about any issue you may have.
While some divisions will have one
main convention, many are offering
additional workshops in different
areas to accommodate those who
are unable to travel. Even if there is
not an event near you, we will have
plenty of online offerings to enable
you to easily fulfill your professional development requirements
in 2016.
ers mean more lessons, clinics

and programs. Players who have a
great first experience on the tennis
court via a USPTA lesson will stay
in the game longer, take lessons,
enter leagues and tournaments,
buy products, attend professional
events, etc. As the delivery force and
almost universally the first tennis
experience for a new player, it is
in everyones best interest to support raising the standards for tennis
teaching. While all of our members
are not impacted by CMAA, pros
growing the game in the private
club industry rely heavily on general managers to support education
and keep their tennis directors and
professional on the cutting edge of
programming and lesson plans. We
will continue to work hard at nurturing these relationships, as well as
being tennis advocates with anyone
else who can mutually grow tennis.

In closing, thanks for being a part of
USPTA! I look forward to serving you
in 2016. h
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USPTA News
Individual/Family Health
Insurance Options
s an individual trying to
independently purchase
health insurance for yourself
and perhaps for your family you probably feel overwhelmed.
High prices and few affordable choices
are one part of the challenge; understanding complex policies plus the
consequences of health care reform
is another. We have partnered with
Digital Insurance to offer a selection
of individual/family health insurance
options to meet your needs and your
budget.
Since March 1, 2014, there has been
an individual mandate to have health
insurance coverage. People who do not
secure health insurance are subject to
penalties levied by the IRS. The fee for
not having health insurance in 2016
is calculated two different ways as a
percentage of your household income,
and per person. Youll pay whichever
is higher.
1. Percentage of income:
2.5% of household income
Maximum: Total yearly premium
for the national average price
of a Bronze plan sold through
the Marketplace
2.

Per person:
$695 per adult
$347.50 per child under 18
Maximum: $2,085
Open enrollment for 2016 runs

through January 31. Outside of open
enrollment, an individual must experience a qualifying event and enroll
within a 60-day window from the event.
An individual can no longer be denied
coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. A short-term policy is available
if you need immediate coverage.
Digital Insurance offers individual
major medical insurance (comprehensive fully-insured plans). We work with
A rated insurance carriers, which is

the highest rating possible. Your policy
will be customized based upon your
needs, situation and type of insurance
you want to carry.
Some states will not work directly
with brokers (i.e., Digital Insurance).
These include Vermont, Rhode Island,
New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts and
Hawaii. For individuals in those states,
Digital Insurance will provide contact
information and an email link for next
steps.
Now that some of the confusion has
subsided about the Affordable Care Act
(ACA), it is time to sign up for a program that suits your family. h
Ready to get started?

CONTACT:
Digital Insurance Sales Desk
(888) 470-2121
licensing@digitalinsurance.com
Open enrollment for 2016

runs through January 31.
Or go to www.digitalinsurance.com/ri/USPTA for an online contact request.

Within 48 hours of receipt of your questionnaire, Digital Insurance will provide
up to four plans/quotes for your review (changes can be made if necessary).
USPTA News
Q&A with USPTAs National Tester

Sid Newcomb
n October, USPTA announced the hiring of Sid Newcomb as the Associations

National Tester. Get to know Sid and what he plans to bring to the certification
process.
8. Your family is also involved with

tennis. What activities do you
enjoy together? We have a large
family: five children with a big age
spread; the oldest is 22 and the
youngest is 7. We are very close as
a family and now with some kids
away at university, we cherish
even more every moment when
we are all together.
1. Explain what your new role as

USPTAs National Tester entails.
The role of the national tester is to
work closely with the head testers
from each division and the national testing committee to provide a
certification training and testing
process that is consistent and
uniform across the entire country
and all countries that are working
with the USPTA.
9. If your career wasnt in tennis,

what would you be doing? Never
thought much about it. Definitely
would want to be outside and not
behind a desk.
2. What made you decide to apply

