Addvantage 2013 May

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ADDvantage/May 2013

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

contents the total professional – enhancing your career 7 Teaching red ball, orange ball and green ball tennis to beginners – by Greg Grover, USPTA Master Professional 11 FBT60 – Building a strong mind, body and game –

by Stan Oley, USPTA 15 Keeping it real in the high-tech world –

by Rod Heckelman, USPTA 31 Certification exam preparation – Stroke production –

by Ryan Thompson, USPTA

departments 3 CEO’s message 5 Vice president’s message 8 Classifieds 27 CMAA corner 29 Staff spotlight 35 USPTA drills 36 Career development 38 Industry action

news 32 Florida’s Paulo Barros and Suzanne Siegler win singles titles at the USPTA Clay Court Championships 33 Minnesota’s Tony Larson is four-time defending champion at USPTA Indoor Championships

18 USPTA gives world conference fresh format

elevating the standards of tennis-teaching professionals and coaches

®

May 2013

convention 21 2013 USPTA world conference schedule 23 Pat Williams: Basketball Hall of Famer, motivational speaker, father of 19 24 Conference registration form

2013 USPTA WORLD CONFERENCE

25 Hotel registration form

Keynote speaker:

Pat Williams!

26 Nominate a deserving USPTA Professional for a national USPTA Award

volume 36 • issue 5

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com ADDvantage magazine editorial offices USPTA World Headquarters 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite One Houston, TX 77042 Phone – 713-978-7782 800-USPTA-4U Fax – 713-358-7794 email – magazine@uspta.org www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Managing editor Circulation

Kimberly Forrester Kathy Buchanan

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

On the cover – Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Orlando, location of the 2013 USPTA World Conference.

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. ADDvantage/May 2013

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CEO’s message

Come to Orlando

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t was with great pleasure that the national staff wel- impossible to do this topic justice in this space. However, comed the USPTA Board of Directors, Executive one of the key elements to this core pillar has to do with Committee, Executive Directors and Executive Ad- our World Conferences. In particular, I want to give you ministrators to Houston on the weekend of April 11-13 a sneak preview of what will be happening in Orlando for its semi-annual meeting. It gave us the chance to “show in order to entice you to come and see for yourself. It is off” the newly configured office, meet the leadership in going to be a totally different experience than previous each division and get reacquainted with World Conferences, I promise. And, this so many friends that I have known over issue is dedicated to providing an overview my many years in the industry. Thanks to of what you can expect at this convention everyone who gives of their time to work on Sept 23-27. on behalf of the association outside of their The World Conference format for many normal business responsibilities. Believe me, has become stale over the years. It has been it is greatly appreciated and cannot be taken the same old, same old year after year. for granted.

Because of this fact, our registrations have This weekend also provided me the opdeteriorated steadily since its highpoint in portunity to lay out in considerable detail 2006 when we were in Las Vegas. In order to the strategic plan with all of the action attract a broader audience and keep things steps associated with each of the five core fresh, it is time that we overhauled the forJohn Embree pillars. I had a blast presenting it! mat and offered new and different seminars It was an exciting opportunity for me because of the with speakers who have not graced us with their talents fantastic new initiatives in the works, all intended to make previously. Many of the changes that you will see have the USPTA better. Over the course of the next several come directly from the input of your World Conference weeks and months, you will be hearing about many of Committee, who took a look at what has worked in the them and what each will mean to you as an individual past and what hasn’t, as well as the recommendations/ member along with the positive impact to the organization suggestions of various members. as a whole. I cannot wait to share everything with you.

As some of you may already know, Tenet No. 3 of the So, let me give you a quick overview of some of the strategic plan deals directly with the essence of our asso- changes that we are making: ciation, “to enhance education and certification/testing.”

There are so many pieces to this initiative that it would be 1. The main educational portion of the convention is only going to be four days, from Tuesday morning, Sept. 24 through Friday, Sept 27. However, we will have a specialty course available on Monday for those who would be interested. You will want to arrive Monday night so you can be ready to go first thing Tuesday morning and stay through Friday night or Saturday morning.

2. Beginning Tuesday at 8 a.m., we will start each day with a General Session highlighted by a fantastic speaker or panel discussion that will set the stage for what will happen throughout that day. Each day will be themed with one core competency taught throughout the day. Once the General Session ends, you will be able to select from a diverse menu of seminars and speakers who are experts in that particular field.

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Orlando www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

continued next page ADDvantage/May 2013

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from previous page The four themes are as follows: a. 10 and Under Tennis b. Club Operations/Business c. High Performance d. Sports Science/Teaching 3. We will wrap up each day with a social function that will be fun for all. We may even bring back a modified “Battle of Divisions,” so get your teams ready to compete!

4. The entire conference is going to build to a crescendo on Friday at noon when we will host an improved awards event. This lunch is not going to look anything like the Awards Breakfasts of the past. Not only will we be inducting new members to the USPTA Hall of Fame and announcing the Association’s top awards, but we are going to be treated to a special keynote speech from one of our nation’s top motivational speakers and a true leader in sports management: Mr. Pat Williams, Senior Vice President of the Orlando Magic. Look for his bio further back in this issue, but this event is one you are not going to want to miss!

5. Following the Awards Luncheon on Friday, we will have a General Membership Meeting where other awards will be given along with an open Q&A session with your board. During last

year’s General Membership meeting in Monterey, we heard a genuine desire to have more sessions about the business of tennis as more and more members aspire to get off the court and learn how to become directors of tennis, directors of sport and even general managers. Thus, you will be treated to hearing from some of the finest General Managers within the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) on Wednesday during our Club Operations Day. 6. Naturally, the attraction of Disney World cannot be underestimated. Bring your family and make a vacation out of it. The beauty of the REVISED format is that you can pick and choose the days you want to attend, allowing you plenty of freedom to take advantage of all that Disney has to offer.

What could be better than the opportunity to elevate your professional standards as a teacher or coach while also able to enjoy the spoils of one of the world’s greatest attractions? There will be discounts available to go to Disney World along with other financial incentives to bring your staff professionals so that they too can experience the benefits of being with the best tennis professionals in the USA. Please read through all of the new and innovative plans in this issue that will make this USPTA World Conference one for the memory books. BRING IT! We look forward to seeing you in Orlando. Have a great summer. 

Your USPTA World Headquarters staff – we are here to serve you!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any of your membership needs or questions.

Back row, from left: Nick Warwick, John Embree, Fred Viancos, Andrew Robertson, Randy Jenks, Rafael Garcia, Dan Wilson, Scott Bucic, Chris Maale, Matt Stotts. Front row, from left: Ellen Weatherford, Janice Stollenwerck, Christiana Johns, Kathy Buchanan, Poornima Rimm, Kathy Ladner, Kim Forrester, Melony DeLoach, Vicky Tristan, Julie Myers, Ramona Husaru.

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ADDvantage/May 2013

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Vice president’s message USPTA Budget and Finance Committee works hard to put financial house in order

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ach spring it is my responsibility as Chair- but allowed us to have an improved outlook for man of Budget and Finance to provide an 2013. update on the financial condition of the The No. 1 priority for 2013 has been to get association. Our staff Director of Finance, Kathy our financial house in order. 2013 was originally Ladner, has prepared graphs for the 2012 year-end budgeted for a loss. The good news is that we financials and the 2013 budget that represents have had several positive changes during the first the various departments and what four months of the year. Recently we percentage of income and expenses have signed a new tenant and have an are associated with each one (see Page existing tenant expanding his space in 6). As I did last year, I’ve included the headquarters. John Embree, our some general information regarding CEO, with the support of the Board the timing and the overall budgeting has adjusted the Houston staff to an process. appropriate size. John has also worked The 2012 year-end financials with a new energy group to renegotiwere recently reported to the Exate a more favorable utility rate for ecutive Committee during the April the building in the future. These new meeting. We will start the process revenue opportunities and huge cost of preparing the 2014 budget in savings measures will have a positive Tom McGraw June and July and have a completed impact on the 2013 budget as well as budget in August. The budget is prepared using future budgets. Bar some negative and unforeseen the prior and current years’ financial statements. situation, we are projecting to finish the year with The forecast of revenue and expenses are adjusted a net income. to reflect the most realistic estimates for the 2014 We have a strategic plan in place to move the asbudget. The recommended budget will then be sociation forward as a leader in the tennis industry. presented for approval by the Executive Commit- The first step of this plan is to become financially tee during the September stable. The USPTA Board World Conference. and the national staff will We have a strategic plan in place In 2012 we created a continue to seek out new to move the association forward break-even budget. The revenue sources but today’s as a leader in the tennis industry. budgeted revenue and execonomy also demands that The first step of this plan penses were approximately we take a hard look at our is to become financially stable. $5.8 million. We ended expenses and control costs the year with a deficit of whenever possible. We can $49,405. Revenues were down slightly in several all take an active role in our financial success by areas and expenses were higher than originally recruiting new members, encouraging dropped budgeted. The largest contributing factors for the members to rejoin, and supporting all of our deficit were that the revenue from the USPTA great endorsees. It is a very exciting time to be a building and merchandise sales was lower but our member of the USPTA. There are many changes expenses were also higher in these two areas. The taking place and great opportunities will be availbuilding was 26 percent vacant at year end and we able in the upcoming months. Please feel free to had to write off almost $27,000 of bad debt from contact me with any questions or concerns related a former tenant. We also had to write off $46,000 to the budget or any other USPTA issue. I can be in obsolete merchandise. As you can see, these two reached at tmcgrawuspta@insightbb.com or 239items had a negative variance on the 2012 budget 262-4701.  www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

