201401 Tennis Industry magazine

Person of the YearVirgil Christian

Retailing

WEBROOMING: How Your Store Can Benefit

String Playtest

TOURNA Quasi-Gut Armor 16

Industry

CHANGING Our GameNew name, new look for leading trade pub

Incorporating

Our annual awards honor those who continue to make this sport a winner• Tennis Club of the Low Country

• Fred Kolkmann Tennis & Sport Surfaces

• Chuck Hakansson • Richard Mennig

• Serious Tennis • Robert Walsh

• Vesa Ponkka • Carla O’Connor

• Baseline Tennis Center • Nick Taylor

• Lexington County Recreation

• Fast-Dry Courts • BNA Bank Park

• Dallas Tennis Association

• Avis Murray • Robert Carlbo

• Ken Griffith • USTA Eastern

2013

CHAMPIONS OF TENNIS

Features

DEPARTMENTS

4 Our Serve

7 Industry News

17 TIA news

21 Retailing Tip

40 Ask the Experts

42 String Playtest: Tourna Quasi-Gut

Armor 16

36 Your Serve by Kevin Theos

PLUS

47 President’s Message

49 CEO's Message

51 Inside Coaching

53 Beyond the Court

55 Career Development

59 Industry Action

INDUSTRY NEWS

7 Babolat unveils new "connected" racquet

7 USTA announces TDM web enhancements

8 PTR week set for February on HHI

8 Murray introduces Head Graphene Radical

8 Ashaway named official string of PTR

9 Dunlop adds three frames to 2014 lineup

9 LSI supplies LED lights for private court

10 Project Green Ball honored in Massachusetts

11 Cardio Tennis schedules 2014 training courses

11 USTA honors eight award winners

12 Head Hawk string features new technology

14 Dunlop to distribute Diadora footwear

JANUARY 2014Tennis Industry

23 Tennis Industry’s Champions of TennisAs 2013 comes to a close, our annual awards honor the people, businesses and organizations that are making a difference in the tennis industry.

36 String Selector 2014Use our exclusive guide to find the perfect strings for your customers.

47 Committed to the CourseUSPTA President Tim McGraw outlines the organization’s goals for 2014.

51 Inside CoachingUnderstand your responsibilities as motivator, encourager and role model.

53 Beyond the Court:USPTA pros help teenager fund cancer research through Tennis Relay.

57 Keeping Players HealthySports doctors and tennis teaching pros have very similar goals.

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2 TennisIndustry January 2014

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2013

CHAMPIONS OF TENNIS

p r e s e n t s

Our Serve Publishers

David Bone Jeff Williams

Editorial Director Peter Francesconi [email protected]

Associate Editor Greg Raven

Design/Art Director Kristine Thom

Special Projects Manager Bob Patterson

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

Contributing Photographers Bob Kenas David Kenas

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

Tennis Industry is published 10 times per year: monthly January through August and combined issues in September/October and November/ December by Tennis Industry and USRSA, PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096. Periodcal postage paid at Duluth, GA and at additional mailing offices (USPS #004-354). January 2014, Volume 42, Number 1 © 2014 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. All rights reserved. Tennis Industry, TI and logo are trademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A. Phone advertising: 770-650-1102 x 125. Phone circulation and editorial: 760-536-1177. Yearly subscriptions $25 in the U.S., $40 elsewhere. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Tennis Industry, PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096. RSI is the official magazine of the USRSA, TIA,and ASBA

Actually, our “new” name really isn’t new; we’re going back to the name “Tennis Industry.” Racquet Sports Industry was created in 2003 when the former Tennis Industry magazine merged with Racquet Tech magazine, which was the publication for USRSA members. As the world’s largest tennis trade magazine, the change back to Ten-nis Industry reflects the growing importance of tennis to this coun-try’s recreational choices, and it re-emphasizes our key connection to the sport.

(But please note, we still plan on offering coverage of all racquet sports within our pages and online. In fact, the name “Racquet Sports Industry” will continue to be used within Tennis Industry for an oc-casional section that will cover racquet sports other than tennis.)

You’ll also notice we’ve changed our look. After 10 years, we felt it was time to freshen things up a bit. One of the things I’ve always liked about RSI is how “comfortable” it has looked and how readable the magazine has been. While changing a magazine visually always takes some getting used to, we feel our new look will quickly become just as comfortable for readers.

Content-wise, you’ll still find all the great things in this magazine that you've come to rely on. And, we have plans to continue to enhance our coverage. We also plan on continuing to develop and improve our online coverage of this industry (at tennisindustrymag.com). As always, our business is all about helping your business succeed.

Another thing you’ll notice as you page through this issue is that Ten-nis Industry is now the vehicle to deliver ADDvantage, the USPTA’s membership magazine. For USPTA members, this means they’ll not only continue to receive their orga-nization’s publication, they’ll now receive it inside every issue of Ten-nis Industry, so they’ll see all the industry news, how-to articles and great features TI offers. For Tennis Industry, not only does our audi-ence of key tennis providers now include every USPTA teaching pro, but also readers who aren’t USPTA members will be exposed to all the news and information that teaching pro organization has to offer.

It’s appropriate that all these changes take place at the begin-ning of a new year, in our January issue—our annual “Champions of Tennis” issue in which we honor some of the true heroes of this industry.

We hope you continue to enjoy and benefit from each and every issue of Tennis Industry.

Peter Francesconi, Editorial [email protected]

When you picked up this magazine, we hope you noticed that we changed a few things. For one, we have a new name: Tennis Industry. For another, we have a new look.

Changing Our Game

‘As always, our business is all about helping your business succeed.’


January 2014 TennisIndustry 7

Industry NewsInformation to help you run your business

The new Babolat Play Pure Drive—10 years in the making—was un-veiled to leading retailers in November, with distribution in the U.S. started in December. The Babolat Play Pure Drive is a “connected

racquet,” meaning it gathers data to quantify a player’s game and skills. “In tennis, as in other sports and in our daily lives, sharing and compar-

ing experiences through digital tools is becoming the new normal," said Eric Babolat, president and CEO. “We're adding concrete information to the sen-sations players receive. I believe that in the near future, all tennis racquets will be connected.”

Sensors integrated into the handle of the Babolat Play racquet allow play-ers to have access to information about their game. Babolat Play collects data like shot power and ball impact location (sweet spot) along with number of strokes (forehand, backhand, serve, smash), spin level, total and effective play time, endurance, technique, consistency, energy and rallies.

When the player has finished playing, information is transmitted through a Bluetooth connection with a smartphone or from a USB to a computer, and is viewable on any type of device (including tablets). Players can share information with the Babolat Play community through a dedicated platform at Babolatplay.com and on a Babolat Play App.

Babolat's challenge has been to integrate sensors in the handle of the rac-quet, without changing the specifications. The Babolat Play Pure Drive has the same physical specifications as a regular Babolat Pure Drive racquet. The racquet has a 100-square-inch head, weighs 10.6 ounces and has a suggested retail price of $399. Visit babolatplay.com. •

Babolat Unveils New Play Pure Drive ‘Connected’ Racquet

USTA Announces TDM Web Enhancements

In an effort to provide enhanced resources to tournament directors and referees, the USTA has made available “Tournament Data Manager on the Web,” a software application designed to make tournament management easier. Beginning in 2014, all sanctioned tournaments must use the new online version.

The USTA says TDM on the Web provides enhanced technology with features users are familiar with, plus many enhancements to facilitate setting up an event, creating draws and scheduling matches. The soft-ware program is free for member organiza-tions of the USTA.

“We are always looking at ways to en-hance the experience for our tournament directors, referees and players, and TDM on the Web does just that,” said Jeff Waters, USTA managing director for Adult Tennis. “In 2014, all USTA tournaments will be run using this digital platform.”

Key benefits to using TDM on the Web include: • Tournament directors and referees can ac-

cess TDM on the Web from any computer, including Macs and iPads.

• Multiple users can work on the same tour-nament simultaneously from different locations.

• Users will no longer be required to download new versions of the software or upload tournament results.

• Match results will also be instantly avail-able online for players and others.To learn more, visit usta.com/tdmweb.

Industry News

PTR Week Set for February on Hilton Head Island

The PTR will hold its annual PTR Week in February at Van der Meer Shipyard Tennis Center and the Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. PTR Week has several elements, including

the PTR Champion-ships, Feb. 17-19; the International Tennis Symposium, Feb. 20-23; and Professional Development Courses

conducted before and immediately fol-lowing the Symposium.

PTR Week attracts tennis teachers and coaches from around the world, includ-ing some of the industry’s most notable speakers. Dr. Jim Loehr, Pat Etcheberry, Dennis Ralston, Anne Pankhurst, Leo Alonso, Lorenzo Beltrame, Doug Cash and Dr. Mark Kovacs will be among the 40 presenters who will conduct classroom and on-court presentations during the Symposium. Subjects will range from the

tennis business to teaching tactics and techniques.

PTR Week also includes an Awards Banquet, Cardio Tennis and Tennis Trade Show. Visit ptrtennis.org for information and to register.

Ashaway Named Official String of PTR

Ashaway Racket Strings of Ashaway, R.I., has signed a three-year sponsorship agree-ment with PTR, making Ashaway the Official String of PTR.

“PTR is excited to sign with Ashaway,” says PTR CEO Dan Santorum. “The company produces high-quality racquet strings. In keeping with PTR’s emphasis on our family culture, it is apropos that we partner with a great family-owned and run company like Ashaway.”

Ashaway also produces braided twines for the textile industry, braided nylon cores for fly fishing lines, and many other custom-braided lines for a variety of applications, including medical. A world leader in the

production of bulk medical threads used in a variety of medical devices, Ashaway uses the same stringent quality-control system that is required for medical thread production in all string production.

“Ashaway is delighted to partner with the Professional Tennis Registry and its 14,600 members worldwide,” says company VP Steve Crandall. "Ashaway has been making tennis string since 1949, and is the only U.S. manufacturer of racquet string. As the Offi-cial String, we’re happy to support the PTR’s mission to educate, certify and service tennis teachers and coaches around the world, and to help grow the game.”

Babolat Launches New Pure Strike Frames

Babolat says its new Pure Strike is designed for players who have an attack-based game and take the ball early. The racquet offers “reactivity and precision,” thanks to a hybrid frame construction (both square and elliptic) with specific technologies.

The Pure Strike is designed for players Babolat calls “first strikers,” who take the ball on the rise from primarily inside the baseline, using the speed of their opponent’s ball to help generate power. “Thanks to a new hybrid frame construc-tion (square and elliptic), the Babolat Pure Strike offers more reactivity at ball impact than any other racquet in this segment,” says Gael Moureaux, Babolat’s racquets product manager. “‘First Strik-ers’ will find the perfect balance between reactivity and precision.”

The Babolat Pure Strike, in carbon gray with neon red, for sale to consumers in mid-January, will come in four versions:• Pure Strike 18 x 20 (suggested retail

$189) has a 98-square-inch head and is designed for players who use the entire court.

• Pure Strike 16 x 19 ($189, available in May), also 98 square inches, is designed for power and spin.

• Pure Strike Tour ($195), has an 18 x 20 string pattern, is 98 square inches and is slightly heavier, for competitive players


Murray Introduces New Head Graphene Radical

Andy Murray and Head recently announced the launch of the Graphene Radical. “It gives me the

power I need without compromising on my creativity on court,” the 2013 Wimble-don champion says.

Head says the new generation of the Radical racquet series now combines the best features of the Radical concept with the latest material innovation: Graphene. Graphene is extremely lightweight but with a breaking strength 200 times great-er than steel, which allows for an optimal redistribution of weight for the best play-ability, according to the company. Weight is shifted to the grip and tip, providing easier handling while letting players swing with more power. The colorful design of the frame is inspired by street art.

While the Graphene Radical Pro is the top model and most aggressive one, the Radical series also includes the MP, REV and the S models to match the different needs and levels of players.

The introduction of the new racquet will be supported by a campaign featur-ing Andy Murray, to launch in January and mainly be driven through social media channels. For more information, visit head.com/tennis.•

Industry News


Dunlop recently introduced three racquets to its lineup for 2014: the S2.0 Lite, S7.0 Lite and S6.0 Lite in a pink version.

The S2.0 Lite is designed for intermediate to advanced players looking for a maneuverable, midsized, head-light racquet. It has a 16x19 string pattern and features Dunlop's latest Biomimetic technologies: AeroskinCX, BioFibre and MoS2 grommets. The S7.0 Lite, with a 110-square-inch head, is slightly head-light and more flexible and arm-friendly than most oversize racquets, plus more maneuver-able at net, says Dunlop. In addition to AeroskinCX, BioFibre and MoS2 grommets, the S7.0 also adds the 3Dom grommet system to enhance power, along with “Ana-tomic” construction for stability.

According to Dunlop, AeroskinCX, which resembles the skin of a shark, reduces drag by up to 36 percent and enhances swing speed. BioFibre are natural fibers used in Dunlop’s dampening system throughout the throat and handle. The company says BioFibre dampens shock by 18 percent. MoS2 uses Molybdenite in a grommet system that enables easier movement between the strings and grommets, decreas-ing friction by 27 percent and adding more power to shots.

“The S2.0 Lite is perfect for players who have a big game, but are looking for a lighter weight, more user-friendly option,” says Hunter Hines, director of market-ing and product. “The S7.0 Lite gives players who like oversize racquets a great al-ternative to the traditional stiff, head-heavy frames. And we're happy to bring back a pink version of the racquet Dominika Cibulkova plays, the S6.0 Lite.”•

Dunlop Adds Three New Frames to 2014 Lineup

in search of the top 100 technology in-novations of the year. These products are considered breakthroughs that repre-sent a significant leap in their individual categories. The winners of each category are included in the December issue of Popular Science. The Graphene Speed Pro is among the 100 new products and technologies awarded in 2013.

LSI Supplies LED Lights for Residential Court

LSI Industries of Cincinnati recently installed an LED lighting system for a residential court in Alton, Ill. (below). The company says the homeowner was looking for a “more innovative option” to light his home tennis court.

Typical lighting for outdoor tennis courts required metal halide systems because of the high light levels required. The eight-pole, LSI solid-state LED fixtures reduced the total connected electrical load more than 50 percent, vs. traditional 1000w metal halide fixtures, the company says. The LED system “provides vivid illumination with uniform lighting levels across the playing surface. … The forward throw reflector system of the LED fixtures provides sharp cutoff behind the fixtures, eliminating spill light to the area surrounding the court.”

LED systems provide years of main-tenance-free operation with little lumen depreciation over the life of the system. Also, LED fixtures operate at full brightness immediately when they are turned on, as op-posed to the gradual warm-up time required for metal halide fixtures. McConnell Sports of St. Louis installed the lighting system on the Alton court.

who take the ball on the rise.• Pure Strike 100 ($185), with a 16 x 19

pattern, is a lighter racquet for better maneuverability and a larger head (100 square inches).Visit babolat.com.

USTA Board of Directors Application

Interested in serving on the USTA Board of Directors or USTA Nominating Commit-tee? Applications for the 2015-2016 term are available on USTA .com. The application deadline is Feb. 1, 2014.

For a complete listing of details, position

descriptions, and the application form, visit www.usta.com/About-USTA/Organization/Committees/ApplicationInstructions/.

Head Graphene Speed Pro Wins ‘Best of What’s New’ Award

The editors of Popular Science magazine have named Head’s Graphene Speed Pro racquet a 2013 recipient of the publica-tion’s “Best of What’s New” Award in the recreation category. Head launched the Graphene Speed and Instinct lines in early 2013.

Each year, the editors of Popular Sci-ence review thousands of new products

S2.0 LiteS6.0 LiteS7.0 Lite

PeopleWatch

Chris Kermode has been named the new ATP Executive Chairman & President, beginning a three-year term Jan. 1, based in the London office. Kermode has been involved in tennis for more than 30 years, first as a player, and most recently as tourna-ment director of the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club, as well as managing director of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Kevin Inn is the new president of the USTA Hawaii Pacific Section, and Saundra Gulley is the vice president.

USTA Texas Executive Director Ken McAllister was inducted into the

Texas Tennis Hall of Fame.

Marty Maciaszek is the new director of communications for the National Sporting Goods Association.

The 2013 USTA/ITA Sportsmanship Award winners are Clay Thompson of UCLA, and Hayley Carter of North Carolina. Thompson recently won the men’s singles title at the 2013 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, where freshman Jamie Loeb of North Carolina claimed the women’s title.

The U.S. men’s doubles tennis team of Bob and Mike Bryan

were named Team of the Year by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Head Penn’s Paola Longoria, the world’s No. 1 ranked female rac-quetball player, won her fourth UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championship recently. Rocky Carson reached the Championship Final in the Men’s Professional Division.

Wilson racquetball champion Kerri Wachtel has announced her of-ficial retirement from the

pro tour, after a 12-year career on the court.

Dunlop player Nick Matthew defeated fellow Dunlop player Greg Gaultier on Nov. 3 to win the AJ Bell World Squash Championship, his third world squash title in four years. Mat-thew plays with the Bio-mimetic Evolution 130 racquet, and Gaultier the Biomimetic Elite.

Ben Porter has been promoted to general manager of platform tennis brand Viking. Porter also continues as a Prince brand manager for the New York and New Jersey territory. As part of the transition, Scott Winters will now focus on growing and

improving the Ektelon racquetball brand.

Marco Carvajal of Oklahoma Baptist University and Fausthy Pietersz of Tyler Junior College were named the winners of the 2013 James O'Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Awards, presented by Rolex Watch, USA, at the USTA/ITA National Small College Chps.

Longtime Serbian Davis Cup team mem-ber Nenad Zimonjic received the 2013 Davis Cup Award of Excellence during a ceremony at the 2013 Davis Cup World Group Final between Serbia and the Czech Republic in November.

Project Green Ball Honored in Massachusetts

On Nov. 5, Project Green Ball, started by a Massachusetts son and father to recycle dead tennis balls, was honored with the MassRecycle Institution Innovation Award at a ceremony in Worcester. The nonprofit is on pace to collect 200,000 used tennis balls (about 14 tons of landfill) that will be shred-ded for equestrian turf.

Inspiration for Project Green Ball began with a simple question. “We play a lot of tennis and have a lot of tennis balls around the house,” remembers technology attorney Scott Soloway. “We had a bucket of balls and were about to dump them out and my son Ben [a senior and varsity tennis player at The Rivers School in Weston, Mass.] said, ‘Isn’t there any way to recycle tennis balls?’”

Ben researched the few ball-recycling programs around the world, but then noticed the mix in the turf where his sister did her riding. That led to a discussion with IGK Equestrian of Weedsport, N.Y., and a

deal to include the balls in a new turf—the first one was recently installed at Dana Hall in Wellesley, Mass. As part of the agreement, for every 200,000 balls delivered, IGK will donate a free turf to a therapeutic riding center. Wilson recently donated 20,000 balls to Project Green Ball, and tens of thousands have come from clubs and teams primarily in the Northeast.

