Addvantage May 2020

May 2020

Chuck “Coach” Enge (left), son Scott (right) and grandson Arin (middle).

Over 50 Years With USPTA Enge family’s extraordinary tennis journey

No Greater Cause CEO John Embree

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Track Matches For Improved Practices Master Professional Corner with Jack Newman

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From the CEO USPTA

No Greater Cause W

ho agrees that the safety of a child while under the tutelage of a tennis-teaching professional must be an absolute? Is there a club that does not want to assure its members that their professional teaching staff has been criminally background screened, trained to recognize the most prevalent forms of misconduct occurring in youth sports and empowered to report it?

This is, without question, a hypersensitive issue today. Given what has transpired in other sports where children have been sexually abused by coaches who were previously trusted, our sport has taken a stand with the support of Congress, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the U.S. Center for Safe Sport, that we will put in place the procedures and protocols that we can be the safest sport in America for children. While this may be a lofty goal, it is paramount that the USPTA fully embraces it.

For that reason, the USPTA has agreed with the USTA that our members should be Safe Play Approved, meaning the member has completed a criminal background screen, training to recognize misconduct and acknowledgment of the Safe Play reporting tools and policies. This requirement was put in place ahead of 2019 and is part of the new certification pathway that will begin in earnest on Jan. 1, 2021. All USPTA members – save honorary, lifetime, retired, affiliate and corporate members – must complete Safe Play by Jan. 1, 2021, to

be considered in good standing.

We have communicated this requirement to our membership frequently over the last year, so this should not come as any surprise. But, the clock is ticking, and January 2021 is only eight months away.

If you are a full-time, part-time or seasonal teaching professional employed at a club, commercial facility, parks and recreation department, HOA or school (elementary, middle, high school or college), it is time to get this done.

Now, some in our membership may not believe a non-profit trade association can mandate this exercise.

Others will say they’ve worked at one facility for many years and have never had issues. Still more will say they only work with adults or seniors, never coming into contact with children. They wonder: “Why should I have to do this?”

I get it.

But Safe Play is more than some online modules and a background check. It makes one aware of behavioral traits that can help identify warning signs that, if recognized, could prevent a future tragedy. Whether you work with children or not, everyone benefits from this training.

The USPTA and USTA are firmly aligned on this core principal. The USTA fully understands the importance

Photo credit: USPTA

John R. Embree, USPTA CEO

of this to our sport, so it has agreed to cover the cost for all USPTA members to complete the Safe Play process by registering either at netgeneration.com or usta.com/safeplay. Do the right thing.

Get this done as soon as possible. There is no reason to procrastinate until December!

The USPTA Board of Directors and Executive Committee are fully committed to seeing this initiative through and will treat those that do not comply just as we have treated those that did not meet the continuing education requirement during the last two education cycles. Once again, let us unite and take a stand, knowing there is no greater cause we can embrace than the safety of our children.

Tennis and all racquet sports will be better off in the long run, and parents will have confidence entrusting their precious children to programs run

by USPTA teaching professionals.

Thank you. *

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Vice President’s Message USPTA

Important Times Ahead Trish Faulkner, USPTA Vice President

A

Photo credit: Gustavo Reyes / USPTA

s I move into my second term on the USPTA National Board, it is so exciting to witness all the growth and changes the organization has experienced during my 50-plus years of being a member. However, I believe the next two years will be maybe the most important in our industry as we all strive to make our profession and our organization even bigger and better and more highly recognized and regarded than ever before.

It is an honor to be a small part of the development of the new education and certification pathway for coaches who wish to enter our profession at all levels – from Instructor all the way to Master Professional, should they so desire. USPTA members will graduate from this pathway with a complete understanding of their chosen profession and with tools that will help them both on and off the court.

For many years I chaired or served on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. D&I means that the USPTA aspires to have a diverse membership, and also one that embraces different cultures and communities. We have worked hard to encourage women to become part of the USPTA family. So many young women are now getting certified and progressing in their careers. Many of these women and men have fasttracked to Head Professional and Tennis Director positions within five years of joining the USPTA. This type of career movement has been greatly influenced by the availability and growth of Professional Tennis Management programs, better access to incredible online educational tools, streamlined testing and our mentoring programs. Plus, we have done a good job of marketing and promoting the USPTA and teaching tennis as a wonderful career.

