May 2004

Volume 1 Number 4 $5.00

POINTING THE WAY

New participation study
points to challenges and
opportunities
Retailer Incentives Can
Work for Your Business
Make Any Racquet Play
Better—Guaranteed!
Mid-Season Frames Hope
To Weigh-In Big
 Help Us Find the 2004
Champions of Tennis
 String Playtests
 Dress Up Your Dressing Room
Contents FEATURES
R S I

INDUSTRY NEWS
M A Y 2 0 0 4

30 Pointing the Way 7 TIA to produce major tennis

The second annual tennis
participation study sheds more event at Super Show
light on some of the obstacles to
increasing play. 8 Head/Penn names 2003
Elite Retailer
34 Let’s Make a Deal!
In today’s competitive climate,
manufacturers may be more willing
8 US Open Series is likely
than ever to offer incentives for this year
to retailers.
8 New USTA tools available for
page 30 36 Make Any Racquet Play Better— local promotion
Guaranteed!
Use this guide to help you modify an existing
frame to play at its best. 9 Schwartz “comes out
swinging” at annual meeting
40 Mid-Season Replacements?
10 TIA reports $1.2 million
New entries from some top racquet
manufacturers are hoping to weigh in big reserve
with consumers.

42 Level the Field

10 Able-bodied, wheelchair
For a different take on learning and players share training camp
enjoying the game, take a look
at Bankshot Tennis. 12 Mac joins CNBC with
primetime talk show
13 Heller named Samuel Hardy
Award winner
13 Three win Hall of Fame
educational merit awards
14 Prince launches NFS Freak
performance shoe
page 36
page 8
16 Tennis Mag picks “Editor’s
Choice” frames, shoes

DEPARTMENTS
4 Our Serve 44 String Playtest: Unique Tourna Poly Big Hitter
18 RSI’s Champions of Tennis 2004 46 String Playtest: Gamma Zo Plus
20 Ask the Experts 48 Tips and Techniques
22 Your Finances 50 New USRSA Members and MRTs
24 Marketing Success 52 Calendar
26 Retailing Success 56 Your Serve
28 Court Construction
May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 3
 Our Serve
(Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry)

Start Where You Are Publishers

David Bone Jeff Williams

S
ports stars often stun us with their skill and Editor-in-Chief
Crawford Lindsey
sometimes make us laugh at their TV
Editorial Director
commercials, yet rarely do they inspire us or Peter Francesconi

provide something to think about. Associate Editor

Greg Raven

One notable exception was Arthur Ashe, both a consummate champion Design/Art Director
Kristine Thom
and a quiet-spoken man of insight. I mention this because he once said
Design Consultant
something that helps me collect my wits when I wake up worrying about
Amy Berger
the day’s immediate problems and the ones that lie ahead. “Start where
Assistant to the Publisher
you are, use what you have, do what you can,” he said, and these 12
Cari Feliciano
deceptively simple words contain much wisdom.
Contributing Editors
“Start where you are.” In order to start where I am, I first need to
Cynthia Cantrell
know where I am. In business terms this means I can’t begin to deal with Rod Cross
a problem until I determine its true nature and my position in relation Joe Dinoffer
Liza Horan
to it. Only when I know where I am can I begin to see possible solutions
Andrew Lavallee
(often there are several) and select the one with the highest James Martin
probability of success. Mark Mason
Chris Nicholson
“Use what you have.” Maybe my toolbox doesn’t contain the ideal
Mitch Rustad
implements for the job, but instead of throwing up my hands and giving Drew Sunderlin
up because nothing can be done, I can employ what’s available. For Jonathan Whitbourne
example, let’s say my operation could use additional personnel but it’s
RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY
not in the cards for the time being. However, it’s conceivable that I Corporate Offices
could improve the performance of the folks I do have by instituting a 330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084
Phone: 760-536-1177 Fax: 760-536-1171
system of tangible rewards. Simply insisting that they work harder isn’t
Email: usrsa@racquetTECH.com
the answer; they need a reason to work harder other than holding onto Website: www.racquetTECH.com
their jobs. By doing so, I increase productivity (not to mention morale) Office Hours: Mon.-Fri.,8 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific Time
without substantially increasing my costs.
Advertising Director
“Do what you can.” Maybe the interior of my store or club is in need of John Hanna
a makeover, but I can’t afford it. However, I can probably find the 770-650-1102, x.125
john@racquettech.com
money to improve the lighting so that it makes both the sales area and
the products themselves look more attractive, and this in itself might Apparel Advertising
improve revenue. Cynthia Sherman
203-263-5243
The more I think about it, the more I realize that Arthur Ashe provided
cstennisindustry@earthlink.net
a formula for not only solving problems but also making dreams come
true. Regardless of whether you’re a tennis professional, a retailer or Racquet Sports Industry (application to mail at Period-
a sales manager, I believe the Ashe wisdom applies, yet don’t take my icals Postage Rates is pending at Vista, CA, and at addi-
tional offices) is published 10 times yearly by USRSA,
word for it because I don’t purport to be an expert or guru on any 330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084. May 2004, Volume 1,
subject whatsoever. I’m merely suggesting you try it for yourself and Number 4 © 2004 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. All
rights reserved. Racquet Sports Industry, RSI and logo
see if it makes a difference. It won’t cost a penny. are trademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A. Phone
On a broader scale, sometimes the tennis industry’s difficulties may advertising: 770-650-1102 x.125. Phone circulation and
editorial: 760-536-1177. Yearly subscriptions $55 in the
seem to be insurmountable, but I really don’t think Mr. Ashe would see U.S., $65 elsewhere. POSTMASTER: Send address
it that way. changes to Racquet Sports Industry, 330 Main St.,
Vista, CA 92084.

Publisher

4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004


INDUSTRY NEWS
INFORMATION TO HELP YOU
TIA Sets Plans for Major Tennis “Event”
At Super Show; Scraps Show at US Open
T he Tennis Industry Association announced that it is
planning to launch an industry-wide “event” in con-
junction with the 2005 Super Show in Orlando, Fla.,
in January. The event, which will combine a number of
aspects, including seminars, a tennis forum, awards presen-
tations and a trade show, will serve as a rallying point for the
industry, the TIA says.
A specific name for the event had not been finalized at press
time, but it will be held Jan. 17 to 19, 2005, at the Super Show,
which moved to Orlando from Las Vegas in 2004. The trade show
part of the event will be at the Super Show’s venue, the Orange
County Convention Center. However, the TIA says there will be
many activities for the tennis event that will be outside of the
trade show.
“The TIA and many of its largest members want to have an
event that rallies our industry and provides an opportunity to
learn and to do business in an efficient way,” says Jim Baugh,
president of the TIA. “We’ve studied many venues and conclud-
ed we can make the TIA event in Orlando a winner.”
Baugh initially made public the plan to hold an industry event
during the Super Show at the TIA’s March board meeting, held
during the USTA’s Annual Meeting in Puerto Rico. Many in the
industry had expressed dismay at the low attendance and other
difficulties encountered at August’s Tennis Show at the US Open.
“A New York or US Open show is not going to work,” Baugh
concluded, adding that other sites, such as during pro tourna-
ments at Indian Wells, Calif., or Key Biscayne, Fla., had been
considered.
Some at the TIA meeting questioned the need for a tennis
trade show at all, but most agreed that the industry needed, as
Baugh puts it, “a rallying event,” similar to the large gatherings
that would assemble each February in the mid-1990s to attend
the Tennis Forum at the Super Show when it was held in Atlanta.
“The TIA and many of its
largest members want to have
an event that rallies our
industry,” says Baugh.
R S I M A Y 2 0 0 4
RUN YOUR BUSINESS
Among the problems that The
Tennis Show at the US Open faced was
the difficulty in getting soft-goods
manufacturers to exhibit there. Howev-
er, Baugh says the Super Show in
Orlando already has a “good soft-
goods foundation.”
“Now, major racquet and other
hard-goods companies have commit-
ted to be part of this event,” says
Baugh
Baugh. “We have preliminary event
plans which will be announced at a
later date, but we are excited to be able
to launch programs, products, and
other plans…at one time—at this
event.”
Reportedly, Baugh and the TIA have
been in talks with Super Show man-
agement to try to work out deals to
make it easier for manufacturers to
Haggerty
exhibit in Orlando.
“Our sport has to have a venue to be together,” says TIA
Chairman Dave Haggerty, CEO of Head USA. “We are seeing the
benefits of this with our Tennis Welcome Center campaign. Plus,
we are planning other initiatives. The TIA event in Orlando will
allow us to come together, roll out plans, learn from each other,
and sell some products.”
Longtime industry watchdog Gene Scott, publisher of Tennis
Week magazine, says that he can see the value of having such an
industry event. “When I visited the Super Show in Orlando this
past year, I said, ‘The tennis industry can build on this…and
make it so much more,’” he says. “Recent problems with the
Show have been lack of visitors and expense. I believe there is a
way to deal with both issues, and our sport would be crazy not
to help make this work.”
Adds Baugh: “My goals are to make this industry bigger [and]
stronger. It will not happen with a fragmented approach. The TIA
will make this event work. Plus, we will continue to have smaller
meetings, such as a TIA Forum at the US Open. We learned from
our experiences in New York, and while we will not have a show
at the US Open, we know what works and what doesn’t.” w
May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 7
INDUSTRYNEWS M A Y 2 0 0 4
Head/Penn Announces
Elite Retailer for 2003
H
ead/Penn Racquet Sports has
awarded Westwood Sporting
Goods in Los Angeles with its
2003 Elite Retailer of the Year
award. Westwood owner Rick Hart-
man (at left) was presented with the
award at Head/Penn headquarters
in Phoenix in March.
Hartman supports the Southern California Tennis Associa-
tion by donating pre-owned frames, string, grips and bags to
the organization. The racquets are restrung and recondi-
tioned before they are used by underprivileged children who
otherwise might not get the opportunity to learn and play
tennis.
“I appreciate the recognition from Head/Penn that is
allowing me to further support my community,” Hartman
said.
The Elite Retailer of the Year award is one component of
Head/Penn’s Elite Retailer Program. Introduced in January
2002, the program was created to reward the strongest pro-
fessional and specialty tennis retailers in the U.S. as they
focus on growing the sport.
The award is presented to the retailer judged to be the
strongest in the country by virtue of retail excellence, passion
for tennis and commitment to supporting their tennis com-
munity during a calendar year. The recipient receives a
$10,000 check to be donated to the grassroots tennis pro-
gram of the retailer’s choice. Hartman has chosen to donate
the money to the Southern California Tennis Association.
“It is important that we recognize the hard work Rick and
his team do to support the tennis community and the
Head/Penn brand,” said Kevin Kempin, Head’s vice president
of sales and marketing.
Lejay Debuts ‘White
Out’ Line
N
ew from Lejay is the White Out collection,
made with Meryl nylon, a high-perform-
ance branded yarn “known for its beau-
tiful hand and silky texture,” says Trish Levin,
vice president of merchandising for Lejay Inc.
The lightweight fabric is a white-on-white
dotted texture, which provides surface inter-
est. In addition to its quick-drying properties,
the fabric also has high UV protection, says
Levin. Lejay chose 12 of its most popular sil-
houettes for the White Out collection.
The collection is shipping in May. For
more information, visit www.lejay.com or call
800-932-7535.
8 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004
US Open Series of Pro Events
Looking Likely for This Year
It appears that the US Open Series, a breakthrough proposal to
bring together summer hard-court tennis tournaments under the
US Open umbrella, will become a reality this year. The Series,
which will begin in July right after Wimbledon and lead into the
US Open at the end of August, will be made up of at least eight
North American hard-court tournaments.
Key to this series of men’s and women’s pro events will be a
consistent television schedule, and reports indicate that CBS
Sports and ESPN have committed to possibly more than 100 hours
of live coverage of the action at the US Open Series tournaments.
It is hoped that having regularly scheduled telecasts of pro tennis
events will help to elevate the stature and exposure of the sport in the U.S.
The US Open Series has been promoted by Arlen Kantarian,
the USTA’s chief executive of Professional Tennis. At the USTA’s
Annual Meeting in March in Puerto Rico, Kantarian laid out plans
for the Series to a large and enthusiastic crowd. The Series would
represent an unprecedented collaboration among television net-
works, the two pro tours, tournament owners, and the USTA and
its other business partners.
Final plans for the Series were expected to be officially
announced at the end of April. At press time in early April, sources
indicated that the eight tournaments that will comprise the Series
for this year will be:
w Mercedes-Benz Cup (men) in Los Angeles, July 12 to 18
w Bank of the West Classic (women) in Stanford, Calif., July 12 to 18
w RCA Championships in Indianapolis (men), July 19 to 25
w Tennis Masters Toronto (men), July 26 to Aug. 1
w Western & Southern Financial Group Masters (men) in Cincin-
nati, Aug. 2 to 8
w Rogers AT&T Cup in Canada (women), Aug. 2 to 8
w Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C. (men), Aug. 16 to
22
w Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven, Conn., (women) Aug. 23 to 29.
The US Open begins on Aug. 30 and runs through Sept. 12.
NEW USTA TOOLS TO HELP YOU
PROMOTE YOUR PROGRAMS
o help in the continuing effort to grow the
T sport, the USTA has come out with a couple
of nifty new tools that provide all you need
to help you market your programs.
The 2004 Marketing Creative Kit contains
customizable flyers, ad slicks and posters that
are designed to attract new players to your local program. The
materials are perfect for Tennis Welcome Centers looking to
attract new players to the game. All executions are available on
an easy-to-use CD.
The 2004 Workplace & Residential Tool Kit will help you
create, market and promote a tennis program for corporations,
business and residential neighborhoods. This kit also includes
customizable flyers, ad slicks and posters, all on a CD.
Both marketing kits are $20 each and available through
NetKnacks at 800-374-6153 or at www.tennisawards.com.
 INDUSTRY NEWS

Schwartz “Comes Out Swinging”

At the USTA Annual Meeting
USTA President Alan Schwartz says it’s time to “come out swing-
ing” when it comes to promoting the sport of tennis.
Speaking at the opening session of the 2004 USTA Annual
Meeting in March, held at the Westin Rio Mar Resort in Puerto
Rico, Schwartz said that the USTA and the other entities
involved in tennis are “ready to adopt a marketing mentality”
for the good of the sport.
He added that the marketing campaign that is now getting
under way for tennis is the “biggest and boldest initiative in
which this organization and its affiliated partners have ever
been involved. We are ready to grow the game without focusing
on who gets the credit.
“What is the state of our association?” Schwartz asked. “Simple—we are strong and
we are ready.”
He ran down a list of some of the key changes to the USTA over the past 15 months,
covering three areas: financial, strategic and emotional. Financially, the USTA in 2003
had a record operating surplus of more than $12 million. The organization realized a $5
million bump from the US Open, and Schwartz said the USTA’s investment portfolio
earned $21 million, outperforming the benchmark by 26 percent vs. 21 percent.
Strategically, Schwartz praised the “talented national staff” that has been assembled,
along with the support of key partners, key media support and alliances, and what he
called “fusion marketing,” such as partnerships with the Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins,
and the National Institutes of Health.
On the emotional side, trust was at the top of the list. “As an association, we’ve made
great strides” in this area, said Schwartz. He also praised the USTA’s efforts in multicul-
turalism and diversity, and in the organization’s ability to be flexible. He said the group
is making a clear commitment to “accepting responsibility and making changes.”
Schwartz, whose term as USTA president ends at the end of this year, said that the
current Tennis Welcome Center campaign and the new US Open Series of pro tourna-
ments will help the sport with players and fans alike. “Each becomes a catalyst for the
other,” he said. “Both initiatives are industry-wide, and industry-wise.”
As people registered for the Annual Meeting, they each were given a racquet donat-
ed by manufacturers. But, said Schwartz, the racquet came “with strings attached.” The
catch was that each person had to help build the sport by giving the racquet to someone
else who is not yet involved in tennis, then shepherding that person to a beginner program.

‘MINUS ION’ RINGS, WRISTBANDS

re your members looking for something to help relieve pain in the hand,
A wrist, arm, back or shoulders? Have them try “Minus Ion” wristbands,
bracelets, necklaces and finger rings. Importer/distributor Titan Rules says
Minus Ion products “help the body achieve enhanced ion bal-
ance” by attracting negative (or “beneficial”) ions.
The result of “advanced Japanese technology,”
Minus Ion products are made of specially processed
titanium, tourmaline and silicone rubber and come
in a variety of colors for men and women. “The sci-
entific community has been actively pursuing neg-
ative ion benefits,” says Titan Rules President Troy
David. “Published reports indicate that negative ions
are helpful to us all.”
Suggested retail price for the Minus Ion wristband is
$15.95. For more information, contact www.titanrules.com.