National Board of Directors President First Vice President

Tom Daglis Randy Mattingley

Vice Presidents

Nancy Cox Jeff Hawes Tom McGraw Dan Moster Gary Trost

Past President

Harry Gilbert

WORLD HEADQUARTERS CEO

John Embree

Creative Services Director

Julie Myers

Publications Manager/ Managing Editor

Kim Forrester

Director of Public Relations

Poornima Rimm

Communications Coordinator

Christiana Johns

Courtside USA Manager

Randy Jenks

Digital Asset Coordinator/ Ramona Husaru Tennis Multimedia Management Graphic Design Specialist Nick Warwick Director of Video Production Chris Maale Video Editor/ Videographer

Andrew Robertson

Director of Fred Viancos Professional Development Corporate Janice Stollenwerck Services Administrator Director of Information Technology

Dan Wilson

Information Technology/ Multimedia

Scott Bucic

Director of Computer Services

Kathy Buchanan

Director of Membership and Certification

Vicky Tristan

Membership/ Melony DeLoach Insurance Coordinator Human Resources Director Matt Stotts Director of Finance Controller

Kathy Ladner Ellen Weatherford

Legal Counsel Attorney-at-law

Paul Waldman

For information, write the USPTA World Headquarters 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite One Houston, TX 77042 Phone 713-97-USPTA 800-USPTA-4U Fax 713-978-7780 uspta@uspta.org www.uspta.com Office hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central time

ADDvantage/May 2013

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from previous page

USPTA Revenue as of Dec. 31, 2012 $5,845,551 USPTA 2013 Budgeted Revenue $5,859,281

General & Admin. 0.17% National Convention 3.67% Education 1.61% Publications .47% Testing 4.19%

USPTA Expenses as of Dec. 31, 2012 $5,894,956 USPTA 2013 Budgeted Expenses $6,095,922

General & Admin. 54.15% National Convention 3.53% Education 1.47% Publications 2.25% Testing 2.71%

Merchandise 2.04%

Merchandise 0.80%

Member Insurance 5.54%

Member Insurance 2.71%

Endorsements 18.22%

Endorsements 0.21%

Membership 34.40%

Public Relations 2.80%

Public Relations 0.11%

Membership 0.35%

Division Activities 21.46%

Division Activities 20.63%

Building Activities 8.12%

Building Activities 8.41%

USPTA 2013 Budgeted Revenue $5,859,281 USPTA December 31, 2012 Revenue $5,845,551

USPTA 2013 Budgeted Expenses USPTA December 31, 2012 Expenses $6,095,922 $5,894,956

General & Admin. 0.22% National Convention 4.64%

General & Admin. 54.50%

Education 0.36%

National Convention 3.16%

Publications 7.77%

Education 0.25%

Testing 3.94%

Publications 2.29%

Merchandise 1.74%

Testing 2.83%

Member Insurance 4.96%

Merchandise 1.59%

Royalties 17.20%

Member Insurance 2.73%

Membership 32.58%

Public Relations 2.60%

Tournaments 0.81%

Membership 0.46%

Sports Marketing 1.02%

Division Activities 20.47%

Division Activities 14.85%

Building Activities 9.12%

Building Activities 9.90%

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ADDvantage/May 2013

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Teaching red ball, orange ball and green ball tennis to beginners Get ’em playing sooner than later, shorter than longer

by Greg Grover, USPTA Master Professional

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hy do so many 10 and under American youngsters play soccer and/or baseball or softball as opposed to tennis? The answer is simple: they play the game sooner rather than later (younger), on shorter rather than longer playing fields, with smaller and lighter equipment in time-friendly, non-elimination formats (nobody wins and nobody loses) with adult involvement (parental guidance and encouragement and adult supervision).

the same time and thus is a huge revenue producer and profit maker in both the short and long run. As kids age, they lose interest in soccer and baseball/softball and drop out drastically. Not so with a lifestyle sport such as tennis where once learned you can play for a lifetime. So as agents who “sell tennis for a living,” you’re developing lifelong customers while growing the game!

So what is the program? How do you get started?

1. Invest in the transitional equipment.

Take the plunge, accept the challenge and teach on 36', 60' and 78' courts with graduated length racquets and red (8 and under), orange (10 and under), and green balls (12 and under, teens and beginning adults/parents), respectively. Teaching with this equipment is easier and introductory players learn more quickly.

we need to borrow from soccer’s successes and change our ways of how we turn new kids onto our fun, healthy game.

At the youngest ages (4, 5 and 6), these children are taught to play “just for the fun of it.” Goals and runs are not counted!

Every game (event) lasts about an hour and ends in a tie. Winning is de-emphasized as there are no winners or losers, just participants. The highlight of the day is the postgame snack. No snack equates to a no-fun, big bummer!

As professional teachers trying to grow the game of tennis, we need to radically change our thought processes and teaching methods. To successfully compete in this 10 and under market, we need to borrow from these other populated sports in order to steal some of their ideas and players. The good news is that as an industry, we are on the cusp of doing just that. Thanks to the www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

tennis manufacturers, we now have transitional equipment (shorter racquets, smaller nets and low pressure red, orange and green balls) with which to teach. Thanks to the USTA and court builders, we have 36' and 60' temporary or permanently lined courts on which to teach smaller, younger kids.

The bad news is not enough teaching pros are “buying into” this equipment and the subsequent programs needed to successfully attract and “turn on” youngsters and their “big kid” parents to this great game of tennis.

So how do we get tennis teaching professionals to make a paradigm shift and change their approach to teaching? Again, the answer is simple. The red, orange and green ball beginner instructional program is designed to teach big numbers all at

2. Get ’em playing sooner than later. l Teach drop-hit, one-bounce forehands from the get-go to initiate self-feed back-and-forth rallies among your novice students. l Have your little (and big) kids hitting back and forth with each other during their very first lesson even if the rallies are super short. l Once they can rally back and forth (two to three times before missing), supervise five-minute timed rounds of an up/down game. After “last point” is called, the leading point-getter moves up a court while the runner-up moves down, i.e. no one’s labeled a winner or worse yet, loser!

3. Have them playing shorter rather than longer. l Play short, time-friendly scoring formats such as timed point play rounds continued next page ADDvantage/May 2013 7

from previous page with players moving up or down a court or half court as each round ends. l Host two or three hour play days where small round robins (three to eight players) or compass draws of eight to 16 players are played and every participant plays the same amount of tennis win or lose.

Individual matches of a compass draw or round robin can be set tiebreaks (first to 7 points, win by 2); best of three set tiebreaks; a short set to four games or six games; or best of two short sets to four games or six games with a set tiebreak in effect should sets split. Just remember, you’re trying to finish within two or three hours!*

l

4. Have adult involvement on court and off. l Upon introducing non-elimination point match play to youngsters, have the adults/parents provide good sportsmanship guidance as well as supervise match play to “nip cheating in the bud,” i.e. overrule bad line calls, make sure scoring is accurate, and have the players shake hands at the end of point play. l Teach (with green balls on 78' court) those parents who don’t already play tennis and give them and their children “homework” assignments to do together between lessons. * Note: The USTA’s new Friend at Court posts recommended scoring formats for red, orange and green ball tournament match play.

As the USTA and tennis industry says about 10 and Under Tennis in the U.S., “It’s a whole new ball game!” And as teaching professionals, we need to borrow from soccer and little leagues’ successes and change our ways of how we introduce and turn new kids (little and big) onto our fun, healthy game. We need to get on board and teach this potentially large market with: Transitional red, orange and green ball equipment The emphasis on getting them playing sooner rather than later l Shorter time-friendly non-elimination scoring and point match play formats l Adult involvement (parental guidance and participation) and adult supervision and encouragement l l

This is the challenge! Are you up to it? I certainly hope so.

Otherwise, the U.S. will never catch up with the number of youths playing 10 and Under Tennis in Europe or soccer/baseball/softball in America. In the words of another great tennis professional, Billie Jean King, “It’s time to just do it!” And like Mikey said, “Try it, you’ll like it,” as you’re smiling all the way to the bank.  A graduate of Stanford University and UCLA’s Graduate School of Management with an MBA in marketing and public relations, Greg Grover is a USPTA Master Professional and Windward Lake Club owner. He played varsity tennis at Stanford University where he learned to teach under his coach and mentor, Dick Gould. He was previously tennis director at Countryside Tennis Center and Dunwoody Country Club. A past president and honorary member of the GPTA, he was awarded the Educational Merit Award in 2001 and 1995 as well as the Georgia Professional of the Year in 1996, 1986, and 1982. Grover is the author of two books on creative tennis programming and a third book on doubles strategy for players and coaches. In 2008, Greg received a distinguished honor from his professional peers by being inducted into the USPTA Southern Hall of Fame.

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ADDvantage/May 2013

CLASSIFIEDS Business opportunities Tennis/Health Club for sale: Four Indoor Tennis Courts with pro shop, Nautilus and free weight rooms. Three racquetball courts, basketball and aerobics room. Outdoor facility with clubhouse, garage, four hydro clay courts and two hard courts.

Located in Bristol, Tenn. Call 423-764-8444.

