Tennis Industry Magazine

MERCHANDISING
RACQUET TECH
YOUTH TENNIS
Display your racquets How to make junior

by power level to set events fun for both
your store apart
kids and parents
Consistency
is key for grip
installation
February 2017 / Volume 45 / Number 2 / $5.00
Your
Complete
Player
Racquets
How franchises and
built-in customization can
help your bottom line
24
Shoes
For the fastest tennis
footwear, technology
never slows downt
26
Strings
The most important word
of 2017 isn't polyester, but
rather education t
28
Apparel
Manufacturers are
merging fashion with
function this season
32
An inside look at the latest

trends in racquets, shoes,
strings and apparel
TA
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www.tennisindustrymag.com
TennisIndustry
Contents Feb.2017
DEPARTMENTS
4
7
14
16
18
20
22
38
40
p. 28
p. 34
Our Serve
Industry News
TIA News
Junior Tournaments
Grassroots Tennis
Retailing Tip
Racquet Tech
Tips & Techniques
Your Serve, by Virgil
Christian
INDUSTRY NEWS
OUTLOOK 2017
FEATURES
24 Racquets: Frames in Mind

Franchises and built-in frame customization
may help retailers move more racquets through
their stores.
34 Two of a Kind
Tennis Industry and
the ASBA present the
best in tennis court
construction and
design.
7
7
8
8
8
9
9
9
9
10
10
10
11
Tennis and sports experts to

present at TOM Conference
TOM to feature Tennis
Industry Innovation
Challenge
K-Swiss names Mike Miringoff
global tennis director
Peoplewatch
Kathy Rinaldi tapped for U.S.
Fed Cup captain
Gordy Pierce honored with
ASBAs Industry Merit Award
Study: Racquet sports may
protect against early death
Har-Tru acquires Treadblaster
shoe cleaner
Davis Cup to return to
Birmingham Feb. 3-5
Industry loses pioneer
Wade Herren
GoFundMe campaign aids
California facility
Pickleball Championships
slated for April in Florida
USPTA partners with U.S.
Padel Association
Short Sets
26 Shoes: Stepping Forward

Whether sales will be up or down this year,
technology and styling in footwear continues
to move ahead.
28 Strings: Educational Initiative
Getting players to restring more frequently
with the right stringsis a matter of making
sure they know the facts.
36 Merchandise
With a Purpose!
Displaying your
racquets by power
level makes it easier
for your customers to
buy the right frame.
32 Apparel: Mixed Company

Tenniswear continues its fashion appeal as
more bright colors and trendy designs mix with
function on the court.
p. 36
PLUS
p.41
42 CEOs Message
44 Vice Presidents Message
42
Update on
Lake Nona
49
Playing Tennis
Linked to
Longer Life
52
Five
Foundation
Blocks of
Coaching
56
Key Principles
of Operating
a Profitable
Tennis Program
46 USPTA News
49 Beyond the Court
52 Inside Coaching
56 Master Pro Corner
58 Career Development
60 Member News
Read more articles online at www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
2 TennisIndustry February 2017

FINAL_02_TI_FOB_TOC_SC_CR.indd 2
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TennisIndustry
OurServe
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
PETER FRANCESCONI
EDITOR'S NOTE
Take Full Advantage
Its worth seeking out industry meetings

and conferences, which provide
opportunites to learn and enlighten.
ne of the best things

about this industry is
being able to interact
with tennis providers
at various meetings and
conferences. For me, these educational
events are not only sources of ideas, but
also sources of inspiration.
We all have a lot on our minds and on
our plates, but taking the time to attend
these events helps me appreciate this
sport and the great people involved in
it, and to focus on whats most importantgrowing tennis at all levels. Two
such events I recently attended really
drove these points home.
The inaugural New England Tennis Weekend was held in November in
Newport, R.I., and attracted more than
200 tennis providers. This workshop
included sessions led by USTA National
and New England staff, along with
other industry experts.
The sessions I attended were terrific. Featured speaker David Benzel of
Growing Champions for Life Inc. discussed dealing with parents, customer
service and using tennis to win at life.
He pointed to a study which showed
that 74 percent of kids have witnessed
out-of-control adults at their competitions. Coaches need to get more skilled
and comfortable dealing with parents,
Benzel said. Parents are the most
under-coached group in sports.
In addition, the workshop included
sessions on how to activate parents as
tennis program organizers, how to
engage adults with innovative playing formats, how to expand tennis to
younger players and local marketing.
And just as important, coaches, teaching pros and community leaders had a
chance to network and share ideas.

FINAL2_02_TI_BOB_OurServe_SC.indd 7
PUBLISHER
JEFF WILLIAMS
MANAGING EDITOR
SCOTT GRAMLING
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
IAN KNOWLES
SENIOR EDITOR
ED McGROGAN
ART DIRECTOR
CRHISTIAN RODRIGUEZ
PRODUCTION EDITOR
SAM CHASE
In early December, I had the honor

of presenting awards at the American
Sports Builders Associations annual
Technical Meeting in Amelia Island,
Fla. The meeting, with its informative
and timely educational sessions, had
the most attendees ever, more than
600double what it was a decade ago.
Whats great to see is how, over the
last 15 years, court contractors have
increasingly been recognized as a key
component to helping this game grow.
The knowledge, experience and passion
for doing the best job possible to serve
this sport were clearly on display at this
years ASBA meeting.
Continuing to learn, network and
be inspired at these gatherings are
important for this industry, and for
your careers. Check out whats being
offered through your section, teaching
pro group, TIA, USTA and other organizations. Then, sign up!
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR
BOB PATTERSON
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
ROBIN BATEMAN, CYNTHIA CANTRELL, PEG
CONNOR, KENT OSWALD, CYNTHIA SHERMAN,
MARY HELEN SPRECHER
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
BOB KENAS, DAVID KENAS
WEBMASTER
GREG RAVEN
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
TIM McARTHUR
EDITORIAL DIRECTION
10TEN MEDIA
TENNIS INDUSTRY
48 W 21st St., New York, NY 10010

646-783-1450
info@tennisindustrymag.com
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
JOHN HANNA
770-650-1102, x125
hanna@knowatlanta.com
APPAREL ADVERTISING
CYNTHIA SHERMAN
203-558-5911
cstennisindustry@gmail.com
We were thrilled to honor our Person of

the Year, Don Tisdel, in our January
issue. We sincerely regret the mispelling
of his name in the story. I apologize for
the error and to Mr. Tisdel.
Peter Francesconi
Editorial Director
Peter@TennisIndustryMag.com
Tennis Industry is published 10 times per year:

monthly, January through August with combined
issues in September/October and November/
December, by Tennis Media Company, 48 W 21st
St., New York, NY 10010. Periodical postage paid in
Duluth, GA and at additional mailing offices (USPS
#004-354). Feb 2017, Volume 45, Number 2 2017
by Tennis Media Company. All rights reserved. Tennis
Industry, TI and logo are trademarks of Tennis Media
Company. Printed in the U.S.A. Phone advertising:
770-650-1102 x 125. Phone circulation and editorial:
646-783-1450. Yearly subscriptions $25 in the U.S.,
$40+ elsewhere. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to Tennis Industry, 48 W 21st St., New York, NY 10010.
Tennis Industry is the official 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.
12/31/16 11:33 AM
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IndustryNews
Information to help you run your business
INDUSTRY EVENT
Tennis and Sports Experts To

Present at TOM Conference
P H O T O S T I A ; K- S W I S S
he fourth annual Tennis Owners & Managers (TOM) Conference will be held from March
27-29 at the Rosen Shingle Creek resort
in Orlando, Fla. Presented by the TIA,
the TOM Conference brings together
leading experts in facility management,
development, programming and staffing to provide vital information that will
address the needs of all types of tennis
facilitiespublic, commercial, private,
country clubs and resorts.
The conference will include a Future
of Tennis Forum, along with the
Tennis Industry Innovation Challenge, a Shark Tank-like competition for new products (see right). The
TOM also will include a site visit to the
100-court USTA National Campus,
which officially opens in January.
Among the speakers will be Dr. Jack
Groppel, the Health & Wellness Advisor
for the tennis industry, who will lead a
Health, Wellness & Tennis Panel that
will include Dr. Brian Hainline, chief
medical officer for the NCAA and
FINAL_02_TI_FOB_INDUSTRY_NEWS_SC.indd 7
former longtime chief medical officer

for the US Open, and Dr. Paul Roetert,
CEO of SHAPE America (Society of
Health and Physical Educators) and
former managing director of USTA
Player Development.
Tennis facility owners and managers also will hear from a top Disney
Institute executive on customer service.
Sports facility expert Casey Conrad
will present a session on creating new
revenue for clubs and facilities through
innovative programming, and other
sessions will dive into how to re-think
various segments of the business.
The conference also will showcase a
roundtable on the topic, Is Your Facility as Tech Savvy as Your Members?
Other presentations will include critical
legal issues facing facilities, how to
attract millennials and families, and
more. There also will be an exhibitor
area with networking breaks.
Visit TheTomConference.com for
details and to register.
Tennis Industry Innovation

Challenge at 2017 TOM
The 2017 TOM Conference in Orlando
will feature a unique Tennis Industry
Innovation Challenge, a Shark Tanklike competition showcasing cuttingedge products designed to help grow
tennis businesses.
From now until Feb. 15, companies
and individuals can submit pitches for
their innovative products, software and
services at TheTOMConference.com.
Finalists from the application process
will have the opportunity to present their
innovative product or
service to a panel of
judgesand in front
The Tennis Industry
Innovation
of an audience of tenChallenge
nis industry leaders
and top tennis facility
owners/managers
at the 2017 TOM Conference on March 27.
Carlos Salum, president of the leadership, performance and strategy firm
Salum International Resources, will
emcee the Innovation Challenge at the
TOM Conference and chair the judging
panel, which will include Jeff Williams, the
managing partner of the Tennis Media Co.
(and publisher of Tennis Industry
magazine), along with other industry
executives and C-suite attendees.
The finalists will receive media exposure through the TIA in the lead-up to
the TOM Conference, along with special
recognition at the event itself. The winner
of the Tennis Industry Innovation Challenge will receive a $1,000, a one-year
membership in the TIA at the Supporting
Member level, a national press release,
coverage in Tennis Industry magazine,
additional exposure through TIA marketing and social media channels, and a
commemorative plaque.
Miringoff Named
K-Swiss'
Global Tennis
Director
K-Swiss has
appointed Mike
Miringoff as its global
Mike Miringoff
director of tennis,
responsible for all aspects of the performance tennis business in North America,
including sales, marketing and product. He
joins K-Swiss from Wilson, where he spent
the last five years in Shanghai, China, as Asia
Pacific region commercial manager.
February 2017
TennisIndustry 7
12/31/16 1:36 PM
IndustryNews
People
Watch
Mike has a deep and comprehensive
knowledge of the tennis world and will
breathe new energy into our long-term
tennis strategy and direction, says K-Swiss
brand President Barney Waters.
Previously, Miringoff was Wilsons
western regional sales manager, and was a
key account manager for Nike in the west
region. He also served as director of player
development for the USTA Southern California section and played Division I tennis at the
University of Kentucky.
Pierce Receives ASBAs

Industry Merit Award
The American Sports Builders
Association awarded its highest honor,

the Industry Merit Award, to Gordy
Pierce, owner and president of Cape and
Island Tennis & Track of Pocasset, Mass.,
for his contributions to the industry.
Pierce has been active in volunteering
with the ASBA and USTA for many years,
including as chairman of the USTAs
Technical Committee. He has contributed
his expertise on everything from court
surface testing to the creation of the key
Tennis Courts: Construction & Maintenance Manual.
Pierce was honored at an awards dinner Dec. 5 at the ASBAs annual Technical
Meeting in Amelia Island, Fla.
Dr. Deborah Antoine has been

appointed CEO of the Womens Sports
Foundation by the organizations board
of trustees, succeeding Deborah Slaner
Larkin, who is stepping down. The WSF
was founded by Billie Jean King, who is
the honorary board chair. Antoine most
recently was president and CEO of New
York Junior Tennis & Learning. She is also
an avid tennis player with a national
Top-10 ranking in her age group, and in
2013 was named the USTA Eastern
Sections Woman of the Year.
Sheila McInerney, Arizona State
Universitys womens tennis coach, is
the recipient of the 2016 ITA Meritorious
Service Award.
Monica Puig received the Association
of National Olympic Committees Award
for Best Female Athlete at the 2016 Rio
Olympic Games. Puig won the gold
medal in womens singles, becoming
the first athletemale or femaleto win
a gold medal for Puerto Rico, and the
first Puerto Rican female to medal at the
Summer Games since the nation's first
appearance in 1948.
FED CUP
Former Pro Kathy Rinaldi

Named U.S. Fed Cup Captain
he USTA announced in December that Kathy Rinaldi will be

the new U.S. Fed Cup captain,
replacing Mary Joe Fernandez, who had
held the job for the last eight years.
The USTA has also redefined and
expanded the Fed Cup captains role.
Rinaldi, 49, will work more closely with
Team USA players throughout the WTA
tour year, as well as support players in
the offseason. Rinaldi will also work
with all departments of the USTA,
including Player Development.

Rinaldi was ranked as high as No. 7

in the world in singles (May 1986) and
No. 13 in doubles (February 1993).
She reached the singles semifinals of
Wimbledon in 1985 and the quarterfinals of the French Open in 1981 and 87.
She reached the doubles semis at the 85
US Open, 87 French Open, and 91 and
93 Australian Open. Rinaldi currently
serves as Lead National Coach, Team
USAPro Women for USTA Player
Development, focused on helping U.S.
pros achieve Top-100 rankings.
Longtime USPTA and PTR pro Marcy

Cohen of Shelton, Conn., the managing
partner of Marcys Tennis Academy, has
been selected to represent the United
States in tennis at the 20th World
Maccabiah Games, which will take place
July 4-17 in Israel.
French Fed Cup standout Nathalie
Tauziat received the 2016 Fed Cup
Award of Excellence in November at the
Fed Cup Final. The award is presented by
the International Tennis Hall of Fame
and the International Tennis Federation.
Former University of New Mexico
coach and tennis great Paul Butt and
longtime Northern Arizona volunteer
and teaching pro Larry Lineberry are the
2017 inductees into the USTA Southwest
Hall of Fame.
P H O T O U S TA
Rinaldi (left) with members

of the 2015 U.S. World Junior
Finals team, Hurricane Tyra
Black, Caty McNally and
Amanda Anisimova.
Ashley Maitland is the new USTA New

England Tennis Service Rep for Western
Massachusetts and Vermont.
12/31/16 1:36 PM
IndustryNews
Har-Tru Acquires Treadblaster

Shoe Cleaner
FITNESS
New Study Says Racquet

Sports May Protect
Against Early Death
P H O T O S A P ; H A R -T R U
study released in early

December suggests that
regularly playing racquet sports
such as tennis can help stave off death,
while sports such as soccer and running
may not help people live longer.
Oxford University researchers and
scientists in Finland and Australia followed more than 80,000 people for an
average of nine years to find out if certain sports helped protect them against
early death. People who played racquet
sports regularly were least likely to die
over the study period, the report found,
reducing their individual risk by 47
percent compared to people who did
not exercise.
Swimmers reduced their chance of
death by 28 percent, aerobics participants by 27 percent and cyclists by 15
percent, according to the study. Running, soccer and rugby appeared to have
no impact at all on early death.

