USPTA Southwest - December 2019

A Division of the USPTA

December 2019

Happy Holidays from the Southwest Division

Inside:

Presidents Message - Page 2 2010 Southwest Board - Pages 4 World Conference Photos - Page 5 Awards Information - Page 6-7 Area News - Pages 8-15 USTA News Pages 16-17

President’s Message Jonathan Davis - USPTA Southwest President

Hello Southwest Pros, I would like to start my final message as President by saying thank you to everyone who attended the World Conference in Las Vegas. It was the highest attended World Conference ever by the Southwest Division. It was great seeing so many familiar faces in all the seminars and at our division party! It is extremely rewarding to have so many friends at these conferences. It is, in my opinion, one of the best benefits to belonging to the USPTA. I have been thinking about my time as a USPTA member and how much the association has evolved in recent years. If you asked me 10 years ago why someone should join the USPTA I would have said because of the liability insurance. In my mind the USPTA was a certification you got and then forgot about. It did not feel like the Association was as focused on members’ development after dues were paid and certification exams completed. That is why when I was first asked to serve as a District Coordinator I was hesitant to accept.

I did not know what I would be getting myself into and I was not sure if my ambitions aligned with the USPTA’s objectives.

During my first few years of volunteering for the USPTA I could see that there was some great education available, but it did not matter if you used it or not. It was not until the USPTA implemented the continuing education requirements that it felt like there was a

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focus on delivering education to the membership. Now with the addition of the Leadership Academy, the Mentorship Program, certifications for RacquetFIT, Platform, Padel, Pickleball, and the USTA accreditation, it is clear that the USPTA is dedicated more than ever to raising the standards of education for tennis professionals. Today if you ask me why you should become a member of the USPTA I can assertively say, “for professional development on and off the court.”

A few years ago, the National Membership Committee sent out a survey to all new members asking why they joined the Association. We wanted to see what the appeal of the USPTA was to incoming pros. The top three answers received were: professional development, education, and networking. Seeing how the Association was perceived by our new members, and that they are choosing the USPTA for their development, was very encouraging. The fact that the USPTA is continually adding programs that align with the goals of our incoming members shows we are positioning ourselves for the future of tennis. These factors combined make it easy to see why we are having growth across the country.

What a wonderful journey it has been serving the USPTA and seeing it evolve to where we are today. I am proud to be a member of an association that is dedicated to raising the standards of teaching professionals. I highly encourage anyone who has been on the fence about getting more involved to contact one of the board members. You never know, it could turn out to be something you will cherish for the rest of your life.

Finally, I would like congratulate Dave Moyer, Laurie Martin, Amy Badger, Suk Ong, and Greg Prudhomme for their new positions on the Southwest Board. I have had the pleasure of working with each of them these past few years and I am eager to see where the Southwest goes in 2020 and 2021. There are so many exciting changes coming to the USPTA next year and the Southwest couldn’t be in better hands.

December 2019

R

Tester Update

by Greg Prudhomme, PhD

emember that 2020 will be the final year of the current USPTA certification process. The com plete details of the changes are being finalized and will be announced by the USPTA national office soon, but they will significantly increase the credibility and value of being a certified USPTA professional around the world. Apprenticeship teaching hours under a mentor will be one of the major changes to the certification process. For those of you that would like to upgrade, 2019 and 2020 would be a good time to do so. Additionally, let prospective USPTA applicants know that now is a great time to become certified.

Testing News

* Through August of 2019 the USPTA has experienced a 16% increase in certification exams held. Last year through this date there were 106 exams while this year 125 exams have been conducted. * Through August of 2019 638 USPTA applicants have been tested compared to 579 last year, which is a 13% increase. * The Southwest has experienced similar growth in that we have certified/upgraded over 20 applicants in 2019 with one more certification exam remaining that is almost filled to capacity with 2 testers. * 2019 USPTA Southwest Final Certification Date o November 30-December 1; Glendale, AZ @ Paseo Racquet Center * 2020 USPTA Southwest Certification Dates o April 4; Cottonwood, AZ @ Mingus Union High School o May 1-15; Phoenix, AZ @ Grand Canyon University o June 5-6; Albuquerque, NM @ Tanoan Country Club o June 19-20; Tucson, AZ @ Tucson Country Club o August 22; Cottonwood, AZ @ Mingus Union High School o September 18-19; Tucson, AZ @ Tucson Country Club o October 16-17; Albuquerque, NM @ Tanoan Country Club o November 20-21; Glendale, AZ @ Paseo Racquet Center o December 4-5; Glendale, AZ @ Paseo Racquet Center