Tennis swim fitness club for sale in North Carolina. Large clubhouse, fitness center, pro shop and activity area. Eight underground lighted clay courts, and two pools. Assumable loan.

Website: theclubatwestport.com.

Contact: Robbie Smith at 704492-6931.

Clay court maintenance The Smith 3C Clay Court Conditioners are the next generation of highly engineered/ powered equipment to keep your fast-dry courts in desirable likenew condition. Manufactured in the U.S. and available for immediate shipment starting under $3,000. You can scarify a light top-dressing, mill 5/8" back to like-new powder, loosen hard packed sub-surface watered courts, or remove algae. Rejuvenate and renew your fast-dry courts. Call M. Kohlman at 805-550-0149 or email mkohlman@tcsn.net.

For more information, visit ­www. claycourtconditioner.com.

Drills NEED TENNIS DRILLS? USPTA Master Professional Jorge Capestany’s new website has more than 700 videos of tennis drills and tips. Log on to www. tennisdrills.tv to see (and print) more than 18 free samples.

We do the things you don’t have the time, staff or resources to do!

Free samples: www.jobeasier.com, discount code: s-uspta.

Employment TennisJobs.com – The tennis industry’s ONLY international tennis professional employment service. Subscribe today!

Subscriptions FREE SAMPLE Bob Larson’s Tennis Jobs newsletter. Daily newsletter lists new tennis jobs in USA. For sample, email jobs@tennisnews.com.

Tennis products PRO/COACH PRICING on racquets, apparel, shoes, bags, balls, strings and accessories. Get baskets, carts, training equipment, books, videos and more. www.TennisExpress.com/800833-6615.

QM-1 Portable Camera Support.

Extendable pole, precalibrated system places on fence, from either side, quick and easy. MyTennisTools.com.

GRIP COACH is a practical product that has simple and easyto-follow guidelines, making it ideal for adults and kids to learn tennis grips. Players and coaches love the Grip Coach because it maximizes coaching time for everyone. Visit: www.gripcoach. com.au.

VACATION OpportuniTIes Five-Star Caribbean Resorts are Waiting for You! Working ­vacations available for certified tennis professionals. Family and couple resorts available. ­Contact: www.fitbodiesinc.com or call ­Denise Cox, 678-778-4673.

Rates: $30 for 20 words, minimum per issue. 50 cents per word thereafter.

Prepayment is required. Supply typed copy and include full name, telephone number, credit card number and expiration date. Email magazine@ uspta.org or fax to 713-358-7794, attn: ADDvantage classifieds. No classifieds will be accepted by telephone. No exceptions are made. USPTA cannot verify nor be responsible for the contents of any advertisement.

The USPTA is committed to the policy that all people have equal access to its programs, facilities, employment and membership without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status. USPTA is an equal opportunity employer. USPTA reserves the right to reject any advertisement at its discretion, or to edit the advertisement to be certain that any employment requirements set forth in it conform with the law. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Building a strong mind, body and game

by Stan Oley, USPTA

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ave you ever gone in to get a routine physical from your doctor and thought everything was going to be fine? I did. And I was wrong.

Prior to this physical I had been experiencing more injuries, was tiring quickly, snoring during sleep, and had acquired an ongoing bout with acid reflux. In my mind, I was attributing these things as just part of getting old.

After the testing and lab work, I always have a review appointment to discuss the findings and results of the tests. When the doctor turned his laptop around and explained all of the bad results to me (cholesterol over 300, glucose off the charts, blood pressure 145/98), I was in shock.

He explained that I could have some serious health issues in the near future, such as diabetes, as well as being put on medication for the cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Fortunately for me, my doctor discussed with me making changes to delay medication including a lifestyle nutritional change.

He explained that diets were short term, inconsistent and not healthy. I decided that day was going to be a turning point in my life, and I lost 10 pounds over the next two months and a total of 40 pounds the next 10 months after that.

It has been three years since I lost the 40 pounds and I still feel great. I want to be very clear: I am not a nutritionist. I realize that some people have genetic issues which make physical milestones impossible without medication; however I took what worked for me and ran with it. My nutrition plan is part of my new program I created called FBT60 (Fit By Tennis in 60 days).

This plan can work for anyone because you just need to look at what is in everything you eat and take very seriously everything you put into your body.

Here is a piece from the FBT60 Nutritional Plan:

THE NUTRITIONAL FAB 5 1. Good fats and bad fats – This was one of my biggest kryptonites. There was really no excuse for me not knowing this information before, especially being in the tennis industry my entire life. Many foods I ate had a tremendous amount of fat in www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

“I now pay attention to everything that goes into my body and try very hard to make the best decisions possible whether I am at home or on the road.” them. The mayo on sandwiches and on tuna or chicken salad has an astronomical amount of bad fat in them. Meats such as hot dogs, hamburgers, wings, and too much red meat in general had to be addressed because of their bad fats. Frozen packaged foods, fast foods, fried foods, butter, cheese, and other dairy products, snack foods, soups, salad dressings, and cream-based foods were all part of my daily diet and extremely high in bad fats.

Then there are the good fats that I was missing altogether such as avocados, nuts, olives, olive oil, salmon and tuna.

Beware of the “fat-free” label because it doesn’t mean you can eat all you want without consequences to your waistline and your body; many fat-free foods are high in sugar, refined carbohydrates and calories.

2. Sodium – I was known as a pre-salter – someone that begins salting his food even before he tastes it. Frozen packaged foods, fast foods, table salt, garlic salt, soups, cheese, snack foods and cold meats were just some of the high sodium items that were on my daily list that I had to address immediately. There are many low or no sodium choices out there now. My doctor explained that once you stop using the table or garlic salt, your pallet would adjust and no longer crave it. He was right!

3. Sugars – There are many low or sugarfree choices out there now. Just select these sugar-free items carefully because sometimes they can have a lot more ingredients and chemicals that could be harmful. Products such as cakes, pastries, candies and table sugar as a sweetener are among the bad sugars that I was eating. I neglected the good sugars found in such foods as fruits and vegetables that are good for your body and immune system. I tend to eat the raw fruit in the early morning so the sugar can burn off throughout the day.

4. Bad carbs and good carbs – Soda, candy, pastries and beer are some of the bad carbs that needed to be addressed in my diet. I replaced them with the good carbs such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans.

5. Portions you eat and deceptive portions on packages – Many packages that could be considered one serving for an adult list the package as three to four servings. This makes the 8 fat grams and 1,000 milligrams of sodium three to four times as much!

Portions are also important to your change. I would go all day without eating much of anything and then eat a huge meal at dinner. This was leading me to become a diabetic. I found if I ate

continued next page ADDvantage/May 2013 11

from previous page something as soon as I woke up, workout has been a great story for and ate small portions throughme because I brought my cholesterol out the day, I ate much less for down from over 300 to 180. My dinner and felt so much better blood pressure went down from at night.

145/98 to 116/60, and my glucose levels are no longer at a dangerous I now pay attention to everylevel. The nutritional change and thing that goes into my body weight loss virtually eliminated my and try very hard to make the acid reflux as well as my night-time best decisions possible whether snoring. I used to have low energy I am at home or on the road. and burn out early in the day, and I treat myself occasionally, but now my energy level is great all day, most importantly I have found and I have been playing injury-free. healthy solutions to my vices (one example being spicy or gar Many people eat poorly with the lic hummus in place of cheese). concept they will work out harder that day to compensate. Think of

your body like a car. People work out When I began to change my like they are sports cars, but then put nutrition I tried a number of fitoil in the tank instead of premium ness plans as well but wanted to do fuel. Just remember you are personsomething incorporating tennis. I ally responsible for everything that began to write drills that were fitgoes into your body. ness based and simple enough to My doctor explained to me that do with almost any ball machine. your body gets programmed to like Now I have compiled a series of Since the FBT60 change, my energy level is great all what you put in it. Once I decided ball machine drills for FBT60 in to start eating better, my body started two categories called “Besiders” and day, and I have been playing injury-free. to crave the good foods, and the bad “Touch N Go’s.” foods seemed disgusting.

“Besiders” are drills I created to focus to be a tennis player to perform them, just

Before you ever make a substantial nuon constant movement by the player to get someone wanting to get a great workout. tritional change or perform a new strenuous beside a particular shot. Many times when Players can make them as strenuous as they activity, it is important to see a doctor first. players train on the ball machine they hit want based on the distance they wish to This will also give you a baseline to let you 150 to 175 balls without stopping. Most travel in each drill. These drills will give measure your progress. players get fatigued during points that last the person tired of the elliptical or treadmill 15 to 20 hits, so you can see how a player The slogan for FBT60 is “Building a another option for a tremendous workout hitting 150 to 175 balls without stopping Stronger Mind, Body and Game.” I think as well as give seasoned players a great way would not be playing at game-speed or the mind is the most important part of this to increase their fitness and endurance. moving much. This is not productive for program. If you can fight through the be I kept everything very short and sweet their game or their fitness. These “Besidginning of this lifestyle change and perform here, but it will be more detailed in FBT60. ers” drills were designed to create strenuous the drills on a routine basis, your mind will The FBT60 nutritional change and drills movement performed in short intervals become stronger and less likely to crave the similar to point play. previous poor habits, ultimately improving your body and game. Remember, “What The “Touch N Go’s” were again dethe Mind Believes, The Body Achieves!” signed to create strenuous movement from the player while practicing a wide variety The FBT60 Program and Drills are of shots. The player has to hit a particular FREE at www.FBT60.com. If you ever shot, touch a towel placed on the court, and want to discuss these concepts, please feel then recover to play the next shot. Again, free to contact me at Stan_Oley@msn.com. these are strenuous drills performed in short Look out for my FBT60 seminar coming intervals similar to point play. These “Touch soon to your town!  N Go’s” are great to increase the player’s Stan Oley is Playmate Ball Machine’s product fitness and endurance, as well as provide marketing specialist. He has taught with an opportunity for them to practice shots ball machines for the past 22 years and has performed seminars at USPTA conventions, “Besiders” and they may not ordinarily practice.

