YANKEE PROSE The Newsletter of the USPTA New England Division
In this newsletter: President's Message Page 01 Hall of Fame Induction & Brick Ceremony Page 10
WINTER 2023
Prose on the Go Page 19 Maine Event Page 21 Certification Workshop Page 22
Racket/Paddle Sports Business & Technology Page 26 Racquet Sports Career Page 30 and more.....
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT: USPTA MIKE KOLENDO New England Board of Directors Dear Colleagues, “Tempest fugit,“ which means "time flies” in latin. My time as President is ending and the past 3.5 years as President of our New England Association have absolutely flown by. Why? Because I enjoyed almost every minute of it. Working side by side with our Board and ED, all of whom I now think of as good friends, has been an incredibly rewarding Regional Vice President: experience. I can't thank them enough for their support, nor for the time Lisa Wilcott and energy they’ve given to our association. These folks are, without a supermiketennis1@gmail.com doubt, the finest group of volunteers I’ve ever worked with in the tennis industry. So thank you Mike Mercier, Lisa Wilcott, Chris Stevens, Christy Secretary: Bennett, Milan Kubala, Kristen Gerety, and Steve O'Connell — for your Christy Bennett committment to each other, your passion about our sport and bennett@newengland.usta.com association, for being experts at delivering quality programs, and for being creative problem solvers. Further, thanks to our Executive Director, Treasurer: Pam Dodman, who is proactive, organized, and constantly looking to do Chris Stevens more. She’s the glue that holds us together and I have no doubt that stevens10spro@gmail.com we’re in good hands for the foreseeable future. Regional President: Mike Kolendo m_kolendo@charter.net
Vice President: Kristen Gerety kdgerety@icloud.com Vice President: Milan Kubala stowemiles@gmail.com Past President: Michael Mercier supermiketennis1@gmail.com
The past several years have presented considerable challenges. The COVID pandemic shut down almost every tennis pro in the country for months and has changed the way we all communicate and do business moving forward. In response, USPTA and your New England Division developed virtual workshops, conferences, and even social happy hours to stay connected to our members and to provide the educational content that our pros need to obtain their required CEUs. And now, virtual educational events are definitely here to stay. I believe they’ll likely become the norm.
NE Executive Director: Pam Dodman pamela.dodman@uspta.org
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I’m very proud of the work we’ve done over the past several years. In addition to delving into the virtual world, here are some highlights: 1. We strengthened our relationships with the International Tennis Hall of Fame, USTA New England, and the PTR, partnering with all of them for several events — both virtual and in-person. 2. We put on two very high quality Spring Conferences, one at the ITHOF and one at Wentworth by the Sea, with world-class speakers including Todd Martin, Emilio Sanchez, Gigi Fernandez, Jorge Capistany, Greg Patton, and Ken DeHart. 3. We were named USPTA's Small Division of the Year at the 2022 World Conference in New Orleans. 4. We honored all of our USPTA New England Hall of Famers with bricks on the walkway at the ITHOF. We’ve ensured that future inductees will receive the same honor and I’m hopeful that we’ll continue the practice of hosting a Hall of Fame lunch every two years to stay connected with our most outstanding members. In the coming term, under incoming President Lisa Wilcott’s leadership, our Division will likely be focusing on growing membership. National has asked each Division to come up with a plan to attract, develop, and retain members. It’s a big job. It’ll be an ongoing project that will last for years. Quite frankly, I think it’s a task that can’t be accomplished by Division or even National leadership alone. It’s something that will only happen if the lion share of our members see the value of being a certified professional, with the commitment to continue learning throughout your career and demand that same commitment from the professionals they hire. I know from my own experience that hiring qualified people to teach tennis is challenging. But whenever possible, I’d encourage all of you to support the professionals in our association by giving preference to those individuals who’ve taken the time to become certified professionals.
