OUTRIGGER Kona Resort and Spa
President’s Message
Suk Ong - RSPA Southwest
Dear Southwest RSPA Professionals,
I hope you enjoyed your summer with your friends and family, and that you had a fulfilling time organizing the exceptional tennis activities in your area. I had a great time leading the summer camps for seven consecutive weeks.
Although we did not have any district meetings during the summer, it was a pleasure to see many RSPA professionals attend The Invitation of USTA Southwest Provider Appreciation Day. During the presentation, USTA National staff shared their ambitious goal of reaching 35 million tennis players by 2035.
Additionally, I have some updates from the National office:
* Memberships have nearly increased by 5% compared to last year’s figures. We are hopeful that this growth will attract more tennis players to our organization.
* We still need 1,300 members to renew their dues and 1,700 members to complete their education credits by the end of the year.
* The Pickleball Workshop experienced a 15% increase in enrollment, while the total number of workshops increased by 27%.
* The new RSPA website is currently in the process of being fully developed. Please visit it once it becomes public; however, the Southwest Division’s website will remain unchanged for the time being.
* The 100th anniversary planning for the RSPA has begun. The National office is requesting that members compile any historical memorabilia, photographs, or other materials related to the organization’s 100th anniversary in 2027. If you have any such materials to share, please contact Jack Michalko.
The Outrigger Kona hotel is fully booked, with 251 registrants for the World Racquet Conference. However, an alternative hotel, Courtyard King Kamehameha, is available for those who require alternative accommodation.
Upon registration for the conference, you will receive hotel reservation links via email. To access all sessions and plan your schedule, we recommend downloading the RSPA Apps.
It is important to note that a “division team competition” will be held during the conference, and we encourage you to participate and represent the Southwest team. Your participation in the team competition will be rewarded.
See you in Kona, mahalo!
•Presidents Message Page 2
•The Dogfight to Attact & Retain Tennis Athletes Pages 3-8
•SW Area News Pages 10-16
•The Process of High-Level Player Developement Page 16
•If Tennis Was A Cage Match Page 17
The Upcoming Dogfight to Attract and Retain Tennis Athletes
Gary Horvath is the editor of this article and a RSPA Master Professional from the Intermountain Division living in Broomfield, Colorado. Gary has been a member of the RSPA for 48 years.
Over the next decade, the tennis industry will be in a fierce dogfight to attract and retain tennis players. It must bring its “A” game to come out on top.
The data in Chart I tells two stories:
· The U.S. population is forecasted to increase from 334,906,305 in 2023 to 350,861,084 in 2035 (left axis).
· The blue line is not as rosy. It will be the source of the dogfight. The U.S. population increases at a decelerating rate, from 1,618,748 in 2023 to 1,053,437 (right axis).
The following discussion segments the population into the youth market, the primary market, and the senior market and analyzes changes in all three areas. Punchline Alert: The population change is distinct for each market segment.
Population Under 25 Years - Youth Market
The dogfight for the population under 25 years will be intense.
In Chart II, there is a decline in population levels between now and 2035 for the three age groups: 0 to 5 years, 6 to 17 years, and 18 to 24 years. The primary reason is lower fertility rates. The lower population levels have been an ongoing challenge as schools, sports programs, and colleges have reduced programs and services.
More specifically, tennis programs at K-8 schools, recreation centers, high school programs, club programs, college teams, and post-college or early adult sports activities will face stiffer competition from a more diverse set of competitors for a smaller pool of potential athletes.
Gary Horvath
Population Ages 25 to 64 Years - Primary Market
The primary age range for tennis athletes is either 25 to 54 years or 25 to 64 years. These are also the primary years for the tennis population and workforce.
There are four population age groups in Chart III: 25 to 34 years, 35 to 44 years, 45 to 54 years, and 55 to 64 years.
The population in the first three age groups posted gains. Only the 55 to 64 age group posted a decline.
There will be a dogfight for athletes in this age group. It is the primary target market for many other activities and facets of life.