December 2019

SOUTHWEST OFFICERS President Jonathan Davis 520-360-0182 jonpricedavis@hotmail.com Regional VP Dave Moyer 480-342-7240 dmoyer@ccdranch.com Vice President Laurie Martin 480-213-2083 lmartin@ppiarizona.com Secretary Amy Badger 505-379-6728 badger3@me.com Treasurer Suk Ong 602-881-0467 suk_ong@tempe.gov Past President Britt Feldhausen 520-886-1885 brittfeldhausen@mac.comesident Pro Emeritus Mark Frampton 602-952-7234 mframpton22@gmail.com Executive Director Jack Michalko 602-740-0126 usptasw@cox.com

SOUTHWEST COORDINATORS Northern New Mexico Dick Johnson 505-507-6795 richarddjtennis@aol.com Phoenix Greg Prudhomme 602-301-1394 gmprudhomme@yahoo.com Southeastern Arizona Bryan Dirk 310-663-1185 bdirk@tucsoncountryclub.com Northern Arizona Andrea Meyer 928-300-4352 andreajmeyer@yahoo.com Southern New Mexico & l Paso TBD Head Tester Greg Prudhomme 602-301-1394 gmprudhomme@yahoo.com The Southwest Magazine is the official Publication of the USPTA Southwest Division of the United States Professional Tennis Association.

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

by David Pitts -Director of Tennis-Tanoan Country Club-Albuquerque, NM

L

ife as a tennis pro can sometimes be a tough gig, it is always a challenge to keep things interesting and to stay healthy enough to do the job. I am the kind of pro that likes to hit balls with most of my clients, there was a time that I had trouble bending over and picking up balls, my back hurt every time that I moved, my arm hurt with every ball I hit. I was thinking that I cannot go on like this for very long, maybe I should become an accountant. The thought of sitting at a desk was a painful proposition. So before I went that route I decided to make some big changes. First and foremost I made a concerted effort to get in shape. I realized that you can’t play tennis to get in shape, you have to get in shape to play tennis. A lesson that has helped both myself and my clients.

I also focused more on improving my tennis knowledge. The education aspect of this was the easiest, with USPTA continuing education and the many other avenues to learn more about the game, tennis became way more interesting and fun again, which also benefited both myself and my clients. The most difficult aspect of my new found approach was the get in shape component, but this is clearly at the top of the list of things you should do. Having no pain made teaching and playing much more enjoyable and also improved my game, than it was 20 years ago. Once you get on the program of being fit and playing it makes everything easier and more enjoyable. I have had to make some changes over the years to keep things fresh, I am teaching less, spending more time on conditioning, education and playing. It’s not always easy staying motivated and healthy in any job but if you take care of yourself first then you are better able to satisfy the needs of everyone in your life.

Good luck have fun and let me know what works for you to keep things fresh and interesting.

2020-02 Southwest Board of Directors

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Dave Moyer President

Laurie Martin Regional Vice President

Amy Badger Vice President

Suk Ong Secretary

Greg Prudhomme Treasurer

Jonathan Davis Past President

December 2019

December 2019

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Division Awards Nominating Form

United States Professional Tennis Association 2020 Awards Program GENERAL RULES: * Award period is from January 1 – December 31, 2019 unless otherwise noted in award category. * Only USPTA certified members, (Master Professional, Elite Professional and Professional) in good standing are eligible for USPTA member awards. * Only USPTA members in good standing may submit nominations in all categories. * Self-nominations are acceptable. * All award categories may not necessarily be awarded on an annual basis. * Awards Committee will determine if there are qualified candidates in any category. * Awards will be presented at the USPTA SOUTHWEST Division Conference MAY 15-17, 2020

APPLICATIONS AND AWARD NOMINATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN MARCH 1, 2020 ******************************************************************************

NOMINATION FORM

AWARD CATEGORY:_________________________________________________ NAME TO BE NOMINATED: ______________________________

USPTA# _______

NOMINEE CONTACT DETAILS: phone: ____________________ email: ________________ INFORMATION ON NOMINEE: __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional detailed information on nominee as to why this member deserves this recognition is encouraged.

