200604 Racquet Sports Industry

April 2006Volume 34 Number4 $5.00

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DEPARTMENTS

R S I A P R I L 2 0 0 6Contents

April 2006 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 3

Contents

4 Our Serve

17 Campus Tennis

18 Webwise

20 Marketing Success

22 Focus on Footwear

24 Online Retailing

INDUSTRY NEWS

7 Wilson World StringingChampionships in Las Vegas

7 Instant replay comes toprofessional tennis

7 Tennis year-end shipments are up

8 Tennis mag picks “Editor’s Choice”

8 June Cardio Tennis promotionoffers free classes

8 USTA unveils new brand identity

9 Babolat launches RoddickSignature gear

9 Clay court maintenanceseminars by Welch

10 Evolution footwear linenew from Wilson

10 Newest PTR master pro honored

10 Sampras to play World TeamTennis

11 Gamma Sports celebrates30th year

11 New partnership keepsPac Life in U.S.

12 Prince breaks new“Übertwins” campaign

36 Science: Handle Weighting

38 Australian Open Equipment Log

40 Review: Prince Precision Tuning Center

42 String Playtest: Klip Venom 17

44 Tips and Techniques

46 Ask the Experts

48 Your Serve, by Bill Mountford

26 Heads-Up DisplaysTop retailers offer advice for sprucing up your display space.

32 The Good StuffThese RSI/ASBA soft-court award winners are all solid to the core.

34 Selecting the Right Frame, Part IIAdd these latest entries to our Racquet Selection Map to complete the picture for 2006.

FEATURES

On the cover: Special thanks to Westwood Sports in Rancho Bernardo, CA

Oaks at Boca Raton Tennis Center

just returned from an exciting event at The Tennis Channel

Open in Las Vegas—the Wilson World Stringing Champi-

onships (see page 7). I served as referee for the competition,

which was essentially a speed-stringing contest using head-to-

head competition (not just a clock) to eliminate competitors. The

final was covered live on The Tennis Channel on March 4.Scott Schneider of Las Vegas was the winner, posting a tournament-best time

of 11 minutes, 14 seconds in the final against Matthew Fairbanks of Atlanta. Whilesome stringers may think that’s not such a fast time, Schneider had plenty ofspeedbumps to contend with. First, the frame used was not a 12 or 14 main quick-ie; it was a Wilson nSix-One 95 with a 16 x 18 pattern. Second, the string was nota nice, easy solid-core 17-gauge synthetic; it was a soft multifilament 16-gaugeWilson Reaction, which made blocked holes and tie-off holes an extra challenge.Third, the timed competition included mounting the frame, opening the stringpack, taking measurements, stringing the frame, trimming knot tails, and dis-mounting the frame.

When you factor in all of that—and the added pressure of other competitors,screaming fans, and TV cameras—the winning time truly is impressive. So muchso that Wilson hopes to have Guinness declare it a world record. As the winner,Schneider received more than $10,000 in cash and prizes—the biggest fee I’veever heard someone paid for stringing a racquet.

But the string competition isn’t what I’m most excited about. It is the spotlightthat shined on racquet stringing and will continue to shine on it going forward.Many fans who came for the tennis stopped to watch the stringing contest andreally got excited about it. Also, parts of the competition and all of the final werebroadcast on The Tennis Channel. And not only that, but The Tennis Channel isdeveloping a TV show about stringing, with this competition as the backdrop, andhosted by Luke Jensen. I can’t think of anything that has ever put stringing in theminds of so many people. It’s possible that we all could see an increase in thestringing business as a result of this kind of publicity.

Steve Bellamy, the founder and president of The Tennis Channel and principaldriver behind the Tennis Channel Open, came up with the idea of a stringing com-petition. Wilson and the USRSA got involved just a few weeks before the compe-tition. We both were a little hesitant about supporting a contest that promotedspeed because we all understand that speed does not equate to quality in string-ing. But Bellamy convinced us that the publicity the competition would give tostringing would be invaluable, and he couldn’t have been more on the money.

At the USRSA, our mission is to promote and improve the quality of racquetservice throughout the industry. And Wilson has made a huge push over the lastyear to get more involved in the business of strings and stringing. As the title spon-sor, Wilson is already talking about ways to make the competition bigger and bet-ter. After a successful 2006 event, and now with a whole year to promote nextyear’s contest, look for this competition to grow and become even more exciting.

Dave BonePublisher

Our ServeSpotlight on Stringing

(Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry)Publishers

David Bone Jeff Williams

Editor-in-ChiefCrawford Lindsey

Editorial DirectorPeter Francesconi

Associate EditorGreg Raven

Design/Art DirectorKristine Thom

Assistant to the PublisherCari Feliciano

Contributing EditorsCynthia Cantrell

Rod CrossKristen DaleyJoe DinofferLiza Horan

Andrew LavalleeJames MartinMark Mason

Chris NicholsonMitch Rustad

RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRYCorporate Offices

330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084Phone: 760-536-1177 Fax: 760-536-1171

Email: [email protected]: www.racquetTECH.com

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

Advertising DirectorJohn Hanna

770-650-1102, [email protected]

Apparel AdvertisingCynthia Sherman203-263-5243

[email protected]

Racquet Sports Industry (USPS 347-8300. ISSN 0191-5851) is published 10 times per year: monthly Januarythrough August and combined issues in Septem-ber/October and November/December by TennisIndustry and USRSA, 330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084.Periodicals postage paid at Hurley, NY 12443 and addi-tional mailing offices. April 2006, Volume 34, Number4 © 2006 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. All rightsreserved. Racquet Sports Industry, RSI and logo aretrademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A. Phoneadvertising: 770-650-1102 x 125. Phone circulation andeditorial: 760-536-1177. Yearly subscriptions $25 in theU.S., $40 elsewhere. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to Racquet Sports Industry, 330 Main St.,Vista, CA 92084.

4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY April 2006

I

RSI is the “official magazine” of the USRSA, TIA, and ASBA

cott Schneider, a tennis professional at the Canyon Gate Country Club in Las Vegas, isthe inaugural winner of the Wilson World Stringing Championships, which was heldMarch 3 to 5 in Las Vegas as part of The Tennis Channel Open.

Schneider recorded a winning time of 11minutes, 14 seconds. The competition pitsstringers against each other and against theclock and takes into account the full string-ing process, which includes mounting theracquet, opening the string package, uncoil-ing and measuring the string, stringing theframe, then passing a quality-control check.The final round was shown live on The Ten-nis Channel and will be featured in a 30-minute special to air on TTC in July.

Schneider (inset) has been stringing rac-quets for more than 10 years. His prizepackage included $1,000 in cash, a large-screen Panasonic plasma TV, Fender guitar, Wilson tennis equipment, one-year supply of Wilson string, and the chance to qualify to string with Wilsonat the 2006 US Open. All contestants strung Wilson’s nSix-One 95 frame withWilson Reaction string.

“The stringing championship was a huge success and generated great interest amongtournament fans that enjoyed watching all the stringers, as this has never been showcasedbefore like this," says Jon Muir, director of U.S. sales and marketing for Wilson. “We hope tomake the Wilson World Stringing Championships an annual event at The Tennis ChannelOpen.”

Notable participants included French Open doubles champ and tennis analyst LukeJensen and tennis star Thomas Blake, brother of Tennis Channel Open champion JamesBlake. USRSA Executive Director David Bone served as the referee of the event.

INDUSTRY NEWSINDUSTRY NEWSR S I A P R I L 2 0 0 6

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


Instant ReplayComes to Pro TennisThe USTA, the ATP, and the Sony Erics-son WTA Tour announced March 6 thatelectronic line-calling technology, alongwith a player challenge system, willbecome part of professional tennis inNorth America.

The Nasdaq-100 Open, played at theend of March, was to be the first SonyEricsson WTA Tour and ATP event to uti-lize the technology and on-court chal-lenges. The 2006 US Open will be thefirst Grand Slam to introduce instantreplay technology and player challenges.Officials said the move was taken toimprove officiating for players, whileincreasing the interest and excitementfor in-stadium fans and television viewers.

The on-court player challenge system forreview of line calls will be as follows:� Each player will receive two chal-lenges per set to review line calls.

� If the player is correct with a chal-lenge, then the player retains thesame number of challenges. If incor-rect, then one of the challenges islost.

� During a tie-break game in any set,each player will receive one addition-al challenge.

� Challenges may not be carried overfrom one set to another.

Once a player challenges, the officialreplay will be provided to the chairumpire. In addition, the official replaywill be provided simultaneously to theTV broadcast and in-stadium videoboards, allowing on-site fans and televi-sion viewers the opportunity to see thelive results of a player challenge.

"With the speed and power of today’sgame, the time has come for tennis tobenefit from new technology—whileadding to the fan experience,” saysArlen Kantarian of the USTA.

he Tennis Industry Association reports that fourth-quarter shipment for balls, racquets,and strings all were up. Ball unit sales were up 4 percent, while racquet shipmentsincreased 11 percent, and strings nearly 6 percent. Dollar sales to the trade increased in

all categories as well: 5 percent for balls, 7.5 percent for racquets, and 10 percent for strings.“This continues our strong momentum for the full year,” says TIA President Jim Baugh.

“We see growth in both the premium and new player products.”Youth racquets and frames selling for under $50 are up 13 percent. Premium racquets

are up more than 40 percent. “It is obvious our new-player programs are working to increaseplay,” Baugh adds. “This is also verified in the TIA/USTA Participation Study. And, it is greatto see the new-technology racquets selling well, too.”

TTennis Year-End Shipments Are Up

SLas Vegan Crowned Wilson WorldStringing Champ at TTC Open

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Tennis Magazine Picks“Editors’ Choice”

Two racquets and two shoes received the prestigious“Editors’ Choice” designation from Tennis magazine inits April 2006 issue. The Prince O3 Hybrid Hornet

(left) was praised for its blend of power andcontrol at the baseline and net. “For theprice and all-around playability,” themagazine said, “thisracquet is as goodas it gets.”

Also receivinghonors from the mag-

azine was the VölklDNX 3 (right). “It’s bigand powerful, with plen-ty of bells and whistlesto make playing tennisas easy as possible,”Tennis said.

In footwear, the Adi-das Barricade IV was

praised for its excellent sta-bility, improved ventilation and cushioning.“The Barricade is still the standard in stability,”the magazine said.

Wilson’s new Wildcard shoe also came in forEditors’ Choice honors. “Appropriate for playerswho aren’t too aggressive on the court, this Wil-son is hands-down the most comfortable shoeour female playtesters wore,” said the maga-zine.


USTA Unveils New Brand Identity

TThe USTA has unveiled a new brand identity that cre-ates a consistent and unified branded platform for allUSTA programs and

events. For the first time, theiconic flaming ball of the USOpen will be integrated into theUSTA logo to better connect theUS Open to all USTA programs.

"This new brand-ing system creates aconsistent identitylinking all USTA professional and grassroots programs,while creating an aspirational brand to further grow thegame," says Michelle Wilson, the USTA’s managing direc-tor of marketing for Professional Tennis.

The new logo and brand identity is being incorporatedinto all USTA materials, including USTA professional andrecreational programs, USTA.com, USTA Magazine, and allUSTA events. In addition, the new branding system will beincorporated throughout the 17 USTA Sections. The newlogo also will be prominently featured at the USTA Nation-al Tennis Center, home of the US Open.

June Cardio Tennis PromotionOffers Free Classes

Amonth-long, nationwide promotion will have people tryingCardio Tennis for free in an effort to get them into the pro-gram. The Tennis Industry Association’s promotion will offer

one free class for new Cardio participants at select facilities.“We’re extremely happy with the early results of Cardio Tennis,”

says TIA President Jim Baugh. “But we want to ‘break through theclutter’ with a consumer promotion this spring to get more playersand nonplayers to try Cardio Tennis.”

Publicity and promotion for “Try Cardio Tennis for Free” willstart in May and run through the middle of June. Advertising isplanned for national magazines and on FT TV and ESPN. Therewill also be support and promotion in various tennis publica-tions. Consumers will be pushed toward www.CardioTennis.com,which will have information about the promotion and a list of allthe sites in the U.S. offering free Cardio classes in June.