The constant challenge of logistics, the need to keep the website (projectgreenball.org) and social media sites updated, fielding

calls and emails from across the U.S., as well as inquiries from abroad about one project, would seem to be enough for two people who have to work around commitments to school and a profession. Yet there is no endgame in sight, even as college looms for Ben and the organization takes more of Scott’s time.

Their shared passion continues: There are millions of used balls from landfills, more green construction to encourage, and more who can benefit. The answer to a simple question continues to evolve.

—Kent Oswald

‘Get America Moving’ Contest to Honor Local Programs

Do you have a program that increases sports and fitness participation in your community? Submit your program for consideration and enter the new SGI Get America Moving Challenge contest.

To show support for PHIT America, SGI Weekly Intelligence is launching the


Industry News

Industry Newsinaugural Get America Moving Chal-lenge. For more information on this program and how to enter, contact SGI at 610-459-4040 or [email protected]. Entries must be submitted by January 10. Entry forms are at sgiweekly.com.

“Our goal is to identify the top sports and fitness programs produced by retailers, manufacturers, professional sports teams, coaches, community ser-vice organizations, and entrepreneurs in local communities,” said SGI Weekly Intelligence publisher John Horan. The winners will be featured in the SGI Get America Moving series of articles to be published in April 2014, honored by PHIT America, and promoted on PHITAmerica.org.

Cardio Tennis Schedules 2014 Training Courses

The TIA continues to add to its 2014 schedule of Cardio Tennis and TRX Cardio Tennis training courses for tennis teaching and fitness professionals.

The 7-hour Cardio Tennis Training Course (CTTC) teaches the fundamentals of Cardio Tennis and how to make it a success. Participants learn how to create a healthy curriculum; the six components of Cardio Tennis; importance of heart-rate monitors and how to use them; proper warm-up activities, CT games and drills, cool-down activities and cardio blasts; drill-based vs. play-based exercises; how to market and make money with Cardio Tennis; and more. Upon completion, participants will receive complimentary CT Authorized Provider status for one year. For information or to register, visit CardioTennis.com or email [email protected].

The 8-hour TRX CT Training Course, which requires teaching pros to have taken the CTTC course within the last three years or within three months of TRX CT course completion, combines TRX Suspension Training bodyweight exercise and Cardio Tennis, for an on-court, cutting-edge program that improves strength, power, flexibility and balance for overall tennis per-formance. With four lesson plans and more than 30 TRX exercises, the TRX CT course provides pros with everything they need to build their business. Upon completion, participants join the official TRX directory of trainers and facilities. Visit trxtraining.com or call Dorian Adam at 925-788-2748.

The CTTC is $150 and the TRX CTTC is $295. Register for both courses combined at CardioTennis.com for $350 (a $90 sav-ings).

New courses continue to be added, so check CardioTennis.com for updates. The current schedule includes the following locations and dates. (CT means Cardio Tennis Training Course; TRX CT is the TRX CT course.)

Austin, Texas—May 18 (TRX CT)Birmingham, Ala.—April 19 (CT)Clearwater, Fla.—May 3 (CT)Columbus, Ohio—Feb. 27 (CT)Denver, Colo.—May 16 (CT) & 17 (TRX CT)Fayetteville, N.C.—Oct. 9 (CT)Hilton Head Island, S.C.—Feb. 24 (CT) & 25 (TRX CT)Honolulu, Hawaii—March 9 (CT)Kansas City, Mo.—Feb. 20 (CT)Marina del Rey, Calif.—Jan. 11 (CT) & 12 (TRX CT)New York, N.Y.—June 14 (CT)New York, N.Y.—Nov. 8 (CT) & 9 (TRX CT)Palm Desert, Calif.—March TBD (CT & TRX CT)San Francisco, Calif.—March 2 (CT ) & 3 (TRX CT)San Jose, Calif—Feb. 7 (CT)

USTA Honors 8 at TDW The USTA honored eight award winners

at the Tennis Development Workshop held in Denver in early November. • Adaptive Tennis National Community

Service Award: Omaha Tennis Buddies, Omaha, Neb.

• Eve F. Kraft Community Service Award: Celia Rehm, Jackson-ville, Fla.

• Janet Louer USTA Jr. Team Tennis Organizer of the Year: Heidi Stryk-er, Irvine, Calif.

• National Community Tennis Associa-tion of the Year: Savannah Area Tennis Association, Savannah, Ga.

• National Junior Tennis & Learn-ing Chapters of the Year: A’s & Aces ($500,000 and over), New Orleans; Prince George’s Tennis & Education Foundation ($50,000-$500,000), Prince George County, Md.; Olivencia Tennis (less than $50,000), San Sebas-tian, Puerto Rico

• Trainer of the Year: Bill Phillips, Lafay-ette, La.


TIA Quarterly Report on the Tennis Retail Market

Tennis Racquet PerformanceSpecialty Stores January-September, 2013 vs. 2012Units 2013 534,492 2012 574,650 % change vs. ’12 -7%

Dollars 2013 $77,826,000 2012 $80,221,000 % change vs. ’12 -3%

Price 2013 $145.61 2012 $139.60 % change vs. ’12 4%

Top-Selling Racquets at Specialty Stores

By year-to-date dollars, Jan.-Sept. 2013 Best Sellers1. Babolat Aero Pro Drive 2013 (MP)2. Babolat Pure Drive GT 2012 (MP)3. Wilson BLX Juice (MP)4. Wilson Steam 99S (MP)5. Babolat Aero Pro Team 2013 (MP)

“Hot New Racquets”(introduced in the past 12 months)1. Babolat Aero Pro Drive 2013 (MP)2 . Wilson Steam 99S (MP)3. Babolat Aero Pro Team 2013 (MP)4. Wilson Steam 105S (OS)5. Head Graphene Speed MP (MP)

Top-Selling Tennis Shoes at Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars, Jan.-Sept. 20131. Prince T222. Nike Zoom Vapor 9 Tour3. Asics Gel Resolution 54. Nike Air Max Cage 20135. Adidas AdiPower Barricade 7

Top-Selling Tennis Strings at Specialty Stores

By year-to-date units, Jan.-Sept. 20131. Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex2. Babolat RPM Blast3. Wilson NXT4. Wilson Sensation5. Luxilon Alu Power(Source: TIA/Sports Marketing Surveys)

ShortSets

Czech Republic suc-cessfully defended its Davis Cup crown with a 3-2 triumph over a Novak Djokovic-led Serbia in Belgrade in mid-November. Radek Stepanek became just the third player in history to win two Davis Cup Final live fifth singles rubbers, and the first man to do so on consecutive occasions.

The 2014 Davis Cup first round between the U.S. and Britain will be played in San Diego’s Petco Park Jan. 31 to Feb. 2. A temporary grandstand will be built in left field that can hold 8,000 spectators, and the match will be played on clay.

The Public Audito-rium in Cleveland has been selected as the site for the 2014 Fed Cup World Group First Round between the U.S. and reigning Fed Cup champion Italy, Feb. 8-9. The U.S. and Italy are among the eight na-tions eligible to win the 2014 title. For tickets,

call 888-334-8782 or visit usta.com/fedcup.

Italy won its fourth Fed Cup title after defeating Russia 4-0 in the Fed Cup World Group Final in Sardinia Nov. 2-3. Also, Italian captain Corrado Baraz-zutti was presented with the Fed Cup Award of Excellence by the ITF and International Tennis Hall of Fame, and Italy’s Sara Errani won the Fed Cup Heart Award.

The American Sports Builders Association has released a four-minute video designed to showcase the impor-tance of hiring a design professional expe-rienced in sports fa-cilities. It is intended for those who are planning to install or renovate a sports facility, or those who are considering doing so. The video is at sportsbuilders.org.

Ashaway Racket Strings joined racquet maker Black Knight to sponsor the US Junior Open Squash Tourna-

ment, which was held in December at Yale Uni-versity in New Haven, Conn. With about 900 players from 24 coun-tries, it’s the world's largest individual squash tournament.

Prince has announced a partnership with ILNA Inc. (Interloop North America) that will allow the Winston Salem-based sock company to develop, produce, distribute and market socks bearing the Prince name in the U.S., Canada, Europe and parts of South Asia.

The Junior Tennis Champions Center of College Park, Md., and Fila announced a multi-year agree-ment to promote Fila’s performance tennis apparel, footwear and accessories at the USTA Regional Training center. As part of the agreement, Fila will outfit JTCC coaches and has developed a custom JTCC-Fila co-branded jacket for players and coaches to wear at

junior tournaments. Fila also has opened a concept shop at JTCC.

PTR and Ten-nis Canada have renewed their partnership between the PTR and Tennis Professionals As-sociation for three more years. PTR provides subscrip-tions to TennisPro and TennisOne, plus access to special PTR educational events and symposia, and additional seminars to be held within Canada. PTR benefits are available to Level 2 TPA members.

TGA Premier Youth Tennis’s newest tennis franchise, its 22nd, is in Union County, N.J., owned by Nick Meltzer, a former financial services and invest-ment executive. TGA franchises introduce tennis to youth in more than 1,000 schools through sup-porting the USTA’s

“10 and Under Tennis” initiative.

At its meeting in November, the ITF Board of Directors found that the Tunisian Tennis Federation was in breach of the ITF Constitution by interfering with international sporting practice and ordering Tunisian player Malek Jaziri not to compete against Israeli player Amir Weintraub at the 2013 Tashkent Challenger in October. The Board voted to suspend Tunisia from the 2014 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas competi-tion.

The USPTA has ap-proved the National Family Tennis Champi-onships as a sanc-tioned program for USPTA pros in an effort to support the growth of grassroots tennis participation. NFTC focuses on advancing family doubles tourna-ments and USPTA pros can register to host an event.

New Head Hawk String Features New Technology

Head has introduced “Crystal Core tech-nology,” a newly developed string manu-facturing process that the company says “opens the door to a whole new era of co-polyester strings.” The new technology, which the company says provides the ultimate combination of power and feel, is introduced in the new Head Hawk tour string, which was

developed together with some of Head’s top pro players.

The new, innovative manufacturing pro-cess is a complex multistep heat treatment,

which controls the molecular crystal structure within a monofilament string and allows for engineering different material properties into its outer and core regions. Accord-ing to the company, a “highly orientated molecular structure”

on the outside of the string gener-

ates more energy efficiency, releasing more power on shots, while a more crystalline core adds dampening and touch to the string. As a result, says Head, the string offers a unique combination of energy efficiency for explosive power with optimized control and touch in every shot.

New Pojie Designed to Increase ‘Dwell’

The Pojie compression core by String Advantage is a racquet accessory in-


Industry News

Industry News

stalled outside the hoop in the throat of the racquet, elongating the main strings. The manufacturer says the resulting increased “dwell time” on the strings improves spin, stroke consistency, and power transfer and helps to dampen vibration.

Stringers simply add the four Pojie units to the normal stringing process. The Pojie has a fiber-reinforced high-strength nylon body, polyurethane and ABS engi-neered compression core. Each unit sits against the racquet frame, over the stock grommets, and are held in place by the main strings.

Pojie is distributed by Fromuth. For more information, visit stringadvantage.com.

Life Time Opens Colorado Tennis Destination

Life Time has opened its newest tennis destination at Life Time Athletic Centen-nial in Colorado. The new tennis complex features 10 indoor climate-controlled courts and 10-lighted outdoor courts (six hard courts and four clay). The new complex marks a significant addition to the exist-ing, nearly 130,000-square-foot Life Time Athletic Centennial property, one of four Life Time destinations in Colorado.

The Centennial tennis center also features

amenities such as video analysis rooms for coaching, a pro shop, locker rooms and indoor viewing lounge. Certified Life Time Athletic tennis pros will lead programming, including lessons and leagues for both adults and juniors at all levels. Members also can take advantage of USTA league play, private and group lessons, tournaments, weekly drills, tennis assessments, social programming including mixers and leagues, as well as a 10 and under junior program.

“The anticipation for our new world-class

complex has been building and we’re ex-cited to offer a destination of this caliber to the community, highlighted by unmatched tennis courts, instruction and program-ming,” says Terri Goldman, general man-ager at Life Time Athletic Centennial.

Second Annual World Tennis Day Set for March 3

The International Tennis Federation and StarGames announced that the second annual World Tennis Day will take place on Monday, March 3. World Tennis Day will center around a series of high-profile special events, produced by StarGames, featuring current and former professional players. In 2014, cities hosting the special events will include New York, London, Bangkok and Hong Kong.

In New York, the 2014 BNP Paribas Showdown will once again take place at Madison Square Garden and be part of a USTA promotional push for recreational


tennis. The MSG event will feature Novak Djokovic playing Andy Murray, as well as Bob and Mike Bryan taking on John and Patrick McEnroe.

World Tennis Day was staged for the first time in 2013 with 55 nations host-ing participation events. In addition, BNP Paribas Showdown events were held in New York and Hong Kong.

USRSA Announces New MRTs and CSs

MRT'sBrian Axelrod - Lakewood, FLBrian Bulla - Oshawa, ON CANADAAlvin Macasinag - Riverview, FLPatrick Martin - Athens, GACesar Morales - Naperville, ILAmir Rangnekar - Sunnyvale, CABenjamin Simon - Hyattsville, MD

CS'sSavannah Johnson - Stillwater, MN

State of Connecticut Buys New Haven Open

The State of Connecticut will buy the rights to the women’s New Haven Open for $618,000. The WTA event has been suffer-ing from declining attendance and was in danger of leaving the state.

“Economic development for our urban environments, and the state as a whole, is a fundamental component of the state's agenda and we view the New Ha-ven Open as another chapter in bolstering this effort," Gov. Dan-nel Malloy said. "We know that Connecticut is a great state for women's sports, and this is another fantastic way to ensure that continues to

be the case in 2014 and beyond.”The USTA, which owns the tournament,

had reached an agreement to sell it and move it to Winston Salem, N.C., where the ATP holds a men’s event during the same week in August the women play in New Haven. But the ATP rejected plans for a com-bined tourney and Connecticut was given a chance to buy the WTA sanction and keep it at the Connecticut Tennis Center, which was built with state funds.

"In this case, we're making a relatively modest investment, given the size of the eco-nomic development return that this brings to the community," said state budget director Ben Barnes.

An economic impact study conducted in 2008, when the event combined both men’s and women’s tournaments, found that the tournament generated approximately $26

million in regional economic impact, includ-ing almost 300 jobs and $1.1 million in state tax revenue. While economic impact most likely is substantially less now, the tourna-ment still helps the local economy. The tour-nament also announced that it has received renewals from its top five sponsors, Aetna, American Express, First Niagara, Yale-New Haven Hospital and Yale University.

USTA Names No-Cut Coach All-Star Team

The USTA recently recognized 12 middle and high school coaches for the 2013 No-Cut Coach All-Star Team. The coaches implement a “no-cut” policy, which wel-comes all interested students to be a part of their school’s tennis team. Coaches are nominated by their USTA sections.

“These recipients embody what it means to be an advocate for our sport,” says Jason Jamison, national manager for USTA Schools. “We are proud to recognize their efforts to ensure players of all levels are part of a team.” Since 2006, more than 4,000 tennis coaches nationwide have made a commitment to offering a no-cut policy, with some programs including more than 100 team members on a high school team. Visit usta.com/no-cut.

The 2013 No-Cut Coach All-Star Team is:• Joe Arias, Center Moriches High School

in Center Moriches, N.Y.• John Cyrus, El Dorado High School in

Placentia, Calif.• Laura Ecton, Poudre High School in Fort

Collins, Colo.• Kenneth Griffith, Henry E. Lackey High

School in Indian Head, Md.• Ryan Hoag, Washburn High School in

Minneapolis, Minn.• Richard Johnson, La Cueva High School

in Albuquerque, N.M.• Ryan Knarr, Conrad Weiser High School

in Robesonia, Penn.• Kevin Knoch, Perry High School in Mas-

sillon, Ohio• Deanne Larsell, Benson High School in

Portland, Ore.• David Riedmayer, Beaufort High School

in Beaufort, S.C.• Troy Saulsbury, Kearney High School in

Kearney, Neb.• Vonda Harris-Webb, Grand Prairie High

School in Grand Prairie, Tex.


Industry News

Diadora is re-launching its tennis shoe line in the U.S. and Dunlop Sports Group Americas will be the exclusive distributor of the Italian company’s premium tennis footwear.

Diadora's 2014 tennis line will consist of five models of men's shoes and four of women's, all featuring Diadora's latest technologies and designed for players looking for performance, durability, and comfort, says the company. The Dunlop tennis sales team has been presenting the product range for pre-sale, with delivery scheduled for mid-January 2014.

“The Diadora brand is legendary in tennis,” said Kai Nitsche, vice president and general manager of Dunlop Sports Group Americas. “We are excited to bring the Diadora performance tennis line back to the U.S. market and look forward to play-ers re-engaging with the brand. Adding Diadora footwear to our Dunlop equipment ranges and Antigua apparel line gives our customers a head-to-toe offering backed by industry-leading service they have come to rely on.”•

Dunlop to Distribute Diadora Tennis Shoes in U.S.

Industry News

Showcase Your Programming at a USTA Tennis Play Event

In March, the USTA and the tennis industry will host USTA Tennis Play Events in celebra-tion of World Tennis Day on March 3. Tennis Play Events are designed to introduce kids to tennis and provide a platform to register children for spring programs. Sports indus-try studies have shown that an early, positive experience in sports creates a lifelong com-mitment to an active lifestyle.

World Tennis Day on March 3 is a celebra-tion of tennis around the world that includes professional matches in New York City, Hong Kong and London.

By hosting a Tennis Play Event in the month of March, tennis organizers can showcase their junior programs and attract new players to the sport. The events welcome kids and families of all skill levels and Tennis Play Event hosts receive a Celebration Pack that includes special giveaways for attendees.

Organizers will have access to customiz-able marketing materials and be featured in the searchable database on YouthTennis.

com, the one-stop destination to register all year-round junior events and programs and where millions of parents are searching for activities for their kids. To host an event, visit YouthTennis.com.

Babolat Introduces Origin Monofilament

Babolat, which invented the first tennis racquet string in 1875, has introduced its latest innovation, the Babolat Origin, a synthetic string made with “Pure Combo,” a new material the company says provides “an unri-valed level of power and comfort.”

Pure Combo is an organically-sourced polyamide, integrated into the monofila-ment construction to provide Babolat Origin with an unmatched level of elasticity and flex-ibility for a monofilament string, Babolat says. Origin is available in 125, 130, and


135 gauges, with a suggested retail price of $21.95

ITHOF Names New Directors Nine individuals have been elected to the

Board of Directors of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum.