Population Ages 65+ Years Old – Senior Market
The challenge with this category is how to engage seniors in tennis, tennis derivatives, or related activities. Conceptually, this should be easy! Tennis receives accolades for being a healthy lifetime sport, and it has introduced red-ball tennis for seniors.
Chart IV shows the population levels for the three age groups: 65 to 74 years, 75 to 84 years, and 85+ years. All categories posted gains; however, the 65 to 74-years group will taper off slightly after 2030.
Population All Age Categories
The United States population is forecasted to increase by about 16.0 million (4.8%) between 2023 and 2035.
During that period, the population of the 65+ years group is forecasted to increase by slightly more than 16 million (+27.0%). The increase of 5.6 million (+3.3%) in the 25 to 64 years group will be offset by 5.8 million (-5.6%) fewer people in the 0 to 24 years group.
For the tennis industry to remain vibrant, teaching professionals must bring a higher level of creativity to the process of attracting and retaining players as they address the following three challenges:
Greater competition in the “primary market” for tennis and many other activities.
Increased competition in the declining “youth” market.
Convincing the “senior” players that tennis is a sport they can play for a lifetime. It is going to be a dogfight!
The graph on the next page shows that AZ and NM have a slightly lower percentage of 0 to 17 year olds (blue band)
There are slightly more 18 to 24 year olds (white band). That could be attributed to the fact that AZ and NM are mid to small sized states with lots of colleges and universities.
It gets interesting in the 24 to 64 age category. That is the primary working age, although some say it is 24 to 54. It is also the primary age for playing tennis. NM and AZ have a smaller percentage of people in the prime age group for working or playing tennis.
NM and AZ have higher percentages in the 65 to 84 group – the red ball group. AZ has 1.3 million and NM has about 380,000 in that age category.
This is where you find the data, if for some reason you want to look at it: https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/time-series/demo/popest/ 2020s-state-detail.html Annual Estimates of the Resident Population by Single Year of Age and Sex: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024 (SCEST2024-SYASEX)
Southern New Mexico & El Paso
by Alex Mouquin
Hello all from The “Sun City”, the beautiful El Paso, Texas.
Summer has been a blast in our district. USTA leagues are stronger than ever, while pickleball and padel continue to grow rapidly. The largest activity was driven by junior tennis summer camps across the country. From private clubs to public facilities, as well as camps for underprivileged youth in partnership with the local Boys and Girls Clubs.
I would like to welcome Katarina Sasaroga to the RSPA Southwest Division. Katarina now lives in El Paso and is starting her certification process online. More details about her profile as a new member will be provided in the next newsletter. Finally, I wanted to thank GiGI Wilcox, a Tennis West member and player, for her help in getting tennis balls into the hands of dozens of young children in the Philippines. GiGi went on a Mission with her church and asked me if I would donate a few tennis balls so that she could share her tennis passion with the kids over there. I gave her hundreds of balls, which she had to stash in extra luggage to fly over. It was all worth it when we saw the smiles from these children seeing a tennis ball for the first time. They had a blast with GiGi.
Northern New Mexico
by Dick Johnson
Wow! It has been warm in Albuquerque, too! 103 yesterday.
It has been a pleasure working at the Albuquerque Academy this summer. We
development directors and top national coaches in successful European tennis countries. Southwest coaches may be surprised by the relatively large number of recommended matches. More surprising may be what seems to be a modest number of training hours and a relatively high amount of physical trainingfor young juniors.
Below is a list of age categories and the approximate number of tournament matches that good European juniors would ideally play in one year:
AGE SINGLES DOUBLES
9-10 15 30
11-12 50 30
13-15 70 35
had over 75 kids at our 6-week tennis camp, and the fall season should be great too.
I hope the RSPA convention in Hawaii works out. Have fun! See you all soon, I hope.
DJ
Let’s hear from Doug MacCurdy:
It is a pleasure to be contributing this column to “RSPA Southwest.”
A look at the ATP and WTA rankings confirms that about 80% of the top 300 men and women in the world come from European countries. There are several reasons for this. One factor is that virtually all European countries share is the desire to have their players perform well in the international arena at the senior level. This means achieving success in competitions such as the Davis Cup, Fed Cup (now Billie Jean King Cup), Olympics, and Grand Slams and major tour events. Senior success is the ultimate purpose for well-planned junior development.
