USPTA Southern Standard July

USPTA Southern Division: Where Excellence is Standard

June 2023

Volume 25 Issue 3

Bill Bryan Hall of Fame

Jeff Chandley Pro of the Year Tom Parkes Pride of the South

Inside Pg 2 Summer Conference @ Memphis Pg 3-5 Conference Wrap Up/Awards/Photos Pg 6 More Leadeship Tips from Disney VP Pg 13 Summer Camp Fun Idea

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USPTA Southern Summer Conference “Building Success On and Off Court” August 2-3rd Leftwich Tennis Center – Memphis, TN

Friday Specialty Course Members $50 / Non Members $75 Conference Members $50 / Non Members $75 / BUNDLE PRICE for both days + USPTA logo straw hat member $75, non member $100 Registration is through uspta.com. Members sign into their account, non members just create an account (just like every website requires). CLICK TO REGISTER Host Hotel is not confirmed, but will be in the area and around $135/night LUNCH provided on Saturday Education Points: the Specialty Course is 6 points, the conference is 9 points, Earn all your term points in 1 1/2 days.

FUTURE Info and details at www.usptasouthern.com Friday, August 2nd 2:00-4:00pm USPTA Outreach Clinic and Junior Match Play at Leftwich Tennis Center 4:00-8:00pm USPTA Specialty Course – Technology and Digital Resources to Build Your Racquet Sports Business (Ashley Owens) Saturday, August 3rd 8:00-8:30am Check in and continental breakfast 8:30-9:15am Panel discussion “Junior Pathways to Play College Tennis” classroom 9:15-10:00am Scott Mitchell “Building Your Team and Staff for Success” classroom 10:00-10:15 Networking activity presented by Court Reserve 10:15-11:00 Jason Hazley “Keys to a balanced overall facility racquet sports program” classroom 11:00-noon Panel discussion "How to Monetize Your Pickleball Program" classroom Noon-1:00pm LUNCH & USPTA Update on site 1:00-1:45pm MJ’s ALL STARS Drill Exchange for Club Players indoor court 1:45-3:15pm Chris Hoshour “Performance Based Practices” indoor court 3:15-4:00pm Bill Riddle “Maximizing Your Training Efforts” indoor court Sunday August 4th a pickleball workshop/certification will be held. Registration starts next week at uspta.org, choose CALENDARS, and pickleball. This is the normal cost for certification.

Members - the first 40 to register for both days will receive this logo USPTA straw hat.

Perfect for those ‘dog days’ in August and

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Congratulations to our award winners and Hall of Fame Inductee

Hall of Fame:

Fred Burdick Pride of

Allan Henry Pro of the

High Performance Coach

Bill Bryan

The South: Tom Parkes

Year: Jeff Chandley

Chris Hoshour

Assistant Pro: Pete Pastor

Industry Excellence: Pete Mazzella

Mentor: Stewart Russell

Teaching Pro: Carolina Blouin

Not pictured: Charity Event: Dave Dvorak General Manager: Andy Veal

High School Coach: Craig Wells

College Coach: Rod Slack

Hall of Fame Commi ee Fred Burdick Reedy Toney Tom Daglis Awards Chair Jason Hazley

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It Was A Conference Worth the Time by Pat Whitworth & Ken Andriano We had to skip visi ng Bayou Bluff last year as their club had undergone a mul million-dollar renova on. The wait was worth it as this beau ful facility and staff welcomed us and gave us their club to use for the en re conference. Special thanks are to USPTA Master Pro Bo Gard, and club GM Lisa Metz.

Conference chair Allan Jensen gathered a unique blend of speakers and seminars that certainly tamed the comment ‘ red of the same old speakers’. What a great mix from Edgar Giffenig to Chris Hoshour to the Blind & Visual Impaired speakers that showed us a totally new view of tennis. The old guard was represented though as top reviews were sent for Tom Daglis and Craig Jones. They always are on their game and have such great informa on.

One thing that we can not leave out when visi ng the Gulf

Coast is the food, and it was tremendous. All our meals were tops, but the HOF & Awards lunch was a don’t miss.

