200404 Racquet Sports Industry

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DEPARTMENTS

R S I A P R I L 2 0 0 4

FEATURES

32 Construction With a Soft TouchThe eight soft-court Facility-of-the-Year winners

share some striking similarities.

35 A Welcome AdvantageFor this Pennsylvania facility, the Tennis Welcome Center

concept has already been a big hit.

39 Follow the Bouncing BallUnderstanding how the ballbounces can help you and yourstudents pick and read shots.

April 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 3

26 Serious Tennis, Atlanta, GA

28 Van Der Meer Shipyard TennisResort, Hilton Head Island, SC

29 Indianapolis Racquet Club, Indianapolis, IN

These three retailers knowhow to keep their numbers up

in apparel and footwear

4 Our Serve18 Ask the Experts20 Winning Personnel22 Retailing Strategies24 Market Place

44 String Playtest: Klip Blast 17

46 String Playtest: Head RIP PerfectPower 1648 Tips and Techniques51 New USRSA Members and MRTs53 Calendar56 Your Serve

INDUSTRY NEWS7 PTR Symposium includes USTA

board meeting

7 Wilson introduces new groupfor Innovation & Design

8 Tennis Channel extends dealwith ATP

8 Stan Smith honored

8 SSV Tennis rating systemoffered free

9 USTA honors 9 atDevelopment Workshop

10 USTA, MassMutual reach deal10 NY shop boutiques racquet

brand

11Prince releases racquet index

11 Pro events come to Forest Hills13 Texas A&M wins campus

championship title

13 USTA publications for yourfacility

14 Briton receives Hall of Famehonor

ContentsRETAILING SUCCESS


6/604 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY April 2004

Every business has its movers and shakersthe

high-profile types who keep pushing, get a lot of

things done, and, because of their effectiveness,

tend to receive a lot of attention.Right now in tennis, it is an important time for movers and shakers. The

new marketing campaign for the sport is starting to hit at the consumer level,

and the Tennis Welcome Center programwhich is the biggest initiative ever

in this sport to bring people into the gameis beginning to get under way. In

addition, the sport is on the verge of seeing a US Open Series of pro

tournaments that lead into the Open, something that fans will love.

But its also a time when the influence of many not-so-high-profile people

and initiatives are beginning to be noticed more and more. Case in point is a

man by the name of Kirk Anderson.Kirk doesnt seek the limelighthes a soft-spoken man who knows that

while its important to have people out front leading the charge, its even more

important to have competent people behind the scenes making it all happen.

Kirk is what the player side of this business is all about. And its people such

as Kirk that the game needs to have even more of.

Currently the director of the Community Play department at the USTA, Kirk

has done pretty much everything in this sport over the last 30 years--player,

recreation department instructor, teaching pro (both PTR and USPTA), club

manager, promotions manager, program administrator, volunteer, author of

books and articles. He was with the USTA Midwest Section for seven years and

joined the USTA national office eight years ago.

He travels a lot, giving clinics, teaching the teachers, designing curriculum.And the guy is fantastic. So fantastic, in fact, that the International Tennis Hall

of Fame just awarded him its Tennis Educational Merit Award, an honor for

which the Hall of Fame could not have found a better recipient.

The point of all this is, yes, to give Kirk his due, but also to point out that

for Kirkand for many others like himtennis is more than a job, more than

a simple source of income. When hes not working on the clock for tennis,

hes, well, still working for tennis. And its fair to say that Kirk and others like

him have kept tennis alive even through the lean years. To use an overworked

phrase, hes on a missionand hes been on that mission for more than 30

years.

There are, of course, many others out there who not only do their jobs and

do them well, but also go well beyond the scope of their jobs when it comes to

working for tennis. For instance, in this issue of RSI, youll meet three retail-

ers who also take the attitude that tennis is more than just punching in and out

as they pass through their pro shop doors. And youll read about a facility

owner in Pennsylvania who adopts that same attitude when it comes to

programming for new and returning players.

You know, it just makes sense to see tennis as more than a 9-to-5 jobnot

just for your own piece of business, but also for the sport as a whole. Its also

the best way to ensure that, while we all may not be holding aloft a well-

deserved trophy or plaque, we will alllike

Kirk Andersonstill be award-winners.

Our Serve

E

Its About More Than Just The Job(Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry)

Publishers

David Bone Jeff Williams

Editor-in-Chief

Crawford Lindsey

Editorial DirectorPeter Francesconi

Associate Editor

Greg Raven

Design/Art Director

Kristine Thom

Design Consultant

Amy Berger

Assistant to the Publisher

Cari Feliciano

Contributing Editors

Cynthia Cantrell

Rod Cross

Joe Dinoffer

Liza Horan

Andrew Lavallee

James Martin

Mark Mason

Chris Nicholson

Mitch Rustad

Drew Sunderlin

Jonathan Whitbourne

RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY

Corporate Offices330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084

Phone: 760-536-1177 Fax: 760-536-1171Email: [email protected]

Website: www.racquetTECH.com

Office Hours: Mon.-Fri.,8 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific Time

Advertising Director

John Hanna

770-650-1102, x.125

[email protected]

Apparel Advertising

Cynthia Sherman

203-263-5243

[email protected]

Racquet Sports Industry (application to mail at Period-icals Postage Rates is pending at Vista, CA,and ataddi-tional offices) is published 10 times yearly by USRSA,

330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084. April 2004, Volume 1,Number 3 2004 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. All

rights reserved. Racquet Sports Industry, RSI and logoare trademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A. Phoneadvertising: 770-650-1102 x.125. Phone circulation and

editorial: 760-536-1177. Yearly subscriptions $55 in theU.S., $65 elsewhere. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to Racquet Sports Industry, 330 Main St.,

Vista, CA 92084.

Editorial Director


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9/60April 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 7

Wilson IntroducesNew Group ForInnovations &Design

Wilson Racquet Sports has namedcompany veteran Bill Severa the

director of technology for the

newly formed Innovations &

Design Group.

The new group will be respon-

sible for all performance and

prestrung racquets, from start to

finish, from design and concept,

to playtesting new technologies.

The group also will handle all

stringing aspects and the string

itself.

Severa, who has been with thecompany for 21 years, was the

senior designer for the last seven

years. He has 13 U.S. patents

under his belt, including patents

for the Sledghammer, Power

Holes and TRIAD technologies.

The Innovations & Design

Group will utilize four engineers

for the various product categories.

Dan Hernandez is the project

manager for racquetball, squash

and paddle; Mark Lin is the test

lab supervisor and productmanager for badminton; Mike

Moon is the project manager for

recreational racquets; and Don

Loeffler is the project manager for

performance racquets.

In addition, Ron Rocchi is the

global tour equipment manager,

responsible for servicing and

customizing all racquets for

touring pros. Klara Nowak is the

prototype manager, and Dawn

Cacioppo is the master racquet

technician.

esults of an on-site survey conducted by

the PTR at its 2004 International Tennis

Symposium & $25,000 Tennis Champi-

onships say that the event was the best

ever held by the organization, says Dan Santo-

rum, the PTRs CEO and executive director.Nearly 700 attendees participated in the

courses and presentations at the February event.

The Symposium also included a two-day Tennis

Trade Show and a tournament in which more

than 200 teaching

pros competed for

prize money in 27

divisions.

One key to the

event was that the

USTA board of direc-

tors and key staffmembers attended,

meeting with the

PTR to discuss ten-

nis participation in

the U.S., among other issues. The board of direc-

tors participated in the Parade of Nations Flag

Ceremony, which featured 47 countries. USTA

President Alan Schwartz (above), who also is on

the board of the ITF, welcomed attendees.

It was great that the USTA board was there

for PTR week, says Santorum. Theyre reaching

out to the industry more and working with their

partners. And I know its going to continue.

Youre going to see the same tone from the peo-

ple on the board who are going to succeed Alan

Schwartz, as far as being more industry-friendly.

Santorum says he gave a report to the USTA

board about the ACE multicultural program. ACE,

which stands for Advancing the Commitment to

Education, is a joint PTR-USTA initiative designed

to educate tennis teaching pros in multicultural

communities. Its being conducted in 60 cities

this year.

Also at the Symposium was Tennis Corpora-

tion of Americas senior staff of tennis directors

and general managers from 37 top tennis clubs.

TCA staff were among the 56 faculty who

conducted more than 70 on-court and classroom

presentations.

It was fantastic to have the TCA directors, and

the nice thing was some of them were speakersfor us, so we got to take advantage of their

expertise in running and managing clubs, says

Santorum.

