Racquet Sports

STRING for squash, TENNIS SHOES: badminton, & Its about tech racquetball players & performance

Footwear

Industry

TIA presents FUTURE OF TENNIS Summit

MARCH 2014 / VOLUME 42/ NUMBER 3 / $5.00

Court Construction & Maintenance Guide

LED Lighting Landscaping Surface Stains Personalize Courts
g tin a r o orp Inc

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MARCH 2014

DEPARTMENTS
4 7 Our Serve Industry News

FEATURES

14 Letters to the Editor 16 TIA news 18 Tennis Facilities 20 Retailing Tip 40 Ask the Experts String Playtest: Victory 42  Acelon Seven 16L 60 Your Serve by Bruce Knittle
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22 I  ndoor Racquet Sports

Boost your business by stringing for badminton, racquetball and squash players.

26 Performance Artists
New tennis shoes make a performance and technology splash.
COURT CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE GUIDE

INDUSTRY NEWS
7 Inaugural TIA Future of Tennis Summit
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7  Grow business with a Play Event 7  Cliff Drysdale to highlight owner/manager conference 8 8 8 Indian Wells Tennis Garden expands Prince introduces Racquet Selector, new frames Antigua offers 2014 womens line

28 Bright Ideas
LED lighting is spilling over to sports venues. Is it right for your tennis facility?

31 Growing Pains?
For your facilitys greenery, and to save green in your budget, work with a landscape pro.
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10 Sony unveils smart racquet sensor  eople Watch 10 P 10 Industry loses SCTAs Henry Talbert 11  New Tennis Tuesday digital mag launched 11 U  STA considers plan to move South 11 U  STA Serves awards $1.6 million 12 S  hort Sets

34 Cleaning Solution
What's the best way to get rid of shoe marks and stains on your courts?

36 Mark-Up Your Courts!

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Tennis court contractors are adding logos, monograms and more to personalize courts.

PLUS
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47  CEOs Message Vice 49  Presidents Message 50 Growing Your Business Beyond the Court 53  Career 57  Development 59 Member News

47 Good on ya, Mates!

USPTA Australian Open trip a fantastic adventure.

53 Tennis Thanks the Troops

USPTA Pros host fundraisers for ThanksUSA, scholarships.

50 Tennis Across America Celebrates 25 Years

USPTA Pros host free clinics to give back to their communities.
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March 2014

54 Professional Tennis Management

College program prepares graduates for career in the tennis industry.

Our Serve
Its a Simple Question, But . . .
ow do we get more tennis consumers? Thats the one question basic to every group involved in tennis. No matter what part of the industry youre inteaching pro, retailer, manufacturer, tennis association, court builder, tournament director, etc.your business will benet when you get more people to consume tennis goods, services or events. In fact, thats what this magazine is all abouthelping you reach more consumers. We need more people to play more tennis, to buy more tennis products and services, and to attend and watch more tennis tournaments and events. Although the questionHow do we get more consumers?is simple, the answer, as weve found out for decades now, is not easy at all. We all have our own opinions about how best to reach more consumers and draw them in to the sport. I believe appealing to consumers based on the health and tness aspects of tennisand how more and more people want something fun yet healthy to dowill be a clear winner for getting more people to play. Others feel that an all-out push for kids is the best way to reach more consumers, bringing both children and their parents into tennis. There are those who believe social engagement in this digital world is what will bring more people into the game. And still others think we need to cultivate more American champions, so that star power will

Publishers

David Bone Jeff Williams

Editorial Director Peter Francesconi peter@racquettech.com Associate Editor Greg Raven Design/Art Director Kristine Thom Special Projects Manager Bob Patterson Contributing Editors Robin Bateman Cynthia Cantrell Kent Oswald Cynthia Sherman Mary Helen Sprecher Tim Strawn Contributing Photographers Bob Kenas David Kenas TENNIS INDUSTRY Corporate Ofces PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096 Phone: 760-536-1177 Fax: 760-536-1171 Email: TI@racquetTECH.com Website: www.TennisIndustryMag.com Ofce Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Advertising Director John Hanna 770-650-1102, x.125 hanna@knowatlanta.com Apparel Advertising Cynthia Sherman 203-263-5243 cstennisindustry@earthlink.net
Tennis Industry is published 10 times per year: monthly January through August and combined issues in September/October and November/ December by Tennis Industry and USRSA, PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096. Periodcal postage paid at Duluth, GA and at additional mailing ofces (USPS #004-354). March 2014, Volume 42, Number 3 2014 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. All rights reserved. Tennis Industry, TI and logo are trademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A. Phone advertising: 770-650-1102 x 125. Phone circulation and editorial: 760-536-1177. Yearly subscriptions $25 in the U.S., $40 elsewhere. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Tennis Industry, PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096. TI is the ofcial magazine of the USRSA, TIA,and ASBA. Looking for back issues of Tennis Industry/ Racquet Sports Industry? Visit the archives at our website at TennisIndustrymag.com for free digital versions back to 2004.

attract more players to the court. All of these, and many others, are certainly valid ways to reach and create more consumers for tennis. To help this discussion along, the Tennis Industry Association is bringing together experts from many segmentsincluding pro tennis, youth sports, health and tness, media, technology, etc.for the inaugural Future of Tennis Summit, which will be held March 11-12 in Indian Wells, Calif., during the BNP Paribas mens and womens pro tournament. The idea is for the Summit to generate ideas that can help get consumers to play more, watch more, and buy moreimportant so we can put this industry on a path for sustainable growth. As you should be aware, one of our industrys goals is to reach 10 million frequent players in the U.S. by 2020 (right now we have about 5.4 million frequent players). This unique Future of Tennis Summit will help provide insight into how we can achieve that. Visit futureoftennis.com to see the current agenda and list of highpowered speakers and panelists, including presenters from outside of the tennis industry who can help provide insight and opinions about what tennis needs to do to grow. Since this directly affects your business, wed like to know what you think about how to get more tennis consumers. After decades of trying, we know there are no easy answers.

Peter Francesconi, Editorial Director peter@racquettech.com

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Information to help you run your business

TIA Future of Tennis Summit in Indian Wells

ormer world No. 1 and current TV tennis analyst and Davis Cup Captain Jim Courier will be a featured guest at the inaugural Tennis Industry Association Future of Tennis Summit, to be held March 11-12 in Indian Wells, Calif., during the BNP Paribas Open. The Summit will include discussions and speakers that take a top-level view of the industry, dene goals and benchmarks, and help to chart a path that will ensure a protable tennis marketplace and an image of tennis attractive to both recreational tennis players and tennis fans. The conference brings together experts from many segmentsincluding pro tennis, youth sports, health and tness, media, technology, etc.to generate ideas and discussions that can help get consumers to play more, watch more, and buy more, putting this industry on a sustainable path for growth and helping to reach the goal of 10 million frequent players in the U.S. by 2020. Speakers and panelists were still being conrmed at press time, but presenters will include top executives from the USTA, WTA, ATP and ITF, tennis media, research experts, marketing experts and youth tennis experts. The Future of Tennis Summit will be at the Renaissance Esmeralda Indian Wells Resort & Spa. Additional details are available at FutureofTennis.com or email meetings@tennisindustry.org.

Grow Your Business by Hosting a Play Event

Tennis providers looking to grow their business have an opportunity in the month of March to host a Play Event and get more kidsand familiesplaying. The USTA is providing Play Event organizers with resources to host a successful tennis event and ensure a positive rst experience for kids. Providers need to register their event by March 31 at YouthTennis.com or by calling 800-990-8782. Play Events are happening across the country throughout the month, in celebration of World Tennis Day on March 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York and at sites in London and Hong Kong. Tennis providers can choose the type of event that works best for them, whether its an event for kids and families new to the game, or a Play Day to introduce kids to tennis. Registered Play Events and Play Days taking place in March receive a Celebration Pack with a YouthTennis. com banner, 50 YouthTennis.com bracelets, and 50 copies of Bounce magazine for kids. To help promote registered Play Events locally, providers also receive marketing resources from the USTA, including a sell sheet, web banners, a timeline checklist, customizable poster and yer, press release and media advisory templates, newsletter copy and graphics. Organizers also will be featured in the searchable database on YouthTennis.com. According to the USTA, March is the No. 1 month nationally when parents begin registering their children for spring programs. By hosting a Play Event, tennis organizerswhether at facilities, parks or municipalitieshave the opportunity to showcase their junior tennis programs and attract new players, and consumers, to the sport.

Drysdale to Highlight Owner/Manager Meeting

liff Drysdale, a 2013 International Tennis Hall of Fame Inductee, will be the keynote speaker for the 2014 TIA Tennis Facility Owners & Managers Conference in Charleston, S.C., April 3-4, during the Family Circle Cup women's tennis tournament. The conference will also feature some of the industrys leading experts in tennis facility operations and management, who will present sessions and highlight resources on a variety of business topics including staffing and compensation, marketing, retailing, programming, and technology. The event will also provide attendees with networking opportunities to share their experiences and best practices. Conference participants also will attend a VIP reception and watch the matches at the Family Circle Cup on April 3. For more information and to register for the conference, which will take place at the Charleston Marriott, visit TheTOMConference.com or call the TIA at 843-473-4504.

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Prince Introduces Racquet Selector, New Frames
Princewhich recently introduced a number of new frames in its Premier, Warrior, Tour and LS lineshas rolled out a new Racquet Selector on its website that, through answers to a series of six questions ranging from level of play to importance of power, leads players to a unique power level number that corresponds to the right Prince racquet for them. With the introduction of all these racquets, it is essential that our consumers can easily identify the right racquet for their game, says Peg Connor, director of global marketing for Prince Global Sports. Our new racquet selector is a unique, interactive web app that makes the racquet selection process fun and easy. In addition to the Premier, Warrior and Tour racquets that were in Tennis Industrys Outlook story in the February issue, Prince recently unveiled its LS Series, which features a new cosmetic design with historic Prince racquet names designed for club players looking for performance at a more economical price point. The frames use Princes O3 Technology to help enlarge the sweetspot, says the company. The LS models will come in four racquet head sizes and ve different weights (Silver LS 118, Blue LS 110, Red LS 105, Pink LS 105, and White LS 100). Top 10 WTA Tour player Jelena Jankovic is now using the Red LS 105. For more information, and to check out the Racquet Selector, visit princetennis.com.

Antigua Offers 2014 Womens Line

The Antigua Group Inc., which will be celebrating its 35th year in business in 2014, recently debuted its new line of women's tennis apparel, split into Performance, Essentials and Outerwear collections. The company says the lines feature both active, contemporary looks and classic, traditional designs. We've revamped our women's line for 2014 with seven new styles and some great new colors, said Antigua Group CEO Ron McPherson. Each piece features one of our two performance fabrics, Desert Dry or Desert Dry Xtra Lite (D2XL), which enable the apparel to stand up to competitive play in the heat or cold. The Performance collection includes 14 items, ranging from polos to skorts to jackets, with most in at least ve color options. The Essentials collection is made up of 10 tops, some available in as many as 22 colors. The Outerwear collection has ve tops, including hoodies, half zip eeces and long sleeve full zip jackets. Some are available in as many as 26 colors. Antigua also offers custom embroidery. Visit Antigua.com.

Expanded Indian Wells Facility To Enhance BNP Paribas Open

ennis fans will notice an expansion at the BNP Paribas Open mens and womens tournament, which takes place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California March 3 to 16. The tournament recently completed Stadium 2 (above), a permanent structure with 8,000 seats, and which will house three gourmet restaurantsNobu, The Chop House and Pieros Pizza Vinoon the concourse level overlooking the on-court action and the grounds. In addition to the new Stadium 2 and the restaurants, the site expansion includes a new East entrance with a new box office, a Walk of Palms, an additional 19,000-square-foot shade structure with video walls, four additional practice courts, additional concessions, more grass parking space for up to 2,000 cars, enhanced landscaping, additional seats on some outside courts, and more. The Indian Wells Tennis Garden will unveil Stadium 2 on March 1, when it will host the McEnroe Challenge for Charity, a free-admission special event that will feature John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Peter Fleming and Rick Leach. The new restaurants in Stadium 2 also will be open during the charity event. In our continued effort to enhance the BNP Paribas Open experience we are very excited that we will now be able to offer this unique dining experience that all of our patrons can enjoy while taking in the matches, the spectacular mountain views and the numerous activities that are available throughout the tournament grounds, says tournament director Steve Simon.
March 2014

Florida One-On-One Doubles To Lead to National Championship

One-On-One Doubles, a unique half-court serve-and-volley singles competition played

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former world No. 1 doubles player Kelly Jones. Its great for young players to start serving and volleying again. It helps creativity and feel. Piloted by the USTA Florida Section, One-On-One Doubles tournaments will be held March 7 at the Kiwi Tennis Club, Indian Harbour Beach; April 5 at Hawks Landing Tennis Club in Plantation; May 3 at Buckhorn Springs Tennis and Swim Club in Valrico; and Oct. 25 at Avila Golf & Country Club in Tampa. Each tournament integrates rockin blues music throughout the three- to fourhour event. Players win points at each event that determines who goes to the national championship. One-OnOne Doubles Tournaments are a natural addition to any tennis clubs scheduleboth for regular play and special events, says Whitney Kraft, tennis director at the USTA BJK NTC. For more information, contact Krass at oneononedoubles@yahoo.com or call 813-684-9031 or 813-478-3384, or visit oneononedoubles.com.