USPTA New England State Presidents:
Connecticut: Paul Coorssen pcoorssen@gmail.com
Maine: Wilbur Shardlow shardlowtennis@roadrunner.com
Massachusetts: Stu Lehr stuartklehr@gmail.com & Phil Hayman hayman.phillip@yahoo.com
Rhode Island: Nestor Bernabe nestortennis@gmail.com
Vermont: Joyce Doud jdoud@edgevt.com
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In closing, I’d like to give my own personal infomercial on why someone should seriously consider teaching tennis for their full-time career. Here it goes: "I must have the most ridiculous job on the planet — but in a good way. Every morning I wake up, put athletic clothes on and go to a tennis court to play a sport I love with students who have, through the years, all become my friends. And when they leave, they hand me money." As crazy as it sounds, that is my professional life. Had I known what I know now, maybe I wouldn’t have gone to graduate school. Maybe I wouldn’t have even gone to college. But maybe it was those life experiences that made me capable of building a thriving business in the tennis industry. And… maybe it’s just the kind of story that we, the USPTA, should be using to entice others to choose tennis as a career. Signing out, Mike Kolendo President USPTA New England Division 413-374-9738 mkolendo46@gmail.com The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 03
Happy Holidays Chris Stevens
Christy Bennett
Milan Kubala
Wishing you and your family a joyful and healthy holiday, and best wishes for a wonderful New Year! From Your USPTA New England Board
Michael Mercier
Mike Kolendo
Lisa Wilcott
Kristen Gerety
Pam Dodman
2024-2025 NE Board of Directors Welcome to the new board for 20242025! They will begin in January!
Lisa Wilcott Division President
Milan Kubala Regional Vice-President
Christy Bennett Treasurer
Kristen Gerety Secretary
Wilbur Shardlow Vice-President
Mike Hill Vice-President
Mike Kolendo Past President The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 07
Division Conference!
Hall of Fame Induction & Brick Ceremony Hall of Fame Induction and Brick Ceremony at the International Tennis Hall of Fame! In October, the USPTA New England inducted Barbara Maitland, David Zeutas-Broer, and Rick Sharton into the 2023 USPTA NE Hall of Fame Class. The induction was held at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. These new Hall of Famers, as well as prior recipients, now have their name engraved on a brick that is part of the pathway at the Hall of Fame. Prior Hall of Fame inductees that attended the induction and brick ceremony were Laury Hammel, Jerri DiCamillo, Avis Murray, Lynn Miller, Norma Taylor, and Robert Greene Jr. l-r: David Zeutas-Broer, Barbara Maitland, Rick Sharton
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Hall of Fame Induction & Brick Ceremony
USPTA NE Secti on
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Hall of Fame Induction & Brick Ceremony
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Hall of Fame Induction & Brick Ceremony
HALL OF FAMERS Back row l-r: David Zeutas-Broer, Norma Taylor, Robert Greene Jr., Rick Sharton, Barbara Maitland, Laury Hammell Front row l-r: Jerri DiCamillo, Lynn Miller, Avis Murray
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Hall of Fame Induction & Brick Ceremony
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Hall of Fame Induction & Brick Ceremony
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Hall of Fame Induction & Brick Ceremony 2022-2023 New England Board l-r: Chris Stevens, Kristen Gerety, Mike Kolendo, Christy Bennett, Milan Kubala, Lisa Wilcott
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Pros on the GO USPTA New England Tennis Professionals Earn RSI Champions of Tennis Award for 2023!! excerpt from article by Jason Maimonis; USTA NE Manager Media & Communications Two - USPTA New England Tennis Professionals earned Racquet Sports Industry (RSI) Magazine’s Champions of Tennis Awards, honoring people, businesses, and organizations dedicated to improving the sport and business of tennis and racquet sports. The winners are highlighted in the January edition of RSI Magazine. You can find the writeups in the digital version here.
Junior Tennis Champions of the Year Rob Oppenheim (First Serve Bridgeport) First Serve Bridgeport is a staple in the Southern Connecticut community. A haven for underserved youth, this NJTL chapter offers nearly 100 students a unique blend of tennis, education, personal development, and a muchneeded sense of community. A largely self-funded organization, First Serve is led by just three full-time staff, seasonal staff, and an army of dedicated volunteers. Tennis Director, Rob Oppenheim, oversees all tennis activities, including free lessons, summer programs, and Junior Team Tennis teams. “Rob is one of the kindest, hardworking, selfless men and coaches. He truly cares about every studentathlete and is the heart and soul of the program,” says Ellen Simmonds, First Serve Bridgeport’s Director of Administration. “Athletes and parents trust Rob, knowing he will do whatever he can for those children to succeed.” First Serve is deeply integrated in Bridgeport Central High School. After budget cuts nearly eliminated boys’ and girls’ varsity tennis a few years ago, the organization stepped in to provide necessary funding to save the teams and allow them to travel. They now serve as the chief benefactor for the program. First Serve also offers a successful college advisory program, assisting juniors and seniors in navigating the college process. The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 19
Pros on the GO USPTA New England Tennis Professionals Earn RSI Champions of Tennis Award for 2023!! continued
High School Coach of the Year - Bill Shardlow (Maine) Maine’s, Bill Shardlow, is a generational leader. A middle school math teacher and certified tennis coach for nearly 50 years, Shardlow officially retired last year from the classroom and from the Yarmouth High tennis courts, where he led the boys’ team for the past seven seasons. During his final four seasons, his teams went a combined 62-2 with four state championships. Even more impressive, he did not cut a single one of his 30 varsity and JV players.