for the position? I applied for this
position because I felt like at this
time in my career, I would like to
invest my energy in having a positive influence on our great sport
on a scale that is bigger than the
role I have had at one club as the
tennis director.
3. What goals do you have for testing and certification? My goal is
to participate with our testers and
head testers to provide the best
certification process in the world
for our organizations applicants.
4. What are you most looking forward to in your new position?
I am looking forward to the many
challenges that lie in front of me
and the organization as we are
heading to some real changes
both in processes and in moving
the World Headquarters to Lake
Nona, Fla. It is a challenging time
but also a great time.
5. How long have you been involved
with USPTA and how has being a member helped you in your
career? Twenty years ago, I joined
the USPTA as the club that had
as a player to make a living at it

but coaching it, teaching it, and
playing it bring me the greatest
fulfillment and joy!
hired me required certification. It

has been the best organization that
I have been a part of. The energy
and positive influence at national
and regional conventions encourage me to keep working and never
stop learning, growing, and trying
to improve as a tennis professional.
6. How did you first become involved
in tennis? My father was a fighter
pilot for the U.S. Air Force. We
moved around quite a bit. When
I was 10 years old, we moved to
Chile in South America. There
were no American sports in Chile
like baseball, basketball, and football so I began playing tennis with
my parents at the local club.
7. Why did you decide to make
teaching tennis your career? I
love tennis. I wasnt good enough
10. Who has been the most influential person in your life and why?
My faith has definitely been the
most influential aspect in my life.
It is the rock in tough times and
brings the truest most meaningful
joy in the good stuff in life.
11. What activities and hobbies
do you enjoy when youre not
teaching or playing tennis? Our
family loves music. We all play
instruments and like to sing and
dance. My wife is a marathon
runner, and I join in with her on
races on occasion. Our children
have various hobbies, talents,
and sports that keep us very
busy as coaches and spectators
outside of tennis.
12. What is your favorite vacation
spot and what do you like most
about it? My favorite vacation
spot is when all seven Newcombs
are together without a real agenda
other than to spend the days together sharing life, laughing and
making memories. h
www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com 59
Endorsee News
Prince TeXtreme Promises a

Racquet for Every Player Type
Prince unveils three new racquets
in January 2016: the TeXtreme Warrior 100, TeXtreme Warrior 100L and
the TeXtreme Warrior 100T. The new
Prince is excited with the development of our TeXtreme collection.

Were confident this collection of racquets will help us to continue
to not only meet the needs of every player at every level, but more
importantly, help every one of those players play better tennis.
Prince is excited with the development of our TeXtreme collection. Were
confident this collection of racquets
will help us to continue to not only meet
the needs of every player at every level,
but more importantly, help every one
of those players play better tennis, said
Tyler Herring, VP Product Design and
Development of Prince Global Sports.
For over 40 years Prince has been a
company built on pushing the boundaries of innovation, enhancing the performance of players of all ages and abilities
with technical advancement.
TeXtreme Premier 120
TeXtreme Warrior 100t
TeXtreme Warrior 100L
formance racquet collection down to

12 TeXtreme racquets, delivering a
game-changing racquet for every type
of player.
TeXtreme Premier 105
SPTA official racquet partner, Prince Global Sports,

set the tennis world on fire
when it unveiled the worlds
first oversize racquet, the Prince Classic, 40-years ago. Ever since then,
the company has continued to revolutionize the game of tennis through
a relentless pursuit to innovate and
develop racquets with game-changing
technologies that set the standard.
Now theyre raising the bar once again
as they round out their TeXtreme
line in 2016.
As more and more competitors
racquets are modernized with stiffer
frames and more open string patterns, Princes TeXtreme collection
marks another game changing move
by Prince. TeXtreme, a light and ultrastrong material that increases racquet
stability by up to 25 percent, provides
tennis players for the first time ever
both enhanced power and improved
control, all with an incredible soft
hitting feel. Prince will trim its per-
TeXtreme Warrior 100 Series is perfect for all-court players who want a
maneuverable racquet that gives them
an unmatched combination of power,
control and feel from both the baseline
and net.
In the spring, Princes Premier
family will get a new look with the
introduction of the TeXtreme Premier 105 and TeXtreme Premier 120.
These frames offer a unique combination of both O3 port technology
eXtreme, delivering the largest
and T
sweetspot in tennis up to 77 percent
larger than standard frames of the
same headsize.
By streamlining the performance
racquet offering to 12 TeXtreme models we are focusing our marketing
efforts behind one common technology story TeXtreme. In doing so, we
are simplifying the racquet selection
process for all consumers. At Prince,
we innovate technology that is real
and that delivers the benefits tennis
consumers need to play better tennis,
said Mike Ballardie, Prince Global
Sports CEO.
Used in other categories like golf
and NASCAR, TeXtreme is undoubtedly a game changer for tennis and for
Prince. With these newest additions to
the TeXtreme collection, Prince is challenging players to experience the fun
and power of a TeXtreme racquet and
play better tennis! For more information, contact your local Prince Brand
Manager or visit teamprince.com. h
PURE.
GENIUS.
WARRIOR 100
ENGINEERED BY PLAYERS FOR PLAYERS.
Innovative TeXtreme technology allows this
versatile racquet to deliver both power and
spin, while still providing exceptional stability.
The playability is Pure. The technology, Genius.
Prince TeXtreme Warrior 100. PURE GENIUS.
DEMOS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL TENNIS