Prince Opens Hub in Melbourne

To kick-off the rst Grand Slam of 2014, Prince opened a customize Hub at the Tennis Live Site at the Crown Entertainment Complex in Melbourne for tennis fans and visitors. Throughout the Australian Open, the Prince Hub featured a ground-oor merchandise store that showcased Princes 2014 product line and gave tennis enthusiasts the opportunity to nd a racquet using Princes latest racquet selector. The Hub also hosted Prince player signing sessions and was a prime location for viewing the action and live entertainment around the area. Player appearances included WTA No. 8 Jelena Jankovic and doubles champions Mike and Bob Bryan.

on a doubles court and created by college tennis guru Ed Krass, returns to Florida with four events, leading to an all-expenses paid trip to New York City in November to play in the national championship at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Each tournament offers $4,000 in prize money. One-On-One Doubles is a fast-paced game played cross-courteach player covers half the court, from the baseline to net, and from center line to outside doubles line. The format requires players to use the full arsenal of shots, but emphasizes serving and volleying. It give players the opportunity to play a game that we always used as a drill, says

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People Watch
Australian Open nalist Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, along with Spanish tour player Nicolas Almagro, recently switched to Dunlops new M4.0 racquet. "We tested the M4.0 with Dominika and Nicolas late last year, and they gave us excellent feedback about its stability and control. They were both able to play their power baseline games with added condence, which is why they switched so quickly," said Hunter Hines, director of marketing and product for Dunlop Racquet Sports. Mueller Sports Medicine of Prairie du Sac, Wis., has signed a threeyear deal with Rafael Nadal to endorse Muellers ProStrips abrasion control products. Nadal says he wears the strips around the ngers of his racquet hand to protect his skin from blistering and tearing during matches. Pro Strips are pressuresensitive mesh strips available in rolls or pre-cut shapes that help protect against turf burns, scrapes and blisters. Visit muellersportsmed.com. Alan Little, the honorary librarian of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum and author of the annual Wimbledon Compendium, has been awarded the MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the Queen's New Years' Honours List for his services to tennis. Fila has signed a multiyear endorsement agreement with topranked American player Sam Querrey. Two coaching legendsDr. Jim Loehr and the late Jim Verdieck were set to be inducted into the PTR Hall of Fame during the PTR International Tennis Symposium in February on Hilton Head Island. Loehr and Verdieck join Dennis Van der Meer in the PTR Hall of Fame. Dale Caldwell, the former president of the USTA Eastern Section board of directors, has been awarded the sections Leslie J. FitzGibbon Tennis Man of the Year Award for his sustained involvement in growing the game. The San Diego Aviators, the newest World TeamTennis team, picked up Bob and Mike Bryan, the top doubles team in the world, in a trade with the Texas Wild. San Diego also announced that the Bryans coach, David Macpherson, will be the head coach of the Aviators. The San Diego franchise was created when local businessman Russell Geyser bought the New York WTT franchise after last season and moved it west. Peugeot, which this year marks its 30th anniversary in partnership with Roland Garros, has chosen Novak Djokovic as its international ambassador. 2XU (Two Times You), a sports apparel and compression brand, has hired former tennis professional Randy Becker to head sales operations in the tennis and golf markets in the U.S. Becker played on the pro tour and coached the Maze Cup and USA v. Japan Exchange. His experience in tennis includes time as a consultant and as director of player development and board member for the USTA Northern California Section. Steve Ayles has joined the International Tennis Federation as the Executive Commercial Consultant for Asia-Pacic. He formerly held the position of director of commercial for Tennis Australia, was CEO of Tennis Queensland, and was a tournament director for ATP/WTA events. Terry Fontana of Long Island, N.Y., recently received the USTA Eastern Section Lifetime Achievement Award for her commitment to tennis over the past 50 years.

Industry Loses Henry Talbert

After a long and courageous battle with cancer, former USTA Southern California Section Executive Director Henry Talbert passed away on Jan. 12 at his Pacic Palisades home, surrounded by his wife, Fran, and sons, Eli and Ethan. Talbert joined the USTA national ofce in 1974 as tennis programming director, before moving in 1990 to the Princeton, N.J., ofce where he focused on recreation programming

and research, and then back to the national ofce in White Plains, N.Y., in 1993, where he supervised the USTA National Recreation Program staff. He returned home to California in 1997 to become executive director of the Southern California Tennis Association and remained in that position for 16 years until he retired in 2013. Talbert received the prestigious Gussy Moran Humanitarian Award in 2013 for his achievements and contributions to tennis in the U.S.

Sony Unveils Smart Racquet Sensor

Sony revealed a prototype Smart Tennis Sensor at the Consumer Electronics Show in January that is installed in the

end of the racquet handle and equipped with vibration and gyroscopic sensors to track where the ball strikes the strings. The sensor also records swing speed and spin you put on the ball. Bluetooth sends the data to a paired mobile device. Battery life when the Bluetooth is turned on is about 90 minutes. The device weighs 8 grams and measures 31.3 mm in diameter and 17 mm in height. PC Pro magazine says the sensor will be released in Japan in May, for a price of about $170. At launch, the sensor will only be compatible with six Yonex racquets: the VCore Tour G, VCore Xi 98, VCore Xi 100, EZone AI 98, EZone Ai 100, and EZone Ai Lite. Players also need to download the free app for Android or iOS.

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works as well on a phone as it does on a desktopand devices of all sizes in between.

USTA Considers Plan to Move South

In an email to USTA staff in mid-January, Executive Director Gordon Smith relayed a message from USTA President Dave Haggerty about a major new initiative to create a state-of-the-art tennis facility in Orlando, Fla., to showcase American tennis and provide an unprecedented opportunity to further the USTAs mission of growing and developing the sport of tennis in the United States. While Smith said plans are not nal, the concept, which would be completed in 2016, is to build a tennis facility and complex that would house the USTA Community Tennis division and include a new Collegiate Tennis Center. The facility would also become the exclusive national headquarters of USTA Player Development.

ACEing Autism Honors Duchess of York

he Duchess of York recently was honored by ACEing Autism for her interest in tennis and developing recreational opportunities for kids with autism. ACEing Autism has 30 tennis programs in 10 states serving the needs of about 500 children with autism on a weekly basis, who represent a variety of cognitive, special and physical abilities. Each child is paired with one or two volunteers based on his or her needs. This past fall ACEing Autism launched new programs in Tampa; Charlotte; Encinitas, Calif.; and Riverside Park, N.Y., with plans to expand to nine new areas in 2014. Visit acingautism.com.

USTA Serves Awards $1.6 Million

USTA Serves, the national charitable foundation of the USTA, recently awarded $450,000 in grants to 40 organizations that provide tennis and education to underserved youth and people with disabilities, bringing the total awarded during the 2013 grant funding cycle to more than $1.2 million. Combined with scholarships, USTA Serves awarded a total of $1.6 million in 2013. The biannual grant process was established to award organizations that successfully combine tennis and education for underserved youth as well as people with disabilities to gain an opportunity to play tennis and improve their aca-

Tecnibre Offers 2 New Frames

Tecnibre, the ofcial product sponsor of the ATP, introduces two new frames for spring, the TFlash 300 and the TFlash 315. Both graphite racquets offer a 100-square-inch head and 16 x 19 string pattern. The TFlash 300 weighs 10.6 ounces while the 315, designed for power and spin, checks in at 11.1 ounces. For more information, visit tecnibre.com.

platform that allows publishers to create highly interactive user experiences to be delivered via web, tablet and smartphone. Each issue of Tennis Tuesday will continue to offer the latest insight on the pro circuit, as well as tips for the frequent players among our audience to be able to improve their games, said Robert Miller, managing partner of the Tennis Media Co., which also publishes Tennis magazine and Tennis.com. The weekly offering will not only do all of this with twice the frequency of Tennis 15-30, but it will do so with an enhanced user-friendly experience that

TMC Launches Digital Magazine Tennis Tuesday

In early January, the Tennis Media Co. launched a new weekly digital magazine, Tennis Tuesday, that the company says serves as a stand-alone product for desktop computers, tablets and mobile phones. Available at TennisTuesday.net, the new publication replaces the twicemonthly digital magazine Tennis 15-30, but with some key differences. Besides the increased frequency, the technology of Tennis Tuesday is driven by Ceros, a

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Short Sets
IBM unveiled new technologies for tennis fans during the 2014 Australian Open, including a free iPad app and the IBM ReturnServe, which used live match data to give fans at home the experience of facing serves from the worlds best players. The USTA selected the Dunlop Fort clay ball for the Jan. 31-Feb. 2 Davis Cup tie between the U.S. and Great Britain, which was played on a red clay court set up at Petco Park, the home of MLBs San Diego Padres. TGA Premier Youth Tennis (TGA) has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine in its Franchise 500 list. The youth sports company debuted at No. 424. The magazines 35th annual Franchise 500 appears in the January 2014 issue. Entrepreneur Magazine previously named TGA a Top 10 Franchise Value based on total startup costs. Former world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier will be the special celebrity guest for the Rodney Street Tennis & Tutoring Associations Annual Spring Benet on May 8 in Wilmington, Del. The event will be held at the Greenville Country Club. Visit rodneystreettennis.org. Three full-time coaches have been added recently to USTA Player Development: Roger Anderson and Anibal Aranda as national coaches for womens tennis, and Stephen Amritraj as a national coach for mens tennis. Anderson and Aranda will be based out of Boca Raton, Fla., working under head of womens tennis Ola Malmquist; Amritraj will be based in Carson, Calif., reporting to head of mens tennis Jay Berger. Maria Sharapovas candy line, Sugarpova, now has a partnership with the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum in Newport, R.I. Sugarpova is the new ofcial sponsor and an underwriter of the Hall of Fame's Kids Free program, which provides free admission to the museum for children ages 16 and under, every day, yearround. Lighting company ThinkLite says its sold more than 1,000 units of HammeLite, its proprietary indoor court lighting solution introduced in December 2012. Customers included indoor tennis and soccer facilities in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maine and Canada. For more information, visit ThinkLite.com or call 617-500-6689. The Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md., will again partner with the Special Olympics Maryland to provide free training facilities to Team Maryland and its athletes who will compete at the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games to be held in Princeton, N.J., in June. JTCC will train 25 to 35 Special Olympics athletes who will play for Team Maryland in the state's rst representation at the games. Har-Tru Sports signed on to be a domestic sponsor of the U.S. vs. Great Britain Davis Cup by BNP Paribas First Round tie, which was played on a temporary red clay court in left eld of PetCo Park Jan. 31Feb. 2 in San Diego. The USPTA has relaunched its website, uspta.com, with a new look and new navigation. The rst ofcial sports partnership for StubHub, the world's largest secondary ticketing marketplace and part of the eBay Inc. family, is with the 2014 World Tennis Day Showdown presented by the Financial Times at London Earls Court. The London showcase is a new addition to the World Tennis Day format, organized by StarGames, which will see events in New York's Madison Square Garden and Hong Kong, all on March 3. The London Showdown will feature legends Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Pat Cash and Ivan Lendl. The ITF announced that human resources solutions company Adecco has signed a three-year extension as an international sponsor of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas. The World TeamTenniss Austin Aces will play their matches at the Cedar Park Center, where the arena will be congured to seat 5,500 fans.

demic skills in a structured format. These programs also strive to help combat childhood obesity by promoting healthy lifestyles. To date, USTA Serves has awarded more than $17 million in grants and scholarships to standout players and programs.

Aussie Open, By the Numbers

There are always some interesting stats and facts that come out of each of the Grand Slam tournaments. This years Australian Open was hit with four days of intense heat,

which tournament ofcials say affected the overall attendance, which was 643,280 fans vs. the record set in 2012 of 686,006. Some other interesting numbers provided by the tournament incude: The Wilson stringers hut restrung more than 4,200 racquets, using over 31 miles of string. More than 110 racquets were rapidly restrung for players during matches. Serena Williams had the most racquets restrung of all players in the main draw, sending 45 racquets to the stringers. More than 17 million unique visitors went to ausopen.com, an increase of 12

percent over last year. The most popular female players based on number of prole views were Eugenie Bouchard (372,799 views), Dominika Cibulkova (316,409), Ana Ivanovic (205,971), Li Na (194,304) and Agnieszka Radwanska (190,340). The most popular male players were Rafael Nadal (292,289), Roger Federer (275,410), Stanislas Wawrinka (222,120), Grigor Dimitrov (172,770) and Novak Djokovic (132,131). SlamTracker was launched more than 4.9 million times, an increase of 154 percent.

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The ofcial Australian Open App was downloaded more than 1.2 million times on mobile devices. There was a 91 percent increase in mobile site page views, with more than 35 million page views at m.ausopen.com. The Australian Open Facebook page had 1,158,308 likes and a total reach of 12.5 million.

College MatchDay to Highlight 22 NCAA Div. 1 Team Matches

The USTA announced that College MatchDay, the nationwide series spotlighting college tennis, will feature 22 matches on 18 different campuses in 2014, 10 of which will be delivered by ESPN3. The series kicked off in early February in Tallahassee, Fla., with the Florida State men hosting Oklahoma. College MatchDay is a weekly series highlighting marquee team matches featuring the best programs, players and coaches around the country. In addition to the ESPN3 coverage, eight College MatchDays will feature a 53-foot, interactive Fan Experience trailer on site, where fans can engage in a number of activities before and during the match. College tennis is such amazing and exciting competition, and College MatchDay is a way to shine a light on schools, teams, players and coaches, said Virgil Christian, the USTAs director of collegiate tennis. We hope that College MatchDay can change the landscape of viewing college tennis both in person and at home. Every MatchDay carried on ESPN3 will follow a unique, experimental format, as proposed by an advisory group of NCAA Division I athletic directors: All six singles matches will be played rst, best of three tie-break sets, with each singles match worth one point toward the team total (four points are required to win the team match). Once one team reaches four points and clinches the match, the remaining matches will not be completed. In the case of a 3-3 tie after the singles matches, three doubles matchesplayed using 10-point super tiebreakerswill be used to determine the winner. The team that wins two of the three doubles matches wins the team match.

Ashaway Extends Crossre Line of Hybrid Strings

Ashaway Racket Strings has extended its well-known Crossre line of hybrid tennis strings to include its popular 100 percent

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Letters
Redone Magazine is 'A Winner'
Great job with the new Tennis Industry! I was always a big fan of the original Tennis Industry. The new publication is well laid out and very informative. Also, the ADDvantage section will be a big improvement. You denitely hit a winner with this new and improved magazine. Philip Blackwelder USPTA, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Congratulations on the new Tennis Industry magazine. I like the new look and hope this proves to be a very successful move on the part of TI and USPTA. Don Crusius National Sales Manager, VITALSOX I read the new, combined Tennis Industry and ADDvantage magazine. Thank you for being innovative and producing such a nice product for our industry. Greg Lappin National Tennis Director Life Time Fitness I just received the new magazine and the new format and love it. I like the combined aspect with the USPTA news also. B. Scott Smith Executive Director Vineyard Youth Tennis Marthas Vineyard, Mass.