Scientists have speculated that one of
the reasons racquet sports such as tennis may help prevent early death is the
social aspect that goes with playing it,
which often leads to organized activities
beyond the court. Tennis participants,
the study suggests, generally have
larger social networks and keep up
activities later in lifeboth of which
tend to be good for health. People who
play team sports when younger often
do not move on to a new sport once they
stop playing.
We think racquet sports not only
offer the usual physiological benefts,
but also offer additional mental health
and social benefits, perhaps unique to
these sports, Dr. Charlie Foster, associate professor of Physical Activity and
Population Health at Oxford, told the
British newspaper The Telegraph.
Har-Tru of Charlottesville, Va., has acquired

Treadblaster, a shoe cleaner with a design
that shoots pressurized jets of water into
soles of shoes to clean out clay, dirt, and
debris, all without allowing any over-splash.
Our Har-Tru surface is immensely forgiving and superb for keeping tennis players
healthy, but the material can wander off on
the soles of tennis shoes, says Tracy Lynch,
director of sales for Har-Tru, which acquired
Treadblaster from Medora Corp. Treadblaster may be the best product we have for
solving that problem.
Treadblaster was developed by Joel Bleth,
co-founder, president and CEO of Medora
Corp. Har-Tru first brought the product to
the tennis world in 2008.
Davis Cup Returns To

Birmingham in February
Tickets are on sale now for the 2017
Davis Cup World Group First Round tie
between the U.S. and Switzerland, which
will be held Feb. 3-5 at the Legacy Arena
at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention
Complex (BJCC) in Birmingham, Ala.
Davis Cup returns to Birmingham for
the first time since 2009, when the city
also hosted Switzerland in a World Group
First Round match at the BJCC. In that
tie, the U.S. team of Andy Roddick, James
Blake and Bob and Mike Bryan defeated
Switzerland, 4-1.
Industry Loses Pioneer

Wade Herren of Alabama
Wade Herren of Birmingham, Ala., passed
away on Dec. 7 at age 89. Herren, who won
over 200 tennis titles, including an SEC
championship, founded the Highland Racket
Club in 1959 and Southern Tennis Magazine,
also in 1959. He then turned to building
award-winning courts and facilities throughout the South with the Herren
Division of Welch Tennis.
In 1997, Herren was named one of the
February 2017
TennisIndustry 9
12/31/16 1:36 PM
IndustryNews
top 100 influential people in the sport by Tennis Industry magazine. He had been inducted
into the Southern Tennis Association Hall of
Fame, the Alabama Tennis Association Hall
of Fame, Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and
the Birmingham Southern Hall of Fame.
impact shock. For more information,

visit ashawayusa.com.
GoFundMe Campaign Aids

California Facility
New Squash String

From Ashaway
Ashaway has introduced SuperNick
ZX Micro, a new 18-gauge (1.15 mm)
squash string with a multifilament nylon
core wrapped in a special wear layer of
Zyex filaments. Designed to provide
precise touch while maintaining excellent
tension control, SuperNick ZX Micro is
intended for players who require
superior durability, better control and
increased power.
What makes Zyex so good for racquet
strings is its low dynamic stiffness, says
Ashaway's Steve Crandall. This allows
the strings to stretch and recover more
completely than other synthetic materials, thus generating more power with less
(DecoTurf), Gamma as the official grip, Paddletek as the paddle, and Dura as the ball.
For more information, visit
usopenpickleballchampionships.com.
Pickleball Championships
Slated for April 23-30
The Minto US Open Pickleball Championships will be held from April 23-30 at East
Naples Community Park in Naples, Fla. As
of December, more than 1,200 players had
registered for the international event. The
event will receive two hours of coverage on
the CBS Sports Network.
Official equipment of the Minto US Open
Pickleball Championships include California Sports Surfaces as the court surface
A GoFundMe.com campaign, organized

by community members in Costa Mesa,
Calif., exceeded its $10,000 goal to help
the Costa Mesa Tennis Center recover
from damage and loss from three breakins that occurred over two weeks in 2016.
The CMTC has been run by industry
veterans Hank and Maureen Lloyd since
1999, and they had been hoping to purchase a new ice machine for the facility,
but the repairs and loss from the breakins set back their plans. The community
rallied to help buy the new ice machine
and replace stolen items, install security
bars on windows and doors, and install a
security system.
USPTA Partners With

U.S. Padel Association
The USPTA will partner with the U.S. Padel
Association (USPA) to provide additional
certification opportunities for both USPTAcertified professionals and padel pros.
The USPA will work with the USPTA to
assist qualified USPTA members who are
seeking to become certified as USPA professionals while giving USPA professionals
affiliation under the USPTA umbrella. As part
of this relationship, USPA members will have
access to USPTA member benefits. Both
juniors and adults compete every two years
in the Padel World Championships. The
USPA was created in 1993.
RECREATION
Landing the Big One
ike Burke of NGI Sports and Jon Wright of Court One hold a 30-inch black drum
that Burke landed on a fishing trip out of Fernandina (Fla.) Harbor City Marina
prior to the start of the American Sports Builders Association annual Technical
Meeting in Amelia Island in early December. NGI Sports of Chattanooga, Tenn., sponsored the
trip, which included clients from Court One in Raleigh, N.C., and General Acrylics of Phoenix.
The group caught more than 50 fish.

Steve Zalinski, the USTA Southern

tennis service representative for South
Carolina, will retire after nine years with
the section, bringing to a close a 50-year
career in the tennis industry. Zalinski,
of Daniel Island, S.C., has been a cornerstone in expanding tennis participation in
his home state, particularly in promoting
youth tennis.
Steve is a people person who makes
everyone feel comfortable, says Bill Ozaki, USTA Southern director of programs
and player development. Thanks to his
work, weve had great improvement in
programs in South Carolina.
P H O T O S A S H AWAY; N G I S P O RT S
Zalinski to Retire After

50 Years in Industry
12/31/16 1:37 PM
IndustryNews
A native of Chicago, Zalinski was a

top junior player and
played for DePaul
University. Prior to
joining USTA Southern, he was the vice
Steve Zalinski
president of sales for
Dunlop/Slazenger in the Pro Shop/Specialty area for 18 years.
Tennis Champion Gardnar

Mulloy Passes Away at 102
Tennis legend and Hall of Famer Gardnar
Mulloy passed away on Nov. 14. He was 102
years old.
A three-time NCAA champion at the University of Miami, Mulloy was ranked in the
U.S. Top 10 every year from 1939 through
1954, save for the two years he served in the
Navy during World War II. He reached No. 1
in 1952. Mulloy won five Grand Slam mens
doubles crowns and was a singles finalist at
Forest Hills in 1952. He won his last major
title in 1957 at age 43, partnering with
Budge Patty to claim the Wimbledon mens

doubles. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1972.
As a senior player, Mulloy won titles well
into his 80s. Today, the ITFs Super Senior
World Team Championships Gardnar Mulloy
Cup is for players 80-and-over.
A feisty and fiery competitor and one of
our sports most passionate proponents,
Gardnar truly left an indelible mark on the
sport that he so loved, said USTA President
Katrina Adams.
U.S. Kids Rank 47 Out of 50

in Overall Physical Fitness
According to a recent report, U.S.
children rank 47th in the world in overall
physical fitness, based on a series of
20-meter shuttle runs conducted with
more than 1.1 million children from 50
countries. The five countries with the
fittest children are Tanzania, Iceland,
Estonia, Norway and Japan.
This new information confirms the reality of the current Inactivity Pandemic,
where nearly 82 million Americans,

including many children, are physically
inactive, according to PHIT America
and the Physical Activity Council. PHIT
America offers Go! Grants for PE programs, which could also include tennis
programs and equipment. In 2015, PHIT
America distributed 156 Go! Grants to
U.S. schools. Visit PHITAmerica.org.
Clawson Re-elected
CEO of SFIA
Chris Clawson was re-elected as the
Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA)
chairman of the board in early December.
Clawson is the president of Life Fitness.
New additions to the board this year
include: Dan Arment (Riddell), Rawleigh
Grove (PING Golf), Jason LaRose (Under
Armour), Gene McCarthy (Asics America),
Scott McDonald (Body Solid Inc.), and Marco
Zambianchi (Technogym).
The following board members have been
re-elected: Melissa Dawson (Molten USA
Inc.) and Neil Morton (Everlast Worldwide).
Short
Sets
Moore. His territory includes West Portland, and the communities of Beaverton,
Tigard and Hillsboro.
P H O T O S U S TA S O U T H E R N ; A S H AWAY
To streamline its governance, the USTA

Florida Section recently eliminated its
executive committee and streamlined
its board of directors to form one sole
governing body to set the policies and
direction of the association.
Ashaway Racket Strings has retired two
of its popular nylon badminton strings
the Rally 21 and Rally 21 Microand
introduced a new alternative, Beta Polymer-based Rally 21 Fire. The company
says the new, 0.70 mm Rally 21 Fire string
provides a 25-percent improvement in
dynamic stiffness and elasticity over its
predecessors, as well as a 25 percent
improvement in knot and sheer strength.
Visit ashawayusa.com.
TGA Premier Youth Tennis has a new
franchise in Oregon, run by Kendall
The Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club in

Vero Beach, Fla., will return as the host
venue for the 2017 Mardy Fish Childrens
Foundation Tennis Championships, to be
held April 21-30. The event is a $15,000
Futures tournament.
USTA New England has announced its
annual awards. Among the winners are
the Lakes Region Community Tennis
Association of Gilmanton, N.H., as CTA
of the Year; Norwalk (Conn.) Grassroots
Tennis & Education as NJTL Chapter of
the Year; the Wool family of Burlington,
Vt., as Family of the Year; the Connecticut

Alliance for Tennis and Education in New
Canaan, as Organization of the Year; and
Care Bunnie Lahey of Lee Mass., as the
winner of the Gardner Ward Chase
Memorial Award.
The USTA Florida Section Foundation
recently awarded $29,000 in grants to
police athletic leagues, schools, junior
programs, after-school programs, tennis
centers and tennis associations.
USTA Southern annual awards: CORTA
TennisWorks in the Parks of Columbus,
Ga., as NJTL Chapter of the Year; Columbus
(Ga.) Regional Tennis Association as CTA of
the Year; Bayou Bluff Tennis Club of Gulfport, Miss., as Member Organization of the
Year; Billie Fitzsimons of Wilmington, N.C.,
as winner of the Marilyn Sherman Spirit
Award; Cindy Dreikosen of Cary, N.C., as
winner of the Marc Kaplan Media Excellence Award; and Nan Smith of Columbia,
S.C., as the Gerrie Rothwell Award winner.
February 2017
TennisIndustry 11
12/31/16 1:37 PM
IndustryNews
USTA Announces New

MRTs and CSs
Master Racquet Technicians
Jordan Boecker, Houston
Juan Bozo, Houston
Adam Friel, Roslyn, N.Y.
Lenno Lasn, Wheaton, Ill.
Dave Neagle, Cincinnati
Alex Tran, Houston
Sang Tran, Houston
Certified Stringer
Weidong Cai, China

INDUSTRY EVENT
Miley, Van Faayenhoven

To Present at PTR Symposium
nternationally acclaimed coaches

Dave Miley and Frank van Fraayenhoven will present at the PTR
International Tennis Symposium, from
Feb. 15-18 on Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Miley has played a key role in the
global development of tennis. The
former International Tennis Federation
executive director of tennis development was responsible for overseeing
juniors, veterans and wheelchair players, as well as the ITF/Grand Slam
Dave Miley
Frank van Fraayenhoven
Development Program. In 1992, he

started the ITF Coaching and Sports
Science Review and remained its editor
until 2015, and was instrumental in
creating ITFs online platform iCoach.
He was also Irish Mens Doubles Champion, and is a former captain of the Irish
National Mens Team.
Van Fraayenhoven worked in coach
education for the Royal Dutch Lawn
Tennis Association as a tutor and
manager until October of this year. He
has been involved in the education of
coaches for 37 years, and has worked
with coaches and players in more than
75 countries, including as a national
coach for the Netherlands. A member
of the ITF Coaches Commission for
more than 15 years, he received the ITF
Award for Service to the Game.
PHOTOS PTR
Newly elected and re-elected directors

will join existing SFIA board members Robert
Puccini (Mizuno, USA), Jennifer Bendall
(Nike), Michael Savage (Empower Fitness),
Brian Anderson (2XU), Jim Baugh (Jim
Baugh Consulting), Brian Jennings (NHL),
Sal LaRocca (NBA), Nathan Pyles (Johnson
Health Tech North America), Jonathan
Ram (New Balance), Kurt Tandan (Adidas
America), Jeff Padovan (Bite Tech Inc.), Jim
Weber (Brooks Running Company) and Mike
Zlaket (Rawlings Sporting Goods).
12/31/16 1:37 PM
A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR
COACHES & ORGANIZERS

Whether you are looking to promote your programs
and events, take a course or learn the latest coaching tips,
the USTA Resource Center has what youre looking for.
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2016 United States Tennis Association. All rights reserved.
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9/20/16 12:04 PM
TIA Meetings in March to Bring Together Leading