May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 9

INDUSTRYNEWS M A Y 2 0 0 4

Baugh Says TIA in “Good Shape” Able-Bodied,

Financially, Has $1.2M Reserve Wheelchair Juniors
he Tennis Industry Association has a reserve of approximately $1.2 million, Share Camp
T TIA President Jim Baugh reported at the organization’s board meeting held
in March in Puerto Rico during the USTA Annual Meeting.
The TIA reported total income from 1995 through 2003 was about $19.4 mil-
T
he USTA held the first official USA
Tennis High Performance Training
Camp to combine both able-bod-
lion, while total expenses for the same nine-year period were about $18.2 mil-
lion. Nearly 56 percent of the income was derived from assessments on ied and wheelchair players at the same
members, while 32 percent were from contributions to the TIA. time. The camp was held March 27 and
Just over 77 percent of the expenses in that time period went to grassroots 28 in Charlotte, N.C., and included
programs, while nearly 16 percent was for administrative costs. For 2003, the some of the top junior able-bodied and
TIA took in about $1.04 million, with expenses of about $1.15 million. wheelchair tennis players in the USTA
“We’re in good shape financially,” Baugh told the board, adding that the $1.2 Southern Section. All past camps had
million reserve represents a year’s worth of operating expenses. been conducted separately for wheel-
Baugh said the TIA is trying to “capture new categories, such as facilities and chair and able-bodied players.
dealers, to be a part of this organization. We have to provide services and The camp, held at the Providence
resources for the rest of our members to be involved.” Day School, was directed by North Car-
He added, “Overall, I think we have a plan that’s aggressive and achievable.” olina native and former touring pro Tim
The meeting in Puerto Rico also included key findings from the 2003 USA Par- Wilkison, assisted by a staff that includ-
ticipation Study (see page 30), commissioned by the TIA and the USTA, along ed Dan James, the USTA paralympic
with plans for new research; an update on the Tennis Welcome Center initiative, coach and product manager of USA
which as of late March had more than 3,300 facilities signed up and was aver- Tennis High Performance Wheelchair.
aging about 100 additions a week; and updates on the TIA business site, Ten- Also on the faculty was David Hatsek,
nisWire.org, and possible plans for a trade show/tennis industry event (see page 7). 2003 USTA Southern wheelchair player
of the year, along with USTA national
and Southern Section staff. The camp
featured 16 able-bodied and four
wheelchair players.
“Having both able-bodied and
wheelchair players at the same camp
brings a new level of respect for both
groups,” says Hartsek. “As a wheelchair
player, I’ve found that working closely
with able-bodied coaches has been
invaluable.”

Synergy Sports
Adds Kenas
ynergy Sports, an

S Ocean, N.J., event

marketing and pro-
motions management
agency, has hired Jennifer
Kenas as its account oper-
ations director. Kenas, a graduate of
Cornell University, previously worked
for Head/Penn Racquet Sports and The
Tennis Channel, and in 2000 was
named one of Tennis Industry maga-
zine’s “40 Under 40,” recognizing the
most influential professionals in the
tennis business.

10 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004

 INDUSTRY NEWS

Kuerten, Srichaphan Among Players

Honored With 2003 ATP Awards
ustavo “Guga” Kuerten was recognized

G for his humanitarian efforts while

Paradorn Srichaphan earned his second
consecutive Stefan Edberg Sportsman-
ship Award when the ATP announced the win-
ners of the 2003 ATP Awards Presented by
Waterford Crystal recently at the NASDAQ-
100 Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., the 2003 ATP
Masters Series Tournament of the Year.
Kuerten (near right), the popular Brazilian,
was named Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year for his work on behalf of the
needy. Underprivileged children are among the 8,500 people who have benefited
from the efforts of the Guga Kuerten Institute.
Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan (far right) was acknowledged for his outstanding
sportsmanship by his fellow players, who voted on the ATP Awards at their annual
ATP Player Meeting in Melbourne, Australia, in January.
The winners of the 2003 ATP Awards Presented by Waterford Crystal will be fea-
tured in an upcoming episode of the ATP Television Show (check ATPtennis.com for
broadcasters and times). Additionally, The Tennis Channel is producing a special
series of vignettes honoring each of the recipients and acknowledging their accom-
plishments. Other ATP award winners are:
w Andy Roddick became the youngest American to end the year at No. 1 in the
INDESIT ATP Race, earning the 2003 Player of the Year Award.
w California twins Bob and Mike Bryan were named 2003 Doubles Team of the
Year after becoming the first set of brothers to finish No. 1 in the ATP Doubles Race
with five titles in eight finals.
w Rainer Schuettler was voted 2003 Most Improved Player by his peers. The Ger-
man improved his year-end ranking for an ATP-best ninth consecutive season, jump-
ing from No. 33 to No. 6 in the INDESIT ATP Race
w Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who turned 17 last June, was voted 2003 Newcomer of
the Year. He finished his first full ATP season inside the Top 50 with a 14-11 match
record and had wins over Roland Garros champion Albert Costa and Carlos Moya.
w Mark Philippoussis was voted 2003 Comeback Player of the Year by surging to
his first year-end Top 10 finish in 2003 after suffering a serious knee injury at the
2002 US Open.
w Roger Federer, the reigning Wimbledon, Tennis Masters Cup and Australian
Open champion, won the ATPtennis.com Fan Favorite Award.
w Veteran British journalist John Parsons received the Ron Bookman Award for
Media Excellence for his more than 40 years of service to the sport.
w The NASDAQ-100 Open won the ATP Masters Series Tournament of the Year for
the second consecutive year. The Dubai Tennis Championships was named Interna-
tional Series Gold Tournament of the Year.
w Players chose the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston and the
Synsam Swedish Open in Bastad as joint winners of the International Series Tourna-
ment of the Year Award.
The ATP Awards Presented by Waterford Crystal also acknowledged milestones
achieved by players in 2003:
w First Title: Nikolay Davydenko, Hyung-Taik Lee, Martin Verkerk, David Sanchez,
Max Mirnyi, Agustin Calleri, Julien Boutter, Robby Ginepri, Mardy Fish.
w Fifth Title: Roger Federer, Guillermo Coria, Jiri Novak.
w Tenth Title: Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tim Henman,
Felix Mantilla, Mark Philippoussis.

May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 11

 M A Y 2 0 0 4
INDUSTRYNEWS

John McEnroe Joins CNBC With Primetime Talk Show

B
eginning Wednesday, July 7, John McEnroe will join the CNBC primetime lineup in a new talk show, bring-
ing his passion for news, music, entertainment and sports to viewers weeknights at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The
talk show, titled "McEnroe," will air original installments Monday through Thursday, with repeats on Fridays.
McEnroe will be joined by an ensemble cast of contributors that will serve up insight and information about
the stories and headlines of the day, in all areas of news, sports and entertainment. Joining McEnroe will be
John Fugelsang, most recently of the broadcast series "America's Funniest Home Videos," which he co-hosted
for two seasons with Daisy Fuentes. In addition, Fugelsang had been a recurring guest on "Politically Incorrect
with Bill Maher," and has hosted a variety of specials for music network VH1.
"John McEnroe is a rebel and he's sharp, both on and off the court,” says Pamela Thomas-Graham, president and CEO of CNBC.
"Throughout his career, as a player, broadcaster and author, John has been known for his unique perspective, outspokenness, blunt
honesty and unpredictability. His dynamic and bold personality makes him the perfect fit for CNBC's new primetime lineup."
Said McEnroe: "I'm very excited about
my new show with CNBC. We've designed
it to be the antidote to the typical prime-
time talk show. We'll be thoughtful and
insightful when it is appropriate, and wreak
havoc when necessary. Above all, we'll be
unpredictable, and fun to watch."
McEnroe will continue as an analyst on
NBC Sports' tennis telecasts, including the
French Open and Wimbledon, as well as an
analyst for CBS and USA Network's cover-
age of the U.S. Open.

Freer Wins
ClubCorp?s ?Star
of Stars? Award
C
lubCorp has named Billy Freer, the
director of tennis at Brookhaven
Country Club near Dallas, as the recipient
of its 2003 Star of Stars Award. The award
is the company’s most prestigious employ-
ee recognition and this year has been given
to only one of ClubCorp’s nearly 23,000
employees.
Freer played a major role in
Brookhaven Racquet Club being named by
the USTA as the 2003 USTA Member
Organization of the Year. In addition to the
national honor for the club, it was also
named 2003 Member Organization of the
Year by the USTA Texas Section.
“It is through Billy’s superb leadership,
year after year, that Brookhaven tennis has
become such a recognized facility in the
tennis industry,” said ClubCorp Chairman
and CEO Bob Dedman. “His dedication,
exceptional work ethic, and initiative to
achieve top-level standards make him a
vital part of Brookhaven and the
company.”

12 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004

 INDUSTRY NEWS

Heller Named Samuel Hardy Award Winner

he International Tennis Hall of Fame announced that former USTA

T
President Mervin A. Heller Jr. of Wyomissing, Pa., is the recipient
of the 2003 Samuel Hardy Award, which is given annually to a
USTA volunteer in recognition of long and outstanding service to
the sport. The award was presented at a special luncheon held during
the USTA Annual Meeting at the Westin Rio Mar Resort in Puerto Rico
in March.
Heller is the immediate past-president of the USTA, having completed his two-year
term in December 2002. Heller's affiliation with the USTA began in 1974 as president
of the Lehigh Valley District Tennis Association. He was first elected to the USTA board
of directors in 1991, serving as its secretary/treasurer in 1993-1994. In 1999, he
became first vice president.
During his tenure, Heller has served on numerous USTA committees, and he
remains a USTA board member and serves on the Multicultural Participation Commit-
tee and the board's Audit Committee. He is currently vice president of the Internation-
al Tennis Federation, is a member of the board of directors for the International Tennis
Hall of Fame and is a member of the USA Tennis Foundation. Heller, a former presi-
dent of the USTA Middle States section, was inducted into that section’s Hall of Fame
in 1998.
A graduate of East Stroudsburg State University, where he went undefeated in all
conference matches all four years, Heller held the school record for career wins in sin-
gles and doubles. He went on to receive his law degree from the University of
Pittsburgh and currently is partner in the law firm of Leisawitz Heller Abramowitch
Phillips, P.C.

Three Win Hall of Fame 2003 Tennis

Educational Merit Awards
K
irk Anderson of New Fairfield, Conn., Pam Austin of Industry, Calif., and Bob
Greene of Rangeley, Maine, are the recipients of the 2003 Tennis Educational
Merit Awards, which are presented annually by the International Tennis Hall of
Fame to individuals who have made notable contributions in the tennis education
field at the national level.
Award winners have repeatedly demonstrated leadership and creative skills in ten-
nis instruction, writing, organization and promotion of the game. Anderson, Austin
and Greene were honored at a luncheon held during the USTA Annual Meeting in Puer-
to Rico.
w Anderson is the USTA’s national director of community play, responsible for edu-
cating and overseeing USTA sectional staff in the philosophy, methods and imple-
mentation of attracting new players to tennis through programming in local
communities. Anderson has spent 35 years coaching and teaching tennis.
w Austin has been a teaching pro for 30 years and has been devoted to the sport
in promoting its growth in her community and around the world. A former pro and
sister to Tracy, John, Jeff and Doug, Austin has dedicated herself to her fellow teach-
ing pros through developing educational programs. For the past 10 years, Austin has
served on the board of the Southern California division of the USPTA. She is also a
member of the board of directors for the Southern California Tennis Association.
w Greene concluded his second term as president of USA Tennis New England at
the end of 2003. He’s spent over 10 years working with both the USTA and the USPTA
and has been an active part of the development of general education and profession-
al certification standards for the USPTA. He is also currently in his 14th season as
director of tennis at The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in New Hampshire.

May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 13

INDUSTRYNEWS M A Y 2 0 0 4
DecoSystems to Provide First
DecoTurf Courts in Australia
ecoSystems of Andover, Mass., recently announced
D that an agreement with the Hampton Tennis Club in
Melbourne, Australia, means the company will provide
four Pro DecoTurf full cushioned courts, the first Deco courts
in Australia.
“This is great for Hampton Tennis Club,” says the club’s
coach, Frank Tamboriello. “I will be able to coach on the
best courts for junior development available in the country
and our court maintenance costs will go down, allowing us
to put more into our training programs. Our members are
also very excited at not having to sweep the courts
anymore.”
All Deco surfaces have been classified by the Interna-
tional Tennis Federation in each of three speed categories,
slow, medium and fast. DecoTurf, which is the court sur-
face of the US Open, has also been selected as the surface
for the 2004 Olympic Games tennis competition, to be
played in August in Athens, Greece.
For more information,
visit www.decoturf.com or
call 800-DECO-1ST.
14 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004
PRINCE LAUNCHES NFS FREAK
PERFORMANCE SHOE
P
rince Tennis recently launched its latest performance tennis
shoe, the NFS Freak, which hit retailers in early March. Built
on Natural Foot Shape (NFS) technology and featuring a black
and electric blue color scheme, the NFS Freak was designed for
the player seeking comfort and style, says Stacey Walstrum,
Prince’s director of footwear.
“In developing the NFS Freak, we wanted to create a shoe fea-
turing our Natural Foot Shape fit that also had an eye-catching
design,” says Walstrum. “As a result, we’ve created a great fitting
shoe that will certainly turn heads. More importantly, the NFS
Freak will give players a tennis shoe offering increased traction,
comfort and responsiveness.”
Prince says the shoe is made for all-around play-
ers and features a dual-density endurance plus out-
sole for stability and responsiveness, as well as a
PU midsole with ShockEraser2 heel insert for
increased support. The molded midfoot
shank provides contoured support while
the removable PU sockliner adds cush-
ioning, the company says.
The black/electric blue NFS Freak is
available in men’s models and has a sug-
gested retail price of $65. For more informa-
tion visit www.princetennis.com or call 800-283-6647.
 INDUSTRYNEWS

SHORT SETS
>Loehr,Longtime USPTA members Jack Groppel, Ph.D., and Jim
Ed.D., each signed a two-year agreement to endorse and
wear the Lotto clothing and shoe lines. Loehr and Groppel work
together at LGE Performance Systems Inc., where Loehr is chair-
man and CEO and Groppel is a co-founder of the company.
Groppel and Loehr's endorsement of the Lotto brand follows
the USPTA's announcement of its six-year endorsement agree-
ment with the sportswear company, which began in January.

> Prince Sports Inc. has teamed up with the Sagemont Virtual
School to offer its student-athletes scholarship assistance for
their high school education. SVS offers high-school curriculum
online.
> Serious Tennis of Atlanta invited its top 100 consumers to
lunch and play at the Atlanta Athletic Club in March, where
they also saw a fashion show of Nike apparel, hit with the lat-
est Völkl V-Engine frames, and watched an exhibition match.

>Strings
Ashaway Racket Strings has introduced its 2004 Racket
catalog, highlighting the company’s line of more than 40
squash, badminton, racquetball and tennis strings. The catalog
includes diagrams of string construction and other information
and charts to match the right string to your customers. For a
copy of the catalog or for more info, visit www.ashawayusa.com
or call 800-556-7260.

> Gamma Sports sponsored a Racquet Repair workshop for

first-year Professional Tennis Management students at Ferris
State University in Michigan recently. The workshop was pre-
sented by USRSA Executive Director David Bone.

> Penn was named the official ball for the following 2004 tour-
naments and events: ATP Franklin Templeton Classic, Pacific Life
Open, Nasdaq-100 Open, WTA Bausch & Lomb Championships,
WTA Family Circle Cup and the USPTA Divisional Conventions.

>Serena
The USTA and U.S. Fed Cup Captain Zina Garrison picked
Williams, Venus Williams, Martina Navratilova and Lisa
Raymond to play the April 24-25 Fed Cup tie in Portoroz, Slovenia.

Roddick Signs With Rolex

orld No. 2 pro Andy Roddick has signed a multi-year

W agreement to endorse Rolex watches, Roddick’s man-

agement company, SFX Sports Group, announced
recently. Roddick will participate in media campaigns world-
wide on behalf of the brand, and will exclusively wear Rolex
watches. Financial terms were not released.
“We are extremely pleased to have Andy Roddick join an
exceptional group of Rolex athletes who represent the best in
their various fields,” said Walter Fischer, president and CEO of
Rolex Watch USA.
“I am honored to be affiliated with such a quality company that
has a strong history within the tennis community,” said Roddick.

May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 15

 INDUSTRYNEWS

Tennis Magazine
Designates
Frames, Shoes as
“Editor’s Choice”
mong the products in Tennis
A magazine’s Spring Racquet
Guide (April issue) and Spring
Shoe Guide (May) are three
frames and two tennis shoes that
the magazine’s testers chose for
the “Editor’s Choice” designation.
For racquets, the picks are:
w Head Liquidmetal Instinct,
which the magazine said is “one
of the most stable racquets ever
offered for aggressive all-
courters.”
w Prince Tour NXG Graphite,
lauded for its “incredible feel”
and its three head sizes that
make the frame suitable for
“good-to-great players looking for
different blends of power and
control.”
w Völkl Catapult 3, for intermedi-
ates, which the magazine said
will “hit your sweetspot with its
controllable power and outstand-
ing comfort.”
Also, the magazine listed the
Wilson H Cosmo as an honorable
mention for a racquet that is
“powerful and light, yet stable.”
For shoes, Tennis magazine
chose:
w Adidas Barricade III, which
earned top honors “because of its
exceptional stability and durabili-
ty for serious players.”
w Nike Vapor S2, praised as “a
well-rounded shoe with no weak-
nesses,” and “the season’s best
overall performer.”

16 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004

 INDUSTRYNEWS

Technology Expands
USPTA Continuing Ed
Opportunities
U
SPTA-certified pros can now earn continuing education
credit by reviewing seminars presented on DVDs, the
organization announced recently. While USPTA members
have always been able to earn credits by attending seminars
and courses at conferences and other events, this distance-
learning option allows members to review the material any-
where, at any time.
The USPTA has encod-
ed DVDs of some of the
best seminars and courses
given during the USPTA
World Conference on Ten-
nis. The encoding allows
those who want to earn
credit for reviewing the course to follow a special menu, ensur-
ing that the course is reviewed completely. Then, members fol-
low up with USPTA's Career Development Department.
Education credit is available for those who review seminars
and four-hour specialty courses. Members may apply their
credits toward achieving a specialist degree, Master Profession-
al rating or other membership incentives.
"The World Conference has always been the premier event
for tennis-teaching education," says USPTA President David T.
Porter. "When members can't attend the conference, or want
to experience the courses they missed there, they can still
attain the education they want with this new technology.
"We also believe that members who take advantage of this
opportunity will recognize the high quality of the seminars
offered at the World Conference and USPTA division events and
be inspired to attend more often."
DVDs are available by calling the USPTA at 800-877-8248 or
online at www.usprotennisshop.com.
USPTA members receive education credit for attending the
World Conference on Tennis (this year scheduled for Sept. 18
to 25 at the La Quinta Resort & Spa), and workshops and con-
ventions organized by USPTA's 17 domestic regional divisions.
Members may also receive credit for a variety of other educa-
tional events, such as those offered by groups including the
Club Managers Association of America, the International
Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association and the USTA.
Almost 100 audiotapes and outlines of World Conference
seminars are available free, but not for credit, in the "Educa-
tion" section of uspta.com. Also online is information about
USPTA specialist degrees and other membership benefits.