Please submit a bio if possible and as much in-depth information as you can.

NOMINATING MEMBER NAME: _____________________________________

USPTA#________________

NOMINATOR CONTACT DETAILS: phone: ____________________ Email: ____________________________

ALL NOMINATIONS MUST BE SENT VIA EMAIL TO: sukong.uspta@gmail.com QUESTIONS: Contact: Suk Ong at 602-881-0467 or sukong.uspta@gmail.com

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December 2019

USPTA SOUTHWEST AWARDS CATEGORIES STEVE WILKINSON COLLEGE COACH OF THE YEAR and HIGH SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD - award recipients are usually selected based on their results as team coaches, however, individual coaches may be considered.

DIVERSITY AWARD – This award recognizes the USPTA member who has demonstrated an outstanding ability to unite diverse populations within his/her community through tennis GEORGE BACSO LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – NATIONAL AWARD ONLY -The George Bacso Life-

time Achievement Award recognizes a member who, over a career, has demonstrated exemplary achievement in seven areas, including: contributions to USPTA and USTA; as a teaching professional, player and coach; in education, research and publications; and with other organizations, achievements and contributions.

USPTA SOUTHWEST PROUD AWARD – DIVISION AWARD ONLY - This award recognizes a member who

exemplifies integrity, respect and passion for tennis on and off the court. This award may or may not be given out each year. This award is at the discretion of the USPTA Southwest Awards Committee.

INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE AWARD - is given to teaching professionals who take both an altruistic and

entrepreneurial attitude toward their jobs. They use their own resources and those offered by the industry to build programs that bring tennis to more people. At the same time, they are successful in growing a tennis business.

ALEX GORDON PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD – recognizes a member who, over a calendar

year, has demonstrated exemplary achievement in seven areas, including: USPTA, allied organizations, club achievements, career development, volunteerism, coaching achievements and playing achievements.

USPTA LESSONS FOR LIFE AWARD – recognizes those USPTA members who have done the most to

raise money for charities through tennis events. While the award spotlights individuals who have raised large amounts of money, it also honors those hosting the most creative, original or unique tennis event to raise money for charities. An individual hosting an event raising the most money will not necessarily receive this award.

USPTA STARS AWARD – are members who have dedicated many years to volunteering in grassroots tennis and through initiatives incorporating multicultural and other aspects; bringing the sport and sportsmanship to the players they touch. Their giving spirits have made them stars in their own communities.

We may not have heard of the people who receive this award, but their stories are inspiring, and almost all of us know at least one person who deserves a nomination.

30 AND UNDER AWARD – recognizes a USPTA member under the age of 30 who, through their tennis-

teaching and volunteer spirit, has increased opportunities for others to participate in tennis. This member exemplifies and emphasizes individual achievement and sportsmanship along with teaching the physical attributes of the sport. This member has served the USPTA in one capacity or another, and has made a commitment to grassroots tennis and an indelible impression on her community.

December 2019

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Northern Arizona

by Andrea Meyer

Andrea Meyer USPTA Professional Clarkdale, AZ The K-8 gyms in the Verde Valley are filling with kids learning to hit “foamies” and orange balls. USPTA pro Andrea Meyer has finished teaching her first class of middle schoolers at Clarkdale- Jerome School and will be going back to this, her neighborhood school, for another series of lessons in PE class in late November and early December.

Meanwhile, she’s been working with grades 4-7 at Verde Christian Academy each Wednesday after school. “These students are the easiest large group I’ve taught. They do everything with alacrity, and they’re rushing me at the door, grabbing racquets and bubbling with questions and eagerness when I arrive.