Tennis and Sports Experts
Tennis facility and club management experts, along
with sports and fitness industry executives, will share
their knowledge, experience and expertise at the 2017
Tennis Owners & Managers (TOM) Conference, which
will be March 27-29 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort
in Orlando, Fla.
Presented by the TIA, the fourth annual TOM
Conference brings together leading experts in facility
management, development, programming, staffing and
other key areas to provide vital information that will
address the needs of all types of tennis facilities
public, commercial, private, country clubs, resorts.
The conference will include the Future of Tennis
Forum on the first day, focusing on current research
and future resources and trends. There will also be a Tennis Industry
Innovation Challengea Shark Tank-like competition showcasing
new and cutting-edge products. In addition, the TOM Conference will
include a visit to the 100-court USTA National Campus (below).
Topics and speakers will include a Tennis Health & Wellness Panel
that will focus on how the tennis industry and its businesses should
use health & wellness messaging to attract more people to the game
and encourage active, healthy lifestyles through sports. The panel
will be led by Dr. Jack Groppel, co-founder of the Johnson & Johnson
Human Performance Institute and the Health & Wellness Advisor for
the tennis industry, and will include Dr. Brian Hainline, chief medical
officer for the NCAA and former longtime chief medical officer for the
US Open; Dr. Paul Roetert, CEO of SHAPE America (Society of Health
and Physical Educators) and former managing director of USTA Player
Development; and Tom Richards, the director of corporate engagement
for the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
14 TennisIndustry
February 2017
Carlos Salum, president of

the leadership, performance
and strategy firm Salum
International
Resources,
will head the judging for
the Tennis Industry Innovation Challenge and will
participate in panels and roundtables throughout
the TOM Conference. Tennis facility owners and
managers also will hear from Disney Institute
executive Brent Centlivre on customer service.
Other topics cover creating new revenue for
tennis clubs/facilities and effective management.
Former pro player Tommy Ho, a business leader
and member of the USTA Board of Directors, will
present on the Secrets of Hiring & Leadership.
Sports facility expert Casey Conrad will talk
about How to Re-Think Tennis Programming,
and other presentations will include How to ReThink Retail and How to Re-Think Fitness. The
TOM Conference also will have tennis technology
companies and their executives, and will showcase
a roundtable session on Is Your Facility as Tech
Savvy as Your Members?
In addition, presentations will include critical
legal issues facing tennis facilities today, how to
attract Millennials and families to tennis, an ask
the experts roundtable, and more. There also will
be an exhibitor area with networking breaks.
Visit TheTomConference.com for more details
and to register for the conference, and to apply for
the Tennis Industry Innovation Challenge, or call
the TIA at 843-686-3036 for more information.
Dr. Jack Groppel
Carlos Salum
Casey Conrad
Brent Centlivre
Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org
Te n n i s I n d u s t r y
innovation
CHALLENGE
Sign up for the

Tennis Industry
Innovation Challenge
at 2017
TOM Conference
A Tennis Industry Innovation Challenge
will take place at the 2017 TOM Conference,
showcasing new and innovative products
designed to help grow tennis businesses. From
now until Feb. 15, companies and individuals
can submit their pitch for their products,
software, services, etc. Finalists from the
application process will have the opportunity to
present their innovative product or service to a
panel of judgesand in front of an audience
of tennis industry leaders and top tennis
facility owners/managersat the 2017 TOM
Conference in Orlando.
The finalists will receive media exposure
through the TIA in the lead-up to the conference, along with special recognition at the
event itself. The winner of the Tennis Industry
Innovation Challenge will receive $1,000, along
with a one-year membership in the TIA at the
Supporting Member level, a national press
release, coverage in Tennis Industry magazine,
additional exposure through TIA marketing and
social media channels, and a plaque.
We are thrilled to be able to highlight the
latest innovations that are helping the tennis
industry to grow, and that are helping tennis
businesses thrive, says TIA Executive Director
Jolyn de Boer. We hope, through exposure
to top tennis industry partners, facility
owners/managers, potential investors and
other industry executives, we can help these
innovators develop tangible and productive
business relationships.
Carlos Salum of the strategy firm Salum
International Resources, will lead the panel of
judges, which also will include TIA President
Jeff Williams, the managing partner of the
Tennis Media Co., and other industry executives.
To apply for the 2017 Tennis Industry Innovation
Challenge, visit TheTOMConference.com.
Register Today!
2017 Tennis Owners & Managers (TOM) Conference

March 27-29, 2017, Orlando, Florida.
The 4th annual TOM Conference will be at the award-winning
Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando,
a 230-acre resort complete with world-class amenities.
The TOM will also include:
Future of Tennis Forum
Tennis Industry Innovation Challenge Competition
Interactive Sessions & Roundtables
World-Renowned Speakers & Experts
Disney Institute Session
Site Tour of the New USTA National Campus
Conference includes a site tour and outing to the USTA National Campus
Orlando
American
Tennis
management
tennisfacility
and development
TOM
USTA New Home of
courtPROGRAMMING
2017
construction
TENNIS OWNERS &
MANAGERS Innovation Challenge

ADULT PLAY
CORE
thetomconference.com
tennis
State of the Industry Forumbusiness
INCREASING sports facility management
REVENUE RESOURCE INNOVATION &

& Profit C E N T E R TECHNOLOGY
staffing FUTURE OF TENNIS FORUM
USTA National Tennis Campus
IDEA FAIR
March 27-29 / Orlando
For more information visit TheTOMConference.com

tom@tennisindustry.org / 866-686-3036
Save
the Date!
TIA Tennis Forum
August 28 / NYC
February 2017
TennisIndustry 15
TennisIndustry
JuniorTournaments
at Mount Lebanon Tennis Center in
Pittsburgh and tournament director for
more than 120 events (from children
through the pros) says he uses no-ad
scoring with a 10-point tie-breaker for
the third set (up to the semifinals) to
keep things on schedule.
Court monitors are also important
to all three groups. Hughes uses three
court monitors, who help with scoring,
line calls, rulings and tie-breakers. The
monitors are very helpful with young
players, who are still learning the rules
and dont want to be intimidated by
more experienced playersand theyre
also helpful when parents need to be
educated on tournament etiquette.
In addition, Hughes offered these
tips for running a smooth, enjoyable
tournament:
YOUTH TENNIS
To serve up successful junior

tournaments, you need to make them
fun for players, parents and officials.
By Holly Chomyn
s we all work to get more

young players involved
in tennis, we need to
consider what happens
when children transition
to playing entry-level tournaments or
district ranking events. We will
undoubtedly lose some players because
they want to play for fun, and not for
competition. But too often, juniors quit
because of bad experiences playing
tournaments. To keep juniors competing, we need to make tournaments
enjoyable for them, their parents and
tournament directors.
I recently conducted an informal
survey and asked junior players, parents and tournament directors what
they felt was important at an event.

FINAL_02_TI_FOB_Junior_Tourneys_SC.indd 7
Among the findings: Young players

want matches to start on time, want
court monitors to ensure fair play, want
practice and warm-up courts, want to
play others at their same level and want
to play consolation matches.
Parents also want matches to start on
time, frequent communication about
start times and schedule changes, a
tournament director who enforces the
rules for fair play, court monitors and
consolation matches.
Tournament directors, as well, want
matches to start on time, court monitors, an adequate number of courts and
to minimize parental interference.
All three groups listed matches
starting on time as an important factor. Hank Hughes, director of tennis
Warmly welcome each player as they

check in. For new players, a sincere
welcome can decrease their anxiety.
Explain the scoring and rules to each
player before they go on court.
Post the draw with estimated start
times for future rounds so players and
parents can plan ahead.
Have a backboard area and practice
court so players can hit before playing.
Have a TV monitor that lists players,
their court number, running time of the
match and the next match to be called.
(This also helps keep the tournament
information desk clear for check-ins
and score reporting.)
Have scoring cards or devices on each
court, plainly viewable to spectators.
Sweep clay courts after every match.
Have playoff matches for third and
fourth places.
Award trophies, including a Sportsmanship Award.
By making entry-level and district
tournaments more enjoyable and
meaningful, well keep more players in
competition events, while making sure
running one is pleasant and profitable.
Holly Chomyn is a USPTA Master Pro
and a High Performance Coach with
the USTA. She is currently teaching in
southwest Florida.
C O U RT E S Y S H U T T E R S T O C K
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TennisIndustry
GrassrootsTennis
BUILDING COMMUNITY
Play It Forward!
CTAs, public parks, schools and NJTLs

are on the front lines when it comes to
growing our sport in communities.
FLORIDA
Tennis for Fun

Serves up Hugs
PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Creating Opportunities in New Communities
ts a warm summer evening at

Seattles Solstice Park, and the
courts are filled with dozens of
children, teenagers and adults.
Its a session of Family Friendly Tennisfamily members are on separate
courts, by age group, where they play
active games that help them with tennis skills. The kids jump up and down
whenever they hit the foam ball back to
their partner, and the adults cheer their
teammates whenever they get the ball
past the opposing team.
I havent played since high school
and I mostly did it for the kids, but
its turning out to be really fun for the
adults, too, says one adult participant.
Family Friendly Tennis is one of five

FINAL_02_TI_FOB_Grassroots_SC.indd 7
RecTennis programs offered by USTA

Pacific Northwest. The section partners
with parks and recreation departments
and local schools to provide affordable,
introductory programs to new communities. From urban neighborhoods
in Seattle to agricultural hubs like
Pendleton, Ore., the sections accessible
programs are drawing a new generation
of kids and families to the court.
From creating new tennis jobs to
providing health and wellness activities
to children and families, it is exciting to
see RecTennis positively impact communities across the Pacific Northwest,
says USTA PNW Executive Director
Matthew Warren.
Erika Harmon
P H O T O C O U RT E S Y U S TA PA C I F I C N O RT H W E S T ( L E F T ) ; U S TA F L O R I DA
ont expect a handshake when

you attend one of Judy Moores
Tennis for Fun clinics.
Instead, expect a hug. Thats how the
popular Florida programs athletes
greet one another. Hugs when everybody comes, and hugs when everybody
leaves, says Moore.
Moore is the director of Tennis for
Fun, a program that teaches tennis to
the special-needs community. Her son,
Nathan, started the program in 2000 to
fulfill community-service requirements
in high school. I taught special education, Moore says. They had programs
for basketball and soccer, but there
wasnt anything for tennis.
A tennis player himsef, Nathan
set specific parameters for his new
program: It had to be free and set up
for those with special needs. It is run
by volunteers who are certified Special
Olympics instructors.
In the first year, Nathan had about 15
athletes. Since then, the program has
grown, and expanded from Brandon,
Fla. to as far as Maine and Minnesota.
When the athletes leave high school,
they lose the connection of seeing their
friends every day, Moore says. So
when they come to tennis every week,
its a big social event.
Rick Vach
12/31/16 1:20 PM
TennisIndustry
RetailingTip
color or every single SKU.
Expect more small and medium-size
specialty retailers to follow a similar
path. Theyll win over customers not
because they have the widest selection,
but because they have the best and most
relevant assortments for their target
market, and theyre able to deliver those
products to each individual customer.
Consumers want to buy an experience.
In a recent survey, 32 percent of
consumers say they are interested in
attending classes or lessons at retail
stores.
Retailers that seem to

be winning are the ones that
curate assortments.
LOOKING AHEAD
As we head into the new year, tennis

retailers should consider these
guidelines and trends.
By Jay Townley
hat will the future

hold for tennis pro
shop and specialty
retailers? There is
a lot of uncertainty
churning in the marketplace, and about
a third of American consumers say they
have concerns about the future. But
despite this, weve still seen economic
growth and overall increases in consumer spending at retail.
For specialty retailers, though, there
are some simple guidelines youll want
to consider as we enter the new year:
Stocking up on more merchandise may
not work anymore.
An increasing number of retailers are
learning that having more products
wont necessarily win over customers,

FINAL_02_TI_FOB_Retail_Tip_SC.indd 7
according to a trends and predictions

article from the retail trade site Vend.
Shoppers these days are already
overwhelmed with too many choices, so
widening your range can sometimes do
more harm than good.
This could be one reason why weve
seen a rise in subscription services that
curate products for customers, the
Vend piece says. Such services make
it easier for customers to discover and
select products, thus saving them time
and preventing decision fatigue.
Chris Peterson of Integrated Marketing Solutions adds, Retailers that seem
to be winning are the ones that curate
assortments carefully selecting the
top styles, showing the top models, or
offering a showcase of good, better,
best instead of trying to stock every
According to Rieva Lesonsky, a

columnist for the website Small Business Trends, U.S. shoppers recently
said they are most interested in health
or fitness classes (29 percent) and
learning from experts (20 percent). In
addition, 17 percent are interested in
clubs that meet at retail stores.
There may be opportunities here for
tennis retailers to attract more shoppers and store traffic. Can you or your
employees teach a class or present to
consumers an aspect of the sport or
equipment? Can you work with a
local teaching pro to help bring shoppers to the store?
Omni-channel will be integrated into
every aspect of retail.
Moving forward, all the sources that
predict retail trends are saying a key
focus for U.S. retailers in 2017no matter what industry they are in or how
simple or complicated their operations
arewill be omni-channel. Bringing
online and brick-and-mortar together
is important in every facet of retail
because that is what the consumer has
made it clear they want. Is your retail
operation ready?
Jay Townley is a partner in the retail
consulting firm Gluskin Townley Group
(www.gluskintownleygroup.com).
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TennisIndustry
RacquetTech
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Proper Grip Installation
Consistency is key when it comes to customizing

the players point of contact with the racquet.
By Bob Patterson
hile grips can be

customized to each
players liking
such as more or less
overlap, or extended up the shaft for two-handersmost
recreational players expect a factory
wrap, like the frame comes from the
manufacturer, with a consistent and
even overlap that produces a nice,
flat surface. While factory grips come
wrapped for right-handers, we recommend you ask the player his or her
preference. You may be surprised that
many lefties prefer the right-hand wrap
because that is what they are used to.
To provide a consistent grip job every
time, follow these rules:
1. Start with a clean surface. Remove all
old material and residue before installing the new grip.
2. Start the grip in the same spot every
time. While it doesnt matter which
of the eight bevels you choose, being
consistent means that all your grip jobs
will feel the same. If you feel a staple
is necessary to secure the end, use a
narrow-crown staple and make sure it
is seated well and cant be felt once the
grip is wrapped over it.
3. As you wrap the grip around the butt
cap, keep it taut, but dont stretch it too
much. As you come around the butt
cap, go one or two bevels past the starting end before moving down the grip
with the wrap. This will ensure good
coverage, and the grip will stay put.
4. As you wrap the rest of the grip
againkeep it taut but not stretched.
Overlap about 1/16 of an inch to achieve
a consistent, flat feel.

FINAL2_02_TI_FOB_Rac_Tech_SC.indd 7
Being consistent
means that all of your grip jobs
will feel the same.
5. When you reach the top you will
need to trim the excess grip for a neat
finish. Unless you have a great eye and
years of experience, the best method is
to mark the grip with a pen or pencil so
that your cut will produce an even taper
on the top edge. Many beginners make
the mistake of cutting the bottom edge,
which is then exposed and unsightly.
With the cut at the top, it can be fully
concealed with finishing tape.