Over-50 Players Are a Key to Participation Goals

In the January 2014 issue of Tennis Industry, Kevin Theos Your Serve did an excellent job outlining some of the key steps toward achieving the Tennis Industry Association's goal of reaching 10 million frequent players by 2020. I would like to add two more important considerations. First, we need to pay more attention to population (player) demographics. By 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that roughly 35 percent of our overall population will be 50 and over. While Kevin rightly emphasizes creating new generations of frequent players, we must also pay particular attention to nurturing, motivating, and supporting those players who are "maturing gracefully. And, I am not only referring to 50 and over players who are relatively new to our sport; we need to take care of existing frequent players, particularly that growing group of Baby Boomers who may well play frequently into their 80s or 90s. Second, what can be done to really help frequent players ages 50 and over continue to play? Most simply, making court surfaces more user-friendly and less traumatic on our bodies. Out west where I play and teach, the vast majority of courts are asphalt or concrete; the few clay courts we do have are woefully inadequate. We need to carefully examine what will happen to the numbers of frequent 50 and over players when their

bodies start breaking down because of the over-abundance of and reliance on hard courts. I am afraid that many of us competitive senior players will be forced to give up the game because our bodies can no longer take the constant pounding presented by asphalt and concrete. The technology of clay courts, including the maintenance needed to keep them in good shape, has improved dramatically over the years. Many clubs and facilities that only offer hard courts and that avoid making the investments needed for more player-friendly soft courts will lose frequent players as physical maladies take their cumulative tolls. While the focus on bringing new frequent players into our sport is important, lets not forget that retaining frequent players in the fastest growing segment of our population will also play a critical role in achieving the 10 million frequent player goal. Gene Siegel USPTA Professional, Tucson, Ariz.

Its About the Mission

Living Up to the Mission (Our Serve, February 2014)great editorial! Build participationthats the name of the game. Think long term. Thank you, Peter. Alan G. Schwartz Chairman, TCA Holdings LLC We welcome your comments. Please email them to TI@RacquetTech.com.

Zyex monolament strings. Additions to the line include Crossre ZX, which combines Ashaway's 17-gauge braided Aramid/PTFE Kevlar+Plus mains with MonoGut ZX Pro cross strings; and Crossre ZX Tour, which includes Ashaway's co-polymer string, MonoGut Original, mains with MonoGut ZX for the crosses. For more information visit www.ashawayusa.com.

Nominate for TI Hall of Fame

The Tennis Industry Association is accepting nominations for the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame for 2014, which

honors individuals who have made a signicant impact on the sport of tennis. Nominations, which are due by June 21, can be in any of four categories: Inventors, Founders, Innovators or Contributors. Criteria for nominating and a short nomination form are at TennisIndustry.org/HOF. The Tennis Industry Hall of Fame was created in 2008 and currently has eight inductees: Howard Head (2008), Dennis Van der Meer (2008), Alan Schwartz (2009), Billie Jean King (2010), Nick Bollettieri (2011), Howard Gill Jr.

(2013), Walter Montenegro (2013) and Sheldon Westervelt (2013). Plaques of Tennis Industry Hall of Fame inductees are on permanent display at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.

USRSA Announces New MRTs

Julian Ayala - Weston, FL Eric Engelsgjerd - Frisco, TX Richard Marks - San Diego, CA Daniel Marongiu - Miramar Beach, FL Joseph Sisco - Brooklyn Center, MN

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2  014 Future of Tennis Summit

More Players, More Fans, More Tennis Consumers
The inaugural Future of Tennis Summit will bring together top executives and experts from all segments of the industry, and from outside of tennis. The goal is to generate ideas and discussions that can put this industry on a pathway that creates more tennis players, more tennis fans, and more tennis consumers. Much like the sport itself, the Summit is designed to be fluid, dynamic and engaging, with presentations by industry and sports experts, panel discussions and opportunities to network.

VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF TENNIS

With the support and participation from major organizations and companies in tennis, along with important sponsors, the Future of Tennis Summit will help design the future landscape of the sport.

 Capturing the youth market and next generations. Health and fitness messaging.  The global tennis outreach.  Trends and insights in the consumer market.  Technology and adult recreational play.  How to motivate and remove barriers to play.  Moving the needle on adult frequent play. 

ENGAGED & INFLUENTIAL AUDIENCE

From the moment the Future of Tennis Summit was announced, the response has been tremendous. We expect the meeting room at the Renaissance Esmeralda Indian Wells Resort & Spa to be filled to capacity, as registrations are received daily from tennis executives, tournament directors, media, tennis organizations, tech representatives, tennis providers, retailers, coaches, teaching pros, potential new sponsors for the sport, etc.

PARTICIPATION & SUPPORT BY KEY EXECUTIVES

Featured Guest Jim Courier

 TIA Board Members USTA Top Executives and Board Members  Major Manufacturers  Key Tennis Organizations  Sponsors and Advertisers 

IMPORTANT & DYNAMIC TOPICS

 Pro tours and the mediacreating the buzz. The latest research, including participation, consumer  and manufacturing trends. The USTAs vision for the future. 

KNOWLEDGEABLE SPEAKERS & PANELISTS (Conrmed to date)

Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO, WTA  ason Bernstein, Senior DirectorProgramming & J Kristin Carroll, V.PMarketing, Active Network Gary Colen, CEO, AMP Agency  Jim Courier, former World No. 1, current TV analyst, 
Davis Cup captain Jolyn de Boer, Executive Director, TIA  David Egdes, Senior V.P.Tennis Industry Relations,  Tennis Channel John Embree, CEO, USPTA  Dave Haggerty, President and Chairman of the Board,  USTA Acquisitions, ESPN

 urt Kamperman, CEO, Community Tennis, USTA K Ilana Kloss, CEO and Commissioner, WTT  Dr. Mark Kovacs, Performance Physiologist, Coach, Author  Greg Mason, President, TIA  Dave Miley, Executive DirectorTennis Development, ITF  Dr. Bob Pangrazi, Educational Consultant and Professor Emeritus,   ona Pearl, Global Business Development Expert M Dan Santorum, CEO, PTR  Keith Storey, President, Sports Marketing Surveys USA  Jeff Williams, Group Publisher, Tennis magazine/Tennis.com 
Arizona State

For more information, visit FutureOfTennis.com.

Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Prots . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org

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The T.O.M. Conference

April 3-4, 2014, Charleston, S.C.

Inaugural Tennis Owners & Managers Conference

Tennis Hall-of-Famer and ESPN tennis Other presenters and topics will include: commentator Cliff Drysdale will Jim Bates of Intelligent Creativity, who highlight the TIAs inaugural Tennis wrote the book Business Valuation Owners & Managers Conference, for Dummies, on setting financial which will be held at the Charleston benchmarks and how to evaluate your (S.C.) Marriott April 3-4, during the clubs success rate. Family Circle Cup womens professional tournament. Drysdales career includes leadership roles in tennis and the ATP and ownership of Cliff Drysdale Tennis, a tennis management company. Hell be joined at the Owners & Managers Conference by some of the industrys leading experts in tennis facility operations and management, who will cover topics and issues important to running and managing facilities. The goal of the T.O.M. Conference is to bring together experts from various areas and backgrounds to share ESPN tennis commentator Cliff Drysdale their insights and provide takeaways for conference attendees, Simon Gale, Yonkers Tennis Center says TIA Executive Director Jolyn de general manager, on how to take Boer. Were assembling a terrific advantage of the industrys collective lineup of presenters, panel discussions focus on 10 and Under Tennis to grow and networking opportunities in your business. beautiful Charleston, plus an evening Jeff Goeke, president of Fairfield at the Family Circle Cup matches. The (Conn.) Indoor Tennis, on how to setting is hard to beat! maximize revenue per court. Working with the TIA, veteran Virgil Christian, the USTA director tennis club and facility management of market development, and facility consultant Doug Cash of CashFlow designer and technical consultant Tennis helped organize speakers David Lasota, who will discuss how and will present sessions on staff to make sure your facility is operating compensation, navigating legal at peak efficiency and is appealing to issues and increasing membership, in players. addition to moderating discussions. Retail consultant Jay Townley of the Among the presentations will Gluskin Townley Group on the pros be a C-Level roundtable discussion and cons of running a pro shop at your with Greg Lappin of Life Time Fitness; tennis facility. Thomas Deere, COO of Five Seasons Family Sports Club; and Michael TIA Tennis Facility Owners Mahoney, VP and general manager & Managers Conference of Midtown Tennis Club in Chicago. Theyll share their views on key areas April 3-4, 2014 that affect our sports health and Charleston Marriott, Charleston, S.C. growth, and provide insights on what TheTOMConference.com our industry should be thinking about 843-473-4504 to ensure a vibrant and profitable tennis marketplace in the future.
Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Prots . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org

There also will be a focus on the latest technology for tennis facilities that can help drive consumer engagement and retention and keep clubs and facilities on the cutting edge. TIA Software as a Service (Saas) partners will be on hand to help provide technology solutions to improve facility operations. Attendees have the opportunity to meet in smallgroup sessions with SaaS providers on products and services that can aid in court booking, point-of-sale software, website development and more. Discussion panelists will include Kurt Kamperman, USTA Community Tennis chief executive; Dan Santorum, CEO of the PTR; John Embree, CEO of the USPTA; Ajay Pant, general manager of the Tennis Center at College Park (Md.); and Rod Heckelman, general manager of the Mount Tam R.C. in California, among others. The TIA, together with its research partner Sports Marketing Surveys, will present the latest research and data on tennis participation, retail, consumer and manufacturing trends; and threats and opportunities facing the business. One of the important aspects of our conference is that many of the presenters are club and facility owners and managers themselves, de Boer says. They can easily relate to the issues and challenges facing tennis facilities today, and theyve found creative and profitable solutions, which can be shared with their fellow facility managers from around the country. The conference will be at the Charleston Marriott in the heart of historic Charleston, S.C., rated the No. 1 city in the U.S. (Cond Nast). Participants also will attend the Family Circle Cup tournament for the evening session on April 3, with a reception and banquet in the Legends Sky Suite. The conference also includes lunch on both days and breakfast on Friday. For registration and for more information on the agenda and rates, including a link to the special hotel conference rate (must be booked by March 12), please visit TheTOMConference.com.
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Tennis Facilities
Community Services
The former Racquet Club of the South is reborn as a key Life Time Athletic tennis and tness facility.
By Jacqui Frasca

he Life Time Athletic facility in Peachtree Corners, Ga., just north of Atlanta, finished its nearly nine-month renovation in October, premiering the companys largest indoor/outdoor tennis complex and the first in the always-hot Atlanta tennis market. One of two locations in Atlanta, Life Time Athletic at Peachtree Corners is a more than 20-acre, 90,000-squarefoot club that boasts eight indoor hard courts, 16 outdoor hard courts (including a stadium court with seating for 2,600), four outdoor clay courts, and eight 36-foot hard courts. The facility also has two platform tennis courts. The Peachtree Corners location also offers a pro shop, stringing services and everything from nutritional expertise to a day-care center. (Parents enjoy two free hours of child care every day.) The extensive fitness center has the latest cardio equipment, a cycle studio, Pilates studio, fitness and yoga studios, free weights, and more. The locker rooms (towels are free throughout the facility) have saunas and steam rooms. There are also indoor and outdoor pools, and the facilitys on-site restaurant offers beer and wine. Membership includes 24-hour access. The facility was formerly known as Racquet Club of the South, and General Manager Layne McCleary, who previously served as the national tennis director for Life Time Fitness in Minnesota, says every inch of the property has been redone. Major renovations began in August 2012 as Life Time crews aimed to bring the club back to its glory days, while adding a completely new vibe to the facility. Since Atlanta has a reputation as one of the most influential tennis markets in the country, Life Time further

strengthened the program by bringing more than tennis to the table. McCleary reports that the updated Peachtree Corners facility is thriving. Our tennis program continues to grow with more leagues, drills and mixers added on a regular basis, he says. Lots of ALTA and USTA leagues are forming to connect new members and help round out existing teams. In addition to the influx of tennis attention, the clubs group fitness and yoga programs are also seeing success and getting great participation from tennis players and non-tennis players. Of course, in Atlanta a dedicated tennis program is an important focus. We have a very robust program for all ages and skill levelsfrom beginner adult programs through our High Performance Junior Academy, McCleary says. With weekly drills, clinics, private

lessons, weekly mixers, inter-club leagues, ALTA and USTA leagues, members have the opportunity to keep playing regardless of weather or scheduling constraints. Life Time also offers Flex Leagues, Cardio Tennis and a Match Play program. The Adult Instructional Program includes Tennis 101/201/301/, which introduces the fundamentals of tennis in a comfortable environment, with an emphasis on developing relationships and future playing partners. McCleary and his team want tennis players to tour the facility, and offer a deal for ALTA or USTA teams that includes a free 90-minute team drill with one of our expert pros followed by a happy hour in our bar just to come check us out. In 2012, before the renovation of the Racquet Club of the South, the Life Time Fitness company itself was named Tennis Industrys Private Facility of the Year for its dedication and investment in tennis. Life Time Athletic at Peachtree Corners is helping to show that investment is paying off.

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Retailing 128
Basic Training
To thrive in a tennis retail environment, make sure you master the fundamentals.

o survive and thrive in specialty tennis retailing, you need to master the basics, meaning you need to change your stores strategy from the traditional product-centric focus of the last four decades to being consumer-centric. You need to take advantage of every opportunity to identify and create individual tennis lifestyle solutionsinstead of just selling tennis gear. Happy Face: One of the basics of retailing is something you know well: the power of a smile. A smile by you and all of your staff establishes the foundation for your whole consumer-centric strategy. But it goes much further. The positive influence of a smile leads to the power of word of mouth in promoting your store brand, and with all the electronic communication and social media there is today, word of mouth is probably the most powerful marketing tool at your disposal. And it all starts with a smile. Hang Out the Welcome Sign: Invite everyone into your specialty tennis shop to learn about how the tennis lifestyle can lead to a healthier and happier individual and household. For retailers, the group of best customers, or sweet spot, is now 11 percent smaller than it was 10 years ago. Baby-boomers are not being replaced one-for-one by Generation X, the current best customers of tennis shops. The only way to get out of the current slump is to increase close ratesthat is, reach out and attract more shoppers from your neighborhood and community to your store so you and your staff can convert more of them to paying customers. Hanging out the welcome sign also means your store becomes as inclusive as it can be, embracing the cultural and ethnic diversity in your neighborhood

and community. This means making everyonewomen, men, children, teenagers, seniors, enthusiast tennis players, infrequent tennis players and folks who have not yet discovered the fun and enjoyment of tenniswelcome and comfortable in your store. Invoke the Power of How: Right after your smile and warm greeting, How should be the basic beginning of each engagement with a shopper. How can we be of service to you today? How can I help you?

