1st Quarter 2023
NEWSLETTER CONTINUED IN THIS 2ND FILE: "2OF 2 1ST QTR 2023 SOCAL NEWSLETTER"
1ST FILE "1 OF 2 1ST QTR 2023 SOCAL NEWSLETTER" FILE.
1st Qtr 2023
NEWSLETTER
Let me first start off by saying greetings to all of my fellow District 3 teaching pros! As your District 3 president, I hope that 2022 treated you all well and your year was a prosperous one. As 2023 is in full swing, I hope that this first quarter has brought with it much success and happiness to you, your families and your tennis!
As your district president, it is my responsibility to represent our region and its members that live within it. In order to do so, one of my major goals is for me to get to know all of you. As many of you know, a great way for us to get to know each other, is by hosting educational events within our district so that we can all come together and meet and greet, all while earning those much sought after continuing educational credits. Stay tuned and
check those emails and social-media for upcoming events, both in our district and beyond!
Lastly, it is my pleasure to extend an open invitation for you to reach out and contact me any time to offer my assistance and answer any questions regarding your membership and tennis-related inquiries!
DISTRICT 3!
Upcoming Events:
April 22nd-24th -
Teaching
Essentials 3 (Teaching Groups): In Person at Cerritos Tennis Center.
May 6th-7th – USPTA
SoCal Division Conference at Peninsula Racquet Club.
May 6th – Pickleball
Certification at Peninsula Racquet Club.
Santa Monica Pickleball Center – Director of Pickleball, Julio Rivera.
Pickleball has found a new spot in Santa Monica. The Santa Monica Pickleball Center, located at 2501 Wilshire Blvd., offers courts, the largest pickleball retail shop in the LA area and individual and group lessons. At the helm, fellow USPTA District 3 pro and Director of Pickleball, Julio Rivera, brings with him years of both tennis and pickleball experience,
competing and teaching.
“Pickleball is very community based and the inclusivity of the sport allows an easy way to enter the sport and play the game and the community gets very big fast. It’s just very inclusive, people from all ages can play, you can have your family all play – it doesn’t take intensive training to go out and play…it just gives you a variety of options, you can do it with friends or people that you just meet.” -
Julio Rivera
AISLING
DISTRICT 4!
I am feeling Spring in the air! As I write this, we are preparing for St. Patrick’s Day at our club. A reminder that we can all use these holidays as an opportunity to create one-off social events.
take this time to highlight Coach Jesus Garcia. Jesus is always thinking outside the box and coming up with ideas to create events.. he’s a real team player and gets the job done. He recently came to me with an idea about a Pro Am as a one off event.. his commitment to the client and their progress is commendable. The client feels like an athlete, a contender, someone who is justified in being there.even at a 3.0 level. It’s important to feel
important and relevant. It has been a tough start to the year, if you are like me, you have been greatly affected by the rain and heavy winds. Hope not too much damage done to both your facility and your clientele! I am super excited that USPTA
SoCal annual conference will be held at my club, Penninsula Racquet Club, in Rancho Palos Verdes on May 6th and
7th. I hope that most of our local professionals can make it, and event not to be missed. If you have any questions or ideas to help our area grow, please reach out! My email is
DISTRICT 5! "INTRODUCTION"
I am honored to be your new District 5 President and as a former president of this district, I am looking forward to the opportunity to meet old and new friends, to listen to any concerns, and to serve you to the best of my abilities.
I am a USPTA ELITEcertified teaching professional with over 40 years of experience. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Administration and a Master of Science degree in Physical Education. I am the former Head Men’s Tennis Coach at Cypress College and former Head Women’s Tennis Coach at San Bernardino Valley College. I am the former Director/Head Tennis Professional at the Redlands Country Club.