In other PTR news, the organization was

recently honored by

Special Olympics South

Carolina as the 2004

Outstanding Organiza-

tion of the Year. The

PTR and the Van Der

Meer Shipyard Racquet

Club have hosted theSpecial Olympics South-

east Regional Tennis

Championships since

its inception five years

ago. Participation in that time has grown from 30

athletes to more than 175 athletes from 13 states.

2004 PTR Symposium Cited as Best Ever

I N D U S T R Y N E W SI N D U S T R Y N E W S

R S I A P R I L 2 0 0 4

I N F O R M A T I O N T O H E L P Y O U R U N Y O U R B U S I N E S S

R

Among those honored at the PTR Sympo-

siums annual awards banquet were: Professional

of the Year: Ajay Pant, Overland Park, Kan.; Coach Verdieck

Award, College: Joey Rive, Texas Christian University, Fort

Worth, Texas; Coach Verdieck Award, High School: Macy

Bruce, Upper St. Claire High School, McMurray, Pa.; Coach

Verdieck Award, Touring Pro: Andy Brandi, Boca Raton, Fla.;Also, Clinician of the Year: Jimmie Nigro, Philadelphia;

Tester of the Year: Todd Miller, East Amherst, N.Y.; Stanley

Plagenhoef Award, Dr. Jack Groppel, Algonquin, Ill.; Male

Player of the Year: John Powless, Madison, Wis.; Female Play-

er: Renata Marcinkowska, Rock Hill, S.C.; Wheelchair Pro: Paul

Walker, Lakeland, Fla.;

Also, Humanitarian Award: Dr. Elizabeth Odera, Nairobi,

Kenya; Volunteer of the Year: Adam Gardner, Shanghai,

China; Media Excellence Award: Carlos Manaure, Caracas,

Venezuela; USTA Community Service Award: Mary Thompson,

Sioux Falls, S.D.; TIA Commitment to the Industry Award:

Fernando Velasco, Austin, Texas; Public Facility: Robinswood

Tennis Center, Seattle; Private Facility: The Racket Centre,

Nussloch, Germany. w

PhotobyK

enMak


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A P R I L 2 0 0 4

INDUSTRYNEW

S

Tennis Channel ExtendsDeal With ATP Masters

T

he Tennis Channel has signed a four-year extension for the

exclusive U.S. telecast rights to five of the 10 tennis tour-

naments in the ATP Masters Series.The 24-hour cable television

network devoted to tennis and

other racquet sports will telecast

the five European events of the

ATP Masters SeriesMonte Carlo,

Rome, Hamburg, Madrid, and

Parislive and in their entirety,

and will provide early-round cov-

erage of the ATP Masters Series U.S.-based events in Indian

Wells, Calif., and Miami.

Additionally, this year The Tennis Channel will cap its ATP

Masters Series telecasts with complete, live doubles coverageof the series finale, the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston in

November. The agreement begins this year and runs through

2007, and builds on TTCs previous licensing relationship with

the ATP Masters Series which saw the network telecast the

European ATP Masters Series tournaments and the doubles

championship at the Tennis Masters Cup.

This agreement is great for tennis, tennis

fans, the ATP Masters Series and The

Tennis Channel viewers, said Steve

Bellamy, president and founder

of TTC. For viewers and fans,

we will be bringing thesetournaments on live and in

their entirety, about 10 hours a

day. For the sport, this extension

continues our ability to provide the most com-

prehensive tennis coverage on television.

In other TTC news, the 2004 spring tournament schedule

includes the following (check local listings for times):

April 9-11: Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, second round, France at

Switzerland and Argentina at Belarus.

April 16-18: U.S. Mens Clay Court Championships

April 18: The Family Circle Cup, doubles semifinal and championship

April 19-25: Masters Series Monte Carlo

April 24-25: Fed Cup Opening Round, U.S. at Slovenia and Croatia at

Belgium

May 1-2: J&S Cup, semifinal and championship

May 1-2: Open Seat Godo, semifinal and championship

May 3-9: Masters Series Rome

May 8-9: Ladies German Open, semifinal and championship

May 10-16: Masters Series Hamburg

May 15-16: Telecom Italia Masters, semifinal and championship

8 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY April 2004

STAN SMITHHONORED ATSPORTS

LEGENDS AWARDSF

ormer Wimbledon and US

Open champion Stan Smith

(left) was one of five sports

legends honored recently at the

13th Annual Sports Legends

Awards, presented by The Paraly-

sis Project of America. Tennis legend and former honoree Jack

Kramer (right) a member of the Paralysis Projects Sports

Council, presented Smith with his award at The Omni Hotel in

Los Angeles. Hosted by ABC sportscaster Al Michaels, the

event also honored auto racings Bobby Unser, baseballs Joe

Morgan and golfs Kathy Whitworth, and made a special pres-entation to footballs Mike Utley, the former Detroit Lion who

was paralyzed on the playing field in 1991. (Photo by Lou

Sauritch, The Paralysis Project of America)

SSV Tennis Rating SystemReceives Anonymous Gift

Neil Johnson, president of SSV Tennis, says that a signif-

icant grant has been received to establish Serve, Stroke

& Volley (SSV) as an international rating system for ten-

nis. The funding, from an anonymous donor, will allow theSSV Tennis Rating and internet support services to be

offered free to players, pros, coaches, clubs, schools, parks

and associations across the country and internationally,

Johnson says.

In addition, to promote the use of the rating system,

Johnson says SSV will sponsor a national competition for

high school tennis teams. The free program will have play-

ers tested by their coaches on their home courts. All players

receive a national ranking based on their SSV rating in their

age division. The top six rating scores are added to deter-

mine the team score, and then the teams will be ranked

nationally and by state.SSV is a method for determining tennis ability at all lev-

els that Johnson says clearly and objectively answers the

question, "How good are you?" The SSV Rating is an on-

court test that measures basic skills.

Players hit 40 balls to target areas using different strokes,

and points are scored for control and power by assigning a

value to the first and the second bounces of the ball. The

location of the first bounce indicates control; the depth of

the second bounce indicates power. The combined total is

the SSV score. The complete test takes less than 10 minutes.

For more information, contact [email protected] or

visit the website at www.ssvtennis.com.


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I N D U S T R Y N E W S


Nine Honored at USTADevelopment Workshop

TThe USTA honored nine individuals recently at an awards banquet held dur-

ing its annual USA Tennis Community Tennis Development Workshop. More

than 450 community tennis leaders attended this years workshop and

banquet, held in February at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.Six people were presented with the Eve F. Kraft Community Service Award for

their selfless dedication to bringing the game of tennis to anyone who wants to

play:

Christy Balsiger of El Paso, Texas formed the El Paso Tennis Development Founda-

tion in 1996, formed a partnership with the El Paso Independent School District,

and spearheaded a campaign to raise money to build the El Paso Youth Center,

which opened in 1999 and provides free tennis to area students.

Kerry Blum of San Diego joined Youth Tennis San Diego as a volunteer in 1989

and now is director of the After School Tennis Program servin g 7,500 kids. She

has forged numerous partnerships with school districts and other organizations

and agencies and is working toward growing the program to 150 locations and

40,000 students.Valerie Kreger of Cloverdale, Calif., and the Cloverdale Tennis Association helped the high

school in this small community restart its tennis program by purchasing equip-

ment, assisting with travel expenses and, more recently, helping to provide

coaches. Also, the CTA is helping the Boys & Girls Club implement the USA

Tennis 1-2-3 program.

Yvette Marshall of Denham Springs, La. plans and implements all grassroots tennis

programming for adults, children and multicultural populations for a large area

of the Greater Baton Rouge CTA. She also provides training and workshops for

instructors and solicits grants and sponsorships. She has broadened the reach of

the CTA from 400 to 2,400 participants, and recently helped form two new CTAs

and three NJTL programs.

Mark Platt of St. Louis runs Beginners World Tennis, geared to beginning adultplayers. He was instrumental in bringing Rallyball to the areas kids and has

brought tennis to more than 10,000 students at 25 elementary schools. In all,

more than 40,000 people participate in his programs.

Dr. Lance Turner of Stockton, Calif. heads the grassroots program Future Stars

2000s, teaching tennis to underprivileged kids and adults and promoting tennis

in Northern California communities. The program now has more than 5,000

participants.

Three other attendees were honored with the USA Team Tennis Volunteer

Awards:

David Bell of Pittsfield, Mass. for his work with youth involved in team play.

Kristin Granlund of Corvallis, Ore. for her work with team competition at the

collegiate level, specifically with Oregon State University.

Laurie Selby of White River Junction, Vt. for her work with the Upper Valley CTA and

as the Adult Team Tennis League coordinator.