“I’ve always tried to create pathways and opportunities for kids to play tennis at whatever level they’re at,” Shardlow says. “My intent has never been to develop D1 or pro athletes, just well-balanced humans first, who are playing tennis to the best of their ability.” While he’s still coaching during retirement, Shardlow has turned much of his attention now to coach education, creating workshops to generate and develop more high school and middle school coaches in Maine and throughout New England. Click here to read Jason’s full article.
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Maine Event Mid-Coast Recreation Center hosts Montoya Tennis!
The Maine Tennis Association partnered with Montoya Tennis, and the Mid-coast Recreation Center, for a great event the weekend of December 2nd and 3rd in Rockport, ME! Seventeen high-performance juniors from Maine and Massachusetts were treated to a special weekend training led by Francisco Montoya and his team at Montoya Tennis. The two-day event featured highintensity on-court training, mental coaching, and continuing education for club and high school coaches as well as parents. The event was organized by MRC tennis director, Seth Meyer.
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L2 Certification Workshop Click on the image to go to the registration pages. You must login to the USPTA site before you can register!! Encourage your non-certified colleagues, friends, and staff to become certified with the USPTA.
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Maine Community Support Maine USPTA Professionals and Community Play to Support the Lewiston Community
The Maine tennis and pickleball communities, led by USPTA Tennis and Pickleball Professionals, are coming together to raise money to support the families and community of Lewiston, Maine after the tragic mass shooting. Maine Pines Racquet & Fitness, in Brunswick, hosted a tennis/pickleball event in November that raised $1000. Antother fundraiser is scheduled for January.
USPTA Professionals: Andrea Georgian & Jason Terry
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Racket/Paddle Sports Business How to Promote Your Tennis Club 9 Must-Try Strategies by Ashley Owens; Co-Founder/Owner CourtReserve If you want to promote your tennis club in today’s competitive environment, you’ll need as many tactics and strategies as you can get your hands on. You’ll want to get your name out there, show off your facilities, and make sure everyone in your community knows your tennis club’s name. To do that, you’ll need to go back to basics. You’ll want to run some special offers. And you’ll need to embrace both online and offline marketing strategies to promote your tennis business. We’ve put together 9 must-try strategies to help you market your tennis club, attracting more members (and keeping those existing ones). 1. Understand your audience The first step in promoting your tennis club is to identify your target audience. Are they young professionals, families, or retirees? When you’ve identified your audience’s demographics and preferences, you’ll find it much easier to tailor your marketing efforts. If you want to attract more young people, then you’ll want a big presence on social media platforms (see step 5). But if your tennis club is close to a retirement community, you’ll want to focus on more traditional offline marketing strategies – like community engagement or direct mail (see step 6). 2. Build a strong brand presence If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to focus on building out the brand of your tennis club. You’ll need to make sure your club’s visual embers love coming to play tennis at your club.