In this article, I will describe some concepts of match and training loads for juniors of various ages. This information is based on information obtained from and discussions with many player
16-18 80-100 40-50
If possible, the tournament schedule should be organized in such a way that the player can maintain a 2:1 or 3:1 win/loss ratio. It is beneficial for juniors to encounter all types of opponents, including adults.
The following table is based on information received from the most successful tennis nations. It includes the approximate number of hours a week that junior players spend on tennis training, physical training, the total number of hours of both tennis and physical training in a non-tournament week based on the age range of players.
Age Range Tennis Training Physical Training
Total
Training Hours
6-8 1 1/2 2 1/2 4
9-10 4 1/2 4 1/2 9
11-12 6-11 5 11 - 16
13-15 12 -16 8 20 - 24
16-18 15- 18 8 -10 23-28
As you can see, in the younger age groups (approximately 6-12), a relatively large amount of time is spent on physical training. There are good reasons for this:
If universal athletic skills such as running, jumping, throwing and catching are fully developed, you will eventually have a better tennis player. Better athletes make better tennis players. Key skills such as coordination and certain types of speed improvemost when the players are young.
The fundamental skill needed to play tennis well is coordination.
Coordination improves most rapidly between the ages of 4 and 13.
Good stroke patterns are an important part of the learning process, but they are only one part. Complementary sports and specific coordination exercises will improve coordination much more effectively than playing tennis alone. Sensitive phases or age ranges when certain skills are best developed are as follows. Where there are two numbers given, such as 11/13, the first number is for girls and the second number is for boys: Skill Most Favorable to Work On Approximate Age Range
Coordination Abilities 4-11/13
Tennis Technique 6-12/13
Flexibility 4-12
Reaction Speed, Frequency Speed 8-14/15
Power/Strength From 13/14 on
Aerobic/Anaerobic Endurance From 13/14 on: If you are a parent or coach, take a while to digest this information. How does this data compare to your student’s or child’s current training regimen?
Onto Amy Badger:
We had a fantastic summer with 105 young campers for six weeks of daily learning, fun, and engagement. Camps consisted of 10 and under, 10 and over, and pickleball. As part of our Red Ball Camp, 25 campers participated in an engaging USTA pilot junior Red Ball League, which ran every Friday for six weeks.
We continue to work with the USTA Southwest by running not only many of their initiatives but also, most recently, two USTA league sectional events and several ranked tournaments throughout the year. In addition, in May, we were approved for an NJTL chapter we have named Beyond the Baseline.
This summer, we collaborated with our school’s summer scholars program, providing free academic and enrichment courses to include highquality tennis instruction, building life skills, and incorporating overall well-being activities for 60
multicultural students.
Beyond the Baseline now moves into its next phase of year-round programming to include demonstrations from an innovative science club here on campus, as well as other academic and enrichment activities, focusing on our Title 1 schools.
In July, we were very excited to host RSPA’s own Kyle LaCroix and Lisa Pugliese-LaCroix as part of the NMHSCA summer coaches conference. They brought a tremendous amount of knowledge and insight to our coaches. And they LOVE NM!
Our no-cut middle school program is gearing up with 50+ registered students. Players will enjoy 6 weeks of practice, play, and weekly competition. A highlight will be traveling to New York at the end of August to receive a USTA national award for Outstanding Facility of the Year in the educational institution category. It’s such a wonderful honor to be recognized by the USTA in our first year of opening. It’s a true reflection of our commitment to tennis growth, development, and community engagement.
John Damgaard:
The USTA 40+ Mixed League Season is almost half complete.
In Santa Fe, we have 6.0 and 7.0 Alto Teams with coach McLin; at El Gancho, there is an 8.0 Team with Beth Miller as Captain
Beyond the Baseline NJTL student athletes!
and an El Gancho 9.0 Team with Ellis as Captain.
The Santa Fe Pickleball Club is pushing 1000 members. It is a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) dedicated to facilitating and improving access to pickleball, health, and recreational activities in Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico.