6. For good adhesion, make sure the
finishing tape is half on the grip and
half on the frame, with no wrinkles and
no excessive overlaps. Twice around
should do the trick.
Bob Patterson is the Executive Director
of the United States Racquet Stringers
Association.
12/31/16 1:30 PM
ads.indd 21
4/29/16 1:47 PM
TennisIndustry
aybe the best

way to characterize the state
of the tennis
racquet market
right now is
that it appears to be in a period of
transition.
One trend we all want to see in
2017 is increased retail sales, as racquet purchases at pro and specialty
stores going into the fourth quarter
are lagging behind the previous year,
according to TIA data.
As we begin 2017, its hard to put
a finger on any emerging racquet
trends in the traditional sense, such
as changes in weights, balances,
string density or colors. But we have
observed some interesting developments pertaining to what racquet
companies are offering:
O U T LO O K 2 0 17 :
RACQUETS
Frames in Mind
Racquet franchises and built-in

frame customization may help retailers
move more product this year.
By Bob Patterson
Growth in Franchises
No, were not talking about a franchise like a fast-food restaurant. A
racquet franchise is a fairly new
term for our industry, which several
manufacturers are using to describe
their product line-ups.
Manufacturers have
taken their most popular
models and expanded
on their success.
In the past, every frame had a
unique namefor instance, the XYZ
racquet. If a frame came in more
than one head size, they were called
the XYZ 95 and XYZ 110. Now, were
recognizing an XYZ franchise, with
frames such as the XYZ Tour, XYZ
Lite or XYZ Team.
With this concept, manufacturers have taken their most popular
models and expanded on their success. Substantial marketing dollars
go into developing a model name and
building a following, so rather than
having a racquet line-up with 30
different and unique models to cover
all the various needs of all different
types of players, a company will have
30 racquets that fit neatly into four
franchises, to capitalize on existing
marketing and franchise reputation.
It is a smart business strategy and
one we expect to continue.
Usually, the variances within a

FINAL_02_TI_FEAT_OUT_RACQ_SC.indd 7
12/31/16 1:44 PM
C O U RT E S Y D U N L O P
franchise are subtlelength, weight,

swing weight or head size being the
most popular. Cosmetics will also
vary, but only slightlyenough to
distinguish models from each other,
but keeping an underlying theme that
make each model clearly identifiable
within the franchise.
Built-In Customization
Dunlop introduced the customization concept to tennis with its iDapt
frame in 2014. Then Head introduced
variable string patterns in the same
frame with ASP (Adaptable String Pattern). This spring, Head is launching
Adaptive racquets that can also change
length, weight and swing weight to fit
the needs of players.
For this industry, built-in customization is a great trend, as it calls for the
expertise of an experienced technician
or advisor to help the customer choose
what modifications would best benefit
their game and style of play. Then it
compels the customer to act upon it.
This is an emerging trend that we
hope to see more of in this industry, for
it appears to have been successful in
the golf industry.
FINAL_02_TI_FEAT_OUT_RACQ_SC.indd 8
Reversing the Retail Decline

Tennis racquet sales have been
trending downward over the last few
years in spite of slight increases in
participation and play. The first step in
reversing this decline is for retailers to
stop taking orders and start actually
selling racquets.
In this day of quick-click buying,
it is up to tennis retailers to slow the
consumer down and make sure they are
purchasing what they actually need.
When a player has his or her mind
set on a specific frame, most shops are
afraid to say anything that may jeopardize that sale. But rather than saying,
Yes, we have that model in stock,
and making the sale, you need to slow
down the process. What you should say
is, Yes, we have that model. May I ask
how you determined that was the best
frame for you?
Your customer may respond with
a great answer and you still make the
sale. But chances are you will get a
response such as, A lot of pros use it,
or, My friend bought one and loves
it, or, I read about it online and it got
great reviews and sounds like a good
tennis racquet.
The first step in reversing

this decline is for retailers to
stop taking orders and start
actually selling racquets.
This is a chance to not only make
a sale, but to capture a customer and
ensure future sales. Offer them a demo
of the frame they asked for, but begin
interviewing them about their game
and style of play. Based on the information you glean from them, suggest
a couple of other frames for them to
demo. Show them that your goal is to
get them a racquet that is going to fit
their particular needs.
The customer may still just want to
buy the frame they came in for, and if
so, nothing is lost. But if they try the
demos and rely on your guidance, they
will end up with a frame that will enhance their performance on the court
and their enjoyment in the game.
They may refer friends to your shop
because of the experienceand soon
your customer base, and racquet sales,
will be trending upward.
12/31/16 1:44 PM
TennisIndustry
O U T LO O K 2 0 17 :
SHOES
Stepping Forward
Whether sales will be up or down this year, shoe

technology and styling continues to move ahead.
By Kent Oswald
Compared to other tennis spending,
which has been turbulent over the last
few years, the tennis shoe market has
been a particularly positive area.
Still, shoe sales through the third
quarter of 2016 showed a 4 to 5 percent
year-over-year decline in both units
and dollars sold. (Year-end figures were
not available at press time.) As with
Asics
asicsamerica.com 800-678-9435
While adding colorways throughout all its linesincluding
the Gel Speed Solution 3, named Editors Choice for Best
Lightweight Shoe in Tennis Magazine last yearAsics is
emphasizing three particular lines in 2017. The lightweight,
comfortable Gel-Court FF for men and women (suggested
retail $170) offers improved stability, airflow and durability. The Gel-Resolution ($140) features improved comfort,
maximum stability and superior durability, and also offers
a clay-court sole option. And the Gel-Challenger ($100) is a
popular-priced choice that blends comfort and stability for
recreational players.

FINAL_02_TI_FEAT_OUT_SHOES_SC.indd 7
other parts of the economy, there are

reasons supporting those who believe
this will be a year of breakouts and
those who fear 12 months of shakeouts.
In either case, as 2017 begins, the
future of sales is unclear, but we are
certain to see shelves featuring footwear that continues to improve both in
terms of technology and styling.
Babolat
babolat.com 877-316-9435
Team Babolat ambassador Benoit Paire is the face of the
companys re-introduction of its mens and womens
Propulse Fury (suggested retail $130). The shoe is designed
to provide exceptional support for all-court players needing
the security of footing as they quickly change direction. The
company has also further slimmed down the shoe that
Tennis Magazines editors named Best New Line in 2016, the
mens and womens Jet ($150), and added new colorways.
C O U RT E S Y A S I C S ; B A B O L AT
s 2017 gets underway,

the tennis shoe business
seems to be stepping
gingerly. For the past five
years there have been
small, steady increases to the current
$175 million-plus tennis shoe market,
according to Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) estimates.
12/31/16 2:08 PM
C O U RT E S Y F I L A ; K- S W I S S ; N I K E ; W I L S O N ; H E A D ; N E W B A L A N C E ; P R I N C E ; YO N E X
Fila
fila.com 800-845-FILA
Continuing its tradition of
balancing performance with
style, Fila hatweaked the
Cage Delirium for men and
women (suggested
retail $100), the same shoe
Karolina Pliskova strutted
during her run to last years
US Open final. In addition to
new colorways this year, the
company has added features
for additional support and
interior comfort.
K-Swiss
kswiss.com 800-938-8000
The Hypercourt 2.0 for
men and women (suggested
retail $120) offers improved
fit and stability, while the
mens and womens Hypercourt Express ($105) is for
players across the spectrum.
The mens Knitshot ($140)
has abrasion resistance on
the outsole as well midsole
technology for flexibility
and stability. The new mens
and womens Bigshot Light
3 ($85) and Bigshot Light
Varsity for juniors ($55) are
lightweight, aggressively
priced and available in
three colorways.
Nike
nike.com 800-344-6453
The shoe heavyweight begins the year by adding two
lightweight models to its expansive and aggressively updated tennis footwear line.
The Nike Court Air Zoom
Ultra React (suggested retail
$160) offers control and
responsiveness while also
being one of the companys
lightest shoes ever designed.
The Nike Court Zoom Vapor
9.5Flyknit for men ($180)
is a lightweight, cushioned,
breathable shoe that wraps
around the foot for
maximum stability.
Wilson
wilson.com 773-714-6400
Extending adaptations of the
vibration-reducing technology recently introduced into
its racquets, Wilson debuts
Amplifeel shoes for men and
women (suggested retail
$159). The footwear line will
be an integral element of a
360-degree marketing
campaign with digital and
social media outreach as well
as in-performance promotional activities, all built
around a focus on technology to help players train
harder and play longer.
Head
head.com 800-289-7366
Behind a multi-platform
promotional campaign
featuring the slogan, Tennis
has a new rivalry: Speed vs.
Power, Head enters the
new year with additional
colorways for its featured
Revolt Pro 2.0 shoes for men
and women (suggested retail
$139.99) and Nitro Pro shoes
for men, women ($139.99)
and juniors ($79.95). The
Revolt Pro 2.0 features
technology highlighting
power, stability, cushioning
and durability; the Nitro
Pro is lightweight, stylishly
low to the ground and offers
greater breathability.
New Balance
newbalance.com
800-253-7463
A key aspect of Milos
Raonics ensemble, the
996v3 for men and women
(suggested retail $129.95)
launches with a synthetic,
knit upper. New Balance is
also likely to receive positive
attention for the shoes
technology that provides
extra support for quick
transitions and multidirectional movement.
Prince
princetennis.com
800-2TENNIS
Aggressively priced and
designed, the T22 Lite for
men and women (suggested
retail $99) remains at the
forefront of Princes footwear offerings. The company says it plans to update
colors and styling for the
lightweight, durable shoe
throughout the year.
Yonex
yonex.com 424-201-4800
Stan Wawrinka stars in a
print, video and social media
campaign for the newly
launched Eclipsion line for
men, women (suggested
retail $140) and juniors
($70), featuring an all-court
and clay-court sole for
men and all-court sole for
women. In addition, the
company is adding new
colorways and technical
tweaks to the lightweightthemed Aerus Dash for men,
women and juniors ($140,
$70) and comfortable Fusion
Rev 2 shoes for men and
women ($130).
FINAL_02_TI_FEAT_OUT_SHOES_SC.indd 8
February 2017
TennisIndustry 27
12/31/16 2:09 PM
TennisIndustry
t the U.S. Racquet Stringers

Association, we
speak frequently
with everyone
from players to
racquet stringers to technicians to manufacturers. And among all
of them, one message is clear: We need
to do a better job at getting recreational
players to use the best string set-up
for their skill level, style of play, and
particular needs.
The main problem, it seems, is that
too many recreational players have
embraced polyester stringsfor all the
wrong reasons.
Tennis Industrys 2015 Stringer of
the Year, Julian Li, summed it up in our
Wish List story for the November/
December issue: My wish is that the
tennis industry and string manufacturers develop and promote more highquality multifilament strings. Polyester
strings are not made for the general
public. What you end up with is a string
that creates tennis elbow and other
muscle and joint damage.
This trend doesnt help people play
more tennisit helps them get out of
the game altogether.
Many agree with Julians assessment.
In fact, even many string manufacturers agree that while poly strings are
beneficial for top players, they are usually not the best choice for recreational
players. (See The Evolution of Poly
Strings in the May 2015 issue of Tennis
Industry for more.)
O U T LO O K 2 0 17 :
STRINGS
Educational Initiative
Getting players to restring more

frequentlywith the right strings for
their gamesis a matter
of making sure they know the facts.
By Bob Patterson
The main problem is that too

many players have embraced
polyester stringsfor all
the wrong reasons.
In general, recreational players do
not generate enough racquet-head
speed with their swings to get the most
important benefit of poly strings, which
is its ability to create spin. Poly strings
do this because of their stiffness and
their ability to create snap-back,
which refers to the strings ability to
bend and then snap back to its original
shape. But most of us cannot swing the
racquet fast enoughwhile still hitting
our targetto get the strings to bend in
the first place. If they dont bend, they
cant snap back.

FINAL_02_TI_FEAT_OUT_STRINGS_SC.indd 7
12/31/16 2:10 PM
C O U RT E S Y A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S
Teaching Consumers the Facts

So why are so many recreational players using poly strings and enamored by
the concept? The answer is, primarily,
a lack of educationconsumers dont
know all the reasons that a poly string
is keeping them from playing better.
And whose fault is that? We can all
share in the responsibility.
For manufacturers, it is easiest to
promote the strings that their pro players are using and endorsing.
For retailers, stringers and technicians, it is easier to just give customers
what they are asking for than to spend
time explaining what string may be better for them.
FINAL_02_TI_FEAT_OUT_STRINGS_SC.indd 8
Poly strings are only durable

if your definition of durable
is that they dont break.
Add to this TV commentators, who
often talk about how great poly strings
are and how much they have changed
the game. Yet they conveniently
leave out important facts about the
differences between how pros and
recreational players play the game. (For
instance, the pros change to a freshly
strung racquet every nine games because poly strings go dead so fast.)
In talking with technicians about

what they hear from clients, we find
that most like the fact that poly strings
are so durable and never move in
the string bed. This is another indication of a lack of education. Poly strings
are only durable if your definition of
durable is that they dont break. Most
recreational players do not break
strings before they are well beyond
their useful life, if everthey dont
swing hard enough, or have to face
shots powerful enough to snap a poly.
Finding the Right Alternatives
How can we educate recreational players on the pros and cons of strings? It
starts with each of us informing our
customers and urging them to try alternatives that would be better for their
games and their health.
By no means should we abandon poly
strings, however. They remain a great
product, but we have a responsibility
to educate players on how they should
be used to get the best benefit, provided
their games are suited to poly in the
first place. Parameters should include
lowering the tension, combining the
poly with a softer string in a hybrid setup and restringing frequently.
Manufacturers can also help by promoting their non-poly strings. At the
USRSA, we are hoping to get manufacturers behind a campaign to educate
tennis providers and players about the
importance of the racquetthe frame
and the stringto their performance
and enjoyment of the game. Together
with the Tennis Industry Association,
we hope to develop a campaign that
urges recreational players to seek out
qualified technicians to get the best
advice for all their equipment needs.
Industry research shows that racquet
and string sales have been sliding for
the last few years. People are still playing tennis, but they are not buying new
equipment as frequently as the should,
nor are they restringing their racquets
as often as they should. Educating
retailers, providers and pros is a key to
reversing this trend.
February 2017
TennisIndustry 29
12/31/16 2:10 PM
Thank You!
The USTA would like to thank the Orlando community, State of Florida,
Orange County, City of Orlando, and our valued partners in helping to build
the USTA National Campus. We are extremely proud to grow the game
of tennis at our new Home of American Tennis.
Partners
Tavistock Group
University of Central Florida
Tennis Like Never Before.
Sponsors
The USTA National Campus is NOW OPEN
American Express
adidas
Andrews Institute for
Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine
All are welcome to play, learn and
Chase
watch at our new game-changing
Citizen Watch Company
tennis campus in Lake Nona.
Emirates
Mercedes-Benz
Nemours Childrens Health System
Suppliers
California Sports Surfaces
Har-Tru
Penn
PlaySight
Sport Court
Technogym
TranStar
Orlando Utilities Commission
Wilson
Pepsico
Visit Orlando
ustanationalcampus.com
(844) USA-TNNS
13505 USTA National Campus HOAT Tennis Mag Thank You Ad.indd All Pages
12/15/16 1:10 PM
Thank You!
The USTA would like to thank the Orlando community, State of Florida,
Orange County, City of Orlando, and our valued partners in helping to build
the USTA National Campus. We are extremely proud to grow the game
of tennis at our new Home of American Tennis.
Partners
Tavistock Group
University of Central Florida
Tennis Like Never Before.
Sponsors
The USTA National Campus is NOW OPEN
American Express
adidas
Andrews Institute for
Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine
All are welcome to play, learn and
Chase
watch at our new game-changing
Citizen Watch Company
tennis campus in Lake Nona.
Emirates
Mercedes-Benz
Nemours Childrens Health System
Suppliers
California Sports Surfaces
Har-Tru
Penn
PlaySight
Sport Court
Technogym
TranStar
Orlando Utilities Commission
Wilson
Pepsico
Visit Orlando
ustanationalcampus.com
(844) USA-TNNS
13505 USTA National Campus HOAT Tennis Mag Thank You Ad.indd All Pages
12/15/16 1:10 PM
TennisIndustry
O U T LO O K 2 0 17 :
Mixed Company
Tenniswear continues its

fashion appeal as more bright colors
and trendy designs mix
with on-court functionality.
By Cynthia Sherman
Sofibella
sofibellawear.com 877-696-0424
Sofibellas call to spring features hues
of sky blue with accents of white and
green in its Triumph Collection. An
athletic cami with built-in bra ($70)
paired over a matching Abaza skort
($80) adds pizzazz to the court.