For retailers, the group of best customers is now 11 percent smaller than it was 10 years ago. Babyboomers are not being replaced one-for-one by Generation X.
Keep Up Your Prices: Never sell anything in your store below your cost of doing businesswith the only exceptions being necessary inventory adjustmentsand then invoke the rule that the first loss is the best loss! Learn to buy and price the merchandise your store sells for a fair profit and dont stock any merchandise that doesnt allow you to operate your store as a profitable, growing specialty retail business. Its All About the Customers: Make it as easy as possible to shop your store and also as easy as possible for your sales associates to sell. Keep your product portfolio as simple and easy to manage, sell and buy as you possibly can. The next step is adapting your product portfolio to your website and developing your online strategy. Commerceenabling your website is a strategic decision you will have to make depending on your market and customer base. Ideally, you want to make it as easy as possible to buy from you.

Neighborhood and Community: Your market space is essentially your neighborhood and community, and while the internet gives your store wider reach, your ability to tap into your shop local/buy local movement is vitally important to your being able to increase your stores conversion and close rates. Retail technology, along with hand-held and mobile technology, have changed the face of retailing, but before rushing to embrace technology, specialty tennis shops need to carefully consider two basic factors. First, what technology is affordable and will contribute to the customer experience and satisfaction that your store will be providing? Second, what technology will differentiate your specialty tennis shop from your competitors? Neither question is simple, but tennis shops need to focus on mastering the basics of providing an extraordinary retail shopping experience as a part of any decisions concerning bringing technology into their brickand-mortar stores. Invest in Your Staff: All of this leads to this last pointinvest in the people who staff your store. This is the single most important to your objective of providing above-average retail shopping experiences, and making your staff one of the reasons satisfied customers come back to your shop and recommend your store to others. For upcoming TIA retail webinars, and to view previous webinars, visit TennisIndustry.org/webinars. This is part of a series of retail tips presented by the Tennis Industry Association and written by the Gluskin Townley Group (www.gluskintownleygroup.com).

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Racquet Sports

Stringing for Indoor Racquet Sports

Boost your business by stringing for badminton, racquetball and squash players.

W
22 TennisIndustry

By Mark Gonzalez and Bob Patterson

e all would like more business. Who wouldnt? Yet, we frequently hear from racquet stringers who turn down business because they dont want to string anything but tennis racquets. Granted, badminton racquets can be a bit daunting with their thin strings and dense patterns, and racquetball racquets can be downright frustrating with exotic patterns. But before you turn that business away, take a deep breath and rethink it. You have the skills and most, if not all, of the equipment

needed to add another revenue stream. With some additional tools (many stringers wont need any) and a little patience, you can become a true racquet service professional that can string any racquet. The rst step is to not be intimidated. Some stringers charge a higher labor fee for badminton and racquetball stringing simply because they take a little more time. With a little practice, you will nd that your times are not that much different than stringing a tennis racquet, but if you feel a higher rate is justied, then by all means go for it. Just dont turn business away!

March 2014

BADMINTON

For badminton, rst make sure your machine can accommodate the smaller head size and thin prole of the frame. Most modern machines can, although you may need to change out mounting billiards or use adapters. These are included with many machines while others may offer them for an additional cost. A valuable accessory to have on hand is an H adaptor or load spreader (below). This little device helps protect the fragile, thin frames by reducing stress at the 12 oclock position, especially at higher tensions. Although you can often get by using your machine's tennis clamps, many come with extra clamps designed specically for the dense patterns of badminton. If you have to buy clamps, most stringers nd that the use of ying clamps works better and is faster.

Tips for Shared Holes

1. Use a waxed awl to lubricate and enlarge shared grommets before you begin stringing. 2. Taper the string tip and wax the tip if needed. 3. When inserting a string into a shared hole, gently nudge the main string with the straight awl to shift the string occupying the grommet so the second string can t through. 4. Insert the string from an angle either from the top or bottom depending on the exit from the previous grommet. Avoid crossovers. 5. Always lock the turntable and use extreme caution when using an awl in an occupied grommet.

Although the patterns are dense and the string thinner, with a little practice youll nd that you can string a badminton racquet in about the same time as a tennis racquet. Badminton stringing requires only eight or nine more pulls than stringing an average tennis racquet. The biggest difference is that most badminton racquets have several shared holes. While this can be a little troublesome, with a little patience and practice you will be an expert in no time.

The Yonex Loop

This method is standard for Yonex frames (below) but can be used on almost all badminton frames to reduce outside frame stress and locate the last main closer to the tie-off hole for a cleaner look and less blocked holes. On a 22 main pattern, install the rst 9 mains as normal. Go from the ninth main to the 11th main and then back to the 10th main.

RACQUETBALL

It seems that over the last decade or so, the designers of racquetball racquets have been in some sort of competition to see who can design the most convoluted, confusing patterns for their racquets. At least that is the way it seems to those of us stringing these racquets. In reality, they are all seeking one thing: more power. Longer strings equal more power and the designers are trying to achieve this within the connes of the legal size of the frame. The results are string patterns that are anything but conventional. In our instructions in the Stringers Digest, we try to take a stepby-step approach to relieve some of the intimidation, but it can still be overwhelming to even an experienced stringer. The key to success is slowing down and carefully reading and understanding the instructions. Once you have strung a pattern a couple of times you will nd that it gets easier. It is important to remember to alternate between the right and left sides. This is easily overlooked when you are trying to gure out what goes where.

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TennisIndustry 23

Racquet Sports
When stringing racquetball frames some general considerations apply to almost all:  Make sure your machine can accommodate the frame or you have the proper adapters to securely mount the frame.  A turntable brake will be required for many racquetball frames.  If your machine doesnt have swivel clamps, you will need ying clamps to accommodate fan string patterns.  Many frames have narrow throats and the mains are very close. The 6 oclock mounting point can prevent access to the grommets. Pre-weave the rst four mains in these cases. Some machines have limited range that will make clamping the top cross impossible. In these cases use a ying clamp. We have highlighted some additional specic tips for the most popular brands and patterns here: E  -Force: E-Force utilizes Richter tubes that run through the handle and then back up through the handle. Tension is pulled only from the head so you will be pulling two mains at once. Tubes and frames are color-coded to make it easier to determine the pattern. Some tips: 1.  Make sure the Richter tubes in the handle are attached, unobstructed and undamaged before you start. 2. Mount the frame with the proper orientation: Red tubes on top and Green on the bottom. 3.  Make sure tubes are properly divided to right and left sides at the 6 oclock mounting point. H  ead IGS: Head Integrated Grommet System (top and middle) has holes on the inside of the frame but does not go all the way through. As you feed the string into a hole it will come out of an adjacent hole. To tension these strings, tension is pulled before feeding the string into the hole either under or over the frame, whichever has the least resistance. Some tips: Two-piece stringing recommended. Crosses must be 1.  started on the proper side. 2.  Crosses need to be strung with the turntable brake activated. 3. Clamp short of the frame to allow room for the string to then be inserted into the hole after tension is pulled and string clamped. H  ead Power Channels: These racquets (bottom) feature two Power Channel grommets on each side of the frame at the throat. These grommets hold four strings each stacked vertically. It is important to follow the digest instructions on the proper placement of these mains. Basically you will install strings top to bottom on one side and bottom to top on the opposite side. Remember to alternate from side to side. Cross strings feature the IGS system so refer to the tips above.

SQUASH

Squash racquets are surely the easiest of the indoor sports to string. You should not need any special tools. Just stock a variety of squash strings. Some thinner tennis strings are often used, but you will want to buy squash sets for those you dont have reels for, since most squash frames usually require much less string.

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Tennis Footwear

Nike Ballistec

Performance Artists
With an eye toward making more of a performance and technology splash, new tennis shoes look to balance durability, weight and speed.

By Bob McGee

fter a decade where innovation often took a backseat to marketing the games biggest oncourt stars in Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, tennis shoe makers are vowing to make a bigger statement with their performance footwear products. New offerings aim to strike the perfect balance among durability, weight and speed. And in the immediate seasons to come, look for traditional tennis brand Wilson to push the innovation envelope and the kingpin athletic Fila Sentinel brands Nike and Adidas to incorpo-

rate more technologies and materials from their other athletic footwear categories into tennis. In many cases, we are designing for a game trend, more aggressive play on hard courts, says Mike Hymer, a business manager for Head USA. And were adapting to that style. Still, Hymer is the rst to admit that there has always been a trade-off between lightweight and durability in a shoe. But the one-time rule of thumb that said the lighter a tennis shoe the less durable it is has begun to wane due to advancements in upper and midsole materials. Shoe manufacturers new-

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March 2014

found approach also includes improvements in shoe con- running last year. But the tech faces a category crossover obstruction methods and better rubber compounds. stacle given that it cant currently be congured for the rigors And Antoine Oui, product line manager for Wilson foot- of bi-directional footwear movement needed in tennis. Boost wear, points out that the design technology, perhaps as early as of an outsole can also have a 2015 tennis shoe models, is a betsignicant impact on the durater bet. Boost, used in a shoes bility of a shoe. To that end, anmidsole, consists of thousands other brand, Head, incorporates of small pebbles of thermoplasa slide and durability zone on tic polyurethane (TPU) currentthe medial forefoot and lateral ly found in the dashboards of heel of its new Sprint Pro that BMWs, and is lightweight while provides more rubber material providing a level of superior and less prole depths. cushioning. For its part, Wilson, too, wants to be an innovator in performance tennis shoes and is promising to introduce a new shoe Nike borrows materials from its concept with durability tie-in popular soccer and basketball after the US Open and before designs via a synthetic leathyear-end. The brands current er and mesh upper to reduce Rush Pro was introduced in new weight yet provide a supportive Adidas colorways in time for the Austrat for the player in the new Lulian Open. nar Ballistec. The shoe, which also utilizes the brands Flywire technology to wrap the midfoot and arch and a full-length Lunarlon midsole for added Most performance tennis shoe brands offer a six-month warranty on their premium models in the U.S. and make every cushioning, weighs in at only 13 ounces for a mens size 10. Our primary objective was to design a shoe that makes effort to assist retailers and pro shops in policing consumer players faster to the ball, says Michael Hui, senior designer returns. Shoe warranties run longer in Europe, typically two of tennis footwear for Nike. It wasnt about making a shoe years, in part due to the softer playing surfaces there. Wilsons Oui says his companys rate of return has typically been lighter at all costs. A key focus of performance athletic shoe developers today, way below 1 percent of sales. At Adidas North America, Dave Malinowski, category manincluding those designing tennis, is reducing weight wherever possible without sacricing the products durability, con- ager for tennis, says Adidas tennis customers are directed to send any warranty-issue shoes tends Mark Eggert, vice presidirectly back to the company dent of Advance Concepts and to take all of the (warranty) Footwear Design for Fila. The burdens off the shoulders of Italian brand accomplishes the tennis retailer. that goal in the toe area of its Hymer acknowledges that new Sentinel shoe with an inthere is some consumer abuse jected polyurethane material of tennis shoe warranties toon the toe box area that guards day, but adds that 95 percent against excessive wear caused of todays claims are probably by toe drag. legitimate, with nothing outAdidas, which recently rageous passing through the launched the eighth-generaHead Sprint Pro pipeline. Still, Head USA pertion of its popular Barricade sonnel continue to monitor rst introduced in 2000, has and oversee the process. a couple of technologies/maBut most tennis-shoe manufacturers dont need to spend terials in its athletic toolbox that may soon nd their way into performance tennis footwear. Springblade technology, vast amounts of their time on warranty issues, which is a very 16 high-grade polymer blades used in the midsole/outsole good thing because now, they can continue to give perforfor energy return and support, was introduced in high-end mance tennis footwear more attention.

Weight Reduction

Backing it Up

March 2014

TennisIndustry 27

Bright Ideas
By Mary Helen Sprecher

LED lighting is spilling over to sports venues. Is it right for your facility?

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Court Construction & Maintenance Guide

he tennis industry is used to welcoming new players to the game. New apparel companies, new racquet technologieseven new lines on the court. And the newest kid on the block is LED (light-emitting diode) court lighting systems. So without knocking our old friends like metal halide systems or uorescent xtures, lets get to know this relatively new entrant into the market. The technology, which was rst seen in installations such as Christmas lights and traffic signals, made its way into warehouses, factories and other indoor uses. It has entered the tennis industrys collective consciousness within the last several years. From merchandise cases used in pro shops, it has expanded to indoor, then to outdoor, facilities, achieving a respectable reputation due to several advantages.

Green Lighting
Green is the new black, and LED lighting can boast energy-efficient technology, according to those in the industry. The big growing trend is LED, says Steven Rothschild of Access Fixtures in Bollard, Mass. Its actually moving into the mainstream. The demand is growing. While some advantages may be viewed as pertaining to a niche market (Rothschild, for example, says that LED lighting is becoming the preferred solution in areas with high energy costs, such as Hawaii where electricity costs between 30 cents and 50 cents per kilowatt hour, or on Caribbean islands where power supplies are both limited and expensive), there is no getting around the overall eco- and user-friendliness. The LEDsand the uorescent xturesuse 30 percent of the energy of metal halide lights, notes Alex Levitsky of Global Sports & Tennis Design Group LLC in Fair Haven, N.J., and they turn on and off instantly, which are big advantages. Another advantage of LED is its slower depreciation. According to Mike Lorenz of Ephesus Lighting in Syracuse, N.Y., LED lighting depreciates at a rate of less than 1 percent per year, as compared to metal halide systems, which can lose 25 percent of their brightness in one year. Lorenz notes that it is the energy-savings aspect of LED systems that is spurring their popularity in college and university facilities. More schools are becoming concerned with creating a smaller carbon footprint, so they are aggressively pursuing technologies that will help them do so. Lighting efficiency company ThinkLite of Natick, Mass., custom designs, manufactures, distributes and installs energy-efficient retrot solutions, including for sports and tennis facilities. ThinkLite Founder and CEO Dinesh Wadhwani says retrotting courts that

C O U RT E S Y L S I I N D U S T R I E S I N C.