The current membership rate for an individual is just $35 per YEAR The Pickleball Club helps maintain the facilities. The Pickleball Club has a Hierarchy Event twice a month on Friday afternoons.
Thirteen trees were taken down for Zozobra - not all were happy about that; but it was done for safety and because of insurance - Viva La Fiesta!!!
The tennis courts in Santa Fe are mostly empty, and a resurgence of youth is needed as some are predicting that the kids will not want to play pickleball around the older folks who are enjoying their time on the 11 different localities around the City Different. Viva La Tennis!!!
Lastly, Joe Felice:
Joe Felice won the 55+ Doubles at the Taos as part of his 80th Birthday Year. He and Jannik Sinner won Tournaments on the same day, and they both use the Head Speed Racquet. Also, they are both Italian. The only difference is that Sinner won 3 million dollars, and Joe got a trophy. Joe will be hosting the Sierra Vista Grand Prix Doubles Tournament for the 30th Year, August 22-24. This is one of the most popular Tournaments of the year in Albuquerque. Joe will be completing his 80th Birthday Year with an Alaskan Cruise in September.
SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA
by Cameron Hamilton
Tucson Community Tennis Program piloted a language arts and math tutoring program immediately after tennis camp. An average of eight students attended tutoring, with some of our coaches providing instruction. We look forward to continuing to leverage community tennis instruction to increase academic support for youth in our area.
RSPA professionals Ronnie Smith and John Perry of Reffkin Tennis Center held 10 weeks of summer camp for players of all ages, as well as hosting a variety of tournaments and events. Wimbledon Whites and Woods 2025 were a big hit.
Reffkin also hosted the USTA Southwest Adaptive Championship Qualifier. By winning the event, John Perry and his student, Juan Pablo Lopez, will return to the USTA National Campus to defend their 2024 National Championship title.
John and son Jared played in the National Championships for Father-Son doubles on the Grass courts in Boston as well as the Clay Courts in Cincinnati, making deep runs in each event.
Northern Arizona
by Andrea Meyer
RSPA NAZ August 2025 NEWS
On August 29-31, Prescott Pros hosted The Mile High Open at Yavapai College. The mountain town and tournament are a popular way to get out of the broiling Valley temperatures and enjoy level 5 competition.
Flagstaff RSPA Professionals Nicole Chambers and Garrett Lakey, Director and Head Racquet Professionals for Forest Highlands Golf Club, ran a successful Junior and Adult Summer Program at Forest Highlands.
Successful events this summer included the HighCountry Pro/Am, a Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Event, Club Championships, Family Foam Ball, Member/Member events, and World Team Tennis. On the pickleball side of things, Forest Highlands continues to grow exponentially through its successful events and programming. Most recently, Kelly Goodnow, a former tennis student of Nicole’s, has reached the ranking of #1 in the world in U14 girls’ pickleball.
Nicole and Garrett will be hosting the 2nd Annual Forest Highlands Pickleball Open from September 12 – 14. This event will welcome pickleball players from all over Arizona and nearby states, bringing in over 140 players.
RSPA Master Professional Larry Lineberry has raised $5,500.00 in sponsorship of three Northern Arizona tennis events held across 2025. The three events began with the May Friends and Family event, held in Cottonwood, which also featured a Wilson Racquet Sports demo day and Tennis Across America clinic for any attendee. The USTA-sanctioned Oxendale Auto Group (OAG) Tennis Championships were held July 30August 2nd at the Northern Arizona University (NAU) indoor courts. This was a USTA level 4 age group division and NTRP tournament and the
indoor part of the Southwest Section Grand Series surface events. Over 120 entries competed this year, which is an almost 50% increase from the 2024 event. The final activity will also be a Friends and Family event to be played at the NAU indoor courts on the weekend of December 7th. All net proceeds of these events are used to help grow tennis in northern Arizona.
Larry has been volunteering his services to the boys’ tennis team at Mingus Union High School for the 4th consecutive year. The team posted an 11-4 record in 2025, largely with sophomores, and several players have been attending twice- weekly practice sessions throughout the year. He is excited for the upcoming 2026 season with all of the extra on-court hours the players have been putting in on their own time.