Cardio Tennis sites can be a part of this promotion by goingto www.Partners.CardioTennis .com and signing up through alink on the home page. “We are asking Cardio Tennis facilities tooffer at least one hour of free classes per week throughout June,”says Baugh. “This promotion is for new participants and will bea great way to increase a facility’s everyday Cardio Tennis class-es and income. We are now taking our No. 1 tool, the programitself, and making it available to everyone to try.”

In other Cardio Tennis news, the program was named one ofthe 50th Anniversary Partners to Get America Moving, a 2006 ini-tiative of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.For more information, visit www.Partners.CardioTennis.com,email [email protected] or call the TIA at 843-686-3036.

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

Babolat Launches NewRoddick Signature Gear

Babolat has launched two new tennis prod-ucts designed and developed in collabora-tion with Andy Roddick—the Pure Drive

Roddick racquet and the Team All Court Rod-dick shoe. The gear will bear Roddick’s signa-ture, which is a first for Babolat.

The Pure Drive Roddick racquet is designedfor players with topspin who are looking for a bal-ance of power and control, says Babolat. The framehas Babolat’s “Cortex System,” which the company

says filters out vibrationsand enhances the feel ofthe ball. The racquet, avail-able in standard, extra-long,and junior sizes, retails for

$189.The Team All Court Rod-dick shoe was created for

the tennis star and opti-mizes lateral move-

ment, says Babolat.The shoe retails for$109. For more

information, visitwww.babolat.com or call

877-316-9435.


Welch Tennis Offers ClayCourt Maintenance Seminars

Day-long clay court maintenance seminars,offered by Welch Tennis Courts, aredesigned to give club managers, tennis

professionals, and maintenance personnel aworking knowledge of Har-Tru clay courts,including explanations and demonstrations ofthe latest procedures in court maintenance.

Emphasis is on solving court maintenanceproblems and how recent innovations can beused to protect and enhance your tennis courtinvestment. Each participant will be given aCertificate of Completion at the end of the day.The seminars are for all personnel, regardlessof experience.

Cost is $159 per person ($125 for each addi-tional person from the same facility) andincludes a continental breakfast, lunch, court-side beverages and a happy hour. USPTA Mem-bers can earn 3 credits for continuingeducation for attending. Contact Deb Carlsonat 800-282-4415. Upcoming seminars are:� May 5: Hunter’s Green Country Club in Tampa, Fla.� May 12: Ibis Golf and Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.� May 19: Aspen Golf and Tennis Club in Aspen, Colo.� Oct. 6: Jacksonville, Fla. (location to be announced)� Oct. 13: Naples/Fort Myers, Fla. (location to be announced)

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Evolution Footwear Line New from Wilson

Wilson Racquet Sports debuts its Evolution footwear line, which the companysays is the first line of tennis shoes designed to meet the specific needs ofplayers as their game evolves. The Evolution line includes eight styles engi-

neered to fit the body mechanics and court style of beginning, inter-mediate, and advanced players.

“The Evolution footwear concept is unprecedented intennis because it utilizes Wilson’s revolutionary shoetechnology to offer incredible performance on thecourt in a system that complements your game and

style of play,” says Wilson’s Todd Fisher, the globaldirector of footwear.

Entry-level shoes are the Backdraw and Challenger,designed for recreational players. They feature added cushioning

and stability in the rear of the shoe. The women’s Challengerincludes interchangeable color inserts for added fash-ion flexibility.

For intermediate players, who require more cen-tralized cushioning, support, and stability, there is the

Wildcard and Qualifier. They feature a centrally positionedventilated stable wrap and extended toe drag. The Qualifier also has Wilson’s DST3x in the heel, a multi-layered cushioning system.

Advanced-player shoes are the Tour, CF2, and Open, designed with features suchas floating stable wrap systems, three layers of independent cushioning, Duralastrubber outsoles and 180-degree toe-drag protection.

For light workouts and warm-ups, the Evolution line also includes the ETF (Eatthe Fuzz) model, a shoe with an adjustable Velcro strap. Shoes in the line rangefrom $30 to $130 and come in a variety of styles and colors for men, women, andjuniors. Visit www.wilson.com for more information.

Todd Miller Honored asNewest PTR Master Pro

Todd Miller of Buffalo, N.Y., is the newestPTR Master Professional, joining agroup of only 24 others who have

earned that designation. Miller was hon-ored in February during the PTR Interna-tional Tennis Symposium and $25,000Championships on Hilton Head Island, S.C.A record 429 people attended the annualawards banquet.

Miller (center below, with PTR CEO DanSantorum at left and PTR Founder and Pres-ident Dennis Van der Meer) has been exec-utive director and head pro at Amherst HillsTennis Club since 1980. He also is a USTANational Coach, a USA Tennis High Per-formance Coach, and a PTR Clinician andTester. In 2004, Miller was named PTRTester of the Year, PTR Member of the Yearfor New York, and Eastern Coach of theYear. While at Amherst Hills Tennis Club, hehas introduced the sport to thousands.

Others honored by the PTR at its annualawards banquet are:� Professional of the Year: Karl Hale, Toronto,

Canada� Clinician of the Year: Herbert Schnaubelt, Meran,

Italy� Tester of the Year: Dr. Louie Cap, Hilton Head

Island, S.C.� Coach Verdieck Award–College: Cari Groce, Texas

Tech University, Lubbock, Texas� Coach Verdieck Award–High School: Michael

Friedman, Deerfield High School, Glenview, Ill.� Coach Verdieck Award–Touring Pro: Riccardo

Piatti, Como, Italy� Humanitarian Award: Tony Huber, Houston� Volunteer of the Year: Johnny Cheung Wai Hing,

Hong Kong� Newcomer of the Year: Luke Jensen, Atlanta� Media Excellence: Peter Francesconi, Woodbury,

Conn.� Wheelchair Pro of the Year: Karin Korb, Atlanta� Male Player of the Year: Scott Nichols, Hilton

Head Island, S.C.� Female Player of the Year: Jolene Watanabe-Giltz,

Bluffton, S.C.� USTA Community Service Award: Ed Bernier,

Hilton Head Island, S.C.� TIA Commitment to the Industry Award: Dan

Bonfigli, Essex Junction, Vt.� Public Facility of the Year: John Drew Smith Ten-

nis Center, Macon, Ga.� Private Facility of the Year: West Branch Tennis

Center, Williamsport, Pa.

Sampras to Play World TeamTennis

Pete Sampras is returning to pro tennis. The 14-time GrandSlam champion will play in the World TeamTennis ProLeague’s upcoming season this July, more than three years

after he retired from the tour in 2002. Sampras’ team and matchschedule will be determined at the WTT Player Draft held at theend of March.

“The timing is right,” Sampras says of his decision to playWTT. “I’ve been busy with my family and enjoying retirement, but this feels likethe right time to get back on the court and play World TeamTennis.”

WTT co-founder Billie Jean King says Sampras’ participation has been high onher wish list. The WTT Pro League regular season runs from July 6 to 26.

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Lee Tennis RestructuresSales Force

Lee Tennis of Charlottesville, Va.,has restructured its sales force tobetter serve each of its market

segments—tennis court builders,clubs and facilities, and consulting.

Tracy Lynch, formerly the South-east sales representative, will focuson supporting tennis court buildersand wholesale distributors. PatHanssen, formerly the Northeastsales representative, will be focusinghis efforts towards the tennis teach-ing and playing community in keymarkets to create playing opportuni-ties for those interested in experienc-ing the difference of playing on aHar-Tru court.

Ed Montecalvo, formerly the West-ern region rep, and Roy Hey, former-ly the new products manager, will beconcentrating their efforts on LeeTennis’ rapidly growing consultingand product service arm. In this role,they will be conducting Facility Analy-sis Surveys (FAS), developing a Har-Tru maintenance certificationprogram and providing training andproduct support to clay court owners,maintainers, and club managers.

New Partnership KeepsPacific Life in U.S.

The Pacific Life Open men’s andwomen’s pro tournament remainsin the U.S. following a deal in which

an investment group has bought out the50 percent interest formerly held byIMG. Had the deal not gone through thetournament was in danger of beingmoved to Asia.

Charlie Pasarell and RaymondMoore, with the help of new partnersGeorge Mackin and Bob Miller of Tennismagazine and Patrick W.M. Imeson ofCalim Private Equity LLC, broughttogether an investment group thatincludes the USTA and tennis legendsPete Sampras, Chris Evert, and BillieJean King to complete the buyout.

The event is played in March at theIndian Wells Tennis Garden in IndianWells, Calif.

Bellamy Honored by “Daily Tennis”

Tennis Channel Founder and President Steve Bellamy is theinaugural winner of the Tennis News and Daily Tennis 2005 Per-son of the Year award.

The award, created by tennis publisher Bob Larson to celebratethe 30th year of publishing tennis news, recognizes the person whohas made the most significant contribution to the betterment oftennis. Bellamy received the award, to be known in future years as“The Bellamy” in honor of the inaugural recipient, in March at The Tennis ChannelOpen in Las Vegas.

“Steve Bellamy is a natural choice for this award for being able to dream of whatcould and should be done in tennis at any level and take on the responsibility of mak-ing it happen and getting it done,” says Larson. “He is creative, innovative, likeableand sometimes a maverick while developing a meeting of the minds of people at alllevels, whether on the court or in the boardroom.”

“This award is really bringing it all home for me and will hopefully motivate otherentrepreneurs to shoot for big things in the sport,” says Bellamy.

Gamma Sports Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Gamma Sports of Pittsburgh was founded in 1976 when Dr. Harry Ferrari, an avidtennis player, broke the natural gut strings in his racquet. He borrowed an identi-cal racquet that was strung with the best synthetic strings available at that time,

but Ferrari was unimpressed with the quality and feel.A materials science Ph.D. with 50 technical papers and more than 25 patents to his

credit, Ferrari set out to develop the world’s finest synthetic tennisstrings. The first strings, Gamma Gut, were manufacturedby bombarding the finest available syntheticswith millions of gamma rays.

“Gamma’s philosophy has alwaysbeen to create better products withreal technology,” says Ferrari, the com-pany’s founder and chairman. “Researchand development is still at the center of every-thing we do.”

Ferrari built upon his original string process to create several string treatments, lead-ing to lines like TNT, Livewire, and Zo. Gamma Sports now provides more than 5,000products including complete string, racquet, grip, ball, court equipment, teaching aids,and apparel lines.

For more information or to inquire about becoming a Gamma dealer, contact 800-333-0337, 412-323-0335, or email [email protected].

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Partnership to Aid Wheelchair Tennis

To increase the awareness and accessibilityof wheelchair tennis across the country,the USTA is partnering with BlazeSports

America, a program of the U.S. Disabled Ath-letes Fund (USDAF) that offers a comprehen-sive sports and fitness program for childrenand adults with physical disabilities.

The partnership will benefit from bothorganizations' resources, including program-ming elements of the USTA and BlazeSportsAmerica's vast connections to the disabledcommunity.

“By teaming with BlazeSports America, weare gaining a partner with a strong identityand credibility in the disabled community,” says the USTA’s Kurt Kamperman, chiefexecutive of Community Tennis. “The partnership will offer us the ability to reachmore individuals throughout the U.S., and elevate the programming of wheelchairtennis on every level, from the grassroots to the highest levels of the sport, the Par-alympics and World Team Cup.”

“Tennis has quickly become one of the more popular sports in BlazeSportsofferings and this will help to increase the quality and reach of the programming,”says Andy Fleming, USDAF president.

USTA Presents Community Service Awards

Thirteen Community Tennis awards were presented recently at the 2006 Commu-nity Tennis Development Workshop, held in early February in Hollywood, Calif.Receiving USTA Eve Kraft Community Service Awards were: Jake Agna of Burling-

ton, Vt.; David Dantzer of Santa Maria, Calif.; Lena Elliott of Grand Junction, Colo.;Sam Hopkins of Jacksonville, Texas; Mary Moore of Wilmington, Del.; and DarrellThompson of Waco, Texas.

USTA National Junior Tennis League of the Year Awards went to: Arthur Ashe YouthTennis and Education/NJTL of Philadelphia; MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation ofJacksonville, Fla.; Milwaukee Tennis and Education Foundation of Menomonee Falls,Wis.; Dallas Tennis Association of Dallas, Texas; and the NJTL of Cedar Isle Estates ofApple Valley, Minn.

In addition, the USTA Community Tennis Association of the Year Award was pre-sented to the Summit Tennis Association of Summit, N.J., and the USTA Special Pop-ulations Community Service Award went to NYJTL Special Populations Program ofAstoria, N.Y.