Jason Hazley did a great job as our MC of the event, and we were proud to honor Bill Bryan into the Hall of Fame, and Fred Burdick Pride of the South recipient Tom Parkes, and the Alan Henry Pro of the Year Jeff Chandley. All the winners are listed later, and you can check out a special look into the history of Bill and Jeff in the Spotlight sec on.

Finally, it is not a conference without friends. It is great to see the many tennis friends that we have made over the years, and some are much more than just tennis friends.

New friends are made every trip, and I look forward to seeing many of them in the future. Makes plans to catch the 2025 conference at Greenville Country Club. The team is already making plans, and it should be another winner.

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Southern Conference - Great Info & Partnering by Courtney Dugas, As usual, the speakers and presenta ons at the USPTA Southern Spring conference were top notch. The beau ful tennis facility of Bayou Bluff, delicious buffets, and a endee gi s were the icing on the cake. The speakers provided a broad array of useful topics from posi ve coaching mental techniques from Todd Upchuch to learning how to "control chaos" on the court with Craig Jones. One of the highlights of the conference for me was watching a local pro/tennis director in my hometown, Bill Bryan, get inducted to the Hall of Fame by my boss/mentor and execu ve director of the LTA, Bill Phillips. Bill Bryan provides abundant programming for a large number of individuals in our tennis commu-

nity and has done so for decades.

Being an employee of USTA Louisiana for the past 3 years and a USPTA cer fied pro for the past 7 years (and a huge advocate for both organiza ons) it was very fulfilling for me to see first hand the strong partnership between the USTA and USPTA. Just at this one conference, there were several USTA Employees involved on USPTA boards and commi ees on the state, sec on, and na onal level. I look forward to con nuing to support and be supported by the USTA and USPTA and feel privileged to have the opportunity to a end these enriching events.

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By Lee Cockerell 



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Rou ne is a good thing. Having the right rou nes in your life can improve your whole  life. Rou nes around your health such as working out daily at the same me, using a day planner to plan your day every day before you start your day, thinking about the responsibili es you have signed up for in your life every day are just a few rou ne  things which are important. What rou nes do you have now in your life? Which new ones should you establish?

Someone asked me recently how you deal with leaders who are not performing or have poor leadership behaviors. I told them the same way you deal with your children.

You sit down and tell them the truth. You tell them the consequences of con nued poor performance or poor behaviors. Give them concrete examples of what they are doing which is unacceptable and soon you will see a change in their performance.

I saw a sign in a restaurant recently which said, "The gap between enough and more never closes." This is really true in business so you have to constantly be going through change to get more. More service, more customer sa sfac on, more commitment from your employees, more profit, more cost management and so on. Without an a tude of constant change is necessary in this world we live in you will soon fall behind.



You may not always be able to help someone in need but you should always try.

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Don't get bored with the basics. Walt Disney and JW Marrio Sr. both said almost the same thing. Keep it clean and keep it friendly and things will turn out just fine.

They both understood the basics. Treat people respec ully, train them and they will take care of your business for you. Mr. Marrio even said it a different way. If you want the food to taste good use salt and pepper on it. Salt and pepper is about as basic as it





gets and it works.

It is a lot easier to get done what you want done if you know what you want. Your employees want to do what you want so figure  out what that is and tell them... also tell them why. You will be quite happy with the results of being candid and clear.

Sit down right now and make a list of the  people in your life that you appreciate and then go about telling them before the week is out. If any of them faint this is a sign you are not doing it o en enough. You can not do it too o en. This builds self confidence  and self esteem. Your ac ons in this area will make a big difference in how people in your life succeed. We all need apprecia on, recogni on and encouragement.

Bill Marrio told me once... "Lee, if you have flies in your opera on it is because you like flies." This quote I will never forget  because it reminds me that I get what I want in life. If I have rude employees that is what I must want. If I have rude children that is what I must want.

The fact of the ma er is that Great Leaders keep their promises. Do you keep your promises? Every day leaders make explicit and implicit promises by the dozens. When you are someone's leader, it is expected that you will do what you say and do what is expected of you. If you are not great in this area take a Time Management course every month un l you get great at it. It is your reputa on at stake.

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The gap between more and enough never closes.

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If you do what you should do when you are young, you can do what you want to do when you are old.

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I did the work un l I learned to manage. I managed un l I learned to lead. I led un l they learned to manage. They managed un l they learned to lead. Then I re red!