Corrections8 The updated model of the Prince Scream will not be the Prince Turbo

Scream, as reported in "Survival of the Fittest" in our February issue. The new

racquet will be the Turbo Beast, which will be available in August.

8 The web address for PowerAngle in the string chart (A Turning Point?) in

our February issue should be www.powerangle.net.



USTA and MassMutual Sign 5-YearSponsorship Agreement

T

he USTA and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual)

signed a new worldwide marketing agreement for the US Open through 2009

in the insurance category. The five-year deal also makes MassMutual a chartersponsor of the proposed US Open Series, a series of summer professional tennis

events that lead in to the US Open, tentatively scheduled to launch this summer.

The deal includes a major media commitment to US Open television broadcasts

and, for the first-time, an extensive sponsorship of usopen.org. This component

will include online media, email, USOpen.org Radio and TV and an online promo-

tion. In addition, CBS Sports will produce a vignette on MassMutual and the US

Open Junior Championships that will air during CBSs broadcast of the Mens Sin-

gles Final. The agreement brings to 15 years MassMutuals long-standing relation-

ship with the US Open.

MassMutual has been a key partner in helping us grow the US Open into one

of the worlds greatest sports and entertainment events, says J. Pierce ONeil,

chief business officer of the USTA. By creatively packaging and extending thepower of our brand, we can continually offer sponsors new and bigger opportuni-

ties to get involved with the US Open.

As a major new extension to its involvement with the USTA and US Open, Mass-

Mutual will become a charter sponsor of the US Open Series which will establish

for the first time regularly scheduled live television broadcasts of the North Amer-

ican hard-court summer season following Wimbledon and leading up to the US

Open.

We are thrilled to expand our relationship with MassMutual to include the US

Open Series, says Arlen Kantarian, the USTAs chief executive of Professional Ten-

nis. Their commitment to tennis on every levelfrom the Junior Championships

to the US Open and now to the new US Open Seriesis a significant development

for tennis in the U.S.

NY Shop BoutiquesRacquet Brand

Customer response to Masons Tennis Marts first

boutique of racquets and accessories from a

single brand has been fantastic, says Mark

Mason, owner of the New York City tennis retail

shop.

Ive never boutiqued a racquet brand. We do it

in apparel, but not in equipment, Mason says.

Mason decided to display as a group all of Babolats

products because the brand in his area has been so

hot, he says. The displays have all the brands racquets, bags, T-shirts, hats, grips,

dampeners and more together in one place.

It makes shopping for that brand so much easier, says Mason. Everything a

customer wants is all in one place. We make it as visual as possible, and it makes for

a better presentation.

Mason says that European shops often group, or boutique, their racquets and

accessories by brand, rather than having one spot where, for instance, all the grips

from different manufacturers would be displayed. Were trying in our shop to make

people brand-conscious, and to add value to our franchise, he says. If this works

the way it appears to be working, we may try to do this for other brands.

A P R I L 2 0 0 4I N D U S T R Y N E W S



The USTA has awarded The West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y., two new

professional tennis tournaments, bringing the total to three for the 2004 ten-nis season at the historic club. Each tournament will be played on a different

surface and will serve as a Grand Slam tune-up event. The historic West Side Ten-

nis Club was the home of the US Open for more than 50 years.

The WSTC will host two USTA Pro Circuit men's challengersThe Forest Hills

Clay Court Classic May 10-16, and The Forest Hills Grass Court Classic June 7-13

and a newly sanctioned WTA Tour hard-court tournament Aug. 23-28 leading into

the 2004 US Open.

The two USTA Pro Circuit events will be held the weeks immediately preceding

the qualifying tournaments at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, respectively. The

USTA funds the 96 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S.awarding nearly $3 mil-

lion in prize moneyand acquired a sanction from the WTA to launch the August

women's event.

"The return of professional events to this venerable club reinforces the connec-

tion of the US Open and the sport to the community," says Lee Hamilton, execu-

tive director of the USTA. "The West Side Tennis Club is a hub for recreational play

and with these new events, we expect interest in the game to grow throughout For-

est Hills and the Borough of Queens."

Last year, professional tennis returned to the former home of the US Open for

the first time since 1989 when the WSTC hosted The Forest Hills Classic, a USTA

Pro Circuit Men's $50,000 Challenger. Home to the US Open until 1977, the club

hosted the tournament on grass until 1974 and the only three years the event was

held on clay (1975-77). The West Side Tennis Club is currently home to over 800

members, maintaining 39 courts on four different surfaces.

Prince Tennis ReleasesPerformanceRacquet Index

Prince Tennis unveiled its 2004 Racquet Index guide that

educates players of all swing types on how to choose the

right Prince Performance racquet according to their individ-

ual style of play. The index is broken down into the Thunder Series,

Turbo Series and Tour Series, and correlates specific swing types and

player preferences with racquets of varying levels of power and con-

trol, says Prince President Alistair Thorburn.

Weve worked to better segment our Performance racquet line

and make it more consumer-friendly, says Thorburn. We want ten-

nis players to understand the differences in their individual games so

that they choose the correct racquet.

The Thunder Series includes models that cater to players with short-

er swings who are looking for maximum power in a lightweight frame. The TurboSeries represents racquets for players with moderate swings who are looking for a

blend of power and control. The Tour Series offers racquets for players with long, full

swings who are looking for maximum touch and feel.

To view the 2004 Prince racquet index, visit www.princetennis.com.

Prince

Tour

NXG

Graphite

Mid

3 PRO EVENTS TO BE PLAYED AT




James Blake Announces UniqueCharity Initiative

USTA, ESPN Near

Deal for OpenSeries

Reports in a recent issue ofSports Busi-

ness Journal claim the USTA and ESPN

are near to signing a multiyear agree-

ment to broadcast a proposed new sum-

mer tennis series of tournaments that

lead up to the US Open.

The publication said an ESPN execu-

tive confirmed that the network was in

talks with the USTA, but that the USTA

still had to line up a requisite number of

tournaments before the deal could go

through.

Citing tennis sources, the maga-

zine said that four summer tournament

have signed on. Tournaments that the

publication said are believe to be on

board are the Bank of the West women's

event in Palo Alto, Calif.; the Legg Mason

Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C.; one

if not both of the men's (Mercedes-Benz

Cup) and women's (JP Morgan Chase

Open) events in Los Angeles; and the

U

.S. player James Blake kicked off a 2004 charity ini-

tiative during Januarys Australian Open to benefit

the Harlem Junior Tennis Program and ShrinersHospital. Blake, 24, began donating $100 to each organi-

zation for every match he wins.

To date, his donations total $1,400 from the seven

matches he won collectively at the Australian Open,

Siebel Open, Kroger St. Jude and Franklin Templeton

Classic. Prior to the Australian Open, Blake, ranked 23rd

in the world, made initial donations and appearances on

behalf of both charities. He plans to continue this initia-

tive during all sanctioned professional matches this year

as well as the Davis Cup. Nike and Dunlop will also par-

ticipate in the donations, Blake said.

A pro player since 1999, Blake has had a long-stand-ing relationship with both organizations. Over 20 years

ago, Blakes parents became volunteer coaches at the

Harlem Junior Tennis Program in New York City. Both James and his brother, Thomas,

were also participants in Harlem Junior Tennis. Blake also has close ties to Shriners

Hospital, which provided him with free medical treatment and equipment as he wres-

tled with scoliosis as a teenager.

A P R I L 2 0 0 4I N D U S T RY N E W S



T

exas A&M beat Virginia 30-9 to capture its second title in three years at the

2004 USA Team Tennis National Campus Championships at the Florida Ten-

nis Center in Daytona Beach.

This co-ed event, which was played March 11 to 13, is the national champi-

onship for club and intramural tennis teams. This years event featured a record

40 teams from 33 schools participating in the fifth annual tournament.

This event gives me a great chance to represent my school, said Michael

Karka, a Texas A&M senior from Houston who had wins in singles and doubles. I

could have played tennis at other schools, but wanted to focus on academics at

A&M. Coming here and playing in this tournament has been so much fun.

A&M was playing in its third straight final at this event, winning its second title.

The Aggies dominated the tournament, winning 32 of 35 sets played in the seven

matches and sweeping all five matches in the championship. The format for each

match includes sets of mens and womens singles and doubles and mixed dou-

bles. Scoring is cumulativeeach game won counts as a point to a teams overall

score).

Also, Florida International won the Silver Division, Ohio University won the

Bronze Division and Central Florida (B) won the Daytona Cup.