Corrections
8 Retail prices for the Volkl Tour 8 S.E. and V1 Classic
reported on page 30 of the March 2004 RSI should be $150
and $200 respectively.

May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 17

 Champions
of Tennis
We’d
making
2004
We’d like
like your
your help
help in
making aa difference
in recognizing
difference in
recognizing the
in the
the people
the business
people who
business of
who are
of tennis.
tennis.
are

nce again, we’d like to honor the champions CHAMPIONS OF TENNIS HONOR ROLL

O
of our sport—the many, often unheralded
Persons of the Year Grassroots Champion
heroes who work tirelessly to develop tennis 2003: Jim Baugh & Kurt Kamperman 2003: Scott Biron
in the U.S. But once again, we need your help 2002: Alan Schwartz 2002: Mark Platt
2001: Donna Owens
in identifying these men and women and Mass Merchant/Chain of the Year
how their accomplishments have helped the game, 2003: Sport Chalet Junior Development Champion
whether in their local areas or nationally. 2002: Dick’s Sporting Goods 2003: Phyllis Greene
2001: Galyan’s 2002: LaMont Bryant
Please take a few minutes to fill in the nomination 2001: Ned Eames
form below, in as many categories as you can. Or bet- Municipal Facility of the Year
ter yet, drop us an e-mail (RSI@racquettech.com). In 2003: Midland Community Tennis Center Wheelchair Tennis Champion
2002: Cooper Tennis Complex 2003: Dan James
our November/December issue, we’ll include a special 2001: George E. Barnes Tennis Center 2002: Tina Dale
section acknowledging the dedication of those who 2001: Nancy Olson
Pro/Specialty Retailer
work to keep tennis vital in the U.S. 2003: Advantage Yours USTA Section of Year
Include your nominees’ name, where they work 2002: Chicago Tennis & Golf 2003: Southern
and phone (if possible), along with a brief description 2001: Dale Queen 2002: Northern
2001: New England
of why you believe they are the champions in their Private Facility of the Year
areas. We’d also appreciate your name and contact 2003: New Albany Country Club CTA of the Year
information, for confirmation purposes only. All nom- 2002: Woodfield Country Club 2003: Milwaukee Tennis & Ed. Found
2002: Macon Tennis Association
inations will be confidential. Please send us your picks Builder of the Year 2001: Homewood-Flossmoor
by Aug. 2, 2004. 2003: General Acrylics
2002: Cape & Island Tennis and Track PTR Division of the Year
MAIL the form to: Racquet Sports Industry, 330
2001: Welch Tennis Courts 2002: Eastern
Main St., Vista, CA 92084; 2001: New England
or FAX it to: 760-536-1171 Sales Rep of the Year
2003: Bob Strimel USPTA Division of the Year
or E-MAIL your nominations to: 2002: Bob Pfaender 2002: Midwest
RSI@racquettech.com (put “Awards” in the subject 2001: Sheri Norris & David Blakeley 2001: Texas
line). w
18 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004
 2004 CHAMPIONS OF TENNIS NOMINATION FORM
Pro/Specialty Retailer of the Year: Grassroots Champion of the Year:

Reason: Reason:

Contact Info: Contact Info:

Chain Retailer/Mass Merchant of the Year: Junior Development Champion of the Year:

Reason: Reason:

Contact Info: Contact Info:

Builder/Contractor of the Year: Wheelchair Tennis Champion of the Year:

Reason: Reason:

Contact Info: Contact Info:

Municipal Facility of the Year: USTA Section of the Year:

Reason: Reason:

Contact Info: Contact Info:

Private Facility of the Year: Community Tennis Association of the Year:

Reason: Reason:

Contact Info: Contact Info:

Sales Rep of the Year: PTR Division of the Year:

Reason: Reason:

Contact Info: Contact Info:

Stringer of the Year: USPTA Division of the Year:

Reason: Reason:

Contact Info: Contact Info:

(Optional)
Your name and phone or email:

MAIL this form to: Racquet Sports Industry, 330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084; or FAX it to: 760-536-1171
or E-MAIL your nominations to: RSI@Racquettech.com (put “Awards” in the subject line).

May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 19

? ask THE EXPERTS
Your Equipment & Business Hotline
STRING MOVEMENT
WHY DO SOME STRINGS move
Q more than others on impact with
the ball?
A FROM WHAT WE CAN TELL, it is
not that some strings move and
others do not, it is that some strings move
back into position after moving, while
others do not. You can easily check this
out for yourself. Play with a set of strings
until they get good and grimy. At this
point, the mains and crosses will have so
much friction between them that it is
difficult to straighten them.
Now, rub down the strings with car wax.
This cleans and lubricates the strings,
permitting the mains and crosses to move
across each other more easily … maybe
even more easily than when they were
new.
There are two observations to be made
from this experiment. First, even when the
strings were so stuck that they were
difficult to straighten, they still got
knocked out of whack during play. This
implies that it is difficult to prevent string
movement in the first place, short of
physically bonding the strings to each
other at the intersections.
Second, clean and lubricated strings, which
slide across each other easily, must be
moving a lot during play, even though they
look as though they have not moved at all,
by virtue of having returned to their
20 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004
original positions by themselves. It might
be said that strings that need to be
straightened after every shot are actually
moving less than strings that don’t.
DISCONTINUED
GROMMET STRIPS
DOES ANYONE PUBLISH A LIST of
Q discontinued or hard-to-find
grommet strips, and who sells
them? Does the USRSA have a grommet-
strip database that shows when grommet
strips are going out of stock at various
suppliers, so we can buy them before it’s
too late? Do you have a database that
tells which grommet strips fit other
racquets besides the ones for which they
are designed?
A ALTHOUGH WE RECEIVE A LOT of
calls about grommet strips,
keeping track of them in the manner you
suggest would be ruinously expensive,
and of value to a relatively small number
of stringers. Your best bet is going to be
to contact suppliers who sell grommet
strips, as they might know from
experience which grommet strips
interchange with others.
FIRST-TIME CUSTOMIZER
Q I’VE BEEN STRINGING FOR decades
but I’ve never tried customizing a
racquet, until now. I want my
Prince Triple Threat Grande OS to hit
more like my old Wilson Sledge Hammer
2.8 Stretch. How much lead tape should I
add?
A THE EASY ANSWER IS, YOU can’t
get there from here. Your old
Wilson weighs less than your Prince, but
the swing weight is much higher. See the
table below for our measurements of
each racquet.
Racquet Wt. Bal. Swing wt. Len.
Wilson 2.8 258 40 365 28.5
Prince Grande 262 37 318 27.5
Even so, the on-line tools available on our
website for USRSA members can help you
get your Prince the way you want it.
Plugging the specifications for the TT
Grande into the Racquet Optimizer, for
example, you’ll find that to get the swing
weight of the Prince up to that of the
Sledge Hammer 2.8, you will need to add
44 grams of lead tape to the tip of your
racquet—which is a lot of lead tape.
Instead, because this is your first time, you
should start out with 8 inches of tape
centered at the tip (that is, two pieces of
1/4-inch tape, 4 inches long, on each side of
the stringbed) and work your way up. If one
layer is not enough, you can then layer
other 4-inch strips atop your existing strips
until you get as much weight as you need—
or can stand.
ATTITUDE TENSION
I HAVE A RACQUETBALL customer
Q who uses the Ektelon More Perfor-
mance Attitude. According to the
USRSA, the tension range in this frame is 26
to 34 pounds. However, he says he heard
from someone at Ektelon that this frame
should be strung at 40 pounds for the
mains, and 44 pounds for the top five
crosses. Have you ever heard of this?
A Sort of. When the Power Ring frames
first became available, some of the
bigger hitters found that the top crosses
would loosen up and saw through the
mains, resulting in premature breakage.
Ektelon sent advisory notices to their dealers
of an alternate tension recommendation for
players breaking strings on Power Ring
frames (which includes the Attitude). For
these players, Ektelon recommends stringing
the mains at 34 pounds, the top three
crosses at 40 pounds, and the remainder of
the crosses at 34 pounds.
RACQUET POWER
FORMULA
I FIND IT INTERESTING to read and
Q ponder the tension-versus-power
debate in your magazine and website. It all seems to make
sense regarding energy in versus out, less than 1 percent
velocity change with various string tension, etc. It makes for
great conversation at the tennis club trying to explain to
people.
However, there is one thing I don’t understand that you
could help me with. If string tension doesn’t affect power
significantly, then string stiffness doesn’t affect power
significantly. Therefore, a small head racquet and a large
head racquet should produce the same amount of power.
The steel ball would bounce the same height whether the
head size is small or large.
In the racquet selection maps you have printed in the
past, you have a power formula that takes into account the
length, head size, flex, and swingweight to come up with
your figure. Why is head size part of the formula, it doesn’t
seem to make any more sense than including the string
tension. Am I missing something?

A IF YOU HIT IN THE CENTER of the oversized racquet,

you will get the small increase in power associated
with lower string tension. This is due to the softer oversize
stringbed. But there is an additional power benefit to over-
sized racquets. The key to oversize racquets is that the
sweetspot feels bigger both because you have less energy
loss in the ball due to the softer stringbed, but also because
there is less loss in twist around the long axis on off-center
hits. The larger head has a greater twistweight so less
energy goes into racquet rotation around that axis. All else
being equal except the head size (head width, really), the
ACOR (ratio of the outgoing speed to the incoming speed on
a stationary hand-held racquet) at every point on the
stringbed should be higher for the larger racquet. So, as most
players using racquets with bigger heads don’t hit in the
center of the racquet, they are indeed getting more power
(though it is difficult to know how much) and also control.
There is another aspect to this. ACOR is the real indicator
of power, as the May 2003 issue of Racquet Tech magazine
explained. The power formula that we have used in the past
is an admittedly flawed indicator. You can’t take it too
literally. It is just a starting point for racquet selection and is
not meant to be a scientific calculation by any stretch of the
imagination. It is simply a proxy for ACOR, which requires
sophisticated equipment to measure. If we could measure
ACOR of every racquet, then there would be no question as
to which racquets are more powerful. Even knowing ACOR,
there is a caveat: Weight and swingweight are a couple of
the factors that influence ACOR, so if you increase the mass
of your racquet to create more power potential, you have to
be able to swing the now-heavier racquet as fast as you did
your lighter racquet in order to realize that additional power.
—Greg Raven w

We welcome your questions. Please send them to Racquet Sports

Industry, 330 Main St., Vista, CA, 92084; fax: 760-536-1171; email:
usrsa@racquettech.com.