Andrea says “It’s so wonderful to see kids who are playing a sport successfully for the first time and know that they’re feeling confident because as a teacher, I’ve designed the activity so that there are no losers.”

Claudette Laliberte USPTA Elite Professional Sedona, AZ. For Claudette, it has been business as usual as the beautiful fall weather turns into the also beautiful winter weather in Sedona! The leaves are changing color and falling off the trees and the Red Rocks are gleaming with their different shades of crimson, orange and reds. The sunsets are spectacular.

Oh, and the residents are still playing tennis! Sedona, Cottonwood, Clarkdale, and the Verde Valley are not a tennis haven but it is filled with players who play tennis for the love of the game and the friendships made along the way! In Sedona the Poco‘ Diablo Resort has four tennis courts (that have not yet been converted to Pickle Ball courts). It is the largest tennis facility in

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Sedona. Every morning five days a week the courts are filled with regulars who have been playing tennis there for decades! For these players it is their source of exercise and fun! They almost all wear knee braces, elbow braces and band aids to keep them playing.

They all just love tennis!

Claudette teaches many of these players and keeps them excited about the game. Her Cardio Tennis classes on Thursdays and Saturdays are filled with players who want to keep themselves moving. These warriors are still trying to get that extra edge on the players they have been playing with forever.

Claudette keeps the tennis community going with her many themed socials throughout the year. “Happy “Volleydays” is coming up this month! It will be a women’s doubles and men’s doubles social mixer with a holiday theme. It will also be a fundraiser for the Sedona Community Food Bank.

Besides the beauty of the spectacular red rocks in Sedona there is a small tennis community filled with enthusiasm, love of life, and love for the great game we play. Claudette is grateful to be a part of this Sedona tennis community!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Larry Lineberry USPTA Master Professional Sedona, AZ Master Professional, Larry Lineberry, promoted and directed a USTA sanctioned junior, adult and NTRP tournament in Cottonwood, AZ October 11-13 in which all proceeds benefited the Northern Arizona Tennis Association for junior player development in that region. 96 entries from six states with ages ranging from 9 to 80 participated. Over $7,000 in net proceeds was raised largely through sponsor support generated by Larry from the Verde Valley area.

SWPTA professionals Andrea Meyer, Claudette Laliberte, Paul Burns and December 2019

John Witter won the events they entered and SWPTA professional, Sterling Fetty, was responsible for about half of the tournament’s junior participants through his academy in Prescott.

It is anticipated that entries will grow to perhaps twice as large next year with most of the sponsors renewing their participation.

Larry will coach the Mingus Union High School boy’s tennis team again for the fifth consecutive year starting in February, 2020. He anticipates his best season to date.

Two USPTA certification tests will be conducted by Larry in April and August of 2020 in Cottonwood, AZ Larry’s son, Air Force Captain Alex Lineberry, is currently deployed to Somalia, Africa as part of a special forces group which is aiding that country’s efforts to more efficiently coordinate their army and air force as they combat ISIS and Al Qaeda insurgencies in that country. He will be there for six months and was deployed in October.

Nicole Chambers USPTA Elite Professional Flagstaff, AZ USPTA Elite Professional Nicole Chambers is in her ninth season as Director of Tennis at Forest Highlands.

She recent completed her IPTPA Level II Professional certification in Pickleball. Nicole has found ways to combine pickleball and tennis coaching into her programming, to show the mutually beneficial aspects of both sports. Nicole will be attending the USPTR Director of Tennis Conference in Palm Springs in November.

It coincides with the USPTR Pickleball Conference that takes place during the National Pickleball Championships at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Flagstaff is entering its indoor tennis season, with NAU tennis facility proudly offering 6 indoor tennis courts.

The facility is open to members of the community for

December 2019

a charge and offers adult and junior programming during the winter months.

Chris Howard USPTA Elite Professional Prescott, AZ Many of you reading probably remember the football skills competition called “Punt, Pass, and Kick” offered by the U.S. National Football League for children 6 to 15 that began in 1961.

Each participant would get to punt, pass and kick a football as far and straight as they could and the total distances were added together minus the footage off that straight line for their true total within their age categories.