The new board members are: USTA First Vice President Katrina M. Adams; Vijay Amri-traj, a former world top-20 player; David Bell, Chairman Emeritus of the Interpublic Group; Laurie Erlandson, a CPA formerly with Arthur Andersen & Co; David B. Ford, president of DBF Associates and Senior Advisor to Gate-more Capital Management; David I. Goulden, president and COO of EMC Corporation; Hall of Famer Charlie Pasarell; Barbara van Beuren, manager director at Anbau Enter-prises; and Stewart Wicht, president and CEO of Rolex Watch U.S.A., Inc.

In addition, longtime tennis industry supporters and Hall of Fame board members Rosalind Walter, Peggy Woolard, and John Reese have been named Life Trustees of the organization. •

Throughout the past 12 months, the TIA has continued to take steps to move this industry’s key focus areas forward, laying the groundwork along with the USTA and our partners for various efforts and initiatives that will help provide a sustainable infrastructure to carry our industry well into the future. We realize we still have many challenges, but thanks to the efforts of thousands in this industry, we will continue to take steps toward long-term growth for all stakeholders, and to further unite all of us under one brand—TENNIS.

2013

February• TheTIAEconomicIndexfor2012

showsa3%growthinthetenniseconomy,to$5.57billion.

• “TIARetailTipsBooklet”isreleased,containingacollectionofbusiness-relatedtipsforspecialtytennisretailersthatwerepublishedinRSIMagazine.

• CareersInTennispartnerswithRSItoannouncenominationsforRSI’s“30Under30.”

• TimHeckler,USPTACEOandlongtimeTIABoardMember,passesaway.

• TIAreleasesthe2012DealerTrendsStudy,highlightingtrendsinequipment,apparel,andthespecialtyretailmarket.

• The2012CostofDoingBusinessRetailersreportisreleased,outliningmacroeconomictrendsamongtennisretailers.

in yearReview

January• TIAreleasesthe“TIAEquipment

Index,”anewresearchmeasuretotrendhistoricalgrowthoftennisequipmentsales.

• The2012USTA/TIAParticipationstudyisreleased,showinga4%growthinfrequentplayersto5.3millionplayerswhoplay21+timesayearormore,anda13%growthinyouthplayersbetweenages6and11.

• Year-endnumbersfor2012showthattheTIA’sjobboard,CareersInTennis,receivedmorethan40,000jobviews.

• GregMason,VPofSales&MarketingforHEAD/PennUSA,beginshistenureasnewTIAPresident.

• Year-end2012shipmentdataforRed,OrangeandGreentennisballsshow38%growthover2011.

• CardioTenniscontinuestogrow,withmorethan1.4millionplayersintheU.S.

March • Hangtags

beginappearingonYouthTennisequipmentatmassmerchantandchainretailers,toincreaseconsumerawarenessaboutappropriatelysizedgearforkids,inaneffortcoordinatedbytheTIA,withtheUSTAandmanufacturers.

•AttheUSTAAnnualMeetinginWeston,FL,TIAPresidentGregMasonandExecutiveDirectorJolyndeBoerdelivera“StateoftheIndustry”presentation.Also,thefirstoftwoannualTIABoardMeetingsisheld.

•TheNationalAcademyofSportsMedicineaccreditsCardioTennis,oneofthefirsttennis-orientedprogramstoreceivecontinuingeducationaccreditationbytheNASM,agloballeaderindeliveringevidenced-basedcertificationsand

advancedcredentialstohealthandfitnessprofessionals.

•TIAattendsandhelpspromoteTennisNightinAmericatoitsprovidernetworkoffacilitiesandretailers.TIAmeetingsinNewYorkCitywithmanufacturersandretailersdiscussstimulatinggrowthatretail.

•MikeBallardie,newCEOofPrinceGlobalSports,joinstheTIA’sBoardofDirectors.

•TIAoffers“UsingTIAResearchtoHelpGrowYourBusiness”webinarforspecialtytennisretailers.

•TIAjoinsincelebratingtheUSTA’s10,000thcourtlinedorbuiltforYouthTennis.

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Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org January 2014 TennisIndustry 17

7% growth per year needed to achieve goal

2010

4.8M

20152020

7.5M

10M

Industry Goal:10 Million Frequent Players by

2020 = $3.9 Billion Impact

april•TIAreleasesitsannual16-page“Stateof

theIndustry,”asynthesisofthe70+annualreportsconductedbytheorganization.

• The2013PhysicalActivityCouncil’s“Sports,Fitness,andRecreationParticipation”reportisreleased,showingstablenumbersintennisparticipationanda2%growthinfrequentplayerplayoccasions.

•TIAbeginstodevelopa“TennisTune-Up”campaign,workingwiththeUSRSAandindustrymanufacturerstocreateconsumerawarenessabouttheimportanceofracquetrestringing.

•TheTIAFacilityManager’sManualisreleasedinaneweditionwithupdatedcontentonbestpracticesandcasestudiesfortennisfacilitymanagement.

•TRXCardioTennisisaddedtothe“menu”ofprofessionaleducationforTRXtrainers.

•TIAoffersretailwebinar“Using‘Benchmarks’toImproveyourRetailBusiness.”

•Q12013TIACensusReportsshowa2%decreaseinstringunitsshipped,a1.5%increaseinballunitsshipped,anda15%decreaseinracquetunitsshippedoverthesameperiodin2012.Red,OrangeandGreenballshipmentsgrew3.2%.

Ask AN

Expert!

Match the best strings to your playing style …

Get the Most out of your Game!

JUNE

• TIAupdatesandrevisesthe“RetailManager’sManual,”addinganewtipsandresourcessection.

• TIAofferstheretailwebinar“HowtoPutShoppersintheComfortZone.”

• TIAandITFagreeonaplantoincreasetradeawarenessaboutthereplacementcycleofYellow,Red,OrangeandGreentennisballs—every30daysforYellowballs,every90daysforROGballs.

• TIACardioTennisManagerMicheleKrausetravelstoBelgiumtodeliveranInternationalCardioTennistrainingcoursetonearly50tennisprofessionalsfromBelgiumandneighboringcountries.

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

[ ]With unprecedented support from industry stakeholders, PlayTennis.com is THE place for consumers to get into the game, stay in the game, have fun on the court, and get fit and healthy.

MAY

•TIAre-launchesanall-newPlayTennis.com,makingiteasierforplayerstoconnectwithotherplayers,findplacestoplay,programs,teachingpros,andmuchmore.

• WiththeITF,theTIAannouncesplanstodevelopaGlobalTennisMarketplacereport,measuringwholesaleequipmentandparticipationtrendsinover20countries.

•TIAattendsthe2013PTRInternationalTennisSymposiumonHiltonHeadIsland,SC.,andoffersCardioTennisandTRXCardioTennismorningworkouts.TrainingcoursesarealsoheldatAurora,CO,andActon,MA.

• TIAofferstheretailwebinar“CreatinganExtraordinaryShoppingExperience.”

• USTA/ESPNannouncedealforESPN’sexclusivecoverageoftheUSOpenandEmiratesAirlineUS

OpenSeriesbeginningin2015.


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

JULY

• Q2TIACensusdatashowsanincreaseof9%inunitsshippedforthewholesalestringmarket,anincreaseof6%inunitsshippedfortennisballs,andanincreaseof16%inwholesaleunitshipmentsofRed,Orange,andGreenballs.

•FreemarketingmaterialismadeavailableonPlayTennis.comfortennisproviderstoutilizeindrivingconsumerawarenessaboutthesiteandtheirbusinesses.

•USTA,PTRandUSPTAannounceaneweducationalcollaboration—aseriesofcoursesandworkshopsthatfocusonthedevelopmentofyoungplayers.

•PlayTennis.comreceivesaboostinconsumerawarenesswhenVISApromotedthesiteonitssocialmediaplatformstoitsnearly10millionfansandfollowers.

•TIAannouncesanagreementwithPreferredCardServicestoofferexclusivepricingdiscountstoTIARetailDivisionmembersontheircredit-cardprocessingfeesandservices.

•TIAdatashowsthereareover2,700TennisWelcomeCenters,1,800CardioTennissites,andmorethan300,000registeredtennisplayersinTIAdatabases.

AUGUST

• TIAholdsa“BusinessofTennis”medialuncheonatNewYorkCity’sBarAmericain.

• TIAdevelopsanewSaaSpartnershipprogramtoprovidetennisproviderswithinformationonsoftwareapplicationsandsolutions.

• USTAannouncesahalf-billion-dollartransformationoftheUSTABillieJeanKingNationalTennisCenter,whichincludesaroofoverArthurAsheStadium,tobecompletedby2018.

• Thefirstannual“TIAStateoftheIndustry”isheldattheGrandHyattNewYorkwithnearly200industryexecutivesandleadersinattendance,followedbyaTIABoardMeeting.

• DuringtheUSOpen,theTIAholdsmeetingsinNYCwithitsManufacturer’sPanelandRetailDivisionmemberstooutlineareasforgrowthandcooperation,includingthe“TennisTune-Up”campaign.

• TIAhelpspromoteNickelodeon’sWorldWideDayofPlayandUSTAYouthTenniseventregistrationmonth.

• PlayTennis.comsoft-launchesanewplayer-matchsystemtohelpconnecttennisplayerswitheachother.

• TheTIAandITFcreateaGlobalTennisResearchPartnershiptoestablishparticipationandmarkettrendsonaglobalbasis.

• TIAofferstheretailwebinar“TheImpactTechnologyHasonYourCurrentandFutureTennisCustomers.”

• WalterMontenegro,SheldonWesterveltandHowardGillareinductedintotheTennisIndustryHallofFame.

Get a Personalized Racquet Tune-Up

Tu n e u p y o u r e q u i p m e n t . . . a n d y o u r g a m e

ASK THE EXPERT!Go to PlayTennis.com

Tu n e u p y o u r e q u i p m e n t . . . a n d y o u r g a m e

ASK THE EXPERT!

Your Store Name Here

Get a Personalized

Tennis Tune-Up

Find a tennis retailer near you!

Go to playtennis.com to search for programs, lessons and retailers in your area.

ASK AN EXPERT!Get a Personalized Racquet Tune-UpAsk an expert about getting a racquet tune up and get the most

out of your equipment and your game.Tennis Retailers have a wealth of knowledge when it comes

to racquets and string. They can help tune-up your equipment,

and ultimately, your game.Did you know?There are four primary materials used

for tennis strings: Nylon, Polyester, Kevlar, and Natural Gut. To get the most out of your game and your equipment, it’s important that you let an expert help match you to the right string and tension.Hybrid stringing: Mixes two types of string—one for the mains and one for the crosses—to provide even more specific characteristics for the individual player.When to restring: The traditional rule

has been, restring as many times a year as you play in a week. However, USRSA Master Racquet Technicians and/or Certified Stringers need to know other information, too, such as how many hours you play per week, your style of play, etc., to be able to match you to the best string and restringing schedule.Did you know? RACQUETS

NYLON Most used string material. Often called

Synthetic Gut, it comes in different constructions

and shapes and is stiffer than Natural Gut, but softer

than Polyester or Kevlar. Nylon is a great choice for

players who don’t break strings frequently and don’t

want to pay for Natural Gut.POLYESTER Growing in popularity on the pro tour

and for recreational players. It may offer enhanced

spin for players with long, fast swing speeds. It’s

frequently used in hybrids as a stiffer, more durable

alternative to Nylon or Natural Gut. But, it may not

hold tension as well as the other materials.KEVLAR Stiff and durable, it’s generally used as

the main strings in a hybrid with softer crosses.

It’s primarily used by players who break all other

materials too quickly.NATURAL GUT The softest, most arm-friendly

strings available with good tension maintenance,

used by players of all levels and swing styles.

But it can be substantially more expensive than

other materials.

With hundreds of racquet models in the marketplace, consumers need knowledgeable

retailers and racquet technicians to help them choose the frame and string that best suits their game and style of play, and who can help them determine when their racquet

needs to be serviced.

STRINGS

SEPTEMBER

• PlayTennis.comholdsitsfirstmajoractivationday,withindustrybusinessesandorganizationsmessagingouttotheirconsumerstovisitandsignup.Theconsumerreachwasprojectedat75millionimpressions.Playerswerealsoencouragedtosignupforachancetowinoneof100monthlyprizestobegivenawaythroughMarch2014.

• TIAbeginsfieldingforthe2013TIAConsumerReports,whichaddedanewsectionthisyeartoincludeinformationontennisplayers’usagetrendsfordigitaldevices,socialmediaandweb.

• TIAattendsthe2013USPTAWorldConferenceandExpoinOrlando,FL,whereCardioTennisisonthemorningschedule.

• TIAonceagainpartnerswithAmericanExpressasanofficialpartnerofSmallBusinessSaturday.

• TIAgivesawayahundredprizesdonatedbyindustryorganizationsinthemonthofSeptembertoregisteredPlayTennis.comusers.Prizesincludeditemssuchasautographedracquets,freesubscriptionstoTennismagazine,performanceracquets,bags,tennisshoes,apparelandmore.

•RSIfeaturesaspecialsectionintheSeptember/OctoberissueoutliningahistoryoftheTIA.

[ ]The Tennis Tune-Up campaign is designed to help drive consumers and players to tennis retailers.


The TIA continues to evolve and is more focused than ever on our key initiatives and platforms to support industry growth. We know we still have much work to do as we enter 2014. We look forward to your continued support, which will help put the TIA in an even stronger position to support your efforts as we move forward together. Get Involved – Get Informed. Visit TennisIndustry.org and become a member of the TIA.

OCTOBER

•TIAannouncesplanstoholda“FutureofTennisSummit”inIndianWells,CA,inMarchtodefinepathwaystoreachtheindustry’sgoalof10millionfrequentplayersby2020.

•TIAannouncesa2014TennisFacilityOwnersandManagersConferencescheduledforCharleston,SC,in

April,whichwillfeaturesomeoftheindustry’sleadingexpertsintennisfacilityoperationsandmanagement.

•The2013TIAConsumerReportonDigitalDevice,SocialMedia,andWebUsagetrendsisreleased.

• The“TennisTune-Up”launchestoretailers,providingmarketingcollateraltouseinsupportofthecampaigntogetplayerstorestringmoreoftenandintoretailstoresfornewequipment.

• PlayTennis.comenhancementsincludetheintegrationofFacebookConnect,allowingtennisplayerstoeasilysign-upandlinktheirFacebookaccountwiththeirPlayTennis.comaccount.

• Q32013TIACensusreportsshowa22%increaseinunitshipmentsofRed,Orange,andGreenballs.

• TIAretailauditreportsindicatea4%growthinracquetdollarsalesinthemonthofAugustatspecialtytennisretailers.

• TIAreleasesitsannualDealerTrendsstudy.

•CareersInTennis.comsurpasses30,000jobviewsforthethirdconsecutiveyear.

•TIApresentsaStateoftheIndustryUpdateatthePTR’sinauguralDirectorsofTennisConferenceonHiltonHeadIsland,SC.

[ ]

NOVEMBER

• RSI’sNovember/Decemberissuefeaturesitsfirst-ever“30Under30,”highlighting30youngprofessionalswhoarepositivelyimpactingthetennisindustry.

• TIAattendsthe2013USTATennisDevelopmentWorkshopinDenver,CO.

• TIAreleasesitsannualTennisConsumerReports,highlightingplayingandpurchase/considerationtrendsamongfrequentplayersin2013.

• TIAencouragestennisretailerstotakepartinAmericanExpress’sSmallBusinessSaturday.

• PlayTennis.comenhancestheplayersearchfunctionandplayerdashboardfeaturesforabetteroveralluserexperience.

• TIAandSportsMarketingSurveysUSAcompleteaTennisDestinationStudyforHiltonHeadIsland,SC,andpresenttheresultsata“TennisSummit”heldonHHIforlocaltennisindustryleaders.

• Twonewwebsites,FutureofTennis.comandTheTOMConference.com,arelaunchedbytheTIAinsupportofitsupcomingeventsinMarchandApril.

DECEMBER

•TIAannouncesplansforthe2014TennisShow,StateoftheIndustryMeeting,andTennisIndustryHallofFame,tobeheldinconjunctionwiththeTennisTeachersConferenceinNewYorkCity.

•TIAdevelopsanindustrycalendar,whichismailedtomorethan4,000tennisindustrybusinessesandorganizations,highlightingupcomingindustryeventsfor2014.

•RepresentativesfromtheTIAattendtheITACoachesConventioninNaples,FL,andtheAmericanSportsBuildersAssociationTechnicalMeetinginSanAntonio,TX.

• TheLateSeasonCourtActivityMonitorindicatespositivenetincreasesinallcategoriesmeasured.

• TIAandUSTA,withtheirresearchpartners,compiledatafortheannualparticipationsurvey,tobereleasedinearly2014.

Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org20 TennisIndustry January 2014

The latest retail buzzword is “webrooming,” which describes a fast-growing phenomenon that

retailers should come to like—when customers research a product online, then purchase it in a brick-and-mortar store. It’s the opposite of “showroom-ing,” where consumers browse in a store, then buy online.

As online shopping continues to grow, research shows a synergy, or mutually beneficial relationship, be-tween stores and online channels. For example, in a survey by global manage-ment consultant Accenture, 73 percent of respondents indicated they browsed at least once in-store and then bought online, but 88 percent said they par-ticipated in “webrooming”—browsing online first before buying in-store.

According to Accenture, which coined the term “webrooming,” retail-ers that deliver on their customers’ expectations and provide them with a seamless shopping experience—whether they are shopping in a store, online or through a mobile device—will win their loyalty and gain a competitive advantage.

About 49 percent of consumers believe the best thing retailers can do to improve the shopping experience is to better integrate in-store, online and mobile shopping channels, and 89 percent said it is important for retailers to let them shop for products in the way that is most convenient for them, no matter which sales channel they choose.

What this means is specialty tennis retailers and pro shops need to em-brace and implement multi-channel marketing and merchandising, includ-ing in-store, direct response, website,

email, social media and mobile compo-nents.

A significant finding is that 94 percent of consumers found in-store shopping easy. But they are less bullish about their experience with other shop-ping channels: 74 percent said online shopping is easy, but only 26 percent found the mobile phone shopping experience easy. The point is brick-and-mortar stores have an edge over all other forms of retailing, and specialty tennis retailers have to move quickly to integrate online and mobile to provide as seamless a retail shopping experience as possible.

This certainly seems logical, and something we have been recommend-ing. Here are some other research results that help support this:• 43 percent of consumers surveyed

expect a retailer to offer the same product assortment online as they do in the store, and at the same prices.