RETAILER. TEST DRIVE THE TEXTREME WARRIOR
100 SERIES AND EXPERIENCE PURE GENIUS
FIRST HAND.
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princetennis.com
Growing Your Business

TGA and USPTA Work Together to Provide
Professionals a Unique Opportunity to
Ensure Their Future
he USPTA, diligently on the

lookout for ways to impact its
membership and ensure the
future for tennis professionals
nationwide, has discovered a landscape-changing endeavor that is bringing youth and families into tennis.
TGA Premier Youth Tennis, an educational, motivational and innovative
youth sports business model, creates
a blueprint for USPTA Professionals to impact thousands of students
and families in their community. The
blueprint empowers USPTA Professionals to use their skills and TGAs
business model to build a tennis ecosystem throughout their community.
The unique model makes tennis available through a structured program in
schools and community centers before
transitioning new players to facilities
and youth programs, thus creating new
clients and future business for USPTA
members.
Tom McGraw, USPTAs Immediate
Past President, calls partnering with
TGA a game-changer, Our vision as an
association is to find ways to enhance
the livelihood of our membership and
create career opportunities in the industry to promote the sport of tennis,
he said. TGA, with its youth sports
franchise model, does exactly that for
our members and we could not be more
excited.
TGA, which stands for Teach Grow
Achieve, pioneered its youth sports
franchise model in partnership with
the USTA. The program has already activated more than 37,000 youth tennis
players while making the sport available to over 250,000 families.
Our model is beginning to have
long-term sustainability within the
tennis industry and is also attracting
a younger generation who want to be
their own boss, control their career
path and build a successful business,
Our vision as an association is to find ways

to enhance the livelihood of our membership
and create career opportunities in the
industry to promote the sport of tennis.
~ Tom McGraw,
USPTA Immediate Past President
Photo by Brian Walters Photography
acobs
TGA founder and CEO Joshua J
said. We are putting USPTA Professionals in a great position to significantly grow and activate new players
over the next 10 to 15 years by controlling the delivery system.
With a youth movement and increased participation, the demand for
USPTA Professionals to become coaches
and provide proper instruction for
young people is increasing. Tennis professional Rodolfo Cordova, who ran a

non-profit junior tennis program in San
Fernando Valley, Calif., recently earned
his USPTA status and started coaching
for TGA through its Los Angeles tennis
programs. He was attracted to the TGA
model because of its focus on youth and
getting tennis in schools. He is now a
frontline witness to TGAs success.
Having just started as a USPTA

Professional and TGA instructor not
too long ago, I can already see the
impact TGA tennis is having on our
community, my book of business and
my personal brand as a USPTA Professional, Cordova said. Its becoming infectious from school to school
and parent to parent. Parents are now
taking the initiative and requesting
that TGA Tennis be offered at their
schools.
As a new USPTA Professional, working with TGA allows Cordova to be fully
vested in tennis as a career. I see the
TGA model grow and expand every day
in my area. This allows me to generate
more income, as well as have increased
coaching opportunities through my
adult programs with all the new clientele. My goal is to someday sustain myself solely through a tennis career and I
can envision that with TGA.
Cordova has also developed increased exposure as a tennis coach,
creating opportunities for early-developed relationships between coach
and student that can impact future
business.
TGA opens the door for me to

coach both youth and parents while
creating a long-term coaching relationship with the student. This can help to
identify and develop future elite players by guiding them down the proper
pathway of coaching.
I see the TGA model grow and

expand every day in my area.
This allows me to generate more
income, as well as have increased
coaching opportunities through
my adult programs with all the
new clientele. My goal is to
someday sustain myself solely
through a tennis career and I can
envision that with TGA.
~ Rodolfo Cordova
Today, TGA is up and running in 30
franchised markets with much of the
U.S. markets still available for USPTA
members looking to expand their career. With buy-in fees ranging from
$6,000 to $35,000 depending on the
market, TGAs affordable start-up costs
were recognized by Entrepreneur mag-
azine as a Top 10 Franchise Value in

