SUMMER 2021
MIDWEST CONNECTION Happy Retirement Carol!!! BY MARY HERRICK, USPTA PROFESSIONAL Carol Anderson, Executive Director for the United States Professional Tennis Association’s Midwest Division for the past 35 years, has retired. It is with mixed emotions that we say goodbye to our highly respected Executive Director of 35 years as she leaves us to enjoy a life filled with family, fun, and even some time for herself! Before Google, before video conferencing and sophisticated mobile devices, Carol Anderson found a way to stay connected to the Midwest Division’s tennis teaching professionals as well as colleagues around the country. With grace and humility, she taught, guided, and mentored hundreds of young tennis teachers and coaches who were certified as part of the United States Professional Tennis Association’s (USPTA) Midwest Division. As Executive Director, Carol became the face of the USPTA Midwest Division. She helped plan many division conferences and world conventions. One of the highlights of a business trip was being greeted at the registration desk by Carol’s warm smile and sincere voice. Somehow before the trip was over you always found your way back to that desk to have a personal conversation with the wonderful lady who was kind enough to take the time to listen and help tackle whatever challenges you were facing. She has been referred to as friend, mentor, teacher, and even a second mom! She knew that teaching tennis was only part of the training required to be a well-rounded professional and she made sure we were all aware of the importance of organization, education, and follow-through. Carol was recognized throughout her career in many ways, but it was an honor for everyone in our division when she was inducted into the USPTA Midwest Hall of Fame in 2017. Who knew more about tennis and the many nuances required to be a true tennis professional then Carol Anderson? As technology changed, she embraced it; as the USPTA transformed, she provided direction; as disasters such as 9/11 and the COVID pandemic hit, she found a way to keep our division intact. She did all of this while raising a family and moving from Michigan to Ohio, then on to Georgia, Texas, Connecticut, and now Oregon. Carol is a devoted wife to her wonderful husband, Kirk, as well and a loving mother to her children and an adoring grandmother to her children’s children. As we bid farewell to the remarkable tenure of our dear friend, Carol – who I am sure is on to bigger and better things – I would like to leave her with a personal memory I know she will enjoy. At one point in my career, Past President Lee Ann Berning, Carol, and I were sitting in a meeting at a World Conference as they discussed Judy Levering, the first woman president of the USTA. It was a moment of great pride for the women teaching professionals in our division. Carol is a forward thinker, a quiet influencer, who cleared the path for us all. She encouraged us to step up and be leaders in our industry and provided the encouragement and support we needed to succeed. For this we will always be grateful. On behalf of the Midwest Division, we wish Carol and her family much deserved joy, happiness, love, and relaxation! God bless you and your family, Carol. You are a part of us all.
This issue: President's Message
Page 02
August Summer Symposium
Page 03
Midwest Hall of Fame Inductees & Award Winners
Page 03
Western Southern Open is Back
Page 04
Midwest Nominations Wanted
Page 05
2021 Midwest Officers
Page 05
Does Your Staff Need Some Energy?
Page 06
Empowering Tennis Players Pages 08 & 09 Through Mental Strength Coaching Learn Tennis Fast
Page 10
In The News
Page 10
Maxing Out of Tennis - Who Is Max?
Page 12
2021 USPTA World Conference
Page 14
WC21 Registration
Page 15
WC21 Agenda
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President's Message MIKE GRAFF
Greetings USPTA Midwest Pros, As many of you have heard, Carol Anderson has retired from her position as the Midwest USPTA Executive Director after over 35 years of service. She was the solid base that allowed all of our USPTA boards to be successful and productive over the years. Her attention to detail, passion for the mission, and leadership at a national level will be sorely missed by all. We wish Carol and Kirk all the best as they begin this new chapter of their life. I would also like to introduce Greg Aten, USPTA, as our new Executive Director. Greg is a former USPTA Midwest President, a member of the Midwest USPTA Hall of Fame and has been involved in Midwest USTA for years. Help me welcome Greg to his new position. We know he has big shoes to fill but are all excited to continue this USPTA journey with his support. Please take a moment to check out all we have to offer in this month's edition including all of the details of our return to Cincinnati this August for our Summer Symposium, USPTA Midwest Social, and Awards/Hall of Fame event. We hope you are as excited as we are to return to some in person education and social gatherings. You will also find great articles, Midwest Awards announcement, and information about the World Conference in Las Vegas. Best wishes to everyone for a fruitful and healthy summer on the courts. Stay safe, grow the game, improve yourself and those around you. Regards, Mike Graff, USPTA Midwest President
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Mark Your Calendars!! 2021 Summer Symposium Saturday, August 14th, 2:00-6:00 p.m. The Club at Harper’s Point -8675 E. Kemper Rd. Cincinnati, OH Educational Opportunity with 4 on-court presentations $30.00 USPTA members/ $40.00 USPTA non-members, Register here 2:00 p.m. - Steve Contardi, USPTA Master Pro, Midwest Hall of Fame 3:00 p.m. - Doug Matthews, Xavier University Head Men’s/Women’s Coach 4:00 p.m. - Jason Joseph, USPTA, Head Professional of the Park Country Club of Buffalo, Inc. 5:00 p.m. - Lynn Nabors-McNally, USPTA, mother of WTA professional Caty McNally & ATP professional John McNally 6:00 p.m. - USPTA Midwest Social/ Party –Food, Drink, Live Music by -Mark Ficks, 2021 USPTA Midwest Pro of the Year
USPTA Midwest HOF Inductions/Awards Ceremony Sunday, August 15, 11:30 a.m. - Lindner Family Tennis Center, Mason OH Gates open at 9:00 a.m., Western & Southern Open matches begin at 10:00 a.m.