FINAL_02_TI_FEAT_OUT_APPAREL_SC.indd 7
ports apparel designers must love creating tenniswear. Its

an opportunity to
wrap fashion-forward
designs and colors
around the functional
aspect of a tennis outfit, so players both look and feel their
best on and off the court.
The new year brings more bright
colors to tennis in blues, greens, pinks
and continued splashes of neons.
Ruffles and flounces are also evident in
trendy designs, as are colorful stripes
and fresh floralsall of which parallel
catwalk trends.
Fila
fila.com 410-773-3000
A true heritage brand, Fila harkens back to its roots with the re-introduction of its
archival Fila greenwhich mirrors Pantones Greenery as the color of the year for
2017. This time the Heritage striped dress ($85) picks up the modern stripe trend,
with contrast color binding on the neckband and armhole and, of course, the
embroidered F-box patch logo.
P H O T O S C O U RT E S Y S O F I B E L L A ; F I L A
A P PA R E L
12/31/16 3:06 PM
P H O T O S B O L L E ; AT H L ET I C D N A ; A N T I G UA ; LU C KY I N L OV E
Bolle
bolletennis
wear.com
301-362-0360
Pretty in rosy
pink and white,
Bolles Valentina
group combines
solids and
graphic florals in
cut-and-sew
A-line and
ruffled skirts,
as well as tanks.
The poly-spandex combination and woven
fabrications add
function, comfort and enhance
performance.
Athletic DNA
athleticdna.com 470-236-2001
Athletic DNA is all about integrating
performance and style, and its Acid
Blur collection brings in a trendy blue
shade for spring. The Vista tank ($50)
sports an athletic fit and features antichafe, anti-microbial and moisturemanagement properties. It comes
in adult and youth sizes. Paired with
the athletic-fit white poly-Spandex
Origami skort ($50), it makes a sharp
statement at net.
FINAL_02_TI_FEAT_OUT_APPAREL_SC.indd 8
Antigua
antigua.com 800-555-8706
Antigua journeyed into the tennis
market about four years ago and is
gaining steam. Its comfortable clothes
look great on their own or with club,
tournament or retail logos. The Streak
color-block polo ($85) is 100 percent
polyester Desert Dry (Antiguas proprietary technology), a moisture-wicking
yarn engineered jersey with a pointelle
contrast chest stripe. It comes in six
colors and is shown here in Cypress.
Lucky In Love
luckyinlovekids.com 305-638-5484
Into the Future is Lucky In Loves
mantra for spring. Highly stylized
prints, its signature tiered skirts, metallics and bright colors welcome a break
from winter. Longer length skirts are
also available in each collection. The
Snake Charmer line (tank with bra,
$64, topping a lilac Rally Pleat tier
skirt, $72) echoes snake-skin prints in
shades of lilac and white that are very
on-trend for the season.
February 2017
TennisIndustry 33
12/31/16 3:06 PM
TennisIndustry
OUTSTANDING OUTDOOR
TENNIS FACILITY-OF-THE-YEAR AWARD
Two of a Kind
Tennis Industry and the ASBA bring

you the best in tennis
court construction and design.
By Peter Francesconi
n 2016, there were 17 tennis project winners in the

Tennis Industry/American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) Facility-ofthe-Year Awards program.
Fourteen of those winning
projects were multi-court
outdoor facilities, five of
which were at schools or colleges, and
two in public parks. Three awardwinning projects were residential
tennis courts.
Each year, based on entries submitted by an ASBA member who designed
or built the facility or court, the
association selects outstanding tennis
facilities that meet the standard of

FINAL_02_TI_FEAT_FACILITY.indd 7
excellence in design and construction

determined by the judging committee.
While the panel of judges deemed 17
courts or facilities to be worthy of special recognition, two of those winners
were chosen for Outstanding honors:
Army Navy Country Club in
Arlington, Va.
Private Residential Court in
Gladwyne, Pa.
Award plaques to the two Outstanding winners and recognition for the
Distinguished winners were presented
at the ASBA Technical Meeting held in
early December in Amelia Island, Fla.
For more information, visit www.sportsbuilders.org.
Army Navy
Country Club
Arlington, Va.
The new tennis facility at the Army

Navy Country Club includes 14 HarTru courts with subsurface irrigation
(10 with lights) and four new asphalt
tennis courts, along with cabanas, fencing and windscreens. The project was
challenging due to wet weather during
construction and limited access space
for construction materials, but the
final product was never compromised.
An existing wall next to one battery of
courts failed, destroying the fence line,
hydro-court cells, sleeves and light-pole
foundations. The solution was to add
extra stone to help with compaction
and counteract the wet conditions. The
wall was changed from poured concrete
to a stacked block wall, and the lightpole footers were redesigned.
Nominated By: Tennis Courts Inc.
Specialty Contractor: Tennis Courts Inc.
Suppliers: Har-TruSports,LSIIndustries,Edwards
Surface: 14 clay, 4 hard
Completed: September 2014
A S B A / T E N N I S C O U RT S I N C. / P R O - S P O RT C O N S T R U C T I O N I N C.
OUTSTANDING FACILITY-OF-THE-YEAR AWARDS
12/31/16 3:15 PM
TennisIndustry
The Army Navy Country Club
(left) features hard and soft
courts in a pictureseque
outdoor setting.
Distinguished
Tennis Facility
Honors
Extensive planning and some

shrewd engineering led to a
stunning residential court in
Pennsylvania (below).
In addition to the Army Navy

Country Club in Arlington, Va., and
the residential court in Gladwyne,
Pa., these 15 locations were chosen
by the 2016 panel of judges for
the ASBA as excellent examples
of court construction, receiving
Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year
Awards. The ASBA also awarded
Silver and Bronze awards in various
categories. (The nominating company is in parentheses.)
OUTSTANDING RESIDENTIAL TENNIS FACILITY-OF-THE-YEAR AWARD
Gladwyne Residence
Gladwyne, Pa.
Building this residential court with

LED lighting was a coordinated effort
that, in addition to a court contractor,
included masons, excavators, electricians and landscapers. Set among steep
slopes, the site had limited access for
construction vehicles and materials.
The concrete for the post-tensioned
slab had to be pumped over 360 feet
up a steep hill, and the concrete for the
custom stone retaining walls had to
be mixed on-site. The custom fencing of clear cedar posts and rails with
mortise-and-tenon construction also
FINAL_02_TI_FEAT_FACILITY.indd 8
was built on-site. A pre-cast channel

drain was installed on the court, while
yard drains were installed to catch
perimeter water run-off. The entire
drainage system attaches to a stormwater management system constructed
under the court.
Nominated By: Pro-Sport Construction Inc.
GeneralContractor:Pro-SportConstructionInc.
Suppliers:CaliforniaSportsSurfaces,Tech-Con,
Aer-Flo, Har-Tru Sports, Techlight
Surface: Plexipave
Completed: August 2015
Beach Club Tennis Facility

Palm Beach, Fla. (Welch Tennis Courts Inc.)
Bonita National
BonitaSprings,Fla.(WelchTennisCourtsInc.)
Briarwood Christian School
Birmingham,Ala.(HolcombeNortonPartnersInc.)
College Boulevard Activity Center
Tennis Complex
Olathe,Kan.(McConnell &Associates Corp.)
Bronze Award, Outdoor Facility
Dorado Beach Resort and Club
Dorado, Puerto Rico (Fast-Dry Courts Inc.)
Dublin School Tennis Facility
Dublin, N.H. (Cape and IslandTennis &Track)
Forest Hills Eastern High School Tennis
Complex, Ada, Mich. (GMB Architecture +
Engineering)
George S. Eccles Tennis Center
Salt Lake City, Utah (Tennis and Track Co.)
Silver Award, Outdoor Facility
HSU Residence
Birmingham, Ala. (Lower Bros. Co. Inc.)
Silver Award, Residential Court
Ibis Golf & Country Club Tennis Facility
West Palm Beach, Fla. (Welch Tennis
Courts Inc.)
Meadowwood Park Tennis Facility
Aurora, Colo. (Renner Sports Surfaces)
Pinecrest Residence
Pinecrest, Fla. (Fast-Dry Courts Inc.)
Bronze Award, Residential Court
Sage Hill School Aquatic Center &
Tennis Courts
NewportCoast,Calif.(ZainoTennisCourtsInc.)
SUNY Cortland
Cortland, N.Y. (E-Z Paving/Sealcoat LLC)
Talis Park Tennis Facility
Naples, Fla. (Welch Tennis Courts Inc.)
The deadline for the 2017

Outstanding Facility-of-the-Year
Awards is June 1, and awards will
be presented at the 2017 ASBA
Technical Meeting, to be held in New
Orleans, La., Dec. 1-5. For details,
contact the ASBA at 866-501-ASBA
or info@sportsbuilders.org, or visit
www.sportsbuilders.org.
February 2017
TennisIndustry 35
12/31/16 3:15 PM
TennisIndustry
SELLING RACQUETS
Merchandise with
a Purpose!
Displaying your racquets by power

level makes it easier for
your customers to buy the right frame.
By Bob Patterson
erchandising
is an important part of
every department in your
shop. Generally, though,
when it comes to displays, presentation
and promotion, racquets just dont get
the same level of attention that apparel
and shoes do. That should change.
Racquets are easy to display and
present in your shop. They can hang
from a peg or waterfall fixture on
slatwall or pegboard and take up little
floor space. Most of the time, retailers
group racquets by brand, and then segment them by price, headsize or other
criteria. While this method allows customers to see your selection of frames,
it does little to inform and educate
players, which should always be a part
of merchandising.
Your display needs to draw the
customers attentionand then once
they are engaged, it should help them
understand what they are seeing.
Displaying racquets by brand showcases the manufacturers you carry and
the variety of the selection from each
manufacturer, but thats about it. In
fact, if you display racquets by brand,
and carry five brands, then racquets
that have similar playing characteristics will end up being displayed far
apart from each other.
Fitting Racquets to Players
Ideally, you should be fitting your
customers with the right racquet for
their particular needs and style of play.
Its easier to find the right frame for a
player when you merchandise racquets
by power level insread of brand, since
similar racquets will be placed near
each other on the display wall, even if
theyre from different manufacturers.
As you talk to your customers about
their game, expectations and style of
play, you can move to the appropriate section of your racquet wall. For
instance, if through your racquet
interview you determine your client

FINAL_02_TI_FEAT_RACQ_MERCH.indd 7
C O U RT E S Y C O U RT C R A F T T E N N I S / S H AW N A R N ET T E
At Courtcraft Tennis,
each frame receives
a custom sign to help
customers compare
specs.
12/31/16 3:29 PM
TennisIndustry
Your display needs to draw the customers attention

and then once they are engaged, it should help them
understand what they are seeing.
Other
Considerations
An intelligent display isn't the only
thing to consider when merchandising your racquets:
Lighting: Good lighting makes
every racquet look better. Track
lights are generally inexpensive
and can wash the racquet wall with
brightness without being too harsh,
focusing the light on the merchandise and not into customers eyes.
is more likely a game-improvement

frame candidate, you can take him or
her to the area of the store where the
game-improvement frames are located.
It then becomes easier to explain the
different manufacturer technologies
used to create the models that fit a
particular playing style.
Once a customer chooses a racquet to
demo, the display also makes it easier
for them to understand how that frame
compares with nearby frames on your
wall. For instance, if more powerful
racquets are on the left side of your
display, and less powerful racquets
on the right, a customer can move
along the wall according to their demo
experience. Once theyve honed in on
their power level, you can explain more
subtle differences in the frames, to best
fit their needs.
Displaying racquets by power level
rather than brand may require some
explanation to customers, but that
FINAL_02_TI_FEAT_RACQ_MERCH.indd 8
is exactly what you are after. Even

customers who are just looking will
take notice when you explain how the
racquets are arranged. Your customers
will think, Maybe I should be fitted
and will hopefully seek out your help in
doing so. But even if they choose to go
it on their own, youve made choosing a
racquet an easy and logical experience.
If you choose another method of
arranging your racquet wall, other than
by power level, it should at least have
some reasoning and order to it. Shawn
Arnette, a Master Racquet Technician
and the owner of Courtcraft Tennis in
the Atlanta area, groups his racquets
by brand, then by model and line. The
manufacturers header card is removed
to make room for a custom sign that
Arnette creates for each model with
all the specs and information listed
prominently. Its a personal touch that
will resonate with customers and set
your shop apart.
Signage: You may not be grouping

your racquets by brand, but you still
do want to draw attention to the
brands you stock. You should prominently display manufacturer logos
on your racquet wall. Use promotional materials from manufacturers, such as player posters, to add
variety and draw further attention.
You should also consider investing in custom signage to draw
attention to your wall arrangement. A graduating arrow running
the length of your display with the
word Power will help reinforce
your message. You should also
display the specs of each frame.
We find that having all the specs
there on each model not only helps
the customers compare, says
Arnette, but it also helps our staff
provide accurate information without having to look it up or trying to
memorize it.
USRSA members can use tools
on RacquetTech.com to get power
level formula, weight, swingweight,
flex and other racquet specs.
Demo Program: Giving customers
the ability to test racquets is vital
to selling them. Dont assume your
customers will know that you offer
a demo program, so make sure it is
visible with signage on your display.
With logical merchandising for
your racquets, your customers will
not only find the right frames for
their games, but also know why that
racquet works for them.
February 2017
TennisIndustry 37
12/31/16 3:29 PM
TennisIndustry
Tips&Techniques
get racquets back to players as quickly

as possible.
The solution Ive found is to attach a
section of overgrip on both sides of the
stencil, which prevents any movement
while you are applying the ink. I also
take the extra step of cutting indicators
along the centerline of each stencil to
serve as quick-alignment aids.
5 sets of Pacific Poly Force 18 to:
Sam Chan, MRT
Berwick, Victoria, Australia
Dont drop the end of the string
As most racquet technicians know,
keeping track of the string end saves
time, because you dont have to go
chasing the end of the string the next
time you need it.
At first, I tried retaining control of
the string end by sliding it underneath
a rubber band I would wear around
my wrist. This worked, but the string
would often jab into my arm, which
turned out to be pretty irritating.
Now, what works great for me is to
place a #64 rubber band around my
watch. This makes it simple to slide
the string end between the watch and
the rubber bandand the string end
doesnt poke my arm any longer.
Non-slip stencils
When stenciling logos onto a string
bed, sometimes the stencil can slip,
especially on a poly string bed. This can
be a significant problem during tournaments, when you are under pressure to
Once more with Prince stencils

I have a follow up for your tip Professional Prince Stencils. The stringers at
the Prince Innovation Center at IMG
Academy in Bradenton, Fla., carefully
use a razor blade to cut away two of the
5 sets of Babolat Pro Hurricane to:

Dr. James Elkovitch
Auburn, N.Y.