Prince Breaks New “Übertwins”Campaign for Young Players

Prince Tennis is targeting young players with its new “Über-twins” ad campaign, featuring the virtual adventures ofRolf and Rebekka, two fictional competitive juniors who

use Prince equipment.The company says the twins inhabit an online microsite

(www.ubertwins.com) and “represent the epitome of young,aggressive tennis players who are fearless on the court anddriven to win.” On the website, young visitors learn about the twins’ lives through aseries of video interviews and more.

The ad campaign launched in late February with ads in Smash magazine and ban-ner ads on www.juniortennis.com. Merchandise and postcards will be availableonline and in-store.



New Biomechanics Book from Racquet Tech

Anew book by Racquet Tech Publishing, Biome-chanical Principles of Tennis Technique: UsingScience to Improve Your Strokes, by Duane

Knudson, Ph.D., explains the science of tennistechnique. The book applies the lessons learnedfrom studying the forces and motions of tennisstrokes. Through the implementation of six basic bio-mechanical principles, players can make subtle adjust-ments to their strokes, creating stroke variations thatnot only improve their game but also reduce their riskof injury. Detailed line drawings, stroke analysis andsequence photos of top touring pros, action photographsand high-speed video images, and an exploration of thebenefits of video replay provide players with a variety of useful techniques. The book is$14.95. To order, visit www.racquettech.com or call 760-536-1177.

Jonathon Power, WorldSquash No. 1, Retires

World No. 1 squash player JonathonPower is retiring from the profes-sional squash tour and will

assume the role of president of Squash-Power LLC, an integrated squash mar-keting and development company.Power, the most successful North Amer-ican player ever, has won 32 Profession-al Squash Association Tour titles sinceturning pro at age 16.

“Retiring has been a very difficultdecision for me,” Power says, “but I rec-ognize that with my health being strong,I can use this next phase of my life as anactive ambassador and catalyst for thegrowth of squash. There are plans for anincrease in exhibitions, club outreaches,educational sessions, clinics, and afarewell tour.”

Steve Hall, director of marketing forDunlop Sports, says, “Jonathon has beenthe marketing force behind our brandand the building of squash around theworld. We look forward to continuedinvolvement well into the future with hisnew endeavor.”

Correction� An Industry News item in the March 2006 issue incorrectly listed specialty store

sales rankings for two Prince racquets. The No. 1 and No. 2 rankings RSI report-ed for the Prince O3 Red and O3 Silver, respectively, should have been listed onlyamong "new" racquets introduced during 2005. In the total category, the BabolatPure Drive Team ranked No. 1 in 2005 dollar sales, followed by the Wilson nSix-One. The Prince O3 Red and O3 Silver were No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, in thetotal category. The rankings are taken from the Specialty Store Tennis RacquetRetail Audit jointly conducted by the TIA and Sports Marketing Surveys.

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Wilson Extends 20-YearPartnership with PBI

Wilson Racquet Sports recently renewedits partnership with the tennis man-agement company Peter Burwash

International, which provides resorts, clubs,and hotels with tennis professionals andteaching programs. With the renewal, Wil-son celebrates its 20th year as the exclusiveequipment provider for the organization.

Wilson supplies PBI teaching pros withWilson nCode racquets, footwear, bags andstring. PBI manages tennis programs atprestigious resorts and clubs in more than20 countries. Programs can include privateinstruction, group lessons, tournaments,and clinics. Wilson equipment is also car-ried in PBI resorts and clubs that maintaina tennis pro shop on their grounds.

“Peter Burwash International sets thestandard in professionalism and service inthe industry,” says James Burda, managerof U.S. promotions for Wilson. “Wilson isproud to have this long-standing relation-ship with the industry leader to help growthe game of tennis.”

> The U.S. Davis Cup squad will meet ChileApril 7 to 9 at Mission Hills Country Club inRancho Mirage, Calif. Tickets, sold as athree-day series, range from $90 to $375,with VIP packages available. Call 888-484-8782.

> Wilson Racquet Sports was the officialball, racquet, and stringer for the inauguralTennis Channel Open, which was held Feb.27 to March 5 in Las Vegas. Wilson alsohosted the World Fast-Stringing Champi-onships on March 3, in which industrystringers competed to record the fastesttime stringing a racquet. The championshipswill be featured in a 30-minute TV specialfor The Tennis Channel.

> The 2006 regular season for the WorldTeamTennis (WTT) Pro League presented byAdvanta will be played July 6 to 26, with theseason-ending WTT Finals slated for July 28to 30.

> The 2006 Fed Cup World Group Quarter-final match between Germany and the U.S.

SHORT SETSwill be on red clay at TC Ettenheim in Ger-many, April 22 and 23.

>Wilson Racquet Sports is the official ballof World TeamTennis. Wilson has been theofficial racquet of WTT for many years,providing support and equipment for theRecreational and Professional Leagues.

> The Tennis Channel has signed a two-year programming extension with theSony Ericsson WTA Tour. The deal contin-ues the network’s exclusive U.S. telecastrights to 14 international top-tier tourna-ments each year.

> Six World TeamTennis RecreationalLeague teams advanced to the WTTNationals, to be played Nov. 2 to 5 in Indi-an Wells, Calif. The six teams are fromSaratoga Springs, N.Y.; Key Biscayne, Fla.;Buena Vista, Ga.; Scotia, N.Y.; LongboatKey, Fla.; and Virginia Beach, Va.

> The USTA Southern Section and DeltaAir Lines have renewed their partnershipthrough 2006. Delta remains the “officialairlines” of the section and also remains anofficial sponsor of all Bullfrog USTA South-ern Section Junior Designated Tourna-ments.

> In the wake of its recently launched O3-engineered tennis racquets in Europe,Prince Sports Europe is restructuring itsbusiness abroad to better serve sales, mar-keting, and service support. Mike Ballardie,Prince Sports Europe’s v.p. and managingdirector, has developed several new part-nerships in key European markets.

> The Tennis Channel is airing a three-partdocumentary series on Australian pro Lley-ton Hewitt. The first half-hour episode of“Lleyton Hewitt: The Other Side” pre-miered in February, with other episodesplanned for broadcast in April and Junedebuts. Visit www.thetennischannel.comfor more information.

> Head N.V. reports that revenues for itsRacquet Sports Division for the threemonths ended Dec. 31, 2005, increasedby $1.6 million, or 4.8 percent, to $34.1million from $32.5 million in the compara-ble 2004 period, the company said. Forthe 12 months ended Dec. 31, RacquetSports revenues decreased by $1.4 million,or 0.8 percent, to $166.6 million from$168 million in 2004.


• Chris Kushner is Wilson Racquet Sports’new product manager of accessories and Alex Muresan

is the new national tour manager for U.S. juniors.

• WTT co-founder Billie Jean King appeared on an episode of the HBOseries “The L Word” in January, appearing as herself to interview fictional ten-

nis pro Dana Fairbanks (played by Erin Daniels) following a match. King will have amuch bigger role in the HBO Documentary “Billie Jean King,” which takes an in-depth look at the professional and personal life of the tennis legend and is scheduledto air April 26.

• Wilson players captured six Grand Slam titles in 2005 with nCode technology: SerenaWilliams (n3), Australian Open; Justine Henin-Hardenne (nTour), French Open; Roger Fed-erer (nSix-One Tour), Wimbledon and US Open; Venus Williams (n4) Wimbledon; Bob andMike Bryan (nPro Surge) US Open doubles.

• Former touring pro Mark Merklein of Coral Springs, Fla., has been named a USTANational Coach. Merklein joins the men's coaching staff based at the USTA Player Devel-opment Headquarters in Key Biscayne, Fla., and will work primarily with 16-year-olds.Prior to joining the USTA, Merklein served as assistant coach at the University of Floridaand coached touring pro Jeff Morrison.

• Top-ranked doubles players Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan have signed a multi-yearendorsement deal with Countrywide Financial Corp.

• Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova were slated to join a list of top players and legendsat the Centex Destination Properties Desert Smash in early March at the La Quinta Resortand Club, which benefits the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation in providing support tobrain tumor patients and their families.

• Squash champion David Palmer has signed a two-year extension of his sponsorshipagreement with Ashaway Racket Strings.

• The International Tennis Hall of Fame will induct seven Master Players duringthe Hall of Fame’s Induction Ceremony this July. To be inducted posthumouslyare Nancye Wynne Bolton of Australia, Marion Jones Farquhar of the

U.S., Arthur Gore of Great Britain, Karel Kozeluh of the formerCzechoslovakia, Herbert Lawford of Great Britain, Simone

Mathieu of France, and Hans Nusslein ofGermany.

P E O P L E W AT C H

USRSA MEMBER CLASSIFIEDSFOR SALE: Babolat RDC: $2,499/OBO: AlphaSaturn with Babolat Star 3 mounting system:$1500. Contact Mark Campanile @ 847-480-7841 or email: [email protected] [email protected]

FOR SALE: Babolat Star 3: Completely Recon-ditioned by Tennis Machines Inc. $3500 Firm+ Shipping. Please Contact Russ Sheh @ 760-285-6320.

FOR SALE: Tecnifibre TF5500 elec-tronic stringing machine, excellentcondition, with extra center clampsand cover; $3800 INCLUDES SHIP-PING within continental US. If youare looking for a durable and reli-able machine, this is it. ContactVince Chiarelli at 727-595-7068 oremail: [email protected]


PTR Names TennisChampionships Winners

The winners from the PTR’s annual$25,000 Tennis Championships heldduring the 2006 PTR International

Tennis Symposium in Hilton Head, S.C., inFebruary are:� Men’s Open Singles: Zbynek Mlnarik, Chatsworth,

Calif.� Men’s 30 Singles: Julien Heine , Laguna Hills, Calif.� Men’s 35 Singles: Karl Hale, Toronto� Men’s 40 Singles: Scott Nichols, Hilton Head, S.C.� Men’s 45 Singles: Dag Jonsson, Sweden� Men’s 50 Singles: Patrick Child, Hilton Head, S.C.� Men’s 55 Singles: Mas Kimball, Oak Bluff, Mass.� Men’s 60 Singles: Keith Whitlow, Hilton Head, S.C.� Men’s 65 Singles : Bob Helton, Bristol, Va.� Men’s 70 Singles: Thomas Mancuso, Millsboro, Del.� Men’s Open Doubles: Julien Heine/Zbynek Mlnarik� Men’s 35 Doubles: Eric Burke/Karl Hale� Men’s 45 Doubles: Scott Nichols/Larry Schnall� Men’s 55 Doubles: Ben Hale/Keith Whitlow� Men’s 65 Doubles: Bob Helton/Tony Schinto� Men’s 70 Doubles: John Powless/Dennis Van der

Meer� Women’s Open Singles: Janet Bergman, Hilton

Head, S.C.� Women’s 45 Singles: Donna McKenna, Bluffton,

S.C.� Women’s 55 Singles: Linda McCollum, College

Park, Ga.� Women’s 45 Doubles: Carmen Lopez/Carol

MacLennan� Women’s 55 Doubles: Susan Kimball/Kate Nelson� 45 Mixed Doubles: Gary Lyst/Jane Wadsworth� 55 Mixed Doubles: Mas Kimball/Susan Kimball

Gilbert EndorsesSlinghopper

Coach and formertouring pro BradGilbert is the latest

big name to endorseSlingHopper Drill Bags.“The SlingHopper is thegreatest innovation infeeding and playing ten-nis. It allows the feederto move around thecourt without interrupting the flow ofdrills,” says Gilbert, who has coachedpros including Andre Agassi and AndyRoddick. Earlier this year, Nick Bollet-tieri announced his endorsement ofSlingHopper Drill Bags. For more infor-mation or to become a dealer, callGamma Sports at 800-333-0337, out-side the U.S. call (412) 323-0335 or visitwww.gammasports.com


A P R I L 2 0 0 6IN

DU

ST

RY

NE

WS

Head has released two new framesin its Flexpoint line geared tointermediate and advanced play-

ers. The Flexpoint Heat is for aggres-sive players and is ideal forserve-and-volleyers, says Head, addingthat the frame is a bit more forgivingthan others in the series. It features aslightly larger, 102-square-inch head.Suggested retail price is $140.