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When you are not loving your job and are

frustrated about how work is going just think what your life would be like without a job.

Remember to prac ce the Four Customer Expecta ons: 1) Make Me Feel Special, 2) Treat Me As An Individual, 3) Respect Me, 4) Have Knowledgeable Employees Remember to prac ce the Four Employee Expecta ons: 1) Make Me Feel Special, 2) Treat Me As An Individual, 3) Respect Me, 4) Make Me Knowledgeable, Educate Me and Understand My Job People who pay a en on to what is going on around them are much more successful.

Pay a en on to your fellow team members and to what is going on around you just like you would if you were in a dark parking lot late at night. This may save your life and your career.

There are four things you need to be competent in, to be successful. 1) Technical Competency, 2) Management Competency, 3) Technological Competency, 4) Leadership Competency

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What are you doing today which will make you more competent in these four areas a year from now?

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Do you hire too fast and fire too slow? Be careful whom you hire and promote. They are your company, they are your brand.

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Alabama ter Workshop to be held Saturday

Save the Date for the USPTA Alabama Win-

As I make my way around the state doing Louisiana different ac vi es, it’s great to see all of

12/7/2024 9 AM - 4 PM (rain or shine). Our host will be Samford University Tennis Center. Lunch is provided. This is a great chance to earn education credits, network, share ideas, and win prizes.

Shout out to Raul Bermudez and Janan Batchelor from Little Rock! This year was another successful International Family Day hosted at the 2024 UAMS Health Little Rock Open at Rebsamen Tennis Center. Raul Bermudez took lead in hosting the hour and half event that brought kids and families together on the court. Not only did families and youth get to play tennis and participate in on court games, but all got to play for prizes at the end.

Also hosted during the Little Rock Open was the Arthur Ashe Kids Play Day. Janan Batchelor, also with the Rebsamen Tennis Center, hosted an afternoon of fun, games, and on court activities for kids of all ages from the Central Akansas area. Area pros and volunteers assisted her on court.

the USPTA professionals ge ng away from their facili es and improving the tennis experience for their members as well as seeing some of the familiar junior pros at the Jr qualifying in Lafaye e. I was fired up to meet some new professionals as well as seeing some youngsters ge ng into the business. It is so important that we give our junior students every opportunity possible to go out and compete. There is a curve to Tennis! Get them past the curve then get them into a USTA junior tournament. The connec ons that we all made as juniors player is las ng a life me. As coaches, you make some incredible relaonships and at the same me you are giving your players a great opportunity.

One quick shout out to Bill Bryan for ge ng inducted into the USPTA Southern Hall of Fame. Well-deserved! The next opportunity for educa on is a 10 and under conference on July 19 at the LSU varsity courts.

Arkansas

USPTA GA is excited to announce another joint workshop with GPTA and the Atlanta Open on Saturday, July 27 from 9-12pm at Georgia Tech’s indoor courts. The keynote speaker will be Edgar Giffening, He is the Director of Tennis at Norfolk Country Club.

His forte is working with high performance players and teaching players to play with passion. Registra on is $30 limited to 30 people. Registra on comes with a Free* Atlanta Open cket for the day session semi- match that day, but you will need to pay $105 for the cket, then you will receive a refund once you have a ended the matches.

Georgia

The USPTA Southern Confer-

North Carolina ence was a great event held in Gulfport Mississippi with North Carolina pros Todd Upchurch and Chris Hoshour presen ng at the conference. When the Southern awards were presented, Tom Parkes won the Fred Burdick Pride of the South Award and Chris Hoshour won the High Performance Coach of the Year. Our workshop will be August 17th at the Winston Salem Open from 1:30-4:30. The speakers are confirmed with Bill Riddle, Jorge Andrews, and Chris Hoshour presen ng Plan on a ending the USPTA Southern Summer conference in Memphis August 2-3. View the full agenda on usptasouthern.com, including a specialty course on day 1. The conference is being held at the new Le wich Tennis Center. There is a charity Pickleball event in Nashville, the 3rd annual Music City Pickleball Fes val on July 6. There will be indoor and outdoor play, exhibions and celebrity pro matches. For more informa on visit bmwopb.com.