Our newest goal on D&I is to reach out to African American, Hispanic, Asian American, LGBTQ+, handicapped and other communities, Trish Faulkner ( left) and Nelo Phiri (right) smile at the 2019 because we understand that World Conference in Las Vegas.

we can’t expect them to come to us.

Our Diversity & Inclusion Committee will be proactive. This has already begun. Earlier this year, we reached out to people in these communities and gained important feedback that is helping us change our internal and external approach to making changes to be a more inclusive association.

We have also been working with the Female Coaches Network, an international multi-sport female coaching organization, as well as the Women’s Tennis Coaches Association, which concentrates on helping coaches understand how to teach tennis to young females around the world.

We established task forces to develop unique approaches to growing the game of tennis in their communities.

Our team consists of 15 members, each with their own background, perspective and story. Our goal is to attempt to incorporate each group into our lineup of speakers at the World Conference in New Orleans this September. I was so proud of the speakers we had in Las Vegas, and we can’t wait to build on that in a few months.

However, we cannot ignore the effect the coronavirus has had on all our lives. At the time of this writing, it’s impossible to know how long this uncertainty will last. If you are able to continue working, please exercise necessary precautions to ensure your own safety and that of your students.

Even still, these are exciting times for the USPTA. We are working closely with the USTA to develop programs and regulations beneficial to both organizations. You have a strong, committed Board of Directors and a dedicated National Staff, all of whom are working for you.

We will continue to drive our evolution as an association, but to succeed, we all must take ownership of this goal. If we do, we will secure a bright future for the USPTA and the game of tennis.*

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USPTA

For Enge Family, Coaching is for Life Lucas Casás, USPTA Communications

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It’s been more than 50 years since he followed through on that promise.

His career of half a century earned Enge a spot in the Illinois High School Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame. But more — it started a ripple that has touched countless lives and spanned three generations with the USPTA. And it earned him a fitting unofficial moniker: Coach.

For the players that did play summer tennis, making the team wasn’t their only reward. To escape the Chicago cold, each spring break, Coach would rent a Winnebago and, with their parents’ permission, take his boys’ or girls’ teams on a tour of colleges around the country.

Forty-five times, he took his teams to Florida, Texas, California and everywhere in between. Sometimes,

Photo courtesy of Scott Enge

huck Enge remembers the first comment he ever made to his tennis players as head coach at Riverside Brookfield High School in Illinois.

“If you don’t play summer tennis, you’re not going to be on the team next year,” Enge warned. “Keep that in mind.”

Five rising seniors decided to test the first-year coach. When spring came, he asked them, “Did you play summer tennis?”

“No.” “‘Goodbye.’ I kicked them off the team. They complained: ‘We’re the best players!’ I said, ‘Yeah, but you’re not willing to work at it,’” said Enge, a 55-year USPTA member.

“So I brought up freshman and sophomores and in three years we had a championship team.”

Scott Enge ( left), wife Sandy (right) and son Arin (middle) at one of Arin’s matches at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.

48 - ADDvantage Magazine — May 2020

in August, they’d tour the Midwest.

Two practices a day and plenty of fun.

Coach always made a point to treat his players like family. For decades, he has run his own tennis business, hiring college players as assistants.

One day, an assistant from Argentina was having dinner at their home and told Coach he was enjoying himself.

“How so?” Coach asked.

“No cell phones at dinner,” he responded. “We talk the whole time!”

Our fun thing

It should come as no surprise, then, that after a childhood surrounded by tennis, Coach’s son, Scott, followed his father’s footsteps.

Scott played collegiately at Emporia State in Kansas. After college, he taught in public schools and became a head coach, winning three Kansas state high school championships in 25 years. He has been named USPTA High School Coach of the Year twice in his 31 years as a USPTA member.

But he remembered a comment his father made to a friend one day, and it ushered him into an early, if temporary, retirement from coaching.

“The only regret I have is I coached while my son played at another high school and I never got a chance to see him play unless we played against each other,” Scott remembered his father saying. “So when my son started playing high school tennis, I said I’m not going to miss his career.”