Help us celebrate the USPTA Midwest Hall of Fame inductees from 2020 & 2021 2020 Hall of Fame inductees: Mark Faber, Dan Hopkins, Denny Schackter, Allan Schwartz 2021 Hall of Fame Inductees: Dave Steinbach, Gary Bodenmiller USPTA Midwest 2021 Award Recipients: Midwest Pro of the Year – Mark Ficks Small Facility Manager of the Year – Greg Isserman Large Facility Manager of the Year – George Lowe Individual Coach of the Year – Mark Bey College Coach of the Year – Tyler Stephen Tester of the Year – Mike Lange Wisconsin Pro of the Year – Steve Klaas Michigan Pro of the Year – Craig Capelli More information on ticket prices and Brunch cost will be available here soon
Western & Southern Open Ticket Policy for USPTA Members Current USPTA Professionals in good standing, can obtain a grounds pass per member/per session of the Western & Southern Open, August 14-22. Grounds passes will be distributed at Will Call, located at the North entrance. Members will be required to provide their driver’s license and 2021 membership card, plus register their name & club. Tickets will be distributed in person, day of the session only. (no phone entries, online orders or email request) with distributions for day session tickets beginning at 9:00 a.m., and evening session tickets beginning at 5:00 p.m., as applicable. Only one ticket per session per membership card will be provided. Print out your membership card at d o c u m e n t s . u s p t a . c o m; o r g o t o U S P T A homepage and sign in. Suggested hotels w w w . w s o p e n . c o m.
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are
listed
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on
2021 Midwest Officers
CALL FOR MIDWEST BOARD NOMINATIONS:
President Mike Graff • 248-866-0508 mike@baselinetennis.net
Wo u l d y o u l i k e t o c o n t r i b u t e mo r e t o t h e Mi d we s t US P TA? Ha v e y o u b e e n i n t e r e s t e d i n s e r v i n g o n t h e Mi d we s t US PTA b o a r d ? We l l , h e r e i s y o u r o p p o r t u n i t y . Th i s y e a r ' s US P TA Mi d we s t Di v i s i o n b o a r d ' s t e r m e n d s o n De c e mb e r 3 1 , 2 0 2 1 . Th e n e x t t e r m wi l l r u n f r o m J a n u a r y 1 , 2 0 2 2 t o De c e mb e r 3 1 , 2 0 2 3 . I f y o u a r e a Ma s t e r o r El i t e l e v e l c e r t i f i e d professional and interested in running, you c a n r u n f o r t h e s e o f f i c e s ; Re g i o n a l Vi c e P r e s i d e n t , S e c o n d Vi c e Pr e s i d e n t , Th i r d Vi c e P r e s i d e n t , S e c r e t a r y / Tr e a s u r e r o r a S t a t e President. P l e a s e s u b mi t t h e f o l l o wi n g ma t e r i a l t o b e c o n s i d e r e d f o r o n e o f t h e a b o v e o f f i c e s . E ma i l t o : s c o t t a n s a y @h o t ma i l . c o m
Regional Vice President Matt Davis • 224-247-2483 tenace4@gmail.com
1 . P r o ' s n a me a n d o f f i c e o f i n t e r e s t 2 . 2 0 0 wo r d s o n wh y y o u a r e i n t e r e s t e d i n serving 3 . Be s t c o n t a c t i n f o a n d e ma i l
Second Vice President John Frausto • 920-860-0751 johnfrausto@gmail.com Third Vice President Cathy Thomas • 513-218-0782 cthomas6@cinci.rr.com Treasurer-Secretary Matt Boughton • 715-559-3168 mboughton@ymca-cv.org Past President Scott Ansay • 262-241-4250 scottansay@hotmail.com Executive Director Greg Aten- 330-283-5837 greg.aten@uspta.org
State Presidents
Ohio Nick Bennett • 703-399-5057 nick@matchpoint10s.com Wisconsin Dan Oliver • 920-227-7005 danonhgb@aol.com Illinois Lindsay L. Geiger • 773-960-4117 lindsaygeiger@sbcglobal.net Michigan Chip Fazio • 313-670-3277 chipfazio@gmail.com Indiana Umang Chadda • 309-255-3224 umangrk@hotmail.com USPTA World Headquarters 407-634-3050 uspta@uspta.org