RSPA Master Professional, Larry Lineberry, conducted a Hit to be Fit tennis clinic with RSPA professional, Andrea Meyer, in conjunction with a Friends and Family tournament held at Mingus Union High School in Cottonwood, AZ, on May 11th. The Friends and Family event is the first of three events in which he has raised funds that grow tennis in northern Arizona. A Wilson Racquet Sports demo day was also conducted simultaneously, where about 18 players hit for prizes while trying various Wilson Frames. Larry has been a Wilson advisory staff member since 1989.
Larry was the unpaid assistant coach for the Mingus Union HS Boys tennis team this season, which posted an 11-4 won/loss record with a team composed mostly of sophomores and freshmen. The team and coaches are very enthusiastic about the 2026 season and will continue twice-weekly practices in the off-season.
He attended the RSPA SW conference at Paradise Valley Country Club in May and had the privilege of introducing Brian Cheney, this year’s inductee, into the RSPA SW Hall of Fame. Larry and his wife, Elizabeth, will also be attending the RSPA World Racquet Conference in Kona, HI, this September.
They also embark on a month-long trip to New Zealand in late December. This has been a bucket list destination of theirs for many years. They will see the earliest New Year’s celebration possible on Earth because of the location.
Prescott Pro Sterling Fetty is contributing many hours organizing and shepherding USTA events in his role as NAZ’s Tennis Service Representative, including the recent Oxendale Indoor Championships in Flagstaff. He’s pleased with the robust turnout of players and is gearing up for playing time with his son, Camden, 20, in the SW 4.0 Sectionals later in August.
Sedona Elite Pro Jake Worseldine took a break from running tournaments and teaching to play the Oxendale Indoors in Flagstaff. He was headed toward a decisive victory in the men’s open final before a leg injury stopped him just short of the win. Jake and Leslee’s 6-year-old, Abbi, is enjoying her twice-weekly lessons with her dad. Jake reports that “she has a beautiful swing.” RSPA Coach Grace Hakopian, Sedona, along with Jake, has been devoting much time recently to coaching Grace’s brother, George, 18, who is breaking into the professional circuits. In doubles at the Boys’ 18 National Hardcourts this month, George and his partner, unseeded, beat the #15 seed to make it into the round of 32. Other than helping her brother prepare for the entry-level pro events, Grace is busy and much sought-after as a quality teacher for local lessons and Live Ball events.
June and July mornings at Cottonwood’s Mingus Union High School saw eager pre-high school players laughing and enjoying their tennis clinics with Clarkdale Pro and MUHS girls’ coach Andrea Meyer. On Wednesday nights, she hosted her Adult and Family Red Ball sessions, amping up the interest by providing music, refreshments, and a welcoming venue for parents to do something active with their children. “When parents of my kids who were taking lessons started to want to play themselves, I knew I had the right recipe,” Andrea said. “Then, when families began cooking together and bringing homemade croissants and cookies to Red Ball, I knew that Red Ball was
bringing families together and improving lives.”
After August vacations in British Columbia and Abiquiu, New Mexico, Andrea will resume teaching juniors, one of them a recent high-level tournament pickleball player, who has become a tennis convert!
Phoenix, Arizona
by Eusebio Sarabia
Please welcome RSPA Pro Sneha Ganan – New to our tennis community!
We are excited to introduce Coach Sneha Ganan, who brings both competitive experience and strong mentorship to the courts.
Sneha’s journey began in Michigan, where, as a freshman at Northville High School, she clinched the No. 1 doubles state title. Sneha and her partner triumphed in a dramatic final, overcoming the event’s top-seeded team—a testament to her tenacity and competitive spirit.
Her leadership and commitment to growth didn’t end there. Sneha continued to hone her skills on the court while also pursuing her academic ambitions. Currently, she is pursuing a Business degree at Arizona State University while coaching tennis at the Camelback Village Tennis Club.