2011.
TGA has developed a new generation model that changes the way
we grow the sport of tennis, USPTA
CEO John Embree said. To be able to
provide a proven business model and
increase the offering of full- and parttime job opportunities to our members
is critical for the future of our association and for our sport.
With TGA, USPTA members like
Cordova garner a competitive advantage in their markets by providing
introductory and recreational programs at every school and community
center within their communities. As
those youngsters age and become
vested in the sport along with their
parents, a future pipeline of business
is being created and overall tennis
participation is increased. USPTA
members can also build a team to
grow the business or even look at
partnering with their local tennis
club that might be looking to develop
future business.
For more information, visit www.
franchisetga.com. h
Photo by Brian Walters Photography
Beyond the Court
The Ins and Outs of the

Commercial Facility
By Paul Marcum, USPTA
commercial facility is a very

popular place for USPTA
professionals to work, especially in the Midwest, North,
Northeast and Northwest. A lot of the
time the weather dictates this and one
must have a commercial facility in order to have a tennis business in these
locations. But there are many factors to
take into account regarding the potential success or demise of the commercial facility.
The top priority must be guaranteed money for the facility. This would
include various types of memberships,
club programming, permanent court
times, private lessons, private group
clinics, and open court time or walk-on
time. Based on the facility and/or loca-
tion, there will be stronger areas here

than others. One facility may specialize
in private lessons and groups while another focuses on general club programming. Hiring USPTA Professionals to
administer these lessons and programs
should certainly relieve some pressure
from the owner. Whatever the situation, there has to be guaranteed money
coming in because of the main concern:
overhead.
Overhead closes the doors of too
many facilities out there. Just think of
the heating and electricity of an indoor
four-court facility. Its off the charts
these days. And add a good amount
more to the larger facilities. Budgeting for this on the higher end would be
preferential. Theres also budgeting
for general maintenance like winterizing the facility and getting it ready for
spring, along with any court work that
may have to be done. And dont forget
the equipment needs: balls, carts,
hoppers, etc. This area really has to be
budgeted wisely as court equipment
breaks, or sadly, walks out of the club. It
happens.
Some of this can be assisted by
having relationships or partnerships
to build on. One can provide local hospitals with discounted memberships
or programs in return for first aid and
CPR training, free cholesterol checks,
etc. A day care center could provide
discounted rates for employees children and they in return would receive
discounted programs and/or lessons.
Parks and recreation departments can

bring people over at a discount and the
facility can provide free marketing for
the parks and recreation departments.
These are only a few of the ways to utilize partnerships.
A facility should also offer some
growth opportunities. This could
include specialized social events like
holiday mixers, lesson leagues, play
with the pro, round robins, etc. Cardio or Rock-n-Roll tennis is still very
popular and brings people in the doors.
Lets not leave out ROGY as we can get
more students on the 36-foot courts.
More students equal more money for
the facility.
The owner will often deal with a
good amount of the above, along with
insurance, zoning issues, building on
to the club, permits, and so on. But as a
USPTA Professional, one must answer
a question: is the commercial facility
a valid choice? There are many advantages to working at a commercial facility. Rain or shine the tennis courts are
there and ready to use. A lot of commercial facilities are multipurpose and
the potential of drawing members in
from other areas is there. There is often flexibility with programs based on
time and court availability. Some clubs
offer house hours that guarantee some
money starting off usually junior
class hours or house clinics. Lastly, and
most importantly as the pro ages and/
or has a family, there are some types
of benefits. This would include 401K,
health insurance, discounted or free
programs for the spouse and/or kids,
free court time, partial or full USPTA
dues covered, and possibly more.
There are also some issues that
may keep one from considering a commercial facility. It can seem as if commercial facilities are open 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. So a newer
professional may feel like he or she is
on call. Whatever comes up, the new
professional covers it. Income will
be affected as a percentage of lessons
go toward court usage. And some will
only be paid for the on-court teaching and not receive a base salary. The
demographics, although not usually
as demanding as country clubs, can
be a factor. The location and clientele
could affect situations negatively.
The larger the facility, the more tennis professionals there are jockeying
for lessons and court time. This could
A facility should offer some growth opportunities. This could include