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DOES YOUR STAFF NEED SOME ENERGY? By: Denny Schackter USPTA Elite Professional; Waukesha, Wis. It’s always rewarding to catch up with long-time industry professionals. I crossed paths recently with a very respected USPTA Pro in Wisconsin. Like you, when having lunch with a contemporary, many subjects, tennis wise, are discussed. The USTA Midwest Collegiate Committee, chaired by fellow USPTA Pro, Timon Corwin, hosted a variety of educational webinars for potential college playing tennis players. The response by parents, students and coaches was very positive. At lunch, I asked my fellow Pro if he knew about the webinars. He stated he did not. It got me thinking. Why? This Pro is a club owner, teaching pro, high school coach, husband, father, and a stalwart in his community. He readily admits he does not read his email enough, but, also, he does not delegate things that could make his staff more responsive to fellow staff and club membership. If you are a Head Pro or Director at your facility, I would guess that many club functions fall in your lap. In many cases they do not receive proper attention or fall through the cracks. Online enrichment opportunities are plentiful. My recommendation is that the Director or Head Pro assign different types of “enrichment” to various staff pros. For example, one could investigate and formulate a weekly email to fellow staff members on “tennis education” sources available online. Another item that could be assigned and investigated is “opportunity tools for high school graduating students” such as the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association), UTR, and Tennis on Campus. Incidentally, on that subject of college tennis, the USTA Midwest has a Facebook page entitled “Midwest Collegiate Tennis Hub” which provides an abundance of information on collegiate tennis. Another Pro could tackle “personal enrichment ideas”, such as personal finance or updated information on health insurance for the staff. Yet another would be to check out the websites of the USTA, PTA, and PTR to acquire current trends in tennis, both on and off the court, to enhance staff performance. These assignments would accomplish several things. They would build teamwork within the staff. Second, this exercise would delegate all things pros need, but would share the workload for the Director or Head Pro to gain those needs. Third, doing this exercise will help all the staff members grow and make them more aware of all the resources available to them that, many times, are ignored due to a lack of time. It also makes the staff more accountable to each other while sharing all kinds of information. Lastly, and most important, it makes you and your staff a better teaching and life team.
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EMPOWERING TENNIS PLAYERS THROUGH MENTAL STRENGTH COACHING
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IN THE NEWS:
LEARN TENNIS FAST by Don Martin, USPTA
Prior to the Play Tennis Midwest program for free tennis in the section, we had planned a special month at Tri-State Athletic Club (TSAC) in April. We had 88 new players; this was awesome! Here is a picture of one of the classes. USPTA Professional Richard Cooley (in red) leads what TSAC calls Learn Tennis Fast. We offered the class complimentary for the month of April. It meets for one hour per week for four weeks. This April there were 88 players registered for the program. It is directed by USPTA Professional, Jack Joyce. We do this program two times a year, in October and April. This is the first year for Learn Tennis Fast, and it has led to numerous new players!