Former U.S. Davis Cup Captain Tom Gullikson was on hand as a special guest

for the championship. Tape delay television coverage will be broadcast on The Ten-

nis Channel and Sunshine Network in May (dates and times to be announced). The

tournament is administered by the USTA, Intercollegiate Tennis Association, and

National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association.

Texas A&M Captures National TeamCampus Championships

USTA PUBLICATIONS FORYOUR FACILITY

Ever wonder what publications you should make sure you have on hand at your

facility? Rick Rennert, the USTAs director of publishing, suggests that tennis

facilities carry these:

Friend at Court:

The USTA Handbook

of Tennis Rules andRegulations,

2004 edition.

Paperback,

spiral-bound,

286 pages, $5

Rules of Tennis,

with The Code:

The Players Guide for

Unofficiated Matches,

2004 edition.

Booklet, 52 pages,

$1.50

Also suggested is the USA Tennis Guide to Dynamic and Static Stretching. Pam-

phlet, 2-sided, $1. (Rennert suggests getting two copies of this pamphlet and posting

them, front and back, on your clubs wall.)

To order, call 888-832-8291(shipping costs are extra). USTA members receive a 10

percent discount.



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A P R I L 2 0 0 4

INDUSTRYNEW

S

Briton Curry ToReceive Hall ofFame Honor

John Curry of Great Britain is the

2004 recipient of the prestigious

Golden Achievement Award, pre-

sented annually by the International

Tennis Hall of Fame to individuals who

have made important contributions to

tennis in the fields of administration,

promotion or education, and have

devoted long and outstanding service to

the sport.

Presentation of this years award will

be made in England on Saturday, June

19, at the International Club Ball, which

marks the start of the Wimbledon

Championships.

Curry has been involved in tennis

form more than 30 years. He served as

chairman of the All England Lawn Ten-

nis Club and chairman of The Lawn Ten-

nis Championships (Wimbledon) from

1989 to 1999. During his tenure, Curry

led major changes in the Wimbledon

facilities for both players and spectators.He was also an active participant and

leader of the Grand Slam Committee

and worked to bring about major

changes and enhancements in the

worldwide importance of the Grand

Slams.

Nominations for the Golden Achieve-

ment Award are submitted by tennis

federations from around the world, and

then voted on by the Golden Achieve-

ment Award Selection Committee.


USPTA Midwest Honors Its Own in IndyTHE USPTA MIDWEST DIVISION HONORED THE FOLLOWING AT ITS ANNUAL CONVENTION IN FEBRUARY IN INDIANAPOLIS:

Coaches of the Year High School: Robert Wagemann, Lake Bluff, Ill.; College: Debbie Peirick, Noblesville, Ind.; Individual Jun-

ior Coach: Dennis Royal, West Bloomfield, Mich.

Players of the Year 45 and Over: Mark Simcina, Huntington Woods, Mich.; 35 and Over: Christine Sheldon, Arlington Heights,

Ill.; Mens Open: Mike Friedman, Highland Park, Ill.; Womens Open: Kristin Reed, Westerville, Ohio.Rookie of the Year Don Roesler, Fishers, Ind.; Facility Manger of the Year: Don Arndt, West Bloomfield, Mich.; Midwest Out-

standing Education Award: David Brouwer, Hudsonville, Mich.; Seminar Contest Winner: Jason Stanislaw, Chicago; Nancy Mick-

ler Memorial Award: Anna Hazlett, Evansville, Ind.; Fay Tooley Memorial Award: Denny Schackter, Palatine, Ill.




> The Delray Beach Stadium and Tennis Center in Florida was

chosen as the site for the U.S. vs. Sweden Davis Cup quarterfi-

nal, played April 9 to 11. The U.S. and Sweden have met on 10

previous occasions in Davis Cup play, with the U.S. leading the

series 7-3. In the last meeting, Sweden swept the U.S. 5-0 inthe 1997 World Group Final in Goteborg, Sweden. Davis Cup

was last played in Florida in 1995 when the U.S. defeated

France 4-1 in the first round in St. Petersburg.

> Prince Tennis has been named the official racquet of the

2004 Family Circle Cup. The WTA tournament is in its 32nd

year. Prince will showcase product and feature interactive ele-

ments, including two autograph sessions with Prince players.

> Vlkl is the official racquet of the 2004 Easter Bowl junior

tournament. The company will have a booth at the event and

consumers will be able to playtest racquets.

> Todd Fisher is the new marketing director for global

footwear for Wilson Racquet Sports. Previously, he was the

global director of tennis and indoor court footwear for Reebok.

> Footstar announced that it will close all 88 Just For Feet

stores and 77 Footaction stores, which is about 18 percent of

the specialty chains outlets. Liquidators are lining up to bid on

the right to sell off the more than $100 million in retail inven-

tory.

> The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., as

part of its 50th anniversary celebration, will hold the Angela

Moore Fashion Show and Champagne Breakfast on July 8,from 9 to 11 a.m., just prior to the tennis session of the Camp-

bells Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. The event will

include a fashion retrospective, plus new looks from Lilly

Pulitzer, Manuel Canovas and the Angela Moore Collection.

Tickets for the event are available at 401-849-6053 or online at

www.tennisfame.com.

> The WTA Tour and Whirlpool Europe have signed a multi-

million dollar, three year deal that establishes Whirlpool as the

premier sponsor of the womens tour in Europe. The deal estab-

lishes Habitat for Humanity International as the Tours official

European social cause, and aligns Whirlpool Europe with theTour in innovative sponsorship capacities involving television,

new media and community outreach. The Whirlpool-WTA Tour

partnership comes on the heels of the Tours recent signing of

an umbrella sponsor for the Asia-Pacific/Middle East region.

> The 78th Annual National Public Parks Tennis Champi-

onships will be Aug. 2 to 7 in St. Louis, Mo. For information,

check www.stlouis.usta.com or call 314-432-3990.

> SFX Tennis has signed a one-year extension of its agreement

to represent 21-year-old Russian tennis star Dmitry Tursunov in

on- and off-court marketing and management.

SHORT SETS


18/60


19/60

I N D U S T R Y N E W SA P R I L 2 0 0 4


PRINCE LAUNCHES NEWPREMIER STRING

Prince Tennis has announced a new string,Premier, that combines a multifilament designwith Princes exclusive Softflex technology that

the company says providesexcellent playability.

Doug Root, Princes prod-uct manager for strings, saysPremier with Softflex offersgut-like play and performanceat a price far less than naturalgut. Premier provides playerswith increased power and feelwithout sacrificing durability,he says.

The elasticity of Softflex offers shock dampeningand shock absorption for an ultra-soft, enhanced feel,says Root, adding that even those with tennis elbowwill experience increased string reaction with addedcomfort thanks to the strings gut-like feel. Additional-ly, the string experiences minimal tension loss due toSoftflexs superb recovery from stretch.

Premier with Softflex features a multifilamentstring design consisting of a micro-filament corewrapped with filament outer wraps made of the elas-tic Softflex. The string also has a soft polyurethanecoating for added touch and feel, says the company.

Premier with Softflex is available in 16 and 17 gaugesin gold.

For more information, visit www.princetennis.comor call 800-283-6647.

TennisWelcomeCenter.comWebsite Goes LiveThe consumer website for the Tennis Welcome Center

initiative was officially launched in February. New and

returning tennis players wishing to find a place for intro-

ductory tennis programs can visit tenniswelcomecen-ter.com, plug in their

ZIP code and

find places in

their area that

offer lessons

and play.

More than 3,000 clubs and facilities signed

on to become Tennis Welcome Centers, exceeding the

goal the USTA and the Tennis Industry Association set for

the program. The TIA says more content will be added to

the consumer site in the future. w



T H E E X P E R T Sask?

PROPORTIONAL STRINGING

I STRING FOR A TALENTED localjunior player, and her father has

asked that I string her racquets

using the proportional stringing method. I

have no idea what hes talking about. How

do you do it?

PROPORTIONAL STRINGING

refers to changing the reference

tension while you string so that each string

receives the theoretically correct tension in

proportion to its length, compared to the

length of the longest string (typically, thecenter two mains). If you have ever

strummed the main strings before starting

your crosses, you know that the outer

mains sound at a higher pitch than the

center mains, and the rest are usually

somewhere in between. This is due in part

to the fact that a shorter string pulled to

the same tension as a longer string will be

tighter (which is why it sounds higher

when plucked). The goal of proportional

stringing is to reduce the tension on short-

er strings so that the installed stiffness ofeach string is the same, which in theory

enables the stringbed to respond to off-

center hits more like it responds to on-cen-

ter hits, optimizing rebound across the face

of the racquet.