PTR International Symposiums and in five “Touch N Go’s” These drills will not only improve countries for various tennis organizations. are part your strength and fitness but will preserve Oley was featured on the Tennis Channel’s One Minute Clinic, of the FBT60 the integrity of strokes and improve both “On-Court with USPTA,” and has three full length DVDs. Oley plan. footwork and movement. You don’t have is sponsored by Adidas and Babolat products.

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www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Keeping it real in the high-tech world

by Rod Heckelman, USPTA

T

oday’s technology provides us with all the tools we could ever need for communicating. It seems that almost every few months we are given another great high-tech tool that will help us reach our customer base. But these new powers of communicating may be creating a dependency that is not always productive when it comes to reaching our goals. With this enhanced communication platform, we can often be deceived into believing that we are communicating more effectively. But are we really helping our customers achieve their goals? Is it just wishful thinking and expectations to believe that the more tools we have to work with the more likely we will create better results? Too often teaching pros are disappointed when their efforts don’t produce positive results, especially when they believe they have taken all the right steps in communicating.

Despite all the new technology we now have available in our industry, it will always be about the quality of interacting with others ... will always be about how the message is received, not how the message is delivered.

When a student or a member comes to you with a need – maybe it’s serving more consistently or finding a new member to play against – that request is responded to by providing information through your vast assortment of communication tools.

On the court during the lesson, you reach back and access your knowledge of the game to help in making those changes that will create a more consistent serve. You first analyze, discern the cause, implement the changes needed to address the cause, and www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

then rehearse repeatedly the proper new motion in order to establish this new, more consistent serve, this is all done through your communication skills. Because you now have available to you video replay, historical data, new creative analogies, visual aids and key words or phrases that will help that player assimilate the changes needed, you believe you have accumulated a powerful and complete process of coaching a player’s change using these many forms of communication. This action is backed

by years of studying the sport, attending conferences and spending countless hours on the court trying to find solutions for your students. But at the end of the day, has the goal been met? Does the player have a more consistent serve? Has your effort and energy all been for naught? Or most important, has the amount of energy you spent, especially – taking into consideration all the communication tools you have – resulted in a positive conclusion that satisfies the student?

Now look at the next issue you needed to deal with: finding more tennis partners for this new member. You gave him a list of phone numbers or emails that you accumulated through the development of your data base, or maybe one of the many new software programs available at clubs that help members connect. You put him in contact with captains of some of the teams they are eligible to play on. You informed him of the many programs you have where he could attend and meet others. You even took the time to pull him aside while he was at the club and introduced him to other players, maybe even put him on the court with another member that you felt was compatible. You tweet, send out mass emails, leave group phone messages and talk to everyone possible. Again, you use every communication tool you have available to help satisfy his needs. You have taken steps far beyond what many other teaching pros might have done years ago when such communication tools were not available. You feel proud of addressing this member’s needs so aggressively and so thoroughly. Has all this effort helped connect this player with others? Is he playing on teams or finding partners on a consistent basis? And again, most importantly, have you really helped him meet his goals?

A week passes by and the student you labored with to create that great new consistent serve is taking a lesson from another pro continued next page ADDvantage/May 2013

15

from previous page for his serve. The member you were trying to help is complaining to one of your superiors that he is not getting the service he expected to help him connect with other players.

You’re understandably disappointed. After all, you did everything right. You used all of your communication skills to achieve the goals of the client. But the fact remains in the eyes of the client, he did not reach his goal.

The student still has an inconsistent serve and the member has yet to find his way on to the court with other members. Who knows why these goals were not reached? Maybe the student just couldn’t translate your message due to his own developmental process or social challenges, or maybe the member just has a hard time finding compatible players at your club. This probably isn’t the first time this has happened and it won’t be the last.

But there is a major difference that has come into the picture in recent years; with all these new tools to communicate, we assume we now have all the skills needed to complete any task. Thirty years ago, most pros would not be able to make this complete of an effort. They did not have access to such immediate and widely accessible information and communication tools. But now, even with all these new tools at our disposal, we often don’t get the results we want.

You can always reach back and say, “It’s not only about the results. I certainly tried.”

But the fact is; it is all about the goals and the results. We just have a very hard time accepting that with all of this available information we can still fall short. Despite all the new technology we now have available in our industry, it will always be about the quality of interacting with others. It will always be about how the message is received, not how the message is delivered. This may be the next important area of communication that the tennis pro needs to understand.

In addition to finding more tools to work with, we need to understand more about how information is received and, ultimately, translated in today’s fast-paced world. Internationally recognized sports psychology consultant, and author of “The Best Tennis of Your Life,” Jeff Greenwald explains: More than ever, teaching professionals are faced with the new challenge of keeping the human element in their lessons and club programming. As players increasingly rely on YouTube, Google, email and innovative apps,

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There will never be a substitute for looking someone in the eye and holding his attention and staying patient while he tries and applies the changes he learned directly from you.

coaches will need to succeed in making the process directly related to the results players are seeking. As artificial intelligence begins to grow, what is to prevent players from going to the video court where their serve is analyzed by a video camera connected to the Internet that provides feedback on every muscle that is seen firing during your motion?

Players’ expectations for more immediate results are growing rapidly while their attention span decreases.

As a result of this information explosion and decreased attention span, there is, understandably, an even greater challenge to help players assimilate what they are learning. With the current adolescent brain that has grown up with this technology since birth (known as “digital natives”), compared to adults who migrated over from a non-digital world (“digital immigrants”), we are beginning to see some deficits in this area of the brain that relate to complex thinking and the ability to stay focused on the task at hand. Because young players in particular are in a constant state of “partial attention” where “multi-tasking” has become the norm, we must upgrade our observation skills to help players stay focused on the task at hand, manage their impatience and teach them to integrate their skills in real time. Helping them understand how they can bring more attention to the process of skill development in the moment will help immensely because players often have great difficulty with self-awareness. We need to work harder to make sure we have active learners in front of us.

Certainly, overly relying on technology to help us succeed may be a trap as there is no substitute for honest, personal connection during the learning process. While it may be frustrating for players that they can’t simply download a new toss from the Internet, it has become inherent in our jobs as teachers to help them maintain the right emotional climate to master their shot or achieve their goals.

Even though we have taken so many wonderful technological steps forward, it still comes back to the basics – being a witness to the player’s learning process and helping them successfully reach their goals.

The priority, as Jeff points out, is to make sure our communication skills are also being upgraded so we can take full advantage of the technological revolution happening before our eyes. We recognize the power of these tools, but they won’t take us all the way. There will never be a substitute for looking someone in the eye and holding his attention and staying patient while he tries and applies the changes he learned directly from you. These tools are simply great new communication tools, and we must be careful about not being deceived or disappointed by believing that these new tools are the solution, they are simply a means to a solution.  Rod Heckelman’s career started in 1966 when he began his five-year role as a teacher at John Gardiner’s Tennis Ranch in Carmel Valley, Calif.

Later he opened as the resident pro for Gardiner’s Tennis Ranch on Camelback in Scottsdale, Ariz.

In 1976 he took over as head pro/tennis director at the Mt. Tam Racquet Club in Larkspur, Calif, and added the title and responsibilities of general manager in 1982. In 2010 he was awarded “Manager of the Year” for the USPTA NorCal division and the “Manager of the Year” at the USPTA World Conference. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

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CHECK OU T THE

AWARDS L ALL NEW UNCHEON FEATURING KEYNOTEESPEAKER

PAT

S M A I L L I W

••Co-founderranddseniorrVPPofftheeNBA’ssOrlandooMagic ••OneeoffAmerica’sstoppmotivationallspeakers ••Oneeoffthee500mosttinfluentiallpeopleeinnNBAAhistory ••Authorroffmoreethann800books

FRIDAY SEPT.

27

GRAND CYPRESS BALLROOM

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12 p.m.

DON’T MISS THIS SHOT AT HEARING FROM ONE OF SPORTS’ GREATEST SPEAKERS!

Awardsstoobeepresented::HallloffFamee••ProfessionallofftheeYearr••MasterrProfessionalss••USTA/USPTAACommunityyService

Pat Williams:

Basketball Hall of Famer, motivational speaker, father of 19 We are excited to announce Pat Williams as the keynote speaker for the USPTA awards luncheon at the World Conference in Orlando. To say that Williams is very accomplished is an understatement.