FINAL_02_TI_BOB_Tips&Tech_SC_NEW.indd 7
1/2/17 10:19 AM
four support bars on the stencils (an upper bar on the left,
and a lower bar on the right,
for example). This still provides enough stability for the
centerpiece of the stencil, while
making it both faster and easier
to finish the job when filling in
the non-inked portions.
5 sets of Head Sonic Pro Edge
to:
Mitch Case, MRT
Torrington, Conn.
Awl storage for Babolat Star 5s
Not all stringing machines have
a convenient storage rack for
awls. To solve this, we use a
3/8-inch-thick piece of twinwall polycarbonate (available at
your local hardware store) adhered to the back of our Babolat
Star 5s.
The sections are just right for
holding all sizes of awls.
5 sets of Ytex Square X Black

to:
Al Klieber, MRT
Victoria, BC, Canada
Tips and Techniques submitted
since 1992 by USRSA members
and appearing in this column
have all been gathered into a
searchable database on www.
racquettech.com, the official
member-only website of the
USRSA. Submit tips to: Greg
Raven, Tennis Industry, 48 West
21st St., New York, NY 10010, or
email greg@racquettech.com.
FINAL_02_TI_BOB_Tips&Tech_SC_NEW.indd 8
February 2017
TennisIndustry 39
1/2/17 12:17 PM
TennisIndustry
YourServe
Rallying Back
The USTAs director of collegiate tennis

says that after years of trying to stay in the
match, varsity tennis is bouncing back.
By Virgil Christian
n the 1980s, interest in college

tennis was at its peak. Varsity
teams proliferated. Matches,
which could last four or five
hours, were exciting. Studentathletes, aspiring to continue in the
pros, saw the gap between college
tennis and the tours as something they
could easily cross.
Times have changed. As spectator
viewing habits changed and attention
spans became shorter, the uncertainty
of varsity college match times, as well
as cold weather, led to smaller crowds.
Many matches were played during
work hours on weekdays. Attendance
plunged; gate receipts and merchandising were non-existent. Matches

FINAL_02_TI_BOB_YourServe_SC.indd 7
received no broadcast attention, as

other sports raced by and were easier to
fit into established broadcast windows.
On top of that, school budgets stagnated or tightened. Many traditionally
non-revenue-generating varsity sports
such as tennis programs were dropped.
College tennis was becoming irrelevant, both to fans and to many school
administrations. Tennis coaches
already some of the lowest-paid
coaches on campussaw this depressed
climate affecting their livelihoods. At
many schools, athletic directors were
cut out of the decision-makinga
monumental error.
A number of well-intended initiatives popped up, but their focus was on
coaches and players, not on the fans,

changing marketplace or administration. If college tennis is to be relevant
like other varsity sports, the marketplace needs to provide the answers, and
this industry needs to listen.
Thankfully, an evolution is now
occurring, which started in 2015 with
the USTA having designed an expanded
college pathway in coordination
with the changing demographics of the
sport. The USTA asked hard questions:
What is our product? What exactly is
college tennis? How should a varsity
match look? We knew that to have a
product to sell, we needed to agree on
the answers.
As of 2016, the format being used
at the NCAA Team Championships is
now three doubles matches, played
simultaneously, with no-ad scoring.
The first team to six games wins. After a
five-minute break, six singles matches
are played, with best two-of-three sets
and no-ad scoring. Matches move along
quickly; in Division I, those matches
now average 2 hours and 38 minutes.
By speeding up play and ensuring a
manageable time format for players
and fans alike, those fans are beginning
to come back to college matches, and
were also engaging new fans. Tennis is
being broadcast digitally and on cable.
Our sport is now legitimately competing with other sports, as it should.
The varsity tennis match is an exciting eventone that may have the most
potential for growth on campus. This
format change has made a very real differenceand this is only the beginning.
We may have just saved a match
point, but theres still a lot of exciting
play ahead.
Virgil Christian, the

USTAs senior director
of collegiate tennis
and market/facility
development, was a
two-year captain of the
Penn State mens team.
Former head coach at UPenn, he is
the visionary behind the 100-court
USTA National Campus in Orlando.
P H O T O C O U RT E S Y U S TA
COLLEGE TENNIS
We welcome your opinions. Please email

comments to info@tennisindustrymag.com
12/31/16 4:47 PM
Inside this issue

Playing Tennis Linked
to Longer Life 49
Five Foundation Blocks of
Coaching 52
The Key Principles to Operating
a Profitable Tennis Program 56
Departments:
42 CEOs Message
52 Inside Coaching
44 Vice Presidents Message
56 Master Pro Corner
46 USPTA News
58 Career Development
49 Beyond the Court
60 Member News
Read more articles online at www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
On the cover: USPTA Past President Tom McGraw and President Chuck
Gill oversee the construction of our new corporate headquarters in Lake
Nona, Fla., adjacent to the new Home of American Tennis and the USTA
National Campus.
CEOs Message
Lake Nona update
t has been some time since I have

been able to share with you the status of our project to construct our
new corporate headquarters in Lake
Nona, Fla., adjacent to the new Home
of American Tennis and the USTA National Campus outside of Orlando, Fla.
I have received many phone calls and
emails from industry people and USPTA
members alike that have been under the
assumption that we had already moved.
So, my intent with this writing is to set
the record straight and provide a realistic timeline as to when we expect to take
occupancy of our new building.

By John Embree
not be able to move into our new digs
until sometime in May or maybe even
early June. That is a far cry from the
late-March date that we had originally
planned, but so it goes. Obviously, so
much depends on the weather cooperating and not running into any major
snafus along the way.
For any of you who have been
involved with building a home or
other large projects, I dont have to
tell you that unforseen things happen
that can easily sidetrack the process.
However, since I have personally relocated to Lake Nona (arriving in early
Work began at the site of the new USPTA

World Headquarters after Thanksgiving.
Up until this point, there was nothing really to report because we have
been in a holding pattern until we were
issued our building permit from the
city. We had anticipated that we would
be granted the permit back in September, but unfortunately, for reasons beyond our control, that did not happen.
After a three-month delay, we were finally issued approval for the permit just
prior to Thanksgiving. Actual construction commenced the week thereafter.
In working with our general contractor, they forecasted the project to
be completed five to six months from
the date we got underway. If that is
true, it would mean that we would
42 www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com
ovember), it will be easier to manage

N
the project by being here locally rather
than having to do so from long distance
if I were still in Houston. To be able to
stay on top of any development that will
undoubtedly occur in order to minimize further delays is bound to help
us meet or even exceed our projected
timeline.
Being physically on site has its other
advantages as well. Spending time at
the new USTA complex on the National
Campus brings perspective on how
important this venue is going to be for
our sport. On any given day, one can
see a host of manufacturers, industry
executives, representatives from allied
organizations, grassroots champions,

media, USTA volunteers/staff, etc.,
coming through the facility. People not
only want to see the incredible complex
but to conduct meetings in order to be
aligned with the opportunity that the
Home of American Tennis will provide.
Who wants to visit us in an oil and gas
commercial district of Houston?
The enthusiasm for this facility is
overwhelming. Tennis is on everyones
mind, whether it be to play or talk
about it. Growing the game is not only
our charge but the mission of everyone
engaged in the sport. While we are all
in the game because we love it, we also
have a burning desire to get on the
court for our own well-being and stoke
the fire that burns in all of us to hit
some balls. There is no excuse for any of
us who are here to not get on the court
and get some exercise and to do so on a
regular basis. I cant wait!
Meanwhile, the transition for our
staff continues to be a major concern.
Since we will remain in our current domicile in Texas for the next four to five
months with the existing team, we wont
be restructuring our group until April, at
least. The good news about that is that
we will get through the all-important
dues season (which is going on now)
with our current crew intact. And with
the prospect of suspending close to
2,000 members who did not comply
with the professional development requirement at the end of December, the
continuity of our employees will be crucial as we work our way through these
critical months in Q1.
I have said it many times previously and I will say it again: this is an
incredibly exciting time to be part of the
USPTA! As 2017 rolls in, it will be a new
beginning in our rich, 90-year history.
There is so much to which we can look
forward. I am eager to open our doors of
our high-tech, eco-friendly operation to
all of you. Come visit us at any time. Our
new home is your home. See you soon! h
Vice Presidents Message
Tennis Industry Takes Notice of

USPTA Professional Development
By Alan Cutler
ongratulations! Our organization has just made it through

the first three-year period of
professional development,
and you are now part of the best educated tennis-teaching professionals in
the world!
As we all know, this was more than
just a gentle push to encourage our
members to continue to improve their
teaching skills and garner formalized educational credit. This project
was an extremely successful effort at
moving toward fulfilling the mission
statement of USPTA: The purpose of
USPTA shall be to elevate the standards
of tennis-teaching professionals and
coaches. With everyones effort, the
members of USPTA have really stepped
up and the industry has taken notice
something that each USPTA member
can be proud of accomplishing. But this
is just the start.
In order to continue the process,
each of us can do a little bit more to
continue further elevating the standards. Following are a few things you
can consider doing to do so:
You might want to consider printing
out a copy of your education report card
and sharing it with your employer. Submit it as something to be placed in your
employee personnel file as proof of your
credentials. This will go a long way in
documenting your commitment to continually improving your skills, not just
on the court but in all phases of the tennis industry. Keep in mind that continuing professional development helps you
progress up through the career ladder
and expands other career opportunities
and options that might not yet be on the
horizon. Of course, picking up new ideas,

getting energized, and sharpening and
focusing your current skills will make
your lessons just that much better.
Many of you have already taken
advantage of USPTAs website, tennisresources.com. You may not be aware
that new courses are being added all the
time. It may be helpful to schedule a
regular website visit to check out whats
new and exciting. Becoming a lifelong
learner has been identified as one of
the habits of effective people, and the
minutes you spend on the website will
certainly provide huge returns on your
time investment.
Members of USPTA have really

stepped up and the industry
has taken notice.
One of the best things about this
type of education is the delivery
method. It is conveniently available
whenever you want it. It is easy to use
and the credits are recorded in your
professional development report card
as soon as you complete a course. Also,
the monthly webinars are recorded and
available through the website.
As we continue to be lifelong learners, remember that this is part of growing as a person as well as a professional.
The more knowledge you gain, the
easier it will become to adapt to new
and different situations. Take the time
to learn something new every day. In
the long run this makes you more valuable to your employer. We should also
encourage our employees and students
to value the learning experience. We
teach students new skills all the time; it
is also important to make time to learn

ourselves.
Dont forget that USPTA World and
division conferences, as well as educational offerings also earn you credits.
Aside from that, credits are also given
for most conferences, educational
courses and seminars you take outside
of USPTA. This can be anything from
a CPR/first aid class to a college class.
If you are uncertain if the course you
are planning to attend will provide you
credits, feel free to contact the Education Department at USPTA. Of course,
submitting your activity for credit in
a timely manner is also highly recommended, so make sure that if you attend
an education event or conference, you
submit your documentation soon after.
As the national Education Committee and division conferences continue
to expand the professional development
offerings, we are eager for suggestions
and recommendations on ways to improve the options and other methods of
delivery. Your Board of Directors is here
to provide services to our members and
we cant always provide the services you
need if we dont know what they are. If
you have the time to get more involved,
please contact your division or national
leadership. Your organization can always use the help, and if you have the
willingness, we can use you.
We look forward to starting the next
three-year professional development
period, and USPTA is taking a few more
steps toward becoming the organization
of the most educated tennis professionals in the world. Join us in achieving this
lofty goal so we can all stand proud and
make the rest of the world take notice. h
USPTA News
USPTA to Offer USPA Certification
USPTA partners with USPA to provide additional

certification options for members
he USPTA has partnered with

the United States Padel Association to provide additional
certification opportunities for
both USPTA-certified Professionals
and padel professionals.
The USPA will be working with the
USPTA to assist qualified USPTA members who are seeking to become certified as USPA professionals while giving
USPA professionals affiliation under
the USPTA umbrella. As part of this
relationship, USPA members will have
access to all USPTA member benefits.
I am very pleased that the USPA
and USPTA are joining forces and
are working together to better the
coaching experience for our teaching
professionals in tennis and padel. As
a longtime supporter and member
of the USPTA myself, I foresee great

development for both organizations
in helping further educate tennis and
padel professionals, said Mike May,
USPA Executive Director.
As with the Professional Platform Tennis
Association last year, USA Padel viewed
an affiliation with the USPTA as beneficial
to its members ... it is evidence that other
racquet sports coaching bodies value and
respect the USPTA as a world-wide leader
in education and certification.
~ John Embree, USPTA CEO
Padel is a racquet sport that combines the elements of tennis, squash

and badminton. Over the course of
the past 10 years, padel has begun to
spread rapidly throughout Europe as
well as the United States. Since the
creation of the USPA in 1993, the sport
has continued to make great strides
worldwide. Both youth and adults compete every two years in the Padel World
Championships.
As with the Professional Platform
Tennis Association last year, USA Padel
viewed an affiliation with the USPTA
as beneficial to its members, said John
Embree, USPTA CEO. It is evidence
that other racquet sports coaching
bodies value and respect the USPTA as
a world-wide leader in education and
certification. h
USPTA News
2017 USPTA Annual Awards