The winners locally would win prizes and then advance to sectionals/state and then those winners would go onto the national finals and compete during halftime at the NFL playoffs each year.

My brother and I competed in Ohio (1964) when I was 8 and he was 10 in two different age brackets. I came in first place and won a Cleveland Browns leather jacket, while he came in 3rd place and won a football helmet. The Ford Company was the wonderful sponsor that year.

Pretty darn cool!

This program was a huge success in promoting football for kids, both boys and girls, and it could easily be set up for the game of tennis as well with winners advancing from local, sectional and national areas to showcase their skills.

How about calling this program for tennis, “Serve, Groundstroke and Volley.”

The three basic functions of tennis are serving, groundstrokes and volleys, and instead of adding up the number of feet a football is thrown, punted or kicked, the skill contest would be the number of balls served into an area of the service box, say 10 tries the number of groundstrokes hit over the net into an area of the backcourt (alternate 20 tries with the fore-

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hand and backhand), and volley’s from the net to an area in the back court, once again alternating 20 tries to the forehand and backhand.

Ages 6-7, 8-9, 10-11 would all use low compression balls. Ages 12-13, 14-15, would use regular tennis balls. Adults - ages 16 to 99 (regular balls).

Both boys and girls would compete together since it’s a game of accuracy and not one of power.

A possible perfect score would be 50 points. *Serves - 10 *Groundstrokes - 20 (10 forehands and 10 backhands) *Volleys - 20 (10 forehands and 10 backhands).

If there were a tie there would be a head to head playoff and the top 2 finishers locally would get prizes and get to go to the next level together which would be sectionals/state.

The sectional/state winner would receive an all-expenses paid trip to the national event which would be held at the U.S. Open with each state represented.

What a great way to get kids excited about the game of tennis, and it’s not just the kids that are in the best shape, the fastest runners or strongest, it’s about practice, accuracy, good form and consistency ...wonderful life lessons and an experience that will last a lifetime.

The Prescott Area Tennis Association is going to try this out in the spring and we’d love to have others join us as well. Maybe a Northern Arizona competition where Flagstaff, Cottonwood, Sedona and Prescott have all their city winners in a play-off?

A fun tennis event where everyone in the family can have a great time together for a couple hours!

Contact Chris Howard at choward4541@gmail.com <mailto:choward4541@gmail.com> to collaborate on this program.

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Northern New Mexico

by Dick Johnson

Happy Holidays everybody! I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday with family and friends. My wife and I flew to see Cher on November 26th in Denver. A “Pre-Christmas” present for my wife, Marcie.

Amy Badger and I really had fun with the Thirty/30 scoring system at the NM High School Tennis Showcase. We had 11 high schools represented and the kids loved it! This was Amy’s idea, and I helped her with t-shirts for all the kids and medalists in three divisions. We plan to run more of these tournaments in 2020.

I will be sponsoring the Lucky “7” tournament for Middle School kids. We will be having one a month.

These tournaments really help bridge the gap after the Middle School league season is over and kids are into the JV or Varsity tennis in high school.

A very special day for me occurred on November 2nd.

Our track Coach, Jim Ciccarrello and myself were inducted into our school’s (La Cueva High School) Sports Hall of Fame. It was a wonderful turnout and something that I will remember forever.

That is it everybody! See you soon.

Christine Paulsen at The Lobo Club, Albuquerque: I have enjoyed being a part of USPTA since 1990 and since then have played, taught and coached in Southern California, New Mexico as well as Internationally.

During this time I have been married for 31 years, have 4 adult children and recently have become a grandma.

I am doing a little of everything right now in Northern New Mexico and the Southwest. I have worked at the University of New Mexico with the Lobo Tennis Club which has an indoor facility that enables me to teach and coach year round in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I am on the NNMTA tennis board and help with high perDecember 2019

formance player and parent education.