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TennisIndustry 29

V I S I U M L E D C O U RT E S Y E P H E S U S T E C H N O L O G I E S

have uorescent or metal halide lamps with LED is becoming more commonplace. Our LED solutions can provide a 40 to 50 percent energy savings, offer a 10-year-plus lifespan with virtually no maintenance costs, and provide better quality lighting, Wadhwani notes, adding that with both UL and DLC approvals, ThinkLite LED tubes qualify for many utility rebate programs, providing a quicker return on investment.

No Trespassing
Tennis court lighting, whether it is placed in a backyard, a club or a park, has long been a bone of contention with the neighbors. Light trespass, the technical term for light that spills off the primary playing area and inadvertently illuminates adjacent property, has been at the crux of complaints, covenants, and perhaps a few less than cordial relationships over the years. It is here, says Rothschild, that LED lighting really, well, shines. There is a lot of West Coast usage of LED lighting for energy-efficiency reasons. But one of the East Coast reasons for going with LED is that it causes a lot less light trespass. We can do a light trespass analysis for 20 feet around the court, and we have seen the light falloff is far more rapid with LED than with other systems. Sometimes there are code issues in neighborhoods, so this is really important.

The Dark Side

If LED is the wave of the future, it may be, for now, a wave that moves steadily but slowly. As with all new technology, there are going to be areas of the industry it is slower to penetrate.

According to Rothschild, LED is still mainly used in club and recreational settings, since at this point, It is not going to emit what is required for a televised event. (His view is not shared by Lorenz, who says LED is ideal for use in events receiving HD television coverage.) The lack of agreementat least for nowmay hinder LEDs ability to make large-scale marketing headway into facilities from which high-prole tennis events are broadcast. Another, more immediate, factor keeping the tide from turning too rapidly is the bottom line. LED systems remain signicantly more expensive to purchase and install than other products that have been in use for years. In a tennis economy still recovering from a downturn, managers may be skittish about investing in a new and costly system as they go about making long-deferred upgrades to their courts. At some point, there is no doubt that LED lighting will be utilized for most lighting applications, including tennis courts, says Bruce Frasure of LSI Industries Inc. of Cincinnati. Today however, there is still a challenge to provide LED tennis court lighting that provides a reasonable return on investment due to the higher initial costs involved. The good news is that like your big-screen TV, LED lighting technology continues to improve rapidly while the costs are decreasing. For now, I would recommend that tennis facility owners do a thorough analysis when considering an LED lighting system to make sure that the return on investment makes sense. In tennis, as in any industry, technologies are constantly changing. Those who dont read up and keep up can expect to be left behind. Levitsky advises those who are currently buying lighting systems to plan for the future. Think ahead. Soon, outdoor lighting will be transitioning to LEDs. If you are installing a new system now, be sure that the light-pole foundations and conduit are designed to allow for the future change to LEDs.
WA R M E M O R I A L A R E N A , S Y R A C U S E , N Y, C O U RT E S Y E P H E S U S T E C H N O L O G I E S

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Growing Pains?
For your facilitys greeneryand to save green in your budgetwork with a landscape design professional to avoid costly mistakes.

In this arrangement, a strip of ornamental landscaping spruces up the space behind a high schools tennis courts without affecting the court itself. Photo courtesy of GMB Architecture + Engineering, Holland, MI

By Mary Helen Sprecher

winds up staring with glazed eyes at row upon row of plants. All in all, not a promising start for the tennis garden effect. Its no surprise that mistakes in landscaping are common. Here are a few to avoid: Not consulting with a professional in order to save money: Unless youre knowledgeable about the science of landscaping, its easy to make the wrong purchases. The wrong plants, the wrong soil or fertilizer, too much mulch or gravelit can all add up to problems down the road that require even more money to correct.

h, spring. The players are returning to the courts, lesson slots are lling up, theres a very welcome backlog of racquets to be restrung and the landscaping for the courts is ready to bloom. Or perhaps the landscaping is still on the to-do list. Particularly at a time when tennis facility managers are multi-tasking and feeling as though theyre being stretched much too thin, the gardened areas around the courts may wind up being completed at the last minute. That results in (lets be honest here) a last-minute trip to the home and garden superstore where the buyer

The do-it-yourself approach, says Alex Levitsky of Global Sports & Tennis Design Group, LLC, in Fair Haven, New Jersey, is not cost-effective. Unfortunately, he adds, Landscape budgets are vulnerable, and are often the rst things to be cut, particularly if other aspects of the facility need investment that season. Finding a landscape architect means eliminating the mistakes that can ultimately cost money. A professionally designed landscaping plan can be implemented year after year and will add up to better looks and performance. Not using a root barrier: Everyone has seen sidewalks that have been pushed up by tree roots. The same thing can happen to tennis courts if precautions arent taken. Nearby trees and shrubs can send out roots that cause damage to courts from beneath the surface. A root barrier, properly placed, will help avoid these problems. Note: Before installing the barrier, take the time to cut back any roots that are trying to sneak under your courts. A landscape architect can provide recommendations on how deep to install the barrier, based on the type of plant youre trying to contain. Too much mulch: This is one of the
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Court Construction & Maintenance Guide

The gravel edging outside the fence line of these courts prevents encroachment of vegetation and encourages drainage. Photo courtesy of Halecon Inc., Bridgewater, NJ

The entrance to this college court has been brightened with landscaping and well-kept pathways. Photo courtesy of Rettler Corporation, Stevens Point, WI

Note the extension of the paved edge of the tennis court outside the fence line, which facilitates drainage of water from the court surface. Photo courtesy of Tennis Courts Inc., Aylett, VA

The work of landscaping a tennis facility is worth it for the payoff: an aesthetically pleasing area that is as enjoyable to view as it is to play on. Photo courtesy of Welch Tennis Courts Inc., Sun City, FL

easiest mistakes to makeand since everyone loves mulch, its the advice nobody likes to hear. After all, mulch is relatively inexpensive and its an attractive way of delineating space, providing a nice contrast with plantings and controlling weeds. Unfortunately, it tends to be overused, usually to the detriment of the landscaping system: It can keep plant roots from getting the oxygen they need; it can slow down evaporation from the soil, leaving roots waterlogged and vulnerable; it can act as an incubator, encouraging the growth of fungi and bacteria. And thats just for starters. It can also, if used too close to the court, migrate onto the surface where it can cause staining or can even present a hazard to players. Blocking drainage from a court: A hard court drains in one true plane and has a very gradual slope: 1 inch in 10 feet, with a permissible maximum of 1 percent. That means that when water reaches the low side of the court, it needs to be able to exit the facility entirely. Unfortunately, overenthusiastic landscaping work can keep it from doing so. Levitsky advises making sure there is a clear path for water to move. Keeping grass 3 to 4 inches below the top of the playing surface makes it easier to maintain, he notes. Using a wide edging also helps. That overabundance of mulch mentioned earlier can create the same dam effect if packed too close to the edges of the court. Always check the perimeter of the court around the fence line and loosen any material that could trap water.

Not using native plants: Its easy to bring in the wrong types of plantings and learntoo latethat they are invasive, or just not suited to the soil and climate. A landscape professional can identify the best plants for a given area and save you from spending money on the wrong purchases. Not thinking through a particular choice of plant: Remember that bushes and trees that have berries, for example, may attract birds that make a mess on the court and on nearby surfaces. Other plants, such as weeping willows, beautiful though they are, constantly drop long, thin, whiplike branches that give the area a permanently littered look. Talk with a landscape architect, call a master gardener in the area or seek other professional assistance when considering accent plants. Not understanding the soil conditions of a given area: This is another area where the expertise of a landscape architect is invaluable. Some areas may not drain well because the soil has a high clay content, while others are softer and loamy. Still others may be sandy or dry. Levitsky notes that a professional will determine the porosity of a surface before recommending any landscaping course of action. Properly planned, landscaping can do anything from simply sprucing up an area to creating a lush, verdant tennis oasis. Find a suitable professional partner and work within the context of your climate, your soil, and your budgetand watch your garden grow.

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In either case, be sure to use a soft cloth, a sponge or a soft-bristled brush. It is critical to not use a hard-bristled brush or scrubbing pad or anything that might damage the surface. If neither of those cleaners works on a tough stain, we can recommend bleach, but it needs to be diluted at least 4:1 with water and must be rinsed off immediately. That may not be practical indoors and you always run the risk of fading the surface, so only do that as a last resort. For extremely stubborn stains, says Colin Donovan of Renner Sports in Denver, a little extra mechanical help might be called for. The other method is to use a 2500 psi pressure washer. Simply wash off all areas affected holding the spray wand 12 to 18 inches away from the surface, he says. You have to be extremely careful not to hold the spray wand too close to the surface or you can potentially strip the surface off the substrate. Its better to have an experienced person using this type of equipment to avoid damage. I tell owners not to worry too much about shoe marks since its a cosmetic issue, and after several rains or just one heavy rain, they typically wear off by themselves. In cases where marks are particularly dark or wont come out, contractors will sometimes recommend a new coat of color on the court. But whether the court is shiny and new, or recently cleaned, say the pros, there is one step that should be followed. The best and only 100 percent effective way to eliminate these marks is prevention, says Hale. A proactive facility manager reminding people of the proper equipment and etiquette goes a long way to extend the luster and brilliance of the tennis court surface.
The ASBA is a non-prot association helping designers, builders, owners, operators and users understand quality sports facility construction. The ASBA sponsors informative meetings, publishes newsletters, books and technical construction guidelines for both tennis courts and running tracks, and keeps its members aware of the latest developments in the industry. It also offers voluntary certication programs in tennis court, running track and sports eld construction. For information on the ASBA, contact the Association at 8480 Baltimore National Pike, Suite 307, Ellicott City, MD 21043; phone 866-501-ASBA or 410-730-9595; email info@ sportsbuilders.org. Visit sportsbuilders.org.

Cleaning Solution
T
Whats the best way to get rid of pesky shoe marks and stains on your courts?
Start by checking the manufacturers recommendations. Depending upon the formulation of the coating, cleaning methods often will vary. One thing all court construction professionals agree on, however, is starting with the gentlest cleaning method available, followed by rinsing thoroughly. For standard cleaning or minor marks and stains, we usually recommend just water and a simple mild dish detergent, such as Dawn, Palmolive, etc., says Tom Magner of DecoTurf in Andover, Mass. Of course, sneaker and shoe marks are usually a little more stubborn, so dish detergent probably wont be sufficient, but try that rst anyway, since its inexpensive and relatively easy. If the dish detergent isnt strong enough, we recommend that people rst try TSP (trisodium phosphate), which is available at most hardware stores. heyre the ring-around-thecollar of tennis court construction. The black marks made by non-court shoes may be one of the most irksome issues plaguing tennis facility managers. Its not that they constitute a safety hazard or that they distract players from their game; its that theyre just plain ugly. And theyre not the only aesthetic annoyance. Black-soled shoes, gum and colored sports drinks present the biggest problems in tennis court surface stains, says Matt Hale of Halecon Inc. of Bridgewater, N.J. Problem is, with all the jobs a tennis facility manager is juggling, its no surprise that following players around to check for proper footwear and drinks in spill-proof containers winds up at the bottom of the list. So once the damage is done, what is the best way to address it?

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Mark-Up Your Courts!

Tennis court contractors are adding logos, monograms and more to personalize courts.

By Mary Helen Sprecher

umper stickers on cars. Engraving on silverware. Tattoos. Somewhere deep in the human psyche must lurk a special gene that craves personalization of what was previously unadorned. These days, its expressing itself on tennis courts. Tennis court contractors are reporting increased interest among court owners and facility managers in the development and placement of logos and other artwork on court surfaces. In the past several years, we have been asked to do logos on courts, says Matt Hale of Halecon Inc. of Bridgewater, N.J. Some of the logos are very intricate, multicolored and detailed. Hales experience has included adding logos to basketball courts, something many contractors have also experienced. In many cases, the contractor is following an owners wish for self-expression. I have always enjoyed doing jobs with logos because it is a way to make a standard tennis surface unique, says Lee Murray of Competition Athletic Surfaces in Chattanooga, Tenn. And then, Murray adds, there are the times a project can speak volumes about a sense of humor. About 20 years ago, I worked on a project for a developer who was building a community that straddles the Tennessee/Georgia border. He designed the tennis courts so that the net line would be exactly on the border. If you were in Tennessee, your opponent was in Georgia. To raise awareness of this, we installed Georgia (G) and Georgia Tech (GT) logos on the Georgia side, and Tennessee (UT) and Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) on the Tennessee side. Each gate in the cut corner also had a corresponding logo at the

entrance. We also installed a dashed line on the border, similar to what is printed on a map. This is a great example of how painted surface logos, relatively inexpensive, can create a unique facility. Traditionally, club and resort courts have had their logos emblazoned on windscreens. Courts on school campuses have made use of logos at the net line between courts and in some cases, schools have had their courts surfaced to match the school colors. (And since schools have long put logos at mideld in football stadiums and in the centers of gymnasiums, its easy to see where those ideas originate.) Its a way to express school prideand a way for a team to let opponents know whose turf theyre on and whose house it is. Unlike basketball or football, though, tennis is steeped in its own conservative traditions, and its rules prohibit too much territoriality. Friend at Court (2013 edition) spells this out pretty clearly in Appendix III: 1. Advertising is permitted on the net as long as it is placed on the part of the net that is within 3 feet (0.914 m) from the center of the net posts and is produced in such a way that it does not interfere with the vision of the players or the playing conditions.

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C O U RT E S Y F R E D KO L K M A N N T E N N I S & S P O RT S U R FA C E S L L C, G R A F T O N, W I S.