Tennessee

The USPTA South Carolina chap-

South Carolina ter has released its first news-

le er of the year, which has been met with posi ve feedback.

The newsle er highlights the USPTA State Awards nomina on opportunity, with an extended deadline of August 1st due to its irregular occurrence in the past. The three award categories are "Professional of the Year", "Assistant Professional of the Year", and "Teaching Professional of the Year”. Self-nomina ons are encouraged and can be submi ed to usptasouthcarolina@gmail.com. Addi onally, a USPTA South Carolina workshop will be held on the coast this fall, with details to be announced in future newsle ers. ll looking for someone to lead us. If Kentucky isyous can help out and want to get involved, contact Bill Riddle TENNISUN@aol.com

Mississippi

We are s ll working on ge ng our lunch and learn mee ngs on the books, but we will have one on July 12 at River Hills Club.

This will happen right before the USTA MS College Showcase, so if you have players coming to that then you can come early and get a lunch and good roundtable discussion. ! Please email me at williamf@mstennis.com for more informa on on both of these events!

You've seen the promo ons but the August 2-3 Memphis Conference has a great lineup and is easy for us to a end, especially our northern half.

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Jeff Chandley, Hall of Fame 2024, Atlanta years. In all four of the past clubs, I have also ball, and love to fly fish.

Athle c Club, Johns Creek GA Give a brief descripon of your tennis/ other career: I

started my career in Nashville Tennessee, and worked as mostly an independent professional for 5 years. I was hired at Maryland Farms club as a professional and later became the DOT. I stayed for 8 years at Sawgrass Country Club, and then had the opportunity to become the DOT at the Landings Club in Savannah Ga for 10 years. In 2008, a friend of mine let me know one of the most pres gious jobs in Atlanta opened up and I would be perfect for it. I loved Savannah, but knew the opportunity in Atlanta was in front of me. I became the DOT in 2008 at the Atlanta Athle c Club and have served this membership for 16

served as the Director of Athle cs. A er 44 What are your hobbies? Golf, fishing and years of being in the profession, I will be re- traveling ring January of 2025. It has been truly a What is your favorite movie? Just watched blessing to have been a part of the tennis the “Longest Day” community.

Are you reading anything right now? Well When did you start playing tennis? I started since I am re ring in six months, I am reading playing tennis my junior year of High school a lot about Medicare! Lol What other sports did you play? I played golf, What is your favorite sports team? Braves, baseball and had football scholarships a er Jaguars and UT Football my senior year of high school. Because I fell Who is your favorite player of all me? John in love with tennis, and the number of injuMcEnroe ries I had I went to Walter State Community What person would you most like to have College to play on the tennis team. lunch with? Billy Graham What moved you to teach tennis? I started teaching tennis in my junior year of college in What would you be doing if you were not in tennis? I also work with a travel group to the Nashville. I was introduced to Peter VanLingen and he asked if I wanted to learn how Holy Land, and other faith based trips.

If you had a "do over", what one thing would to teach and be a tennis professional. This all happen just before I graduated. It was one you have done differently in your teaching of the best decisions of my life. He was so far career? I have been so blessed in this profession, I am not sure there is anything I would ahead of the game and was teaching the change. We all make mistakes but learning modern game of tennis back in the 80s.

What is something people will be surprised to from those mistakes is an important part of growth. learn about you? Maybe that I played foot-

Bill Bryan Raising Canes Tennis Center When did you start playing tennis? I started @ Youngsville Sports Complex Youngsville, LA Give a brief descrip on of your tennis/other career: I was raised in Houston, Texas

reaching a Ranking of #7 in singles and #2 in doubles in Boys 18’s in Texas sec on. Played at University of Louisiana 1976 – 1980. Inducted into the University of Louisiana Athle c Hall of Fame in 2011. Worked as an Assistant Pro – Red Lerille’s Health & Racket Club, Lafaye e, LA 1985 – 1990, then served as the Tennis Director and GM at Aurora Country Club, New Orleans, LA. Currently the Tennis Director at Youngsville Sports Complex, Youngsville, LA 2012 – present. Proudly inducted into the USPTA Southern Hall of Fame 2024.

playing tennis at 12 years old What other sports did you play? Football & baseball What moved you to teach tennis? I was going to be too small to play college football and my father could teach tennis What is something people will be surprised to learn about you? I am a big fan of the Grateful Dead (Deadhead) What are your hobbies? Thoroughbred horseracing and sports be ng What is your favorite movie? Confederate General from Big Sur by Richard Bra gan What is your favorite sports team? definitely the New Orleans Saints Who is your favorite player of all me? Joe Namath

What person would you most like to have lunch with? Bob Weir or Clint Eastwood What would you be doing if you were not in tennis? Running my own business of some sort If you had a "do over", what one thing would you have done differently in your teaching career? I’ve had things go my way and don’t think I’d change a thing.