P

at Williams is a basketball Hall seven became assistant NBA coaches. of Famer, currently serving as co Additionally, Williams served for seven founder and senior vice president years in the U.S. Army, spent seven years in of the NBA’s Orlando Magic. As one of the Philadelphia Phillies organization – two America’s top motivational speakers, he has as a minor league catcher and five in the front addressed thousands of executives in organioffice – and also spent three years in the Minzations ranging from Fortune 500 companies nesota Twins organization. and national associations to universities Williams and his wife, Ruth, are the parand nonprofits. Clients include American ents of 19 children, including 14 adopted Express, Cisco, Coca-Cola, Disney, Honfrom four nations, ranging in age from 26 to eywell, ING, Lockheed Martin, Nike and 40. For one year, 16 of his children were all Tyson Foods to name a few. Williams is also teenagers at the same time. Currently, Wilthe author of more than 80 books, his most liams has 12 grandchildren and counting with recent title being “The Difference You Make: twins due in July. Williams and his family have Changing Your World Through the Impact been featured in Sports Illustrated, Readers of Your Influence.”

Digest, Good Housekeeping, The Wall Street Since 1968, Williams has been in the Journal, USA Today, and Focus on the Family NBA as general manager for teams in Chias well as all of the major network and cable cago, Atlanta, Philadelphia – including the television news channels.

1983 World Champion 76ers – and now Williams was diagnosed in February 2011 the Orlando Magic, which he co-founded Pat Williams and Shaquille O’Neal with multiple myeloma. After several rounds in 1987 and helped lead to the NBA Finals of chemo treatments, he received a bone marin 1995 and 2009. In 1996, Williams was named as one of the row transplant where the doctors injected him with almost 5 million 50 Most Influential People in NBA history by Beckett, a national of his own stem cells. Williams’ recovery from the stem cell transpublication. In 2012, Pat received the John W. Bunn Lifetime plant has been remarkable and the doctors are extremely pleased.

Achievement Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall While multiple myeloma is incurable, the goal is to get the cancer of Fame. into remission (Williams’ personal slogan has been “The Mission is Williams has been an integral part of NBA history, including Remission”); Williams doctors have told him that they are unable bringing the NBA to Orlando. He has traded Pete Maravich as well to detect any myeloma in his body. Pat has accepted positions on as traded for Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Penny Hardaway. several boards for different cancer groups, including an appointHe has won four NBA draft lotteries, including back-to-back win- ment on the board of directors for the Multiple Myeloma Research ners in 1992 and 1993. He also drafted Charles Barkley, Shaquille Foundation. Williams spends many hours each week responding to O’Neal, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney and Darryl Dawkins. He emails and phone calls of others affected by cancer, offering hope signed Billy Cunningham, Chuck Daly and Matt Guokas to their and words of encouragement. first professional coaching contracts. Nineteen of his former players Williams teaches an adult Sunday school class at First Baptist became NBA head coaches, nine became college head coaches, and Church of Orlando and hosts three weekly radio shows. In the last 15 years, he has completed 58 marathons – most recently the 2011 Walt Disney World Marathon – and also climbed Mt. Rainier. He is a weightlifter, Civil War buff and serious baseball fan. Every winter he plays in Major League Fantasy Camps and has caught Hall of Famers Bob Feller, Bob Gibson, Fergie Jenkins, Rollie Fingers, Gaylord Perry, Phil Niekro, Tom Seaver and Goose Gossage.

Williams was raised in Wilmington, Del., and earned his bachelor’s degree at Wake Forest University and his master’s degree at Indiana University. He is a member of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame after catching for the Deacon baseball team, including the 1962 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship team. He is also a member of six other halls of fame around the country.  Pat Williams and family

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USPTA conference registration form Main registration Name _________________________ USPTA member No. __________ Nonmember 

Email __________________

Address ____________________________ City _______________ State ___ ZIP _______ Phone _________________ Please indicate parties you plan to attend:  Tuesday – Opening social event

Fees

 Thursday – Buying show dinner

Member Nonmember

 Friday – Awards luncheon

Specialty courses

 No. 1

 No. 2

 No. 3  No. 4

By Aug. 19

After Aug. 19

$350 $395 $40 ea. X

 No. 5

$395 $395

Subtotal 1 __________

_____ =

Subtotal 2 __________

Guest registration (Includes tickets to all parties selected by main registrant) Name _______________________ USPTA member No. ___________Nonmember  Guest fee

$150

Subtotal 3 __________

Party tickets Extra tickets for:

No. of tickets:

Cost per ticket: $50/Adult, $35/Teenager, $25/Child (under 5 free)

 Tuesday – Opening social event

______

X ________

= _________

 Thursday – Buying show dinner

______

X ________

= _________

 Friday – Awards luncheon

______

X ________

= _________ Total _________

Subtotal 4 __________

Daily rates ($125 per day) No. of days attending _______

X $125 = ______

Please indicate the days you will attend:  Tuesday

__________

 Wednesday

 Thursday

 Friday

Subtotal 5 __________

Extra savings (Qualified attendees call 800-877-8248 to secure your discount) First-time attendees – save $75 plus a free specialty course.

Three or more employees from the same club – save $25 each plus a free specialty course for each.

(Must present a pay stub from that facility from within the last three months as proof of employment.)

Payment options 

Visa

 MasterCard

Check or money order payable to USPTA, or charge my:

 American Express

Name printed on card _____________________________________ Card No. _______________________________________________ Exp. date ______________ Signature _______________________________________________ Are you staying at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress? Yes

 No

Cancellations are refundable minus a 5% service charge.

If not, why? _____________________________________________________________________________

Subtotal 1

_____________

Subtotal 2

_____________

Subtotal 3

_____________

Subtotal 4

_____________

Subtotal 5

_____________

Total fees _____________

Return this form with payment to: USPTA World Headquarters, 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite One, Houston, TX 77042 or fax to 713-358-7785 or register online at www.usptaworldconference.com

Hotel room reservations Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Please go to https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_gi_new&group ID=16006376 to make your reservations. $132 – Single or double occupancy The published room rates do not include a daily hotel fee of $22 plus tax, which will be added to your rate and includes Internet, transportation to Disney, Universal and Sea World, watersports rental and more. Additional charges for self-parking ($13/night) or valet parking ($23/night) will apply. Any additional gratuity to the hotel staff is at your discretion.

An extra charge of $15 per person per day will be assessed for each additional guest.



All reservation requests must be received by Aug. 19, 2013.

Requests received after this date, or for dates other than the main conference period, will be accepted on a space-available basis only.

 Cancellation notice of seven days prior to arrival is required for a refund. Changes and cancellations should be done in writing. When canceling or changing your reservation by telephone, be sure to obtain a cancellation number in writing.



Please include a deposit for the first night’s room revenue and 10 percent tax as a deposit in the form of credit card (with an expiration date valid through date of departure) or check, which will hold your room until midnight of the arrival day.

 The hotel will make every effort to honor requests for specific types and locations of rooms. However, on occasion when such requests cannot be met, the hotel reserves the right to provide alternate accommodations.

Check-in time is after 4 p.m. E.T.

 Early departures will be charged one night’s room/plus tax.

Check-out time is at noon E.T.

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Nominate a deserving USPTA Professional for a national USPTA Award

U

45-and-over, and men’s 55-and-over and women’s 55-and-over. **Please note all “Player of the Year” awards will now be awarded to the No.1-ranked player for each category (listed above) in singles & doubles, or combined when applicable, based on year-end USPTA rankings and not current USPTA rankings. There will no longer be an application process for Player of the Year Awards in every category.

SPTA is accepting nominations for the 2013 National Awards Program through July 2. All Professional-level members are eligible. If you know of any fellow members who go above and beyond on and off the tennis court, here’s your chance to nominate them. Recipients will be recognized during the USPTA World Conference Sept. 23 – 27 in Orlando, Fla. Award category details, nomination forms and guidelines are available at www.uspta.com, by calling 800-877-8248 or by sending a request to pr@uspta.org.

The categories awarded will include:

• USPTA Tennis Across AmericaTM Award

• USPTA Stars

• USPTA Diversity Award

• USPTA Industry Excellence Award – The recipient of this award will receive a $1,000 grant from the Tennis Industry Association and a Tennis Tutor ball machine from Sports Tutor for use in his or her grassroots programs.

Division award recipients are not automatically nominated for national awards. Division award recipients should ask division leaders if they should complete their own nomination form. All nominations and supporting materials must be received at the World Headquarters

by July 2.

While hard copies are still accepted, ALL applications can now be submitted as PDFs and submitted via email. Large PDF files may be burned to a CD/DVD and mailed in. The Awards Committee encourages applicants to submit their applications and all supporting materials in one of the above electronic formats. Send email applications and questions to pr@uspta.org. 

• Alex Gordon Award for Professional of the Year • Large- and Small-Facility Manager of the Year • College Coach of the Year, High School Coach of the Year and Touring Coach of the Year • Player of the Year: men’s open, women’s open, men’s 35-andover, women’s 35-and-over, men’s 45-and-over, women’s

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• George Bacso Tester of the Year • USPTA Lessons for LifeTM Award

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Social networking now

Online networks offer advantages & benefits for keeping members in the loop

by Marcia Layton Turner

W

hen Superstorm Sandy devastated the East Coast of the U.S. in October, thousands of residents were without power, water and heat for weeks. The day after Sandy hit Long Island, Randall Ruder, CCM, CCE, general manager of the Beach Point Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., had video taken of the club’s condition for insurance purposes, as he had following previous storms. But because of the magnitude of that storm, Ruder decided to post the video to YouTube and email the link to Beach Point’s 650 club families to reassure them the club was still standing.