Court Construction & Maintenance Guide

2. Advertising and other marks or material placed at the back and sides of the court shall be permitted unless it interferes with the vision of the players or the playing conditions. 3. Advertising and other marks or material placed on the court surface outside the lines is permitted unless it interferes with the vision of the players or the playing conditions. 4. Notwithstanding paragraphs (1), (2) and (3) above, any advertising, marks or material placed on the net or placed at the back and sides of the court, or on the court surface outside the lines may not contain white or yellow or other light colors that may interfere with the vision of the players or the playing conditions. 5. Advertising and other marks or material are not permitted on the court surface inside the lines of the court. Pretty explicit directions, but for all their strictness, they do seem to allow the use of appropriately colored (and non-distracting) logos outside the playing lines. The use of logos, writing and so forth does open up the door for not merely establishing an identity and generating advertising revenues, but for listing major sponsors and donors. However, notes Art Tucker of California Products Corp. in Andover, Mass., because the area outside the lines is still used by players (for example, the clear-playing back space or the space just outside the sideline where a player might chase a ball), precautions should be observed when placing logos and decorating a court. Logos should be textured to avoid a slippery spot in a signicant play area, Tucker says. (Those who have ever walked across a wet parking lot in rubber-soled shoes and felt their feet slip on a painted line can attest to this hazard.) The rules governing the placement of logos, however, dont apply to residential courts, where sanctioned matches will never be played. In these cases, contractors have free rein, and are able to ll owners requests for logos, artwork, designs, monograms and more in various places on and around the court. One person in favor of the trend of personalizing courts is Lee Murray. Look at what they are painting on wood basketball oors now, notes Murray. Nearly the entire oors have artwork painted on them. Perhaps tennis would become even more exciting if they got creative with logos.

C O U RT E S Y Z A I N O T E N N I S C O U RT S I N C. , O R A N G E , CA L I F.

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C O U RT E S Y T R A N S T E X A S T E N N I S LT D. , H O U S T O N

C O U RT E S Y C O M P ET I T I O N AT H L ET I C S U R FA C E S, C H AT TA N O O G A , T E N N.

Ask the Experts

Your Equipment Hotline

Squash racquet specs

The Racquet Spec search never had an option for different sports. You may be thinking of the Stringers Digest Online. As for the specifications, we do not measure or maintain a database for

I was doing a racquet spec search the other day on a Head iPro Tornado squash racquet, but nothing came up. I remember previously there was the option to select Tennis, Badminton, or Squash. Are only tennis racquets listed now?

squash racquets. With the exception of flex, you could generate your own specifications (weight, balance, and swing weight) if you are looking to match your racquets to each other. The online tool for measuring swing weight on a tennis racquet will work for squash racquets, too.

Pallet molding

Id like to have the handles on my racquets customized to my hand. Who does this kind of work?

Your options are limited, but fortunately, one of the best custom shops in the world still offers this service: Priority One, in Florida. Check out its website at p1tennis.com.

pads that are installed during stringing at the throat of the racquet. I have had customers ask me this and I really do not know their history. I use leather power pads sporadically with natural gut or sometimes on older racquets. Some pros use them on their racquets as well. When I strung Mark Philippoussis' racquet years ago at the Sybase Open in San Jose, his Head Prestige Mid was strung at something like 68 or 70 pounds with 16-gauge gut with tubing and pads, which makes sense considering the high tension and type of string.

Power pads
Id like to know more about the leather power

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The origin of power pads is probably lost in the mists of time, but they first came into use on wooden racquets. Back then, the predominant string was natural gut, and manufacturing techniques werent as advanced as they are today. To protect the gut from the racquet frame (and increase the radius of the bends where string enters the grommet holes), stringers would install power pads on the outside of the racquettypically on the first four or eight mains. Almost all wooden racquets have closed throats, which means the loops for the mains are all outside the frame. With the advent of metal, fiberglass, and carbon fiber in tennis racquets, designers were able to leave the throat open. This change meant the center mains no longer changed direction within the frame, thus there was less side-loading on the string (or the frame, for that matter). Players using power pads still use them on the center mains, but the

With newer racquets having better grommets that are more rounded, what are some reasons for using power pads? Why are they called power pads? In a wood racquet was there more power with the pads?

location has moved from outside of the frame to inside the throat. Some players cant feel the difference between a racquet with power pads and one without, but given the mental aspect of the game, a few players still use power pads. String Advantage offers a modern version of power pads called Pojie, which they make using fiberglass and a high-tech absorbent. For those looking to experiment, power pads can be cut from any thick leather, and there are players who use pieces of synthetic grip material instead of leather. None of this answers the question of how they got the name power pads, though, but perhaps the leather provided enough cushioning in the wooden racquets to allow players to hit with power without breaking the center mains.

would notch and therefore wear more quickly. b. Tighter strings will have less movement and therefore last longer. Now, I could see that if one pulled a string at a much higher tension it will stretch/elongate more, reducing the diameter of the string and therefore reducing the string life. As a general rule, looser equaling more string durability does not make sense to me and I would not advise a customer this way. It seems like both ways of thought could have merit. Can you shed some light on this? We dont know of any tests on this relationship, but intuitively it depends on the string. A tighter string might not move as much, but there will be more pressure at the string intersections. Also, part of durability is elasticity. The higher the tension, the less elasticity remains in the string. Greg Raven We welcome your questions. Please send them to Tennis Industry, PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096; fax: 760-5361171; email: greg@racquettech.com.

Tension and durability

I have heard that lower reference tensions result in tennis racquet strings lasting longer. I haven't had a desire to test this, but in some ways it does not make sense to me. a. The looser the string, the more movement, which means the string

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String Playtest
By Greg Raven

Victory Acelon Seven 16L

Victory tells us that Acelon Seven is its premier product for toplevel players. Made from premium copolyester, it features a sharp seven-sided construction to help players convert power into maximum topspin with control. According to Victory, a company with many years of experience creating polyester monofilaments, it manufactures Acelon Seven in Portugal using the most advanced machinery available. Victory recommends Acelon Seven for advanced players who generate their own power and are able to handle a stiffer string. Victory says Acelon Seven is also good in hybrids, either with softer polys or with nylon strings. Acelon Seven is available in 17 gauge (1.24 mm) and 16L (1.31 mm) in dark blue. It is priced at $10 for sets of 40 feet, $110 for 200-meter reels, and $225 for 600-meter mega spools. For more information or to order, contact Victory at 800-8249473, or visit victoryracquetsports.com. Be certain to read the conclusion for more information about getting a free set to try for yourself.
In the Lab We tested the 16L-gauge Acelon Seven. The coil measured 44 feet. The diameter measured 1.25-1.27 mm prior to stringing, and 1.23-1.25 mm after stringing. We recorded a stringbed stiffness of 71 RDC units immediately after stringing at 60 pounds in a Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95 (16 x 18 pattern) on a constant-pull machine. After 24 hours (no playing), stringbed stiffness measured 67 RDC units, representing a 6 percent tension loss. Our control string, Prince Synthetic Gut Original Gold 16, measured 78 RDC

units immediately after stringing and 71 RDC units after 24 hours, representing a 9 percent tension loss. In lab testing, Prince Synthetic Gut Original has a stiffness of 217 and a tension loss of 11.67 pounds, while Victory Acelon Seven 16L has a stiffness of 166 and a tension loss of 12.37 pounds. Acelon Seven 16L added 15 grams to the weight of our unstrung frame. The string was tested for five weeks by 31 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP ratings from 3.5 to 5.0. These are blind tests, with playtesters receiving unmarked strings in unmarked packages. Average number of hours playtested was 27. Victory recommends reducing the reference tension by 10 percent compared to a nylon string, and we passed this advice along to the members of our playtest team. Acelon Seven is a bit unruly as you take it out of the package, and its prominent edges let you know right away that you are dealing with a geometric string. Pulling the crosses creates edged warfare against the mains, so if you are in a hurry the string can look a bit beat up when you are done. Burning can also be a factor. Two playtesters broke the sample dur-

Playtester Ratings
Ease of Stringing
(compared to other strings) much easier somewhat easier about as easy not quite as easy not nearly as easy
0 4 9 15 3

Overall Playability
(compared to the string played most often) much better somewhat better about as playable not quite as playable not nearly as playable
0 9 9 11 1

Overall Playability
(compared to other strings of similar gauge) much better somewhat better about as durable not quite as durable not nearly as durable
6 8 14 0 2

Rating Avergages
From 1 to 5 (best) Playability Durability Power Control Comfort Touch/Feel Spin Potential (3rd overall) Holding Tension Resistance to Movement (15th overall)
3.6 4.1 3.5 3.7 3.2 3.1 4.3 3.6 4.1

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Awesome string if you are looking for some extra bite and spin. Great control string that still offers some nice pop when needed. Hopefully it will be a nice price point. I would love to get some." 4.5 male serve-andvolley player using

Playtester Comments

Babolat Storm Tour strung at 56 pounds CP (Luxilon 4G 1.25) The string hit very well. Great bite on the ball to generate big spin. This shaped poly felt a little softer than other polys due to the thinner gauge. Highly recommended. 4.0 male baseliner with heavy spin using

Babolat Pure Drive Roddick strung at 60 pounds LO (Solinco Tour Bite 16L) This is good string with so many good qualities that I would gladly sell it to customers and use it myself. Good feel and very good spin. 4.0 male baseliner with moderate spin using Prince OZone Tour

strung at 55 pounds CP (Tourna Big Hitter Black 17) Good pop and control and spin for the rst ve hours. After that it got dull as most polys do. Id offer this up to a player who is into hybrids. This string would make a very nice compliment to a synthetic or natural

gut cross. 4.0 female all-court player using Babolat Pro Drive strung at 62 pounds CP (Babolat VS Touch 16) (Strings normally used by testers are indicated in parentheses. For the rest of the tester comments, visit www. tennisindustrymag. com.)

ing stringing, eight reported problems with coil memory, three reported problems tying knots, three reported friction burn, and seven reported other problems.

FREE PLAYTEST STRING PROGRAM

Acelon will send a free set of Victory Seven to USRSA members who cut out (or copy) this coupon and send it to: USRSA, Attn: Acelon String Offer PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096 or fax to 760-536-1171, or email the info below to stringsample@racquettech.com
Offer expires 15 March 2014 Offer only available to USRSA members in the US. Name: ______________________________________________________________ USRSA Member number: ________________________________________________ Phone: _____________________________________________________________ Email: ______________________________________________________________ If you print your email clearly, we will notify you when your sample will be sent.

On the Court

None of the stringing issues seems to make the slightest difference once you get on court. Our playtest team rated Victory Acelon Seven 16L third best for Spin Potential of the 176 strings weve playtested to date for publication. They also rated it 15th best overall in Resistance to Movement, and excellent in the Power category. Acelon Seven 16L also garnered high marks for Durability, Control, Playability, and Tension Retention. All together, these scores place Victory Acelon Seven 16L in a tie for 7th place for the best string weve playtested. One playtester reported premature fraying or peeling, two reported buzzing, and seven reported notching. Two players broke the string during the playtest period, one each at 7.5 and 9 hours.

Conclusion

Its unusual to have a string receive good scores in both Spin Potential and Power, but Victory Acelon Seven 16L nailed both categories. Its also unusual to have so many playtesters comment on how comfortableeven soft, and armfriendlyAcelon Seven seemed to them, considering that Victory is positioning it as a stiff string. Not everything about Acelon Seven is anomalous, though: One completely explicable result is the number of comments on the spin you can generate with it. If you think its no coincidence that Victory Acelon Seven placed seventh overall in our rankings, or maybe if seven is your lucky number, fill out the coupon to get a free set to try.

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53 Tennis Thanks the Troops

by Mandy Johnson, ThanksUSA

Tennis Across America Celebrates 25 Years

Page 50
Departments 47 CEOs Message 49 Vice Presidents Message 50 Growing Your Business
ADDvantage magazine editorial offices USPTA World Headquarters 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite One Houston, TX 77042 Phone 713-978-7782 800-USPTA-4U Fax 713-358-7794 email magazine@uspta.org

54 Professional Tennis Management: A Gateway to the Tennis Industry

by Dan Beedle, USPTA

Online:

Host a USPTA/Prince Tennis Clinic to grow the game

53 Beyond the Court 57 Career Development 59 Member news
Managing editor Circulation Kimberly Forrester Kathy Buchanan

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
Developing athletic skills through Cardio Tennis by Vivian Raj Chhetri 10 ways to move 10 and Under players into competition by Jorge Capestany, USPTA Master Professional Preventing shoulder injuries through proper warm up by Andrew Busch and Guy Parks, USPTA Master Professional

The opinions expressed in ADDvantage are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ADDvantage or the USPTA. Copyright United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2014. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of the magazine is not permitted without written permission from USPTA.

Ofce hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central time ADDvantage is published monthly by the United States Professional Tennis Association.