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Pickleball Points

PROMOTE THE USPTA

You have likely seen the recent emails, texts, and social media posts from the USPTA promo ng the new pickleball outreach. Pickleball instructors who are not USPTA tennis cer fied are eligible to join the USPTA and par cipate in a pathway specifically designed for them. This pathway contains course content similar to the Level 1 tennis cer fica on and helps new teaching professionals to be be er instructors.

If you know of people who are not cer fied and teaching pickleball, or are tennis cer fied with another organiza on, men on the USPTA to them. This is your chance to sponsor new members and to help grow the organiza on.

If you or poten al applicants need more informa on, they can reach out to Darryl Lewis at d.lewis@aussie10s.com

QUICK TIP - Just like in tennis, unforced errors are the key to winning. The less you make, the more you’ll win. So many players try for the fancy, low percentage shot. Just keep the ball in play and your wins will come.

CERTIFICATION will be held at the Summer Conference at the Memphis Le wich Tennis Center on Sunday 8/4 following the conference. More details posted soon on the CALENDARS sec on of uspta.com

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It's been such a great USPTA Southern Conference, and we invite everyone to join us next year. One thing that I would love to see is more diverse coaches, specifically women, presen ng at the Southern Conven on. If you know anyone or would love to share your knowledge with fellow coaches, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Also, at the World Conference, we are planning to have a roundtable discussion with Hispanic coaches. If you are planning on a ending, please let me know.

a top 300 player in the world. Please join us.

On August 18th, we are also holding a USTA and USPTA joint Hispanic Workshop at Winston-Salem in conjunc on with the USPTA NC Conference. We will have Jorge Andrew and Tito Perez presen ng. It's going to be our second conference in NC. Please let me know if there is anything you would love to see coming from the DEI.

On October 25-27, there will be a USPTA Cer fica on Exam at ITA in Atlanta. If you know anyone who is interested in par ciOn another note, on July 28th, USTA Southern, in conjunc on pa ng, please let me know so I can reach out to them and guide with USPTA, will host a Hispanic Coaches Workshop at the Atlan- them through the process. If your facility would love to host one ta Open. It will be a great opportunity for networking and learn- of these events, please let me know. ing from each other. We will have Edgar Giffenig, former coach It's been a pleasure to be involved with the USPTA Southern from Mexico, USTA, and the German Federa on, and Andy ZigBoard, and with the leadership of Ken Adriano, we have a bright man from Argen na, former coach of the Israel tennis team, and future ahead.

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to rally exchange with these techniques David and Dana taught.

Craig Jones Controlling Chaos Courtesy of USTA  His presenta on focused on prepara on before the start of the clinic, checking space and equipment available, ra o of students to coach, and player profile inFrom the USPTA Southern Conference—notes from cluding skill level and consistency.

Rick Wille  Once you are about to start prac ce on the court with the students, the coach has to manage the athlete cenBlind and Visually Impaired Presented by Dana Costa and tered ability, use of assistants and their role, the culture David Dile uso of the students, and how much me in the hour clinic Both are experts in this adap ve tennis field. They were the to do the on court drills and match play. first presenters.  The coach needs to format the coopera ve play, vary Coaches and players got to simulate blindness using ing skill sets with op mal challenges, plus spli ng stuspecial glasses while moving on the court. dents into groups of twos or threes.  Some mes the balls made noise making it easier to  In the playing por on, determine court space playing make contact with the ball. on 1/2 court or full court and doubles vs singles.  The training included serving and groundstroke techniques giving players a chance to do some rallying, ex-  Can also add pressure giving them one serve per point.