Head Launches Flexpoint Heat and Fire

L E T T E R SWild Cards Should Go to Tour ProsTo the Editor:I recently read the “Your Serve” article inRSI’s August 2005 issue regarding collegetennis players’ quests for wild card spotson the US Open. I run a Men's Challengerin Yuba City, Calif. I gave my most recentwildcards to two U.S. collegiate players:Sam Warburg of Stanford and ThomasMorton of Sacramento State. Sam made itto the second round of the tournament.

Being around both college players andthose that travel the world during ourevent, I am torn about whom I should givethese "golden gifts" to. To a tour player, acollege player is taken care of in travel,meals, hotels, coaching, and above all aneducation. So, is it fair to "bestow" a wildcard into the US Open to a college playerwho has all these benefits over a guy thatbeats the odds and fights his way aroundthe world against the top players everyother week? What if the college player hasno desire to have a pro career in the firstplace? This would take away $10,000 froma player who really needs the money tochase his dream.

The college community has really shift-ed in the last few years. Look at almostevery college team in America and youwill find almost every one loaded withplayers from overseas, who have“snatched” scholarships from Americankids. We are the only system in the worldto combine athletics with higher educationat this level.

I feel this is a direct result why theUSTA evaluates wild cards for the US Openevery year. They know the odds are that aforeign player will win the title becausethey out-number the American kids.

The USTA is right to evaluate the wildcards and to reward those spots to tourplayers over collegiate players. The Openis a pro event; wild cards should go toplayers who have a desire to become tour-ing pros.Jim King, Director of TennisYuba City Racquet Club$50,000 Sunset Moulding/YCRC ChallengerWe welcome your letters and comments. Pleaseemail them to [email protected] or fax them to760-536-1171.

The Flexpoint Fire (which replaces theLiquidmetal Fire) also has a 102-square-inch head, but it features a 16 x 19string pattern, allowing for extra spinon the ball. The frame’s variable beammakes it more maneuverable and givesit a bit more stiffness, says Head. Sug-gested retail for the Fire is $150. For moreinformation, call 800-289-7366 or visitwww.head.com.


TENNIS<

he USTA and the Intercollegiate Ten-nis Association are continuing a tra-dition of honoring coaches who, in

addition to their job of successfullycoaching and graduating student-athletes, reach out to their campusand outlying communities to growtennis.

“The ITA and USTA stronglybelieve that community service andcampus recreation programs areextremely important for today’s col-lege coach to become involved in,and these awards help highlightthe efforts of those coaches whohave,” says ITA Executive DirectorDavid Benjamin.

In 2005, two coaches from theUSTA’s Southern California sectionreceived national awards. TheCampus Recreation Award, pre-sented to Dee Henry, women’stennis coach at Biola University inLa Mirada, Calif., recognizes an ITAcoach who has implemented suc-cessful tennis programs on campusin an effort to grow tennis partici-pation. The Community ServiceAward, presented to Michael Gen-nette, men’s tennis coach at Cali-fornia Lutheran University inThousand Oaks, honors an ITAcoach for developing community-based tennis programs throughcommunity centers, schools, parks,CTAs, inner city, suburban, or ruralprograms.

At the USTA section level, 20additional coaches receivedawards. The national winners werechosen from the group of sectionwinners by a panel comprised ofITA and USTA staff. Also, 50coaches from ITA-member schoolswere awarded grants from theUSTA to support their CommunityOutreach and USTA Team Tennisprograms.

This is the third year that the

USTA and ITA have honored college coach-es in this manner. For pros and managersworking at college tennis facilities, reachingT

USTA and ITA Honor ChampionsOf Campus and Community B Y K R I S T E N D A L E Y

out to the community for programs andlessons is a good source of additionalrevenue. In fact, some industry insiders

predict that, while public parkswere the genesis for much ofrecreational tennis’s growth inearlier decades, tennis facilitieson college campuses will fill thatcommunity role in the future.

At Biola, Henry has organizednumerous tennis events and pro-grams throughout the academicyear for students, faculty, alum-ni, and the surrounding commu-nity. Among those programs area USA Team Tennis campusleague, a campus wheelchairprogram, and Tennis AcrossAmerica, a free USPTA programthat introduces tennis to familiesfrom Biola and the community.

Gennette has helped growtennis in Ventura County byorganizing many entry-level pro-grams and special events. Hestarted local park and recreationtennis programs in six cities,including six high schools and 12parks. In addition, Gennette hasorganized and hosted adult andsenior Play and Learn Classes,Youth League Tennis, corporatetennis picnics, county juniortournaments, and a number ofsummer camps.

“Tennis needs people outthere doing the legwork to getpeople involved and promotingthe sport,” says Casey Angle,director of communications forthe ITA. Meanwhile, the coach-es’ efforts can help their ownvarsity programs as well. “Itmakes the coach more visible inthe community, and more valu-able in the community,” Anglesays. “It ultimately gets morepeople interested in the tennisprogram.” �

USTA/ITA CommunityService Award Section WinnersEastern: Gary Glassman, Stony Brook UniversityFlorida: Bruce Carrington, St. Thomas UniversityIntermountain: Nicole Kenneally, University of ColoradoMid-Atlantic: Darryl Cummings, Old Dominion UniversityMiddle States: Lori Sabatose, Clarion University of PennsylvaniaMidwest: Tim Corwin, Kalamazooo CollegeMissouri Valley: Andy Hamilton, Grinnell CollegeNew England: Julie Greenwood, Williams CollegeNorthern California: Marc Weinstein, Mills CollegePacific Northwest: Lisa Hart, Washington StateSouthern: Bill Riddle, Cumberland University (Tennessee)Southern California: Michael Gennette, California Lutheran UniversityTexas: Lance Drake, Tarleton State University

USTA/ITA CampusRecreation Award Section WinnersIntermountain: Brad Pearce, Brigham Young UniversityMid-Atlantic: Constantine Ananiadis, Washington College (Maryland)Middle States: Dave Shook, Lehigh UniversityMissouri Valley: Lisa Johnson, Oklahoma Christian UniversityNew England: Christine Davis, Smith College (Massachusetts)Northern California: Peter Wright, University of California-BerkeleyPacific Northwest: Carl Swanson, Linfield College (Oregon)Southern: Mary Ann Sunbury, Pfeiffer UniversitySouthern California: Dee Henry, Biola University

campus

Gennette (left) and Henry (right) with Bill Ozaki, the USTA’s director

of junior and collegiate competition.

web wise


Website Facelift: Free Tools toImprove Your Customer's Experience

While it’s vital in 2006 to have afresh website for your club, shop,or company, the fact is that you’re

in the tennis business, not the internetbusiness. But there’s hope—withoutspending any hard dollars on develop-ment, you can improve the customerexperience on your site to keep themcoming back. A website with a few inter-active features and special touches canwork for you while you’re on court, stock-ing product, running meetings, or onvacation.

UPDATE THAT GREETINGPerhaps there’s a billboard on your driveto work that never changes. Every dayyou see it, and every day it looks thesame—staring back at you with the sameold message. Perhaps you’ve come tohate it. Don’t let your website visitors getthis feeling.

To make sure your website doesn’tbecome stale:� Change the home page message

regularly: It can be as simple as postingthe week’s events, last week’s results ora holiday message.Skill Level: F

� Add the time and date: It’s a simple,but effective, way to stay current.http://www.javascriptkit.com/script/cut164.shtml.Skill Level: FF

� Provide a weather report: Easyinstructions from Weather.com allowyou to run a pre-formatted weather boxfor your local area, or customize yourown.http://www.weather.com/services/oap.html.Skill Level: FF

OFFER TENNIS-THEMED GOODIESIncrease the “stickiness” of your site withgames and cursors.� Hangman: Edit the vocabulary in the

PUBLISH EVENT PHOTOS

Posting images of your customers online can serveas a wrap-up to an event and allow people topurchase photos. Once you’ve shot pictures witha digital camera, set up a free account at Kodak-Gallery.com and “Create a Photo Album.” Afterthe images are uploaded to that site, you caninvite attendees to view them, or simply post alink on your website.http://www.kodakgallery.com.Skill Level: F

ASK FOR FEEDBACKExisting and potential customers could teach youa lot about what matters to them. Allowing themto weigh in on matters will show that you valuetheir opinions and wish to service them. Retailerscould research what colors its shoppers prefer,while club owners could ask members if they’dprefer the theme of the next event to be a BBQ orMexican party. Go to this site and sign up for thefree registration: http://www.zoomerang.com.Skill Level: F

code to tennis-specific terms.http://www.javascriptkit.com/script/script2/hangman.shtml.Skill Level: FFF

� Phong: This Ping Pong-styled gametakes practice and helps build reactiontime. Try the demo at this url:http://www. dynamic-drive.com/dynamicindex12/pong/index.htm.Skill Level: FFF

� Cursors: Link to this page so people canchange their pointer to a tennis ball orracquet: http://www.cursorcafe.com/sports_leisure_tennis_310.html.Skill Level: F

ADD INTERACTIVE TOOLSHighlight the fitness benefits of tenniswith calculators that provide cues onhealth.� Determine Body Mass Index: To add

a simple BMI calculator to your site, gotohttp://javascript.internet.com/calculators/body-mass-index.html.Skill Level: FF

� Quantify Calories Burned: Link to Pre-vention magazine’s website for calcula-tors that provide the number of caloriesburned for singles or doubles:http://www.prevention.com/toollisting.Skill Level: F

Liza Horan is the editorof Tenniswire.org, whichprovides tennis industrynews and a free emailnewsletter. She is alsothe president of Medi-aMoxie(www.mediamoxie.com),

a marketing, communications, and webconsulting company. Share your storiesabout your web experiences by emailing aquick note to [email protected].

B Y L I Z A H O R A N

F

Key to Skill LevelsF Must know how to add a link to aweb page.FF Should know basic html.

FFF Should be comfortablepasting Javascript in html.

Need a web-savvy person?If you don’t have someone on staff who canmake these changes to your website, considerposting a notice at your location. There maybe a club member or customer who would bewilling to trade a couple of hours of work forcourt time or a discount.

Or, contact a local high school or college forstudent help. Young people are always look-ing for opportunities to gain experience thatwill look good on college applications andeventually resumes.

SUCCESSmarketing&


ou see it all the time at small tomedium-sized tennis facilities acrossthe country. A customer walks into

a tennis pro shop and the person behindthe counter is either on the phone with afriend or hanging out with some kidswho are there to keep him or her compa-ny. Usually that counter person is a highschool student who likes tennis, is fairlyoutgoing, and needs a part-time job.

Unfortunately, those five to seven sec-onds waiting for the desk person to getoff the phone with their friend is enoughto spell b-a-d customer service. It will bean uphill battle to change the customer’sperception to win back their confidence,unless something drastically changes.

If you are a shop manager whoargues that you cannot hire anyone elsebecause you can only afford to pay mini-mum wage, I’d like to change your mindby giving you some alternatives. Besidesimproving customer service, you shouldalso be motivated by another carrot we’lldangle: turning the tide of high staffturnover.

But first, let’s move beyond your proshop to zero in on the type of personalityyou want to hire. Walk through a localdepartment store and take a look at thecustomer service staff. One of the firstthings you’ll probably notice is that thesales people are generally outgoing andenthusiastic. While this is good, it is alsoa dilemma. The problem in retail is thatmanagers usually look to hire exuberantpeople. But these types also need con-stant stimulation. And, face it, retail isoften repetitive and can be downrightboring at times.

This might surprise you, but for retail-ing, you want steady, loyal people whoare not overly enthusiastic. It may soundstrange and somewhat counter-intuitive,but it’s true. So, what are your non-highschool student options?

Hire a boomer. It’s broadly knownthat the baby-boomer generation is oneof the largest and most hard-working

segments of the U.S.population. The oldest ofthe boomers areapproaching the 60-year-old mark, and everyday, 10,000 people inthe U.S. turn 50. Howdoes this help your proshop staffing chal-lenges? Simple. Signifi-cant portions of theseboomers are now looking forpart-time work. Their children aregrown. Many are even retired. They arecompetent, mature, and stable. Plus,many don’t care exactly how muchmoney they earn. Some may even workin exchange for privileges at your club orfacility.

One thing is for certain. No matterwho you hire, you’ll need to be a littlecreative to keep them excited to be onyour team. Here are some tips and ideasto help keep things fun and interesting!