Whatever its merits, there are some

downsides to proportional stringing. First,

it is time-consuming and error-prone

because you must change your reference

tension setting often, sometimes for eachpull on the crosses. Also, it works best if

you are able to set the reference tension

on your stringing machine to tenths of a

pound. Keep in mind that proportional

stringing does not take into account the

fact that installing the crosses increases

the tension of the mains, while due to fric-

tion the crosses are never at the reference

tension on the side of the frame farther

from the tension head.

You should also be aware that propor-

tional stringing can radically alter thestresses on the racquet. In a traditionally-

strung Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 Classic, for

example, with the mains and crosses both

at 60 pounds, the pull on the frame by the

mains is roughly 89 percent of the pull on

the frame by the crosses. Using propor-

tional stringing, that ratio changes to

roughly 118 percent. That is, instead of

the crosses exerting more pull on the

frame than the mains, the mains exert

much more pull than the crosses. As

always, measure the dimensions of thehoop before and after stringing to ensure

that the amount of frame distortion is

acceptable.

Before you get yourself into a situation

where your junior must have her racquet

proportionally strung or she simply cannot

play, you should conduct a blind test,

wherein you string up two identical rac-

quets for her.

Have her hit with

each to see if she

can tell the differ-

ence, and if so,

that she prefers

the proportional-

ly-strung racquet.

Depending on

how much time

you spend string-

ing her frames

proportionally,

you might want

to consider charg-

ing more per

frame.

Finally, USRSA members can use our

on-line Proportional Stringing Calculator todetermine the correct tensions for propor-

tional stringing, which can be found on our

website at http://racquettech.com/ mem-

bers/tools/proportional.html.

FOREIGN PRODUCTS

IVE LOOKED ALL OVER your website

and cant find any mention of the

strings I use locally. These are Epsilon

strings, three of which are popular with my

customers here in Australia. They are the

Kev-Power, the Kev-Spin, and the Top-Spin.Do you have any information on these?

BECAUSE WE ARE the U.S. Racquet

Stringers Association, we sometimes

do not have information on products

including frames and strings) that are not

distributed or at least sold here in the U.S.

If you would like to send us samples, how-

ever, we would be happy to test them and

include them in our on-line tools.

KEVLAR TENSION

I HAVE HEARD VARIED OPINIONS on

the tension that should be used for

Kevlar strings. One person says it

should be 5 percent lower than normal,

another says it should be 10 percent lower

than normal, and yet another person told

me not to string it above 48 lbs regardless

of the players usual tension. Whos right?

BECAUSE OF THE HIGH dynamic

stiffnes of Kevlar, it is typically strung

10 percent lower than you would string

nylon in the same application. According to

our lab tests, Kevlar is between 2 and 6

times more stiff than nylon, and between 4

and 10 times more stiff than natural gut.

For more information about dynamic stiff-

ness, see our String Selector Guide in the

June 2003 issue of Racquet Tech maga-

zine.Greg Raven w

We welcome your questions. Please send

them to Racquet Sports Industry, 330 Main St.,

Vista, CA, 92084; fax: 760-536-1171; email:

[email protected].

Q

Q

T H E E X P E R T Sask

A

A

Q

A

Your Equipment & Business Hotline


21/60


22/60

WINNINGW


In spite of your best efforts to hire the

right employee for the right job and to

motivate and manage in a way to

maintain a happy and effective employ-

ee, problems can and will develop. Like

any relationship, sometimes the differ-

ences can be worked out. Sometimes,

though, they lead to a parting of the

ways.

It may be that the employee has a

better job opportunity elsewhere, decidesto change careers, or needs to relocate for

personal reasons. In these types of cases,

assuming the employee has done a good

job, you wish them well, have a going

away party and do your best to replace

them. In other situations, it may be that

the employee is experiencing some level

of professional burnout or that personal

problems are interfering with his or her

ability to do the job at the previous high

standard.

Given the cost in time, money, effortand good will required to hire, train and

break in new employees and the possible

negative impact that an unmotivated or

dissatisfied staff member can have on

many facets of your business, learning to

recognize the signs and symptoms of a

troubled employee makes good sense.

EARLY WARNING SIGNS

A good manager maintains ongoing

relationships with his or her employees

through formal and informal methods of

communication (see Moving Ahead in

the March/April 2003 issue of Tennis

Industry). This personal contact along with

performance reviews reduces the risk of

unwanted surprises. It alerts you to actual

or potential problems, and to the

changing needs or expectations of the

employee.

Hopefully, if you have developed a

good relationship with your employees,

they will come to you with problems,

either for help in resolving them or in

alerting you to factors that might affect

their job duties. In that way, you can pos-

sibly make plans to address the changing

needs of your employee. An example

might be having the time to hire someone

to help out in the morning clinics while

the employee takes two weeks off to deal

with a family situation in another part of

the country.

In cases where the employee may not

come to you with problems, concerns and

issues, you can rely on a knowledge base-

line of past behavior and performance to

notice gradual or sudden changes in their

level of functioning at work. These

changes may be both objective and

subjective. Objective indicators include:

attendance, punctuality, number of

lessons taught, amount of product sold,

etc. Subjective indicators include mood,

attitude, demeanor (withdrawn, loss of

enthusiasm, reduced effort, short temper,

irritable), or comments and complaints by

customers, colleagues and staff.

The earlier these warning signs are rec-

ognized and addressed, the greater likeli-

hood there is some part you can play in

helping the employee adjust, modify or

view things in a more positive way to

return the situation to a satisfactory level.

The most common sources of personal

problems include difficulties at home with

a spouse or child, problems with an aging

On The RocksLearn to recognize and deal with a troubled employee before

it affects your business.B Y R O B E R T F . H E L L E R , E D . D . A B P P , U S P T A

personnel

parent, financial, health and legal

concerns, and excessive use of alcohol or

drugs.

The most common sources of job

stress include too much or not enough

responsibility, ongoing interpersonal

conflict with you, other staff or customers

and clients, loss of interest in the work,

feeling treated unfairly, lack of opportuni-

ty to advance, not feeling valued or

appreciated, dissatisfaction with workconditions, pay or benefits.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

The first thing to do is review what you

have or havent done that may have

contributed to the problem. Have you

made promises you havent kept? Have

you showed favoritism among your

employees or rewarded or punished them

in an arbitrary way? Have you ignored

early warning signs of difficulties hoping

they would go away on their own? Haveyou been short on praise and long on

criticism?

If you identify a deficiency on your

part, own up to it, rectify it and see if

things start to improve.

If you are comfortable that the

problem doesnt lie within your actions,

then approach the employee privately and

mention your concerns as objectively as

possible. Mention what you have seen or

heard using I messages. Take on a tone

of concern for the employee.

For example, John, I noticed that you

missed the staff meeting yesterday. Is

everything all right? Listen carefully to

the response. Is there a reasonable

excuse? Is it likely to happen again?

Restate what you expect or modify it,

based on what makes the most sense.

Later, document your meeting and sum-

marize what was said and agreed to.

Effective managers are flexible and

creative problem solvers. If the employee

does a good job, the manager might



Dr. Robert Heller is owner of The Winning Edge inBoca Raton, Fla. He consults with individual athletes,coaches, managers and executives and conductsworkshops in the areas of Performance EnhancementSkills and Stress Management. Address yourcomments and questions to Dr. Heller at561-451-2731 or [email protected].

allow the employee to

work earlier or later to

make up for missed

hours or exchange

duties with another

staff member to createa better job fit.

A trickier issue is

when the employees

problem lies outside of

the job but has a direct

impact on their job. The employer needs to balance understand-

ing the needs of the employee with the needs, requirements and

duties of the job. The manager should try to listen to and under-

stand the pressures the employee is experiencing but should take

a limited role in helping to resolve personal problems.

In most cases having a wide referral network to draw upon

can be quite helpful to the employee. Offering and evensuggesting contacting a relevant professional (doctor, lawyer,

therapist, etc.) can be seen as a balanced approach that

demonstrates caring and practical help without overstepping the

bounds of the employer-employee relationship.

Hopefully, these interventions will allow the valued employee

to return to their previous high level of functioning.

LETTING GO

Sometimes, in spite of your best efforts, the employees actions

are either so unacceptable, the level of performance so low or

the difficulties so varied and ongoing that your best decision is to

let them go.In todays litigious times, an unhappy or angry employee can

sometimes blame you for their work difficulties and even accuse

you of causing their personal distress. You can be sued for age,

race and gender discrimination. There are numerous local, state

and national laws that savvy lawyers can dredge up to make life

miserable for you even if you didnt do anything wrong.