Sneha has coached players of all ages, emphasizing technical skills, supportive mentoring, and community building. She believes in developing both juniors and adults, spreading the joy that tennis has brought to her life.
Please join us in welcoming Coach Sneha Ganan to our tennis community!
The Process of High-Level Player Development
by Doug MacCurdy
Starting in December, the Southwest Maga zine will be running 15 short articles in a series by Southwest RSPA Master Professional Doug MacCurdy. One article will run each quarter until the series is complete. The articles cover a broad range of topics, such as training and match loads for various aged players. There is a good deal of information on physical training at different stages of a player’s career. Mental training columns include specific ways to improve motivation, concentration, emotional control, and self-confidence. Age-related objectives for technical development are included, as well as examples of tactical drills involving the five game situations. We hope our Southwest members enjoy this special treat. These articles have never been published in the United States, so our division will be the first to view this information.
Doug MacCurdy is an international tennis development specialist. In recent years, he has conducted extensive longterm development initiatives in China, India, Thailand, Korea, and Turkey in conjunction with the ITF, Olympic Solidarity, and/or the host nation.
MacCurdy is a Master Professional of the Racquet Sports Professionals Association (RSPA) and an International Master Professional of the Professional Tennis Registry. He received the International Tennis Hall of Fame Educational Merit Award in 1993 and the ITF Award for Services to the Game in 1998. He served as a television commentator for the French Open from 1986 to 1997. He has served as the technical advisor and actor in various instructional and documentary films and was a co-author of the book “Sports Illustrated Tennis.”
Attention RSPA Southwest Pros The Fall Grant Cycle Now Open!
The Southwest Tennis Foundation is thrilled to launch our Fall 2025 Grant Cycle—an invitation to changemakers who are using tennis to uplift lives and strengthen communities. Funding is available for individuals and organizations that expand access, drive engagement, and build meaningful impact. This cycle builds on the energy and innovation of our spring grantees.
We’re proud to support these programs—and excited to see what visionary ideas this new cycle will bring.
You can find all our spring 2025 grantees and our fall grant application to join the movement.
SOUTHWEST OFFICERS
President
Suk Ong 602-881-0467
sukong.uspta@gmail.com
Regional VP
Greg Prudhomme 602-301-1394
pruperformance@gmail.com
Vice President
Ryan Johnson 704-281-1713
m.ryanjohnson@gmail.com
Secretary
John Perry 520-403-8290
jptennis25@gmail.com
Treasurer
Leslie Banks 419-302-7663
lesliealison16@gmail.com
Past President
Amy Badger 505-379-6728
badgertennis505@gmail.com
Executive Director
Jack Michalko 602-740-0126
jack.michalko@rspa.net
SOUTHWEST COORDINATORS
Northern New Mexico
Dick Johnson
505-507-6795
lctenniscamps@gmail.com
Phoenix
Eusebio Sarabia 310-292-2788
eusebio.sarabia@gmail.com
SoutheasternArizona
Cameron Hamilton 480-276-1123
chamilton8815@gmail.com
NorthernArizona
Andrea Meyer 928-300-4352
andreameyertennis@gmail.com
Southern New Mexico & l Paso
Alex Mouquin 575-571-0389
frenchtouchtennis@hotmail.com
Tennis Coach Developer
Greg Prudhomme 602-301-1394
pruperformance@gmail.com
Pickleball Coach Developer
Ryan Johnson 704-281-1713
m.ryanjohnson@gmail.com
A Publication of the RSPA Southwest Division
Jack Michalko / editor
77 East Missouri Avenue, Suite 62, Phoenix, AZ 85012 602-740-0126 / e-mail: jack.michalko@rspa.net
The Southwest Magazine is published quarterly by the Southwest Division of the Racquet Sports ProfessionalsAssociation. The opinions expressed in the Southwest Magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Southwest Magazine or the RSPA Southwest Division.
Copyright© Southwest Division/Racquet Sports ProfessionalsAssociation, Inc. 2025. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this newsletter is not permitted without written permission from the RSPA Southwest Division. Advertising information: All ads must be camera ready and in color if possible. Prices are per issue.
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