IDEA #1:Years ago, when I managed a small proshop in Puerto Rico, we created a simplesales figure goal each week. It wasachievable enough that we hit it abouthalf the time. This club had a snack barthat made the most wonderful milk-shakes. So, being young and not yet wor-ried about putting on extra pounds, wehad the pro shop reward every teammember with a thick and creamy milk-shake when the goal was reached.

IDEA #2:In my office, we have a monthly pizzaparty. It’s simple and everyone has agreat time. Often, the intangibles are thereasons people stay at a job. They needto feel liked, needed, and in a thoughtfuland fun environment.

IDEA #3:Another idea we started at my companyis to have what I call “five dollar pop

Joe Dinoffer is a Master Professional forboth the PTR and USPTA. He speaksfrequently at national and internationaltennis teacher workshops as a memberof both the Head/Penn and Reebok

National Speaker’s Bureaus. He is president ofOncourt Offcourt Inc. and has written 16 books andproduced more than 30 instructional videos.

Y

Hire Right and Keep It Fun ToTurn the Tide of Turnover B Y J O E D I N O F F E R

quizzes.” Basically, I go to the bank andget about 30 five-dollar bills. Then, I cre-ate a simple “quiz” consisting of aboutfive questions that are basic to the opera-tions of our office, but challengingenough that only rarely will someone getall the answers right. We pass the com-pleted quizzes around from one personto another for grading and then reviewthe questions. For each correct answerthe individual receives a crisp five-dollarbill.

IDEA #4:Since everyone loves a party, anothergreat idea to help the team spirit at yourbusiness is to celebrate each person’sbirthday. It can be as simple as havingeveryone sign a large card, including asmany members at the club as possible,plus a cake or cookies. Remember that itdoes not have to be elaborate. It’s thethought that counts.

The bottom line is that staff turnovercosts time and money. Minimize them bytrying to select the best people possible,and keep them by being fun and cre-ative. �


FOCUS ON footweark

Tips for a Perfect Fit� Feet swell 5 to 10 percent during the day, so try on newshoes later in the day or just after exercise.

� Wear socks that are sport or shoe specific when trying onnew shoes.

� Athletic shoes typically fit one-half to one-full size too small.

� Have your feet measured yearly.

� Don’t forget shoe weight: 1 ounce in the foot equals 1pound in the hip.

� Avoid deep cutouts in the outsole of a shoe—it oftenmeans poor arch support.

(Source: SoftSole)

David Sharnoff, a podiatrist in Shel-ton, Conn., is a longtime advisor tothe WTA Tour and a member ofTennis magazine’s Technical Advi-sory Panel. Dr. Sharnoff also is alongtime contributor to professionaljournals in the field of podiatricmedicine.

Lacing Systems That Enhance Fit B Y D A V I D S H A R N O F F

When it comes to tennis shoes, your players need to have a per-fect fit. Wearing shoes that fit correctly will not only help yourcustomers play their best tennis, but also, it can keep players

from getting injured.Many players, once they find a shoe that they think fits them

and is comfortable, will typically stay with that shoe for a longtime. But our feet change over time, and players need to make

changes in their footwear, too, to get the best fit.You can help your players get the perfect fit for their imperfect

feet by suggesting various lacing systems that will reduce pressurein certain areas and allow the foot to move with fewer constraints.Based on common foot problems we encounter, the four lacingtechniques below should help you customize the fit for your cus-tomers so they can play their best, and feel comfortable doing it.

2FOR PLAYERS WHO HAVE AHIGH INSTEP, HEEL SLIPPAGE,OR PINS AND NEEDLES

1FOR PLAYERS WITH AWIDE FOOT AND/ORNARROW HEEL

3FOR PLAYERS WHOHAVE A NORMAL FOOTWITH A NARROW HEEL

4FOR PLAYERSWITH A NARROWFOOT

Online


Net ReturnSports InterActive gives specialtydealers a fighting chance on the internet.

Over the past 22 years, Herb Swerenhas seen the retail industry evolve,with trends ranging from mail

order to, most recently, internet sales.“All the way, it has made it more chal-lenging for specialty retailers,” he says.

Sweren speaks from experience.He’s spent the majority of his career atPrince, where he started as a sales asso-ciate and advanced to vice president andgeneral manager of its North Americanoperations, helping those retailers com-pete amid the changing face of theindustry.

Now, as founder and president ofSports InterActive LLC, Sweren is lookingto help specialty retailers compete onthe internet. Sports InterActive, a webdevelopment and eMarketing company,is his response to the booming ecom-merce trend. The company provides ten-nis clubs, country clubs, and specialtyshops with online sales capabilities and acatalog of more than 16,000 tennis,running, and fitness products in an“Online Tennis Mall.”

“I really thought there was a needfor retailers and tennis clubs to havean effective website strategyto encourage and increaserevenues on the court andoff,” says Sweren.

Each order made atthe website of a SportsInterActive dealer shop or clubyields a 20 percent commission forthe dealer. Orders are processed by Fro-muth, which also provides back-end cus-tomer service support for the SportsInterActive Online Tennis Mall.

“Herb has an understanding of whatthe specialty dealer goes through,” saysPatrick Shields, owner and president ofFromuth, which has had a 15-year rela-tionship with Sweren, since his days as asales associate at Prince. “He under-stands the market forces at work, and

Tennis Mall alongside other TennisCon-nect features on their website.

“We play straight into one another’sstrengths,” says Charlie Ruddy, develop-er of the TennisConnect.org software.“Sports InterActive puts a whole lot ofspecialty dealers and pro shops back inthe game, back on competitive footingwith internet and ecommerce sites, andthey can still support their local club.”

“I, along with others at Prince, wasvery supportive of the TIA and its effortsin the beginning stages,” says Sweren.“It’s a nice fit to be able to work withthem again in this way.”

In addition to the online mall andoptional TennisConnect.org features,Sports InterActive has a database-drivenString Center 2.0 technology that helpsshops and tennis clubs track a cus-tomer’s or member’s stringing historyand use it to send targeted emailsreminding players of the need to re-

string. “Stringing can be a veryprofitable business,” saysSweren. String Center is an“add-on solution” for all

Sports InterActive packages.Sweren says SportsInterActive is “by farthe most comprehen-

sive program thathelps clubs grow boththeir court business and

compete in the marketplacefrom a retail perspective.”“I can promote my programming

and my mall simultaneously,” says BillyPower, director of tennis at TexarkanaCountry Club in Texarkana, Ark., whosupplements the online mall with Tennis-Connect.org’s features. “The product ismade so that anyone can have theirown website and run it and be success-ful.”

For more information, call 410-358-1304 or visit www.sports-interactive.net. �

he sees an opportunity for specialty deal-ers to take advantage of something thatthey previously had not taken advantageof.”

It took Sweren about 18 months tocreate Sports InterActive, which rolled outto the industry last August. Since then, hehas partnered with the Tennis IndustryAssociation, whose TennisConnect.orgsoftware has powered Sports InterActivesince October. Facilities that subscribe toboth programs can now run their Online

B Y K R I S T E N D A L E Y

F

What It Costs� Sports InterActive Specialty Dealer Pack-

age: $79/month

� SI Premium Package (with TIA Facility-Plus Membership): $89/month

� Sports InterActive Upgrade for currentFacility-Plus members: $39/month

RETAILING


Heads-UpDisplaysHeads-UpDisplays

Top retailersoffer advice forsprucing up yourdisplay space.

Whether you’re a tennis superstore or a small pro shop,you need to create effective retail displays to drive sales.And, as tennis participation is increasing, there’s no bet-

ter time than the present to take advantage of the surge andpromote your apparel and equipment brands using eye-catch-

ing displays—and turning casual shoppers into buyers.To help you fashion retail displays that move merchandise,

we contacted four tennis shops that equipment and apparelmakers praised for having successful and attractive displays.

—Cynthia Sherman

RETA I L ING

Tennis and Golf CompanyRoyal Oak, Mich.

Marjorie Holler of Tennis andGolf Company in theDetroit area uses color to

make displays visually attractive.She also rotates articles every cou-ple of weeks to make things lookfresh and new.

Whether racquets, bags, orapparel, attractive lighting makesthe merchandise pop off the walland allows customers to easily seethe details and features. Racquetwalls are arranged by manufactur-er, with shelves of tennis ballsbetween them. Ball hoppers filledwith balls add visual interest to thedisplays.

Holler tends toward a more for-mal approach, optimizing the visu-al effect of how the outfit will lookwhen worn, rather than layeringpieces. Racks, tables, and wallunits invite a customer’s involve-ment. Clothing groups are arrangedby manufacturer, color, then outfit.Waterfall wall displays for apparelare more visually appealing, so thatcustomers aren’t looking at a lot ofgarment sleeves. Tennis and GolfCompany also marks down andmoves out old merchandise quick-ly, so the merchandise always isfresh and new.

Optimize the visual effectof how the outfit will lookwhen worn, rather thanlayering pieces.

� Make apparel “sell-able.” Ask, howwould you wear it?

� Rotate displays tokeep the store look-ing fresh.

� Don’t overwhelma display with toomuch; keep aneat, balancedpresentation.

Holle

r’sTi

ps



Coach Matt’sSuwanee, Ga.

With apparel dis-plays, TiffanyGrayson at Coach

Matt’s in the Atlanta areacreates a color story bycoordinating like and com-plementary hues withineach brand, and she cross-merchandises betweentraining/fitness pieces andtenniswear. This way, theconsumer is likely to seethe connection betweencross-over activities andtennis and will more likelyintegrate their workoutapparel and tennis apparel.

In displaying racquets,Grayson puts power framesat the top of the slatwall,“tweener” racquets in themiddle, and control rac-quets at the bottom,remaining consistent withinthe brands. This makes iteasy for customers to iden-tify their swing levels with-in each brand across theracquet wall, she says.

Grayson sees the ten-dency for customers to buymore when the retailer cre-ates more of a “lifestyle”presentation rather thanstrictly emphasizing tennisin retail displays. ButGrayson also makes hershop more appealing totennis players by using tro-phies and action and his-toric photos on the wallsand shelves.

� Keep it simple. Havea clean look, andgroup like objectstogether.

� A neat and unclut-tered store invitescustomers in.

� Make sure yourspace is well-lighted.Use spotlights fordisplays.

Gra

yson

’sTi

ps

Create a “lifestyle”presentation for yourcustomers using color andadditional visual elements.

Arpil 2006 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 29

Chicago Golfand TennisChicago, IL

Chicago Golf andTennis houses amajor Nike special-

ty/concept shop, couplingthe crossover idea ofNike workout apparelwith tenniswear. Nikestarted this tennis con-cept store within a storeabout two years ago withtremendous success. Thisboutique approach ofportraying a lifestyletheme using excitinggraphic images and man-ufacturer fixtures is anidea that can translatewell for other manufac-turers’ displays.

Corinne Pinsof-Kaplanof Chicago Golf and Ten-nis also makes full use ofmannequins to showcomplete outfits, employ-ing humorous scenes tomake even more of animpact. Walls and dress-ing-room doors also areused to create even moreapparel display space.

Pinsof-Kaplan notesthat something as simpleas upgrading your hang-ers has a tremendouseffect on creating a rich-er look. And havingsalespeople wear mer-chandise sold in the storealso helps to increasesales. Chicago Golf andTennis is a massive15,000 square feet, but, asPinsof-Kaplan notes, youdon’t have to have a hugespace to create imagina-tive displays and encour-age sales.

� Use professional-looking signage andeye-catching manu-facturer-suppliedimages and fixtures.

� Show mannequinsoutfitted withaccessories forcrossover appeal.

� Upgrade hangers fora nicer, richer look.

Pins

of-K

apla

n’s

Tips

Something as simple asupgrading your hangers hasa tremendous effect oncreating a richer look.


USTA NationalTennis CenterFlushing Meadows,N.Y.

Joan Dziena at the proshop at the USTA NationalTennis Center in New

York insists it’s all about colorand balance. In creating dis-plays, she uses colors thatcomplement each other, andcreates a story with a colorpalate, using symmetry toencourage balance betweenlights and darks. Buying withthe anticipation of how it willlook on the wall and floorhelps utilize your space to itsmaximum efficiency.

Only opened since lastNovember, already this proshop, in the shadow of ArthurAshe Stadium, is experiencinggreat success among the reg-ulars, who return week afterweek. Waterfall racks on thewall help to add visual inter-est, and Dziena matches upcoordinating racquet bagsand other accessories withher apparel.