Scott would bring his son, Arin, along to tennis lessons when he was

Photo courtesy of Scott Enge

USPTA

Scott ( left) and Arin (right) Enge finished sixth at the 2009 National Father Son USTA Grass Court Championships.

a toddler. They would hit together as Arin got older, and Scott was always cognizant of the balance between father and coach. Like his father, he never wanted to tarnish the former for excess of the latter. One evening, while at dinner with Wayne Bryan, father of Mike and Bob, and he asked him how he managed the balance so successfully.

“You have to find something fun to do outside of tennis,” Bryan said. “Me and my boys have a band. When they come home, we play drums, guitar, keyboard. That’s our fun thing.”

For Scott and Arin, it’s hunting and fishing in the great outdoors. And it would seem Scott balanced being father and coach quite well.

Arin played college tennis at Ferris State and Nebraska-Kearney and is now the director of tennis at MVP Athletic Club in Grand Rapids, Mich. He’s been a USPTA member for 10 years.

Promises to keep

In 2017, Scott got back into coaching at Ottawa University in Kansas.

There, he has continued the familial philosophy his father engrained in him. On recruiting trips, he offers players and their parents three promises.

“Number one: You’re going to get better. Number two: You’re going to have fun at practice. Number three, my most important promise,” at this point, speaking to the parents. “I will treat your child like my own.

“How do you get quality kids to come to little Ottawa, Kansas?

You have to treat them like family.

That’s something I learned from my dad,” Scott said. “If you treat people with respect, if you have their best interests at heart, and they truly believe that, they’ll follow you wherever you want to go.”

It’s easy for the parents to believe him, because he’s been doing this for

decades. As did his father and son.

The proof is everywhere.

For his father’s 80th birthday, Scott sent invitations to around 100 people. Once word got out, almost 200 people, mostly former players, came to celebrate with their coach.

Those players have their own promises to keep. After they graduate, they are asked to make three phone calls: when they get their first job, when they get married, and when they have their first child. “You don’t have to name them after me,” Scott says, “but I want you to call me so we can celebrate because that’s what families do.”

A couple years ago, Scott and his wife, Sandy, were on vacation in St. Lucia.

Scott was upstairs when Sandy called.

“She said, ‘You have to meet this young lady, she lives 10 miles from us outside Kansas City.’”

The woman was eloping with her fiancé. When she pointed him out across the pool, Scott said, ‘That’s Matt Pflumm, isn’t it?”

As it turned out, Scott was Pflumm’s elementary P.E. teacher.

“Matt came over and said, ‘Coach Enge, what are you doing here?’ He recognized me right away.”

The two couples had dinner several times over the next few days, until finally, Matt asked Scott for a favor.

“He said, ‘I don’t have a best man here. Would you be the best man at my wedding?’”

As Matt and Holly were wed, they had his coach and his wife by their side. Family.

“You never know as a coach or teacher how you affect kids and how important you are in their lives. One of the great honors of my life is to be the best man for a former student,” Scott said. “I taught him when he was 5 to 10 years old. To come back 10, 15 years later and say would you be the best man at my wedding? There’s no greater honor than that.”*

May 2020 — ADDvantage Magazine - 49

Master Professional Corner USPTA

Spice Up Your Group Practices

By Tracking Match Stats Jack Newman, USPTA Master Professional

ecently, a group of players and coaches travelled to a sectional tournament here in Texas. While watching one of our Austin Tennis Academy players compete in the tournament, time permitted us to chart the match using MatchTrack.

I really like the app and look forward to using it more. Charting apps are relatively cheap and very useful. Coaches can give players real information right after the match. You can encourage parents to download the app as well and they can send you the information about your students when you cannot be at a tournament match. This is a great way to involve parents in their youngsters’ training in a healthy manner.

When I reviewed the results of the match, it occurred to me there was an opportunity to use the findings to bring meaningful context to a discussion we often have with our players.

Understanding the objective of the game, limiting unforced errors and keeping the ball in play are constant subjects of conversation between players and coaches.