May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 21

 YOUR finances
Cheap, Overlooked Financing
To Expand Your Business
F
or the second time in two years, our
lawmakers have created federal tax
cuts designed to spur business invest-
ment. However, despite record-low
interest rates, affording the funds many
within the tennis industry require in order
to acquire the property and equipment to
take advantage of those tax cuts has
never been harder. Into the breach has
stepped the U.S. Small Business
Administration.
Yes, the SBA, long known as the
lender of last resort, has an underused
program that gives many retailers,
distributors and manufacturers the means
to expand, modernize and compete in
today's economy—as well as acquire the
business property needed to truly benefit
from recent tax cuts. Under the SBA's
"504 Certified Development Company
Program," a tennis oper-
ation can purchase
land and land
improvements,
including exist-
ing buildings,
construct new
facilities,
modernize,
renovate or
convert
existing
facilities,
purchase
equipment
and make
leasehold
improve-
ments to
property
under a long-
term lease.
According
to the SBA, the
504 program
enables a tennis
business to borrow up
to 90 percent of the
22 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004
BY MARK E. BATTERSBY
money needed for covered expansion
needs. This way, the owner must come up
with only 10 percent of the project's cost
instead of the 20 percent usually required
by lenders. This frees additional cash for
working capital needs. Unfortunately, the
504 program cannot be used for working
capital or inventory—or for consolidating,
repaying existing debt or refinancing.
WHAT IS A CDC?
The key to the SBA's 504 loan is a Certi-
fied Development Company (CDC), a non-
profit organization sponsored by private
interests or by state or local government.
These local community experts have
access to SBA loan programs through
certification from the Office of Rural
Affairs and Economic Development at the
SBA. There are more than 400 CDCs
across the nation.
The CDC organizes the financial
package, completes all SBA paperwork,
processes, closes and services loans, and
brings new business and long-term
customers to the participating bank or
other financial institution. The tennis
operation's banker or the local office of
the SBA usually maintain lists of CDCs.
A typical 504 financial package has
three separate components. The SBA-
guaranteed 504 loan, the bank or
financial institution's loan and the owner's
equity injection. Since the 504 program is
permanent financing, the private lender
typically provides interim financing on a
conventional basis during any construction
period.
WHY SBA FINANCING?
The SBA offers four key advantages. First,
because the SBA assumes most of the
credit risk, commercial banks are generally
more willing to consider riskier deals that
might normally not be considered "bank-
able." About 25 percent of all SBA loans,
for example, are extended to start-up
entities, which are rarely eligible for
conventional commercial funding.
Second, the terms of repayments are
generally more favorable than those
offered with conventional commercial
financing. For real estate loans, the term
can go up to 25 years. This might be just
the ticket for a tennis business owner
needing additional capacity, but who
can't work a loan payment into existing
cash flow on the 15-year payback of a
conventional commercial real estate loan.
Third, most SBA programs are inclu-
sive. While there are some restrictions in
terms of how a small business is defined,
the SBA estimates that more than 90
percent of all businesses in the U.S. quali-
fy for SBA financing. And, there is no
minimum loan amount, with a maximum
guaranty amount of $750,000. In other
words, a loan could be as high as $1
million with a 75 percent SBA guaranty—
and even larger under the 504 program.
The fourth key advantage is the
relatively low cost of financing. The SBA
charges a guaranty fee for term loans
based on a sliding scale of 3 percent on
the first $250,000; 3.5 percent on the
next $250,000, and 3.875 percent on the
remaining guaranty amount.
THE SBA WANTS
YOUR BUSINESS
Surprisingly, less than half of the $2.5
billion approved by Congress for 504
loans in 2002 was actually used. In 2003,
more businesses seemed to be taking
advantage of the program, applying for
the $4.5 billion available. This may, in
part, be due to the economy: Banks use
504 loans to minimize risk during a
recession, but when the economy is
healthy, they have less need for subsidized
lending.
Many critics fault the program's heavy
bureaucracy and localized processing,
saying that can drag out the approval
process for weeks or months. The SBA
has acknowledged that processing times
are too varied, and it is now conducting a
pilot program to see whether centralized
loan processing will improve service.
Many experts blame poor education
for the low volume of loan requests under
the 504 program. Not enough lenders and
borrowers understand the benefits. Few
within the tennis industry, for example,
understand the SBA's loan programs,
often dismissing them as strictly for
independent businesses—or for small
businesses—failing to realize how broad
the definitions actually are.
To be eligible for the 504 loans, a
tennis-related business must be operated
for profit and fall within the program's
size standards. A business qualifies as
"small" if it does not have a tangible net
worth of $7 million and does not have an
average net income in excess of $2.5
million after taxes for the preceding two
years. Any business engaged in specula-
tion or involved with rental real estate is
not eligible.
OTHER RESTRICTIONS
For every $35,000 in 504 funding from
the CDC, manufacturers, distributors and
retailer/borrowers must be able to show
that they have created one job or retained
one that would have been lost without
the project. Often it can be enough to
show that the project will have an
alternate impact on the local economy.
If, for instance, the loan enables a
tennis operation to update facilities and
increase its ability to compete in the
industry—but that modernization makes it
necessary to let some employees go—the
business may still get credit for the jobs
retained, since those jobs would have
been lost if the tennis operation had gone
out of business.
Businesses where the facilities are not
owner-occupied (such as real estate
investment in rental housing) are not
eligible for 504 funding, although a tennis
business can lease out a portion of the
building during the expansion period. If
the funds are to be used to build a new
building, the operation must occupy 75
percent of it; if the tennis business is using
the funds to purchase an existing building,
the operation must occupy 51 percent of
it to start.
It should be noted that while a 504
loan can be used to purchase a new build-
ing, it is not a construction loan. The
tennis business must get a regular
construction loan and the 504 loan is
funded after the project is completed.
And remember, if you are planning to pay
your 504 loan back early, be aware that
there is a sliding-scale repayment penalty
for the first half of the loan period.
If you plan to sell your tennis business
during the term of the loan, the loan is
assumable—but only if the person
assuming the loan qualifies and is
approved by the SBA. This keeps owners
from selling their businesses to people
with little or no experience who are not
likely to be successful.
GETTING THE MONEY
Fifty percent of the 504 financing comes
from the participating financial institution.
That lender's investment is generally
secured by a first security interest (a lien)
on the facility or equipment. The remain-
ing 40 percent comes from the CDCs.
CDC loans are typically fixed-rate loans
secured by a second lien and guaranteed
by the SBA. The remaining 10-percent, of
course, is the tennis business owner's
responsibility.
There are a few basic financial require-
ments every lender must meet. For exist-
ing operations, the SBA generally looks for
a debt-worth ratio (total liabilities/total
assets) of not more than three to one
subsequent to the loan being made. A
start-up must have at least 30 percent in
equity invested by the owners under most
SBA guaranty loan programs.
In addition to the capital requirements,
the SBA looks closely at cash flow (both
historical and projected) and the back-
ground and competence of management.
With 504, as with most SBA programs,
the tennis business owner or manager
works with his or her banker in filling out
the paperwork to apply for the loan.
Finding a bank that has some experi-
ence in SBA lending is essential, as well as
an excellent first step towards tapping
into this underused SBA financing
program. w
Mark E. Battersby is a tax and financial
advisor, lecturer, writer and author in
Ardmore, Pa.
May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 23
& SUCCESS
marketing
Your Mission: Get on the Same Page
As Your Members
R
etention of members is the key to
success in the club industry. That’s
common knowledge. And one of
the keys to retention is to keep yourself
on the same page as your members in
terms of expectations. Identify and estab-
lish those expectations and you can clearly
quantify your success, page by page.
This process of establishing member
expectations can be broken down into
categories such as tennis, golf, fitness, pro
shop, even food and beverage, and within
each of those categories, you can identify
smaller areas of focus as well. In this
article, we’re going to zoom in on tennis,
and more specifically, your on-court pro-
gramming, both social and instructional.
One of the best ways to set expecta-
24 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004
BY JOE DINOFFER
tions is to develop a mission statement for
your facility and your programs. Publishing
a mission statement and broadcasting it
clearly and widely tells your members that:
w You have thought deeply about your
standards and are committed to maintain-
ing them.
w Your members will know what to
expect—no surprises, fewer complaints.
w You are committed to training and
maintaining standards among your staff.
Also, the mission statement sends a
clear message to your staff and helps them
feel part of a strong and vibrant team that
is committed to excellence. But remember
that it is critical—make that “mission-criti-
cal”—to get your staff on board and to
wholeheartedly agree to the standards you
publish. You need to get your staff on the
same page first to help ensure your
success.
I suggest starting your mission state-
ment with a brief introductory paragraph.
As an example, here’s a mission statement
based on one that I helped develop for an
indoor club in the Midwest:
“The entire tennis staff at [Your Club]
is committed to meeting and exceeding
your expectations. To help us reach these
goals and to help you know what to
expect, we want to describe our commit-
ment. We hope you will agree that this list
of standards meets or exceeds the
qualities of any tennis program in the
country.”
Next, you can go into a list of stan-
dards for your facility, such as:
Continuity—We are dedicated to
maintaining consistency among our
staff through extensive and ongoing
training, based on the newest research
and current playing trends.
Confidence—We believe your
confidence and self-esteem is critical to
improving as a player and enjoying your
tennis. We are here to help you feel
good about the time you spend at your
club.
Accelerated learning—Through
active use of visual and kinesthetic aids,
we believe your tennis improvement is
accelerated. We are committed to using
the best tools available.
Guarantee—All lessons are guaran-
teed. If you participate in a private or
group lesson that does not meet your
expectations, that session will be free of
charge.
Safety and Facilities—We are
committed to providing a safe, clean
and well-maintained environment at all
times and welcome suggestions to
maintain those standards.
Recognition—We will make every
effort to equally recognize and appreciate
player participation as well as success
through our bulletin boards and club
newsletters.
Fun—Enjoyment is a key element to
all private and group classes. After all,
tennis is a game. We believe that smiles
and laughter must be present in all
on-court experiences with our staff.
Exercise—One of the benefits of an
active sport like tennis is that there is a
healthy exercise component. We are
dedicated to making certain that the
exercise is appropriate to your needs and
desires. Not too much and not too little.
Friends—We all know that the social
element of tennis is one of the magical
elements of this great sport. We will do
everything possible to help you make and
meet friends you can play with.
Family—Whenever possible we want
to arrange programs that encourage
family members to learn together and
play together.
Then, you can close with a statement
like this: “Thank you for being a part of
the [Your Club] family!”
In a time and environment where
more than 5 million players are trying
tennis for the first time each year, it is
imperative that we all take steps to keep
those players playing. I hope this article
helps identify one more aspect of player
retention that will help ensure the stability
and growth of this wonderful sport of
ours. w
Joe Dinoffer is a Master
Professional in both the PTR
and USPTA. He is the author
and editor of 16 books and
29 videotapes, and has 15
shows airing on The Tennis Channel with 11
more due to be released by 2005. Dinoffer
is a frequent speaker at national and inter-
national tennis conferences and has con-
ducted over 250 workshops in the last 10
years. For more, visit his website,
www.oncourtoffcourt.com.
May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 25
G
retailing SUCCESS
Dress Up Your Fitting Room
And you’ll help your apparel sales, too!
M
any retail designers, consumer If you have a fitting room in your
behavior experts, and cus- shop, its condition can easily make the
tomers believe that the fitting difference between customer indiffer-
room has far more power to influence ence and enthusiastic purchases.
a consumer's decision to buy than James Adams of Fifth Floor, a
retailers believe. leading retail design firm in Bellevue,
“More sales get lost in the dressing Washington, draws an analogy to food
room than on the sales floor," says retailordered in a restaurant. "The same
consultant Paco Underhill, whose meal served in a poorly lit atmosphere
company Envirosell in New York studies sporting poor presentation will not
shoppers' habits. seem as good to a customer as food
For women especially, a fitting room served in an atmosphere of good light-
is part of the shopping experience. With ing and presentation,” Adams says.
more money being spent on high-end “In the latter, the same meal will
tenniswear—and with clothing that, 'taste' better."
despite being tagged with the same This is true of the fitting room,
“size” designation, fits differently from which Adams defines as the "second
one manufacturer to the next—con- most important part of the store,”
sumers increasingly are demanding to behind the retail floor itself.
try on their choices. "The sale is made in
"The
the dressing room,
sale is made where the promise
should come to
in the dressing life,” says Adams.
“A properly
room, where the outfitted
dressing room
promise should connects the
customer to the
come to life,” store, where
they then feel a
says Adams. strong connection
to the store and the
brand."
Though floor space
sometimes limits the size of the dress-
ing room, the box at right offers some
tips to help you ensure that your dress-
ing area is doing all it can to help, not
hinder, your apparel sales.
Without spending an arm and a
leg, a properly appointed fitting room
can be just as inviting as an attractive
merchandise display. By following
some simple guidelines, your fitting
room can help to make consumers
shop more, and ultimately, to buy
more. w
26 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004
Keep it clean.
BY CYNTHIA SHERMAN
This means no ripped-off clothing
tags laying around on the floor or on
chairs, no “dust bunnies” or lint in the
corners, no dirt dragged in from outside
on the floors, no empty hangers on the
hooks, and a space that’s free of previ-
ously tried-on garments. Have your staff
check—and clean—the space regularly,
maybe even several times a day.
Not only do you want the dressing
areas clean for shoppers, but you don’t
want your new clothes actually getting
dirty in the fitting room, then going
back out onto the retail floor to possibly
Keep it bright.
discourage other apparel shoppers.
Ensure that the room is well-lit. No
one likes to go into a dark area to try on
new clothes. Side lighting or wall
sconces, rather than overhead lighting
only, offer flattering light to apparel
Have a full-length mirror.
shoppers.
An apparel shopper needs to see
how the whole picture looks. Even bet-
ter, if space allows, is a three-angle mir-
ror, which would allow views of the
Make it convenient.
sides and back of a garment.
Make sure there are hooks and/or
a small bench for clothing and personal
effects. No matter how clean the floor
is, people don’t like to leave their cloth-
Make it private.
ing and other personal items there.
There should be either a door or
curtain that closes securely and com-
pletely. Placing the dressing area in a
part of the shop that does not have a
lot of people milling around outside it
may be helpful, too.

COURT construction
On the Surface
There’s a lot to consider before you can choose the best court surface—
or surfaces—for your facility.
C
hoosing the right court surface is
one of the most challenging
decisions faced by tennis facility
owners and managers. As a design
professional, I am frequently asked what is
the best tennis court surface to build. I get
the sense that people have an expectation
that there is one type of surface that is
preferable to all others.
My response to this question, often to
people’s surprise, is that
there is no one right
surface to build. The
choice of tennis court
surface depends on what
their vision of the facility
is. One surface type can’t
meet everyone’s needs,
and often, a facility’s
needs are best met by
having more than one
type of surface. While it
is true that tennis
facilities in the past have
usually featured just one
type of surface, there is
an emerging trend in
new facilities toward
providing multiple surface
types to meet a variety of
challenges in the tennis
marketplace.
Here are some things
to consider about which surface or surfaces
might be right for your facility.
PLAYER COMFORT AND
PREFERENCES
Of course, tennis surface choices are all
about what players like. Surface options
are usually divided into hard courts, such as
asphalt or concrete either cushioned or
not, and soft courts, such as clay, fast dry,
natural turf and synthetic turf. The basic
consideration between hard and soft courts
is that they play very differently and there-
fore appeal to different types of players.
Hard courts generally play faster than
28 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004
BY ANDREW R. LAVALLEE,
soft courts and have higher ball bounce. If
you have a power serve, this is the court for
you. The speed of a hard court can be
adjusted somewhat by varying the surface
texture, but as the courts wear, they will
tend to play faster. Many players find hard
courts difficult to play on for long periods
of time due to the constant pounding of
their feet and joints over an unforgiving
surface. There are both liquid-applied and
roll-out cushion surfaces that can substan-
tially mitigate foot impact on the surface
without significantly effecting the speed of
play or ball bounce, making prolonged play
more comfortable.
Soft courts generally play slower than
hard courts and have a lower ball bounce.
Soft courts allow for foot slide over the
surface, alleviating the stress of the short
stop and twisting that accompanies play on
hard courts. Soft courts are generally
considered more body friendly and are
usually preferred by older players. If you
prefer a volley-based game, soft courts are
for you.
ASLA
COST CONSIDERATIONS
When considering the cost of different
surface types, it is important to remember
both the initial cost of construction and the
cost to maintain the court surface over the
long term. Hard courts, whether asphalt or
concrete, often cost significantly more to
build than fast dry or grass courts. The
reason for this is that a hard court requires
both a costly pavement structure and a
liquid-applied or roll-out
playing surface on top.
Fast-dry courts are built
from less costly and more
easily installed materials.
Hard courts, however,
require very little regular
maintenance beyond
cleaning and resurfacing
every three to five years.
Fast-dry courts require
costly irrigation, rolling,
raking, and seasonal start-
up and shut down in cold
winter climates. Subsurface
irrigation systems can
substantially reduce water
usage and daily
maintenance regimens,
but they still require
considerably more expense
than a hard court.
Synthetic-turf courts
are often more expensive than hard courts
due to the high cost of the in-filled carpet
system, but they require little more than
weekly or monthly sweeping as part of their
upkeep. Natural grass courts, like fast-dry
courts, require irrigation and rolling and are
not recommended unless you have an
experienced turf specialist on staff such as
you might find at your local golf club.
FLEXIBILITY IN
PROGRAMMING
Tennis facility owners don’t talk about this
much, but there is often economic pressure
to use their courts for things other than the
traditional tennis match. It is no secret
that many indoor facilities are used during
the summer months for children’s summer
camps. Hard court surfaces are best suited
to take the greater abuse generated by
youth programs.
With temporary markings and
stanchions, hard courts can readily accom-
modate volleyball and basketball games,
though these uses need to be carefully
undertaken on certain types of cushioned
surfaces. Synthetic-turf courts make excel-
lent venues for soccer, especially if
multiple banks of courts are converted to
a large field by removing divider fences
and net posts.
Often clubs will on occasion use a
court or two for special events like
weddings, fund-raisers, special exhibits
and the like. Again, hard courts, with
protection put down over the surface,
easily allow for these types of activities.
Fast-dry courts, with some temporary
measures, can work for these types of
events, but some consideration should be
given to the problems posed by the
moisture within the surface itself. Fast-dry
courts can also be used for bocce tourna-
ments. Don’t forget that natural grass
courts can easily be converted for use as
croquet pitches.
With a little bit of creative thinking,
tennis court surface choices can offer
increased programming options to a
facility on either a temporary or recurring
basis without detracting from their regular
use as tennis courts.
MARKETABILITY
One last point about tennis-court surface
choices: Image is everything. There is no
question that people associate surface
types with certain types of tennis venues.
Painted hard courts often remind players of
poorly used municipal facilities, while hard
courts cushioned with premier surface
systems can evoke the thrill of the US
Open or Australian Open. Natural grass
courts conjure up images of the Newport
Casino or Wimbledon. Red fast-dry courts
recall the French or Italian Open.
Why not build a natural grass “center”
court with a nearby clubhouse that can
serve as a novelty that sets your club apart
from others in your area, creating a
nostalgic sense of what tennis used to be?
When was the last time you played on a
grass court? There is no reason that the
rest of your courts have to be natural
grass.
Choosing a court surface is as much
about providing local players with what
they want as with providing them with
what they don’t have at other facilities.
And this can translate into potential
market share.
With today’s competitive economic
climate, decision-makers are acutely aware
that the success of their facility is depen-
dent on making the right choices. By
considering your players needs and
desires, your budget, what you want to
do with the facility and how you want to
position your facility within your local
market, you can more easily make the
right surface choices. w
Andrew Lavallee is a senior associate at
Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, PC,
located in New York City, where he special-
izes in sports and recreational facility design.
May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 29
 RESEARCH

Pointing
The second
annual tennis the
participation study
sheds more light
on some of the
obstacles to
increasing play.
Way
BY PETER FRANCESCONI

W ondering whether the sport of tennis, with its multi-million-dollar marketing

campaign and Tennis Welcome Center initiative, is headed in the right
direction? Well, data from the second annual U.S. tennis participation study does
seem to confirm that the current initiatives are indeed targeting problem areas within
the sport. And the survey also is pointing up other potential trouble spots that will
need to be addressed.

30 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004

 In 2002, the Tennis Industry Asso-
ciation and the USTA commissioned a
groundbreaking survey designed to
initiate annual measurements of
tennis participation in the U.S. The
hope was that through yearly studies
of who is playing and how much they
play, the industry can develop a
“roadmap” that can be used to
improve all aspects of the sport:
products, programs, partic-
ipation, and plans for
the future.
That first survey,
conducted by Taylor
Research & Consulting
Group and Sports Market-
ing Surveys USA and
released in early 2003, was
hailed by many throughout the
tennis industry—and the sports
industry as a whole—as a ground-
breaking effort.
This year’s version was conducted
in exactly the same manner as last
year’s: 25,500 households, chosen at
random from across the U.S. and in the
Caribbean and British Columbia, were
surveyed by telephone in a 30-day period
this past fall. The data gathered from the
five-minute surveys represent observa-
tions from more than 66,000 individu-
als. Extended interviews also were
conducted with current and former
players, and with non-players.
Industry sources caution that
while it is still too early to see
any marked changes in partici-
pation from last year’s initial
survey, this year’s data does
seem to support the direc-
tion that the industry is
moving with regard to
the Tennis Welcome
Center program and
the new tennis
marketing cam-
paign. And the
new data does
point out some
major challenges
and opportunities
that the industry
needs to address
to increase tennis
participation.
“I think the
latest TIA/USTA survey reaffirms our challenges in that we
have to make that new-player experience better by making
sure players get in a program and have the benefits of
learning from a teaching professional,” says Kurt Kamper-
man, the USTA’s chief executive of Community Tennis and
former president of the TIA. “It also makes it clear that we
have to continue to provide more and better playing oppor-
tunities for our existing player base, because the continued
decline in frequent players is alarming.”
Says TIA President Jim Baugh, “We don’t have a trial
problem; 5.9 million new players each year is
probably bigger than any other sport. It’s the way these
new players are trying tennis that is the issue. We need to
make sure we spread the word that you can ‘learn to play
tennis . . . fast!’ at a Tennis Welcome Center. We must all
work together to build consumer awareness of our brand,
TennisWelcomeCenter.com.”
As of mid-March, 3,300 tennis clubs, parks and other
facilities were signed on as TWCs, exceeding the original
goal of 3,000. And more facilities continue to sign on to the
program, the TIA says.
RSI was provided with a copy of an executive summary
of the massive 2003 U.S. Tennis Participation Study. Here’s
a look at some of the challenges and opportunities this
latest study revealed.
Overall tennis participation is still flat. For the last four
years, the total number of tennis players in the U.S. has
hovered around 24 million, which is about 8.7 percent of
the overall population. The current survey puts that number
at 24.03 million.
Play by “frequent” players has steadily declined. This
four-year downturn may be even more disturbing than the
flat participation. Frequent players, defined as those who
played 21 or more times in the past year, are the folks who
buy more equipment and court time. They’re the heart of
your business.
There is, however, an increase in the number of players
playing one to three times a year, from 6.3 million in 2000
to 8.62 million today. But the mix has changed, with
frequent players declining and less-frequent players
increasing. Key to your business, of course, is running
programs designed to get people to play more frequently—
to move them up to frequent-player status (Figure 1.)
And the research supports this. Current players are three
times more likely to have taken a lesson in the last year (44
percent) than those who used to be frequent players but
now play less than 21 times a year (15 percent). Another
factor in increasing frequency is the availability of
organized play and league play.
The bucket is leaking—still. You’ve heard this before, but
the data clearly shows the number of existing players has
dropped, and the number of new players has increased.
The research makes clear that tennis still has a retention
problem, but the good news is that the sport is attracting
new players.
As a matter of fact, first-time trial is not an issue with
tennis, as 5.9 million people, or 25 percent of all tennis
May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 31
 RESEARCH
Figure 1
percent of samplers play at either a public court or a
The Make-Up school or college court, but two-thirds of all teaching
There are just as many people playing tennis as in past years, pros are at private or commercial facilities. That, of
but the mix has changed. course, is something the Tennis Welcome Center
program is designed to combat. If you’re a teaching
pro at mainly private facilities, consider expanding
your horizons to the public parks and schools in your
area. It can certainly broaden your base of customers.
Another very specific stat in support of the TWC
initiative is that new players who played the game 21
or more times in the past year were more likely to say
they had a positive first experience with tennis than
new players who played less often. About 67 percent
of beginning players who now play frequently said
their first experience was “very enjoyable,” compared
to 46 percent who played four to 10 times.
The tennis-playing population is aging. Fully 20
percent of frequent players are age 50 or over,
compared with 11 percent of frequent players over 50
in 1995. The 50-and-over set also accounts for 13 per-
cent of all players today, vs. 8 percent in 1995. Clear-
ly, while this is an area of concern for the sport, it may
point up certain business strategies you need to
Base: Tennis Players age 6+ employ to cater to an older clientele.
For instance, the fitness aspect of tennis is huge,
players, had their first taste of tennis in 2003, up from 5.1 and one that will only become more important as aging baby-
million the year before. Again, the trick here is to provide boomers look at the options available for staying fit. Consider
programs that move these “newbies” along the path to join partnering with a doctor’s office as a way to gain customers,
the frequent-player ranks (Figure 2). and provide them with a valuable service. Pro shops should
Another positive sign is that the new players are continu- consider adding products that would appeal to older players.
ing to bring much-needed youth into the game. About 63 And for court construction companies, adding tennis courts to
percent of all new players to tennis are 6 to 17 years old, Figure 2
which is about the same percentage as in 2002. That same
youth age bracket also represents 35 percent of all players The Bucket is Leaking
in the sport, and 21 percent of the total U.S. population. Tennis was successful at attracting brand new players,
Also, 22 percent of all new players are Hispanic, well but needs to do a better job retaining existing players.
ahead of the Hispanic portion of the overall U.S. popula-
tion, which is 14 percent.
New and rejoining players play less tennis. On average,
continuing players (those who have played for more than
a year) average about 27 times a year on court. New play-
ers and rejoiners (those taking up the game after having
stopped playing for at least a year) play tennis on average
11 and nine times, respectively.
The research finds that, especially for new players, % = percent of U.S. population
instruction contributes heavily to interest in playing more,
and that “having a great teacher” introduce them to the
game also helps create frequent players. That is why, with
regard to the TWC initiative, one requirement is that there
be a certified teaching pro at all the facilities (Figure 3).
Many don’t play more because they “don’t enjoy it.” Of
new players, 11 percent say they don’t enjoy tennis,
hence they play less. And of these tennis “samplers,” only
17 percent say they had an enjoyable first experience.
The research indicates that most samplers tend to play
Base: Tennis Players age 6+
where there is little or no instruction available. About 80

32 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004

Figure 3

Instruction vs. Frequency of Play

Instruction contributes heavily to actual frequency of play.