Depending on the size of your operation and the resources

available to you, it would be best to consult with your own

lawyer, human resource specialist, general manager or other

specialist to determine what and how to go about laying off an

employee.

Whenever possible you want the employee to be in

agreement that its best to leave and if possible, on good terms

and with a good recommendation. Ideally, termination is worked

out in a way and at a time to be least disruptive to your business

and to the employees particular situation. w

...approach the

employee privately

and mention your

concerns asobjectively as

possible.


24/60

STRATEGIESretailing


The success of your footwear businesscan be crucial to your tennis retail

operations bottom line. But in todays

ever-changing footwear environment,

retailers of all shapes and sizes could be

forgiven for scratching their heads when it

comes to sales strategy.

Footwear had become very, very

tricky, says Greg Wolf, president of Mid-

west Sports, who notes that the onslaught

of new introductions and subsequent lack

of continuity can lead to bewilderment as

retailers and consumers look to keep pacewith all the changes.

To help navigate the footwear mine-

field, Racquet Sports Industryhas assem-

bled an array of tipsechoed by some of

the countrys top tennis retailersdesigned

to put the spring back in your shops

footwear sales.

WHO MOVED MY SHOES?As a barrage of new introductions creates

faster-than-ever phase-outs of older mod-

els, consumers seeking a familiar favoritecan be left in the lurch. Keeping close tabs

on manufacturers changes can help your

sales staff suggest compatible replacement

models to an old favorite. We make sure

to let our staff know exactly whats going

away, and what is going to be replacing

it, says Wolf.

KNOW YOURTARGET AUDIENCEThis golden rule of retail applies to virtually

any category, but especially to footwear,which is particularly prone to specific tastes

and age groups. Weve learned that our

members want something simple, so we

avoid the flashy silver or multi-colored

shoes, says Jason Havelka, pro at the Sun-

set Hills Country Club in Thousand Oaks,

Calif. We focus on a more conservative

shoe, because thats what they want.

STAR POWER SELLSBeefing up your futures with the latest

styles worn by an Andy Roddick or an

emerging new star can lead to GrandSlam-like sales, but keeping your pulse on

a players hot factor isnt so easy. Keep

talking to your rep constantly, to keep in

touch with the latest trends, suggests

Wolf. Its crucial to react quickly to what

the stars are wearing, and to adjust futures

accordingly.

MAKE A SOLIDFIRST IMPRESSIONA crucial factor in booming footwear sales

is establishing repeat business. Make anextra effort to give them the right shoe

the first time out, says Betsy Bromley,

store manager at Advantage Yours in

Clearwater, Fla. If you get them fitted

properly the first time, that gives them a

good first impression, and theyll be back.

OFFER A WIDE SELECTIONCarrying only the biggest, flashiest

footwear brands doesnt always translate

into bigger footwear business. Instead,

offering an assortment of choices canhelp keep up with your customers unpre-

dictable tastes. Carrying a wide selection

of brands, if possible, is definitely the way

to go, says Dan Oh, owner of Dans

Sports Racquets in Simi Valley, Calif.

OFFER A SPECIFICCLOSE-OUT AREAOne of the biggest challenges for retail-

ersespecially those short on display

spaceis what to do with older models

gathering dust on the shelves. Displayingdiscounted models in a separate area of

the storeperhaps near the front

entrancewont distract or confuse cus-

tomers seeking the newer models. If

youve got five pairs of old shoes left, you

shouldnt display them next to the new,

higher priced models, says Wolf.

PROMOTE WARRANTIESWITH CAUTIONA wide variety of footwear manufacturers

offer warranties, which can be an effective

Watching Your StepsThese retailing tips can help you find your way through the footwear minefield.

sales tool for the higher-end, more expen-

sive brands. Its almost like a 2-for-1 sale,

so a customer might take a look at a

more expensive shoe if it has a warranty,

says Oh. But proceed with caution,

because warranties also have the potential

to steal a sale from you down the road,

says Wolf.

OFFER TOP BRANDSAT CLOSEOUT PRICES

Offering last seasons models at closeoutprices can build high-end brand loyalty

and reach consumers at a variety of price

points. We always try to have something

on closeout, so theres always something

on sale for people, says Bromley. There

are always people that dont have or

arent willing to spend the money, so

youll lose them if you dont offer a sale

or closeout.

PROVIDE A

COMFORTABLE SPACEHow many people actually buy a shoewithout trying it on first? Providing a com-

fortable, spacious area for customers to

leisurely ask questions, use the mirrors,

etc., can go a long way toward increasing

footwear sales. Most of the people buy-

ing shoes are repeat customers, so its

important to provide a comfortable area

for customers to try shoes on, ask ques-

tions and just take their time, says Oh.

GIVE A SHOE SAVINGSPASS/INCENTIVE CARDOffering a shoe stamp card of some

kindsuch as an after 5 purchases youll

get half off your next purchase dis-

countcan be a highly effective repeat

sales tool, in addition to creating customer

loyalty.

OFFER A SELECTIONOF WIDTHSCarry a variety of brands in different

widths for hard-to-fit customers tired of

B Y M I T C H R U S T A D

G


25/60

having to go the extra mile just to get

the right size. There are always people

requesting different widths, says Oh.

Theres real a market for it, so I try to

carry a variety of widths for men and

women.

FIRST IN, FIRST OUTDISPLAYS

Organizing your shoe wall in this man-nercategorized by new arrivals, in-line,

specials and close-outscan be a highly

effective means of showcasing your

inventory. Each proceeding step features

a slightly lower price point. For the cus-

tomer who wants the latest and great-

est, it makes it very easy to shop, and it

helps a retailer organize their inventory,

because it helps you visualize what youve

got to move, says Wolf.

CARRY QUALITY BRANDSBuyers would be wise to focus their atten-

tion on performance shoesnot entry-

level brandsto keep footwear customers

coming back and to establish higher-endbrand loyalty. In general, with perfor-

mance shoes youre going to get a better

fit, says Bromley. And as people get

older, they need shoes with really good

support, so you just have to be careful

with the quality of shoe youre buying.

ROTATE YOURINVENTORY/MARKDOWNSPRONTO!When you know you have a slew of new

product coming in, be sure to mark

down your old inventorysooner rather

than laterto make enough room for

the new shipment. With all the new

introductions in footwear these days, that

really has to be watched very closely,says Wolf. w


Contributing Editor Mitch Rustad has been alongtime freelance writer based in New YorkCity.


26/60

THE market place


HEAD TOUR TEAM

COMBI BAG

The Tour Team series of five bags features the new Climate Con-

trol Technology that Head says adds stability to the temperature

within select pockets. The compa-ny says that racquets

stored in pockets with

CCT have a lower risk

of damage due to

temperature fluctua-

tions. The Head Tour

Team Combi bag shown

features two racquet compartments

for four to six racquets, a large outside com-

partment and end handle for easy carrying. Theres also a

separate shoe bag and an MP3 and mobile phone pouch with

headphone outlet. The Tour Team Combi retails for $45; prices for

other bags range from $40 to $85. Contact 800-289-7366 or

www.head.com.

VISOR BUFF

The concept behind Caviro USAs new Visor Buff is to offer the

same performance fabrics you find in apparel for gear you wear on

your head. The Visor Buff has a neo-

prene visor with a microfiber fabric tail,

which, according to the manufacturer,

manages moisture, offers evaporative

cooling in the heat, and blocks thewind and insulates when its coldin

addition to protecting from the sun.

The tail can be styled about a dozen dif-

ferent ways: as a hat, headband, neck

gaiter, balaclava, bandana, scarf and more.

They retail for $18.50 each.

Contact 307-734-7575 or www.buff.us.

SOLE CUSTOM FOOTBEDS

Sole Custom Footbeds allow your members to customize their

shoes without resorting to expensive orthotics. Consumers simply

pre-heat the oven in their kitchen to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, place

the insoles on the oven rack for a few minutes, put them in

their shoes, then put the shoes on. The base layer

of EVA softens in the heat, then molds to

the shape of the foot and hardens as it

cools. The orthotic is covered with a

shock-absorbing material

called Poron and finished

with a fabric designed to

wick away moisture and

reduce friction. Suggested retail is

$39.95. Contact 866-235-SOLE or www.yoursole.com.

GAMMA EZ TRAVEL CART

This lightweight cart is designed for the teaching pro who travels

from site to site, and for serious players looking

for a mobile ball carrier. It takes just

seconds to remove the 150-ball-capacity bag, fold up the

cart and put it into the carrying

case (the empty bag and cart

frame weigh about 11

pounds). For non-stop teach-

ing, buy an additional bag and

switch out with an empty bag

on court. The zippered top holds

balls in place when traveling. The

cart and bag retail for $119.99;

additional bags are $34.99 each.