Tiebreakers are always good, enabling them to play posing them to the challenges the visually impaired each point under pressure. The thrust of Craig's presenhave. David emphasized coaches use concise and deta on was to make it more realis c and teach the stuscrip ve language to communicate, simplifying hi ng dents how to win more matches, building their confithe ball back and forth with the makeshi glasses. dence..  It was fascina ng to start with assessment progressing

One Good Idea!

The Written Word

By Brian Perry USPTA Elite Professional

Play Tennis with Passion by Edgar Giffenig This past May at the USPTA Southern Conven on in Gulfport I was lucky enough to be selected as a raffle winner. I chose Edgar Giffenig's book Play Tennis With Passion. Let me give you an overview of what is in the book and some topics that I found very helpful.

Play Tennis With Passion is a book that helps all levels whether you are a junior or adult. Edgar's book uses ten performance factors that directly relate to a player's performance no ma er the ability - consistency precision - footwork - percep on & an cipaon - varia on - spin - ball speed - camouflage - mental skill and decision-making.

Every chapter addresses each one of these factors in greater detail with effec ve and

simple drills/exercises/ ps that as I said earlier are easily applied by all players of all levels. I have already used several concepts from the book with the USTA teams that I coach at Fort Sanders in Knoxville. The material has been well received. Let me give you an overview of my favorite performance factor that helped me with my adult teams. It was without a doubt chapter 4 on percep on and an cipa on.

The ability to "read" the ball off your opponent's racquet allows the player to be be er prepared for the execu on of his or her own shot. This area went on to also talk about recognizing speed, spin, and the trajectory of the ball as well as where and how it will bounce a er your opponent hits, which gives

you a much be er chance to make a successful swing in a balanced stance.

In addi on to percep on being discussed the aspect of an cipa on was talked about in great detail. Having your player recognize cues from their opponent. How is the swing path, is your opponent balanced and what are your opponent's tendencies? These were all very helpful and like I said earlier gave me some new ideas while adding my own experience to present some new material to my USTA teams.

In closing I would like to say my favorite quote of the book so far is - it's called footwork for a reason and not footplay or foo un.

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Growing Revenue and Member Satisfaction with a Comprehensive Pickleball Program Presented by McMahon Careers

By Ryan Johnson, JD, CRSE, USPTA, Director of Racquet Sports, Paradise Valley Country Club USPTA Southwest Pickleball Head Coach Developer USPTA Elite Professional

Over the last four years, pickleball has what dependent on your players. As with ed in the right environment. One way of witnessed an explosive rise in popularity. any part of your racquets program, you approaching this challenge is to build a The sport grew to 13.6 million players in will want to provide a diverse selec on of comple ve ecosystem in your program. By the United States according to the 2024 offerings that accommodate the wants crea ng this compe ve environment, Sports and Fitness Industry Associa on and needs of your members. Moreover, you are providing an incen ve and value (SFIA). This recent growth represents a this pathway should address the first chal- for players to improve. This can be in the 55% increase from 2022-2023 and an inlenge of dealing with the next step for form of club tournaments, interclub play, credible 223.5% growth rate from 2020. your players. It’s incumbent on us as pro- pickleball exchanges, and many others. At Clubs and facili es are uniquely posi oned fessionals to develop offerings that will PVCC, the development and implementato capitalize on this trend by developing retain players and provide the proper next on of interclub play was the biggest drivcomprehensive pickleball programs. Such er in lesson revenue growth. Members programs can significantly boost revenue were now compe ng against players outand member sa sfac on, provided they side of the club and in a team environaddress two of the most common chalment, which created numerous incen ves lenges: players o en ask, "Where do I go for developing their skills and game. next?" and many are reluctant to take Another approach to addressing these lessons. This ar cle will provide some idechallenges is to offer free introductory as on how to navigate these challenges classes. This lowers the barrier to entry effec vely. step in their pickleball journey. This can be and demonstrates the value of coaching. in the form of social and/or comple ve First and foremost, your team should inWith your well-developed pathway, you play opportuni es. clude a professional that is dedicated to will confidently be able to guide your playthe pickleball program. Many facili es As part of the pathway for skill progresers to their next step in the program. have recognized the importance and value sion, it’s recommended to define skill lev- Developing a comprehensive pickleball of staffing a Head Pickleball Professional els that fit your program. Players want to program can significantly enhance both and are providing compe ve compensa- understand objec vely where they fit and, revenue and member sa sfac on at your on packages to a ract and retain top in most cases, how they progress to the facility. By addressing the common chaltalent. This professional will be instrumen- next level. lenges of skill progression and lesson partal in developing the pickleball program The second challenge is the most pervacipa on, you create an environment and cul va ng rela onships with the sive, in my opinion. I’m sure many of you where players feel supported, engaged, members. have experienced the no on that pickleand mo vated to improve; Implement Once you have the right pickleball profes- ball players don’t want to take lessons. For structured skill pathways; Offer engaging sional in place, you are ready to develop a a sport that began with social play at its and fun lessons, and capitalize on various pathway for skill progression. This will founda on, I can certainly understand serve as your framework or roadmap for how this culture developed. And for many revenue opportuni es. With these strategies, your pickleball program will not only your players. This can cover everything players, the social component is one of a ract new members but also retain and from your Intro to Pickleball class to your the most a rac ve aspects of the sport.