I currently serve as a faculty member at Crafton Hills College and as the Director of Tennis at Match Play Tennis Academy. District 5 members, your participation is paramount to a successful year. Please submit articles for future SoCalifornia Division newsletters. Identify pros in our district who are deserving of recognition. Email me your ideas for district events. I am eager to work on your behalf to enhance professional development and networking.
Hello District 6, I hope you have been staying as warm and dry as possible these last few weeks. The season is changing and the days are getting longer and warmer. Soon it will be the crazy busy summer season.
Our So Cal Division conference is coming up soon.
If you haven’t attended one of these events you are really missing out. They are a fantastic source of enthusiasm, learning, and networking. Whether you’re a new pro or have been teaching for 40 years you will get something very valuable out of attending. The energy and camaraderie are so invigorating. Even if you only learn one or two things it is worth it.
As a high school tennis coach I see many of the kids who are trying out for my team not having all of the skills they need to play at a competitive level. The overall level of high school tennis in Orange County is pretty high, especially in South Orange County. We don’t know if one of our young students in a group lesson will be bitten by the tennis bug and decide he/she wants to play tournaments and/or be on his/her high school team.
We owe our students the best possible instruction. We owe them the best opportunity to be as good as they want to be. We can’t make them exceptional athletes. We can’t give them amazing eye-hand coordination. We can’t give them a tremendous desire to compete. But, we can teach them excellent technique. Everything is learnable. Everything is teachable.
I work very hard to make sure that none of my students are limited by poor technique. We work on topspin serves, topspin backhands, and volleys/chips/slices with a continental grip right from the beginning. Why allow poor technique that will need to be changed in the near future anyway? Also, I place very little emphasis on winning. The goal is to improve a player’s technique, court coverage, and shot selection. We don’t play “fun” games. We work on skills that increase a player’s chances of playing well next week, next month and next year. Improvement is fun.
The look on a student’s face when he/she hits a topspin serve, a sliding slice backhand, a heavy forehand or backhand well for the first time is so rewarding. I’m pretty sure I enjoy it more than they do. It is so enjoyable, for them and for me, when they realize that they really can play tennis at a good level.
I am going to host a District 6 event on Monday May 29 in which I will discuss and demonstrate drills and methods I have found to be very effective at teaching
WHEN: SEPTEMBER 27–29, 2023
WHERE: ORLANDO, FL
KUDOS TO SOUTHBAY PRO, KIP BRADY AND LAST YEAR'S HS COACH OF THE YEAR!
HE INITIATED AND THEN HIS PALOS VERDES HIGH SCHOOL BOYS TENNIS TEAM CONDUCTED A CHARITY EVENT AND RAISED MONEY DURING THEIR SEASON SINCE THEY ARE PASSIONATE IN SUPPORTING THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY,
THEY WERE INSPIRED BY TEACHERS/PARENTS AT THEIR HIGH SCHOOL WHO HAVE GOTTEN LEUKEMIA.
THEY LEVERAGED NATIONAL 501C3 NON-PROFIT "TENNIS LOVERS FOR CHARITY"
WHAT NON-PROFIT
CAN YOU CONSIDER SUPPORTING IN 2023?
SHARE YOUR STORY.
KUDOS TO USPTA SOCAL REGIONAL VP, SIMON PAEK, FOR HIS SECOND (YES) NATIONAL AWARD.
HE WAS RECENTLY AWARDED BY TIA AND OTHERS AS THE "USPTA NATIONAL PICKLEBALL MEMBER OF THE YEAR."
WAY TO GO.
SOCAL IS SO LUCKY TO HAVE SOMEONE SO DEDICATED TO ALL RACQUET SPORTS IN OUR REGION AND NATIONALLY.
KINDLY TAKE JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO UPDATE YOUR USPTA.COM PROFILE AS NEEDED (EMAIL, PHONE NUMBERS, CLUB, CITY, ETC.)
THIS HELPS US TO BETTER CONNECT WITH YOU ON IMPORTANT MATTERS THAT HELP YOU AND YOUR CAREER PLEASE.