Spreading the Tenni s LOVE: On behalf of A.H. Sports, a $1,000 s ch o lars h ip will be awarded to a juni or wheelchair ten n is ath lete 18 years o r younger who lives in the USTA/Midwest Sec tio n . It is designed to help wi th fundi ng fo r ath letes in th e pursuit of excellence on the tenni s court. This scholarship i s established to honor the efforts o f Lyn n Ben der an d Hunter Heck who have both been in spiratio n s in th e wheelchair tenni s community. Like Lynn and Hunter, the recipient should exempl ify persis ten ce, pas s io n , in teg rity, and leadership skills on the tenn is co urt. Additionally, the recipient should also di spl ay th es e traits beyo n d th e court and pursue acti vi ties that h elp in spire an d teac h growth for wheelchair athl etes. Lynn is a USPTA and USPTR ten n is pro fes s io n al wh o fell into wheelchair tenni s coaching an d teac h in g wh en sh e married her husband Curt who h as been a wh eelch air tennis athlete for years. She serves on both the USTA/Midwest and previ ousl y th e USTA Natio n al wheelchair committees. Lynn’s passion for wheelchair tennis is what dr ives her to contin ue g ro win g th e s po rt. Hunter is a wheel chair tennis ath lete wh o “fo un d h is fire again” through the sport. He possesses an i nternal dri ve to pursue success wi thout barriers . Hunter spent over two years travel ing througho ut th e Midwes t an d Southeast competi ng in tournam en ts an d is co mmitted to helping other wheel chair athl etes fo llo w th eir pas s io n as well. The deadline for 2022 and all future years will be December 1. The "Little Mo" West Regi onals will be held the beauti ful Berkeley Tennis Club i n Berkeley, Califo rn ia fro m J uly 17-19. The event is open to an y player wh o lives in th e USA (ages 8-12). Players play thei r own birth year, i. e. 8's play 8's, 9's pl ay 9's. Yellow ball divi si ons for 8,9,10,11 & 12 and green dot fo r 8,9,10. The top four players in each age divi si on will advan c e to th e prestigious 24th annual "Little Mo " Natio n als in Austin , Texas in September. It would be an ideal event for yo ur junior development program to atten d! CARDIO TENNIS TRAINING COU RSE (CTTC). Midwest Professionals, re- engag e an d re-en erg iz e with CARDIO TENNIS. This will be th e firs t CT train in g anywhere in over 3 years so i ts big n ews. The course fee is only $25 as a special wel com e bac k to Cardio Ten n is . CEU’s will also be available. Alth o ug h th e even ts are all in the greater Chi cagoland ( Wheato n , Midto wn ) we wo uld love to see many Midwest Divis io n pro fess io n als in attendance. Wheaton Sports Center, July 18th , https://bit.ly/CTTCWheaton2021
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9:00-2:30
pm :
Midtown Athleti c Cl ub, July 23rd, 12: 00-6:30 https://bit.ly/CTTCMidtownchic ag o 2021
pm :
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MAXING OUT OF TENNIS WHO IS MAX? By Josh Rifkin
I would like to talk about this through a functional and common sense lens. Does maxing out a squat, deadlift or bench press carry over into being a better tennis athlete? How does a 1 rep max translate to the court if the demands of the tennis athlete are to reproduce movements consistently over a period of time? Does it make sense to load the joints of the tennis athlete maximally when they are already putting repeated shear and force through them? I ask these questions to get you thinking. Yes, having a foundation of high level strength is a huge benefit to the tennis athlete (all athletes and life), but once a foundation of strength is acquired, does "loading heavy" in the gym improve performance on the court more than lighter loads with a variance in position? Simply put, the tennis athlete is put in an infinite amount of variables under pressure and at a high intensity demand for hours on end. In order to protect the body and joints of the tennis athlete, they must train with a high variety of variables with an extremely high level of degrees of freedom. Degrees of freedom meaning putting their body and joints in different positions and planes of motion. Doing this under a controlled (lighter) load matches the demands more closely in the nervous system, musculature, tissue and joints than a tennis athlete will experience on court. Not to mention, it is repeatable, just like the tennis athlete needs to be. You can't max out a deadlift 30 times in one session! This is a great infographic below by ViPR Pro showing how a decrease in load (weight) improves the different variability you can put your body in. Simply, the heavier the load, the less we can deviate from proper form, and the slower the movement must be performed. Try doing a max bench press fast, or move your arms and legs while performing it. Just kidding...do NOT do that! Where as a lighter load we can change position, move through space dynamically, move faster and more so match the demands of tennis. Principle of Specificity at its finest here (SAID Principle- Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand) stating that the body will adapt to the specific demands placed upon it. In other words, you get what you train for. Train slow be slow. Train fast be fast. Save a penny earn a penny- not sure how that one applies, but I like it. Pennies aside, the SAID Principle is something that is not only easily forgotten when training a tennis athlete, but is something I hear about and see being forgotten with many players lifting maximal or very heavy weight as the meat of their training. Again, lifting heavy is not inherently "bad." Having a high level of strength is good. The question I want everyone to ponder is once the athlete is ready for a more specific training program, where do you get the biggest performance bang for the already limited amount of time?
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