specialized social events like holiday mixers, lesson leagues, play with the
pro, round robins, etc. Cardio or Rock-n-Roll tennis is still very popular and
brings people in the doors.
become very uncomfortable. Lastly,

various commercial facilities wont
offer all of the benefits a USPTA Professional may be looking for.
The USPTA Professional would
benefit by not just looking at the oncourt teaching aspect and how much
he/she can make, but the entire outlook of the commercial facility that is
being considered. Is there room for
advancement? How long has the facil-
ity been open? Has it been the same

owner or owners? Whats the competition like around the area? Is tennis the
major sport there? How many courts?
Is there a lot of turnover with the tennis professionals? In short, completely
research the commercial facility or facilities that are of interest. It just could
be the best decision one ever makes as
a USPTA professional.
Enjoy the process! h
Paul Marcum is in his 14th year at The Sports Club of West Bloomfield in
West Bloomfield, Mich. He also owns and operates Paul Marcums Tennis
Services, LLC, in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., during the summer months. Marcum is the USPTA Midwest Division Immediate Past President and current
USPTA Midwest Testing and Certification Chair. He resides in Bloomfield
Hills with his wife Lori and their children, Kaitlyn and Courtney.
Inside Coaching
Thoughts on the Kick Serve

for Developing Juniors
By Jim McLennan, USPTA
layers spin the serve for the

downward curve created by
either slice or topspin. At a
higher level of play, these spins
are used to open the court or create
difficulty for the receiver. But in the
main, spin creates margin both above
the net and inside the service line so
that the ball safely clears the net and
lands inside the service line. Think of
that as A foot and a foot meaning a
foot above the net and a foot inside the
service line.
Coaches are not in agreement about
which serve to teach, or in fact whether
slice should be taught first and the kick
later, or vice versa.
However, compelling research evidence from Stanford University on the
mechanics and execution of the WTA
serve casts doubt, if not serious questions, on the injurious effect of the kick
serve. (See graphs at right.)
Compare the points of contact for
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova
(see photo at right). Both shots were
taken at the 2013 WTA tournament at
Stanford. Perhaps this is a coincidence,
but Maria has had multiple shoulder
problems and even surgery, while
Serenas service delivery is known as
the best all-time stroke in the history
of the womens game. Serena places
contact in an up-sidespin position and
Maria obviously takes it much further to
an exaggerated kick contact position.
I firmly believe that to develop a fluid and effortless serve (think Sampras
or Federer), a developing junior must
first master a consistent sidespin serve,
where both first and second serves are
similar, and where the first serve has
some sidespin and the second serve
merely has more sidespin.
Consider developing the kick serve
only when you are much older. Shoulder injuries have sidelined many a
promising junior. h
The following diagrams show force and torque generated by slice, flat and kick serves.
Graphs from filming and analysis of the Stanford mens team by Marc Safran and Geoff Abrams
For more material on the serve, visit www.essentialtennisinstruction.com. Building the Serve from the
Ground Up is now certified for 1.5 continuing education credits and is available at USProTennisShop.com.
Jim McLennan is the Tennis Director at the Fremont Hills Country Club in Los Altos Hills,
Calif., past president of the USPTA Northern California Division and publishes online
instruction, podcasts and commentary at www.essentialtennisinstruction.com. He holds a
masters degree in Sport Psychology from the University of West Florida and has co-authored
footwork research with the Stanford University Biomechanical Engineering department.
Master Pro Corner
Alternative Concepts to Teaching

Under 10s
By Ty Fuller, USPTA Master Professional
ver the last 10 years of running my tennis school in a

suburb of Atlanta, kids were
arriving at the courts with
very little skill development. Because
of the lack of physical education in a lot
of the local schools and the parents not
working on basic hand-eye coordination training at home, kids were underprepared for the class. Many kids didnt
know the difference between underhand
and overhand when throwing a ball, and
in many cases, didnt know whether they
were left- or right-handed.
Because of these issues I felt the
need to change the format and structure of the class. I gradually introduced
basketball and soccer training into the
program. Having played both sports
myself, I found this transition quite
easy and very enjoyable. Because of the
introduction of these two sports, the
hand-eye coordination and footwork
required for tennis became easier.