% who have taken tennis lessons

Base: Tennis Players age 12+

an over-50 housing development is a natural fit. duced to tennis at school. Yet this can also be an opportunity
Many of the 5.9 million new players aren’t being welcomed for your business to partner with local school districts to bring
to tennis. This is a two-pronged
problem, since new players tend The Tennis Industry Association has been conducting tennis
to play in schools or public parks,
where pros and programs are participation research since 1988, including spearheading the massive
more limited, and most teaching U.S. Tennis Participation studies in 2002 and 2003. For more
pros work in private facilities,
where they are less likely to reach information on the research available at the TIA, visit
new players. Among new players
ages 12 and up, only 32 percent www.tennisindustry.org or contact the TIA office at 843-686-3036.
have taken a lesson in the past
year. tennis to these kids, or at least to help supply gym classes
Again, this is exactly what the Tennis Welcome Center ini- with equipment. Students in school also need to be “wel-
tiative is supposed to help turn around. The TIA and USTA comed” to the sport, even if it is a gym-class requirement.
have achieved the goal Figure 4 Finding playing
of signing on 3,000 partners is a problem.
TWCs; the trick now Obstacles to Playing Over a quarter of all
is to make sure the Many “lapsed players” left the game because they had no one to play with. “lapsed” players say
TWCs deliver the they left the game
goods to new and because they had
returning players, “no one to play
making them feel with.” Retaining cus-
welcome, and then tomers is, obviously,
leading them to pro- key to your business.
grams that make At your facility or
them “frequent” shop, make sure
players. “We need to there is a bulletin
focus on quality,” board, sign-up sheet,
says Kamperman. % saying each had “a lot” of website or other
The “tennis infra- influence on why they stopped vehicle that allows
structure” in schools playing players to quickly
is limited. This is a and easily find
problem because partners. You need
half of the 4 million to make it easy for
new players in the groups of friends
6-to-17 age bracket to play together
Base: Lapsed players age 12+
each year are intro- (Figure 4). w

May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 33

 RETAILING
Let’s Make A
DEAL!
In today’s competitive climate, manufacturers may be
more willing than ever to offer incentives to retailers.
Q
uantity discounts. Sell-in programs. Buy-in
programs. Depending on whom you talk to, the actu-
al terms may change, but virtually all specialty retail-
ers—though some manufacturers refuse to or are
hesitant to admit it—are regularly (and often aggressively)
offered special incentives to increase a manufacturer’s over-
all brand presence in their stores.
But what, exactly, will encourage a wary retailer to add an
extra dozen racquets to an order? And just how much prod-
uct is a manufacturer willing to give away to secure precious
shelf space in a leading specialty store? Most manufacturers,
and many retailers, declined to discuss specifics of any deals
that have been offered. The fact is, these deals have so many
variables that manufacturers need to tailor them to specific
retailers.
But in today’s ultra-competitive retail climate, the
pressure is greater than ever on the sales reps to push bigger
and bigger orders, while many specialty retailers—inclined to
keep a close eye on their cash reserves—lean towards a
steady stream of safer, smaller orders.
The resulting dance—or tug of war, in some cases—is
greatly affected by a kaleidoscope of dealer incentives, which
vary greatly in size and scope and transcend the boundaries
of traditional volume discounts. This fancy footwork
resounds from shop to shop and season to season, and while
shops and manufacturers may not always move in sync, both
ultimately move to the same tune.
In the end, they each have the same goal: to get product
into the customers’ hands. But in the short term, each has a
definite agenda as well.
For now, industry leaders say the incentive scales are
clearly tipped in the retailer’s favor.
“It’s a buyer’s market,” says Sam Cook, general manager
of Völkl Tennis USA. “There are simply too many racquets in
34 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004
BY MITCH RUSTAD
the marketplace chasing too few racquet consumers. Since
[the racquet brands] are all competing for a shrinking piece
of the pie, it’s not surprising that incentive programs become
more aggressive and buyers find themselves in a stronger
position to dictate terms.”
That mood is echoed by retailers like Peg Cashman, co-
owner of Advantage Yours in Clearwater, Fla., who says that
bargaining with her sales reps for incentives beyond normal
discounts is just a normal part of doing business, in both hard
and soft goods.
“There are many, many things you can ask manufacturers
for, so we negotiate with that in mind,” says Cashman, who
isn’t shy to ask for additional discounts, free demos and
string, and extras like point-of-purchase displays, often with
successful results.
Often, retailers with proven track records can literally
write their own ticket these days, though keeping manufac-
turing partners happy is just as important as ever.
“We have carved out some deals with manufacturers that
I’m sure nobody else gets,” says Deana Mitchell, who with
partner Scott Jones runs the highly successful Serious Tennis
shops in Atlanta. “They try and go that extra mile with us, so
we in turn have loyalty to them. It has to be a win-win
situation.”
Ideally, manufacturer incentives should guarantee a satis-
fying payoff for both sides, the only wildcard being the
consumer’s ultimate decision to buy.
For example, most string manufacturers have some form
of a Frequent Stringers Program, which lets retailers
exchange accumulated sales “points” for prizes such as ball
hoppers, DVD players, or even a new stringing machine.
“It’s a bottom-line motivator,” says Chuck Vietmeier,
product manager for Gamma Racquet Sports. “There’s anoth-
er return for a retailer other than just the profit. They have an
 added incentive to push a certain brand of string, You Only Need to Ask
because there’s another goal to reach.” More than ever, retailers are being offered
Ultimately, however, the simplest incentives— incentive programs specifically suited to
such as a ‘buy nine of a certain product, get one their store or because of a solid relation-
free’ scenario—tend to also be the most popular ship with their local reps. Such instances
with budget-conscious retailers. can allow retailers free reign to barter,
“Everyone likes the free product, because it’s above and beyond the norm, for things
immediate gratification,” says Vietmeier. “They know such as credit for unsold merchandise,
what they’re getting right then and there, there’s no waiting extra demos, free string or more POP dis-
for rebates. And in this retail climate, all we ever hear is, ‘They’re plays.
doing this, so what are you going to do for me?’”
There is a flip side here, of course. The tide can turn quickly if “You have nothing to lose,” says Peg
a manufacturer comes out with one very hot product, which Cashman, co-owner of Advantage Yours in
leaves retailers salivating—and perhaps even willing to com- Clearwater, Fla. “I’ve found that like 90
promise—to get the product in the shop. percent of our manufacturers aggressively
“Manufacturers keep introducing new products that you want to please. They will bend over back-
hope will take off, so you can build the whole brand around wards as much as they can to help you
it,” says Vietmeier. “Certain incentive programs can ensure when you ask for things. Of course, they
that gets done.” can always say no, but you can ask.”
For example, if a manufacturer has a very hot racquet that’s In the current buyer’s market, looking for a
flying off the shelves, but wants to push a new line of string, a rep carrot (or two) from a manufacturer is the
might insist that a racquet order also include a requisite amount of norm for many retailers.
the new string, even if it’s free.
“It’s like leveraging one product for another,” says Vietmeier. “The “They’re more willing to make deals and
retailers don’t really want the string, but they will take it because be creative than ever before,” says Deana
they’re making pure profit on it, so they’re gonna push it and it may Mitchell of Serious Tennis in Atlanta. “I
eventually catch on. Ultimately, the racquets get on the wall and they get the think the companies are willing to give
chance to grow their string business. It’s like a win-win.” when they’re asked, but I don’t know if a
However, such strategies or incentives won’t always guarantee that a lot of companies are really challenged by
retailer will stock a less-desirable brand or product line. the retailers. If you don’t ask for it, you’re
“I judge the products on how they are and whether they will sell or not,” says not going to get it.”
Chris Gaudreau, owner of Racquet Koop in New Haven, Conn. “I don’t care how Cashman encourages retailers to ask their
much they offer me. If I don’t think it will sell, I won’t bring it in my shop.” local reps for any kind of help—extra
But not all of the incentives out there are product-driven. Some manufactur- demos, rebates or credit on unsold mer-
ers will offer employee incentives virtually guaranteed to entice them into chandise, free string with racquet orders,
pitching their products on the sales floor. buy so many and get one free, etc.—as
For example, one manufacturer offers shop salespeople a scratch-card long as their common sense is along for
program, which lets employees draw pseudo instant-cash lottery tickets (worth the ride. “You can’t be stupid and ask for
$5 to $15 each) from a hat with each sale. Another sales incentive program that four free racquets if you buy four,” says
was held nationwide upped the ante even further: the winner earned a year’s Cashman. “But if I buy 30 racquets, it’s
lease on a brand-new BMW. only fair to ask, ‘What can you do for
“With this kind of incentive, why would that employee try to sell a different me?’”
brand?” says Mitchell, who makes sure her sales staff knows where their bread
is buttered when it comes to pushing product on the floor. To that point, Cashman suggests asking for
“You have to back it up with your own salesmanship,” says Mitchell. “But our incentives that can ultimately help both of
recommendation holds a lot of weight with customers, so it’s really in the retail- you. For example, having extra demos in
er’s hands what the consumer is going to buy.” the store helps both parties. “If your lone
To be sure, this only scratches the surface of a very complex—and touchy— demo is out and someone comes in and
subject in the tennis industry. Understandably, some manufacturers were wary wants to test that frame, then you’ve
to even discuss specific incentive programs. But no matter how juicy the deals potentially lost a sale,” says Cashman.
get, retailers would be wise to keep a close eye on their bottom line. But in the end, deal making should reflect
“I’m just hopeful that the better specialty stores recognize that incentive and respect the ultimate partnership
programs are only as good as their ability to sell in a timely fashion,” says Cook. between manufacturer and retailer.
“Too often, because of a particular incentive, they buy more than they need, “You’ve got to show them that you’re
and at the end of the day, they’re choking on the product just to get the carrot. going to do your part, too,” says Cashman.
We need to caution dealers to make sure the programs are in line with their —M.R.
bottom-line needs. Otherwise, the incentive is eroded.” w

May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 35

 Make Any Racquet
RACQUET SERVICE
Play Better—
Guaranteed!
Use this guide to help you modify an existing frame to play at its best.
Y
es, you can make any racquet play better—
guaranteed! Sounds like a pretty bold statement, but
in actuality, it is an everyday quest in many shops
and specialty stores throughout the world. Which
racquet should I recommend? Which string and tension?
What would be the proper weight and balance for this
particular customer? Deriving the answer is not as
complicated as you might believe. Performing the work
professionally is another matter.
In this article, we’re going to help you identify the key
areas of concern in modifying an existing frame to make it
play at its maximum potential. Once the process is complet-
ed, only a qualified racquet technician with the proper
equipment should be employed to match additional frames
to the “ideal” frame of a particular customer.
Let’s start by examining the three key areas of a tennis
racquet—frame, string, and grip. Please note that an “ideal”
frame modification may require one, two, or all three of
these key areas. However, you should never modify more
than one area at a time. Otherwise, you may not know
which modification is really working.
FRAME
A player’s frame has four
areas of concern: flex, weight,
balance, and swing weight.
FLEX
A stiff frame has a weak deflection when the string face is
impacted by a ball. This weak deflection allows the
stringbed to now interact more with the ball. Since strings
are more resilient than the frame, they work harder when
supported by a stiff hoop than with a flexible hoop. Since
they are working harder, they also will experience a shorter
string life (both durability and playability), but yield more
36 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004
BY DREW SUNDERLIN
power and, in many cases, more accuracy. However, they
are not as forgiving on the arm, since the initial shock from
an off-center hit is not absorbed in the frame as well as with
a flexible model. Think of yourself in an egg-catching
contest. You have been assigned to stand perfectly still and
not move your hand backward with the impact of the egg in
your hand while your opponent is allowed to move his hand
with the impact of the egg to gradually slow it down. Which
one of you wins this contest?
This brings us to the next point . . .
WEIGHT
The more mass an object has, the more energy it can
absorb. Imagine yourself driving a light compact car into an
embankment at 30 mph, and then doing the same collision
with a Sherman tank. Which vehicle folds up more? If you
refer to Rod Cross’s article “Racquet Power and the Ideal
Racquet Weight” in the February 2004 issue of RSI, you will
note how he calculates the ideal racquet weight by examin-
ing the weight of the player’s hitting arm. It is well known
that you don’t need to work as hard with a heavier racquet
to obtain ball speed, provided you can maneuver the frame
into position for the ideal point of contact. In essence, you
should use the heaviest racquet you can “comfortably”
swing. Not only will it yield more power, it will also absorb
more energy on impact.
However, you can’t just wield a heavier racquet without
regard to . . .
BALANCE
Static balance, or “pick-up weight,” allows you to either han-
dle added weight or not. Three racquets all have 300 grams
of weight. The first has 150 grams toward the handle, 75
grams in the throat area and 75 grams in the head. The
second has 100 grams in the handle, 100 grams in the
throat area and 100 grams in the head. The third has 75
grams in the handle, 75 grams in the throat area and 150
grams in the head. To put it simply, the first is headlight, the
second is evenly balanced and the third is headheavy. The
most powerful of these frames is the headheavy model and
STRING
the least powerful is the headlight model. Think of the
weighting of a hammer. The handle is light, the head is
heavy and it packs a pretty good punch. Turn the hammer
around, putting the head of the hammer in your hand, and
try nailing with the handle. Tennis frames react in a similar
fashion when weight (lead tape) is added.
The positioning of any added weight is critical to the
performance of the racquet because it may severely affect
the . . .
SWINGWEIGHT
Swingweight, in simple terms, is what the racquet feels like
in motion. A combination of too much gram weight and too
much weight concentrated toward the head of a racquet will
yield a non-maneuverable frame. Baseline players tend to
prefer higher swingweights, while serve-and-volleyers enjoy
lower swingweights. Players with elbow problems are more
comfortable with lower swingweights. Weight positioned at
6 and 12 o’clock will yield more power, but less stability,
than weight at 3 and 9 o’clock. Racquets with too high a
swingweight, although they will yield a powerful punch upon
impact with the ball, take too much energy to maneuver into
position, causing late contact and possible arm discomfort.
Swingweights that are too low find the player consistently
early on contact and prone to mis-hits, which may cause
arm discomfort as well.
Know your player!
Ask questions like, do you suffer from any kind of tendinitis
or bursitis? Do you like to hit excessive topspin or under-
spin? Do you consider yourself a “touch” player or do you
just like to hit the ball hard? Do you play on mostly hard or
soft courts? Do you break strings in your current racquet,
and if so, where?
Your No. 1 concern for your customer should be comfort.
Without getting into a whole article on string selection,
suffice it to say that:
w For players with elbow, wrist, or shoulder concerns,
recommend natural gut, hybrids of coreless multifilaments
and gut, or just a coreless multifilament—in that order.
w For serve-and-volley players, start with natural gut, certain
hybrids, coreless multifilaments or some center-core strings.
w For hard-hitters, but normal string breakers, recommend
natural gut (only in dense string patterns), certain hybrids or
center core strings.
w For players with excessive spin, suggest certain hybrids,
polyester or some textured strings.
w For hard-hitters who break strings frequently, recommend
certain hybrids or polyester.
String tension should depend on the following criteria:
May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 37
 Type of frame, open or dense string pattern, frame flex,
physical concerns of the player, type of string, gauge and
style of play.
For stringing frequency, use the following guidelines:
w Polyester after 15 to 25 hours of play.
w Nylon 30 to 40 hours.
w Hybrid combinations 30 to 45 hours (dependent on
mixture).
w Gut 40 to 60 hours.
minor reduction surgery on grips. Grip build-up is most
common, with heat sleeves being the method of choice,
and your customer should play with the largest grip they
can “comfortably” hold.
If your customer has arm problems do not go down in
size. Try the following: Make a fist. Feel your forearm
muscles tighten? Now relax your grip. Your muscles relax as
well. If your grip is too small, you unconsciously grip tightly
when you see a fast-moving ball coming toward you. Hit
your shot out of center and the racquet will try to torque in

GRIPS
your hand. This jarring sensation is very hard on your
The type of grip your muscles and can lead to discomfort. When your hand is
displaced over a greater surface area, the vibrations are
customer chooses for his or dissipated more rapidly throughout the body with little or
no discomfort.
her racquet can have an Remember, building up a grip a half size (1/16 of an
inch) adds 9 grams of weight; a full grip size (1/8 of an inch)
impact on how the racquet adds 18 grams. This is significant and shouldn’t be done
haphazardly.
feels and performs in their The shape of the grip also can have an influence on
how the racquet feels and performs. Different manufactur-
hand. ers have different shapes to their molded grips. Altering the
shape of the bevels can have drastic effects on how the rac-
You need to have a variety of types and styles from which to quet feels and performs. If your customer insists on a par-
choose. ticular shape and you don’t have remolding capabilities,
The size of the grip is also very important. It is not rec- contact your dealer. If your dealer can’t perform the work,
ommended that you reduce grip sizes on the newer frames, he can put you in touch with some private contractors
but technicians with the right tools can perform some who can.