As a tennis instructor I give private, semi-private and group lessons, have worked for the Lobo Performance Tennis Academy and now am the Red, Orange, and Green (ROG) Ball Development Coordinator. I am currently coaching some of the top junior player in the Southwest, like Carmen Corley & Cameron King, and developing some future top players as well. I enjoy attending national tournaments and some ITF tournaments and help out the Southwest section with HP camps like TEAM USA. My passion is getting players ready to take that next step to play in college and obtaining skills they can take on and off the court. Everyone knows how important it is to develop the player as a whole, mind, body and spirit! The mental game is obviously huge, and the demands on the body physically as well as nutritionally can always be improved upon. I am particularly focused in the role of “encourager”. In my opinion the major role of a coach is as an encourager as well as teacher. I have had some of the best coaches working with me in California when I was a junior player and they were a tremendous source of inspiration during my formative years. I now have the great pleasure of working with the legendary Dick Johnson who, in 1974, when I was 11 years of age, was such a positive role model! Recently, I had the privilege to be the SW coach for the Junior National World Team Tennis in San Diego. We had a young team, gave it our best and competed very well. We had a blast as a team! The parents and kids were awesome!

Currently I am on the Junior Competition Committee for the Southwest and will continue to be a part of USPTA and USTA and look forward to developing competitive tennis players and solid citizens.

Doug MacCurdy: I caught Doug MacCurdy at the DFW Airport about to board a plane for Tokyo, Japan. He will be conducting a five city Coach Education tour. The theme is Performance Player Development. First stop is in Osaka. The tour is being organized by the Total Training Center in Kashiwa. This is a state of the art tennis training and research facility that was created by Munehiro Yoshida in the 1980s. Munehiro has been a great contributor to Japanese and world tennis. His wife, Kazuko Sawamatsu won the women’s doubles with Ann Kiyomura in 1975.

December 2019

Joe Felice, Albuquerque: Joe Felice received the USTA Southwest Player of the Month award for the month of October. Since they started keeping records in 2001, Joe has played on 126 USTA League teams and has played over 100 USTA League matches. He has also been Captain of as many as 24 League teams in one year.

Joe is receiving the Tournament Enrichment Award for the USTA Northern New Mexico District for his Sierra Vista Grand Prix Double Tournament held in August. He had 176 entries, gave pottery trophies to the winner and finalists of both the main draw and consolation. Over 80 door prizes were given from 16 sponsors, and lunch, drinks and snacks were provided all weekend.

Joe’s 7.0 Men’s 65+ Team will be competing at Sections in Surprise, AZ in December.

Alex Mansfield, TCA: We added a series of lunch hour clinics beginning the week of November 11th on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 12:00-1:00. Tuesday/Thursday will be focused more on the technical/tactical side, while Friday will be conditioning.

John Damgaard, Santa Fe: WOW!!! Tennis is really on the rise in NNM. USTA Leagues – Ginocchio Alto 3. Men are in 1st place. McLin Alto 3.0 Women are near the top in their flight. EG Baker 3.5 Med, Post 4.0 Men and Cain 3.5 Women are looking forward to playoff berths.

Also: EG 4.5 Ladies are undefeated and looking forward to Sectionals. SFTSC 4.0 Ladies are near the top of their flight with only one loss (2-3).

SFTSC had a very successful Friday afternoon (4 p.m.) spring happy hour with ½ price drinks and tacos and lots of FUN social tennis, which the community was invited for only $10.

Santa Fe High School Tennis Team (Head Coach Bonnie Rogers) had their picture in the paper with the highlight being the new 2.4 million dollar tennis complex. What a boon this will be for NNM MidSchool, JV and Varsity High School Tennis programs and tournaments.

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On November 13, 2019, at the Santa Fe City Council Meeting THE TENNIS COMMUNITY had a chance to speak with 8-10 presentations strongly supporting THE FIRST SERVE PROGRAM concerning the shameful conditions of our public tennis courts and asked the City of Santa Fe to step forward and begin making some much needed restorations. Thanks goes to Vlad King for initiating and spearheading the discussion. A clear path is needed to bring a public (6+ court) complex to the Capitol City at GCCC which can be used and enjoyed by the entire community. Many public courts are in need of resurfacing and permanent public facilities are needed (restrooms) at ALL of our public tennis sites.

Romero Park has the funds for a five court outdoor complex for Pickle ball.