• When asked what kind of informa-tion would be useful to have from their favorite retailers before going to a physical store, 82 percent of con-sumers said having access to current product availability is their top choice. However, the Accenture study also showed this is offered by only 21 per-cent of retailers.

• The survey also found that 30 percent of shoppers want retailers to pro-

For upcoming TIA retail webinars, and to view previous webinars, visit Ten-nisIndustry.org/webinars. This is part of a series of retail tips presented by the Tennis Industry As-sociation and written by the Gluskin Townley Group (www.gluskintownley-group.com).

vide a crowd indicator so they know how busy the store is.

• After purchasing, 81 percent said it is important for a retailer to enable them to pick up or arrange for delivery of their purchase regardless of how they paid for it.

• 25 percent of respondents said they would be willing to wait two weeks for free shipping.

• Other consumers are willing to pay for speed and convenience: 24 percent said it is important for retailers to offer same-day delivery, including 30 percent who are willing to pay $5 to $10 and 19 percent who are willing to pay $11 to $20 for same-day delivery.

• When respondents were asked what they would do if a retailer has a product they want but it was outside normal business hours, 39 percent said they would wait until the morn-ing for the store to open, 36 percent would buy it online from that retailer, 22 percent would search for the best price and buy the product somewhere online.

• 49 percent surveyed are influenced by in-store offers (via promotional displays, salespeople, etc.), 56 percent are influenced by email coupons and offers and an equal amount of re-spondents say they are influenced by coupons mailed to their home. •

Take Advantage of ‘Webrooming’Brick-and-mortar retailers need to move quickly to integrate online and mobile, to provide a seamless shopping experience.

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Nearly 90 percent of consumers say it is important for retailers to let them shop for products in the way that is most convenient for them.



VIRGIL CHRISTIAN · TENNISCLUB OF THE LOW COUNTRY · CHUCK HAKANSSON · FRED KOLKMANN TENNIS & SPORT SURFACES RICHARD MENNIG · SERIOUS TENNIS · ROBERT WALSH · CARLA O’CONNOR · VESA PONKKA

BASELINE TENNIS CENTER · LEXINGTON COUNTY · NICK TAYLOR · FAST-DRY COURTS INC. · BNA BANK PARK DALLAS TENNIS ASSOCIATION · ROBERT CARLBO · AVIS MURRAY · USTA EASTERN · KEN GRIFFITH

This issue marks the 13th year that we’ve named our Champions of Tennis winners, honoring

the often-unsung heroes of this sport who go above and beyond in helping to make a difference

in tennis, and in the business of tennis. We hope they inspire you, too, to continue to

move this industry forward.C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S T O :

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PERSON OF THE YEARVirgil Christian

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‘I’d be hard-pressed to find any other sport that has been as successful as tennis in kid-sizing,’ Christian says. ‘And that’s going to continue.’

PERSON OF THE YEAR If you look back through our “Person of the Year” winners for the last dozen years, you may notice most aren’t what you’d typically call “flashy.” On the contrary, they tend to do their jobs or volunteer quietly, passionately, with great dedication to tennis, and to growing this game.

Our Person of the Year for 2013, Virgil Christian, fits this mold to a “T” (for “tennis,” of course).

Christian is the USTA’s director of market development and collegiate tennis, but that doesn’t begin to describe the influence he’s had, and continues to have, on the develop-ment of recreational tennis in this country since he joined the USTA national office in 2005.

“When we began to focus on 10 and Under Tennis in 2008,” says Kurt Kamperman, the USTA’s chief executive of Com-munity Tennis, “we recognized we needed to make the game easier for kids. So we went with modified equipment and smaller courts, but it was Virgil who really dug into the facil-ity side. He said, ‘If this is going to grow, we have to figure out how to innovate around the challenge of the courts. How do we make this work for existing facilities? Do we really think teaching pros will put down lines and create smaller courts?’ The whole concept of blended lines painted on courts—Virgil was the architect of that.”

Now, blended lines are on more than 15,000 courts. “Basically, with Virgil’s guidance, we’ve re-created the modern-day tennis court with blended lines,” says Kamperman (who also adds that the 15,000 courts “are the ones we know about and helped—there probably are thousands of oth-ers who have added the lines that we aren’t aware of”).

But Christian’s influence goes beyond the push for blended lines—he oversees the whole facilities effort from USTA national, including providing technical and grant assistance. “We’ve helped design or renovate over 30,000 courts in the last six years, and about 5,000 facilities have reached out to us for help in some way,” notes Kamperman.

David Lasota, the owner of a tennis facility and design firm and a national technical consultant to USTA Community Tennis Facilities & Development, says Christian’s work has “reshaped the court construction business.”

“Originally, as a technical consultant, I got together with a group from the USTA a few times a year to look at funding

applications,” Lasota says. “But Virgil saw that a lot of our clients needed more than just money; they needed technical assistance, to best help grow the sport. His leadership really changed the direction of this group. It’s put us at the cutting edge in the industry, and in the long run, it will provide so much more exposure for tennis.”

What Christian brings to tennis on a national scale—and what may frequently get overlooked in the leap to find tennis industry “game-changers”—is experience at the grassroots level. “I’ve been fortunate to be in some pretty unique spots in my career,” he says.

Christian grew up in Pittsburgh and went to Penn State, where he played on the tennis team and was captain for two years. He received a master’s degree from Westminster Theo-logical Seminary near Philadelphia. “My background is on the court, and after grad school I was recruited to go to Peachtree

City outside of Atlanta,” he says. At the time, Peachtree City wanted to build a world-class tennis center. “I worked with an economic development group—people who were the top of their industry.”

Christian helped de-sign the facility, oversaw the construction of hard courts, then clay courts, then covered courts, then an office building with a restaurant. Being in Atlanta, “It was a pretty

dynamic tennis environment,” he notes. “We had no commu-nity courts, then suddenly five years later we had 2,000 people playing. I was given basically a blank slate, and the trust to make it work.” His experience also includes running a tennis retail store, running tournaments, and running a pro circuit event.

He then moved to Cary, N.C., which also wanted to create one of the world’s finest tennis facilities. “It’s now one of the most active public facilities,” he says, “and it’s just beautiful.”

When Christian joined the USTA, the organization was mostly concentrating on CTA’s and parks. Changing and ex-panding the focus, though, was a team effort, he says, crediting a great working relationship with veteran court construction P

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industry executive Peggy Beard, who was the longtime volun-teer chairperson of the USTA’s Technical Committee. “She re-ally helped lead the way,” Christian says. “Then, you hire one of the best guys in the country, David Lasota, and everyone looks good. We’re giving people the best advice possible.”

While Christian continues to oversee the facility develop-ment side of things—and continues to help elevate the court design and construction industry—he’s also taken on other responsibilities within the USTA, including overseeing col-legiate tennis for the USTA.

One of his projects is “College MatchDay,” a series of top men’s and women’s college tennis team matches that are televised and include organized activities and local events. “There is so much great competition in college tennis,” he says. “We’re able to spotlight some of the game’s finest teams, players and coaches” with the College MatchDay format. Last year there were three College MatchDay events; in 2014 Christian is planning on 20.

But promoting tennis on 36- and 60-foot courts in all ways, and helping to build, renovate and update tennis facilities of all sizes throughout the country, remain top priorities. Christian says the USTA’s facilities department continues to receive three or four inquiries a day for help and assistance, from huge facilities to much smaller projects.

“We’re now seeing more people starting to spend more on tennis and building venues where people can sit and watch the sport,” he says. “We go to city council meetings all the time, and we simply tell them where tennis is going. You do tennis right, and you recover revenue. People need places to play; we have to guide them to it.

“I don’t think anyone could have imagined that we’d look at the landscape of tennis in the U.S. and see blended lines on courts, and adults playing on these courts,” he adds. “We’re only three or four years into this, and we have permanent courts all over the place, too. I’d be hard-pressed to find any

other sport that has been as successful as tennis in kid-sizing. And that’s going to continue. How often can you literally change the playing field?”

—Peter Francesconi •

‘The whole concept of blended lines painted on courts—Virgil was the architect of that,’ notes Kamperman. ‘With his guidance, we’ve re-created the modern-day tennis court.’

Tips For Success Be inspired by the people around you. Key leaders have

the skills and abilities to inspire those they lead. Take the cue from the leaders you work with.

Stay “reality based.” For Christian, he’ll often work with the staff at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to make sure programming, tennis teaching pros, consumers, and facility developments all work together effectively.

People need places to play, and we have to guide them, Christian says. “We can’t hope they magically come forward.” Show municipalities and tennis facilities how the sport can return revenue.

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What do you get when you combine two well-re-garded tennis industry veterans, a dedicated staff of certified pros, and a well-maintained neighbor-

hood club that offers tennis programs for all ages and abili-ties? If you’re Butch Staples and Gavin Cox, you get Tennis Industry’s Private Facility of the Year—the Tennisclub of the Low Country at Rose Hill.

The Bluffton, S.C., facility offers six clay courts (three lighted), four permanent 36-foot courts for youth tennis, a clubhouse with pro shop, stringing, showers and lockers, and social areas and a kitchen for member events. With a lower price point than other clubs, Staples says Rose Hill’s approach is to “build from the bottom up.”

Cox notes that the logistics and layout of the club enable them to offer clinics, practices and matches concurrently.

Chuck Hakansson has been stringing and customizing racquets

in the Atlanta area for many years. The Master Racquet Technician owns Racquet Sports Services, but he also takes care of all the racquet needs of the Georgia Tech men’s and women’s teams (and also of visiting teams who have come to respect his work). But that’s not all—he has a successful business at the LifeTime Fitness pro shop working with many of the area’s top juniors. Plus, he manages a team of techni-

cians providing stringing to 16 Dick’s Sporting Goods stores.

In his spare time, he squeezes in a few pro events working for the Priority One team and running his own teams. In fact, Ron Yu of Priority One refers to Hakansson as the “godfather of stringing” because of his knowledge and experience. And it all makes Hakans-son Tennis Industry’s 2013 Stringer of the Year.

“Chuck has always stayed on the cutting edge of what’s going on in the industry,”

says Tim Strawn, MRT and TI’s 2007 Stringer of the Year. “He has serviced racquets at all levels. His long dedication to his craft speaks for itself.” —Bob Patterson

Tips For Success With a large staff, train-

ing is essential. Hakans-son and his team all use the same knot and all start each string job the same way for consis-tency.

No matter what venue or store Hakansson is in, he strives for total consistency.

Regardless of the playing level, talk to the client to ascertain their needs and give them the best service possible.

Staples and Cox say they’re proud to be partners with the USTA, which has helped with support for the youth ten-nis courts, and even filmed a 10-and-under tennis coaching course on-site.

“Rose Hill is a dream club designed by two of the best and most experienced tennis professionals in the country,” says Kirk Anderson, director for coach education at the USTA. “Butch and Gavin have built a fantastic family-oriented facil-ity and created a warm and friendly atmosphere. The club is everything you could want for players of any age or ability level.” —Cynthia Sherman

Make it family-friendly. Parents have no problem leaving their kids as they run errands, which builds relationships and is just good business.

Partner with key organizations. Rose Hill’s affiliation with the USTA has helped with programming and in securing funding.

Get talented and dedicated staff. In addition to Staples and Cox, the highly competent and involved staff includes another co-owner, Mike O’Regan, and Jo Cahi.

Tips For Success

PRIVATE FACILITY OF THE YEAR

STRINGER OF THE YEAR

Tennisclub of the Low Country at Rose Hill

Chuck Hakansson


BUILDER/CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR

SALES REP OF THE YEAR

Fred Kolkmann Tennis & Sport Surfaces

Richard Mennig

Just because tennis courts are built accord-ing to a set of construc-

tion guidelines, it doesn’t mean they are cookie-cutter projects. Nobody knows this better than Fred Kolkmann of Fred Kolkmann Tennis & Sport Surfaces of Grafton, Wis., TI’s 2013 Builder of the Year.

Kolkmann believes there is no such thing as a “typical” project or customer, and it is this philosophy that guides his work. “Our strength is finding out what people want. You need to know what’s right for them because when we’re done, they are the ones who will be playing on it and have to be happy with it.”

Kolkmann has been in the industry for over 45 years.

He routinely travels a four-state area to give educational presentations about tennis court design, construction, maintenance and repair. In addition, he is a Certified Tennis Court Builder and an active member of ASBA. “I’ll meet people who are thinking of getting into the industry,” he says, “and I always tell them they need to join the ASBA. It’s helped me in so many ways.”

Sports facility construc-tion is always evolving, he notes. “A lot of places are asking for 10 and Under Ten-nis lines because they want the USTA funding. I’m also seeing an uptick in people asking for pickleball courts. It’s our job to keep them all happy.”

—Mary Helen Sprecher

It’s one thing to serve the customer. But the phi-losophy of service moves

to a whole new level when you look for opportunities to serve the customer’s customers. But that’s what Richard Mennig, Babolat’s south Florida terri-tory sales manager, does. And he is TI’s 2013 Sales Rep of the Year.

The six-year, Miami-based Babolat veteran’s territory is not just a key U.S. market, it’s a gateway for sales to influential Latin American clientele, and never is Mennig tested more than during the Sony Open. “For two weeks, he basically lives at the retail tent,” says Babolat Regional Manager David Dwelle. “He is the first one there and the last one to leave dur-ing this busy time.”

Dwelle, who appreciated Mennig’s 8 percent sales growth over this past, challenging year, remembers one time in the middle of a sales presentation to a retail store staff, the store became unexpectedly full of customers. Mennig didn’t hesi-tate; he dove in to help the staff fit and sell shoes.

But its Mennig’s clients who have the last word on his suc-cess. German Sanchez-Myles, owner of Weston’s Grass Court Sports, describes Mennig as “honest,” “a true person” and “a pleasure” to work with. “When I first opened the business,” remembers Sanchez-Myles, “he didn’t rush or ignore me, but took the time to talk about the future of the store. He always goes the extra mile to help you, and is always ready to lend a hand.” —Kent Oswald

Tips For Success While you represent

a company, make sure customers know you are working for them and to serve their interests.

Don’t be afraid to help a client in any way you can, even if it doesn’t im-mediately lead to a sale. In the long run, relation-ships will be the key to account growth.

When calling on an ac-count, don’t just present the line, but exchange information (that is, talk and listen).

Evaluate each customer’s needs. You want to try to find the right mix and match for them.

No economic downturn is permanent. “You learn to tighten your belt and make a plan to get through,” Kolk-mann says.

Do educational, not promotional, sessions. “We practice not to preach or talk about our projects; we do an educa-tional type of seminar and people appreciate that.”

Tips For Success

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If you’re in the Atlanta area and are a die-hard player or just starting out in tennis, you should seriously consider one of the six stores that share the “Serious Tennis” moni-

ker. Lianna Jones opened the first store in 1990, with the help of her mother. Later, when her husband Scott got involved, the number of stores grew.

Scott deals with hard goods and shoes, big sales and any pro tournaments where Serious Tennis has a presence. He also works with teaching pros and academies. Serious Tennis also supplies 10 tennis club pro shops.

“They have a great pulse on the local tennis community and work closely with area pros,” says Greg Mason, vice president of sales and marketing for Head/Penn. “One indication of their involvement is that almost all of their employees play in the ALTA league. They do basics very well and take the time to make sure every customer has the right equipment.”

Most of their 50 employees have been with them for at least 10 years, and both Lianna and Scott play tennis and work with a lot of area teams and organizations. “Between our variety

If any individual can blow up the stereotype of the “workaholic,” that would

be Robert Walsh, Tennis In-dustry’s Tennis Advocate of the Year. Maybe “advocate” isn’t a strong enough word?

“My wife says tennis is my first love and she’s the sec-ond. But it’s not true,” Walsh insists. He confesses to being a “voluntaholic” after retire-ment in 1988 from corporate finance and computers, when he decided to play a little more tennis. “There were some needs there, and I just fell in love with all the things I was doing,” he says.

A few highlights: Walsh has served on numerous USTA Northern California com-mittees; served as a league coordinator for seniors for over 20 years; was a liaison to USTA adult league staff; and created league and tournament opportunities for men and women who wish to compete in their 70s and 80s. For 10-plus years he was president of the Napa Valley Tennis Association, a tenure that included provid-ing financial support to local juniors and working with the Parks & Rec and school district to create 11 new

courts, then raising $125,000 to support them.

At age 88, and still consult-ing for small businesses, he tries to play at least once a week, although a horseback riding accident has caught up with him. But, he admits, “There’s something about the game. It’s good for mental Tips For Success

Look around. There’s something that needs doing.

Don’t worry about the credit when you help others.

Do what you enjoy, do it well and the credit will follow.

of products, knowledgeable staff, and stringers, we’re always trying to give our customers the best experience,” Lianna says. And because they succeed spectacularly, Serious Tennis is TI’s Pro/Specialty Retailer of the Year.

One store, at Toco Hills, has a unique “stringing bar,” where customers can relax, visit and talk tennis. Often the stores will host events around Grand Slams, and with the big TVs, customers spend even more time in the stores.

“Serious Tennis services consumers so well, we’re proud to be a partner with them,” says Babolat’s Mickey Maule.

—Cynthia Sherman

Hang onto great staff. Longstanding employees have lots of experience, and offer great customer service.

Get excellent stringers; service is everything. Offer a wide variety of product lines. Make sure your shopping environment is user-friendly

and inviting.

Tips For Success

PRO/SPECIALTY RETAILER OF THE YEAR

TENNIS ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR

Serious Tennis

Robert Walshhealth and it keeps people much fitter than if they just sit around.”

As if that was something he really had to worry about. —Kent Oswald


GRASSROOTS CHAMPION OF THE YEAR

JUNIOR TENNIS CHAMPION OF THE YEAR

Carla O’Connor

Vesa Ponkka

Few people are more adept at building ten-nis from the grassroots

than Carla O’Connor of Charlotte, N.C. For the past decade, O’Connor has been the executive director of the Charlotte Tennis Associa-tion, but her contributions to growing the game have gone well beyond local borders. She’s served on numerous USTA committees at every level, and currently chairs Jr. Team Tennis committees for USTA North Carolina, USTA Southern and USTA National.

Her honors and achieve-ments also run from local to national, including receiv-ing state “league organizer” and Junior Tennis Council awards, USTA North Caroli-na Family of the Year, and the USTA Janet Louer National Organizer of the Year Award. And now, she is Tennis Industry’s 2013 Grassroots Champion of the Year.

“I started as a volunteer in 1998. I became a JTT coordinator then community tennis coordinator, then in 2003, executive director of the CTA,” O’Connor says. “The volunteer work I do has been invaluable. We bring back all kinds of ideas to help the game grow.”