Program Open for Nominations
SPTA is looking for deserving

tennis professionals who are
growing the game of tennis as
it accepts nominations for the
2017 awards program.
The awards application deadline is
April 10. Both online forms and downloadable applications are available at uspta.
com/awards. Applications submitted via
email must be sent by April 10 at 11:59
p.m., Eastern Time. The entire application and ALL supporting materials must
be received on or before the deadline to
be considered by the Awards Committee.
Applications will not accepted after the
deadline. Only electronic applications
will be accepted.
USPTA award categories include:
The George Bacso Lifetime
Achievement Award recognizes a
member who, over a career, has demonstrated exemplary achievement
in areas including contributions to
USPTA and USTA; as a teaching professional, player and coach; in education, research and publications; and
with other organizations, achievements and contributions.
The Alex Gordon Award for Professional of the Year recognizes a member who, over a year, has demonstrated
exemplary achievement in areas
including USPTA, allied organizations,
club achievements, career development, volunteerism, coaching achievements and playing achievements.
USPTA Stars are members who
have dedicated many years to volunteering in grassroots tennis. Through
initiatives incorporating multicultural and other aspects, they bring
the sport and sportsmanship to the
players they touch.
The USPTA Industry Excellence
Award is given to teaching professionals who take both an altruistic
and entrepreneurial attitude toward
their jobs. They build programs that
bring tennis to more people and are
2016 USPTA Award Winners

also successful in growing a tennis
business. The recipient of this award
will receive a $1,000 grant from the
Tennis Industry Association and
a Tennis T
utor ball machine from
Sports Tutor.
The Steve Wilkinson College
Coach of the Year and the High
School Coach of the Year awards
recipients are usually selected based
on their results as team coaches,
however, individual coaches may
be considered. The Tim Gullikson
Touring Coach of the Year is selected on the basis of his or her work
with a playing professional on the
ATP World Tour or the WTA Tour
and/or touring juniors.
The George Bacso Tester of the
Year award recognizes the USPTA
tester who does the most to advance
certification opportunities and the
certification process.
The USPTA Lessons for LifeTM
Award recognizes USPTA members
who have done the most to raise money for charities through tennis events.
While the award spotlights individuals who have raised large amounts of
money, it also honors those hosting the
most creative, original or unique tennis event to raise money for charities.
The USPTA Diversity Award recognizes USPTA members who have
demonstrated an outstanding ability
to unite diverse populations within
their community through tennis.
The USPTA U30 Award recognizes

a USPTA member under the age of 30
who, through their tennis-teaching
and volunteer spirit, has increased
opportunities for others to participate in tennis. This member exemplifies and emphasizes individual
achievement and sportsmanship
along with teaching the physical attributes of the sport.
The only USPTA award available to
nonmembers is for Manager of the
Year, Large and Small Facility.
Applicants/nominees must be the
general manager (in function, if not
in title) of a club or tennis facility.
Nominations for the above awards
may be submitted by a USPTA division
or a certified USPTA member in good
standing, as long as an official application form is used. Member self-nominations are accepted.
Recipients will be recognized during
the USPTA World Conference, Oct. 10-15,
at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld.
Since changes have been made to some
individual categories, as well as Division
of the Year criteria, please be sure to
read the general rules and requirements
for each award carefully. Also there are
changes to the awards format and presentation at the conference, so please note
that while all awards will be announced in
writing at the conference, not all awards
may be presented formally. For more information, contact pr@uspta.org. h
www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com 47
Beyond the Court
Playing Tennis Linked

to Longer Life
s tennis the true fountain of

youth? New research indicates
that playing tennis could be associated with longer life.
The British Journal of Sports
Medicine recently released a study
that finds that in terms of exercise,
swimming, racquet sports and aerobics seem to be associated with the
best odds of staving off death from
any cause, and from heart disease and
stroke in particular.
In the study, researchers analyzed
data from 11 national annual health
surveys for England and Scotland from
1994 to 2008. The analysis included
80,306 adults with an average age of
52. In each of the surveys, participants
were quizzed about what type and
how much physical activity they had
done in the preceding four weeks, and
whether it had been enough to make
them breathless and sweaty. Physical
activity included heavy-duty domestic
chores, gardening and do-it-yourself
and maintenance activities; walking;
and the six most popular sports and
exercises: cycling, swimming, aerobics/gymnastics/dance, running/jogging, soccer/rugby and badminton/
tennis/squash.
This article continues to reinforce
the plethora of research supporting
tennis as one of the most beneficial
activities to maintain physiological
and psychological health.
~ Jack Groppel, Ph.D.
Cofounder Johnson & Johnson
Human Performance Institute
The survival of each participant was
tracked for an average of nine years.
Overall, compared with survey respondents who had not participated in any
of the activities, the risk of death from
any cause was 47 percent lower among
those who played racquet sports, 28
Playing tennis may lower

risk of death by heart
disease and stroke.
percent lower among swimmers, 27

percent lower among aerobics fans
and 15 percent lower among cyclists.
Surprisingly, no such associations were
seen for runners and joggers or those
who play soccer or rugby.
When researchers looked at risk of
death from heart disease and stroke,
they found that playing racquet sports
was associated with a 56 percent lower
risk, with equivalent figures of 41 percent for swimming and 36 percent for
aerobics, compared with those who did
not participate in these sports. Neither
cycling, running/jogging, nor soccer/
rugby were associated with a significantly reduced risk of death from
cardiovascular disease, the analysis
showed.
This article continues to reinforce
the plethora of research supporting
tennis as one of the most beneficial
activities to maintain physiological
and psychological health, said Jack

Groppel, Ph.D., Cofounder, Johnson
& Johnson Human Performance
Institute.
Researchers caution that this is an
observational study and no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and
effect. In addition, the relatively short
recall period, the seasonality of certain sports, and the inability to track
changes in levels of sports participation throughout the monitoring period
may all have had some bearing on the
results.
Nevertheless, they conclude that
these findings demonstrate that participation in specific sports may have
significant benefits for public health.
Armed with research such as this,
tennis-teaching professionals can
continue to make people aware of the
health and fitness benefits of playing
tennis on a regular basis. h
Inside Coaching
Five Foundation Blocks

of Coaching
By USPTA Professionals Jeremy Carl, Tim Bainton and Farley Youman
ennis is one of the hardest

sports to play and coach. However, it can be the most rewarding if we use five foundation
blocks: Committed, Organized, Attentive, Creative, and Heartfelt (COACH).
Coaches can be at the top echelons
of their profession by applying these
principles to help players at all levels
become lifelong lovers of the sport.
1. Committed Being a tennis coach
takes complete commitment, especially when we can see it as a
calling more than a career. While
any certified coach has to complete
requirements for certification and
ongoing continuing education, it is
important that coaches take steps
to show real commitment to their
students growth as well as their own
professional growth. Below are some
simple and effective ways to do that:
l Watch your students play in tourna-
ments. When you recognize improvement in their match play, let them
know it as a way of reinforcing what
youve taught them in lessons. In addition, use software like Dartfish or
other similar programs to create and
send videos to students and parents,
highlighting places where they clearly
show improvement.
l Use the knowledge gained from con-
tinuing education to submit articles,

provide video tips for your members,
and set up free high school coach
workshops in your area where you
can give presentations.
l Audit a college communication class,
read a book on communication or

a book written by a great coach, either in tennis or another sport. This
shows commitment to one of the
most important aspects of your craft
communication.
Coaches can be at the top echelons of their profession and help players at all
levels become lifelong lovers of the sport by using these five principles:
Committed, Organized, Attentive, Creative, and Heartfelt (COACH).
2. Organized An organized coach in
practice will translate into an organized player and problem solver in
a match. This goes beyond having a
lesson plan ready or showing up 10
minutes early to have everything set
up. Below are some effective ways
to show your organizational skills to
students and parents at your club.
l After each session has ended, provide
evaluation forms for parents on their

childs progress recommending what
class or drill the player should do next.
l Provide tools for your students to
use when they play in tournaments.

For example, create a simple one- or
two-word action plan for serve, return
of serve, rallying, and both offensive
and defensive situations. Players can
look at this action plan during changeovers. Also provide your players a postmatch assessment form that has them
evaluate their performance on major
shots forehand, backhand, serve,
return of serve, volley and overhead
and talk about it with them later.
l Provide new ideas to grow your pro-
gram and bring new players. For example, to develop more tournament
players, hold in-house tournaments to
help players get used to the pressure
of tournament play. To help young

players understand the fun of competition, hold a Games and Tournament
Red Ball night with music, pizza and
prizes. After the event, send a thank
you email or letter that includes a picture of the group to all the parents.
3. Attentive When we think of being
attentive, we think of the legendary basketball coach John Woodens
quote, Its the little details that are
vital. Little things make big things
happen. Below are some examples of
how being attentive can go a long way:
l Parents like to see that you care
about their child as a person first

and an athlete second. Most children
play other sports and participate in
other activities. If you know they had
an event such as a dance recital or
soccer match, ask them about it.
l Be attentive to tennis-specific items,
such as whether the child is left-handed or what grip the student uses in the
ready position for returns of serve.
l If parents ask why you corrected
something, give them productive

and purposeful reasoning for your
suggestions and let them know
specifically how it well help the child
in the long run. This approach will

help lead to more commitment from
the student and parent.
l In group lessons, remember to keep
your eyes focused on the court you

are coaching. If you need to give specific advice to someone in the group
lesson who is on the other side of the
net, go to that person rather than
yell across the court.
4. Creative A coachs ability to be creative in setting up a fun atmosphere

is one of the most important foundations for coaching. Note the following
statistic on kids dropping out of sports
from this CNN article, How to make
your kids hate sports without really
trying, by Kelly Wallace on Jan. 21,
2016 (www.cnn.com/2016/01/21/
health/kids-youth-sports-parents).
Seventy percent of children leave
organized sports by the age 13, according to research by the National Alliance for Sports. Lets put it this way: If
your daughter or son plays on a soccer
team, seven out of 10 of the members
of that team wont be playing soccer or
any organized sport whatsoever by the
time they enter their teenage years.

The same statistic is highlighted
in an article titled Why Kids Quit
Sports published in Coaching,
Problems in Youth Sports, Sports
Parenting by John OSullivan on
Tuesday, May 5, 2015 (changingthegameproject.com/why-kids-quitsports). As I have stated here many
times, 70% of children are dropping
out of organized sports by age of 13.
The OSullivan article goes on to
mention the main reasons why kids
walk away from sports its no longer fun and they are afraid to make
mistakes. Below are ways tennis
coaches can help students overcome
those barriers:
l Frustration while learning to serve
prevents students from enjoying the

game of tennis. The serve is the most
psychologically challenging shot
because you have a lot of time. Many
negative or vague thoughts can come
into a players mind when serving.
For example, many students think,
I just want to get the serve in. A
research study showed that a person
using this thought process before a
serve got 15 percent in less than the
same player who thinks before each

serve, I will serve to the persons
backhand and I will aim one foot
from the service line and one foot
from the sideline. This is because
the brain works best with a specific
plan. Furthermore, with a plan of just
getting the serve in, you will be going
to the opponents strength too often.
l The coach should stop players when
they use negative comments such as

I cant get my first serve in. Coaches
should immediately say, You will get
your first serve in and here is how you
are going to do it. The advice should
be positive and productive so the
student can apply those comments
when struggling in a match. One way
to practice this is to play 12-point tiebreaks with your student. If during the
12-point tiebreak he misses first serve,
have him verbally say the comments
before he serves so you know that he is
thinking about a positive and productive way to handle the situation.
l Some adults get frustrated with the
serve. If they have great forehands

and backhands, they may not work on
the serve because they figure they can
win with just their groundstrokes. But
thats a bad idea. Explain that the serve
sets up the forehand and backhand,
and that eventually they will play a big
server. They will also need a big serve.
For example, you could have your players play a 12-point tiebreak and if they
successfully apply a specific serveplus-one-shot strategy e.g., serve out
wide on deuce side and forehand drive
down the line to win the point they
get two points instead of one.
l Have serve games early in your prac-
tices that allow kids to compete from

the beginning. Making a game of serving to a certain part of the box is a fun
way for children to learn how to serve.
This approach also helps them understand that missing a serve is part of
the game of tennis and does not mean
they are no longer a tennis player.
l The same game approach can be done
with the return of serve. You can have

two teams and call it tag team return
of serve. Each team has multiple
players taking turns one at a time
serving and returning. Every time one
team completes a successful serve and
return, that team gets a point. The
first team to seven points wins.
l Base all the other games you play on
problem solving. You can do a game

called wheel of fortune using an
app on an iPad, or create one that
has different wheels based on spins,
style of play, etc. There are two players. The coach spins and whatever
spot it lands on one player has to play
with that style of play against another
player who also has to play based on
how the wheel is spun for him or her.
5. Heartfelt It is not until your students

realize how much you care about tennis that they will begin to understand
how much you know about the sport.
Below are heartfelt actions that will
keep you motivated and show your
true passion for the game as a coach:
l Go to tournaments and provide spe-
cific feedback after matches.
l Spend 10 minutes after a lesson
giving parents specific feedback on

their childs progress.
l Hit with new members at the club
when you have downtime and then

provide them with names of members as potential hitting partners.
l Encourage fellow coaches to go
above and beyond to help all the

students they teach. Remember that
your encouragement as a coach is
what fuels a successful program with
energy, creativity and continuity.
We hope these principles will encourage and guide you in a sport that can be
very challenging at times, but the most
rewarding sport you could ever coach! h
Jeremy Carl is Director of Junior Tennis for Blue Chip Sports Management and is a USTA High Performance
Coach. He was former head pro at Burke Racquet and Swim Club in Burke, Va., and former tennis director at
Mount Vernon Athletic Club in Alexandria, Va.
Tim Bainton is the Founder and Executive Director of Blue Chip Sports Management and Blue Chip Tennis Academies. A multiple USTA, USPTA and PTR sectional Pro of the Year, he is an HPCE graduate and PTR Professional 5A.
He received the 2016 IHRSA Rising Star Award for contributions to the Fitness Industry.
Farley Youman is a tennis professional with Blue Chip Tennis Academy. He is teaching full time at both the Worldgate
Club (Herndon, Va.) and the Burke Club (Burke, Va.). He previously taught 250 students over the course of six months at
Saddlebrook Tennis Resort (Wesley Chapel, Fla.), which is ranked third in the world by Tennis Resorts On Line.
Congratulations to all USPTA members who completed

the Professional Development requirements
during the 2014-2016 period.
By expanding their knowledge of the sport,
they have helped both themselves and their students
improve their game. These members
lead the way in growing tennis.
Thank you all for your commitment to elevating the standards

of tennis-teaching professionals and coaches
Master Pro Corner
The Key Principles to Operating

a Profitable Tennis Program
By Paul MacDonald, USPTA Master Professional
he key principles to operating

a profitable tennis program
will vary based on what type of
program and the type of club
or facility that your tennis program is
affiliated with. Most tennis teaching
in our country is done at a memberowned club, commercial club with high
monthly dues, commercial club with
lower monthly or annual dues, or notfor-profit club, school, university or park
facility. One may also be a freelance tennis professional teaching on park courts
or school courts. The emphasis of your
tennis program will vary based on the
importance of membership. At a member-owned or commercial club, programs
that involve more members will be a top
priority. There is value in generating revenue balanced by the need to get and keep
members. At a not-for-profit club or park
facility, membership might be a non-issue
and you might only look at generating the
most revenue that you can per hour.
Only run programs that have a potential to be profitable. When you are
running tennis programs, remember
what Steven Covey wrote in his book
The Seven Habits of Highly Successful
People, Begin with the end in mind.
Start programs that you think will end
up growing and being profitable.
Membership revenues are equally as
important as program revenues. Increasing your clubs membership helps
the club, the tennis programs and the
other members. As a tennis professional, if you create programs that attract
more members, you will become more
valuable to your club. An increasing
membership will help fill up your programs and give your current members
more players to play with.
All clubs are interested in having
new beginner tennis players, especially
adults. New beginners are the lifeblood
Group lessons make learning fun, create bonds of friendship, are a better
value for the student, and generate more revenue per court hour.
of a tennis clubs membership referral
program, as they will refer more new
members the first year than an advanced player will in five years.
4) A random private lesson