Here are the facts of that match: It went three sets with a final score of 6-2, 0-6, 6-4. Each player won 12 games. There were 161 total points played in the match.

We tell players that sometimes, the loser wins most points, as they did in this case. The player who lost won 82 points, while the winner only won 79. Indeed, the winning player won the match despite having won fewer points – not a common occurrence, but one that is possible in a tennis match.

Even though the app provided information we could use for

comparing unforced errors, winners and forced errors, I decided points won alone was good enough to start an incredibly impactful conversation with ATA students.

Some of the questions discussed from this simple stat included what it explained about the match, and what it tells the student about the way they play tennis. Does this stat make them think differently about Photo credit: Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock

R

Andy Murray won a gold medal in men’s singles at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

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Master Professional Corner USPTA

a recent close match they won or lost? Players were engaged in this discussion and took the ideas into practice and into their next private lessons with their primary coaches.

To draw a parallel between this particular match and what happens in the professional game, I referenced an article by Craig O’Shannessy addressing ATP year-end statics.

In the article it stated that in 2016, Andy Murray was the No. 1 player in the world and his overall match record was 78-9. This equates to a 90% match win percentage, yet Andy Murray only won 6,987 of 12,814, or 55%, of the points played. Another way of looking at: he lost 5,827 points that year. These stats are available from a number of sources and are a great resource to talk to students about how the things that happen in pro tennis and the things that happen in their sectional tournaments are very similar or on the same level in a certain respect.

With the match I charted, and the stats about Andy Murray, the conversation provided some key revelations for players in the following areas:

• Be stingy with giving away free points. If there is an element of your game that costs you 5-10 points per match, you should be diligent about shoring up that area, because the margins of winning and losing are small. Come home from every tournament with takeaways that you can share with your coach and that can help shape your next few lessons. For example, if you missed 15 backhand returns in a match, and you went and practiced your backhand return for a month, getting in plenty of reps, and the next month you only missed five backhand returns, those 10 points could make a big difference in the outcome of the match, especially if the match is close.

• How many points would you need to change in your last close match to turn a loss into a win?

Many players thought they could change the outcome by changing only a handful of points. You can set up practice situations that address this: play sets with each game starting at 30-30 to help players see how few points can make a difference in the outcome of the set. Give players a few points a set that they can claim at any time. How would you use five points in a set? Take the first game and use four of them? Or only use one point to claim a game? It makes players think about the value of any given point in a match.

• How does your game style fit with the understanding about the percentage of points you need to win to control the outcome of a match?

Players started thinking about how they were practicing, how their points were won or lost, how their matches were won or lost. While their engagement in the discussion was initially sparked by talking about a match played by someone they knew, it carried over onto the practice court. Coaches only needed to provide gentle reminders to dial back in our group of young players hungry to turn over every rock possible in pursuit of improved performance. *

Jack Newman is a USPTA Master Professional and is one of the longest tenured junior development coaches in the nation. He founded programs at Fretz Tennis Center in Dallas, St. Stephen’s School in Austin and the Austin Tennis Academy, where he currently serves as CEO. Newman also coaches, manages Academy logistics and tournament schedules.

May 2020 — ADDvantage Magazine - 53

USPTA

Running a Successful High School Coaches Workshop Timothy Fitzgerald, USPTA Elite Professional

H

Photo courtesy of Timothy Fitzgerald

igh School coaches are exposed to players of all skill levels and abilities. Most coaches are volunteers or get paid very little for their services, but what drives them is their love and passion for the game of tennis and sharing it with others. Coaches share this love to players that may be brand new to tennis and will hopefully adopt tennis as a lifelong sport. This is an

The resources and coaching education provided to high school coaches are usually very minimal as funding for tennis programs is well behind that of other major sports like football, baseball and basketball. I was surprised to learn that many high school coaches are not certified, have never been to a teaching conference or taught a group clinic or private lesson. Recognizing this shortfall prompted me to look for a solution. I reached out to the USPTA to explore the education and certification options available to high school tennis coaches.