Advanced Clinics/Play. The clinics and pro- That said, I believe that many players want sa sfy exis ng ones, fostering a vibrant gramming that you provide will be some- to progress their skills and game if provid- and thriving community.

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Summer Camp Fun: PropVue Screen and AuKing Projector As summer camp directors, we're always looking for engaging ac vi es to keep our young campers cool and entertained during breaks. This year, we decided to try a projector and screen combo, and we were pleasantly surprised by the results!We specifically used the PropVue Projector Screen with Stand (100-inch) and the AuKing Projector 2024 Upgraded Mini Projector. Here's our take on this dynamic duo:

se ng (especially with the lights dimmed). The

The PropVue Projector Screen with Stand (100-inch):

variety of connec on op ons (HDMI, USB, etc.) allows us to easily hook up our Nintendo Switch for gaming sessions.

Cons: As with most mini projectors, the sound quality isn't the best. We typically use an external speaker for a more immersive experience.

The Perfect Camp Combo: Despite some minor drawbacks, the PropVue screen and AuKing projector have become a summer me staple at our camp! The simple and quick setup allows us to get things going in minutes, perfect for rain delays, water breaks, or even pre/post lesson entertainment. The best part? It's been a great tool for fostering interac ons between campers and coaches. We've even used Mario Tennis Aces ("swing mode") to turn play me into a sneaky condi oning session,prac cing shot selec on strategy and posi oning!

Pros: Perfect size for our camp se ng, offering a large viewing experience for the kids. The included stand is easy to assemble and lightweight, making it a breeze to move around between different indoor areas. Plus, the 160-degree viewing angle ensures everyone has a good view, no ma er where they're seated.

The ROI on Fun: Cons: The screen is manual, so there's no fancy electric opera on. While the PVC material resists wrinkles, Here's the kicker: the en re setup falls within a very reait might not be the top-of-the-line screen quality. sonable price range. Considering the increased camper engagement, coaching interac ons, and overall fun factor, it's been a fantas c investment. We highly recommend The AuKing Projector 2024 Upgraded Mini Projector: this projector and screen combo for any camp or organizaon looking for a budget-friendly way to keep their crew Pros: This li le projector packs a punch! It delivers a clear cool,entertained, and even sneak in a li le learning during and vibrant picture that's perfect for our camp those summer breaks!

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SPTA "TEAM SOUTHERN" represented at Junior Nationals

By Captain Bill Riddle USPTA Master Professional For a number of years now, the USPTA Southern Division has helped support junior tennis players from the Southern sec on who play on "Team Southern" at the Junior Na onals. These players primarily come from or are selected by USPTA professionals throughout the south and come together to compete against 16 teams from around the USA at the Junior Naonals in Orlando at the USTA Naonal Campus. Players compe ng at this event are all looking to move onto playing college tennis and the event was founded over 27 years ago by Billie Jean King.

of the 16 teams since covid hit and have represented the south well finishing always in the top half and last year one team finished 3rd overall. A big thanks goes out to a number of key coaches that have always supported the teams with players such as Tyler Sory, Dani Leal, Keith Swindoll, MJ Garne , Devin Crotzer, Ken Adams and many others along the way. For the last 20+ years the teams were organized and coached by Bill Riddle who originally began this journey way back when BJK led the event known then as the World Team Tennis Junior Na onals in San Diego, CA.