38 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004

PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Okay, so how do I know what
would be best for my customer?
Start with the basic premise that in most cases the frame is
too light for them. Look at the wear pattern on the strings
(string discoloration, ball fuzz, fraying). Are they hitting the
majority of their balls in the center, low or high on the face of
the racquet? Look at the design (shape) of their frame. Where
is the center of percussion or “sweetspot” supposed to be? Just
because they bought the latest model doesn’t mean they
bought the “right” racquet for their style of play and physical
needs.
Count the number of cross strings where the “majority”
of the wear is situated. Find the center of “their” sweetspot.
Start with 6 grams of lead tape and put 3 grams on each
side of the string face adjacent to “their” center of percus-
sion. Remember, the sweetspot moves toward the mass of
the frame. Have the player test this modification. If they feel
they can handle it with no problem and see an improve-
ment, add 3 grams more (not 6 grams).
Gradually build up the gram weight until they no longer
like the way it is performing. Go back to the last “good” test.
If they like the way their frame is playing, but feel their serve
and volley have suffered a little, remove their grip and place
8 to 10 grams of lead tape just above the butt cap. Put their
grip back on and have them retest. Modify the amount of
lead tape accordingly.
You need to listen to your customer. Everything they tell
you about how the racquet is playing is important and can
be modified to some degree by what you do in the placement
of weight. Once the “ideal” frame has been identified, all specs
should be recorded (weight, static balance and swingweight).
Do not try to duplicate their other frames by simply applying
the same amount of lead tape in the same places. It is rare that
two frames of the same make, model and grip size ever
have the same weight, static balance and swingweight
coming from the factory. Let a Master Racquet Technician or
Certified Stringer with the proper equipment custom-match
their frames so that they are all equal. If your customer
wants to experiment with different strings and tension or
grips and shapes, do them after you have determined the
ideal frame setup.
Remember, don’t try and alter more than one area of
concern at a time. A fine-tuned racquet is like having a
precision instrument in your hand.
You can make any racquet play better—guaranteed! w
Drew Sunderlin is a USRSA Master Racquet
Technician, a USPTA Master Pro and the rac-
quet technician for the U.S. Fed Cup Team. He
is also the owner of the Fort Washington Swim
& Tennis Club, the Strings 'n Things Pro Shop
and the Strings 'n Things Competition String-
ing Service in Ambler, Pa.
May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 39
 Mid-Season
RACQUETS

Replacements?
New entries from some top racquet manufacturers

A
are hoping to weigh in big with consumers.
BY JAMES MARTIN

s we enter the heart of the outdoor

season, many racquet manufacturers are
introducing new frames—hoping, of Yonex
RDX 500 HD
course, to catch consumers in the grips
of “swing fever.”

Yonex
Take Yonex. The company had been silent for the first part of the year—it did not, for example,
submit any racquets to TENNIS magazine for evaluation—but now it has three new sticks.
First up is the Yonex RDX 500 for advanced players. In fact, the racquet comes in three mod-
els. Endorsed by Lleyton Hewitt, the RDX 500 is the most demanding of the lot, with a small, 90-
square-inch head and weighing 11.8 ounces. The RDX 500 HD, which is being used by Jelena Dokic,
weighs the same but has the benefit of a slightly bigger head (98 square inches), while the RDX 500
Mid-plus, also 98 square inches, is a tad lighter (11.5 ounces). Suffice to say, players below NTRP 4.0
should look elsewhere.

Yonex V-Con 30+

Yonex also serves up a racquet for strong intermediates to low-
level advanced players with the Yonex RDX 300 Mid-plus and
Yonex RDX 300 Super Mid-plus. The 300 is 10.9 ounces,
has a 98-square-inch head and is 27.25 inches long,
while the Super Mid-plus has a 103-square-inch
head, weighs 10.4 ounces, and is 27.5 inches long
(for even more leverage and power).
Yonex also has released the V-Con 30+.
Using an elastic material in the throat to reduce
shock, the V-Con 30+ is designed for players who
want a racquet that’s easy on the arm. By the looks
of the specifications, it’s also pretty easy to use, as it’s
available in two fairly big head sizes (107 and 117
square inches) that weigh a little more than 9 ounces.

40 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004

 Dunlop
What’s going on at Dunlop? I.C.E., or Internally Cooled
Engineering. With the company’s new 800G and 600G,
Dunlop is no longer cooling racquets at room tempera-
ture, but blowing cool air through the hoop to cool the
racquet 25 percent faster. The benefit: Dunlop says it

Babolat
improves the frame’s stiffness and strength, while at

VS NCT Tour
the same time allows for better touch and feel by the
player. The 800G is designed for 2.0 to 4.0 players, and
the 600G is more appropriate for 3.0 to 4.5.

Babolat Contact the Manufacturers

Babolat—877-316-9435 or www.babolat.com
The NCT (Nano Carbon Technology) line just got bigger, Dunlop—800-768-4727; www.dunlopsports.com
with the new VS NCT Power and VS NCT Tour. Babolat Yonex—310-793-3800; www.yonex.com

Dunlop
says that its NCT racquets integrate state-of-the-art

800G I.C.E.
materials (carbon nanotubes) with a special beam
design for power, control and comfort. The racquets
use nanotechnology (manipulating materials on the
scale of the atom) to provide strength and lightness,
according to the company. Indeed, these two frames
are light, coming in at 10.1 ounces for the 100-
square-inch VS NCT Tour and 8.6 ounces for the 118-
square-inch NCT Power. The racquets are designed for
short-swing players.

May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 41

FIELD
PROMOTING THE SPORT

Level the

A
For a different take on learning and enjoying
tennis, take a look at Bankshot Tennis.

fter his cousin was confined to a wheelchair following an automobile Reeve Brenner, who
accident in the late 1960s, Dr. Reeve Robert Brenner was startled to serves as the Jewish
discover the scarcity of sports they could play together. Since that chaplain of the pres-
time, he has developed several modified games—including Bankshot tigious National
Tennis—so able-bodied and physically challenged participants can Institutes of Health
play together with neither at a disadvantage. in Bethesda, Md.,
Bankshot Tennis is played with standard tennis racquets, balls and strokes sought to develop a
on a series of stations that gradually increase in difficulty. The goal is to “bank” sport to bridge able
balls off angled fiberglass backboards so they pass through vertical hoops and and disabled populations. Brenner, the
into netted ball catchers. Participants play against the course rather than one author of The Faith and Doubt of
another, with a different stroke required to score at each station. The player Holocaust Survivors, set about
with the most points wins. reinventing his favorite sports, tennis and
“The traditional game of tennis is wonderful, but there is a need for a non- basketball.
aggressive sport for people of different ages, where speed, size and strength
“Name the three ball-playing sports that
don’t apply,” says Brenner, of Rockville, Md. “Bankshot levels the playing field,
participants play alongside each other, not
whether the participants are
against each other, that require no offense
two friends, a family, or
or defense, and your opponent can show
even a whole camp.”
up the next day,” Brenner says. The first
Bankshot Tennis can
two are golf and bowling; Bankshot is the
accommodate any playing
third, and Brenner has created both
surface or space size,
Bankshot Tennis and Bankshot Basketball.
indoors or outdoors. Stations
can be portable or perma- Brenner also serves as the commissioner of
nent. For more information, the National Association of Bankshot
call 800-933-0140, email Operators (NABO), an organization of
info@bankshot.com, or visit Bankshot facility owners around the world.
www.bankshot.com. Their mantra is, “Welcome to the
—Cynthia Cantrell. NABO–hood.”

42 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004

 string PLAYTEST
Unique Tourna Poly
Big Hitter
Unique Tourna Poly Big Hitter is a
monofilament “poly” string of the type
that is becoming increasingly popular
both on the pro circuit and with hard-hit-
ting juniors and even with club
players. Unique tells us that its poly is
actually a very soft poly-poly ether with
aluminum fibers added, which gives the
string the durability you expect from a
poly, with more playability, power,
comfort, and control. Unique thinks that
Tourna Poly will be welcomed by
players with fast swing speeds, and by
those who tend to break strings.
Unique Tourna Poly Big Hitter is available in
16 and 17 gauges in silver only. It is priced
from $5.50 for sets of 40 feet, and $49 for
reels of 660 feet. For more information or
to order, contact Unique at
(800) 554-3707, or visit them at
www.uniquesports.us.
IN THE LAB
We tested the 16-gauge Tourna Poly Big
Hitter. The coil measured 41 feet, 1 inch.
The diameter measured 1.25 mm to 1.29
mm prior to stringing, and 1.20 mm to
1.26 mm after stringing. We recorded a
stringbed stiffness of 69 RDC units immedi-
ately after stringing at 60 pounds in a
Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95 (16 x 18 pattern) on
a constant-pull machine. After 24 hours (no
playing), stringbed stiffness measured 65
RDC units, representing a 6 percent tension
loss. Our control string, Prince Synthetic Gut
Original Gold 16, measured 78 RDC units
immediately after stringing and 71 RDC
units after 24 hours, representing a 9
percent tension loss. Unique Tourna Poly
Big Hitter added 14.8 grams to the weight
44 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004
of our unstrung frame. certain-
The string was tested for five weeks by ly isn’t as stiff as some polyester
39 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP strings available. Stringing speed was on
ratings from 3.5 to 6.5. These are blind par with some nylon strings, but it was
tests, with playtesters receiving unmarked helped by the fact that Tourna Poly seems
strings in unmarked packages. Average to elongate very little, so you don’t have to
number of hours playtested was 22.7. wait forever for the tension head to come
Tourna Poly Big Hitter strings up more to rest before clamping off. Another nice
or less like a typical poly, although it touch is that the ends are pre-cut at an
angle so you don’t need to trim them
EASE OF STRINGING before starting. We pre-stretched our coil
(compared to other strings) just enough to reduce coil memory.
No. of testers who said it was:
Whether or not that made a difference,
much easier 2
installing Tourna Poly was relatively easy.
somewhat easier 3
about as easy 11
The variation of the diameter of the
not quite as easy 19 string suggests that Tourna Poly is purpose-
not nearly as easy 3 ly made oval. This seemingly insignificant
out-of-roundness is important, however, as
OVERALL PLAYABILITY the International Tennis Federation (ITF) is
(compared to string played most often)
investigating whether oval strings give the
No. of testers who said it was:
player an unfair advantage in producing
much better 0
somewhat better 6
spin, as lab tests indicate.
about as playable 7 Four of our playtesters broke the sample
not quite as playable 15 during stringing, 17 reported problems
not nearly as playable 8 with coil memory, seven reported problems
tying knots, and two reported friction
OVERALL DURABILITY burn. Three reported breaking the string
(compared to other strings
of similar gauge)
during play, one at four hours, one at 30
hours, and one at 39 hours.
No. of testers who said it was:
much better 17
somewhat better 10 ON THE COURT
about as durable 8 It is not unusual for our playtesters to be
not quite as durable 1 divided about the merits of any given
not nearly as durable 0 string, especially when that string is a poly.
What is surprising, therefore, is not that
RATING AVERAGES
some playtesters loved Tourna Poly while
From 1 to 5 (best)
Playability 3.0 some hated it, but that those who loved it
Durability 4.6 really loved it. In fact, they rated it No. 1 of
Power 3.4 the 80-some strings we’ve playtested in
Control 3.3 resistance to movement, and second over-
Comfort 2.7 all in durability (first place went to a Kevlar
Touch/Feel 2.6 string). You will also note that all but one
Spin Potential 3.0 of our playtesters rated Tourna Poly’s dura-
Holding Tension 3.5 bility as being as good as or better than
Resistance to Movement 4.2
other 16-gauge strings.
 TESTERS TALK

“ This string had the typical coil memory and friction burn of other
polys. On court, not a bad-feeling polyester-type string. Above-average
control and spin capability. Held tension very well and didn’t move or
appear to notch. Again, one of the better polyester strings with which
I’ve played.
”
6.5 male all-court player using Wilson H Tour strung at 54 pounds LO
(Head FiberGel 16)
“ Although I rated this string as having excessive coil memory and
some friction burn during stringing, these are normal in my experience
with poly strings. This string reminded me of Luxilon Big Banger Alu
Power. It is simple to work with, has average ability to hold tension,
and nice power at first, although it lost feel as the string relaxed.
5.0 male all-court player using Wilson H Tour strung at 55 pounds CP
”
(Wilson Stamina Spin 16)

“ This is a nice poly string. It felt a lot like Luxilon Alu Power, but not
quite as stiff. Dropping the tension 5 percent is key. I liked this string and
“ This test string would definitely be okay for a big-time string-
breaker. I like a more playable, softer string in my racquet. I had
would recommend it to advanced players looking to switch to a polyester difficulty getting spin on the ball. The power was good. The resistance
string.
”
5.5 male all-court player using Wilson Hyper Pro
to movement and holding tension aspects of the string were awesome!
I would consider using it as the mains in a
Staff 6.1 strung at 60 pounds LO (Wilson Sensa- hybrid string job.
”
tion 16)
“ Plays and feels 5.5 male touch player using Head i.X3 MP strung
at 57 pounds CP (Wilson Stamina / Sensation 17)
exactly like the
“ While stringing my racquet I thought I would
Luxilon Alu Power
hate this string. It had excessive coil memory and
it just did not have the ‘feel’ of a string that I I use. Identical in every “ Although I don’t hit regularly with a lot of
topspin, this string does respond satisfactorily
would like. When I took it out to play, all I could way. Excellent string. when topspin is needed.
”
think about where all the negative things I would
encounter. After about five minutes of playing,
Highly recommended! ” 3.5 male baseliner with moderate spin using Wil-
son Hammer 5.2 strung at 56 pounds CP
3.5 male baseliner with heavy
though, I realized I was no longer thinking bad (Gamma synthetic 17)
things about this string. The touch, feel, control,
spin using Head Trysis 300
strung at 62 pounds CP
and power were there, and I was really enjoying
playing with it. One set had me hooked on it. I (Luxilon Alu Power 16L) “ This string feels a little stiff to me. I lost com-
fort and touch/feel. Control was pretty good.
traded off with my other racquet and string, and Durability was good, and the strings did not shift
kept coming back to this one as the more much, which I like. Overall, though, I would not play again with this
playable. After 20 hours of playing, it’s the racquet I pull out of my bag
first when I play. This one is a big surprise.
”
string.
”
5.0 male all-court player using Wilson Hyper Pro Staff 6.1 strung at 62
4.5 male all-court player using Wilson Pro Staff Torch strung at 63 pounds LO (Luxilon Alu Power 16L)
pounds LO (Babolat Conquest 16)

“ This is one of the most difficult strings to install in a racquet. I per-

“ Easier to string than most polys. Nice bounce from the stringbed, sonally would not play with it for that factor alone. The benefits of the
with no dampener needed, it’s so quiet. Enjoyed its feel. It’s close to
the durability of the Kevlar I normally use, but with the comfort of a
durability are not high enough.
”
5.5 male all-court player using Head Ti.Classic strung at 57 pounds CP
nylon.
”
5.0 male all-court player using Dunlop 400G strung at 55 pounds CP
(Synthetic gut 16)
For the rest of the tester comments, USRSA members can visit RacquetTECH.com.
(Tenex Hy-Kevlar 16)
(Strings normally used by testers are indicated in parentheses.)