What happened next was different than previous storms.

Members forwarded the video link to other area residents, who forwarded the link to an everincreasing number of recipients near and far. Because Beach Point has both a live weather station and a generator, the club quickly became “the hub of communication” for the general area, Ruder said. For days, the club received information from the municipality and then relayed it to the community, announcing which businesses were open, which gas stations had gas, and where residents could get a hot shower. Not only did Beach Point serve its members by keeping them informed, but they aided anyone in the immediate area in need of information about available resources.

Thanks to their commitment to sharing information online, Beach Point now has the gratitude of thousands in New York. “You can’t buy that kind of goodwill,” Ruder said.

Yes, Facebook and Twitter are filled with photos of cats playing the piano and other frivolity. But Beach Point’s experience showcases the true power of social networking.

By sharing relevant information via online tools, your club can connect in a meaningful way with members and non-members alike. “Savvy clubs are now incorporating social networking plat-

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

forms into their daily operations, using the same technology their members are using,” observes J. Brent Tartamella, CCM, CCE, general manager of The Westmoor Club in Nantucket, Mass.

Here’s an overview of the some of the leading platforms and how they can be used in your club: YouTube Keeping in touch with members is what Casey Newman, communications and marketing director at The Briar Club in Houston, aims to do on a regular basis. She sees social networking tools like video behemoth YouTube as essential for keeping members “tethered” to the club when they aren’t on the property. She says the online experience “reminds members why they are members.”

Newman routinely takes videos and photos of club events such as the Mother’s Day brunch and Fourth of July barbeque and posts them on the club’s private Facebook page for members’ eyes only. Videos she shoots are posted on YouTube and are generally event-driven as well, such as footage of tennis tournaments, the ladies’ fashion show and swim meets. She said the club’s members appreciate seeing the photos whether they attended the event themselves or not.

Facebook In addition to the general club Facebook page, Newman also created separate private group pages for members with specific interests, such as foodies and tennis players.

She also has separate email lists divided based on member interests, to help prevent email overload; only members interested in Pilates, for example, receive Pilates-related email messages. While you want to stay in touch, you also don’t want to overwhelm members with continued next page ADDvantage/May 2013

27

from previous page news from the club, Newman cautions.

Because Facebook lets users share everything from written messages to photos, videos and links to other articles and images, it can easily serve as a club’s social media hub. But there are other options, too.

“We held a summer gala at the club that was a luau and used Pinterest to share ideas for what people might wear to it,” he said. The club currently has five public Pinterest boards, including a weddings board to show brides previous weddings held at the club and to offer ideas for their special day.

Twitter “Twitter has been big for us,” Ruder said. The club has two Twitter accounts, one for pool updates and another for tennis. The pool Twitter account provides the temperature of the pool water versus the temperature of the water in the sound, so members can decide where to spend their summer day.

The tennis Twitter account alerts members when tennis courts are open or closed based on weather conditions. Both updates go out publicly to Twitter followers and are simultaneously posted on the Beach Point website’s home page using a Twitter widget, which provides a central place for members to gather club information.

“Twitter has also been useful for The Westmoor Club,” Tartamella said. Using HootSuite, a software utility that helps aggregate social media sites, the club types up one message to go out via Twitter and simultaneously has it distributed on Facebook and LinkedIn as well.

Controlling the flow Despite the fact that The Westmoor Club is “private and exclusive,” Tartamella says the club relies on social media tools to share information about it with the local community. Its Facebook group page, for example, is open only to members and local residents.

Its fan page is 100 percent members-only, although it does have a public page that anyone can view, communicating a limited amount of information.

Although social media tools are meant to encourage information sharing, most have privacy controls that limit who has access to information and images. By using those controls, clubs can now keep their membership fully informed using tools on everyone’s desktop and smartphone.

“We use social media to keep in touch with members yearround, using the tools they’re using,” Tartamella explains, “which is especially important when the Nantucket season is so short.” 

Pinterest One of 2012’s most talked about social media sites is Pinterest, where users can post eye-catching photos of products, places, people, and quotes is an up-and-coming resource for ­Tartamella.

Marcia Layton Turner’s work has appeared in Bloomberg Businessweek, Business 2.0, and Entrepreneur and in other books, magazines, and websites. She writes regularly for Club Management. Article originally printed in the Winter 2013 edition of Club M ­ anagement magazine.

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www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

• How long have you worked at USPTA? I started at USPTA in June 1986 as a data entry clerk. Over the past 27 years my skills have evolved and my title has changed several times, and now I’m the Director of Computer Services.

“I enjoy talking to the members – trying to help solve whatever issues they have.”

• Describe what you do here? I maintain the membership database and its integrity, address changes, dues payments, produce statistical reports, update and maintain the Find-a-Pro website, and manage the membership hard copy files.

school gym class. I have been amazed by almost everything I’ve learned the last 27 years, although I can’t think of any one thing that stands out above the others.

• What would people be surprised to know about you? Oh my, I’m not that interesting to tell you the truth. I guess that the only thing I can think of that would surprise someone who doesn’t know me is that I married my high school sweetheart (a rock musician), had a daughter and became a widow all before I turned 21. Thanks to the support and love from both of our families she grew up to be a remarkable woman and has given me two beautiful granddaughters who are 4 and 7.

• What do you like to do in your spare time? What are your hobbies/what do you like to do outside of work? My first reaction is, “What spare time?” I spend most of what I do have with my grandchildren. But, I also like to read, do needlework and puzzles.

• You have seen a lot of changes and growth in the years you have worked here. Has anything surprised you? When I started at USPTA we were working out of two condos at Saddlebrook Resort and our storage was two old semi-trailers. Who would have thought we’d someday own our own building? I knew that money was being put into the building fund, but really, how often does that come to pass so quickly? 

• What do you like best about your job? I enjoy talking to the members and trying to help solve whatever issues they have. I have had the privilege to talk to many of the members over the years either in person or by phone.

• Where were you born and what brought you to Houston? I was born and raised in the ­Illinois Quad Cities. I am sure most people will not know where that is, but it was a great place to grow up. I moved to Tampa with my daughter in 1985 and then when USPTA purchased the building in Houston I was asked if I would like to move. I was thrilled to come to Houston; it sounded like an adventure.

• Do you have a tennis background? What have you learned about the tennis industry working at USPTA? No, I don’t have a tennis background. All I knew about tennis came from two quarters in high www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Kathy Buchanan with granddaughters Tanis and Reya ADDvantage/May 2013

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Certification Exam Preparation – Stroke Production

by Ryan Thompson, USPTA

I

had been working as a full-time professional for a year and a half when I decided it was time to join the USPTA and obtain my tennis-teacher certification. My coworker at the time had recently completed his certification and communicated the importance and benefits of becoming a certified teaching professional. It had been several years since I had taken any kind of exam, and I knew that I would have to be well prepared if I wanted a positive result.

What follows is a compilation of my preparation strategies and what I learned while going through the USPTA certification process. This is part one of my certification exam cheat sheet and will show how to score well in all phases of the test. Hopefully it will help other professionals who want to put their best foot forward and prepare for the challenge.

Skills In my test group there were several very skilled tennis players.

Some had recently graduated from college after playing for their respective schools for several years. For the most part, these players breezed through the tennis skill tests. However, there were a few areas in which they struggled because they were unprepared for the variety of skills they were asked to perform. With the on-court skill test it is important to know what shots you are going to be asked to hit and to practice going through the test as well.

Practice makes perfect My work provides a very positive environment for learning. This holds true for students and coaches. I had the benefit of being able to learn from a coworker of mine who took the test a year or two before I did. I asked my coworker if he could help me prepare for the on-court skills portion by basket feeding me a little bit. As it turned out, my teammate went above and beyond the call of duty by roping off different parts of the court and had me practice hit-

ting different shots into these sectioned off areas. Going through the entire skills test several times and being forced to keep track of how many shots I made in a sequence helped me prepare for the task to come.

The USPTA provides the answers to the test I realize that I was in a unique situation because I had a friend who could walk me through what I would encounter on test day.

However, everybody has access to information on what they will be asked to do regarding stroke production. Under the “Upgrades” tab on the USPTA website are links to the different parts on the test. Clicking on these links will bring up a detailed PDF document listing the shot sequence you will be asked to perform. It will also direct you on what part of the court you will need to stand in and where the ball should be directed.

Preparation It’s no secret that the more you submerge yourself in the study materials the better prepared you will be. While many of the pros in my test group were skilled players, they didn’t score as high as they could have in stroke production simply because they didn’t familiarize themselves with what was expected of them. Set yourself up for success by putting in the work ahead of time.  Ryan Thompson has been a teaching pro at the Claremont Country Club in Pleasant Hill, Calif., for five years and recently joined the staff at Blackhawk Country Club. He played collegiate tennis for U.C. Santa Cruz and U.C. San Diego from 1998-2002. Thompson is a USPTAcertified Professional and received a B.A in Communications from U.C. San Diego in 2003. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Sport Management at the University of San Francisco.

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

ADDvantage/May 2013

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Florida’s Paulo Barros and Suzanne Siegler win singles titles at the USPTA Clay Court Championships

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aulo Paulo Barros of Orlando, Fla., defended his men’s open title after defeating Tye Myers of Naples, Fla., 6-4, 7-5, at the $7,500 United States Professional Tennis Association Clay Court Championships Sunday at the BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Suzanne Siegler of Boca Raton, Fla., won the women’s open title by going undefeated in round-robin play. Barros also went on to win the men’s open doubles title with John Bougon, also of Orlando.