In addition, I reduced the size of the
class. Over the years I went from six to
four and finally to only two kids for a
45-minute session. I, of course, raised
my fee and the parents didnt object because they saw the dramatic improvement in their childs tennis skills. We
Introducing basketball and soccer into tennis training improves the hand-eye
coordination and footwork required for tennis.
all know how frustrating and tedious

learning tennis can be at times, particularly for the under 10s. By adding soccer
and basketball, it made all the difference. I had read earlier on that many of
the European and Asian countries were
already experimenting with the same
concept. Try this at your club or facility
and you should see the same fabulous
results. The children have a lot more
fun and there is less stress on the instructor.
Another addition I made to my kids
program was a ball machine. I had been
using a ball machine as part of my lessons off and on for many years. However, the impact of the Tennis Twist
(or Freddy as we call him) has been
very dramatic. Its a very kid-friendly
machine with a soft easy toss every few
seconds. Most importantly, the low compression balls work great with it. I agree
wholeheartedly with Elite Pro Stan Oley
(reference his article in Tennis Industry
magazine, July 2014 ) that the ball machine has been underutilized as a teaching aid for too long. That simply needs
to change. Most learning tennis players
dont practice properly or often enough.
That could change if more tennis pros
bring the ball machine out on the court.
Lets get away from always feeding from
the net. If more pros discover the benefits of the ball machine and really start
using and promoting those benefits to
their students, major change will occur
in the development of the American tennis player. h
Ty Fuller taught tennis throughout the
New England area from 1963-1972.
After moving to Atlanta in 1973, he
formed his own school specializing in
tennis instruction for kids under age 10. Over the
years he has conducted programs in West Africa
and Japan. In 2016 he will be celebrating his 50th
year as a USPTA member. He can be reached at
tyfuller@realcooltennis.com.
Career Development
Exams, Upgrades Workshops
& Courses
& PTCA I
Division
Activities
(4 credits for PTCA I segment)
(6 credits)
(10 credits per level)
Jan. 15-16 Houston*

Jan. 16-17
Boca Raton, Fla.
Jan. 24-25
San Diego
Jan. 20
Palo Alto, Calif.

Aurora, Ill.
Feb. 7-8
Feb. 13-14
Feb. 20
Orlando, Fla.
Eau Claire, Wis.
Feb. 20-21
Huntington Beach, Calif.
Feb. 20-21
Horseshoe Bay, Texas
Feb. 25
Prairie Village, Kan.
Feb. 25-26 Houston*

March 7-8
March 12-13
La Jolla, Calif.
Boca Raton, Fla.
Jan. 23
Wheelchair Tennis Clinic

Oshkosh, Wis.
Jan. 28-29
Jan. 29-31
Webinars
Jan. 30-31
(.5 credits)
Feb. 18-21
Jan. 20
Feb. 10
Opening the doors to

competition
Bob Love
Present challenges in running a
tennis complex
Fernando Velasco
For more information visit uspta.com/Education>

Education Calendar.
Feb. 19-21
Feb. 19-21
Feb. 25-27
USPTA Midwest Convention

Aurora, Ill.
USPTA Northern Convention
Fridley, Minn.
USPTA NorCal Convention
Palo Alto, Calif.
USPTA Texas Convention
Horseshoe Bay, Texas
USPTA Southwest Convention
Phoenix
USPTA California Convention
TBD
USPTA Missouri Valley
Convention
Kansas City
* 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.
Accredited
Professional
Coach
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 elses. Forms are available upon request.
Education requirements
All 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 eligible 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 education@uspta.org to receive your credit. (International members, Recreational Coaches
and those over the age of 65 are exempt.) Questions? Write to education@uspta.org
or call 800-877-8248, ext. 147.
AS
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Prince Brand Managers