Because she gets so manyrepeat customers, Dzienaemphasizes rotating displaystwice a month. Even if it’schanging a rack from front toback, it still creates a freshlook, as if the customer isseeing the merchandise forthe first time.

� Use color to make astatement.

� Emphasize pairings,balance, andsymmetry.

� Rotating displayscreates diversity anda feeling of“newness.”

Dzie

na’s

Tips

Buying withthe anticipationof how it willlook on thewall and floorhelps utilizeyour space toits maximumefficiency.

Green Valley Country ClubLafayette Hills, Pa.(Nominated by Pro-Sport Construction Inc., Devon, Pa.)Number of Courts: 4Contractor: Pro-Sport ConstructionSurface: Lee Tennis Har-TruNets, Windscreens: BP InternationalNet Posts: Douglas Industries

Heathrow Country Estates Tennis FacilitySorrento, Fla.(Nominated by Fast Dry Courts, Pompano Beach, Fla.)Number of Courts: 2Architect & Contractor: Fast Dry CourtsSurface: Lee Tennis American Red ClaySubsurface Irrigation: Lee TennisWindscreens: J.A. CisselNets, Center Straps: BP InternationalLine Tapes, Net Posts: Lee TennisTrench Drain: Zurn Industries


The Good StuffThe Good StuffThese soft-court winners are all solid to the core.

At heart, the eight outdoor soft-court winners of the Rac-quet Sports Industry/American Sports Builders Association2005 Facility-of-the-Year Awards all have one major thing

in common. They all use soft-court material from Lee Tennis.Three of the projects (Heathrow Country Estates, Oaks at

Boca Raton, and River Oaks) have one or more red claycourts, while the rest utilize the traditional Har-Tru material.All eight winners also made use of the accuracy provided bylaser grading to level the surface, and seven of the eight optedfor the advantages of subsurface irrigation.

Florida again was well-represented in this group of win-ners; five of the winning facilities are located in the Sunshine

State, and six of the projects were completed by Florida-basedcourt-construction companies (four by Welch Tennis Courtsand two by Fast Dry Courts). The projects ranged from twocourts to a 12-court facility (which included 11 clay and onecushioned hard court). Seven of the eight projects were newconstruction and one was an upgrade.

Player and spectator amenities ranked high on the list ofpriorities, with all of the projects providing for areas wherefans can view the action. All but one of these projects provid-ed shaded areas between or next to the courts for player com-fort. Two facilities also included a show or stadium court.

—Peter Francesconi

Oaks at Boca Raton Tennis CenterBoca Raton, Fla.(Nominated by Welch Tennis Courts, Sun City, Fla.)Number of Courts: 12 (1 hard)Contractor: Welch Tennis Courts Inc.Surface: Lee Tennis Har-Tru (Hydroblend)Subsurface Irrigation: Welch Tennis Courts (HydroGrid)Fencing: U.S. WholesaleNet Posts: BP InternationalWindscreens: J.A. Cissel

For details on the 2006 Outstanding Tennis Facility Awards, contact theASBA at 866-501-ASBA or [email protected].

R S I / A S B A 2 0 0 5 F A C I L I T Y - O F - T H E - Y E A R A W A R D S


Lake Jovita Golf & Country ClubDade City, Fla.(Nominated by Welch Tennis Courts, Sun City, Fla.)Number of Courts: 4Contractor: Welch Tennis Courts Inc.Surface: Lee Tennis Har-Tru (Hydroblend)Subsurface Irrigation: Welch Tennis Courts (HydroGrid)Fencing: U.S. WholesaleWindscreens: J.A. CisselNets, Net Posts: BP InternationalLights: LSI Courtsider

Palencia Tennis CenterSt. Augustine, Fla.(Nominated by Welch Tennis Courts, Sun City, Fla.)Number of Courts: 8Contractor: Welch Tennis Courts Inc.Surface: Lee Tennis Har-Tru (Hydroblend)Subsurface Irrigation: Welch Tennis Courts (HydroGrid)Windscreens: J.A. CisselLights: LSINets, Net Posts: BP International

River Oaks Country ClubHouston, Texas(Nominated by Welch Tennis Courts, Sun City, Fla.)Number of Courts: 6Contractor: Welch Tennis Courts Inc.Surface: Lee Tennis Har-Tru (Hydroblend); Northeast Fast-Dry (Hattica)Subsurface Irrigation: Welch Tennis Courts (HydroGrid)Nets, Net Posts: BP InternationalBottom Rails: U.S. Wholesale

Roxiticus Golf Club Tennis FacilityMendham, N.J.(Nominated by The Racquet Shop Inc., Colts Neck, N.J.)Number of Courts: 5Architect & Contractor: The Racquet Shop Inc.Surface: Lee Tennis Har-TruSubsurface Irrigation: Lee TennisNets, Net Posts, Center Anchors: J.A. Cissel

City of Sebastian Municipal FacilitySebastian, Fla.(Nominated by Fast Dry Courts, Pompano Beach, Fla.)Number of Courts: 4Architect & Contractor: Fast Dry CourtsSurface: Lee Tennis Har-TruNets, Center Straps: BP InternationalLine Tapes, Net Posts: Lee Tennis

hile we tried to be as complete as possible in ourexclusive Racquet Selection Map that appeared inthe March 2006 issue, there are always a few frames

that just aren’t available at press time. So here is the restof the story.

The racquets listed on these pages supplement thechart that appeared last month. If you use the specs herefor “Swingweight” and “Power Level” and map these rac-quets on the chart in the March issue (page 30), you can

find out where these new frames fit in terms ofpower and control.

Noteworthy among this newlist are frames from Gamma

Sports, which launchedits new IPEX line of

six racquets,putting the

compa-ny

back into the racquet manufac-ture business. (For the last sever-al years, Gamma had been thedistributor of Fischer racquets in theU.S.)

Gamma’s new line features IPEXNanoTechnology, which Gamma saysalters the carbon fiber composite framematerial at the molecular level to improveresiliency and shock absorption. The IPEXracquets, says the company, “concentratesdifferent high-modulus carbon fibers through-out different strategic areas of the racquet,improving power, control, and feel.”

The company says IPEX allows the frame tosnap back to its original position faster thanordinary carbon fiber composite, providing“maximum energy transfer and greater racquet-head speed.” The stronger fibers also create bet-ter stiffness for greater stability and energytransfer to the ball, says Gamma.


Add these latest entries to our RacquetSelection Map to complete the picture for 2006.

W

RACQUETS

Selecting theRight Frame,Part II

Selecting theRight Frame,Part II

GAMMAI P EX 2 . 0 SOS


Racquet Head size Length Weight Weight Balance Balance Flex Swing Wt. Pattern Power Price(Sq. Inches) (Inches) (Grams) (Ounces) (CMs) (Inches) (RDC) (RDC) (M x C) Level MSRP

BabolatPure Drive Roddick 100 27.00 332 11.71 32.75 12.89 73 328 16x19 2394 $189Pure Drive Roddick 100 27.50 333 11.75 27.50 10.83 72 332 16x19 2510 $189BancroftOmni 107 27.25 272 9.59 36.75 14.47 79 308 16x19 2669 $169Rocket 116 27.50 274 9.67 38.00 14.96 78 330 16x19 3135 $199GammaIPEX 2.0 SOS 137 27.75 272 9.59 37.50 14.76 65 334 18x21 3197 $210IPEX 3.0 OS 116 27.50 265 9.35 36.00 14.17 70 302 16x19 2575 $199IPEX 5.0 MP 96 27.25 272 9.59 34.50 13.58 67 293 16x18 1932 $179IPEX 5.0 OS 109 27.25 290 10.23 34.25 13.48 69 309 16x18 2382 $179IPEX 7.0 MP 98 27.00 323 11.39 32.25 12.70 64 311 16x18 1951 $169IPEX 7.0 OS 107 27.00 322 11.36 32.50 12.80 59 308 16x19 1944 $169WeedEXT 135 Blue 135 28.25 280 9.88 37.00 14.57 64 338 18x21 3285 $250EXT 135 Green 135 28.25 275 9.70 37.00 14.57 64 334 18x21 3246 $250EXT 135 Pink 135 28.25 277 9.77 37.00 14.57 64 340 18x21 3305 $250EXT 135 Tour 135 28.25 263 9.28 37.00 14.57 60 322 18x21 2934 $250

BABOLAT 877-316-9435 • www.babolat.com

BANCROFT 800-779-0807 • www.bancroftsports.com

WEED 800-WEED RKT • www.weedusa.com

GAMMA 800-333-0337 • www.gammasports.com

New Tennis Racquets for Late Spring 2006

GAMMAI P EX 3 . 0 OS

BANCROF TROCKE T

WEEDEX T 1 3 5


science

nspection of 320 different racquets list-ed in the March 2004 and 2005 issues ofRSI shows that almost every light racquet

is head heavy and every heavy racquet ishead light (see Fig. 1) This result is not sosurprising because each racquet must havea comfortable swingweight. The swing-weights in the RSI list vary over a relativelysmall range, from about 290 to about 340kg•cm2. Racquet weights themselves varyover a wider range, from about 240 toabout 360 grams.

If you take a medium weight racquet(around 300 grams) and add 30 or 40grams to the tip, it will feel really headheavy and will be very difficult to control. Ifyou add 30 or 40 grams to the handle, theracquet will feel heavier but it will not bemuch more difficult to swing because theswingweight stays almost the same. Themeasured swingweight refers to rotationabout an axis four inches from the buttend of the handle because that is how aracquet is swung in a swingweightmachine. If all the extra weight was addedat this axis, then the swingweight wouldn’tincrease at all because the extra weightremains on the axis and no extra force isneeded to rotate it around the axis.

Adding 30 or 40 grams to the handledoes not increase the swingweight or thetwistweight of a racquet and it does notincrease racquet power. Racquet powerincreases when weight is added to thehead, because that is where impacts occur.For the same reason, golf clubs and base-ball bats concentrate weight in the head.However, most professional tennis playerslike extra weight in the handle because itmakes the racquet feel more solid or morestable and easier to control.

The physics of “feel” and “control” ishard to pin down, but a simple explanationof the effect is as follows: Imagine that youare conducting an orchestra with a baton.If you hang onto the pointy end and wig-gle it around, the heavy end will tend tostay where it is and the orchestra won’thave much of a clue what you are doing.But if you wiggle the heavy end, the pointyend will more or less follow what yourhand is doing. Delicate wrist motion willadd to the effect, enabling you to point thebaton rapidly at one section of the orches-tra and then another. That’s the principlebehind handle weighting, but what is thephysics of it?

A player swinging a racquet does notrotate it about a fixed axis,especially not the one used tomeasure swingweight. Justbefore the racquet hits theball, in the last few inches ofthe swing, the racquet will beswinging about an axis that issomewhere beyond the end ofthe handle, not inside the han-dle itself. But the swing actionstarts well before that, whenthe racquet is back. The wholeracquet is swung forwardthrough a distance of aboutfour or five feet and it coversthat distance in a split secondin a fast serve or groundstroke.

In order to get the wholeracquet moving forwardthrough four or five feet, a for-

ward-directed force is needed on the han-dle. In addition, the racquet needs to berotated through about 90 degrees in aforehand or backhand so it is pointing inthe right direction on impact with the ball.The racquet starts off pointing approxi-mately at the back fence at the start of theswing and is then swung through about90 degrees to point approximately parallelto the net at the time of impact. The effortrequired to rotate the racquet is deter-mined mainly by the swingweight aboutan axis somewhere beyond the end of thehandle. That particular swingweight willbe typically about double the measuredswingweight. The extra 30 or 40 grams inthe handle will make it slightly harder torotate the racquet because the extraweight is swung around in an arc centeredbeyond the end of the handle.

There are two separate actionsrequired to swing a racquet forward,although each is performed at the sametime and it might therefore appear to beonly one action. One is the action neededto move the whole racquet forward. Thatis done by pulling or pushing the handleforward. The other is the action requiredto rotate the racquet. That is done byapplying a torque or twisting action to thehandle, in the same way that a steeringwheel or door handle is rotated. The effectof extra weight in the handle can best beexplained by looking at these two actionsseparately.