NNM TENNIS – ON THE RISE!!!

Kurt Edelbrock, Taos The leaves and temperatures have dropped. Snow has fallen. Only a handful of diehards are still on the courts.

Kurt Edelbrock, Quail Ridge Taos Director of Tennis, took this time to have a total shoulder replacement. Dr. Carl ‘Jan’ Gilmore at Rust Presbyterian in Rio Rancho has given Kurt a whole new chance to serve a tennis ball.

Coach Edelbrock, in an attempt to reduce his workload, has a buyer for the Quail Ridge Taos. The potential owners have asked him to stay on as Director of Tennis while they expand the resort to include multiple new hot tubs, weight room and training facilities, massage and spa facilities, along with additional hotel space.

The future looks bright for Taos Tennis and the Quail Ridge. Kurt hopes to return to the tennis courts in March for the start of the high school tennis season.

During the winter, he will continue his job with Taos Ski Valley. Do your snow dances and pray for snow (in northern New Mexico)!

Amy Badger, Albuquerque I’m Just completing competitions at USTA League 40 nationals 4.5+ and 55 nationals. I am also working as lead faculty for a series of 3 EDC orange ball camps this fall. Middle school season was successful with 70 participants in a no cut program. Three teams participated in the end of season tournament with 2 finishing in second place. I had a great time with our inaugural

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NM High School Tennis Showcase. Eleven high schools were represented, using thirty/30 format. The kids had a great time developing their tactical intention along with some great camaraderie. I am looking forward to serving our division on the USPTA Southwest Board.

Jimmy Parker, Santa Fe Ralph Bolton is in Antigua as we speak with a group on a tennis holiday. I got back from the ITF World Team Championships and World Individuals held in Umag, Croatia a little more than a month ago. I captained the US team that took the Gold in the 75’s and beat the world #1 (Peter Pokorny from Austria) in the singles and the deciding doubles. Don Long and I got the silver medal in the individual doubles, and I got a bronze in singles. Shortly after getting back, I won the National 75 Clay singles and doubles. It was ninth consecutive Gold-Ball National Singles title. My partner, Ken Robinson of California and I also won the doubles.

I am also staying busy as President of the National Senior Men’s Tennis Association. Our motto is “Let’s do some great things for men’s senior tennis together.” As you might surmise, we’re trying to improve the experience of playing competitive men’s senior tennis. Check us out at nsmta.net.

Save The Date 2020 Southwest Conference May 15-17 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, Arizona

www.facebook.com/USPTASouthwest December 2019

December 2019

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Phoenix, Arizona

by Greg Prudhomme, PhD

Happy Fall and Winter! I hope everyone is looking forward to busy tennis courts during our great weather in the upcoming months. It was nice seeing so many of you at the USPTA World Conference in Las Vegas. There were many valuable seminars and the All-Female Speaker Day was fantastic. Socializing and networking between the events was also a highlight. I look forward to the next time many of us are able to get together.

On another note, I know I speak for many when I thank Phoenix-Area Pro, Jonathan Davis, for his service as the USPTA Southwest President over the past two years. You did a great job! Thank you, Jonathan. Furthermore, thank you to all of the other board members who serve and do so much for our organization in the Southwest!

USPTA Pro Captain Class

Brett Hall, USPTA Pro, has been in the tennis industry for over 40 years. He is a great person and teaching pro, but more importantly, he is an inspiration. Brett is a cancer survivor and has dedicated much of his life and tennis career to charity events that have raised thousands of dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the American Heart Association, and the Special Olympics. His event, The New Mexico Shootout Team Tournament, alone, raised over $60,000 in 5 years for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Phoenix is lucky to have Brett back in town as he is a great role model for all of us!

Other News

* USPTA Pros, Laurie Martin, Ryan Johnson, and Ivan Rodriquez, assisted with the Battle of the Sexes event at the Phoenician Resort. The event raised over $60,000 for women in third-world countries and

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money is still coming in. Anne and Terry Guerrant will be matching funds up to $100,000. * Dave Moyer, who is the Director of Tennis at the Country Club at DC Ranch, just recently became a USPTA Master Pro. This is an amazing accomplishment as he is part of the 1 percent of the 14,000 USPTA Pros in the world that have this distinction.