CA (Northern), OR, WA
BLAYDE BYNUM
bbynum@princeglobalsports.com
650-296-6049
AZ, CA (Southern), NV
AMANDA CRADDOCK
acraddock@princeglobalsports.com
913-940-1960
HI, Guam, Pacific Islands, Military on HI only
BOB CUMMINGS
bcummings@princeglobalsports.com
808-216-4685
ND, AK, ID, MT, UT, WV, WY
BRIAN DUNCAN
bduncan@princeglobalsports.com
404-836-0572
CO, IA, IL (southwest corner), KS, MN,

MO, NE, OK, SD, WI
CRAIG GANSEN
cgansen@princeglobalsports.com
816-665-6120
IL, IN (northern), MI, OH (northern)
GUS GILTNER
ggiltner@princeglobalsports.com
517-862-0677
AL, AR, LA, MS, Western TN, Florida
Panhandle
HAL GORMAN
hgorman@princeglobalsports.com
225-281-2894
GA, NC, SC, TN (Nashville east),
Southern Virginia
ERIC LARSON
elarson@princeglobalsports.com
704-995-6005
FL (except panhandle to Tallahassee)

MIGUEL ROSA
mrosa@princeglobalsports.com
941-447-5928
Texas and New Mexico
JOHN SEVERANCE
jseverance@princeglobalsports.com
832-443-5217
CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT
JOHN WEBER
jweber@princeglobalsports.com
617-821-3951
DC, DE, IN (southern), KY, MD,
OH (southern), PA, Northern Virginia
JOHN WEIL
JWeil@PrinceGlobalSports.com
513-582-3801
*Exclusive Club Program offer depends on qualifying status of Pro Shop.
princetennis.com
TM
Member News
Former River Oaks Country Club Pro Passes Away
by Jack Michalko, USPTA vice president
The tennis world lost one of
the most innovative teaching
professionals in the country with
the passing of Harry Parten from
Tyler, Texas, in June 2015. Parten
was a USPTA Professional for
more than 50 years. He spoke frequently at USPTA Texas conventions as well as at USPTA World
Conferences. Parten was also a
former USPTA Texas Pro of the Year in 1974.
Parten spent his entire career at River
Oaks Country Club in Houston. He was selftaught and his hard work earned him a tennis scholarship to the University of Houston.
While a student at U of H he started helping
out at the River Oaks Country Club on the
weekends teaching tennis and helping to
organize the annual River Oaks Invitational
Tennis Tournament. Upon graduation with a
degree in civil engineering in 1960, he took a
job with Farnsworth-Chambers Engineering
but never lost his love for the game of tennis
and continued to help out at River Oaks
until the head pro, Andrew Jitkoff, retired
and recommended Parten to replace him.
The club was all ready to abandon the tennis
program at that time and tear out the courts
to build additional parking but decided to
give Parten an interview. He presented them
with the following mission statement at his
interview: It is my intention to produce for
River Oaks Country Club a tennis

operation tailored to the needs of
the membership that is, in every
respect, second to none. The
club decided to give him a chance
and the rest is history! River Oaks
Tennis went from a very lackluster
program with little or no activity to
one of the finest tennis programs
in the country in no time. During
the next 31 years the club added eight additional hard courts to their original 10 clay
courts and a tennis building that included a
fully stocked tennis shop, staff offices, and
a conference and film room. He employed a
staff of anywhere from three to eight pros at
all times and created tournaments, formal
parties and pari-mutual betting events that
were always a sell-out. He offered themed
tournaments with social events, inter-club
competitions, and established a four-tier
junior program for up to 250 juniors a week!
Parten retired in 1993 and the club honored
him with an ROCC membership.
In an article about Houston in Town &
Country magazine under the listing Things
You Must Do While in Houston was take a
tennis lesson from Head Professional Harry
Parten at River Oaks Country Club. Parten
gave lessons to such notables as Vice President Spiro Agnew, Wall Streets Ivan Boesky,
and Senator Lloyd Bentsen to name a few.
Longtime Kingsborough Community College Tennis Coach Barry Goldsmith was