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March 2014

ADDvantage 45

See more pics at

facebook.com/USPTA.Ocial

CEOs Message

Good on ya, Mates!

aving returned a little more than one month ago from hosting our inaugural USPTA trip to the Australian Open where a total of 34 USPTA members and their guests attended, I wanted to share my perspective on this wonderful adventure. Being that it was our maiden voyage, I was uncertain what to expect. How would the group dynamics be? Did we offer the right balance between tennis and sightseeing? How would the interaction be with Tennis Australia and their coaches at the Coaches Conference prior to the start of the tournament? Would the value of the overall experience exceed the expectations of the group? On all accounts, I believe we succeeded in delivering a terrific benefit to those who participated. Despite the blistering heat that set a record for four straight days of temperatures that exceeded 110 degrees F, our gang was resilient and unwavering in their interest in seeing as much tennis as possible no matter how uncomfortable it was. Despite the inconvenience of losing the air-conditioning on our tour bus one day during our visit along the Great Ocean Road, along with the hotel unable to cool the sleeping rooms as much as we would have liked because of the extreme conditions, we all managed to cope with those minor inconveniences and make the most out of an unusual, historic occurrence. Our arrival into Melbourne was Thursday morning, Jan. 9. Most of us took to the tennis courts at the National Tennis Centre to fight the jet lag before attending the opening reception for the International Coaches Conference. More than 300 coaches

by John Embree
were in attendance, including the 25 in the Yarra Valley over the next five or so that were a part of our team. We days. We topped off our 12-day advenwere warmly welcomed by Tennis Aus- ture with a closing dinner Friday night tralia and enjoyed the many seminars where stories abounded and toasts were offered, including a Q&A with Judy rampant. Some of the pleasant, uninMurray (Andy Murrays mother and tended consequences of our journey British Fed Cup Coach), two sessions together were the friendships created with Tony Nadal and a myriad of other and bonding that took place with pros fantastic speakers. It was terrific to and people who knew nothing about see USPTA members Doug Eng from each other before meeting for the first New England and Jorge Capestany time at Los Angeles International airfrom Holland, Mich., on the speakers port upon our departure on Tuesday, list along with Lane Evans from North Jan. 7. I believe lifelong associations Carolina who was a member of our enwere established because of what we tourage. Besides the various seminars shared together. The emails and picthat we attended that tures among the first weekend, we baked I look forward to putting a group have been flyin a tour to Phillips Is- similar trip together in future ing since our return land on Saturday, which years, both to the Australian home. Please check was highlighted by see- Open and maybe even the out the montage of ing koalas in their natu- French Open. Stay tuned for photos that highlight ral environment and the announcements about what we our various activifamous penguin walk at might organize down the road. ties on the previous dusk as they returned to page. their boroughs after a day of sea hunt A huge shout out goes to Chadwick ing for their families. Fascinating! Bryd, owner of Tennis Ventures, who A highlight of that first weekend orchestrated the entire itinerary from was the banquet held at the famous soup to nuts. I honestly can say that Kooyong Tennis Club, which put a there isnt anything that I or the group ribbon on the conference. Our profeswould have done differently. I think sionals had the opportunity to play on we now have a formula for future trips the gorgeous grass prior to a beautiful that works. I look forward to putting reception on the second floor balcony a similar trip together in future years, overlooking the grass courts and dinboth to the Australian Open and maybe ner where the food was outstanding. even the French Open. Stay tuned for We wont forget the comedian who per- announcements about what we might formed for the crowd, even though we organize down the road. You dont had trouble understanding most of the want to miss the next one. jokes. We laughed hysterically anyway. For those who were on the trip, Three day sessions of tennis and one thanks to each of you for making the night session ensued along with a visit commitment to come and for all that to the scenic 12 Apostles at the end of you do to support our terrific assothe Great Ocean Road and a visit to enciation. Until our paths cross again joy some of Australias finest vineyards good on ya, mates! It was a blast. h

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h t t p : / / u s pta. fr omuthtennis. com

The official distributor of Nike footwear and apparel to the USPTA.

Vice Presidents Message

You Make the Difference at the Division Level

by Gary Trost

any years ago, my division sent out scouts to observe other division conventions, their schedules, speakers and events and report back to try to make our convention better. I envied them. The enthusiasm and knowledge that they returned with and reported on was contagious. The national board members each travel and observe different divisions and I assure you it is the highlight of my serving on the board. The education that the divisions provide is world class and you will see many of the speakers at the World Conference as well. I am always exMake the difference at your division cited to see local talent on the speaker board level. list, new ideas, new topics and new While serving as a junior member of talent. Now this is where you come in: my division board many years ago, our volunteer to present at your convenpresident challenged us to do just one tion; ask if you can introduce a speakthing extra during that year: er; or join in a drill-sharing seminar. l Host a test at your Share your knowledge Our governance at the club to get local coaches with your peers and division level is one of to take the test without make a difference at the most important parts going out of town. They your convention. would feel more com Every division will of our association and is fortable taking the test tell you that they need our true strength. at your club and you committee members, could invite new people to test. board members and helpers. Our governance at the division level is one l Host a workshop this would reach of the most important parts of our more professionals, gain valuable association and is our true strength. education credits for your staff and Be prepared to step up, volunteer, let help you network. It could be as your voice be heard as a committee simple as a drill-sharing seminar member or try for a division board and local speakers. These were very position. The knowledge and experipopular this year in the Missouri ence that we observe in division board Valley after our division convention meetings is impressive, but new fresh was snowed out. ideas are always needed and welcome.

Put a bid in to host the division convention your general manager would love to see the effort in trying to bring in more business and the esteem it would bring to your club. Lessons for Life, Tennis Across America, Adult Tennis League and Junior Circuit are all ready to be run at your club and your members will reap the rewards of you setting up these great programs.

Participation is key; you can make the difference by just signing up and filling the seats at your convention. Be there to support the local workshops and volunteer to coach at your neighbors events. Our strength is in our networking, communication and individualism. Reach out to your local board and make the first step. You will find that its not that hard, they will welcome your call, and that the benefits and rewards are there for you and your staff. h

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Growing your Business

Tennis Across America Celebrates 25 Years

Host a USPTA/Prince Tennis Clinic to grow the game

ince 1990, USPTA and its members have made an invaluable impact on the community by growing the sport of tennis through Tennis Across America. Thousands of people have had the chance to pick up a racquet and fall in love with the game thanks to the efforts of USPTA Professionals who have donated their time throughout the years. 2014 marks the 25th annual Tennis Across America, USPTAs free lesson program designed to introduce the game of tennis to children and adults who have never experienced it. This year, USPTA is teaming up with Prince to host USPTA/Prince Tennis Clinics as part of Tennis Across America and calling USPTA Pros from all over the country to participate. Hosting one of these clinics gives USPTA Pros a chance to not only give back to their communities, but also an opportunity to grow their business. USPTA/Prince Tennis Clinics Prince will provide racquets and equipment for USPTA Pros who host USPTA/Prince Tennis Clinics. This is a great opportunity to allow people to try out their products, especially if the event targets former tennis players

who havent hit the courts in a while. USPTA Vice President Alan Cutler The goal is to have 50 USPTA/Prince has hosted TAA events since the proTennis Clinics with at least 40 people grams inception, running between five in attendance at each event. These will to 15 events annually to help fill his be held between April 1 and May 31. programs with positive results. Those interested in hostIn the curing a clinic should contact Hosting one of these rent economy, we clinics gives USPTA Pros their Prince Brand Manare competing for ager (uspta.com/benefits peoples disposable a chance to not only give > Prince > Prince Brand back to their communities, income and time Managers). The deadline but also an opportunity to with so many other to sign up to host a clinic is grow their business. things, Cutler Feb. 28. said. Tennis needs to find a way to stand out and we all Build your tennis business understand that in the short run you Because May is the kickoff month and possibly your staff are losing a few for Tennis Across America, USPTA hours of paid teaching time, but in the members can jump-start their sumlong run you will build a new and hopemer tennis programs by hosting a fully larger student base. free clinic. They can piggyback local Tennis Across America is a marpromotion of their own programs and keting tool to give the participants a businesses on the national publicity taste and a feel of what your upcoming campaign administered by the World events and programs will be like and to Headquarters. Holding a clinic can answer any questions they may have. result in financial benefits for both So the question is not can I afford to do the pro and the facility. Here are a few this, but can I afford not to do this? event ideas to consider: Adult clinic Increase tennis participation Cardio Tennis event To meet the objective of increasing Junior clinic grassroots tennis participation, events Member-guest event should target people who would not 10 and Under Tennis normally have an opportunity to play. Free clinics are not restricted to new players but may also be open to former players. The multicultural segment of the program targets various communities and potential players who have special needs and may not otherwise have the opportunity to play, such as senior citizens, inner-city and minority children, disabled children and adults, and many more. Our goal in this area is to have a minimum of one free clinic in every state and hopefully more. Promotions The USPTA World Headquarters will promote Tennis Across America nationwide, but USPTA members should also promote their event locally. A program guide that contains promo-

TAA is designed to introduce the game of tennis to children and adults who have never experienced it.

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tional tips, sample lesson plan, press releases and more is available at uspta.com/programs > Tennis Across America.

year since 1995 called Tennis Across Montgomery Serving an Ace Against Child Abuse and Domestic Violence. This is a public event Register held at Huntingdon College As in previous years, Tennis in Montgomery, Ala., where Across America events can be he is the director of tennis. held at any time of the year as The program was created long as the event is registered to offer tennis lessons to before the June 1 deadline. children without an opporMembers can register their tunity to play the game and events at uspta.com/programs to raise money for the Family > Tennis Across America. While Sunshine Center. About 100 supplies last, USPTA members children attend the event evJohn McWilliams, front right, with the staff of Tennis Across Montgomery in 2012. who register an event will be givery year to participate in the en a free Tennis Across America viduals for hosting the most creative, free tennis clinic. Last year banner (plus $10 for shipping and hanoriginal or unique free tennis event to the event raised $31,000 for the Famdling). get people to play tennis. To qualify ily Sunshine Center. His message is for this award, all events listed must Lets keep kids on the courts and not Recognition be free to all participants and must be in the courts. USPTAs Tennis Across registered with USPTA. More infor In addition to the individual award, AmericaAward recognizes those mation about applying for this award USPTA divisions are recognized for USPTA-certified members who have will be announced in the coming hosting the greatest number of Tennis done the most to get people to play months. Across America events, both by number tennis. While the award does look at Last years Tennis Across America and percentage. All events must be regindividuals who have held the most award winner was USPTA Profesistered with USPTA to be counted. Go free clinics with the greatest number sional John McWilliams, who has run to uspta.com/programs >Tennis Across of participants, it also recognizes indi- a Tennis Across America event every America to register your event. h

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Tennis Thanks the Troops

Beyond the Court

By Mandy Johnson, ThanksUSA

emorial Day Weekend marks the start of summer and this year we want it to mark the start of a nationwide movement from the tennis community to say thanks to the brave men and women of our U.S. military and their families. Tennis Thanks the Troops is a national fundraiser between the USPTA and ThanksUSA that encourages tennis players and enthusiasts to thank the troops by raising funds for the ThanksUSA Scholarship Program. The campaign is about turning the love of tennis into a college education for our military families. Tennis pros or enthusiasts can support Tennis Thanks the Troops by hosting a tennis tournament, organizing a round robin, adding small fees to lessons or already existing events, putting out a donation jar, or any other fundraising idea or event that best suits the supporter(s). Tennis Thanks the Troops has awarded 16 scholarships. This includes the scholarship awarded to Army spouse Clemencia Niles, who is able to continue her degree in Art Education Studies because of the fundraising efforts of Berkeley Hills Country Club in Duluth, Ga. Fortunately for me and many others, Berkeley Hills Country Club and ThanksUSA recognize not just the soldiers efforts, but also the family members endeavors to succeed, Niles said. Thank you very much for this thoughtful scholarship. I consider myself fortunate to be able to continue my education.
USPTA Member Todd Assini is the director of tennis at Berkeley Hills Country Club in Duluth, Ga. His club raised $3,700 for Tennis Thanks the Troops in 2013.

Berkeley Hills Country Club Scholarship Recipient, Clemencia Niles, and her family.

As participants in Tennis Thanks the Troops, Berkeley Hills Country Club hosted tennis mixers and a silent auction to raise money for the campaign. Their efforts not only awarded Niles a scholarship in Berkeley Hills name, but they also won the top fundraising prize in 2013, which allowed them to send two club members to the 2013 US Open in New York City! Being a member for over 20 years at the P-1 level, I was happy to support the troops through the USPTA. Berkeley Hills Tennis values the importance of education and also understands the sacrifices the men and women of the United States Armed Forces are

making. Supporting Tennis Thanks the Troops is the least we can do, ssini, director of tennis at said Todd A Berkeley Hills Country Club. If you are interested in joining the mission to thank the men and women of our U.S. military by providing their spouses and children with college scholarships, then please become a Tennis Thanks the Troops registered facility. Go to ThanksUSA.org to register your club, or contact the Tennis Thanks the Troops Coordinator at TTTT@ThanksUSA.org or 703-641-2407. Lets show our military how Tennis Thanks the Troops. h

ThanksUSA is a 501(c)(3) that provides college, technical and vocational school needbased scholarships for the children and spouses of U.S. military personnel. Since 2006, more than 3,000 scholarships have been awarded by ThanksUSA totaling $9.2 million.

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Professional Tennis Management: A Gateway to the Tennis Industry

By Dan Beedle, USPTA

Beyond the Court

magine growing up in a small town in northwest Indiana, a town with two public tennis courts and an hour from the nearest tennis facility. Now imagine not picking up a racquet until the first day of tennis practice your freshman year of high school and never taking a lesson. Most would agree that coming from this environment is going to make it difficult to become a good tennis player, let alone a teaching professional. How does someone from this environment end up as the head pro at one of the busiest tennis facilities in Louisiana just eight months after college graduation? The Professional Tennis Management (PTM) program at Ferris State University is the answer. I was very fortunate to have a great high school coach who made practices productive and fun. I knew after high school I wanted to do something with tennis, whether it was having a regular job and coaching a high school team or being an athletic trainer and being

Beedle with one of his 10 and Under students.

tied into tennis with that. Tennis was was in North Carolina, but I never lived and is my passion. I knew I wanted to more than two hours from home so l keep going with tennis. I played two didnt want to live that far away. There years at a small college (NCAA DIII) was another one in Texas and like North in Indiana. When I say that tennis is Carolina, I felt it was too far away. Then my passion I mean it. If I wasnt stringthere was Ferris State University in Big ing or watching the Tennis Channel, Rapids, Mich. With Michigan being I was looking for someone to hit with. directly north of me, I felt it could work. There was a running On spring break of After attending Ferris joke on the team: if it my sophomore year was raining or snowing State I have an immense of college, my parents outside, the guys would knowledge of how to be a and I took a trip to ask if I wanted to hit. If successful player as well as visit Ferris State. I saw them in class, they how to teach players. On my visit I would ask if I wanted to took the tour of the hit. Tennis consumed most of my focus campus and learned about the college besides homework. Despite playing of business and the activities offered in college, I knew that it would be difon campus. My previous college had a ficult getting a teaching pro job without student population of about 1,200 in a playing at the Division I level. Then I small town with very little in the form remembered in high school getting a of entertainment. Ferris State had a pamphlet about the Ferris State tennis student population of nearly 13,000 and camps and some brief info on the PTM had many activities on campus. Then I program. I decided to do some research. met with Derek Ameel, the new direcI found out about three programs. One tor of the PTM program, and Collin Cadwell, the administrative assistant. They told me about Ferris being the first four-year and largest PTM program and about the courses that are part of the program. Most importantly, they talked about the internships and 100 percent job placement after graduation. In this economy there are many people that are not working in their fields of study so it was extremely important that I find a good job that I enjoy. The program has a very good progression of classes that educate on everything from on-court teaching to running a pro shop and the managerial side of things. The program is part of the College of Business with a concentration in marketing or resort management. Apart from the classroom learning, there are many workshops that expand the learning even more. Many of the industrys top professionals come to Ferris to present. Just while I