He is the only USPTA Master Pro in Phoenix. Congratulations, Dave! * Ryan Johnson, USPTA Pro and Director of Tennis at the Village Racquet and Health Club, added Tatum Prudhomme, who is a newly certified U30 USPTA Pro, to their staff. Tatum, who graduated with a Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Degree at Grand Canyon University where she played #1 on the Division I team and earned two team conference titles, is responsible for duties on and off the tennis court at the Village.

Upcoming Events

* USPTA Pro, Mark Pachtner, will be hosting his 10th Annual Special Olympics Tennis Fun Day at the Troon Country Club in Scottsdale where he is the Director of Tennis. There will be tennis clinics, fun, and an awards luncheon. Mark is looking for tennis pros and others to December 2019

volunteer at the event from 9am to 11:30am. Please contact him at mpachtner@cox.net or call at 480-3587718 if you are available to assist. * USPTA Pro, Ed Prudhomme, will be hosting the Christmas classic at Paseo Racquet Center from December 12th to 15th. The Christmas Classic is a USTA sanctioned junior tournament and one of the only tournaments of the year that offers junior mixed doubles. Players can enter with the following link: https://www.activekids.com/glendale-az/racquetsports/tennis-tournaments/paseo-christmas-classic-l62019?cmp=39-35-eventful_inc * The next and final USPTA certification exam for 2019 in the Southwest will be held on November 30th and December 1st in Glendale. Applicants can sign up to upgrade or to get certified by contacting Jacquelyn Dahre at the USPTA national office at jacquelyn. dahre@uspta.org or 407-634-3050 ex. 105.

Remember, please feel free to contact me any time with questions, suggestions, and information for the quarterly newsletters at gmprudhomme@yahoo.com or 602-301-1394.

Southeastern Arizona

by Bryan Dirk

Greetings from Southern Arizona! With the Holiday season upon us, I’m excited to celebrate our up and coming juniors. We have a new group of young competitors working hard and having fun. Our local clubs are working together to provide opportunities for our Jr. players… from Open Play Pizza Days and Slam Series at Tucson Country Club, to 10 and Under Jr. Tournaments at Reffkin Tennis Center and Tucson Racquet and Fitness Club. We are seeing a surge of young players

December 2019

enter this great game!

The first weekend in November, we had 3 teams from Tucson compete in Scottsdale’s Team Tennis Invitational. For a few of our 10 and Under’s, this was their first time traveling for a tournament… what an adventure! (See attached

pictures. Boys pictured- Boone Dirk, Mason and Jordan Moreland) Rita Singleton reports- Are you too young to play in the 40 and over leagues? Do you like The Game of Thrones?

The Tucson Racquet and Fitness Club has the perfect league for you! Come out and join other 40 and unders in a fun mixed doubles tennis league! Not only do you get to reference your favorite tv show on a weekly basis, you get to play for your own Throne! Hurry to the North and sign up, its only $20 for members and $30 for non-members for 6 weeks! Winter is coming...

Ronnie Smith and John Perry at Reffkin Tennis Center are hosting a wide variety of tournaments, beginning with the USTA Boys and Girls 12s and 14s Winter National Championships in December. In January, they will hold the ITF Wheelchair Arizona Open, the Tennis on Campus Wildcat Winter Classic, the Tucson Senior Olympics, and the 50th Annual Jim Reffkin High School Invitational.

Fun bit of history, our own John Perry dressed as Richard Sears, 1881 US Champion. Happy Holidays!

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A Publication of the USPTA Southwest Division Jack Michalko / editor 77 East Missouri Avenue, Suite 62, Phoenix, AZ 85012 602-740-0126 / e-mail: jack.michalko@uspta.org The Southwest Magazine is published quarterly by the Southwest Division of the United States Professional Tennis Association.

The opinions expressed in the Southwest Magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Southwest Magazine or the USPTA Southwest Division.

CopyrightŠ Southwest Division/United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2019. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this newsletter is not permitted without written permission from the USPTA Southwest Division.

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December 2019