Without the help and support from local USPTA professionals to iden fy players and the support of key divisional leaders like Tom Parks, Ken Andriano, Pat Whitworth and Todd Upchurch these junior players may miss out on a life changing opportunity to compete at this na onal level.

This year Team Southern will be represented by 3 teams (3 boys and 3 girls per team) and will also feature some new young coaches who are looking at careers in tennis. Coaches and players from Team Southern will all visit the USPTA Na onal Headquarters during their me at the Na onal Campus July 14-18.

"Team Southern" has fielded two

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Exercise Tracking of Pickleball vs. Tennis

By Emily Price Pickleball is quickly gaining in popularity across the United States. There’s no denying that playing a sport of any kind can help improve your health, but is trading your tennis racket for a kickball one a be er move? Apple decided it wanted to find out. Researchers from the Apple Heart and Movement Study looked at data from Apple Watch users in an a empt to learn how the game compares to the game of tennis as well as how it impacts a player’s overall health.

The study found that par cipants o en play both sports for long periods, averaging a peak heart rate of 70% of their es mated max heart rate during their recorded workouts on the smartwatch. Pickleball players tend to spend slightly longer playing than their tennis player

counterparts, 90 minutes versus 80 minutes; however, tennis workouts typically resulted in more me spent in higherintensity heart rate zones as well as a higher average peak heart rate, 152 beats per minute versus 143 beats per minute.

Pickleball, in general, has risen to a point where it’s a bit more popular to play than tennis for Apple Watch wearers. Utah in par cular recorded the most pickleball workouts per capita.

ple Heart and Movement Study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “Following the growth of pickleball using Apple Watch data allows us to explore emerging trends and the effects of ac vity on mul ple metrics of health and wellness that were not accessible before.”

leball player is 51 versus the average tennis player who is 45.

The Apple Heart and Movement Study is a collabora on between “The Apple Heart and MoveAs for who is playing, the study Apple and the Brigham and ment Study offers us remarkafound that both sports are pop- Women’s Hospital, and the ble opportuni es to follow parAmerican Heart Associa on. The ular across different ages and cipants’ behavior changes and study explores the links between both tended to be slightly more physical ac vity and heart the consequences of these popular with men rather than health and collects data from changes on health,” said Calum women. On average, the players more than 200,000 par cipants MacRae, M.D., Ph.D., a cardiolowho logged at least 10 pickleball across the US who give their gist, Professor of Medicine at consent to share data from their workouts also tend to be a bit Harvard Medical School, and Apple Watch as part of the older than their tennis-playing principal inves gator of the Apcounterparts. The average pick- study.

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Applying Pressure in Drills with Different Scoring

By Dan Beedle - USPTA Elite Professional

A drill that we all have done is a basic make ten, fi een or An alterna ve format which has become a favorite of mine twenty balls cross court. Whether we are feeding this drill is to use tennis scoring during the drill. Con nuing with the or its a live ball situa on it puts li le pressure on the oppo- same example of controlling the ball cross court (or any nent. Do you con nue to feed un l they get to the specidirec on that your player is working on). If the player fied number regardless of how many they miss? You could makes the shot the score is zero for the coach and fi een but it is good to put some pressure on the opponent. Here for the player. The player makes the next ball the score is are some varia ons in scoring to put the pressure on. zero - thirty. The next ball is missed long and the score becomes fi een - thirty ect. Use that scoring to play a set, the 1) make a total of twenty shots cross court.

2) adding to twenty, if the player makes the shot +1 to the set can be played using Ad or No-ad scoring. This can be total score and if they miss -1 from their score. The nega- done with a fed ball or live ball and can be used for a speve scoring could be used only if they miss into the net so cific shot or pa ern of shots such as serve plus one or a two - one rally pa ern. a wide ball would not count against them.

3) Make twenty shots with a three strike rule. If the player The players I have used this with have responded posi vely with increased focus especially during advantage points. misses three shots they go back to zero.

This scoring varia on creates a sense of realism and pres4) The player has three chances to make twenty in a row. sure more so than simply rallying cross court or feeding countless balls.

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