The Charlotte Tennis As-sociation serves all players, and under O’Connor’s lead-ership it has been involved in virtually everything tennis-wise in the region. The area’s strong grassroots tennis also makes it ideal for piloting na-tional USTA programs. And, “We’re doing all this with a significant court shortage in the community,” O’Connor says.

“What motivates me is all the benefits this sport has to offer children,” she notes. “My favorite is being on the court with the 8-and-unders. It’s just so special.”

—Peter Francesconi

You can grow a love of tennis in children, says Vesa Ponkka, but it’s

not so much about the lessons you impart as it is the approach you take. “The biggest mistake we make in teaching tennis, at every level and in every country, is always the same: We ask the coaches and players to believe in our system, but what we need to do is believe in the players first,” he says.

Ponkka, senior director of tennis at The Tennis Center at College Park in College Park, Md., has been working with juniors almost 30 years. One thing he says he has learned is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. “A lot of young coaches want to coach players the way they were coached when they were young. You have to look at the players and what they need.”

And while there may be complaints about tennis par-ents, says Ponkka, those moms and dads are spot-on in one respect. “They don’t have the knowledge base, but they have an absolutely unyielding belief in their children. When you think about it, the good teachers, the best teachers, are always the ones who believe in the kids and as a result, they inspire them.”

“Vesa might be one of the finest role models in tennis,” says Ajay Pant, general manager at The Tennis Center at College Park. “He lives and breathes everything he teaches on the court. If my kids were still in juniors, I would want them with him not just because he would make them into great players but because he would make them into great people.”

—Mary Helen Sprecher

Tips For Success Don’t try to catego-

rize what you think the player should be doing. Kids move at their own speed. Work at the kid’s pace.

Every coach should be able to look in the mirror and say, “Today I worked to establish belief in my players.”

Always use common sense; go out there on the court every day and provide good resources.

Be as resourceful as possible, and use all the contacts you have.

Be a “relationship” person. “Our successes are be-cause we’ve been able to find the right people to work with,” O’Connor says.

Take a leap of faith. Most positions at the CTA are tied directly to revenue-generating programs, but O’Connor says, “We made a real investment in some things that will pay dividends in other ways.”

Tips For Success

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Built as home to the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher men’s and women’s teams in 2002, the Base-line Tennis Center has evolved into the premier public

tennis center in the Twin Cities. For this reason, Baseline also is the first collegiate facility to win TI’s Municipal Facility of the Year Award.

The center features 22 maroon and gold Plexipave courts—12 outdoors and 10 indoors with 30-foot ceilings. Amenities include a full pro shop, stringing services, 120-foot-candle lighting, state-of-the-art sound system, an electronic scoreboard, concession stands and bleachers with chair-back seating.

In addition to hosting Big Ten, NCAA and ITA events and championships, Baseline has been the site of the 2012 London and 2008 Beijing Paralympic training center, 2011 National

Feeding the tennis needs of everyone—from the youngest to

the oldest—is a tradition in Lexington County, S.C. In fact, in 2004 the 21-court Lexington County Tennis Complex was our Municipal Facility of the Year. But that was before a second large fa-cility was built in the county. The new Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center adds 30 more courts (and in 2013 was named the USTA’s Featured Facility Award winner).

Both of these facilities, ex-pertly run and programmed

by director of operations Jorge Andrew, would not have been possible without the support of the Lexington Country Recreation and Ag-ing Commission (LCRAC), which for 2013 is Tennis In-dustry’s Park & Rec Agency of the Year.

The two facilities are about 15 minutes apart and together are home to about 70 adult league teams, along with junior programs that reach about 140 kids on a regular basis. They also host many regional and national events. Court rates are as low

as $3 a person for two hours.“Customer service is rule

No. 1,” says Andrew, but he says more can be done. “We have to be a leader, not a fol-lower.” —Kent Oswald

Tips For Success A business may be

perfect at one thing, but community service requires excellence at many things for diverse populations.

Tie all offerings to-gether by focusing top-down and bottom-up on customer service.

Keep an eye out for what is going on out-side the organization, whether it is local bud-get battles or changing demographics.

Public Parks Tennis Championships, 2004 Transplant Games of America, Division III and junior college programs, high school tournaments, junior and senior events, and a variety of USTA tournaments and leagues, fundraisers, workshops, camps and youth programs.

John Pratt, director of Baseline, said the facility grew its programming in every category in 2013. “Tennis has given us a tremendous opportunity to let Baseline serve as a window to the University of Minnesota, both locally and nationally.” —Cindy Cantrell

Keep your partners close. Baseline enjoys tremendous support from the university. Its event-driven (rather than membership-driven) model is rewarded through relation-ships with all constituents in the local tennis community.

Remain open-minded. With no membership dues or base to fall back on, Baseline keeps courts full with creativity.

Listen to your front line. Teaching pros, tournament officials and front desk staff have the best vantage point regarding how to do things more efficiently.

Tips For Success

MUNICIPAL FACILITY OF THE YEAR

PARK & REC AGENCY OF THE YEAR

Baseline Tennis Center, Univ. of Minn.

Lexington County


WHEELCHAIR TENNIS CHAMPION OF THE YEAR

10 AND UNDER TENNIS FACILITY DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR

Nick Taylor

Fast-Dry Courts Inc.

In addition to his singles bronze and three doubles gold medals in the Para-

lympic Games, Nick Taylor has achieved a lengthy list of national and international highlights. But, he’s also ac-tive locally, in his hometown of Wichita, Kan.

Taylor is in his fourth sea-son as a volunteer assistant coach for the Shocker men’s tennis program at Wichita State University, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree in sports management. According to Dan James, the USTA’s na-tional manager of wheelchair tennis, able-bodied college players are fortunate to learn from one of the best tennis minds and match players in the sport.

For his combination of

tennis achievement and ded-ication to giving back, Taylor is TI’s Wheelchair Tennis Champion of the Year.

Despite severe limita-tions from a rare congenital disease, Taylor’s competitive drive spurred him to learn at age 13 to begin his service motion by tossing the ball with his foot. He made the high school tennis team, then set his aspirations higher.

Taylor competes in the quad division and is con-sistently the most disabled player on court. “As a result,” he notes, “I have to be smarter.” It is this mental-ity that Taylor instills as a coach, in addition to his love of the game, drive to improve and intensely competitive nature.

—Cindy Cantrell

Recognizing that chil-dren need to develop a love of tennis is what

makes contractors enthusiastic about creating facilities for the 10 and under set. For Fast-Dry Courts Inc. of Pompano Beach, Fla., it all goes back to recog-nizing how essential it is to instill that passion.

“My whole family grew up playing tennis,” says Vice President Todd Dettor, “and it’s the love of the game that gives you a whole different perspec-tive.” Fast-Dry, which won TI’s Builder of the Year Award in 2005, continues to endorse 36- and 60-foot tennis courts and to listen carefully to what its customers want. Only by doing that, says Dettor, do they continue to meet their customers’ needs.

And one of those needs recently was a project in March at the Tamiami Tennis Center in Miami that resulted in the 10,000th lined youth-sized tennis court in the country. For Fast-Dry’s continued support of providing the infrastructure needed for youth tennis, it is Tennis Industry’s 10 and Under Tennis Facility Developer of the Year.

“I think 10 and Under Tennis is a wonderful thing,” Dettor says. “It’s always about the customer and it always should be. If you take yourself off the pedestal, you become a resource. You build a trust with the other person. That’s the way it should be.” —Mary Helen Sprecher

Tips For Success Work with your cus-

tomers and make sure you understand them. Always make them part of the decision-making process; you want to cre-ate a relationship that is going to last.

Stay in touch, from the initial call through the whole process to a survey afterward.

You don’t want to focus on money; focus instead on building something for that owner they can be really proud of.

At the end of the day, you need to have helped the consumer. That’s the goal.

Learn however you can. At Wichita State in 1995, Taylor arranged his class schedule so he could study the men’s tennis team practices.

Practice with a purpose. Taylor still hits against the wall, but he does so with specific targets and goals.

Never, never give up. In motivational speeches, Taylor describes his journey from hitting a tennis ball against a garage door 5 feet away, to winning three gold medals in the Paralympics. “What is your garage door,” he asks, “and what is your gold medal?”

Tips For Success

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Not every small town is lucky enough to have the sup-port of local government and a group of dedicated volunteers to pull together a $5 million project that

includes 10 new tennis courts. But then, New Albany, Miss., isn’t just any small town.

Together with the help of local businesses, USTA facility grants and donations from residents, the town now has the 40-acre BNA Bank Park, complete with a two-story tennis complex and blended lines on all 10 lighted tennis courts. In 2013, BNA Bank Park was named a USTA Outstanding Facil-ity of the Year, and now, it’s received TI’s Public Park of the Year Award.

Prior to construction, the community had four dilapidated courts designated for high school use. But dedicated volun-teers formed a committee and presented plans to the city council, and as a result, land was donated for a “sportsplex.”

“Initially, we wanted to refurbish four tennis courts,” says Jolyn Cooke, vice chairman of the New Albany Tennis Association, the local CTA. “But the idea blossomed. Now, through the tremendous efforts of countless volunteers, backed by the city council, the town has a beautiful tennis complex everyone can enjoy.”

The Dallas Tennis Association has a lot to be proud of. For

instance, it runs a number of USTA leagues; it holds sanctioned tournaments; it’s active in Jr. Team Tennis; its programs afford youngsters the opportunity to go to college. And now, the Dallas Tennis Association is Tennis Industry’s 2013 Community Tennis Association of the Year.

Executive Director Tina Anderson acknowledges all the work it takes to coordi-nate everything the asso-

ciation does, and credits the four full-time and two part-time staffers, plus the 200 or so dedicated volunteers. “It reflects our ‘all hands on deck’ approach to pitching in and getting things done,” she says. Any money the DTA takes in from tennis gets invested right back into the tennis community.

Importantly, DTA pro-grams help get youngsters to college; in fact 100 percent of seniors graduating from DTA’s college-prep program have attended college, with many receiving scholarships.

One of the main goals of DTA is to offer every child who is interested in learning tennis the opportunity to do so. Collectively, DTA’s pro-grams for juniors are called “Invest in a Child.”

—Cynthia Sherman

Tips For Success Tennis for kids goes

beyond the courts. The Slam Jammer program teaches kids life skills such as how to interact with each other, man-ners, and how to give back to the commu-nity, and kids need to maintain a C average in school, says Bert Cole, DTA’s director of junior recreation.

Encourage volunteers at every level and in every program.

Parks employee Megan Kirk couldn’t agree more. “Before the courts, we didn’t have much to do with tennis,” she says. “Now, the whole town can get involved.” —Robin Bateman

Hire a director of tennis. “It’s a full-time job—promoting tennis, encouraging and instructing kids, providing pro-grams and running events,” says Cooke. The town under-stood this and hired Bo Bowman.

Utilize the community. For instance, high school players hit the courts for free. But Bowman also will allow them to man tournament desks, do light custodial work, etc., to help them “pay back” tabs they may have for things like racquet stringing.

Take advantage of social media. “I post upcoming events, photos, etc.,” says Bowman, who uses Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Offer programs 24/7. Bowman wants anyone and every-one to play tennis. “You must be flexible. Everyone has a wild schedule.”

Tips For Success

PUBLIC PARK OF THE YEAR

COMMUNITY TENNIS ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR

BNA Bank Park

Dallas Tennis Association


PTR MEMBER OF THE YEAR

USPTA MEMBER OF THE YEAR

Robert Carlbo

Avis Murray

Robert Carlbo is a clear believer in educa-tion—at every level.

His passion for learning about teaching tennis is clear in his résumé. In recent years, the Palm Harbor, Fla., teaching pro became certi-fied to teach wheelchair ten-nis; received an Etcheberry Certification in strength, conditioning and movement in tennis; received two Swed-ish Tennis Association cer-tifications; and is a USPTA certified pro.

With the PTR, Carlbo is the first, and so far only, person to complete all four PTR certification pathways,

earning “Professional” rat-ings in each. He also earned two PTR Masters of Tennis, in Junior Development and Performance.

In presenting Carlbo with the PTR Professional of the Year award last May, the organization said that in the last year, “No PTR member has pursued education and professional development more vigorously.” It’s this passion and dedication that also makes Carlbo Tennis In-dustry’s 2013 PTR Member of the Year.

Carlbo grew up in Libe-ria, West Africa, moved to Sweden to play competitive junior tennis, attended high school in the U.S., then went to Pepperdine then Eckerd College. He played on the pro tour for a year and a half, reaching No. 429 in the world.

Now head coach of the East Lake High School boys’ tennis team, Carlbo also runs a Youth Tennis program at a local YMCA and in elemen-tary schools, and teaches a variety of adult clinics. He also coaches some of the top juniors in Florida and is visited regularly by ATP and WTA pros.

—Peter Francesconi

Avis Murray has received many honors for her work in tennis, includ-

ing most recently the USPTA’s top annual member award—the 2013 Alex Gordon Award for Professional of the Year. And now, she can add Tennis Indus-try’s 2013 USPTA Member of the Year honors.

“When I started teaching, the first thing on my priority list was to join USPTA,” says Murray, of Gloucester, Mass. “I wanted so much to be a part of it. When they had a tourna-ment in the area, I’d go play. At that time, they didn’t have a separate tourney for men and women, and it didn’t matter; I played with the men.”

In 1971, Murray was hired by the Bass Rocks Golf Club as the head tennis professional and has been there ever since. She attended her first USPTA World Conference in 1986, and has missed only two in the intervening years. “My goal was to bring back everything I learned and share it with the staff.”

A Master Professional, Murray has served the USPTA in many roles, including on the National Awards Committee, USPTA New England Board and as chair of various commit-tees. In addition, she has served on the USTA Hall of Fame Committee. She is also a top player, earning several No. 1 rankings in singles and doubles with the USPTA.

She’s earned spots in the Gloucester High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the USTA New England Hall of Fame, had courts at two clubs named in her honor, received the New England Youth Tennis Foundation Ned Weld Award, and the AMVETS Sports Award. Additionally, the Gloucester Fisher-man’s Athletic Association has named an award in her honor.

“You’re just doing what you love to do every day and giving as much as you can,” Murray says. —Peter Francesconi

Tips For Success Stay involved and help

others in the industry as much as you can.

Share with others who are in the same or similar situations as you’re in.

Do what you love every day.

Never stop learning. Take advantage of all the educational opportuni-ties that come your way.

Do what you love. After his pro career, Carlbo took a sales job, but realized tennis was his first love.

Give back to the game, and to others. Carlbo coaches players of all ages, abilities and levels, and also adaptive tennis, wheelchair players and wounded veterans.

Tips For Success

2013

CHAMPIONS OF TENNIS

p r e s e n t s


A USTA section is defined geographically, but its success is achieved with an attitude that encourages reaching out in all directions. For USTA Eastern, says long-

time volunteer, player and coach Sunny Fishkind, “The most important change in recent years is the section has broadened its definition of constituents—we’ll help anyone with tennis in mind to get involved.”

In a formal statement, “The members of the USTA Eastern Section Board of Directors unanimously agree … that the simple and clear mission of the Section is, ‘To Promote and Develop the Growth of Tennis.’ We take as axiomatic that an increase in USTA membership and in USTA program par-ticipation is a consequence of and not a cause of the growth of tennis. We believe it to be critical that we devote signifi-cant Sectional financial and human resources to the game’s growth, without regard to any direct or immediate impact on USTA membership and programs.”

This enlightened attitude and practical approach toward growing the game overall makes Eastern the perfect recipient of TI’s 2013 USTA Section of the Year honors.

Most folks, after 20-plus years on the job, tend to let up a

little. Kenneth Griffith is not “most folks.” Not only has he kept up his enthusiastic approach to providing tennis to his community, he seems to put more into his workday as time goes by.

Griffith is the boys’ and girls’ tennis coach at Henry E. Lackey High School in Indian Head, Md. The recog-nition he’s received for all his work with kids is extensive. But that’s not what makes Griffith our choice for TI’s

2013 High School Tennis Coach of the Year. It's his commitment to ensure his students excel in the class-room, on the tennis court and in life.

“My players are learning how to be members of a so-ciety," he says. "That is based on competition, and tennis is a venue for their journey.” Griffith spends countless hours organizing and teach-ing for the local CTA, offering tennis programs for 10 and under kids, NJTL, JTT and even for adults.

“Ken has made a huge

impact in the lives of many high school students,” says Alicia von Lossberg, USTA Maryland's director of com-munity tennis. “He uses ten-nis as a way for students to attain college educations and achieve successful business careers.” —Robin Bateman

Tips For Success Get involved in com-

munity tennis. Whether it's your local CTA, JTT, Tennis on Campus, or even hosting your own tournament, connect-ing with local tennis strengthens your high school tennis programs.

Cultivate strong relationships, which will help develop teenagers into adults.

Concentrate on improvement. “It’s not about the wins. I want to see them improve.”

Executive Director Jill Fonte says assets “have been rede-ployed toward programs and partnerships that produce new and frequent players. This emphasis on participation rather than membership has required a belief in the appeal of tennis and the courage to risk short-term financial reward for the longer term benefits of building the base of players.”

“Our section is actively reaching out to club owners, teach-ing pros, school teachers, players, league captains, and retail-ers,” Fishkind says. “Everyone wants to see tennis grow.” —Kent Oswald

Don’t let the exploration of new opportunities detract from existing efforts.

While numbers of members is an important metric, membership alone shouldn’t be the central focus. Get-ting more people playing is the key to growing the sport, whether they’re USTA members or not.

Interactive communication with all stakeholders about strategy and successes is a key to progress.

Tips For Success

USTA SECTION OF THE YEAR

HIGH SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR

USTA Eastern

Ken Griffith

Guide to Strings


When it comes to tennis strings, the U.S. market appears to be going in two directions. Most of the major manufacturers seem to be slowing the introduction of new string mod-

els, and some are even reducing the size of their lines. So, you might think the number of strings out there is declining.

But in the last several years, more new brands of string have entered the U.S. market than we can ever remember happen-ing in such a short time frame. It’s not that these are all new string companies. Many have been around for some time, but their products have only been available in markets outside the U.S. Now, though, many of these brands have found U.S. distributors and felt the time was right to move into the U.S.

So, when you combine these brands entering the U.S. with the new brands popping up for the first time, the result is a string market that continues to grow at an alarming rate.

The USRSA now has lab-test results for nearly 900 models of string. We don’t know anyone who can say they’ve actually played with all the different models available, or who can say they know what every string on the market feels like.

That’s why our String Selector tool is more important than ever. It offers an apples-to-apples comparison of all the differ-ent models on the market because all the strings were tested using the same exacting procedures.

What does this mean for you? Stringers and retail shops can use the information in our String Selector to find models that offer exactly what their customers are looking for.