Suppose that a force is applied at rightangles to the handle of a racquet, asshown in Fig. 2. If the force is applied atthe balance point, then the whole racquetwill move forward without rotation. How-ever, players push forward on the handle,not at the balance point, in which case thewhole racquet moves forward and it alsorotates. If the handle is relatively light, thehandle will move forward rapidly and thehead will get left behind. In fact, the headwill move backward due to rotation of thewhole racquet unless the player also exertsa torque on the handle to rotate the head

I

Racquet Handle Weighting andManeuverability B Y R O D C R O S S ,

U N I V E R S I T Y O F S Y D N E Y , A U S T R A L I A

Figure 1: Balance vs. weight for all 2004/5 performanceracquets.

forward. If the handle is relatively heavy,the handle will not move forward as rapid-ly and the head won’t fall so far behind.The player will still need to exert a torqueto rotate the head forward, but therequired torque will be less than thatrequired with a light handle. This is the bigadvantage of having a heavy handle.

There is an additional reason why han-dle weighting works to reduce backwardrotation of the head. Weight in the handleshifts the balance point closer to the buttand it also increases the racquet’s resis-tance to rotation. The torque on the han-dle due to the push force is thereforereduced because the force acts at a pointcloser to the balance point. If the forceacted at the balance point, the torquewould be zero and the racquet wouldn’trotate at all. The combined effect of thereduced torque and the increased resis-tance to rotation means that a player canpush forward as hard as he or she likes onthe handle without the head falling too farbehind.

A social player doesn’t need a heavyhandle because he doesn’t swing his rac-quet as fast as a professional player. Con-sequently, the social player doesn’t sufferas much from having the head laggingbehind, and can easily rotate the head for-ward using a small torque on the handle.

In order to rotate a racquet forward, aplayer must exert opposite forces at differ-ent parts of the handle (Fig. 3). This is aperfectly natural, subconscious action thatresults whenever a player swings a rac-

quet. Without this action, the racquethead would fall behind as soon as theplayer pushed forward on the handle.Exactly the same action is required whenholding a racquet (or any other object)steady in a horizontal position. The area ofthe hand near the first finger pushes up onthe handle and the base of the hand nearthe little finger pushes down on the buttend. At the start of the swing of a racquetthe wrist needs to be locked to pull thehead around. With a limp or completelyrelaxed wrist, there would be no torqueapplied to the handle and the head wouldfall behind. When a torque is beingapplied at the start of a swing, the muscles


in the forearm and wrist tense up andthe force exerted on the handle near thefirst finger increases rapidly.

The torque required to rotate a rac-quet depends on the swingweight of theracquet and also on the speed at whichthe player wants or needs to rotate theracquet. Keeping the wrist locked at thestart of the swing helps to swing thehead around, but once the racquet isrotating, keeping the wrist locked canactually slow down the subsequent rota-tion speed. For that reason, top playersusually relax the wrist just before impact,ending up with a “wristy” swing. Golfplayers do the same thing. They start offwith the wrist cocked so that the club isat right angles to the forearm at the startof the swing. Just before impact thewrist is relaxed, the club swings aroundrapidly pulling the hand and wristaround with it, so the club and forearmare in line at the time of impact with theball. The club or racquet rotates mostrapidly just before impact, despite therelaxed wrist, for an interesting reason.That is, the forearm slows down justbefore impact. That way, rotational ener-gy in the forearm is transferred to theclub or racquet, just where the playerwants it. By slowing the forearm, a back-ward force is exerted on the handle andthe head swings around rapidly. It is theopposite effect of that shown in Fig. 2where the head falls behind if the handleis pushed forward.

Having extra weight in the handletherefore allows a top player to controlwhat he is doing. It slows down the for-ward motion of the handle and thebackward motion of the head justenough so that he can swing the headaround with a reasonable effort ratherthan an excessive amount of wristtorque. An average player doesn’t needextra weight in the handle because hedoesn’t swing the handle forward fastenough for it to present a problem. Sim-ilarly, he doesn’t need to apply a largetorque to rotate the racquet since hedoesn’t rotate the racquet as fast as apro. A recreational player needs to getthe same power as a pro does from hisracquet, so there must be the sameweight in the head, but there is no needfor a heavy handle. That’s why almostevery light racquet is head heavy andevery heavy racquet is head light.�rd

Figure 2: A force applied at right angles to a racquet acts to move the racquet sideways.If the force acts at the balance point as in (a), the racquet moves forward without rotation.If the force is applied at the handle, as in (b), the racquet moves forward but the racquethead rotates backward with respect to the handle. Extra weight in the handle reduces thisbackward rotation effect.

Figure 3: Backward rotation of the racquethead must be prevented by applying atorque to the handle using the wrist insuch a way that Force A (near the first fin-ger) is bigger than force B (near the littlefinger).

(a) (b)


Two veteran players tenth Grand Slam chamAnd Amelie Mauresmohad to quit in the secthe Rebound Ace cour

MENRound Racquet Racquet String

Rank Reached Player Name Country Brand Racquet Model Headsize Brand1 W Roger Federer SUI Wilson nSix-One Tour 90 Wilson/Luxilon2 Rafael Nadal ESP Did not play3 4 Andy Roddick USA Babolat Pure Drive Roddick 100 Babolat4 SF David Nalbandian ARG Yonex RDS-001 MP 98 Luxilon5 Q Ivan Ljubicic CRO Babolat Pure Drive Team + 100 Luxilon/Babolat6 Q Nikolay Davydenko RUS Prince O3 Tour 100 Luxilon AND Polystar7 3 Guillermo Coria ARG Prince O3 Tour 100 Luxilon8 3 Gaston Gaudio ARG Wilson nSix-One 95 95 Kirschbaum9 Andre Agassi USA Did not play10 4 David Ferrer ESP Prince Shark DB MP 100 Luxilon11 2 Lleyton Hewitt AUS Yonex RDX-0010 90 Babolat/Luxilon12 SF Nicolas Kiefer GER Wilson N Six One 95 95 Babolat13 4 Thomas Johansson SWE Dunlop M-Fil 2 Hundred 95 Babolat14 1 Fernando Gonzalez CHI Babolat Pure Storm Plus 98 Luxilon15 4 Tommy Robredo ESP Dunlop M-Fil 3 Hundred 98 Luxilon16 2 Robby Ginepri USA Babolat Pure Storm 98 Babolat17 1 Richard Gasquet FRA Head Liquidmetal Instinct 100 Luxilon18 3 Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP Head Flexpoint Radical MP Tour 100 Luxilon19 4 Dominik Hrbaty SVK Fischer Pro Extreme FT 95 Kirschbaum20 3 James Blake USA Prince Experimental 95 Luxilon

WOMENRound Racquet Racquet String

Rank Reached Player Name Country Brand Racquet Model Headsize Brand1 SF Kim Clijsters BEL Babolat Pure Drive Team 100 Babolat2 W Amelie Mauresmo FRA Dunlop M-Fil 3 Hundred 98 Babolat3 Q Lindsay Davenport USA Wilson nTour 95 Wilson4 SF Maria Sharapova RUS Prince O3 White 100 Babolat5 F Justine Henin-HardenneBEL Wilson nTour 95 Maillot Savarez6 2 Mary Pierce FRA Yonex Ultimum RD Ti-80 98 Luxilon7 Q Nadia Petrova RUS Babolat Pure Storm MP Team 103 TopServe8 Q Patty Schnyder SUI Head Liquidmetal Prestige MP 98 Kirschbaum9 1 Elena Dementieva RUS Yonex RDS-001 MP 98 Luxilon10 1 Venus Williams USA Wilson n4 110 Wilson11 4 Francesca Schiavone ITA Babolat AeroPro Drive 100 Luxilon12 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS Head Flexpoint Instinct 100 Luxilon13 4 Anastasia Myskina RUS Head Flexpoint Instinct 100 Kirschbaum14 4 Nicole Vaidisova CZE Yonex RDS-003 MP 100 Luxilon15 4 Daniel Hantuchova SVK Yonex Nanospeed RQ-7 100 Luxilon/Babolat16 3 Flavia Pennetta ITA Wilson nBlade 98 Wilson17 2 Dinara Safina RUS Babolat Pure Storm Team 98 TopServe/Babolat18 2 Elena Likhovtseva RUS Wilson nSix-One 95 95 Kirschbaum19 2 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER Fischer Magnetic Pro Number One 98 Babolat20 2 Ana Ivanovic SCG Wilson nTour 95 Wilson

P L A Y E R E Q U I P M E N T L O G


took different routes to the Australian Open singles titles in January. In claiming his sev-mpionship, Roger Federer held off a challenge by unseeded Marcos Baghdatis in four sets.o won her first Grand Slam title after her final-round opponent, Justine Henin-Hardenne,cond set due to stomach pain. Here’s what the champions, and other top players, used onrts Down Under.

String String Footwear ClothingString Model Gauge Tension Brand Footwear Model BrandWilson Natural/Big Banger Alu Power Rough 16L 21.5/20 Nike VAPOR S2 Nike

Pro Hurricane +/VS + Team 16 33 Babolat Team All Court Roddick LacosteBig Banger Original 16 29 Yonex SHT-305 YonexBig Banger TIMO/VS Team 18/16L 26 Diadora Speedzone Plus DA DiadoraBig Banger Original AND Engergy 16 20/19 Prince FreakBig Banger Original 16 25 Adidas Barricade IV AdidasSuper Smash 16 27.5 Diadora Speedzone Plus DA Diadora

Big Banger Original 16 23 Diadora Speedzone Plus DA DiadoraVS Team/Big Banger Alu Power 16L 23 Yonex SHT-305 YonexVS Team 17 Diadora Attax DA 2 DiadoraVS Team 16 27 Adidas Barricade IV AdidasBig Banger Alu Power Rough 16L 25 Adidas Barricade IV AdidasBig Banger Original 16 24/23 Sergio Tacchini Sergio TacchiniBallistic Polymono/VS Touch 16/16 28 Nike Air Max Breathe Free II Under ArmourBig Banger Original 16L 24/23 LaCosteBig Banger Original 16 26/25 Sergio Tacchini Sergio TacchiniTouch Turbo 17 28/26 Lotto ATP Power Clay LottoBig Banger Alu Power 16L 31.5 Nike Air Zoom Vapor 3 Nike

String String Footwear ClothingString Model Gauge Tension Brand Footwear Model BrandVS Touch 16 29 Fila X-Point FilaVS Touch 16 27 Reebok ReebokWilson Natural 15L 28/29 Nike Air Zoom Thrive NikePro Hurricane/VS Team 16L 27/28 Nike VAPOR S2 NikeHT Tonic First Gold 15L 27 Adidas Barricade III W AdidasBig Banger TIMO 18 28 LeJayRacquetFuel 16L 30 Adidas Barricade IV W AdidasTouch Turbo 17 25.5/24.5 Adidas Barricade IV W AdidasBig Banger Alu Power 16L 23/22 Yonex SHT-304 YonexWilson Natural 16 30 Reebok VESW DMX ReebokBig Banger Alu Power 16L 24.5/23.5 Diadora Speedzone Plus DA DiadoraBig Banger Alu Touch 16L 26/25 Fila X-Point FilaSuper Smash Spiky 17 26/25 Nike NikeBig Banger Ace 18 Reebok Upset DMX ReebokBig Banger Alu Power/VS Touch Natural Gut 16 22.5/21 Nike Air Zoom Vapor Speed NikeWilson Natural 17 27.5 Nike Sergio TacchiniRacquetFuel/VS Touch 16L / 16 29/28 Adidas Barricade IV W AdidasSuper Smash Spiky 16L 23/22 Wilson Crossfire SL WilsonXcel Premium/Pro Hurricane 16/17 Adidas Barricade IV W AdidasWilson Natural 17 Adidas Barricade IV W Adidas


The Prince Precision Tuning Center (PTC) isa machine that allows you to measure theweight, balance, and swingweight of

tennis, racquetball, squash, and badmintonracquets. Even though many of these mea-surements are available to USRSA members,published measurements are representativeonly, which means that any given customer’sracquet may differ from the published specs. If acustomer wants specific specs for his racquet,the Prince PTC allows you to generate your ownbefore-and-after measurements to see whatchanges are needed (if any), and what effectyour changes have made once you’re done.

The dealer price of the PTC is $1,799.For a limited time, Prince is offering a $300discount off this price and is including afree one-year USRSA membership worth$109.

Setting up the PTC requires some easyassembly, using included tools. Prince rec-ommends leveling the PTC during set-up,and the swingweight tester houses a bub-ble indicator for this purpose.