brand – your logo, colors, and typography – all appeal to your target audience. And you should spend time on your verbal brand too – your tone of voice, your value proposition and your key messages. Think about what sets you apart, what makes you stand out, and why your members love coming to play tennis at your club. 3. Make sure your website is up to date A professional website is indispensable for any business today. Yours should be user-friendly, mobile-responsive, and easy to navigate. It should be super simple for potential new members to find out all about your club’s facilities and schedules, membership plans, and contact details. And, you should be giving those new prospects the chance to book a trial day directly, and even sign up online. That way, there are no barriers to joining (like waiting to speak to a member of your team). The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 26
Racket/Paddle Sports Business How to Promote Your Tennis Club 9 Must-Try Strategies continued 4. Create a marketing schedule Having a clear schedule in place will help make sure you and your team stick to the marketing plan. Map out all the ways you could promote your tennis club, all the special offers you could run, and put them into a marketing calendar. Each week, you’ll know what you should be posting online, and each month you’ll have a new focus for your marketing efforts. 5. Get social Every social media platform is a powerful tool for engagement and promotion in its own right, so make sure you have a presence on them – particularly Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok. Be sure to set up a Google My Business page (which can often get overlooked) so you’re featured in local search results. Post engaging content – including images and videos – as often as you can. You could share success stories of players, feature testimonials from members, and promote a different facility at your tennis club every week. You might also want to look at paid social media advertising, with Facebook and Instagram ads, to help you reach an even wider audience. 6. Reach out to the community Collaborating with businesses and organizations who share a similar target audience or operate in the same area is always a great strategy to try. Why not partner with local sports shops, fitness centers, schools, and healthcare providers to support each other and increase crosspromotion? Or, look for events and opportunities in your local area that you could sponsor, perhaps a charity run or an annual fair?
And if you really want to boost community engagement, focus your marketing efforts on distributing flyers, opening pop-up stands at local events, or any other way that gets you and your team interacting with those in your area who could be future members. 7. Host your own open day An open day is a great tool for community engagement, and a great way to promote your tennis club. Offer free lessons, free taster sessions, and free court time to encourage prospects to come down and try out all your facilities for themselves. You could also message all your existing members – using club management software like CourtReserve – to suggest they bring down their friends and family to your open day. Word-of-mouth marketing is a valuable marketing strategy for your tennis club. Perhaps you could even implement a referral program? 8. Host special events and tournaments If you want to attract new members and players to your tennis club, then organize special events like skills-based tournaments, themed matches or a new local league. You’ll attract those already interested in the sport who’ll value the opportunity to play on new courts at a new club. It gives you a great chance to potentially convert guests into new members.
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Racket/Paddle Sports Business How to Promote Your Tennis Club 9 Must-Try Strategies continued 9. Embrace email marketing One final marketing strategy to try that could help promote your tennis club is email marketing. Get it right, and it’s a really effective way to keep your club front of mind, to keep members engaged, and to keep prospects intrigued by what you have to offer. You should be capturing email addresses at every opportunity – through community engagement, open days, and guest tournaments – so that you can build a list of current and potential members. Then you can send out regular newsletters, share exclusive offers and promotions, and much more.
Ashley and her husband, Tim, are co-founders of CourtReserve. Tim is a techincal guy. Ashley is a marketing genius. They both LOVE tennis. So they decided to combine their strengths and create CourtReserve.
CourtReserve can help you capture and store member and prospect information, and make sure you use that data to full advantage to promote your tennis club.
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Racquet Sports Career Cross Generational Communication and Why It Matters by Rachel Stofan; Marketing and Communications Director, McMahon Careers
As humans, we spend our lives communicating, and as leaders we are expected to use thoughtful communication to convey messaging that’s easy to understand, allays concerns, and is constructive in nature. The most effective way to communicate is to keep in mind who you are communicating with—in other words, know your audience! We live in an unprecedented time in which our society is comprised of five generations—all shaped by the times in which they were raised. Each generation has communication style preferences that dictate how best to manage and effectively relate to them— both personally and professionally.
Gen Z (born after 2000) It’s been said about this generation that they didn’t choose to use technology, they were born using it. Born in a post Y2K world means they likely do not remember a time in which information or entertainment wasn’t a click away. They think bigger, faster, and with far more distractions. Your Gen Z employees are coming into their own, professionally and seeking opportunities to be held accountable and validated for their efforts. They value flexibility and expect to be presented with opportunities for growth and development to stay engaged. For a 22-year-old assistant professional, this may mean an expectation of opportunities of responsibility for a specific program or event after only a few months on the job. Such expectations may appear premature for a Gen X supervisor, and only increases the importance of proactive communication that clearly defines expectations.