Contact 800-333-0337 or

gammasports.com.

STREAMERS TAILBALL

Add fun, variety and excitement to

your drills with the new Stream-

ers Tailball from Oncourt Off-

court. Each ball has 20 bright

green and silver streamers that are

resistant to tears or tangles. For

instance, in any feeding drill,

periodically throw in a surprise

with a Streamer ball, then give thestudent an extra reward for correctly

hitting that ball. By the dozen, they are

$24.95. By the case, five dozen are $89.95.

Contact 214-823-3078 or www.oncourtoffcourt.com.

SPIN TRAINER

Pro Tennis Training has come out with a device that is designed to

help your members learn proper form on ground stokes and will

allow them to train any-

time, anywhere, with-

out a partner. With the

26-ounce Spin Trainer,

the ball hangs in a sling

from the aluminum

frame and helps players

to work on rhythm,

footwork and timing.

Players can hit the ball

with topspin or slice

and see the result as

the ball releases from the sling. The unit folds to 27 inches and fits

neatly into a tennis bag. Retail price is $199.99.

Contact 949-388-2515 or www.ProTennisTraining.com.

a



MOLDING YOUNG ATHLETES

Just released from Purington Press is Molding Young Athletes

($14.95), by Darrell Erickson, with a forward

by Jim Baugh, the president of the Tennis

Industry Association. The book targetsparents and coaches of children and pro-

vides ways to help kids develop self-confi-

dence and perseverance, deal with failure,

become motivated and moreall while

growing and having fun. Contact 608-

873-8723 or

www.puringtonpress.com.

MAPLE HARDWOODCLOTHING RACK

Add warmth to your pro shop with

natural wood clothing racks that can

attractively show off your apparel. The

multi-use CRII-TRC-11 Tower

Clothing Rack is part of a larger mod-

ular rack system. The 60-inch height

allows retailers to showcase tops and bottoms efficiently. The

maple hardwood is resistant to scratching and marring. The unit

costs $225 and includes the two 15-inch waterfalls, top sign board

and point-of-purchase sign holder, and 2-inch casters. Contact The

Conde Rack at 800-546-3155 or www.CondeRack.com.

SLINGHOPPER TEACHING DRILL BAG

The new, lightweight SlingHopper Pro Bag is made of durable

ripstop nylon and can

hold 40 balls. The water-

proof bag allows teach-

ing pros greater mobility

while feeding balls to

students; pros can walk

to various positions on

the court and generatefeeds with different tra-

jectories, speeds and

angles, while main-

taining the rhythm

necessary to keep the student focused. It can be used by

itself or in conjunction with your current cart hopper. Con-

tact 954-385-1374 or www.SlingHopper.com w


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Look at the list of soft-court winners of the Racquet

Sports Industry/U.S. Tennis Court & Track Builders

Association 2003 Facility-of-the-Year Awards and a

few things immediately jump out at you. First, seven

of the eight winners are in the state of Floridathat

haven (some may say, heaven) for clay-court players. And

second, five of the winning facilities were built by Welch Ten-nis Courts of Sun City, Fla.

Welch built the facilities at KIWI Tennis Club, the Club at

Seven Oaks, the Club at Mediterra, Cap Ferratt and Skyview

at Terra Vista of Citrus Hills. The projects ranged from 13

courts at KIWI at Indian Harbour Beach (nine of them Har-

Tru, three acrylic and one cushioned) to two rooftop Har-Tru

courts at a high-rise condominium complex at Cap Ferratt in

Naples (where equipment and materials had to be lifted by

crane).

The largest project in this group of outdoor winners was

the 15-court Mirasol Country Club facility in Palm Beach Gar-

dens, Fla., built by Fast Dry Courts of Pompano Beach, Fla.

Included in the project was one red-clay court. Some

projects, such as the three-court Phipps Ocean Park Tennis

Club in Palm Beach, Fla., built by Global Sports & Tennis

Design Group of Fair Haven, N.J., also included future plans

for more court construction.

But there are some other significant similarities among

these winners. All of the seven Florida locations were built

using subsurface irrigation systems, which help to reduce

water use and, ultimately, saves the facility money in the

long run. The lone non-Florida winner, the five-court Tennis

Facility at Black Rock Country Club in Hingham, Mass., was

built by the Boston Tennis Court Construction Co. using

conventional irrigation.

Also, in a continuing trend, all eight winners used laser-

grading to quickly and accurately get the surfaces just right.

And there seems to be a conscious effort on the part of

facility management, whether of a private or community

facility, to give players and spectators amenities that make

the on-court and off-court experiences

pleasant ones, including viewing areas,player seating areas, food service and

restrooms. All of the seven Florida facili-

ties recognized the need to provide respite

from the sun by offering players shaded

areas near or between the courts.

When it comes to building soft-court

facilities, the term Southern comfort has

a special meaning, for players and

spectators alike. Peter Francesconi w

Construction With a

R S I / U S T C & T B A F A C I L I T I E S O F T H E Y E A R


Construction With a

E

F


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The BestSoftiesThe eight soft-courtFacility-of-the-Year

winners are:A Black Rock Country ClubTennis Facility, Hingham, MA,

built by Boston Tennis Court

Construction Co. Inc., Hanover, Mass.

B Cap Ferratt, Naples, FL,built by Welch Tennis Courts Inc.,

Sun City, Fla.

C Club at Mediterra, Naples,FL, built by Welch Tennis Courts Inc.,

Sun City, Fla.

D Club at Seven Oaks TennisFacility, Wesley Chapel, FL,

built by Welch Tennis Courts Inc.,

Sun City, Fla.

E KIWI Tennis Club, IndianHarbour Beach, FL,


Sun City, Fla.

FMirasol Country Club TennisFacility, Palm Beach Gardens,

FL, built by Fast Dry Courts Inc.,

Pompano Beach, Fla.

G Phipps Ocean Park TennisCenter, Palm Beach, FL,

built by Global Sports & Tennis Design

Group LLC, Fair Haven, N.J.

H Skyview at Terra Vista ofCitrus Hills Tennis Center,

Hernando, FL,


Sun City, Fla.

For details on the

Outstanding Tennis

Facility Awards, contact

the USTC&TBA at

410-418-4875 or email

[email protected].


A

B

C

G

H


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Well, I can tell you from our experi-

ence at the West Branch Tennis Club in

Williamsport, Pa., that the concept will

work. Were proof that the TWC program

is the way to spread the tennis gospel

and make converts to the sport. Why?

Because that same concept is essentially

how weve been growing tennis in our

area for more than 10 years.

Wi lli amsport i s a smal l c it y,

population 30,000, in North Central

Pennsylvania about 100 miles north of

Harrisburg, the state capital. It is located

in Lycoming County, which has a popu-

lation of 108,000. We probably have

more deer in this area than people. And,

for the past decade and a half or so, our

population has actually been decreasing

steadily.

But our tennis club survives, even

thrives, in this small population base. I

can think of few other indoor facilities

with such a small base from which to

draw.

The West Branch Tennis Club is a six-

court indoor facility that was built in the

tennis boom years of the 1970s. We

have a reception and viewing area direct-

ly behind and overlooking courts 2

through 5. The locker facilities are on the

court level, under the desk and viewingarea. Nothing fancy, but everything is

well kept.

Ive owned the club for the past 17

years, having inherited a membership of

325.Our membership now is more than

500 and revenues have tripled as I

learned the business of what motivated

people to want to play tennis. It took

about five years to evolve from combing

the tennis community for members to an

expanded idea that resembles the Tennis

Welcome Center concept of today.

The process began by realizing that

even though we are the only indoor club

for a 100-mile radius, having a monopoly

on indoor tennis meant little. The tennis

base was shrinking fast during the late

80s and 90s. I came to realize that a

monopoly on the 8 percent of the popu-

lation that played tennis regularly was

not going to make a viable business.

It was during those five years that I

realized that my competition was not

other tennis facilities, but anything that

competed for peoples leisure time and

money. That made bowling, golf and

other sports competitors. It also made

non-sport activities like watching TV,

doodling with a computer or even

spending disposable cash on computer

equipment my competition. I had to

make tennis into something that people

wanted to do rather than spending their

ti me an d money on t hese otheractivities.

I also realized that we already had the

8 percent of the population that played.

That left a hefty 92 percent as prospec-

tive members, just as soon as I taught

them to play!

First, Get Em Playing!My strategy evolved over the next few

years. We started by doing beginner

classes at the club for a nominal fee. I

devised a beginner class that was four

sessions, usually four Fridays from 6 to

7:30 p.m. We taught the fundamental

strokes to hundreds of people and sent

them on their way, populating the

Susquehanna Valley with new players.