For advice on how to most efficiently use this information, make sure you read the section on “Using the String Selector.” For a better understanding of the string graph, read “The Ge-ography of Feel.” Remember, though, that USRSA members have access to even more powerful tools—String Spec Search and String Selector—on the Members-Only section of the website, www.racquettech.com.

String Spec Search allows the user to choose the brand and model of string they are considering and see the specs of that string without having to search through the whole list of 900 strings. The String Selector tool allows the user to enter the brand and model of string a player is currently playing with as well as the changes they would like to make in their string. The tool then goes through all the strings currently available and returns a list of string that meets the requested changes.

It’s been two years since we published our String Selector (technical difficulties prevented us from completing our test-ing last year), so you can imagine there are a lot of new strings that have been introduced since January 2012. In order to save some trees and to focus on what’s new, we’ve decided in this printed edition of Tennis Industry to publish specs for just the new strings (the current strings that were not included in the 2012 guide).

String Selector 2014Use our exclusive guide to find the perfect strings for your customers.By David Bone

If you’d like to see the specs for all the current strings on the market, visit our website, www.tennisindustrymag.com. To find the whole list, just click on the latest issue’s cover, then choose the January 2014 option under the text-only versions.

http://www.racquettech.com/

http://www.tennisindustrymag.com/


Babolat VS Team 17 (BT7) Natural Gut 1.25 90 7.74Babolat Tonic + Ball Feel (BT7) Natural Gut 1.29 94 8.8Babolat VS Touch 16 (BT7) Natural Gut 1.31 110 8.42Ashaway MonoGut ZX Pro 17 Zyex 1.3 133 16.53Ashaway MonoGut ZX Zyex 1.3 135 18.31Ashaway Dynamite Natural 17 Nylon & Zyex 1.26 145 13.17Prince Premier Touch 16 Nylon 1.32 145 17.57Yonex Tour Super Solid X 125 Nylon 1.23 151 18.75Prince Premier Touch 15L Nylon 1.34 152 16.8Dunlop Pearl 17 Nylon 1.25 153 13.83Victory Acelon Synthetic Gut TCF 17 Nylon 1.24 155 16.41Victory Acelon Wildfire 17 Polyester 1.25 157 13.47Volkl Classic Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.25 157 16.21Gosen TecFlex 17 Nylon & Polyurethane 1.23 158 9.95Prince Premier Power 18 Nylon 1.19 158 15.17Victory Acelon Wildfire 16 Polyester 1.31 158 16.64Prince Premier Control 15L Nylon 1.35 159 16.4Ytex MicroFiber-X 16 Nylon 1.29 161 14.49Wilson Optimus 16 Nylon 1.28 161 15.13Prince Premier Power 17 Nylon 1.22 162 13.21Gosen Tecflex 16 Nylon 1.31 162 13.45Dunlop Pearl 16 Nylon 1.28 163 13.61Yonex Tour Super Solid X 130 Nylon 1.3 163 16.28Asics Resolution 16 Nylon & Polyurethane 1.29 164 12.35Boris Becker Pulse 17 Nylon 1.25 164 12.61Prince Premier Power 16 Nylon 1.25 164 13.27Asics Challenger 17 Nylon & Polyester 1.25 165 12.61Prince Premier Control 17 Nylon 1.25 165 12.7Prince Premier Control 15 Nylon 1.37 165 14.51Head FXP Tour 16 Nylon & Polyester 1.33 165 14.93Gosen Tecgut Remplir 17 Nylon & Polyurethane 1.23 165 16.96Tourna Quasi Gut Armor 16 Nylon 1.29 166 12.37Victory Acelon Supermax 17 Nylon & Polyurethane 1.25 167 12.99Asics Resolution 17 Nylon & Polyurethane 1.25 168 9.59Prince Premier Control 16 Nylon 1.32 168 14Volkl Classic Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.29 168 14.95Babolat SG Spiraltek 16 Nylon 1.27 170 13.07Asics Challenger 16 Nylon & Polyester 1.3 170 13.56Victory Acelon Supermax 16 Nylon & Polyurethane 1.29 170 13.65Victory Acelon Advanced 17 Polyester 1.23 172 23.11Tourna Big Hitter Silver 17 Polyester 1.2 173 23.74Tier One Sports Triumph 130 Nylon 1.32 174 12.13Victory Acelon Synthetic Gut TCF 16 Nylon 1.31 175 14.4Golden Set Dura Match 16 (Crosses) Nylon 1.29 177 14Ytex Touch 16 Nylon 1.31 179 11.89Tourna Synthetic Gut Armor 17 Nylon 1.24 179 13.63Tourna Big Hitter Black 7 17 Polyester 1.2 179 21.79Gamma FTX 17 Nylon 1.24 180 10.85Yonex Poly Tour Pro 120 Polyester 1.19 181 21.08Topspin Max ROTation 1.31 Polyester 1.27 182 19.54Tourna Synthetic Gut Armor 16 Nylon 1.29 184 11.44Golden Set Velvet 15L Nylon 1.34 184 12.65Wilson Synthetic Gut Power 16 Nylon 1.29 186 13.03Volkl Cyclone Tour 18 Polyester 1.19 186 22.18Ytex Sintex 16 Nylon 1.28 189 11.45Prince Tour XT 18 Polyester 1.22 189 21.39Gamma FTX 16 Nylon 1.29 191 10.3Pacific DuraTech Flex 15L Nylon 1.32 192 11.46Volkl Cyclone Tour 17 Polyester 1.24 193 22.83Tier One Sports T1 Firewire 120 Polyester 1.19 195 15.41Gosen AK Pro Spin 15L Nylon 1.37 196 11.8Volkl V Torque 18 Polyester 1.18 196 16.03Topspin Max ROTation 1.27 Polyester 1.23 196 16.78Tier One Sports DuraFluxx 118 Polyester 1.21 196 20.27Volkl V Torque 16 Polyester 1.26 197 23.46Prince Tour XP 15L Polyester 1.38 198 18.46Gosen AK Power 16 Nylon 1.32 200 11.29Ytex ProTour 1.20 Nylon 1.19 200 17.73Prince Tour XS 1.25+ Polyester 1.37 200 18.9Volkl Cyclone Tour 16 Polyester 1.32 200 23.26Pro Supex Ultra Spin 1.23 Polyester 1.27 201 20.06Wilson Synthetic Gut Power 15 Nylon 1.37 202 14.51Wilson NXT Power 17 Nylon 1.27 203 12.46Gamma RZR Rx 17 Thermoplastic Elastomer 1.28 204 17.11Volkl V Torque 17 Polyester 1.21 204 22.03Wilson Synthetic Gut Control 16 Nylon 1.28 205 10.3Head Sonic Pro Edge 16 Polyester 1.31 205 19.53Tier One Sports Tour Status 120 Polyester 1.2 206 15.86Prince Tour XS 1.35+ Polyester 1.45 207 18.81

Golden Set Power Cord 17 Polyester 1.24 207 23.31Volkl Cyclone 18 Polyester 1.2 208 15.94Gosen Polylon ILD 16L Polyester 1.26 208 16.51Wilson NXT Power 18 Nylon 1.24 209 9.53Luxilon ALU Power Feel 120 Polyester 1.2 209 18.35Signum Pro Thunderstorm 1.30 Polyester 1.32 209 20.04Gamma Poly-Z 17 Polyester 1.22 209 22.91Wilson Synthetic Gut Control 17 Nylon 1.25 210 10.39Gamma iO 18 Polyester 1.17 210 16.78Prince Tour XP 17 Polyester 1.28 210 19.25Ytex Octo-Twist 1.28 Polyester 1.29 210 21.35Wilson NXT Duramax 16 Nylon 1.34 211 9.71Gosen Polylon ILD 16 Polyester 1.31 211 17.35Signum Pro Firestorm 1.30 Polyester 1.3 213 21.21Ytex Dynamic Black Power 1.18 Polyester 1.15 214 19.18Victory Acelon Seven 16L Polyester 1.26 215 17.31Pacific Poly Power Pro Black Series 16 Polyester 1.3 215 23.51Prince Tour XP 16 Polyester 1.31 216 16.21Golden Set Power Cord 16 Polyester 1.29 216 22.38Tier One Sports Tour Status 125 Polyester 1.26 217 16.49Head Hawk 17 Polyester 1.23 217 17.61Boris Becker Bomber NYC 17 Polyester 1.25 218 15.15Kirschbaum Super Smash Orange 1.23/17 Polyester 1.23 218 16.76Victory Acelon Seven 17 Polyester 1.21 218 19.47Wilson NXT Power 16 Nylon 1.31 219 8.98Gamma RZR Rx 16 Thermoplastic Elastomer 1.3 220 15.92Head Hawk 18 Polyester 1.22 220 16.78Dunlop ICE 17 Polyester 1.2 220 18.28Dunlop ICE 16 Polyester 1.29 220 22.44Tier One Sports T1 Firewire 125 Polyester 1.29 221 13.85Kirschbaum Black Shark 1.25/17 Polyester 1.23 222 19.49Babolat RPM Team 17 Polyester 1.27 224 16.54Head Hawk 16 Polyester 1.29 224 18.46Gamma Poly-Z 16 Polyester 1.28 224 23.44Kirschbaum Pro Line X 1.25/17 Polyester 1.23 225 15.61Ytex Trivolution Black 1.25 Polyester 1.24 225 19.18Genesis Typhoon 16 Polyester 1.3 225 21.94Prince Tour XC 15 Polyester 1.4 226 22.36Luxilon 4G Rough 125 Polyester 1.28 227 17.57Gamma iO 17 Polyester 1.22 228 15.41Boris Becker Bomber NYC 16 Polyester 1.25 228 15.61Ytex ProTour 1.25 Nylon 1.25 230 15.92Wilson Ripspin 17 Polyester 1.26 230 18.39Gamma Moto 17 Polyester 1.24 231 15.35Tier One Sports DuraFluxx 123 Polyester 1.3 231 15.67Victory Acelon Advanced 16 Polyester 1.28 232 16.19Prince Tour XC 17L Polyester 1.2 232 18.85Wilson Shock Shield Mono 17 Polyester 1.24 232 20.66Wilson Ripspin 15 Polyester 1.34 232 21.69Kirschbaum Black Shark 1.30/16 Polyester 1.29 233 20.22Yonex Poly Tour HS 130 16 Polyester 1.27 235 17.2Wilson Ripspin 16 Polyester 1.28 235 20.18Tier One Sports T1 Firewire 130 Polyester 1.35 236 14.18Tier One Sports Tour Status 130 Polyester 1.27 236 14.66Yonex Poly Tour Spin 125 16L Polyester 1.29 236 15.79Ytex Dynamic Black Power 1.23 Polyester 1.23 236 16.83Kirschbaum Pro Line X 1.30/16 Polyester 1.32 236 16.92Kirschbaum Super Smash Orange 1.28/16L Polyester 1.28 237 17.86Prince Tour XC 16L Polyester 1.26 238 19.09Tecnifibre ATP Razor Code 18 Polyester 1.2 239 16.14Gamma Moto 16 Polyester 1.29 240 13.83Gamma Zo Dart 16 Polyester 1.29 242 15.1Gamma iO 16 Polyester 1.27 242 15.51Victory Acelon Seven 16 Polyester 1.29 243 16.09Tier One Sports DuraFluxx 128 Polyester 1.27 244 16.87Babolat RPM Dual 17 Polyester 1.26 245 14.37Babolat RPM Dual 16 Polyester 1.29 245 16.03Luxilon ALU Power 138 Polyester 1.37 247 19.94Luxilon 4G 125 Polyester 1.24 249 13.3Gamma Zo Dart 17 Polyester 1.24 250 15.06Tecnifibre ATP Razor Code 17 Polyester 1.25 252 16.43Gamma Zo Verve 16 Polyester 1.29 256 14.53Genesis Black Magic 1.33 Polyester 1.37 266 18.7Wilson Synthetic Gut Duramax 16L Polyester 1.27 267 19.16Luxilon 4G 130 Polyester 1.29 269 13.74Ytex Dynamic Black Power 1.28 Polyester 1.28 270 15.85Tecnifibre ATP Razor Code 16 Polyester 1.29 278 18.59Luxilon 4G S 141 Polyester 1.46 287 15.65Golden Set Dura Match 16 (Kevlar Mains) Kevlar 1.27 336 10.81

Newest Strings on the Market

Company String Material Gauge Stiffness(lbs.)

TensionLoss

(lbs.)Company String Material Gauge Stiffness

(lbs.)

TensionLoss

(lbs.)


Guide to Strings

1 Start by finding the string your client currently uses in

the appropriate list (we’ve bro-ken the market down into four categories: Nylon, Polyester, Natural Gut and Kevlar).

2Note the string’s stiffness and tension loss numbers,

go to the appropriate map and find the dot located at these coordinates.

·If your client is completely satisfied with their current string and doesn’t want anything different from their next string, dots in the neighborhood (very close to their current string’s dot) will likely play similar.

·If your client is happy with how long their string plays well, but doesn’t love the feel of their string, try something on the same vertical level, but farther to the right or left. Strings to the right should feel stiffer (or more crisp), while strings to the left should feel softer (or more comfortable).

·If your client is happy with how their string feels, but not with how long it feels that way, try something in the same column, but higher or lower. Strings high-er on the chart should soften (or loosen) up more quickly, while lower strings should hold their initial feel longer.

3Once you’ve found a dot that seems interesting,

note the coordinates and look them up in the table.

The Geography of “Feel”Finding Your “Feel Good” Location·Softer strings are to the left, stiffer strings to the right.

·Strings that lose more tension

Using the String Selector

All New StringsTension Loss vs. Stiffness

are at the top; those that lose less are at the bottom.

·All strings on the same vertical line should feel about the same, no matter the tension.

·All strings at different locations on the same horizontal line will feel different from each other.

·Stringbed power increases to the left.

·Player supplied power increases to the right.

·Stringbed control increases to the right.

·“Arm friendly” strings are to the left.

·“Feedback” intensity (shock) increases to right.

·Feel consistency over time tends to increase toward the bottom.

Test Procedure. All strings were tensioned to 62 pounds and allowed to sit for 200 sec-onds. Then the string was hit five times with a force equiva-lent to hitting a 120 mph serve. The tension loss represents the total amount of the relaxation over both time and impact. The stiffness value is a calcula-tion derived from the amount of force created at impact to stretch the string. Lower values represent softer strings and lower impact forces. Higher

values represent stiffer strings and higher impact forces.

Hybrids: To look up a hybrid combination, you must look up each string separately. If it is a pre-packaged hybrid, most packaging indicates the name of each string. There are a few hybrids using strings that aren’t sold on their own. Those strings are included in our lists. They will be listed as the name of the hy-brid with (main) or (cross) after the name. For example, Head Protector 16 (main) is the string used for the mains in Head’s Protector 16 string. •

Stiffness (lbs/in)

Ten

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QRacquet rotation

I've run into an unusual problem with a natural gut

string job, and I thought that you might be able to shed some light on it. I strung two new and unused racquets for a customer in March of this year, and my customer chose to play the one while leaving the other untouched in his racquet bag for eight months.

Aweek or so ago he pulled this un-touched (still had the plastic manu-facturer wrap covering the grip) racquet from his bag and found it to have broken string in two places.

I have strung hundreds of racquets with gut but have not yet seen this particular circumstance in gut break-age, and I want to avoid any future repeat of this problem. Breaks are in racquet head at #2M and #3M on one side and #6M and #7M on the other side. There were no knots in the areas

where the strings broke. The stringing machine used is a Babolat Star II.

Do you have any idea what could have caused these broken strings?

A From your descrip-tion of the problem, it does not sound as if stringer error was a

factor. However, eight months is a lot of time for a racquet to be kicking around, even in a racquet bag.

This is not to say that string can simply break for no apparent reason over a couple of months, but between March and November come the sum-mer months. If your customer left his racquet in the trunk of the car in a warm climate, it might explain why the broken ends of the string appear so shriveled.

To avoid having to comp string jobs in the future, advise customers who string

more than one racquet at a time to rotate the use of their rac-quets. We’re not talking about switching racquets between points; playing with one racquet one day and the other racquet the next day will suffice.

Rotating racquet use this way helps ensure that string tension and condition are more consistent from rac-quet to racquet. When the strings break in one racquet, it’s time to get both racquets restrung. It also reduces the disparity in playability between racquets.

Last but not least, if there is a problem with the stringing, it will surface sooner rather than later so you are better able to troubleshoot the problem.

Q Racquet broke on the machine

A racquet I was stringing broke while I was installing the crosses. The location of the break is at the 10:30 posi-

Your Equipment HotlineAsk the Experts


tion on the frame. It happened toward the end of the string job, with about four cross strings left, as I was weav-ing the next string.

Any idea why this happened? Previously, you advised me that, if

given a choice, I should do a two-piece job and string the crosses top to bot-tom, because it is better for the stress of the frame.

This racquet was strung bottom up by the stringer before me, so I figured it was a "good" way to string the racquet.

Am I right in thinking to never string bottom up again? Are their any racquets that have to be strung bot-tom up?

Finally, how can I recognize that I will be stringing a one-piece string job bottom up?

A Ouch, that hurts. Sorry you had a problem stringing that racquet.

As with many racquets, the racquet you were servicing allows stringing the crosses from the bottom up, so you could make the argument that you were stringing it as recommend-ed by the manufacturer.

However, you are correct that it is also preferable to string the crosses from the top down, for the reason you just discovered: It's better for the racquet.

The only racquet that comes to mind that you have to string with the crosses from bottom to top is the Prince Ring, as there is no other way to string this racquet.

For all others, if dividing the num-ber of mains by two results in an even number, and the mains start at the throat, the mains will end at the throat, so you will need to do two-piece to start the crosses at the head. If dividing the number of mains by two results in an odd number and the mains start at the head (as with this racquet), the mains will end at the throat, so you will need to do two-piece to start the crosses at the head.

Mains 16 16 18 18 Mains / 2 8 8 9 9 Mains start H T H T Crosses start H T T H

Alternatively, you could just plan on doing every racquet two-piece unless the situation or the player demands differently.

Q Doing what comes naturally

I have a customer who wants to use Wilson NXT. I’ve never installed a set of natural gut before. What do I need to know before I start?

AThe first thing you need to know is that the “natural” des-ignation on the outside of the

package refers to the color of the string, not the composition. Wilson NXT is a nylon string, so you string it as you would just about any other nylon string.

If you are ever faced with installing a set of natural gut, check out “Don’t Bust a Gut” from the March 2006 issue of Racquet Sports Industry magazine (available online at tennisindustrymag.com).

USRSA members can also check the “Backissues” section of RacquetTECH.com, searching for “natural gut” to see a great collection of tips and techniques for dealing with gut.