The tournament, which was held from March 22-24, included events in the following categories: men’s and women’s open singles and men’s open doubles competition, men’s 35, 45, 50 and 60 singles, men’s 40 and 50 doubles, women’s 45 singles and 50 doubles, and mixed 40 doubles categories. The competition featured many of the top men and women tennisteaching professionals in the country.

Below is a complete list of all the results from final-round matches:

Baulo Barros, Men’s Open Singles winner

Men’s Open Singles Finals – Paulo Barros, Orlando, Fla., def. Tye Myers, Naples, Fla., 6-4, 7-5.

Jacksonville, Fla., and JonMichael Cook, Palm Springs, Fla., 6-2, 6-3.

Men’s 35-and-over Singles Finals – Mathieu Soto, Delray Beach, Fla., def. Milos Vasovic, Melbourne, Fla., 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4).

Women’s Open Singles Finals Round Robin – Suzanne Siegler, Boca Raton, Fla., def. Jana Wilks, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., 6-4, 7-5. Siegler def. Sandra Bell, Lake Park, Fla., 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).

Bell def. Wilks, 6-1, 6-3.

Men’s 45-and-over Singles Finals – Jeff Cohen, Boca Raton, Fla., def. Adam Zastempowski, Nokomis, Fla., 6-0, 6-1.

Men’s 50-and-over Singles Finals – Greg Neuhart, Loxahatchee, Fla., def. Stephen Bucar, West Palm Beach, Fla., 6-4, 6-0.

Men’s 60-and-over Singles Finals – Joe Bouquin, Delray Beach, Fla., def.

William Frost, Beverly, Mass., 6-4, 6-2.

Men’s Open Doubles Finals – Paulo Barros, Orlando, Fla., and John Bougon, Orlando, Fla., def. Franco Mata, Maputo, Fla., and Tye Myers, Naples, Fla., 8-4.

Women’s 45-and-over Singles Finals – Julia Farina, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., def. Frances O’Sullivan, West Palm Beach, Fla., 6-0, 6-0.

Women’s 50-and-over Doubles Finals – Cindy LePrevost, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Susie Brown, Delray Beach, Fla., def.

Frances O’Sullivan, West Palm Beach, Fla., and Judith Stiff, Royal Palm Beach, Fla., 6-4, 6-2.

Mixed 40-and-over Doubles Finals – Tanja Janssen, West Palm Beach, Fla., and Darryl Fomatora, West Palm Beach, Fla., def. Ted Sawyer, Jupiter, Fla., and Susie Brown, Delray Beach, Fla., 6-4, 6-4.

Men’s 40-and-over Doubles Finals – Adam Zastempowski, Nokomis, Fla., and Suzanne Siegler, Women’s Open Singles winner Christian Clark, Sarasota, Fla., def. John The national tournaments are open to Morales, Delray Beach, Fla., and Michael Baldwin, Jr., Boca Professional-level members in good standing. For additional Raton, Fla., 6-3, 6-4. information, please contact the USPTA at 800-USPTA-4U. USPTA-certified Professionals may log in to the “members Men’s 50-and-over Doubles Finals – Craig Wittus, Boca Raton, only” section of the USPTA website at www.uspta.com for Fla., and Greg Neuhart, Loxahatchee, Fla., def. Tim Davis, more information. 

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www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Minnesota’s Tony Larson is four-time defending champion at USPTA Indoor Championships

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ony Larson of Blaine, Minn., defended his men’s open title for the fourth year in a row at the $3,850 United States Professional Tennis Association Indoor Championships held April 19-21, at Life Time Fitness Fridley Club in Fridley, Minn., by defeating Avery Ticer of Minneapolis, 6-1, 6-4. He later went on to win the mixed open doubles title by teaming up with Marina McCollom of West Des Moines, Iowa.

McCollom was also crowned women’s open champion by going undefeated in round robin play.

The tournament also included events in the following categories: men’s 35 singles, men’s 45 singles and doubles, men’s open doubles and women’s open doubles.

Below is a complete list of results from final-round matches: Men’s Open Singles Finals – Tony Larson, Blaine, Minn., def.

Avery Ticer, Minneapolis, 6-1, 6-4.

Men’s 35 Singles – Juan Garcia, San Diego, def. Doug Matuska, St. Paul, Minn., 6-2, 6-4.

Men’s 45 Singles Round Robin – Bryan Biever, St. Paul, Minn., def. Glenn Britzius, Maple Grove, Minn., 7-6, 2-0 (Ret) Biever def. Bill Stark, Lakeville, Minn., 6-1, 6-1.

Men’s Open Doubles – John Schollmeier, St. Paul, Minn., and Kevin Whipple, Minneapolis, def. Juan Garcia, San Diego, and Tony Larson, Blaine, Minn., 6-3, 7-6.

Bryan Biever, Men’s 45 singles and doubles champion.

Women’s Open Singles Round Robin – Marina McCollom, West Des Moines, Iowa, def. Callee Conda, Minneapolis, 6-0, 6-0.

Conda def. Susanna Styve, Mendota Heights, Minn., 6-2, 6-2.

McCollom def. Styve, 6-1, 6-0.

Women’s Open Doubles – Callee Conda, Minneapolis, and Dilcia Pederson, Bloomington, Minn., def. Christin Thurston, Minneapolis, and Jenna Kuhlman, Farmington, Minn., 0-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Mixed Open Doubles – Marina McCollom, West Des Moines, Iowa, and Tony Larson, Blaine, Minn., def. Taylor Hanson, Minneapolis, and Callee Conda, Minneapolis, 6-0, 6-1.

Men’s 45 Doubles – Mike Vidmar, St. Paul, Minn., and Bryan Biever, St. Paul, Minn., def. Cory O’Brien, Prior Lake, Minn., and Bruce Gullikson, Burnsville, Minn., 6-2, 6-3.

Up next are the International Championships at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Fla., in September followed by the Hard Court Championships at the Hollytree Country Club in Tyler, Texas, Oct. 18-20. 

Dilcia Pederson and Callee Conda, Women’s Open doubles winners.

Juan Garcia, Men’s 35 singles champion and Men’s Open doubles finalist.

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

ADDvantage/May 2013

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USPTA drills All-time forehand drill

Type: Singles Category: Conditioning/forehand/groundstroke Levels: Beginner/int./adv.

Time/players: 20 minutes/1-4

prepared by Stan Oley, USPTA

Description and goals: This FBT60 drill will improve a player’s fitness and forehand groundstroke. Player should focus on moving and making a quality rally shot.

Organization: Set ball machine (or Pro) in the center of the baseline. First ball should be a rally shot that lands around the baseline after splitting the service box in two. Player A hits forehand crosscourt and recovers to center of the court as machine feeds second ball that lands around the baseline after splitting the other service box in two. Player A runs around backhand to hit inside-out forehand then recovers to the center of the court as the machine feeds the next ball and you repeat the drill. Player should hit 12-20 forehands

Touch and go

depending on fitness level, then rest for 20-30 seconds. Repeat drill four times.

Variations: Widen or narrow the distance player must travel to reach each shot to increase or decrease the intensity. Do the drill by hitting only backhands. With multiple players, keep rotations moving quickly.

Key points: Make sure player hits rally balls to improve consistency. Ball frequency should be set so that when player A’s shot passes the front of the ball machine, it should pitch another ball. Widen or narrow the distance betwen shots, increase or decrease intensity.

Type: Singles Levels: Beginner/int./adv.

prepared by Stan Oley, USPTA

Description and goals: This FBT60 drill will improve a player’s fitness and approach shot. Player should focus on moving in to take the ball in an offensive position and drive the approach shot.

Organization: Set ball machine (or Pro) in the center of the baseline. First ball should be high soft shot that lands around the service line.

Player A hits high forehand approach shot, continues toward the target on the court, touches it with the racquet and side steps back to the baseline and repeats drill for 8-10 balls alternating between forehand and backhand approach shots, then rests for 20-30 seconds. Repeat drill four times.

Category: Approach/conditioning Time/players: 20 minutes/1-4

Variations: Set machine to feed low approach shot. Set machine to feed a volley after the approach. With multiple players, keep rotation moving quickly.

Key points: Make sure to take the approach shot high for an aggressive shot.

Keep ball frequency quick so that player has no waiting time after he returns to the start position. Place target off to the player’s racquet side so it can be easily touched and out of the way of the feeds. Target can be moved to increase or decrease intensity.

Generated by iTennisSystem – www.InterTennis.com www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

ADDvantage/May 2013

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Career Development

conventions ( division conventions, 5 credits; world conference 8 credits; dates subject to change)

exams, upgrades & certification review courses (4 credits for PTCA I segment)

May 16-18 Southern Division

Charleston, S.C.

May 28- June 2

Florida Division West Palm Beach, Fla.

May 31- June 1

Pacific Northwest Division Kirkland, Wash.

June 9-10

Eastern Division Mount Kisco, N.Y.

Sept. 23-27 USPTA World Conference

Orlando, Fla.

May 11 May 11-12 May 13 May 17-18 May 18 May 18 May 18-19 May 19 May 19 May 26 May 29-30 May 30-31 June 1-2 June 2 June 2

Knoxville, Tenn.