Control ratings were above average, while
power, tension retention, and overall
ratings were all well above average.
CONCLUSION
For a string that sells for under $6 per set
to rate this highly is extremely impressive,
and if you want more, check out the price
of the reel. Tourna Poly out-rated many
higher-priced strings, including some that
could be considered its direct
competition. For those looking for a
durable string at a reasonable price, with
comfort and playability far exceeding
that of Kevlar, Unique’s Tourna Poly Big
Hitter is an obvious candidate.
If you think that Tourna Poly Big Hitter
might be for you or your customers,
Unique is making USRSA members in
the U.S. a special offer: Buy three sets
of Tourna Poly at $5.50 each, and
receive a fourth set free, for a 25
percent discount off of the dealer
price. To take advantage of this offer,
contact Unique at 840 McFarland Rd.,
Alpharetta, GA, 30004, or phone toll-
free at 800-554-3707. —Greg Raven w

May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 45

 string PLAYTEST
Gamma Zo Plus
Gamma Zo Plus is a co-extrusion fiber,
which means it is a monofilament
comprised of two materials, one in the
center and a second that encases or
coats the center filament. In Zo Plus, the
center is a high elasticity core, which is
encased in a wear-resistant surface. This
co-polymer alloy is further processed
using Gamma’s TNT2 technology.
According to Gamma, this combination
provides an ultra-playable string for
players currently using polyester strings,
who want more control and fewer arm
problems.
Gamma Zo Plus is available in 16L in
white only. It is priced from $18 for sets
of 40 feet, and $284 for reels of 660 feet.
For more information or to order, contact
Gamma at 800-333-0337, or visit
www.gammasports.com.
IN THE LAB
The coil measured 40 feet, 9 inches. The
diameter measured 1.33 mm prior to
stringing, and 1.27 mm after stringing.
We recorded a stringbed stiffness of 83
RDC units immediately after stringing at
60 pounds in a Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95
(16 x 18 pattern) on a constant-pull
machine. After 24 hours (no playing),
stringbed stiffness measured 70 RDC
units, representing a 16 percent tension
loss. Our control string, Prince Synthetic
Gut Original Gold 16, measured 78 RDC
units immediately after stringing and 71
RDC units after 24 hours, representing a 9
percent tension loss. Gamma Zo Plus
added 13.9 grams to the weight of our
unstrung frame.
This string was tested for five weeks by
35 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP
ratings from 3.5 to 6. These are blind
tests, with playtesters receiving unmarked
strings in unmarked packages. Average
number of hours playtested was 20.
46 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004
Gamma recommends reducing tension
by 10 percent compared to typical nylons
when installing Zo Plus. Zo Plus is fairly
easily to install, with little coil memory
and a nice supple feel. The suppleness looking worn
does not, however, impair its ability to even when the string is brand new.
negotiate blocked holes. The string also No playtester broke his sample during
feels clean, with no oily or greasy feeling, stringing, three reported problems with coil
but on denser string patterns it can be memory, one reported problems tying
difficult to pull the crosses through. One knots, and five reported friction burn.
playtester had a problem with the tension
head scarring or tearing the thin wear- ON THE COURT
resistant coating, leaving the stringbed As expected, Zo Plus received above aver-
age scores for durability, and 24 out of 29
of our playtesters rated it as being at least
EASE OF STRINGING as durable as other strings of similar gauge.
(compared to other strings)
But our playtesters’ ratings also were well
No. of testers who said it was:
above average for holding tension, which is
much easier 0
somewhat easier 5
every bit as important if you want a string
about as easy 20 that does more than resist breaking. Zo Plus
not quite as easy 5 also received ratings well above average for
not nearly as easy 1 power, and above average for control and
resistance to movement. These are also
OVERALL PLAYABILITY
three important categories for a polyester
(compared to string played most often)
string to score well in. Players are always
No. of testers who said it was:
much better 1
looking for more power, but they are even
somewhat better 4 more excited when they get both extra
about as playable 7 power and extra control. Finally, the
not quite as playable 15 resistance to movement probably helps Zo
not nearly as playable 3 Plus to be more durable. Eight playtesters
had Zo Plus break during play, four at three
OVERALL DURABILITY
hours or less, three at around 15 hours,
(compared to other strings
and one at 24 hours.
of similar gauge)
No. of testers who said it was:
much better 1 CONCLUSION
somewhat better 14 Polyester strings are continuing to gain
about as durable 9 popularity, in large part because of their
not quite as durable 4 durability. But not everyone likes using
not nearly as durable 1 polyester strings, and some players who
currently use polys would like to have a
RATING AVERAGES
From 1 to 5 (best) string with the benefits of a poly but with
Playability 3.1 more comfort. Gamma’s Zo Plus is durable
Durability 3.6 and powerful, holds tension well, offers
Power 3.5 good control, and resists movement.
Control 3.3 If you are a USRSA member, Gamma is
Comfort 2.9 sending you a free set of Zo Plus to try
Touch/Feel 2.7 for yourself. If you haven’t already
Spin Potential 3.1 received it, it should be appearing in
Holding Tension 3.5
your mailbox soon.
Resistance to Movement 3.3
—Greg Raven w
 TESTERS TALK
about the feel and directional control until it broke. This might be
“ This string played very well. It was very easy on my shoulder and
arm. I would feel comfortable offering this string to players who have
good for heavier ‘tweener’ racquets.
”
4.0 male all-court player using Prince TT Bandit OS strung at 60
arm trouble but also are string breakers.
”
5.0 male serve-and-volleyer using Head Liquidmetal Radical MP strung
pounds LO (Topspin Poly Polar / Prince Syn Gut 16)

at 66 pounds LO (Wilson Sensation NXT 17)

“ The first hour after stringing the string felt stiff, but it then became
more comfortable. The first six hours of play were enjoyable and I had
“ This string performed better than I thought it would. While stringing
I thought it would be a very stiff string, but was pleasantly surprised
a lot of confidence in the string. It is extremely durable. I noticed
notching after seven hours, and at 11 hours I had excessive string
that the string softened and was much more playable than I anticipated.
I would recommend this string to string breakers instead of the new
movement and loss of tension.
”
3.5 male baseliner with heavy spin using Head i.radical OS strung at
polyesters.
”
4.0 male serve-and-volleyer using Völkl Catapult 7 strung at 52
65 pounds LO (Forten Aramid Gear 16)

pounds CP (Natural gut 16)

“ This is one of the “ This string feels good and seems

“ Great playing control string. Very little
movement and I saw almost no tension loss.
Really enjoyed playing with it.
”
4.5 male all-court player using Völkl Tour 10 MP
strung at 59 pounds CP (Head Intellitour 17)
responsive. I do not think it had the touch
best test strings I and feel of a premium string. However, it
seems quite durable for the amount of
have received. Power is
great, comfort is superb, and it
feel it did provide. I would recommend it
to someone who breaks strings, but does
has good touch. I would
definitely use this string to play
not want to sacrifice feel.
”
5.0 male all-court player using Wilson

“ Nice balance between durability and

and teach with. Got to get some. Triad Hammer 6.0 strung at 55 pounds LO
playability.
”
3.5 male all-court player using Wilson H Tour
Great string.”
”
(Wilson NXT Tour 17)

strung at 53 pounds LO (Wilson NXT Max 15L) 4.5 male all-court player using
Wilson H5 strung at 57 pounds LO “ I broke the string after three hours of
play, a first for me, but the string seemed

“ This is a stiffer string than I am used to, but I

liked it. This seems like a durable string that
(Wilson Stamina 16) competent until then. Lowering the
tension did create a little too much dwell
holds tension well. It did string at least 10 percent tighter than normal time on the stringbed for my volleys.
”
”
string.
5.5 male all-court player using Wilson 5.1 Surge strung at 56 pounds
3.5 male serve-and-volleyer using Fischer Pro No. 1 strung at 58
pounds CP (BDE Rallye 16)
CP (Wilson NXT 16 61)

“ This string seems to have good spring but it is difficult to control

“ Initially, the string felt stiff, but after playing with it for about five
hours, it became more enjoyable. I would recommend it to my clients
the direction of the ball, possibly because the string doesn’t have
much feel. The outer wrapping came off at the intersections fairly
who are looking for a durable string.
”
3.5 male baseliner with heavy spin using Gosen Carbon Plus strung at
quickly.
”
5.0 male all-court player using Wilson Hyper Pro Staff Tour 90 strung
59 pounds LO (Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16) at 54 pounds CP (Wilson Stamina 16)

“ This is a decent string. It installs easily and plays well after break-
in (about two hours in my case). The recommended tension drop of 10
percent makes the stringbed a bit too trampoline-like. Durability is
only fair, and string movement contributes to early notching and
breakage. Playability was not much different from other durable nylon
strings. This string is fairly kind to my aging arm, and I felt good
“ I played one hour and taught one hour with this string, and then it
broke in the bag afterward. I would not recommend this string.
5.0 male all-court player using Babolat Pure Drive strung at 53 pounds
”
CP (Babolat X-Cel 16)
For the rest of the tester comments, USRSA members can visit RacquetTECH.com.

(Strings normally used by testers are indicated in parentheses.)

May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 47

 tips and TECHNIQUES
Readers’ Know-How in Action
The ideas, suggestions and techniques
found in “Tips and Techniques” have
all been submitted by USRSA
members. This department has run
almost every month since its inception
in 1993, recounting stringers tricks
and tales of the trade garnered from
everyday, real-life stringing and
business experiences. All these tips
have been gathered into a single
volume of the Stringer’s Digest—
Racquet Service Techniques—that is
a benefit of USRSA membership.
Submit tips to: Greg Raven, USRSA,
330 Main St., Vista, CA 92804;
or email: greg@racquettech.com.
SLAMMING THE
TRAP DOOR
To keep a loosened butt cap “trap door”
from vibrating, apply small drops of clear
nail polish to a couple of spots on the
inside ridge before snapping it back on.
5 sets of Volkl Power-Fiber 18 to:
Roger Hansen, Orange, CA
SECURING
BUILD-UP SLEEVES
After installing build-up sleeves, I noticed
that they will sometimes move during
play. I have used glue beneath the grip,
but it takes time and can be messy. I still
have to glue some grips, but wherever
possible I install the build-up grip and add
four staples—two at the top and two at
the bottom. It is quick and clean, and is
much easier if the grip needs to be
removed.
5 sets of Wilson Stamina 16 to:
Dan Kerr, Wiarton, Ontario, Canada
TRAVELING WORKBENCHES
At home I have a permanent station for
my stringing machine, but at my club and
on the road I have two great ways to
mount and stabilize my portable stringers.
48 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTR Y May 2004
At the club I use a sturdy audio-visual cart
with shelves and locking wheels. It moves
easily, but when locked stays still. When
I’m on the road I use a bus-boy stand. It
sets up in seconds and is pretty stable. I
use a stringer’s apron for my tools and
the combination works great.
5 Prince Air Cushion Grips to:
Glenn Brewer, Marietta, GA
BEGINNER TIPS
REPLACING BUMPER AND
GROMMET STRIPS
Some strips have flared grommets that
make it very difficult to remove the strip
easily from the frame. A short cut is to
use a grommet grinder from the inside of
the frame to “break” the grommets from
the strip. You could do it from the outside
of the frame, but you risk damaging the
hole. Going from inside, the grommet still
breaks from the strip on the outside of
the racquet and the flare on the inside
ensures no damage.
Bow Brand string pack
(including 1 set of natural gut) to:
Thorburn Frost
Kent, England
SPACE-SAVING STORAGE
If you want to keep your back issues of
the magazine but have little storage
space, cut out the articles that you
want to save and discard the rest of the
magazine. Separate your clippings into
categories so later you’ll be able to find
them quickly.
5 sets of Head IntelliString 16 to:
Steve DeGrenier, Old Greenwich, CT
Editor’s note: While we believe
that all articles in RSI are important
to you and your business, we
certainly understand that some
stories will apply more directly to
your specific business. As a matter
of fact, we perform this same
procedure here at the office. It
makes it easier to find specific
articles. For example, if we are
looking for a review about a
specific stringing machine, instead
of having to look through all the
past issues, we just look through
the stringing machine file. Keep in
mind that RacquetTECH.com also
has a large and growing archive of
back articles and tips.
HOLD THE
GROMMET STRIP
Sometimes when I am tensioning an
“outside” main string, the grommet
wants to move out of position,
exposing the string to the frame. The
string could break on the sharp edge of
the frame, or the frame could become
damaged if the string cuts into it.
To avoid this, simply hold the
grommet strip in position after you
have fed the string through the tension
head, while you are applying tension.
Klip bonus pack (including 5 sets
of string, hat, wrist bands, and
decal) to:
Lloyd Pearson, Glassboro, NJ
Editor’s note: You should be
prepared to apply quite a bit of
pressure, in case there is a lot of
friction between the string and the
grommet. This is especially true
when you are using an electronic
stringing machine, as the tension
head will keep pulling tension no
matter what is happening with the
grommet.
MARKETING TIPS
USE TAGS INSTEAD
OF LABELS
The labels that come with sets of string
don’t work well for me. The string
type, gauge, and tension information
either fades or rubs off, and my
customers don’t like them on their
racquets in the first place. Fortunately,
I’ve found an inexpensive alternative. I
write the information on the back of
one of my business cards with the
caption “Custom strung for [cus-
tomer].” I cover the business card with
self-laminating sheets, and punch a
hole in one corner. When the customer
picks up his racquet, I give him the
punched card with a miniature
carabiner (I bought 100 of them for 25
cents apiece on Ebay), so he can attach
the card to his racquet cover or bag.
Each customer has a constant reminder
about when to restring, along with my
name and contact information.
Gosen padded equipment bag
and T-shirt to:
Rick Schumann, Rockledge, FL
STENCIL-LESS
STENCILING
If you don't have your stencil ink
handy, use a permanent-ink marker to
stencil in your strings. Permanent mark-
ers are also good for touching up your
Limit one string special order per customer
strings after the ink begins to rub off.
You don't even have to worry about
the excess dripping ink.
Alpha 5-string pack to:
A.J. Apple, West Baden, IN
ALTERNATING MAINS
When starting the mains, I do three on
one side and then three on the other to
balance the stress on the frame. To
make it faster to find the end of the
side on which I start, after clamping off
the third main on the starting side, I
loosely install the fourth main, leaving
the end of the string hanging out of
the frame by about a foot. That way,
when I come back to that side, the end
of the string is easy to pick up.
Ashaway 5-string pack (including 1
set of Dynamite WB) to:
David Mindell, Cathedral City, CA
—Greg Raven w
May 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 49
 NEW MEMBERS April 2004
USRSA
330 Main St., Vista CA 92084 Tel: 760 • 536 • 1177
President Patrick Curry
Partner/Business Development Steve Schein
NEW MEMBER CITY STATE/COUNTRY NEW MEMBER CITY STATE/COUNTRY Executive Director David Bone, MRT
Managing Editor/Webmaster Crawford Lindsey
Mike Cobb Kingman AZ Dejon Bivens III Charlotte NC
Advertising Director John Hanna
Nancy Carman Scottsdale AZ Lou Gerstle Deptford NJ Production Manager Kristine Thom
Technical Support
David Wiener Palo Alto CA Thomas Heffernan Iselin NJ Dot Hogen, MRT; Greg Raven, MRT
Membership Services
Alan McKay Placentia CA Frank Koe Newark NJ Nancy Crowley, Barbara Smith
Kendra Susan Blewitt San Francisco CA David Paldino Wayne NJ Shipping/Receiving Pat Regan
Thomas Ogawa Las Vegas NV
Glenn Leach San Francisco CA USRSA TECHNICAL ADVISORS
Matej Toman Brewster NY Warren Bosworth Professional stringer,
Grant Watkins San Rafael CA Allen Van Nostrand Brightwaters NY racquet designer and industry advisor
Dr. Howard Brody Professor Emeritus of Physics,
Bob Mitchell Shingle Springs CA Don Eckhoff Plattsburg NY Univ. of Pennsylvania; Science Advisor, PTR
David Lauritz Soquel CA Todd Smith Queensbury NY Ron Carr R&D Manager, Gamma Sports
Jonathan Chimene Roosevelt Island NY Rod Cross Associate Professor of Physics,
Noah Dela Rosa Union City CA Univ. of Sydney, Australia
Rick Batchelder Rouses Point NY
Barb Kissick Colorado Springs CO Bill Severa Director of Technology, Innovation and
Galyan's #68 Olmstead OH Design Group,Wilson Racquet Sports
Terry Boyle Columbine Valley CO Rick Farris The Dalles OR Steve Davis VP of Next Generation, Prince Sports
MIKE MESSERSMITH Altamonte Springs FL Sports Authority #446 King of Prussia PA Dr. Simon Goodwill Research Assistant,
University of Sheffield, UK
Gene Born Jupiter FL Bobby Johnson Philadelphia PA
Dr. Carl Love Professor Emeritus, Metallurgy;
Wm. Brad Bjorksten Prospect Park PA President, Love Sports Enterprises
Steven Miller Plantation FL
John Mathis Middletown RI Bill Mitchell Director R&D, Powers Court
Raymond Kurey Alpharetta GA Michael Williams Mount Pleasant SC Tom Parry Product Development Manager/
Pro Tour Services Manager; Volkl Tennis GmbH
Stephan Vodegel Atlanta GA Kenny Crossman Cookeville TN
Roger Petersman Business Manager-Accessories,
John McKinney Kennesaw GA Benny Jones Nashville TN Head/Penn Racquet Sports
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Lynn Foneca Lawrenceville GA
Anthony Crawford Alexandria VA ADVERTISERS INDEX
Linda Guentert Lilburn GA Marshall Forbes Midlothian VA For more information on products and services in
Tom Hinzman Macon GA Huntington Park Tennis Newport News VA this issue of Racquet Sports Industry, please contact
the manufacturers directly.
Peter Snyder Marietta GA Ed Hamlett Ephrata WA
Cary Pallin Kenosha WI Company Page
Gerald Lau Pearl City HI
Cory Frieberg Madison WI Advantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Galyan's #76 Algonquin IL Ashaway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC
Chris Logan AUSTRALIA ATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Katrin Gerdts Lake Zurich IL Adrian Au HONG KONG Balle de Match . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Bow Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Mike Drey Palos Heights IL Joel Jimenez KUWAIT
Classic Turf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Mavis Lai TAIWAN Douglas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Highland High School Highland IN
Peter Lee WEST MALAYSIA Fischer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Galyan's #75 Indianapolis IN Forten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Gamma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 11, 13, 39
Wylee Cosar South Bend IN CERTIFIED STRINGERS Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC
Congratulations to the following members who ICA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25, 29
Bill Fraley Manhattan KS Lee Tennis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
recently became CS’s
Chris Fortin Richmond KY Rebecca Beckett Canton, GA Lejay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
MRT’s: 382 CS’s: 2426 Novagrass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 21
Feng Jung Wu Baton Rouge LA Nova Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
On Court Off Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
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USRSA MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION Penn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Thomas Chau Gaithersburg MD USRSA membership dues: $99 annually. (CA resi- Silent Partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Barry Rittberg White Bear Lake MI dents add 7.75% sales tax. $106.67 total.) Canadian Tecnifibre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Members add $20 (US) for postage costs. US Total: TIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Karl Lambert Excelsior MN $119. Mexican Members add $25 (US) for postage Titan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
costs. US Total: $124. All other International Mem- TWC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
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bers add $36 (US) for airmail postage costs. US Total:
USPTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
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USRSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Sports Industry, the five-volume Stringer’s Digest, free
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consultation, free classified advertising and access to Völkl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Galyan's #71 Charlotte NC the member's-only website. Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC
Wise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