After a couple of years, during a beginner

class, one student who had taken the

course before remarked that he learned

the strokes, but he never did learn how

to play the game!

I changed the course immediately to

teaching how to play the game first. The

P R O G R A M M I N G S U C C E S S

A WelcomeAdvantageA WelcomeAdvantage

Now that over 3,000facilities have signed on as

Tennis Welcome Centers,

Ill bet some of you are

wondering whether this

new program will pay off

for your club.

FOR THIS PENNSYLVANIA

FACILITY, THE TENNIS

WELCOME CENTER CONCEPT

HAS ALREADY BEEN A BIG HIT

B Y E D R O C E R E T A


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The second week starts with a serve

review, and then we go into the forehand.

The session ends with another 15 to 20

minutes of playing tennis. The third week

includes a review of the previous strokes,

adds the backhand and ends with more

doubles play. The fourth week is for

volleys, overheads and a quick video lessonof each student on their forehands, back-

hands and serves. We stress that this is not

to see what is wrong, but to show them

how far they have come while pointing out

something that will improve each stroke.

We finish with a little doubles round-

robin tournament in which the winning

team wins the coveted West Branch Tennis Club mug a

souvenir coffee cup from WBTC.

The final evolution of this training process came about 10

years ago when I realized that teaching people was not the most

important thing, but keeping them playing was really what thiswas about. From the very first week on, I now tell them that

there will be a place for each and every one of them in a group

here at the club. I know that this may sound intimidating at first,

but I throw it out there.

As the weeks go by, the barriers break down and the students

actually become a group of friends. Each week I describe a bit

more how important it is to keep playing or they will return in

three years to take the course over and begin again. I also


P R O G R A M M I N G S U C C E S S

first lesson is now a crash course in playing doubles, with the

oft repeated phrase that no one should worry about not

knowing how to do the shot, we are going to teach that next,

just have some fun learning the mechanics of the game. The

people have a ball! In about 20 minutes, we explain thegeneral rules, scoring, where to stand, who serves and what

to do when the ball is coming. Then we play a set.

After this introduction, we stop and teach the serve,

explaining that this is how the game begins and we will now

add the serve to the players skills. We do the PTR method of

serve instruction then finish with a few more games. The first

lesson ends after a get-together and admonition to go out and

practice before the next weeks lesson.


39/60April 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY37

explain that we will make a league of this group at the club and

explain the costs, telling them that their fee for taking the

course will be deducted from the club membership and playing

in a league only costs about $6 per week. We end the final session

with a pizza party and a sign-up sheet for the new league.

Give Them a Reason to PlayThis is how I have steadily grown tennis in a small town for10 years. I can look out from the clubs viewing area any

evening and see different beginner classes playing each

eveningsome from years ago, some from just the last begin-

ner class. I estimate that 20 percent of the people on my courts

are graduates of our classes, part of the 92 percent of the population

that did not play tennis before taking the course, part of the 200

new memberships that we did not have prior to 1986.

Our advertising has stressed the words fun, fitness and

friends. I discovered long ago that just asking people to play

tennis meant little unless you explained why. We give people a

reason to want to learn tennis, like meeting new friends, addingtennis to their fitness program or just doing something for fun,

like when they were kids.

We have found that people over 35 are the best targets for

new members. This is when people have a little more free time

and are looking for something new to do that is fun and

provides exercise. Almost everyone has tried tennis as a kid,

but most people are not ready to play until later, when tennis is

the perfect activity to turn to. We explain that they dont need

a team; we will put them in a league of compatible people with

comparable skills, for a very reasonable cost. We say it over

and over and eventually they try it out. Once in here, they are

hooked. Tennis is truthfully the perfect activity for an adult

and they find that out quickly.

We also attract many people who are retired. That also is a

great age to take up tennis, again for the first time!

Advertising is paramount. Get the message outover andover. We use newspaper ads, but our big boost came when we

asked the star personality on the areas most popular local

radio show to take the course and we would pay for ads in

which she would describe the fun she was having learning

tennis.

That was five years ago, and Gail still does our ads, telling

thousands of listeners twice a week about the fun she has in

her league and the people she meets through tennis at our

club. What started out as a hopeful experiment turned out to

be a primary advertising venue for us. Gail is able to tell her

radio audience what a great time she is having with

compelling conviction because she is having a great time. Wesupply general copy to reflect current programs, especially the

beginner clinics we do four times per year. Gail ad libs with

ease because of her ongoing experience with tennis.

We expect that the Tennis Welcome Center concept will

work for you. It has worked for us for 10 years, and added

hundreds of new members. w

Ed Rocereta is the owner of West Branch Tennis Club in Williamsport, Pa.


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science


Watching tennis played on the red clay of

Roland Garros at the French Open and on

the Centre Court grass at Wimbledon canseem like watching two different sports.

The events, flow, and look of the game are

completely different. And for good rea-

sonthe bounce of the ball is completely

different on each surface, and it is the

bounce that determines the game.

That five-millisecond bounce dictates

everything, including shot selection, tac-

tics, strategy, stroke mechanics, grips, and

training. During that five one-thousandths

of a second, the ball's speed, spin, direc-tion, height, and angle are changed. And

these in turn dictate what kind of strokes

and strategy a player adopts as he or she

learns the game.

When a ball hits the court, a vertical

force pushes the ball up and a horizontal

force acts to slow the ball and change its

spin. These two forces have far-reaching

consequences, with effects that may seem

contrary to intuition and experience.

VERTICAL BOUNCEVERTICAL BOUNCE FACTORS

Vertical speed and court hardness. The

magnitude of the upward force, known

as the ground reaction force, is deter-

mined by the vertical incident speed of

the ball and the relative hardness of the

court and the ball. The harder the court,

the higher the ball will bounce. If the

court is soft, energy will be lost deforming

the court surface. The surface does not

spring back fast enough or efficiently

enough to aid the ball in its bounce, so

that energy is lost. (This is the oppositeof what happens on strings. The softer

the strings, the faster and higher the ball

bounces. This is due to both the greater

resiliency of strings and the fact that the

ball deforms less on soft strings.)

Comparing vertical speeds. The ratio of

the balls vertical speed after the bounce

to that before is known as the coeffi-

cient of restitution (COR). If the vertical

speed after the bounce is faster on one

court versus another, the ball will bouncehigher on that court. The COR is about

0.6 for grass, 0.83 for hard courts, and

0.85 for clay courts. That means that a

balls vertical bounce will be highest andfastest on clay, lowest and slowest on

grass.

LIMITS ON

VERTICAL BOUNCE

Ball deformation. The vertical bounce

speed depends on the balls vertical speed

before it hits the court. For a given court,

the faster the ball hits the surface, the

faster and higher it will bounce. The

efficiency of the bounce will deteriorate,

however. Higher impact speeds will causethe ratio of post- to pre-impact velocities

(COR) to go down. That is because the

ball will deform more with faster impacts.

The more it deforms, the more the energy

used in that deformation becomes

unusable for ball bounce.

Ball stiffness. In general, at moderate

speeds, about 45 percent of the energy

that goes into ball deformation is lost. This

percentage goes up at higher impact

speeds. But it does not go up a greatdeal. Thats because the ball also gets

stiffer the more it is deformed. The gain in

stiffness tends to decrease the amount of

deformation that occurs for each unit of

increase in impact speed. In general, a

faster ball will always bounce higher than

a slower one, but it will not bounce high-

er in direct proportion to the speed

increase, but something less.

FACTORS INFLUENCING

VERTICAL SPEED

Trajectory. What will be the vertical

speed of the ball when it impacts the

court just prior to the bounce? This is

important for both the vertical and hori-

zontal bounce of the ball (see below). On

most shots (all except volleys, overheads

and some serves in which you hit down

into the court), the vertical speed of the

ball toward the court is almost totally

determined by gravity. Simply put, the ball

drops from the maximum height attained

in its trajectory. You dont usually hit the

Follow the

Bouncing BallUnderstanding how the ball bounces can help youand your students pick and read shots.

B Y C R A W F O R D L I N D S E Y

Stages of Bouncing(some or all may occur)

Flying

Landing

Slowing

Spinning

Skidding

Rolling

Biting

Stretching

Hopping

Flying


42/60

ball down onto the court; it falls into the

court. The horizontal speed of the ball

before the bounce has nothing to do with

the vertical impact speed or how high it

will bounce.

Spin. The spin of the ball will also affect

the vertica

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200404 Racquet Sports Industry