Boca Raton, Fla. Indian Wells, Calif.

Houston* Des Moines, Iowa Kansas City, Mo. Charleston, S.C. Mt. Kisco, N.Y. Ocala, Fla. Louisville, Ky. Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Kirkland, Wash.

Aurora, Ill. Austin, Texas Hilton Head Island, S.C.

June 2 June 2-3 June 3 June 3-4 June 4 June 8-9 June 12 June 13-14 June 14-15 June 15 June 17 June 23 June 23 June 19-30 June 30

Richmond, Va. Los Angeles San Diego San Francisco Minneapolis Atlanta Binghamton, N.Y. Chatham. N.Y. Houston* Phoenix Quogue, N.Y. Birmingham, Ala. Winter Springs, Fla. Jacksonvile, Fla. Lexington, Ky.

* 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.

specialty courses Developing players: Technical, movement and strategical skills, May 17, Charleston, S.C., L. Beltrame 10 and Under Tennis: Skill development and training activities for the committed 10 and Under Players, May 19, Charleston, S.C., B. Staples Creative drill design, May 30, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., J. Capestany

cardio tennis May 11 May 17 May 18 May 24 May 31 June 1 June 6 June 16 July 12

Mountlake Terrace, Wash.

Aurora, Ill. Acton, Mass.

Middletown, N.J. College Park, Md. Williamsburg, Va. Alpharetta, Ga. Wexford, Pa. Homewood, Ill.

accredited professional coach 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.

Please visit www.cardiotennis.com/courses to register online.

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ADDvantage/May 2013

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Industry action Members On March 3 the USPTA Mid-Atlantic honored one of the stars of their division at the divisional convention in Charlottesville, Va. The Mid-Atlantic Hall of Fame award was presented this year to Frank Hatten.

Thank you, Frank, for all you do for the division and the game of tennis.

Congratulations on your 2013 induction!

Hatten USPTA Professional Gundars Tilmanis was honored at the US Open with the 2012 USTA Tennis Teachers Conference Faculty Emeritus Award. To be considered for this award, the individual must have made a significant contribution as a frequent speaker at the USTA Tennis Teachers

Conference at the US Open. The individual must have shown excellence in speaking over a long number of years to be considered for this award.

The USPTA Adult League Texas State Championship was held at the Houston City Club, The Downtown Club at The Met, Chancellor’s Racquet Club and The Galleria Tennis & Athletic Club. It included 477 players playing indoors on 28 courts. USPTA volunteers who spent the weekend running the tournament included: Jim Sciarro, Charlotte Wylie, Jenny Gray, Karen Crumpton, James Daly, Franky Vignikpo, Dave Tibbetts and Dencil Johnson.

Several USPTA members were honored at the USTA Eastern annual awards luncheon and dinner in White Plains, N.Y. 2012 winners were: Leslie J. FitzGibbon Tennis Man of the Year, Ed Wolfarth; Louise Cilla Award, Isabel

Colorado Springs Tennis Department Head, Michael Olds (center), USPTA, was presented with the 2013 USPTA Intermountain Division “Lesson for Life Award” for his charitable contributions through the game of tennis. Olds and his team in Colorado Springs through their donation of lessons, court time and running special events helped raise more than $50,000 in charitable contributions in 2012. Olds was also presented with the Patriot Award from the United States Department of Defense. The award is given to employers who have shown support of employees who are also members of the U.S. military.

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In Antalya, Turkey on March 23, the U.S. team defeated Great Britain to win the Connolly Cup (women’s 55) on the red clay courts. Two USPTA professionals, Diane Barker of Charleston and Pat Purcell of St. Louis, joined with captain Susan Wright and Tina Karwasky to retain the Cup. On the way to the finals, the U.S. team won its flight beating Spain 3-0, Argentina 3-0, and Germany 3-0. The semifinal win was against a very tough Australian team. In the second week of play at the Individual World Championships, Barker took the gold medal winning the women’s 55 singles, and Purcell teamed with Carolyn Nichols to take the silver medal in the Women’s 55 Doubles.

From left: Diane Barker, Susan Wright, Tina Karwasky, Pat Purcell.

Fernandez; George Seewagen Award, Ron Dyson; and Lifetime Achievement Award, Bob Ryland.

On Dec. 20, 14 tennis professionals came together to support “The Rally for the Cure” at The Club at Indian Lakes in Boynton Beach, Fla. The event was featured as “Beat the Local Pros” where the participants were given a handicap and went out as double teams to play against the teams of pros. The event earned $1,345 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. In addition to the Komen foundation, many prizes were donated by local pros, giving all 62 participants a gift. Joining local cancer survivor and tennis pro Lynn Pilato were USPTA Professionals Dru Ackert (The Club), Elizabeth Burger (The Club), Geoff Moore

(Boca Woods CC), Steve Yankello (Banyan Springs CC), Butch Martin (Indian Springs CC), Cindy LeProvost (Lauderdale TC), Marieke Rolland (Yatch & Racquet Club of Boca), and Dave Cordrey (Hunters Run CC).

Member product showcase USPTA Master Pro Desmond Oon, Ph.D., just published his fourth tennis book, “Conversation with a Zen Tennis Master.”

The book merges tennis and Zen with one noble objective: to unlock the extraordinary power of the mind, body and spirit that will ultimately lead the player to excellence. The book www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Industry action carries a foreword by Ron Woods, a USPTA past president. It is available at usprotennisshop.com. For more information, contact Oon at docoon@pacbell. net.

Enrique Casados, USPTA, has released the book, “Tennis - A Journey of Fitness,” available as an eBook on Amazon for Kindle (if you do not own a Kindle you may download a free Kindle Reader from Amazon).

Miscellany There’s a new tennis tournament that doubles as family time. The 2013 National Family Tennis

Championships offers thousands of amateur players all across America the opportunity to team up with a family member to earn the right to play for a national title in New York City from Aug. 2226. Tennis facilities have until June 30 to conduct their local tournaments for up to six divisions of play including: Husband/ Wife, Brother/Sister, Father/Son, Father/ Daughter, Mother/Son and Mother/Daughter.

Host sites are encouraged to offer at least three of the six divisions. Players of all levels compete in the same division with the only limitations being a son or

USPTA Master Professional Ben Press, a board member of the Greater San Diego Tennis Council (GSDTC), teamed up with basketball great, Bill Walton to refurbish tennis courts at Roosevelt Middle School in San Diego. This was a school that they both attended and played tennis on the courts many years ago. The courts were in disrepair but used by an after-school tennis program.

The GSDTC worked with the San Diego City School District and the San Diego District Tennis Association to acquire funding for rehabbing the four tennis courts. Then, Bill Walton offered to fund the resurfacing of the other four tennis/basketball joint use courts. Bill said that a facility like this can help build “Hopes and Dreams” for the youth and with these hopes and dreams, kids can for grow up to achieve these goals. Back row (left to right): Karen Ronney, Virginia Watson, unknown, Corey Hardick, Mike Metti, Jay Diaz, Han Pham, Ryan Chou and Steve Kappes. Front row/center (left to right): Lois Sczepaniak, Dave Gill and Ben Press. daughter must be under the age of 18 and a father or mother is required to be the minor’s legal guardian.

When you ask Tennis Director Ty Avolio, USPTA, about the Currey Ingram Academy K-12 tennis program, you are in for an impassioned tale of how tennis can change lives on every level. This passion fueled Avolio’s trip to the USTA’s national conference last year and drove him to proselytize about the program to every USTA official he could find. The hard work paid off. Avolio was recently notified that the Currey Ingram Academy tennis program has received a $10,000 grant from USTA Serves to support the program’s efforts to pair technology and tennis in new and innovative ways, both on and off the courts. Currey Ingram plans to use the USTA grant funds to create student-led instructional videos and a student-filmed documentary that profiles several students throughout an entire school year – on the court, in the classroom and at home. Avolio’s assertion that tennis instruction can help students improve physically, socially and academically will be the driving hypothesis behind this project. Currey Ingram Academy is a K-12, college-preparatory, independent school for students with average to superior intelligence who have unique learning styles. It is the only independent school in the Middle Tennessee area that offers a cocurricular tennis program for grades K through 12, alongside a competitive program for middle and upper school students. More information is available at www.curreyingram.org. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

The USTA announced that prize money for the 2013 US Open will be increased by $4 million, doubling the record $2 million increase of 2012. Total US Open prize money in 2013 will be $29.5 million. Singles prize money at the US Open has now increased by 34 percent since the 2011 US Open, and the overall tournament prize money has been increased by $6 million since then.

Distribution of prize money by round will be determined by the USTA in due course. The USTA will solicit suggestions for this distribution from the men’s and women’s players and their respective tours. In

order to accommodate the players’ request for a day of rest between the singles semifinals and finals, the 2013 US Open is scheduled to conclude on Monday, Sept. 9. The women’s singles semifinals will be played in a single day session on Friday, Sept. 6, and the women’s final will take place on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 4:30 p.m. EST, in the time slot where the men’s singles final was traditionally played. The men’s singles semifinals will continue to be played in a single day session on Saturday, Sept. 7, with the men’s singles final to take place on Monday, Sept. 9 at 5:00 p.m. EST. In the new schedule, no competition will be scheduled for the second Saturday night of the tournament.

ADDvantage/May 2013

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