inducted into the National Junior College
Athletic Association Hall of Fame in May,
2015, in Plano, Texas. Goldsmith, who has
served as coach of the Kingsborough Mens
Tennis team for 33 years and its womens
team for 10, led the mens and womens
tennis teams to national championships in
1998 and 2009. Under his leadership both
teams together have produced more than
55 All-Americans and 17 individual singles
and doubles national champions.
In addition to coaching at Kingsborough,
Goldsmith, a USPTA Master Professional for
the last 13 years and a USTA high performance coach and supervisor, also serves
as an usher and security staffer at the
Arthur Ashe Stadium during the US Open.
Recently Kingsborough Community College
honored Goldsmith by naming the colleges
new outdoor tennis facility for both Coach
Goldsmith and Rachelle, his wife, who is
the Director of Kingsboroughs Honors
Program.
NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Two-time world tennis champion Mark Vines, USPTA, has been appointed director of tennis,
fitness and recreation for Naples Bay Resort in Naples, Fla. In his new position, Vines will manage a recreational and fitness program that is an essential part of the Naples
Bay Resort experience. Vines comes to Naples Bay Resort from Oakwood
Country Club in Lynchburg, Va., where he was director of tennis and
athletics for 10 years, managing tennis, aquatics, fitness programs, event
management, and retail merchandising.

Vines club experience also includes a position as director of tennis and
aquatics at Columbine Country Club in Littleton, Colo., where he developed
fitness and athletic programs for members and guests. Vines is a former ATP
touring pro who achieved high rankings in the tennis world, including a career high of 105 in
singles.
ADDvantage magazine editorial offices
USPTA World Headquarters
3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite 202
Houston, TX 77042
Phone 713-978-7782 / 800-USPTA-4U
Fax 713-358-7794
email magazine@uspta.org
Managing editor
Circulation
Kimberly Forrester
Kathy Buchanan
Office hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central time

ADDvantage is published monthly by the
United States Professional Tennis Association.
President
First Vice
President
Chuck Gill
Gary Trost
Vice Presidents

Past President
CEO
Legal Counsel
Alan Cutler
Feisal Hassan
Ken McAllister
Jack Michalko
Diane Selke
TM
Tom McGraw
John Embree
George Parnell
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.

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Stringing

Rally the Family

Find the right

JANUARY 2016 / VOLUME 44/ NUMBER 1 / $5.00

Our annual awards honor

Person of the Year

48 Ask the Experts

This industrys largest collaborative campaign

PTR International Symposium

Lendl, Fish, Craybas

Playsight partners with ITA

PHIT America teams with

The new USTA University is leading the way

T.O.M. Conference topics focus

28 Finding the Perfect Pair

Brothers set world record

Like a sommelier matching the right wine to

Krupp Scholarship created

12 Sports Attack teams with

Our annual awards honor the people,

13 Head, PTR extend partnership

68 Thoughts on the Kick Serve

Read more articles online at www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

David Bone Jeff Williams

ometimes, when an initiative

support Professional Tennis Management programs at universities

Peter Francesconi, Editorial Director

Exec Team Named for USTA

urt Kamperman (right) has been named to oversee the

PTR Symposium Set for Feb.

Lendl, Fish, Craybas

Playsight Partners With ITA

PHIT America Teams

up online to designate PHIT America as an

USTA Tests Rally the

modified scoring, along with a focus on

T.O.M. Conference Topics

Rossetti Brothers Set World

Among the topics will be the new Rally

The WTA has

The first $2,500 scholarship will be

USPTA Seeks Nominations

Southern Hall of Fame

Sid Newcomb has been

an influential tennis executive

Inaugural USTA Foundation Los Angeles

he USTA Foundation, the national

organization in various capacities ranging

he Special Olympics National Tennis Championship held on Hilton Head

and communities. All Professional-level

Attention Teaching Pros:

or cashiers check, but overpays. Then

Hall of Fame Names 9

USTA Gives PTM a Boost

5 Earn PTR Master

balls will be used for all

mens player Stan Wawrinka will square off with

Sports Attack Teams With

ncourt Offcourt and Sports Attack Ball

ceeds benefitting local

Team Elton beat Team

marketing rights at approximately 60

SFIA Elects New President

Krupp Scholarship created

12 Sports Attack teams with

13 Head, PTR extend partnership

TIA begins its annual tennis facility, business

TIA releases a poster on social media

TIA supports the important launch of

Together with the USTA and industry partners, the TIA

TIA attends the USTA Tennis Development Workshop in San Diego.

TIA continues to line up key speakers for the

For 2016, TIA updates its popular Tennis

At Midtown Chicago, Cardio Tennis passes