—Greg Raven •

We welcome your questions. Please send them to Tennis Industry, PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096; fax: 760-536-1171; email: [email protected].


Tourna Quasi-Gut Armor is a multifilament made from thou-sands of twisted nylon filaments impregnated and coated with polyurethane, making it an update to the original Tourna Quasi-Gut. Quasi-Gut Armor includes two additional strands of heat-treated co-poly ribbons in the outer layer to increase durability.

Tourna tells us that Quasi-Gut Armor is a powerful, natural-gut-like multifilament that is durable enough to hybrid with to-day’s co-polys, but soft enough to provide relief from the stiffness a full bed of co-poly can deliver. Quasi-Gut Armor is designed for players looking for a durable and comfortable multifilament, for use either on its own or in a hybrid with poly.

Quasi-Gut Armor is available in 16 and 17 gauges in natural with a blue spiral. It is priced from $8.95 for sets of 40 feet, or $99 for 660-foot reels. For more information or to order, contact Tourna at 800-554-3707, or visit uniquesports.com. See the con-clusion for a special offer.

String Playtest


Tourna Quasi-Gut Armor 16

In the LabWe tested the 16-gauge Quasi-Gut Ar-mor. The coil measured 41 feet, 7 inches. The diameter measured 1.30-1.32 mm prior to stringing, and 1.26-1.28 mm after stringing. We recorded a stringbed stiffness of 82 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), string-bed stiffness measured 75 RDC units, representing a 9 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. Quasi-Gut Armor 16 added 14 grams to the weight of our unstrung frame.

The string was tested for five weeks by 35 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP rat-ings from 3.5 to 6. These are blind tests, with playtesters receiving unmarked strings in unmarked packages. Average number of hours playtested was 26.7.

During installation, Quasi-Gut Armor is wonderful to handle. You do have to

Playtester Ratings Ease of Stringing(compared to other strings)

much easier 6somewhat easier 10about as easy 13not quite as easy 6not nearly as easy 0 Overall Playability(compared to the string played most often)

much better 1somewhat better 12about as playable 10not quite as playable 10not nearly as playable 2 Overall Playability(compared to other strings of similar gauge)

much better 0somewhat better 7about as durable 18not quite as durable 7not nearly as durable 3 Rating AvergagesFrom 1 to 5 (best) Playability (9th overall) 3.9Durability 3.3Power (10th overall) 3.7Control 3.7Comfort (2nd overall) 4.2Touch/Feel (3rd overall) 3.9Spin Potential 3.1Holding Tension 3.4Resistance to Movement 3.1

By Greg Raven

Quasi-Gut Armor is designed for players looking for a durable and comfortable multifilament.

be a bit more persistent with blocked holes, but the blue spiral looks sharp, and is reminiscent of the old Victor Imperial natural gut.

One playtester broke his sample during stringing, three reported problems with coil memory, three reported problems ty-ing knots, one reported friction burn, and two reported other problems.

On the CourtJudging by the comments, some of the playtesters were grateful to take a nylon break from the typical poly we test. Still, the string has to perform on the court, and perform it did. Quasi-Gut Armor re-ceived the second highest rating for Com-fort of the 175 strings we’ve playtested for publication to date—meaning the only string that bettered it in this category is a natural gut. Quasi-Gut Armor also placed third overall in Touch/Feel, ninth in Playability, and 10th in Power. Quasi-Gut Armor also rated well above average in Control. As a result, Tourna Quasi-Gut Armor rated well above average overall.

One playtester reported premature fraying or peeling, none reported buzz-ing, and 13 reported notching. Three broke the string during the playtest period—one each at five, six and 12 hours.

ConclusionIt’s impressive any time a string places highly overall in Comfort, but for Quasi-Gut Armor—a nylon string with a touch of poly—to place second only to natural gut for Comfort is astonishing. Back that up with three additional top-10 rankings in other categories, and you’re looking at a string that deserves serious consider-ation.

If you think Tourna Quasi-Gut Armor might be for you, Unique is offering a 2-for-the-price-of-1 deal for USRSA members in the U.S., valid during all of January 2014

Playtester Comments“Fantastic multifila-ment. This has the kind of comfort, control and all-around perfor-mance that makes a top seller.”—5.5 male baseliner with heavy spin using Mantis Pro 295 strung at 54 pounds CP (Spintex Exclusive HD 16)

“Lively, lively, lively. Excellent control and comfort, especially on finesse shots! I will add this to my inventory.” —5.5 male serve-and-vol-ley player using Babolat AeroPro Drive GT strung at 52 pounds LO (Wilson NXT 17)“This is not a niche string that excels in only one or two categories. It has impressive all-around

playability.” —3.5 male all-court player using Prince EXO3 Tour (16x18) strung at 55 pounds CP (Forten Competition 16)“Easy to string and easy to play with. This is just a nice perform-ing string.” —4.5 male all-court play-er using Babolat AeroPro Drive GT strung at 60 pounds CP (Gamma Professional 17)

“Very comfortable with some string movement in the be-ginning.” —4.5 male serve-and-volley player using Babo-lat Pure Drive Roddick GT strung at 59 pounds CP (Wilson NXT 16)“Some kinking during Installation. On court, this is a comfortable string that holds up well over multiple ses-sions.”

—3.5 male all-court player using Babolat Pure Storm GT strung at 54 pounds CP (Gamma TNT2 16)“A very comfortable string with nice touch, control, and feel. The power is average. There is some notching with heavy spin.”—4.5 male all-court player using Babolat AeroPro Drive + GT strung at 55 pounds CP (Babolat RPM Blast 16)


http://uspta.fromuthtennis.com

A Champion's Season. Serena Williams

JUST DO IT

Nov-13-Serena_Layout 1 11/22/2013 9:16 AM Page 9


by Todd Upchurch, USPTA Southern Division president Page 51

Inside Coaching: Understand your role

Departments

47 President’s Message 49 CEO’s Message 51 Inside Coaching

52 Beyond the Court 57 Career Development 59 Industry Action

52 Beyond the Court: USPTA Pros help teenager fund cancer research through Tennis Relayby Christiana Johns, USPTA staff writer

54 Keeping your players healthy on courtby Dr. Stephan Esser, USPTA

Online:Are you ready to run a tournament? by David Minihan, USPTA Master Professional

Gain perspective by starting at square one by Ryan Thompson, USPTA

Understanding the singles game by Chris Roman, USPTA

January 2014 ADDvantage 45

ADDvantage magazine editorial offices

USPTA World Headquarters3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite OneHouston, TX 77042Phone – 713-978-7782800-USPTA-4UFax – 713-358-7794email – [email protected]

Managing editor Kimberly ForresterCirculation Kathy Buchanan

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

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

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

Copyright© United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2013. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of the magazine is not permitted without written permission from USPTA.

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com


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It’s been an incredible and fast-paced three months since I began my role as the USPTA President. It’s an honor and a privilege to

serve as your President, and I’m excit-ed to continue along the path to imple-ment our strategic plan. I’m committed to stay the course and grasp the op-portunity for us to move forward and create a new USPTA culture to help us continue to be relevant in the industry. There has been a tremendous amount of progress that has taken place in the last several months. The following list represents the highlights of recent member benefit announcements:• Theoverhaulofthecurrentmem-

bership structure. The new catego-ries will include Master Profession-al, Elite Professional, Professional, Recreational Coach and Applicant. This structure will smooth out the testing procedure and ease the confusion related to our previous ratings. It will also make it easier to market the USPTA to consumers, facilities and our allied associations.

• Wehaveintroducedprecertifica-tion as well as post-certification education requirements. After all, our mission statement is to elevate the standards of tennis-teaching professionals and coaches.

• WehaveanewrelationshipwiththeNational Family Tennis Champion-ships. Members can host an event and create revenue opportunities for themselves and their facilities.

• Wealsohaveanewpartnershipwith TGA Premier Youth Tennis. Franchise opportunities are avail-able to members for this proven school-based model.

• ADDvantagehasmergedwithTen-nis Industry magazine, which will reach a wider audience and provide members with additional tennis industry information.

• The2014WorldConferencewillbein New York as part of the Tennis Teachers Conference. Members that attend will get transportation and a ticket to the first day of the US Open. Savethedates:Aug.22–25.

• USPTAisnowhelpingitscertifiedmembers find health insurance throughWoodruffSawyer, a full ser-vice insurance bro-kerage firm. This relationship will provide members with assistance in navigating through the maze of health care information.

• USPTAwilllauncharetirementpro-gram in the new year. Certified pro-fessionals who own or have financial responsibilities for their shops will have vendor-supported opportuni-ties for their retirement. Members can also contribute to their own plan and will have a variety of retirement options.

All of these member benefits will have a positive impact on the associa-tion and the members. I commend John Embree and the staff, the Board, and the Executive Committee for the remarkable work, but we are just in the beginning stages of where we are head-ed in the future. There is definitely more to come in January. Wewillcontinuetostrivetooffer

new tangible and quantifiable benefits. This is the first step in tackling the chal-lenges of the third pillar of our strategic plan,membershipgrowth.Wehaveagoalof5percentgrowthinmembershipover the next three years. This will be a focusaswemoveinto2014.Everyonemust take ownership of this project if we are to move the dial. All of the divi-sion leaders, National Board and staff will work together to address the issues and formulate a nationwide strategy thatwillbeimplemented.Weaskthat

you become engaged in this effort. Be a USPTA ambassador and spread the word about the positive changes taking place. Contact the non-certi-fied pros in your area and encourage them

to become members. Anotherfocusfor2014istocon-tinue to become more diverse and inclusive. It is critical that we are more proactive in the future in our desire to be inclusive. If we want to be more gen-der, age, and racially diverse, then we have to reach out to these communities and make the connection to encourage membership to the USPTA. It will truly benefit all of us and the association to welcome individuals from all walks of life into the USPTA family. It’s an exciting time and as you can see we have a full plate of projects. As your President, I look forward to the upcoming challenges and the many opportunities. I’m optimistic and con-fident about the future of the USPTA. I wish you and your family a won-derful and safe holiday season! h

Committed to the course:Outlining USPTA’s goals for 2014


I’m committed to stay the course and grasp the opportunity for us to move forward and create a new USPTA culture to help us continue to be relevant in the industry.

by Tom McGraw

President’s Message


48 ADDvantage January 2014 www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

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There is an age-old business axiom that says: “If it is not a core competency, outsource it.” WhileADDvantagemagazine

has served our association well for decades, the USPTA should not neces-sarily be in the magazine publishing business. Our singular and core focus ought to be on elevating the standards of tennis-teaching professionals and coaches through education and cer-tification.WhilesomemightsaythatADDvantageinitspastformathelpssupport this mission, we owed it to our-selves to question the current model to determine if there was an alternative to delivering educational information. As part of the evaluation process of our association that began early in 2013,wehaveexaminedeveryaspectof our business to see if there is a better way of doing things. Given the resourc-es (both financial and administrative) thatwewereallocatingtoADDvantageeach year, I wondered if there was an opportunity to provide a better prod-uct for our membership while saving substantial money. After several conversations over the course of six to nine months with pub-lishing expert and industry colleague JeffWilliams,itbecameclearthatwecould meet our objective. Not only is Jeff the group publisher for Tennis magazine and tennis.com, he is the owner of Racquet Sports Industry or RSI, a very creditable industry source for trade information. No one can questionhistennisDNAorhisexper-tise in the publishing arena. Thus, the premise was simple:

mergeADDvantageintoRacquetSportsIndustry magazine as a regular insert and rebrand the magazine as Tennis Industry.Indoingso,ADDvantagewouldbeseeninprintedform10timesper year (instead of the current six), increase the readership that would see our USPTA messaging (including own-ers and managers of the facilities where we are employed) while providing at the same time a much wider range of content (news, industry trends, busi-ness articles, etc.), all at a much lower cost. If done right, it could be a “win-win” situation that one seeks whenever a new concept is hatched like this. Thus, I am delighted to introduce the new ADDvantageaspartofTennis Industry maga-zine in this inaugural issue. Upon a quick examination, you will notice a revamped but energeticADDvantagelogo, an updated template that gives the magazine a fresh new look and a more substantial publication that of-fersavarietyoffeaturesthatADDvan-tage could never have had previously. Whilewewillbelimitedto16pagesofcontent per month (except for our con-ference issue in August), we will be able to augment each printed version with a digitaleditionofADDvantagethatwillincorporate articles and educational material online for anyone’s viewing pleasure that we could not incorporate into our designated section. Plus, we have the chance to expand our adver-tising revenues owing to the improved

product that will be produced. Thanks to printing efficiencies, lower postage rates, and overall cost reductions, the USPTA will save ap-proximately$45,000overourac-tualexpensestopublishADDvantagemagazinein2013.Itwouldseemlikea“nobrainer”right?Well,itonlymakessense if the product that we distribute is better than what we have published for years. I think it will. I hope you like the direction that we are taking. I want to extend my sincerest thankstoJeffWilliams,DavidBone,John Hanna, Peter Francesconi and the rest of the RSI team for their com-

mitment to take on this project with vim and vigor. This is the kind of partnership that I envisioned when creatingPillarNo.4of our Strategic Plan (being more strong-

ly aligned with our allied organizations in the industry). I know not everyone is going to embrace this new approach. Change is hard and often uncomfortable for some. But, the rationale for coming together with RSI to create Tennis Industry magazine,withADDvantageplaying such an integral role, was overwhelmingly positive and there-foremadethedecisioneasy.Whywouldn’t anyone want more content more frequently at a lower cost? WelcometothefirstissueofTennis Industry magazinewithADDvantageinside. Enjoy! h

ADDvantage has changed...for the better!


Our singular and core focus ought to be on elevating the standards of tennis-teaching professionals and coaches through education and certification.

by John Embree

CEO’s Message

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.comwww.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

http://www.usptaplayer.com


In our chosen careers as tennis professionals, we are often asked to wear various hats. Besides an instructor of tennis, we are meteo-

rologists, psychiatrists, fitness train-ers, maintenance workers, bartenders, politicians, accountants, fashion con-sultants, physical therapists and much more.Withallthisinmind,ourmostimportant role is the one of motivator, encourager and role model.

Understanding your complete re-sponsibility as your facility’s and stu-dents’ tennis professional is something few fully grasp. But the ones that do are successful beyond measure. I’m not talking about monetary success, al-though that will surely come with a job well done. True success comes in the form of respect, admiration and loyalty from your students and their families. The impact on someone’s life, in which you have been cast as an authority fig-ure, is enormous. Once you have built that bridge of trust, they respect your opinion and thoughts and seek your approval. Fill that student with your knowledge of the game you love, but also with positive thoughts and words about their unlimited potential. Tell them honestly that they can accom-plish anything they set their minds to and work hard to help them achieve their goals and dreams. They are ex-pecting your best and they deserve all you have to give.

We,astennispros,havebeenthrust into a position of authority over so many lives. It is so important, especially with juniors, that they have your enthusiasm, encouragement and approval. You may not give much cre-dence to this thought, that maybe your knowledge of the game and God-given skills will overcome negative words or actions on your part. There is one thing that is important to remember here, your students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.Weallknowfellowtennisprofes-sionals who like to tell us and their

students how good they are or how great they used to be. Encourage them to stop telling their students about their own achievements or competence and start telling them how great their students can be. Your students’ future is bright and limitless and it might just start with you. You have no idea what your students are hearing at home or school and it might be that one word of encouragement that thrusts them to the next level.

As an influential figure in your students’ lives, many items are under yourcontrol.Withyourpositiveen-couragement, heartfelt concern and expert knowledge, you release good things into their lives. You release self-confidence, success, sportsmanship, self-reliance, happiness, healthiness and much more. You are responsible for helping them become the best that they can be and shaping their future. If

you are unwilling or unable to perform this role, don’t be surprised if that posi-tion of authority is taken away from you. Students will not stick around for very long if your best quality as a pro-fessional is hitting a forehand better than them. Constantly look for ways to improve your teaching abilities and your encouraging qualities to make yourself an asset in their lives.

Never take for granted the position you are in and the influence you have over their lives. Show them with your actions the proper behavior to handle themselves on and off the court. Tell them with your words that nothing can impede their path to success. Famous distance runner Steve Prefontaine said it correctly when he stated, “To give anything less than your best is to sacri-fice the gift.” Ensure that you and your students never waste the opportunity to be the very best that they can be. h

Understand your roleBy Todd Upchurch, USPTASouthernDivisionpresident

Inside coaching

The impact on someone’s life, in which you have been cast as an authority figure, is enormous.


While most teenagers spend their time worry-ing about college or get-ting their driver’s license,

Teah Flynn wants to fight cancer with tennis balls. Lastyear,the16-year-oldtennisplayer founded the Keep the Ball in Motion–RallyandGiveBackTennisRelay, an all-day event held to raise money for cancer research. Flynn said 100percentoftheproceedsgostraighttotheWashingtonUniversitySchoolofMedicine in St. Louis’ genomic cancer researchfund.WiththehelpofseveralUSPTA Professionals hosting courts,

therelayheldonFeb.9,2013raised$3,825,butFlynnhasamoreambitiousnumberinmindfortheFeb.8,2014event. “If I can reach my goal, that wouldbe72,000peopleparticipat-ingwitheachonedonating$10.Thatis$720,000,alotofmoneythatcouldreally help genomic cancer research,” Flynn said. The high school junior from Farm-ington, Ark., is no stranger to com-munity service. She has helped care for service dogs for the disabled; raised $250forherlocalhumanesocietywhen she was in middle school; and

produced PSAs on texting and driving, usingtheFBI’sChildIDsmartphoneapp and establishing a national data-baseforcriminalDNA. ButonedayinJuly2012asegmenton the “CBS This Morning” show struck a chord with her. ThepiecefeaturedDr.LukasWartman,anoncologistdiagnosedwith leukemia, the same cancer he’d devoted his life to studying. His fel-lowdoctorsatWashingtonUniver-sity School of Medicine in St. Louis began researching ways to help their colleague through whole genome se-quencing, locating and treating a mal-

By Christina Johns, USPTA staff writer

USPTA Pros help teenager fund cancer research through Tennis Relay

Beyond the Court


functioning gene that could be accel-eratingthegrowthofcancer.Withthehelpofanewdrug,Wartmanbecamethe first person to take it for leukemia. Againstallodds–thediseasehasnoknowncure–Wartmanwentintore-mission. “Amazing, exciting, phenomenal are the three words that I thought of when I saw that show,” Flynn said. “I also thought that if they can do that for can-cer, what about autism and Alzheimer’s and so much more?” Inspired by the ongoing work at WashingtonUniversity,Flynnwantedto help raise money to advance ge-nomic cancer research. A previous conversation with her grandmother about world records and the record for keeping a tennis ball in motion made everything click. That’swhenFlynncontactedJ.D.Hall,USPTAProfessionalandDirectorof Tennis at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Ark., for help in organizing the fundraising relay.