50 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY June 2004

 E V E N T C A L E N D A R
For more information or for additional dates and locations, contact the organization directly:
PTR: 800-421-6289 • USPTA: 713-978-7782

July 21-22 USPTA Certification Pittsburgh, PA

USRSA CERTIFICA-
Date Event Location 21-22 USPTA Certification Joplin, MO
10-11 USPTA Certification Industry Hills, CA 21-22 USPTA Certification Eugene, OR TION LOCATIONS
17-18 USPTA Certification Flushing, NY 21-22 PTR Certification Overland Park, KS
CALL FOR DATES
17-18 USPTA Certification Indianapolis, IN 21-22 PTR Certification Huntingdon Valley, PA
17-18 USPTA Certification Mandeville, LA 23-24 USPTA Certification Houston, TX Birmingham, AL 205-985-4989
19-20 USPTA Certification Houston, TX 24-25 USPTA Certification Reno, NV Anchorage, AK 907-244-9810
24-25 USPTA Certification Santa Rosa, CA 30-31 USPTA Cerfification Torrance, CA or 225-767-1379
24-25 USPTA Certification Atlanta, GA Scottsdale, AZ 480-483-5560
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7-8 USPTA Certification Buena Park, CA 5-6 USPTA Certification Hilton Head, SC
Clearwater, FL 727-442-7923
7-8 USPTA Certification Cincinnati, OH 10-11 USPTA Certification Minneapolis, MN
Ft. Walton Beach, FL 850-862-2023
7-8 USPTA Certification Hamden, CN 11-12 PTR Certification Wilmington, DE
Palm Coast, FL 386-446-6360
12-13 USPTA Certification Banksville, NY 11-12 USPTA Certification Rome, GA
Winter Park, FL 407-673-9200
14-15 USPTA Certification Nashville, TN 11-12 USPTA Certification Valencia, CA
Snellville, GA 770-982-8989
20-21 USPTA Certification Rochester, NY 11-12 USPTA Certification Aurora, IL
Honolulu, HI 808-373-1212
20-22 PTR Certification San Jose, CA 25-26 PTR Certification St. Louis, MO
Boise, ID 208-794-6236
21-22 PTR Certification Philadelphia, PA 25-26 PTR Certification Manasquan, NJ
or 208-345-4140
Northbrook, IL 847-480-7841
Overland Park, KS 913-491-4116
Baton Rouge, LA 907-244-9810
or 225-767-1379
East Lansing, MI 517-337-0002
St. Louis Park, MN 952-920-1603
Lincoln, NE 402-474-5050
Mountainside, NJ 908-233-6650
or 201-679-7535
Albuquerque, NM 505-299-8052
Commack, NY 631-543-7077
Flushing Meadows, NY 718-760-6227
Rochester, NY 585-427-2747
Cary, NC 919-859-6788
Cincinnati, OH 513-791-4636
Mentor, OH 440-357-6147
Lakeside, OR 907-244-9810
or 225-767-1379
Bryn Mawr, PA 610-525-2504
Pittsburgh, PA 412-323-0335 ext 256
West Lawn, PA 610-288-5030
Hilton Head Island, SC 843-341-8647
Myrtle Beach, SC 978-343-4944
Antioch, TN 615-731-3700
Dallas, TX 214-821-8440
Sugarland, TX 281-980-4286
Arlington, VA 703-522-2700
Farmville, VA 434-392-6081
Seattle, WA 206-812-6002
Victoria, Canada 604-418-4842
Tokyo, Japan 03-5603-1168
Ontario, CAN 519-534-3745
Tasmania, Australia 03 62348627
or 04 19 523226
Victoria, Australia 061-03-9890-3011

For additional dates and locations,

contact the USRSA, 760-536-1177.

52 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY June 2004


TENNIS PROS Want to change jobs and
let everyone know you are available? Place
a Tennis Position Wanted classified here -
everyone gets RSI magazine. See details at
the bottom of this page.
TENNIS CLUBS Want to add to staff?
Place an ad in RSI; everyone reads it. All
information is at bottom of this page. We
can help.
SUMMER CAMPS Are you looking for
staff for this summer? All college coaches
get RSI 10 times a year. They can tell their
players or they can come and work for you.
Place a classified here at RSI. See details at
bottom of this page.
DO YOU WANT TO BUY OR SELL A North America this summer. You must be 21
RACQUET BUSINESS?If you don’t want
to keep it a secret, place a classified ad here. teenage tennis players.
If you want confidentiality, let us advise you.
For details, see bottom of this page.
DO YOU SELL A PRODUCT OR SER - teams consists of a maximum of 15 players
VICE TO TENNIS CLUBS OR RETAIL -
ERS? Why not contact them with a
classified ad here in RSI? It’s easy, just see
details at bottom of this page.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
TENNIS CELEBSis a new weekly publica-
tion with stories and pictures of the rich and
famous tennis people. TENNIS CELEBS gets
its news from reporters around the world
sending it the latest news about the stars.
For a free sample, write
bob@tenniscelebs.com.
FREE SAMPLE TENNIS NEWSPAPER. EUROPE, 73 Rockridge Lane, Stamford CT
Get a free one-month subscription to Daily
Tennis, the world’s only daily tennis news-
paper. Get the latest news about the play-
ers, tournaments, companies, college tennis
and even job availability. For free sample
write bob@tennisnews.com.
HOW TO HIRE A TENNIS PROGet
this free booklet that tells how to hire a pro, have strong tennis backgrounds and who
step by step and avoid making a mistake.
For free copy, Call Bob Larson at 952 920
8947 or by e-mail at bob@tennisnews.com.
MERCHANDISE TO BUY/SELL
BOOKS FOR SALE We have a small
number of Vic Braden's book "Laugh and
Win at Doubles" at a closeout price of
$9.77US vs. regular price of $19.95. Postage
and handling in US $6.50. If you buy before
March 31, we will waive the postage and
handling. To order, contact
bob@tennisnews.com.
WE BUY TENNIS BOOKS —952 920
8947
WE BUY TENNIS RACKETS—952 920
8947
POSITION WANTED
Highly successful Tennis Director/Head ten-
nis professional, seeks a position in the
54 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004
R S I
Southern California area. This professional
has extensive experience in all aspects
including world class instructional programs,
national junior development, and all duties
concerning operating, maintaining, and
transforming a facility into an elite class
organization. Professional is currently
employed, but will consider any position in
Southern Calif. Inquries to
bob@tennisnews.com or 952 920 8947.
HELP WANTED
TENNIS PROFESSION -
ALS/CHAPERONES - EUROPE
AND NORTH AMERICA
Males and females are invited to coach
juniors on tournament circuits in Europe or
years old and have experience working with
We conduct serious-minded tournament
circuits designed to give juniors match expe-
rience and mental toughness. Each of our
(ages 14-18). Two coaches travel with each
team. We provide you with training and sup-
port to make the summer successful for you
and your players. The ability level ranges
from high school varsity players to national-
ly ranked players with trips from 16 to 31
days. We have 15 teams with our first team
leaving on June 21st and the team departing
on July 24th.
This will be TENNIS: EUROPE's 32nd sum-
mer. Deadline for application is March 30,
2004 or whenever positions are filled. Please
send resume and cover letter and write for
detailed job description to: TENNIS:
06903 or telephone 203 322 9803 or e-mail
to tenniseuro@aol.com.
CAMP STAFF MAINE
The Laurel Camps represent the finest in
Maine’s co-ed residential summer camping.
Both camps are currently seeking talented
Tennis Instructors and Professionals who
have experience as instructors or coaches.
Both camps boast superb tennis facilities, as
well as a strong commitment to our pro-
grams. We offer top instruction, as well as
intercamp and tournament. Each camp
offers state-of-the-art facilities, a profession-
al atmosphere and excellent salary. We also
welcome internships. Please visit our exten-
sive website at www.TheLaurelCamps.com
to submit an online application, or call us
toll-free at 800-327-3509 for a staff infor-
mation packet and application.
TENNIS COACHES CONNECTICUT
Indoor Tennis Clubs in Connecticut is seek-
ing hardworking, enthusiastic and dedicated
instructors. Minimum two-years experience
and commensurate salary. US Visa sponsor-
ship will be considered for qualified appli-
cants, if required. Contact Jeff Gocke at 203
655 2852 X 308, or via fax 203 656 1091.
SALES REP NEW JERSEY AND
PENNSYLVANIA
Leading tennis manufacturer seeking a sales
C L A S S I F I E D S
representative in New Jersey and Pennsylva-
nia. This is a commission only position, but
some expenses are covered. Candidates
must be 4.0 rated tennis player. To apply for
this position fax resume to 800 801 3904.
TENNIS ADVISORY STAFF SALES
Bancroft Sports, America's Oldest Racquet
Brand, is seeking qualified tennis profession-
als for part-time area sales positions of our
new racquet line. A successful candidate
will receive commissions from all sales in
their area. There are a limited number of ter-
ritories available. Phone 1-800-779-0807 or
e-mail tennis@bancroftsports.com.
SALES REPS Join the fastest growing
string company with a new fresh approach
to the tennis industry. We are seeking estab-
lished and motivated sales reps that are
looking to add a string and accessory line to
their current products. We offer a full range
of strings including synthetics, polyesters,
natural gut an gut hybrids. Sales reps are
needed across the US, Mexico and Canada.
Positions are commission-based only. Please
e-mail all resumes and/or questions to kli-
pamerica@san.rr.com or fax us at 720 559
3253.
TEACHING PROS AND COACHES
Book your dream trip NOW! Enjoy seven
days and six nights at an “all inclusive”
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locations) for you and a companion (or with
your family). Small fee and limited teaching
obligation required. Visit our websites at
www.superclubs.com and
www.sportsinternationaltennis.com. To
book or for more information, call 978 466
9393 or e-mail to sportsinternation-
al@hotmail.com.
VACATION OPPORTUNITIES
FOR TENNIS PROFESSIONALS
For only $250 plus airfare, your guest and
you could be vacationing at the #1 ultra all-
inclusive Sandals and Beaches Resorts in
Jamaica and St. Lucia. Your food, drinks and
accommodations are included as well as all
the amenities of the resort. These working
vacations run from Sunday to Sunday. For
more information, contact Mike Romisher at
847 207 9475. E-mail Vis10sPro@aol.com.
BUSINESSES FOR SALE
TENNIS TOUR BUSINESS FOR SALE
This is a rare opportunity to own a tennis
tour company. Travel the world escorting
your clients to the most prestigious tennis
events—Wimbledon, Roland Garros, Aus-
tralian Open and the USOpen, Masters
Series events, plus Davis Cup and Fed Cup
events. Business can be re-located to wher-
TO PLACE AN AD IN RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY
CLASSIFIEDS
Classified ads are $100 for up to 50 words. Additional words are $1 each. To place an ad
or for help in writing the ad, call Bob Larson, 952 920 8947. Deadline for the June issue
is May 8. E-mail bob@tennisnews.com.
BY BOB LARSON
ever you choose! 12 successful years in busi-
ness—hundreds of repeat clients. Call Daily
Tennis for information 952 920 8947 or e-
mail bob@tennisnews.com.
TENNIS SERVICES
At no cost for clubs, ProMatch Tennis Service
finds qualified tennis teaching professionals.
We interview, check references and criminal
background, and train. Professionals are cer-
tified either with the USPTA or the
PTR. ProMatch Tennis Service can be con-
tacted by calling 770-817-0559. You can
email us for more information at pro-
match@hotmail.com.
COURT CONSTRUCTION
Is it time to resurface or repair your tennis
court? Sport-Master’s nationwide and
worldwide network of professional sport
surfacing contractors are available to pro-
vide free on-site assessment and recommen-
dations. Phone 1 800 395 7325, e-mail
info@sealmaster.net. www.sealmaster.net.
TENNIS EQUIPMENT
FOR SALE
RALLY MASTER BACKBOARDS
Lowest price, 20 year warranty. Puncture
and crack proof. Quiet performance.
www.Rallymasterbackboards.com. 800-
725-5916
TENNIS SHADE GAZEBO’S
Unique seating/ shade gazebos for between
courts or against fences. No painting or
maintenance with Eco - Board, hunter green
plastic extruded cover over structural wood.
Special designs for units around light poles,
fences, etc.
Easy to assemble, free standing gazebo's,
do not require footings or anchors into
courts. Call (800) 928 - 7331 or visit
www.tennisgazebos.com
BUBBLE FOR SALE
Air supported structure “bubble” for a two
tennis court enclosure, translucent, available
immediately. Used only for one season, 118‚
by 108‚ by 40‚ high. Complete with new
heater/inflation system, doors and lighting.
Contact Walter Ptaszek at MSS Inc. 908 876
0146. Cell phone 908 693 6232. E-mail
waldema@goes.com.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
INCREASE YOUR NET INCOME
WITH NO INVESTMENT!
Promote the new tennis publication, TENNIS
CELEBS to your members or customers and
receive $10 for every sale. With little effort
and no investment or risk it is possible to
earn thousands of dollars annually. For
information, contact Bob Larson at
bob@tenniscelebs.com.
 Your Serve
Increasing Class Size
Through a concerted effort, college-age players who
used to get lost in the system are now finding a tennis home.
O
ver the past several years, much has
been made of the growing number of
tennis players who have left the sport.
Meanwhile, much work has been done to try
and bring these players back, as well as to cre-
ate new ones.
You are probably well aware of the
overall tennis participation numbers. Some
are good, while some are not so good. But
one success story that is steadily on the rise
is that of the college recreational player
and the 18- to 24-year-old demographic.
Three associations have been working
together over the past six years to increase
interest and participation in this age group:
the USTA, Intercollegiate Tennis Associa-
tion (ITA) and National Intramural-Recre-
ational Sports Association (NIRSA). All
three have brought their different
strengths to this partnership, with the
main goal of getting the college crowd
back on the court.
A quick look at the numbers tells you
that many young players have been calling
it quits after their high school tennis
careers end. There are more than 300,000
high school tennis players in a given year,
compared to about 20,000 spots on
varsity collegiate rosters. Annually, there
could be as many as 280,000 former high
school players who may be losing interest
in the sport because they can no longer
play in fun competition. If this group is
ignored, over time the result will be mil-
lions of players leaving the game.
Some of the success stories from the
USTA-ITA-NIRSA partnership include the
development of sectional and national
tournaments and the significant jumps in
participation at schools from around the
country. The key to all this has been bring-
ing organization to something that had
lacked this in the past, all the while
balancing competition with the fun and
social aspects of tennis.
The fifth annual USA Team Tennis
National Campus Championships took
place in March at the Florida Tennis Center
56 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2004
“According to recent
studies, tennis
participation for the
18-to-24 age group,
after several years in
decline, has begun
to show signs of
stabilizing.”
in Daytona Beach. This co-ed event is the
national championship for club and intra-
mural teams and exemplifies the steady
growth of recreational tennis at the campus
level. Participation at this event has grown
from 10 teams from 10 schools at the
inaugural tournament in 2000 to a record
40 teams from 33 schools in 2004. The
success from this national event has led to
USTA sections beginning to administer
sectional championships. The Southern
California, Northern California and Midwest
sections held events in 2003-04 and more
are scheduled for this upcoming academic
year.
Coinciding with the growth of the USA
Team Tennis National Campus Champi-
onships has been the growth of club and
intramural programs. Penn State, Texas
A&M, Florida, Central Florida and UCLA all
participated in Daytona Beach and have all
had non-varsity participation jump to well
over 100 active players in recent years.
Students like Justin DePietropaolo of Penn
State and Brent Boostrom at Central Florida
can be considered poster boys for
recreational tennis on college campuses.
Thanks to DePietropaolo, Penn State’s club
grew from 30 members to more than 150
in just a two-year span and was actually
named USTA Middle States Organization of
BY CASEY ANGLE
the Year for 2003. Boostrom led the way in
UCF intramural tennis, growing from 50 to
250 players in less than a year.
According to recent studies, tennis
participation for the 18-to-24 age group,
after several years in decline, has begun to
show signs of stabilizing over the past
couple of years. However, according to the
TIA’s latest numbers, this group currently
makes up just 7 percent of tennis players in
this country. The USTA-ITA-NIRSA partner-
ship is looking to not just curb the decline in
participation for this demographic, but to
increase it through an organized and
dynamic approach.
When interest and participation rises at
this key level, everyone in the tennis industry
wins. From the clubs these players will
become members at, to the varsity teams
these players will fill the stands for, to the
USTA sections they will become volunteers
in, and to the equipment manufacturers
they will buy from.
Of course, the players themselves serve
to benefit the most, continuing to play the
game they love. w
Casey Angle has served as
director of communications
for the Intercollegiate Tennis
Association since 1997. As
the governing body of colle-
giate tennis, the ITA
promotes both the athletic
and academic achievements of the collegiate
tennis community. The ITA, which is based in
Skillman, N.J., administers annually a number
of national and regional championship events,
the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit, presented by
the USTA, and the ITA Rankings for men's and
women's tennis at the NCAA Divisions I, II and
III, NAIA and Junior College levels. The ITA also
has a comprehensive awards program for play-
ers and coaches to honor excellence in
academics, leadership and sportsmanship. The
official ITA website is www.itatennis.com.
We welcome your opinions. Please email
comments to rsi@racquetTECH.com or
fax them to 760-536-1171.