The USPTA Middle States Sectional President informed me An on-court demonstration at the USPTA Delaware High School that high school Coaches Workshop in 2018. coaches can important opportunity to reach youth join the USPTA at a discounted rate, who may otherwise chose another allowing them to use all the tools that sport, and the coaches are a crucial part the Association has to offer. For $99, the of this process. There is a strong need school could purchase a school coach’s for educated and certified high school membership, available to all tennis coaches to help students learn the game, coaches at the school, which includes find success and grow more interest for access to TennisResources.com, an tennis. interactive online practice planner,

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attendance at USPTA events at member pricing, as well as a subscription to Tennis and Racquet Sports Industry Magazines. Though this discount already existed, many high school coaches were not aware of it, so I began to brainstorm ways to share this and other resources with our district’s high school coaches.

In 2018, the USPTA and USTA were emphasizing the need for better education and improved resources for high school tennis coaches. At the time, I was the USPTA Delaware District President and in order to address this need, I decided to run a statewide High School Tennis Coaches Workshop.

Starting from scratch, I reached out to every coach and connection that I had in order to brainstorm how to gather as many coaches as possible at one time.

Particularly helpful was a contact at the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association. When I spoke with the DIAA, I discovered that they already run a rules meeting that’s mandatory for all coaches participating in spring sports.

I offered to host a High School Tennis Coaches Workshop, including classroom education about the USPTA, teaching methods, practice structure and an on-court workshop. I also collaborated with the local USTA Tennis Service Representative for additional resources and funding.

My first workshop in 2018 was very basic, but it was a great starting point

Photo courtesy of Timothy Fitzgerald

USPTA

Tennis coaches at the USPTA Delaware High School Coaches Workshop in 2018.

for years to come. The DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, Del., hosted the DIAA rules clinic in the clubhouse, followed by the new workshop. Several tennis industry leaders and I spoke about Net Generation and other programs available to high school students, including tournaments, junior leagues and summer camps. I followed with a presentation on coaching methodologies and the benefits of USPTA membership.

Next was an on-court presentation where I demonstrated how to successfully manage a practice, from beginner drills to advanced point play, with the help of some of our high school players. It was essential for coaches to observe the importance of separating skill levels, encouraging players to reach a goal, keeping players moving, learning new techniques, experiencing match play and most importantly having fun!

With over 40 coaches in attendance in 2018, great engagement and questions followed – the coaches wanted to learn more! By working together with the USPTA, USTA and the DIAA, we were able to offer free admission. This collaboration also allowed for more opportunity and expansion in future years. In 2019 and 2020, we added a

“Free Pro Shop” where coaches could pick up gently used tennis equipment, including racquets, bags, shoes, balls and apparel, donated by the local tennis community, for their players in need. The feedback was beyond my expectations, and it was a great way for the community to give back as well. After my third annual High School Coaches Workshop in Delaware, I continue to think about how I can improve on this event year after year.

It will continue to be a great chance for high school coaches to learn, engage and connect with the professional tennis community. If you see such a need in your section or district, I would encourage you to consider establishing a similar program, as it provides us with a unique opportunity as certified teaching professionals to share our skills and knowledge with the greater tennis community. *

A 6-step process to start a High School Coaches Workshop in your Section/District: 1. Contact your USPTA division president to see what resources are already available to school coaches, including marketing materials and discounts 2. Contact athletic directors and your state/county’s athletics association to get coaches’ contact information and/or partner with an event they already host 3. Connect with your local USTA Tennis Service Representative 4. Provide an engaging classroom and on-court presentation 5. Provide educational and informative material for the coaches to take home 6. Follow up with the coaches before, during and after the season

Tim Fitzgerald is the Director of Tennis at the DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware. Tim specializes in running a high performance junior academy (RAW Academy) that has produced many Division I athletes since its inception in 2006.

Tim currently sits on the USPTA Middle States Executive Committee as the Vice President of the Middle States Division and was formally the USPTA Delaware District President. Tim has been involved with teaching tennis for over 20 years and has been a USPTA member since 2009.

May 2020 — ADDvantage Magazine - 55

USPTA

Tennis Things You Can Do During the Coronavirus Crisis Paul Fein, USPTA Elite Professional

O

ur ability to adapt will be tested during the rapidly changing coronavirus pandemic.