“The reason I decided to be a part of the relay is because it was something so different and out of the ordinary and for great cause,” Hall said. “I thought Teah’s idea was fantastic. The results were

good for the first year, but I believe we can do better each year to come.” Flynn said hosting a relay over a tournament made more sense because more people could get involved. The format for the relay is simple: six play-ers rotate on and off the court every hourin10-minuteintervals,allwhilekeeping the ball in motion. Some coaches mix it up, having an all-day drill and alternate coaches. Jonathan Zielke, USPTA Profes-sionalandAssistantDirectorofTen-nis at Pinnacle Country Club, said the club blocked off one court all day, havingmembersfillthespotsin30minute blocks and make donations to participate. “Teah is a strong tennis player in our junior tennis program at Pin-

nacle, but she is also a great role model for the younger kids,” Zielke said.“Withthisevent,she also inspired many of our adults to come to-gether for a great cause.” For her efforts, the USTA Arkansas section awarded the Tennis Relaythe2013SpecialTennis Event of the Year award. However, not content with just one event at one club, Flynn recruited Hall to help her contact other USPTA Pros around the country to host relays, too.

“If I can reach my goal, that would be 72,000 people participating with each one donating $10. That is $720,000, a lot of money that could really help genomic cancer research.”

Nate Griffin, USPTA Professional andDirectorofTennisatRiverStrandGolf and Country Club in Bradenton, Fla., was impressed with the ambition of a high school student and decided to host the event at his club, too. “It was simple to organize this event with a couple of emails and it basically ran itself from there,” Griffin said. “You only need one court and the formatissimpleandfun.Weraisedafew hundred dollars and we will prob-ably double that total next year.” USPTA Pro Matt Grayson also held a tennis relay at his club last Febru-ary. The Second Vice President of the USPTASouthernDivision,whowasawarded the individual USPTA Les-sonsforLifeAwardatthe2013USPTAWorldConference,isnostrangertofundraisers. And having worked with Hall for more than nine years, he had no hesitation to get involved. Grayson said with the help of online registration, members at his Ansley Golf Club in Atlanta could book a time to sign up with partners or individuals fora$50perhourfee,withthepro-ceeds going to the research fund. “This was a fun event for our members that I believe will pick up participation as we move forward since the players had such a fun time with this first-time event here at the club,” Grayson said. The second annual Keep the Ball inMotion–RallyandGiveBackTen-nisRelaywillbeheldonFeb.8,2014.To learn more about the event visit t ennisrelay.org. h

Lauren Johnston and Teah Flynn

Teah with Coach Larry Long (left), Retired Fayetteville High School Tennis Coach, and John Threet, Washington

County (AR) Prosecuting Attorney after making a presentation to get support for the event.

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com January 2014 ADDvantage 53 www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

You’ve been there. One of your tennis clients is making gains, having fun on thecourt,bookinglessonsandthen–BAM–theygetinjuredanditallfallsapart.Not only do they miss out on what they love and what you love sharing, but to be honest, your bottom line also suffers. It’s a lose-lose situation.

I feel your pain I know just how that feels. Before becoming a sports medicine physician I taughttennisfor10yearsinSouthFlorida,includingprivateandgroupadult

Sports doctors and teaching pros have very similar goals: to keep players healthy and active in the sport they love.

by Dr. Stephan Esser, USPTA

Keeping your

players healthy on

the court

lessonsandasadirectorofa75-mem-ber junior academy. Along the way I learned that many health care provid-ers had no idea about the ins and outs of tennis. I also found out that com-munication between teaching pros and doctors was almost non-existent. The truth is that sports doctors and teach-ing pros have very similar goals: to keep players healthy and active in the sport they love. Based on my experi-ence as a teaching pro and as a physi-cian, I wanted to offer a few tips on how to maximize your relationship with your local sports doctors and keep your players healthy and on your court.

Top tips for success1: Get to know your local sports doctors Whichdoctorsyourplayersvisitcan make the difference between if and when they get back on the court. Ask around: ask friends, players, fam-ilymembersandotherpros.Whoisgood?Whounderstandstennis?Whocommunicates effectively in a posi-tive, personalized way? Are any of your players sports doctors? Also, who does not have a good reputation? Make a list and keep it handy. Some doctors just say “stop playing tennis” without real-izing there is a lot we can do to prevent injury. Or they may allow modified


play while recovering. Consider giving your local sports doctors a call or swing by and meet them. Invite them to an evening mixer or grab a drink. Tell them about the types of injuries you see and ask them about their interests or experience with racquet sports. If they have an interest, consider inviting them to speak at an evening mixer or put together a special event on injury prevention with them. It can set you apart and further improve the value you bring to your players as a teaching professional.

2: You are a valuable resource Remember that you are a “referral source” for sports medicine doctors. Just like you, they need to put food on the table, and having you refer patients to them is extremely valu-able. Be proud of your client relationships and confident in your value. You see athletes every week whom the sports doctor would love to see in their clinic. If you learn which players could benefit from an evaluation and you encourage them to visit the right doctor, you help your players stay active or return to the court sooner after an injury. If you de-velop a good relationship with your lo-cal sport doctor, you may also be able to get your players on the doctor’s short list so they skip the long lines. You look good, the players appreciate it and you get them back on the court sooner. As they say, who you know counts.

3. Know your limits Don’ttrytobeadoctor,butdosup-port your players. Your skills are likely better on the court than diagnosing the top10causesofkneepain.That’sokay!You don’t need to know it all. If a player develops mild pain in the knee, shoul-der or other joint and it persists despite a week or so of PRICE (protection, rest, ice, compression, elevation) then encourage your player to get it checked out. If they have a more severe acute injury with significant pain, new swell-ing, weakness, numbness or tingling,

design your own, include segments on grip type, hours of play, NTRP rating, string tension and other variables you may know better than your more rec-reational players. Helping them fill out the form to take to their doctor increas-es your value as a professional and can help them get the best care. Also coach your players on what to ask the doctor. The two most important questions you need answered are: 1. Can(andhowsooncan)yourplayer

return to the court? 2. Anylimitationsonplay?Canthey

hit volleys but not serves? Can they hit from midcourt but not full court?

For example, I often see players with shoulder pain felt only on serves andoverheads.Dependentonmyexam,I may be able to clear them to return to the court for rallying low-pace balls from midcourt along with footwork drills and volleys during shoulder treat-ment. Sometimes, but not always, the question boils down to full play or no play. You need to know what the limits are so you can help keep the player ac-tive but protect them from injury while they are on your courts. Knowing the answers can help you plan your sched-ule, keep your players appropriately involved and hopefully reduce their risk of re-injury. Think creatively. How can you improve communication in your area?

Take it to the courts So now you have some basics. You love tennis, I love tennis and your play-ers love tennis. Find a sports doctor in your community who loves or at least understands the basics of tennis as well.Developarelationship,communi-cate effectively, and recognize you are an asset to both your players and the lo-cal doctors. Together we can keep more people playing tennis longer, with few-er injuries. h

then an evaluation should happen soonerthanlater.Don’tharassyourplayers or tell them what to do, but do offer a friendly nudge and a few words of encouragement. Showing that you care only strengthens your player-pro relationship and will help keep or get them healthy.

4. Maximize your effect The scientific evidence on tennis injury is growing. One thing we are learning is that proper technique is a major preventer of injury. So maxi-mize your teaching time on technique, even with your “hit and giggle” les-sons. I am talking about the basics, like using your kinetic chain (legs and

core), early con-tact points, correct grip type, adequate warm up and cool down and good cross training. You and I know better

technique early on allows players to excel on the court sooner. As a doctor, I know good technique can reduce injury rates. If you need a refresher, check out the excellent USPTA and USTA resources available in print, onlineandonDVD.Stayontopofnewconcepts and don’t be afraid to adapt your style if needed.

5. Communication is KING of the court In many athletic environments, coaches, players, trainers and doctors communicate seamlessly. This helps the players get the most out of their sport while limiting the effects of in-jury. Although most of our players are not in collegiate or professional set-tings where this flourishes, that is not an excuse to allow inadequate commu-nication to limit their success. In an effort to help improve things, I have designed handouts for my local pros to give to their injured players. (Email me if you want copies.) If you

The scientific evidence on tennis injury is growing. One thing we are learning is that proper technique is a major

predictor of injury.

Dr. Stephan Esser, USPTA, is a non-operative sports and spine physician who specializes in reducing pain, maximizing function and educating and empowering patients. He is a former No. 1 in the U.S. in men’s open USTA doubles. He practices sports medicine with Heekin Orthopedics in Jack-sonville, Fla. He can be reached at [email protected].

January 2014 ADDvantage 55www.ADDvantageUSPTA.comwww.ADDvantageUSPTA.com


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

(4 credits for PTCA I segment)

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

To use the system at a seminar, general session or specialty course, you must scan two QR codes. One QR code is on your conference badge. The second QR code will be in your conference notebook and cannot be scanned until the end of the session or the beginning of the next session.

If you do not have a smartphone, you may use someone else’s. Forms are available upon request.

March 1 Midwest Division

Columbus, Ohio

Cardio Tennis

Accredited Professional Coach

Jan 11 CT Marina Del Ray, Calif.

Jan 12 TRX CT Marina Del Ray, Calif.

Feb. 9 CT Honolulu

Feb. 20 CT Kansas City, Mo.

Feb. 24 CT Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Feb. 25 TRX CT Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Feb. 27 CT Columbus, Ohio

March 2 CT San Francisco

March 3 TRX CT San Francisco

Conventions(Division conventions, 5 credits; World Conference 8 credits; dates subject to change)

Jan. 17-18 Northern Division Fridley, Minn.

Jan. 18-20 Northern California Division Stanford, Calif.

Jan. 24-26 Eastern Division White Plains, N.Y.

Jan. 24-25 Southwest Division Phoenix

Jan. 25-26 California Division Los Angeles

Feb. 13-16 Texas Division Horseshoe Bay, Texas

Feb. 21-22 Missouri Valley Division Mission Hills, Kan.

Feb. 28-March 1 Mid-Atlantic Division Fredericksburg, Va.

March 1-3 Midwest Division Dublin, Ohio

March 2 San Diego Division La Jolla, Calif.

Career Development

Exams, Upgrades & PTCA I

Jan. 12 Clive, Iowa

Jan. 17 Palo Alto, Calif.

Jan. 17-18 Houston*

Jan. 18-19 Boca Raton, Fla.

Jan 18-19 Aurora, Ill.

Feb. 2 Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Feb. 7-8 Atlanta

Feb. 13-14 Port Washington, N.Y.

Feb. 15-16 Orlando

Feb. 15-16 Horseshoe Bay, Texas

Feb. 20 Kansas City, Kan.

Feb. 21-22 Houston*

TAUT workshopWebinarsUSPTAPlayer.com Tournament Module Training

Please visit www.cardiotennis.com to register online.

To register, email [email protected] and indicate which session you would like. Training is open to the first 24 to register. A confirmation email will be sent that provides the webinar instructions.

(.5 APC credits)

Jan. 16 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST

Jan. 28 12 p.m. EST/9 a.m. PST

Feb. 6 12 p.m. EST/9 a.m. PST




January 2014 ADDvantage 57www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

March 1 Management: a learned skill

Columbus, Ohio; A. Pant

Specialtycourses


Industry Action

Member News• Dick Johnson, USPTA, was selected as a recipient of the 2013 High School All-Star Coaching No-Cut Team. Johnson is a South-west USTA Hall of Fame in-ductee and past president of the USPTA Southwest

Division. He also recently co-hosted the Rally for the Cure Cancer Initiative at the 2013 Coleman Vision Women’s Profes-sional Tennis Tournament in Albuquerque, N.M. The event raised more than $8,000 for cancer research.

• USPTA Professional Eileen Kelly Berry journeyed to Bulima, Tanzania, in Septem-ber to introduce tennis to AIDS orphans and children of poor African pastors and missionaries at the Lion of Judah Academy. From creating a make-shift court to designing tennis wear for the girls to King of the Court, “it was a joy to work with these beautiful chil-dren,” Berry said. “They listened, helped out when needed and were looking for extra time on the court whenever they saw me.” USTA New England provided a 10 and Under Tennis equipment package with racquets and balls.

• USPTA Professional Bill Phillips, regional vice president of the Southern Division, was named the USTA National

Trainer of the Year. Phillips began teaching tennis while in the U.S. Air Force 40 years ago. Since that time he has served in a wide variety of roles as a teacher, leader and coach, including community

coordinator and director of community de-velopment for USTA Louisiana, president of USPTA Louisiana, and president of the USPTA Southern Division. He also serves as chairman of USPTA’s 10 and Under Ten-nis Committee.

• USPTA Pros Josh Basha, Glenn Delaney and Tony Thompson along with Forest Crest Athletic Club in Mount-lake Terrace, Wash., held a Tennis Across America event offering free junior and adult training. The event, which in-cluded tennis 101, Cardio Tennis, and point play, was free and open to the public. Par-ticipants were asked to bring canned food items. With 67 participants, 476 pounds of food was donated to Hope Link, a local food bank and social services agency.

• Scott Irwin, USPTA, is the new general manager of the Diamond-head Country Club and Property Owners Associa-

tion in Diamondhead, Miss. Irwin has

held various positions

managing operations at country clubs, resorts and racquet clubs across the U.S. and Canada.

He is a member of the CMAA, the International Food

Service Executives Association, and a life member of the USTA.

In 2002, he was the recipient of the USPTA Club Manager of the Year for the nine southeastern U.S. states. He was awarded the Certified Club Manager designation by the CMAA, joining 1,300 other club manag-ers who hold this hallmark designation. In 2004 he obtained the prestigious Master Certified Food Executive designation from the International Food Service Executives Association and the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

• USPTA Professional Jim Lopez was honored as part of the Class of 2013 for the Rutgers-Newark Athletic Hall of Fame in New Jersey. Lopez, who was a two-year team captain and three-year standout in singles and doubles play, remains the only Rutgers-Newark men’s tennis player to advance through two rounds of the NAIA National

Tournament. He posted un-beaten records in singles and doubles in NAIA District 31 competition as a junior to

finish with an overall record of 79-12. He founded the Jim Lo-

pez Tennis Academy in 1980 and still serves as

its director. As a prep coach, he has been named the coach of the year 11 times for girls and boys teams by newspapers in Florida and Mary-land. He is currently a classroom teacher in the Anne Arundel County Public Schools system.

• Bob Love, one of the original 18 USPTA Master Professionals, was recently named the 2013 Jr. Team Tennis Coordinator of the Year for USTA Kentucky. Love organized a summer JTT league with nine teams from eight counties, plus

a five-team USTA Fall Interscholastic League.

•Les Longshore, USPTA, passed away last September at the age of 88. A renowned tennis player, he won the SEC singles and doubles championships in 1946 while at Tulane Uni-versity, and he competed in the U.S. National Cham-pionships (now known as the US Open) every year between 1952 and 1959, most notably reaching the round of 16 in 1958. He founded and served as president of the Southern Professional Tennis Association and served as national USPTA president in 1974. He went on to coach tennis at Moun-tain Brook Swim & Tennis Club, Highland Racquet Club and Clemson University among others. Longshore was inducted into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003. After a championship career in tennis, Longshore took up running in his 50s and completed 37 marathons.

January 2014 ADDvantage 59www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

O“10 million frequent players by 2020”—that’s the stated goal of the Tennis Industry Association,

and it would just about double the num-ber of frequent players we now have.

Increasing the number of frequent tennis players, who play at least 21 times a year, is wise. Frequent play-ers engage in more play occasions and collectively spend far more on equip-ment, apparel, lessons, court fees and other tennis expenses than those who play less often. The question is, how do we increase frequent players? Here are some suggestions.

We need PlayTennis.com to be suc-cessful. The centerpiece of the TIA’s efforts to increase frequent players is PlayTennis.com, which links individuals with facilities, programs, partners and other providers in their areas. PlayTen-nis.com could bring lots of new players into tennis, and increase the number of frequent players, but its effectiveness depends on how aware the non-tennis playing public is of the website. The TIA, USTA and industry partners must initiate a full-scale promotion of Play-Tennis.com.

We need to increase participation in programs. Competitive and recreational programs facilitate frequent participa-tion by providing players with consis-tent days and times when they know

they will be able to play. Both within and outside the USTA, countless programs depend on volunteer leaders. Actively educating people about volunteer op-portunities and encouraging them to occupy those specific volunteer roles necessary for many programs to operate and grow is imperative if we are to make our programs as populous as they can be.

We also need to realize that much tennis play occurs outside of programs, and that many communities have no or-ganized programs. If every USTA mem-ber were both involved in a program and a frequent player, which is hardly the case, USTA members would still make up less than 15% of the frequent players in the U.S. So how do we inspire play outside of programs?

It used to be far more common than it is now, but there are still courts where people show up after work or on the weekends to play tennis with others who happen to be there. It may seem nostalgic to think we could once again have many more courts where people simply come out to play unscheduled singles and doubles matches, or to just hit with others. But if community tennis associations would send greeters/play-ers to public tennis courts and advertise “just show up and play tennis” days, we could resurrect some of the venues we have lost over the years.

Getting players out to the courts is one thing; the bigger challenge is getting them to come back on a consistent basis. Individuals have a vast array of recre-ational options and are more demand-ing than ever of instant gratification. To effectively compete with recreational alternatives, tennis needs to make it easier for beginners to rally. People who spend too much time picking up ten-nis balls and not enough time playing are unlikely to become avid players. Promoting the use of Red, Orange and Green balls is crucial. Low-compression balls enable players of modest skill, at any age, to quickly sustain rallies. This is where the fun is. This is where tennis either “clicks” for players and they de-cide to come back, or they decide tennis is not for them. The ball can make all the difference. Tennis must interest people swiftly if it is going to stand a chance at having them fall for the sport.

Our ultimate success in attaining 10 million frequent players by 2020 depends both on introducing many more people to tennis and helping them to become infatuated with the sport quickly. We have seven years to reach our goal—let’s make it happen. •

2020 Vision Reaching 10 million frequent players will be a boon to tennis. But how do we get there in seven years?By Kevin Theos

Your Serve

Kevin Theos is the USTA Southern Tennis Service Representative for Alabama. He serves on the USPTA Southern Division executive com-

mittee and is the former executive director of the Birmingham Area Ten-nis Association.

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


‘We need to increase participation in programs. … We also need to realize that much tennis play occurs outside of programs.’

‘Getting players out to the courts is one thing; the bigger challenge is getting them to come back on a consistent basis.’

Documents

201401 Tennis Industry magazine