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Beedle with Rick Macci.

was there (2010-2012), I was able to see Jorge Capestany, Ajay Pant and Todd Martin, just to name a few. There were also stringing workshops and clay court maintenance workshops. The ability to attend the USPTA Midwest Division conferences and network was yet another benefit to the PTM program. Networking with teaching pros from the Midwest gave me a group of professionals I could talk to if I had questions about teaching or programming or any other aspect of the industry. One thing I have found true about the industry is that there is something you can learn from everyone. I was able to attend three Midwest conferences and have pages upon pages of notes. I was able to help with presentations at each one, which allowed me to make even more contacts. I am a young pro and have a lot to learn, but I truly believe that I have a head start on most pros that were just good college players. Ferris allowed me to get hands-on experience teaching at the Racquet and Fitness Center. The best part of this hands-on experience is that you can talk to the head pro or assistant pro about how to fix certain problems that players are having. There

is an incredible amount of resources at your disposal. Not only do you have the amazing staff but also there is the resource library, which is full of books, videos and articles about tennis. Ferris State does not teach you everything about tennis, but it points you in the right direction. I spent many nights reading articles or watching stroke analysis videos, and of course pro matches, and continue to do so to this day. This unique program gives you the tools to become a better instructor as well as a better player. With four indoor courts you are able to play pretty much anytime during the day and on weekends. There are 10 outdoor hard courts and two Har-Tru clay courts as well. The player development clinics are designed to improve on-court tactics and strategy. I did not understand how to properly play the game until I went through the program. I did not know about directionals, the offense/neutral/defense areas of the court or how to adjust to my opponents style of play. After attending Ferris State, I have an immense knowledge of how to be a successful player as well as how to teach players. The friendships I made at Ferris were great. In fact, one of my best

friends went with me on a 2,800-mile road trip for three job interviews. Starting in Indiana we went over to Ohio, down to Georgia, west to Louisiana and back to Indiana. With the PTM program it is easy to get along because everyone shares similar interests. The PTM Alumni are great as well. They are very willing to help out in any way that they can. I was fortunate to attend the 2013 USPTA World Conference in Orlando, Fla., in September and in every presentation I met someone that was a Ferris PTM grad or employs a Ferris grad. Our network of alumni is second to none. If you are considering a career in tennis, then the Professional Tennis Management program at Ferris State is the way to go. It is truly a gateway to the tennis industry. h
Dan Beedle is a 2012 graduate of the Professional Tennis Management program at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich. Before going to Ferris, he played two years of varsity tennis (NCAA DIII) at Manchester College (now Manchester University) in North Manchester, Ind. Beedle was the 2013 USTA Louisiana - Tennis Professional of the Year and the 2013 USTA Southern Tennis Professional of the Year.

Begun in 1986, the Professional Tennis Management program has been the leader in training and educating students seeking outstanding careers in the tennis industry. The four-year program leads to a Bachelor of Science degree in business, with a choice of a marketing or resort management concentration. Visit http://www.ferris.edu/business/programs/tennis-management for more information.

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Career Development
Exams, Upgrades & PTCA I
(4 credits for PTCA I segment) March 1-2 Paradise Valley, Ariz. Birmingham, Ala. March 9 Clearwater, Fla. March 9 March 13 Minneapolis Rochester, N.Y. March 14 Oklahoma City March 15 March 15-16 Huntington Beach, Calif. Boca Raton, Fla. March 15-16 March 21-22 Houston* April 6 Richmond, Va.
* This course is held at the USPTA World Headquarters. Exam reservations must be made at least 21 days prior to the dates listed. Each date includes an exam, upgrade and PTCA I unless noted. Exam cancellations must be received no later than 14 days before the exam, or a cancellation fee will be charged accordingly. Applicant: late cancellation fee $95; failure to cancel application fee is forfeited. Certied members: late cancellation fee $25; failure to cancel $25 plus the upgrade fee is forfeited. Registration for another exam will not be accepted until cancellation fees are paid.

Conventions
(Division conventions, 5 credits; World Conference 8 credits; dates subject to change) March 1-3 March 2 March 8-9 Midwest Division San Diego Division Intermountain Division Columbus, Ohio La Jolla, Calif. Denver

TAUT workshop
March 1 Midwest Division Columbus, Ohio

Specialty courses
March 1 Management: a learned skill Columbus, Ohio; A. Pant

Cardio Tennis
March 2 CT March 3 TRX CT March 9 CT March 10 TRX CT March 22 CT April 17 CT April 19 CT April 27 CT May 5 CT San Francisco San Francisco Honolulu Palm Desert, Calif. Wexford, Pa. Darien, Conn. Birmingham, Ala. Cleveland Philadelphia May 16 May 17 May 17 May 18 May 18 June 14 Oct. 9 Nov. 8 Nov. 9 CT TRX CT CT TRX CT TRX CT CT CT CT TRX CT Denver Denver Austin, Texas Austin, Texas Cleveland New York Fayetteville, N.C. New York New York
Please visit www.cardiotennis.com to register online.

Accredited Professional Coach

Register your Accredited Professional Coach (APC) and specialty course credits earned with the USPTA SmartCode Education System. This uses your smartphone to instantly register your attendance to all seminars and specialty courses earning APC. To use the system at a seminar, general session or specialty course, you must scan two QR codes. One QR code is on your conference badge. The second QR code will be in your conference notebook and cannot be scanned until the end of the session or the beginning of the next session. If you do not have a smartphone, you may use someone elses. Forms are available upon request.

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h t t p : / / u s p t a . f r o m u t h t e nnis. com

The official distributor of Nike footwear and apparel to the USPTA.

Member News
Arizona Special Olympians took to the courts at Troon Country Club in the 4th annual Tennis Fun Day on Jan. 25. Mark Pachtner, USPTA Professional and director of tennis at Troon, coordinated the event, which attracted more than 170 participants. Tennis Fun Day is also a well-established fundraiser for the Special Olympics Arizona, raising nearly $8,000 at this years event. During the free Tennis Fun Day of clinics and exhibitions, local tennis professionals covered the basics of the sport of tennis and taught certain groundstrokes for the Special Olympians using 10 and Under teaching equipment with low compression balls and adjusted net heights. Each athlete received a commemorative Fun Day T-shirt, a free tennis racquet and a gold medal for participation during the post-event awards luncheon. Athletes and volunteers also got time away from the courts to explore a fully-equipped re engine, courtesy of the Scottsdale Fire department, and three police cars, courtesy of the Scottsdale Police department. USPTA Professional Bernie McGuire, the Hammond School varsity boys & girls tennis coach, held a holiday round robin on Dec. 28, where the team raised $800 for Ronald McDonald House Charities in Columbia, S.C. More than 35 players competed in two doubles divisions and were served pancakes with all the trimmings. Becky Desmond. In prior years, both Devlin and Sweitzer were honored with USTA Middle States HOF Inductions. Longtime Dunwoody tennis pro Ty Fuller, USPTA, recently retired from coaching after 50 years. He started in 1963 working in the New England area for about 10 years. In 1971, after a meeting with Bud Collins and Arthur Ashe, he did a stint for the U.S. State Department touring around West Africa setting up programs at various schools and universities. In 1973, he was the tennis director/ club manager at the Dunwoody Radisson Inn in Atlanta. He remained there for almost nine years before starting his Dunwoody Tennis School, which ran for 30 years. During his coaching tenure in Atlanta, many of his ALTA/USTA league teams won city titles. He also developed more than 50 youngsters into regional as well as sectional champions. Over the years, he created many innovative instructional programs such as: Tennis to Music, Tennis for Tykes and a series on both Georgia Cable and CBS Atlanta. In addition, he donated his time developing programs for the physically disabled, prison inmates and for Atlantas schools. In 2007 he was named Pro of the Year by the Georgia Professional Tennis Association, an organization he helped form in 1977. As a player, his USTA Senior League Team won city titles in 2010 and 2013 and the state championship in 2005. abc123 Tennis introduces an innovative, turnkey curriculum designed for teachers and coaches to incorporate fun movement activities with learning the foundations of math and reading on the tennis court, playground, gym or in the classroom. Founded by USPTA Recreational Coach Patricia (Pat) T heriault in 2012, the companys vision is to bring tness and education together to ght childhood obesity, as well as improve basic math and literacy skills for children ages 4 to 10. The abc123 Tennis program encourages learning through cooperative game play and is an easy, engaging addition to youth physical education classes, adapted physical education classes, sports instructional programs, or after-school and summer recreation programs. Visit www. abc123tennis.com to learn more. Edgar Giffenig USPTA, former national coach in the U.S., Germany and Mexico, released Developing High Performance Tennis Players in paperback and as an e-book. The book explores tennis from the perspective of a player development coach, presenting an indepth analysis of the key elements of the game and how they need to be addressed to help players reach their potential. This full-color book with more than 140 pictures, 200 drills and various videos (iPad version only) is a wonderful resource for coaches, players and parents. For more information, visit Amazon.com or visit the iTunes store. Author, clinician and performance specialist Scott Ford, USPTA, announced the release of Welcome to the Zone, Peak Performance Redened. Fords new tennis guide is about learning to play tennis In the Zone all the time, by choice, and in a state of continual peak performance. Ford introduces readers to his radically different approach to optimum performance and shows that the elusive mystery of moving into The Zone is no longer a mystery or even an unrepeatable quirk of fate. By learning Fords stepby-step Parallel Mode Process, tennis players of all levels can learn to create their own enhanced consciousness, the entry point to The Zone. He shows how to get into the zone, how to maintain the zone and how to compete in the zone, not just for extraordinary tennis, but for an extraordinary life. Welcome to the Zone is available in a paperback edition through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. For more information, visit www.tennisinthezone.com.

Tom Sweitzer and Marty Devlin were inducted in the USPTA Middle States Hall of Fame at the recent USPTA Middle States Conference held in Princeton, N.J. Devlin and Sweitzer join previous inductees Ron Woods, Ph.D., Bob Ruzanic, Ed Garcia, Larry Hampton and

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Your Serve
Relationship Advice
By Bruce Knittle

Tennis has played second ddle to golf at country clubs for decades. How can tennis increase its role?

hy is it that tennis programs at country clubs are often considered second-class citizens to their golf counterparts? Why is tennis diminishing at many of these clubs, and how can this dynamic be repaired? How can tennis actually increase its role at these clubs? I am not referring to clubs that offer tennis as the lone sport; Im talking about the co-existence of tennis and golf at country clubs. The reality, which is certainly not new, is that tennis programs at country clubs often take a secondary role to golf. This has been going on for so long, it is thought to be the natural order. Country clubs started out originally as solely golf oriented, and tennis was added in later years. Less money goes into tennis than golf at these clubs, and tennis pros are not compensated as well as their golf counterparts. One reason is that golf courses are considerably more expensive to maintain. While this is true, the investment accorded to tennis is rarely commensurate to its true value. At many country clubs, the employees hired are mainly trained for working on golf courses. When I was the head pro at a country club many years ago, there was a superintendent in charge of maintaining the golf course and tennis courts. Because his knowledge of clay courts was minimal, I had to step in and direct the proper court maintenance. Country clubs have also experienced declining memberships in recent years. Due to numerous factors such as aging members and economic uncertainty, many clubs have found themselves in precarious situations. With this declining enrollment at country clubs, here are some ways tennis programs can improve this situation, and at the same time coexist

Be Proactive: With tennis member-

better with their golf cohorts.

ships down, there has to be specific targeted goals, and an action plan to recruit members. When setting up this plan, there needs to be a realistic recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of the present tennis programs. No longer can tennis committees sit stagnant while losing members. Consider discounted tennis only memberships as one method for both recruiting and keeping tennis players. With costs considerably more reasonable, clubs have a better chance to grow their tennis programs, while bringing in members not just for tennis, but to the restaurant, pool, childrens programs, etc. Attract Younger Members: Whether tennis or golf, when older members leave, there needs to be a cycle of younger individuals to replace them. One suggestion is to appeal more to younger working families. By offering family activities, clubs can attract a market not previously attended to. Having varied youth and after-work tennis activities will entice a younger core of prospective members. Adding to this family emphasis, having the spouses of golf members engaged in the tennis operations can be essential. Especially if these spouses are not golf-oriented, having them involved would benefit both the tennis program and club. Tennis and Golf Should Work Together: Instead of having an adversarial relationship, it would be wise for both programs to support each other. There are shared goals of increased enrollment, and club growth. When recruiting potential members, having healthy golf and tennis programs will enhance the clubs marketability, and help separate

itself from the competition. It is in the best interests of the programs to form a shared marketing strategy, with the clubs support. Hold Open Houses: When recruiting for new tennis members, use your facilities to help market the sport. Once people view facilities firsthand, there is a greater chance of enrollment. These open houses can be on a group or individual basis. Offer Clinics and Special Events: Providing free clinics and other instructional classes will help bring in new members to the club, and help promote the tennis program to existing members and spouses. At these functions, the club pros have a chance to interact with prospective members. Additionally, being creative with events can result in new members, and generate interest in tennis. A couple of examples are roundrobin mixers and clinics centered on Grand Slam events, or theme-oriented tennis parties. With a little effort, tennis, even though it might never stand on an equal footing with golf at country clubs, can coexist very nicely. With highly functioning tennis programs, country clubs will surely reap the benefits.
Bruce Knittle is the president of consulting rm Knittle Sports Solutions Inc. (www. knittlesportssolutions. com), which offers advisory services to tennis and sports organizations. A former highly ranked player and captain of the Florida State University tennis team, he was a successful tennis camp owner, college tennis coach/pro, and director of sports programs. We welcome your opinions. Please email comments to TI@racquetTECH.com.

60 TennisIndustry

March 2014