We don’t know how long this virus will last or how severe its effects will be. But tennis players have surmounted daunting challenges before, such as world wars, natural disasters, economic depressions and political upheavals.

With information, ingenuity and planning, you can make the best of this temporary world of public isolation while complying with your country’s guidelines to

protect yourself and others against COVID-19.

Here are some suggestions to help make life bearable and even enjoyable.

Watch great tennis matches.

If you’re going through a painful withdrawal from the suspension of pro tournaments, with a few clicks, you can watch all or parts of championship matches online.

If you’ve taped them over the years, dig into your video library

and select your favorite players competing in their most glorious matches. And if your nation is fortunate to have a tennis channel, check its TV schedule for replays of the greatest matches in the recent and distant past.

Read a tennis book.

If you enjoy humor and nostalgia, you’ll love Too Soon To Panic, a classic by Gordon Forbes. If memoirs are your favorite genre, you can’t beat Open, a candid pageturner by Andre Agassi. Hardcore tennis fans will relish Short Circuit, a controversial exposé by muckraker Michael Mewshaw.

Players itching to improve their games will find Absolute Tennis, an instruction book by Marty Smith, brimming with valuable insights and topnotch advice. The Pros: The Forgotten Era of Tennis by Peter Underwood will engross history buffs interested in the unsung, outcast pro champions before open tennis arrived in 1968. Reading old tennis magazines can also bring back fond memories of happier times.

Phone your tennis friends.

That will reduce their and your social isolation. Ask them how they’re dealing with the

May 2020 — ADDvantage Magazine - 57

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USPTA cancellation of tournaments.

Just talk tennis with them. The conversation might focus on recent matches, how injuries are healing or reminisces of tournaments past.

You might even speculate about the effects of the coronavirus crisis on the tennis world. For example, how will the rescheduled French Open, starting Sept. 20, affect claycourt king Rafael Nadal’s chances of winning his mind-blowing 13th title?

Play trivia games and do tennis quizzes with your family.

You can get the games going with these challenging and fun questions. Do you know which 1970s and 2000s tennis champions were once engaged but did not marry? Or which 1930s female star became a heroic American spy during World War II? Or which all-time great won far fewer Grand Slam titles than his wife?

If you have a smarty pants in your family, ask them to tell you the four different scoring system rules for deciding set tiebreakers at Grand Slam tournaments and the name of the tennis gold medalist at the first Olympic Games.

maintain your speed and agility, sprint 10, 20 and 30 feet, while alternating the direction laterally, diagonally, backward and forward.

And don’t forget to stretch to improve your flexibility.

Talk about your dreams.

If you want to make your high school, college or club team, discuss how you plan to do it. The same goes for winning a coveted title, achieving a top-10 ranking or improving a weak stroke in your game. The dream could involve serving in a tennis organization, whether it be paid or volunteer work. For inspiration, remember what the great writer John Updike said: “Dreams come true. Without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them.”’

Lighten up!

A sense of humor is more important now than ever. If you have young children, go online for some tennis jokes, or conjure some from your own imagination! They can also have fun impersonating the mannerisms of their favorite

stars, such as Rafa and Serena fistpumping and yelling, “Come on!” after they win big points. Watch a funny tennis movie, such as Battle of the Sexes, Pat and Mike or Break Point. Laughter is the best medicine – no joke. According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter relieves stress, improves your immune system, stimulates many organs and brightens your mood.

Stay informed because it’s your best defense.

In an era of unprecedented misinformation, you can find valuable information and authoritative advice at highly respected health and medical organizations such as the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

We are all in this pandemic together. So, as Ben Franklin said after signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776, “We must all hang together or most assuredly we will all hang separately.”*

Hitting against a wall keeps your groundstrokes grooved and your timing sharp. You can also learn how to juggle tennis balls. To

Paul Fein has received more than 40 writing awards and authored three books, Tennis Confidential: Today’s Greatest Players, Matches, and Controversies; You Can Quote Me on That: Greatest Tennis Quips, Insights, and Zingers; and Tennis Confidential II: More of Today’s Greatest Players, Matches, and Controversies. Fein is also a USPTA Elite Professional, former director of the Springfield (Mass.) Satellite Tournament, a former top 10-ranked men’s open New England tournament player and No. 1-ranked Super Senior player in New England. His websites are www.tennisconfidential.com and www.tennisquotes.com. His email address is lincjeff1@comcast.net.

NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ADDVANTAGE MAGAZINE

If you can’t play, increase your off-court training.

President................................................................. Feisal Hassan First Vice President.............................................Richard Slivocka Vice Presidents...............Lane Evans, Mark Faber, Trish Faulkner, Jason Gilbert, Bill Mountford Immediate Past President............................................ Gary Trost CEO...........................................................................John Embree Legal Counsel........................................................George Parnell

Editor..................................................................................Lucas Casás Layout/Design............................................................... Gustavo Reyes Editorial Assistance ............................Alegna Hollis, Ramona Husaru, Sid Newcomb, Chantell Segal, Fred Viancos, Ellen Weatherford Circulation.................................................................... Trevor Trudelle USPTA World Headquarters 11961 Performance Dr. Orlando, FL 32827 800-887-8248- www.uspta.com

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 United States Professional Tennis Association.

Copyright© United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2020. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of the magazine is not permitted without written permission from the USPTA.

May 2020 — ADDvantage Magazine - 59

USPTA Career Development

Career Development USPTA Certification Testing Dates

May 1..................................................... Newport Tennis & Fitness

Newport, RI May 1-2....................................................................... Holiday Park

Cheyenne, WY May 2....................................................................... Wakonda Club

Des Moines, IA May 2-3.........................................................Sea Cliff Country Club

Huntington Beach, CA May 8-9......................................................Arlington Tennis Center

Arlington, TX May 9............................................................. Eastlake High School

Chula Vista, CA May 9-10.......................................................... Oaks at Boca Raton

Boca Raton, FL May 11-12............................................................... Bay Clubs SFTC

San Francisco, CA May 14-15............................................... Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ May 15..................................................................Tennis Addiction

Exton, PA May 15-16...............................................April Sound Country Club

Montgomery, TX May 16......................................................... Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI May 17........................ Williamson County Indoor Sports Complex

Brentwood, TN May 17.................................................................... Dominion Club

Glen Allen, VA May 20-21.......................................................................... Monaco

Denver, CO May 23.................................... John and Fay Menard YMCA Tennis

Eau Claire, WI May 23..................................University of Alabama Tennis Facility

Tuscaloosa, AL May 23-24............................................. Green Island Country Club

Columbus, GA May 29-30..................................Ivory Ridge Swim and Tennis Club

Lehi, UT May 30.............................................. Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater, MA May 30-31............................................Mission Viejo Country Club

St. Louis, MO May 30-31.....................................Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club

Naples, FL May 31......................................................... Missouri Athletic Club

St. Louis, MO

Exam reservations must be made by calling the USPTA World Headquarters at 407-634-3050 ext. 2 at least 21 days prior to the dates listed. Each date includes an exam and upgrade. PTCA I is included in the two-day exam. Exam cancellations must be received no later than 14 days before the exam, or a cancellation fee will be charged accordingly.

60 - ADDvantage Magazine — May 2020

2020 USPTA Division Conferences

May 1-3 Eastern...................International Tennis Hall of Fame. .

Newport, RI May 1-3 New England.......... International Tennis Hall of Fame .

Newport, RI May 14-16 Southern.................................... Atlanta Athletic Club .

Johns Creek, GA May 15-17 Southwest........................... Grand Canyon University .

Phoenix, AZ May 28-31 Florida...................... Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club .

Naples, FL June 5-6 Pacific Northwest................................Linfield College .

McMinnville, OR June 13-14 Hawaii............................................... Punahou School .

Honolulu, HI Sept. 21-25 USPTA World Conference...................Hilton Riverside .

New Orleans, LA

Visit www.uspta.com for a complete listing of certification and educational opportunities • Wheelchair • Padel • Platform

• Pickleball • RacquetFit

Visit TennisResources.com to find hundreds of exclusive educational and instructional videos, audio material, articles and drill diagrams related to all levels and aspects of the game of tennis. The user friendly video interface is great for watching on a desktop or mobile device and makes it easy to #GetYourSix wherever you are!