Millennials (born 1980-2000) Millennials have been the most talked about generation of all time. Born on the cusp of the digital age, they grew up as the Internet grew along with them. They are competitive, civic, and openminded and achievement oriented. Like Gen Z employees, Millennials seek a challenging workplace full of development and growth opportunities and are likely to leave an organization if they don’t like change. This generation has come into their own professionally, moving into management and leadership roles— they are also the largest generation to hit the workforce. The Millennial racquet sports professional may not embrace the tradition-laden club environment in the same manner as a Gen X or Baby Boomer. Often less formal in their communications, the Millennial takes great pride in their abilities, and results, but may have little time for formalities in their communications.
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Racquet Sports Career Cross Generational Communication and Why It Matters continued Gen X (born 1965-1979) Gen Xers are nicknamed the sandwich generation because they have the most pressure on them from Baby Boomers ahead of them, and Millennials behind them. They often grew up with both parents working and entered their careers during tough economic times. When it comes to values, Gen Xers value shared responsibility and collaboration. As mid-and upper managers, they are most responsive to those who work to address their needs and take pressure off them. They prefer autonomy and value efficiency. Gen X professionals need to stay acutely aware that to achieve successful relationships with co-workers who were before, and after them, they may have to employ a variety of communication styles. Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) The Baby Boomer generation is currently split between those who have left the workforce and retired, and those who plan on another several years of employment. Baby Boomers value respect and tend to be technologically savvy out of necessity but still lament the loss of in-person communication in a digital age. Baby Boomers are motivated by loyalty, teamwork, and value maintaining traditions. Most Baby Boomers don’t mind working for a younger manager; however, they do deeply resent it when a younger manager assumes that they have nothing of value to contribute. They know their experience has real value—especially when it comes to navigating inter-office politics. The key communication style with the Baby Boomer generation is the art of listening.
A younger Director should ask questions of, and actively listen to the Baby Boomer staff professional who can often provide a perspective never experienced by the Gen X or Millennial Director. Silent Generation (born before 1946) According to recent numbers, roughly 2% of the workforce is comprised of the Silent Generation— shaped by the Great Depression, World War II, and massive advances in technology, they value recognition and providing long-term value in the workforce. These “industry-lifers” place value in personal touches and in-person communication. Chances are, they have been with their company for many, many years and expect that their age and meritbased seniority demands a certain level of respect. An incredible opportunity exists for the team that includes a Baby Boomer or Silent Generation professional. Most facilities and clubs have a high number of players from these two generations who will appreciate the “common-language” that can be found with a staff member of a similar generation. Where Do We Find Common Ground Across the Generations? We are more alike than we are different, and the most effective communicators seek to find points of connection with their audience. Points of connection are classified as things such as shared interests, emotions, or stories. Stories draw people in and hook onto others through the shared experience of life. As you strive to bridge the gap across generations, make an effort to find common interest as a point of connecting. Topics around travel, weather, sports, family, or music usually result in shared interests. The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 31
Racquet Sports Career Cross Generational Communication and Why It Matters continued Topics such as politics, religion, or social issues however can only further exasperate an already challenging communication landscape, and should be avoided with clients, students, or members. It’s Not About You Keep in mind that when you’re communicating with others, to set your own ego aside and work on empathizing with the person or persons in front of you - take in the perspective of your audience and what is influencing their perception. The most effective communicators realize that communication is a shared experience – empathy brings not only understanding, but shared feelings, letting a true connection happen. Set aside your preconceived notions of your audience and seek to understand rather than insert yourself into the narrative or worse, project your own thoughts or feelings onto them.
Rachel Stohan is an accomplished and successful marketing and communications strategist who thrives in the realm of finding ways to marry traditional and digital media strategies within the private club environment. As organizations and clubs struggle with the integration of modern communications with traditional values and practices, Rachel delights in being able to help racquet sports professionals, club managers, and stakeholders in club governance put their best foot forward in telling their story.
Taking the time to listen first, talk second, and to know your audience shows a respect for them—for their time, their needs, and even their challenges. Much of the key to effective cross generational communication is taking the time to care, taking the time to see the world through his/her eyes, and seeking to understand their world.
McMahon Careers offers career coaching and executive education programs for racquet sports professionals and executive search services for employers. The firm also manages USPTA Director Search. For more information visit: https://mcmahoncareers.com or https://USPTADirectorSearch.com The Yankee PROse E- Newsl etter| page 32