5) A member utilizing an open court
Special events and tournaments use a

large number of courts, but they usually
are not the most profitable programs per
hour. These need to be weighed case by
case to evaluate if they are good for the
membership and the bottom line.
Offer a program for every member, age

and level, and have a program where
players can go from lower levels to
higher levels. Why should a member
join your club if you do not have the programs to serve their tennis needs? We
know that the majority of tennis players are intermediate players. However
if we give all players the opportunity to
improve, they will appreciate the chance
to upgrade their games. If you have a
program that can take a player from the
tots beginner level to the adult advanced
level, you give yourself the potential to
grow at all levels. Ambitious players will
love the fact that they can stay and improve with you in your program.
Attrition is directly related to the ability

of play. If you are a 5.0 player and move
into a new city, you probably already
have your next club picked out before
you close on your home or condo. If you
are a 3.0 player, you might delay getting
involved back in tennis. People who label themselves as tennis players usually
will never give up playing unless they
have a medical condition. People who
are not as hooked on tennis will find
other activities to participate in.
Prioritize court usage by the programs

that generate the most revenue, involve
the most members and that go for the
longest amount of time. For example,
the priorities at an indoor club may be:
1) Season court time
2) Group lesson series of 10 weeks
3) A series of private lessons
Set aside your most popular time slots

for your lower level students. The same
phenomena of level of play and player
commitment also carry over into your
programming decisions. Eliminate all
the excuses for lower level players to not
sign up for your programs. For example,
adult beginner lessons should be offered
at your best morning and evening times

so that players can begin playing tennis
without any obstacles. Your mens 5.0
team practice can be from 8 to 10 p.m.
and attendance will still be good.
Group lessons are a better use of club
resources than private lessons.
1) Group tennis lessons generate more
revenue per court hour. For example,
a full group lesson with six players
per court might generate $150 per
hour (six players X $25 per player =
$150). A private lesson generates between $66 and $95 per hour.
2) Groups create bonds of friendship
and improve usage and retention. If
a member only plays with a tennis
professional, he just has a relationship with the pro. In a group, players
will form bonds of friendship that
will keep them in the club.
3) Groups make learning fun. Sure, you
can make a private lesson fun. But a
group lesson can be a blast with all of
the different games you can play and
honest competition with your peers.
4) Group lessons are a better value for
the student. At many clubs, group
lessons cost 25 percent of what a private lesson costs.
5) Group lessons can operate without
a specific tennis professional being
present. Group lessons can meet
with a different tennis professional
as a substitute.
6) Groups meet even if one of the players cannot make the group lesson.
And since they have paid, the program, club and tennis professional
are guaranteed the money and the
student has the opportunity to make
up the class in a group that is not full.
7) Private lessons are canceled if the
student cannot make the lesson.
The countrys largest club corporation analyzed their private lessons
for a one-year period and had a 20
percent cancellation rate for private
lesson bookings.
8) Private lessons are normally canceled
if the tennis professional cannot teach
the lessons. At our clubs we always
offer the students the option to take a
private lesson with a substitute tennis

professional. Very few of our students
take advantage of this service.
9) Private lessons do not integrate people in the club as well as group lessons.
The private lesson taker will normally
have a terrific relationship with their
tennis professional but not necessarily have found the connections to play
with other club members.
Despite the benefits of group lessons,
private lessons are a big part of most tennis programs for the following r easons.
1) Private lessons are the fastest way
to learn. In a private lesson you can
better deal with the tactical, technical and strategic portions of the
game. Also, the tennis professional
can teach the student in the manner
that the student learns best.
2) Private lessons can fill shoulder
court times easier than any program.
All it takes is one tennis professional
and one student.
3) Private lessons can fill some of your
prime times during your slower seasons. In the indoor club business, the
peak months are November through
the end of March. During the fall and
spring, many of the juniors will be
playing high school tennis and the
junior groups will not be full. These
are the perfect times to utilize private
lessons to keep your tennis professionals and your facility busy.
4) Private lessons can be the perfect fit
for the student who can not make a
regular weekly commitment.
5) Private lessons are essential to creating the coach-student bond that
good players crave.
Fill shoulder time with programmed
activities.
1) Private lessons are a way to fit in
that member who cannot attend
group lessons at normal times.
2) Leagues are a great way to have your
students play an additional time
every week without having to do any
game arranging.
3) Parties are a way to make a club a
club. The social component is a huge
factor in why people play tennis.

4) Tournaments are a great way to fill
your facility when you do not have
member play or lessons.
Hire tennis professionals who enthusiastically can and will teach all levels. At
many clubs, a tennis professional will
teach ladies team drills, womens beginner and intermediate lessons, juniors,
and one or more times per week they
teach mens team practice. In these clubs
you need a tennis professional who does
different types of teaching.
Agreements should be in writing. Tennis professionals should be provided
with a written compensation agreement,
employee standards and expectations.
Remember, If it isnt written, it isnt so.
Tennis professionals should know students purpose for coming (i.e., lose
weight, socialize, learn to play, etc.).
One key skill of great tennis professionals is their ability to find out the reason
why their students are taking a tennis
lesson, and plan the lesson accordingly.
Tennis professionals need to be business
people as well as teachers, athletes,
coaches, salespeople, etc. The best tennis professionals understand that their
job security is dependent on getting and
keeping customers. Having students
come back and/or having their students
make referrals are the lifeblood of a tennis professionals career longevity.
Purposes of the club and the tennis
professional have to be aligned. Every
club and program is different. At the East
Bank Club in Chicago, the worlds largest multi-sport club, the tennis program
relies on private lessons for the largest
portion of their tennis revenue. This is
because their tennis professionals are
great at teaching private lessons. At Midtown Athletic Club Chicago, the worlds
largest tennis club, group programs are
their key revenue producer. Their tennis
professionals teach group lessons from 7
a.m. to 11:30 p.m. h
Paul MacDonald is the director of tennis at Schaumburg Tennis Plus in Schaumburg, Ill. He is the
National Tennis Director of WTS International, a
graduate of the USPTA High Performance Coaching
Program and is a member of the USPTA Midwest
Hall of Fame. He is the Council Chair of the USTA
Midwest Junior Pathway and is a member of the
USTA National Junior Competition Committee.
Career Development
Exams, Upgrades Cardio Tennis
& PTCA I
Conferences/
Activities
(4 credits for PTCA I segment)
(Division Conferences 6 credits)
Feb. 3
Feb. 9-10
Feb. 11-12
Feb. 12
Feb. 13-14
Feb. 18-19
Feb. 18-19
Feb. 19-20
Feb. 20
Feb. 23
Feb. 25
March 4
March 4-5
March 6
March 11-12
March 17
March 17-18
March 18-19
March 19
March 19-20
March 23
March 25-26
March 31
Centennial, Colo.
Atlanta
Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Orlando, Fla.
Edmonds, Wash.
Huntington Beach, Calif.
Palo Alto, Calif.
Vienna, Va.
Prairie Village, Kan.
Eau Claire, Wis.
Haverhill, Mass.
Rome, Ga.
La Jolla, Calif.
Boca Raton, Fla.
Nichols Hills, Okla.
Houston*
Charlotte, N.C.
Columbus, Ohio
Midlothian, Va.
Minneapolis
Phoenix
Henderson, Nev.
Level 1 Training Course
St. Petersburg Tennis Club; St. Petersburg, Fla.
Feb. 11

Griffin Club; Los Angeles
Feb. 19
Windyke Country Club; Memphis, Tenn.

Feb. 19-20
Level 1 & 2 Training Course
PTR Symposium; Hilton Head Island, S.C.

March 10
March 17
ACAC; Midlothian, Va.

Crooked Creek Country Club; Alpharetta, Ga.
March 19

Park Crossing; Charlotte, N.C.
March 26

Rosen Shingle Creek; Orlando, Fla.
March 27
TRXCT Training Course

Rosen Shingle Creek; Orlando, Fla.
April 2
Wayside Athletic Club; Marlboro, Mass.
Midwest Division Convention

Troy, Mich.
Feb. 11 Intermountain Division Convention
Centennial, Colo.
Feb. 17
Northern California Convention
Stanford, Calif.
Feb. 23
Texas Division Convention
Horseshoe Bay, Texas
Feb. 24
Missouri Valley Convention
Kansas City, Kan.
March 2
Mid-Atlantic Convention
Alexandria, Va.
May 5
New England Convention
Stowe, Vt.
May 18
Southern Division Convention
Lafayette, La.
Webinars
(.5 credits)

* 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.
Feb. 3
Watch all recorded webinars

at tennisresources.com.
For more information visit uspta.com/Education.
Please visit www.cardiotennistraining.com to register.
Applicant: late cancellation fee $95; failure to cancel

application fee is forfeited. Certified 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.
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.
Education requirements
All USPTA-certified Professionals must earn 6 education credits in a three-year period
to remain current. Go to USPTA.com/Education for a partial list of eligible activities. Please send verification (email, letter, certificate, receipt, etc.) that shows you
attended the event/activity and submit it along with the date and agenda to education@uspta.org to receive your credit. (International members, Recreational Coaches
and those over the age of 65 are exempt.) Questions? Write to education@uspta.org
or call 800-877-8248, ext. 147.
Member News
Gardnar Mulloy, a member of the USPTA who won 129 U.S. national
titles and played competitively into his 90s, has died at age 102 on
Nov. 15, 2016. At 102 he was the oldest member of the USPTA. A
Master Professional, he was a member for 53 years. The longtime
Miami resident competed for 75 years. Mulloy, who served in the
Navy during WWII, was 31 when the war ended, and his tennis career
had barely begun. He went on to win five Grand Slam doubles titles,
including a Wimbledon crown in 1957 at age 43. He was ranked
No. 1 in the United States in 1952, started the University of Miami
tennis program, and was honored in nine Halls of Fame, including
the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Mulloys illustrious career lead
to encounters with presidents, royalty, movie stars and some of the
Photos courtesy of ITHF
worlds best-known tennis players. He told the New York Times in
2005 that the most impressive incident of his life was on Center
Court at Wimbledon in 1957 as Mulloy was receiving the cup for the
mens doubles title from Queen Elizabeth II. He was a strong advocate
for expanding senior tennis from age 45 and up to age brackets extending to 90 and above. Mulloy donated a trophy to start a mens 80
event between North America and Europe, which went on to become
an official international seniors competition in 1996. The Gardnar
Mulloy Cup is awarded annually by the International Tennis Federation to the winner of a mens 80-and-over international event. In his
later years, aside from continuing to pursue senior tournament play,
Mulloy was the director of tennis on Fisher Island in the Miami area.
Jill Bachochin, USPTA, joins Five Seasons

Sports Club in Northbrook, Ill. Since her debut
at Five Seasons, Bachochin has taken on a
key role in the clubs 10-and-under tennis
development program. Other duties include
working with the ladies teams, the adult
beginner program, and fitness for adults and
juniors. Bachochins prior roles included serving as a USTA Area Training Center Coach for
the USTA Intermountain and Missouri Valley
Sections. She was also the Director of Junior
Competition and Youth Tennis Coordinator
for the USTA Missouri Valley Section (19982000). Bachochin is a certified USPTA Elite and
USPTR professional who taught at North Shore
Racquet Club in Northbrook for 12 years and
most recently, for six years, was Director of
the QuickStart Program, Womens 3.0 Team
Director, and Personal Trainer at College Park
Athletic Club in Deerfield. Bachochin is an ACE
certified fitness professional and Cardio Tennis
certified through the Tennis Industry Association, where she bridges fitness and tennis
together.
USPTA Tennis Professional and Head Tennis Coach Todd Rubinstein from
Alonzo & Tracy Mourning Senior High in North Miami, Fla., is the winner
of the 2016 Florida High School Tennis Coaches Association Wilson 3A
Florida High School Tennis Coach of the Year Award. Rubinsteins overall
coaching record: 348-104-2. He has been the head coach for 15 years and
has been a USPTA member since 1992. Rubinstein (left) with his player
Tom Jaworski (right), who won the 2016 FHSAA 3A Individual State Overall Singles Tennis Championship at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs,
NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President
First Vice
President
Chuck Gill
Gary Trost
Vice Presidents

Past President
CEO
Legal Counsel
Alan Cutler
Feisal Hassan
Ken McAllister
Jack Michalko
Diane Selke
TM
2016 Mourning High Boys and Girls Teams.

ADDvantage magazine editorial offices
USPTA World Headquarters
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Phone 713-978-7782 / 800-USPTA-4U
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email magazine@uspta.org
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Circulation
Kimberly Forrester
Kathy Buchanan
Office hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central time

ADDvantage is published monthly by the
United States Professional Tennis Association.
Tom McGraw
John Embree
George Parnell
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. 2016. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of any portion of the magazine is not
permitted without written permission from USPTA.
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