PROSThe PTC combines three measuring devicesin one compact package. The PTC’s “foot-print” is less than that of three separateunits, and the attractive design gives it animpressively professional appearance. At 20inches wide, 13.5 inches deep, and 9.5inches high, the PTC is small enough andlight enough (just over 20 pounds) that itcan easily be transported, although, as withany precision device, you should pack itwith care for shipping.

The scale measures mass in grams. Theclear glass platform is about the same sizeas other scales, but on the PTC, there aretwo flip-out “wings” to support oversizeracquets, a very nice touch. The large LCDscreen shows the scale reading with one-half gram resolution. Readings are accurateto within one gram.

The balance board measures racquetbalance in centimeters and inches, and thescale is etched into the glass for good legi-bility. The front of the balance bar is flushwith the front of the PTC, but it slides outto handle extra-wide racquets. The surface

machine REVIEW

of the steel balance beam is slightlytextured, which helps reduce slip-page between the bar and theracquet.

The swingweighttester features theindustry-standardspring-loadedsnap-over clampto hold the rac-quet handle.After mountingthe racquet, yousimply rotate the rac-quet to the extreme leftand hold it until the PTC beeps,then release the racquet. The read-outappears on the LCD screen, both as anumeral and as a scale that reads from 0to 400. The swingweight tester makes useof a state-of-the-art optical sensor for gen-erating readings. Swingweight readingsare in kg•cm2, and correspond with indus-try-standard readings from othermachines, so you’ll know immediately ifyou’re in the ballpark or not.

The PTC can be configured to allowswingweight testing of racquetball rac-quets, which is difficult or impossible onsome other machines, and the range ofswingweight readings is wide enough thatyou can test everything from badmintonracquets to super long, super head-heavytennis racquets. In the case of the latter,

the scale at the bottom tops out at 400,no matter how much higher the actualreading shown on the numerical display.Readings are accurate to within 2 kg•cm2.

The PTC comes with a cal-ibration bar that allows you to check boththe scale and the swingweight tester.Adjustments are easily made with theincluded screwdriver.

The PTC also comes with a translucentcover, an owner’s manual, and a one-yearwarranty. The voltage is selectablebetween 110V and 220V.

The modular design of the PTC is saidto allow Prince to add more features later.

CONSThe only drawbacks to the PTC are that itcurrently offers no method for testing rac-quet flex or stringbed stiffness. However,most tennis players—even those wantingmatched racquets—are not going to buyadditional frames to replace existingframes that are otherwise good except forthe flex. Stringbed stiffness, which is goodto check as a quality control step afterstringing, is of limited use over time, if forno other reason than that tennis playersare not accustomed to having thestringbed stiffness checked as a gauge forwhen to restring.

CONCLUSIONPrince foresees a big growth in racquetcustomization, and machines such as thePTC make that possible. Even if you cur-rently have a scale and balance board, thecompactness and calibration ability of thePTC are big selling points, as is the fact

Prince Precision Tuning Center

that it looks great in your shop. It doeslack flex and stringbed stiffness testing,but it’s also less expensive than units withthese features, and the scale and balanceboard are superior in the PTC. If you sim-

ply must have flex andstringbed stiffnessreadings, there isequipment out therethat do only thesetests, and the com-bined cost of the PTCand the outboard flextester is less than thatof an all-in-one unit.

With the PTC, it’s asnap to gather the

weight, balance, andswingweight of each racquet

you string. Communicating thisknowledge to your customers lets

them know that you know yourcraft and that you care about their

equipment. Even if they don’t make use ofyour customization facilities, these cus-tomers are likely to tell others of yourattention to detail, which can spell morestringing work, if nothing else.

For customers who already have multi-ple racquets of the same type, you can sellthem on customization that will makeeach racquet a “favorite.” For customerswho have a bag full of various framesfrom over the years, you can work withthem to learn the attraction of eachframe, correlate that with the measure-ments you’re able to take, and then sug-gest new racquets that will play similarly(or better).

The PTC will also allow USRSA mem-bers to make fuller use of the on-line toolsat RacquetTECH.com. These tools elimi-nate most of the calculations you will needto make during customization, suggestnew frames that might match old framesbased on your PTC measurements, andease conversions (such as from points toinches or centimeters).

To get a free DVD showing the PTC inaction, contact Prince at 800-2-TENNIS, oron the web at www.princetennis.com. �



Klip Venom 17string PLAYTEST

Klip Venom is a high-end multifilamentmade of DuPont High Modulus PA66 nylon,which is impregnated with polyurethaneresin and then twisted with high tenacitymonofilament wraps and two polyestermetallic yarns. Klip calls these two visibleblack twists Venom’s “power coil.”

According to Klip, Venom offers excellentball pocketing and comfort qualities. Thiscombination makes Venom a great choicefor players seeking feel, power, and playabili-ty in an arm-friendly string with good con-trol. Klip also recommends Venom for thoselooking for a way of adding comfort to astiff racquet.

Venom is available in 16 and 17 in natur-al with black “power coil.” It is priced from$14. For more information or to order, con-tact Klip at 866 KLIP USA (554 7872), or visitwww.klipstrings.com. Be sure to read theconclusion for more information about aspecial offer from Klip for USRSA members.

IN THE LABWe tested the 17-gauge Venom. The coilmeasured 41 feet 8 inches. The diametermeasured 1.27-1.28 mm prior to stringing,and 1.22-1.23 mm after stringing. Werecorded a stringbed stiffness of 75 RDCunits immediately after stringing at 60pounds in a Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95 (16 x 18pattern) on a constant-pull machine.

After 24 hours (no playing), stringbedstiffness measured 70 RDC units, represent-ing a 7 percent tension loss. Our controlstring, Prince Synthetic Gut Original Gold 16,measured 78 RDC units immediately afterstringing and 71 RDC units after 24 hours,representing a 9 percent tension loss. Venomadded 13 grams to the weight of ourunstrung frame.

The string was tested for five weeks by34 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP ratingsfrom 3.5 to 6.0. These are blind tests, withplaytesters receiving unmarked strings inunmarked packages. Average number ofhours playtested was 33.

According to our playtest team, KlipVenom is very easy to install. Not only didthe team rate it easier than average to string,but there were only three reported problems

with the stringing portion ofthe test, each of which wasdue to coil memory. Noplaytester broke his sampleduring stringing, reportedproblems tying knots, orreported friction burn. Asyou might expect with a17-gauge string, therewere no problems withblocked holes.

ON THE COURTOur playtest teamagreed with Klip about the playa-bility of Venom, rating it well above aver-age in this category. Part of this mighthave been due to the thinner gauge, asmore than half of our playtesters use a17- or 18-gauge string. Yet, durability did-n’t suffer much, as our team awardedVenom an above-average score in thatcategory, too, along with above-averagescores in Power, Control, Comfort, SpinPotential, Tension Holding, and Resistanceto Movement. Not surprisingly, the resultis an above-average overall score forVenom.

Five players broke Venom during play,two at five hours, one at six, one at nine,and one at 18 hours.

CONCLUSIONOur playtesters seemed to appreciate hav-ing a chance to use a string that is easy toinstall and has good playability—and whowouldn’t? Some of our playtesters werealso impressed by Venom’s appearance,likening it to some of the favorite stringsof old. The appearance alone might be areason to use it, if you’re stringing a rac-quet that has to have that “old time”look.

Based on the ratings given by ourplaytest team, Venom’s qualities seem tobe very well balanced. This implies that awide range of players could find some-thing to like about Venom.

If you think that Klip Venom might befor you, Klip has a buy one, get one freeoffer for USRSA members in the U.S. (limitone free set per member). —Greg Raven �

EASE OF STRINGING(compared to other strings)Number of testers who said it was:much easier 0somewhat easier 12about as easy 19not quite as easy 3not nearly as easy 0

OVERALL PLAYABILITY(compared to string played most often)Number of testers who said it was:much better 0somewhat better 7about as playable 9not quite as playable 15not nearly as playable 3

OVERALL DURABILITY(compared to other stringsof similar gauge)Number of testers who said it was:much better 0somewhat better 10about as durable 18not quite as durable 5not nearly as durable 1

RATING AVERAGESFrom 1 to 5 (best)Playability 3.5Durability 3.3Power 3.1Control 3.4Comfort 3.1Touch/Feel 3.1Spin Potential 3.2Holding Tension 3.3Resistance to Movement 3.2


“ Great string. Loved the feel. No break-in needed. Felt greatimmediately.”5.0 male baseliner with moderate spin using Prince Tour Diablo MP strungat 62 pounds CP (Prince Premier 17)

“ A good-playing string with lots of power that held tension well. Over-all, a really good string.”4.0 male all-court player using Pro Kennex Core 10 strung at 65 poundsLO (Tecnifibre TRC 16)

“ Very durable, decent spin, and great control. Very crisp for about 18hours, after which the crosses started tomove. Even this did not drasticallydecrease the great aspects of thisstring.”4.0 male baseliner with heavy spin usingDunlop 200G strung at 65 pounds CP(Prince Synthetic Gut w/Duraflex 16)

“ String is a pleasant surprise. Aboveaverage across the board. No one areawas phenomenal, but overall one of myfavorite strings in the past three years.Very nice control at low tensions. Thelook of the string reminded me of the oldImperial Gut.”5.0 male serve-and-volleyer using ProKennex Ki-20 strung at 42 pounds LO(Gamma Durablast 16)

“ Easy to install, and it maintained tension exceptionally well. Playedwith a crisp, snappy feel while offering good control during the entiretesting period. I like the string.”4.0 male baseliner with moderate spin using Wilson T3 OS strung at 54pounds CP (Wilson Stamina 18)

“ I normally play with poly strung at the top of the range for control,and was concerned that this string may not provide the stringbed stiffnessto give me the control I want. I am surprised this string maintains tensionand provides excellent control with sufficient feel. It also seemed moredurable than expected.”4.0 male all-court player using Head Protector 280 strung at 60 poundsCP (Unique Pro Poly 17)

“ Feels very similar to the string I normally use, although a little firmerand less forgiving with the extra braid around the core.”5.5 male all-court player using Wilson H Tour MP strung at 55lbs poundsCP (Wilson Extreme Synthetic Gut 16)

“ Good string for the average player looking for durability andconsistency.”5.5 male all-court player using Babolat Pure Drive strung at 67 poundsLO (Prince Perfection Control 16)

“ With a thinner string, I was surprised to see it last as long as it did. Iliked the feel and control of the string; seems to hold tension quite well.String did have some peeling after a week of play.”5.0 male serve-and-volleyer using Wilson n1 strung at 65 pounds LO(Wilson NXT Tour 16)

“ Feels good playing. I prefer a soft stringas I’m not a breaker. Control is good. Over-all, a nice string. I don’t love it as much assome of those we’ve tried lately, but Iwould play it.”3.5 male serve-and-volleyer using WilsonPro Staff 6.1 Stretch strung at 62 pounds CP(Gamma TNT Fat Core 17)

“ Very nice string overall. Since I normallyuse a thinner gauge, I would like to try thisin a 17. It had good control, although lack-ing zip on the serve. Like a lot of the newstrings, it maintained its resistance to move-ment. A reasonable price would make this astockable string. A high price would group itin the pack for those who request it.”4.0 male all-court player using Prince O3

Red strung at 61 pounds LO (Gamma TNT2 Pro Plus 17L)

“ Good string for playing and teaching. Good durability and resistanceto movement. If I was looking for a durable, good playing string, thiswould be considered.”5.0 male all-court player using Head Liquidmetal Radical MP strung atpounds LO (Prince Synthetic Gut 17)

“ Nice string—shows very little use and holds tension well. Could notspin the ball as well as normal and seem to have a little less power. Nicefeel and touch on volleys.”4.5 male all-court player using Head Liquidmetal 8 strung at 60 poundsLO (Prince Synthetic Gut w/Duraflex 16)

“ On durability—there was no noticeable wear in 25 hours. Thisappears to be an average nylon string. Because of playability, it wouldbe of interest to know the price before judging whether to stock it.”3.5 male all-court player using Wilson HH 5.7 OS strung at 58/56 poundsCP (Wilson Sensation 17)For the rest of the tester comments, USRSA members can visit RacquetTECH.com.

“A real surprise. Judg-ing from the exterior it looked liked a

turbocharged average synthetic. But

once on the court it showed its real col-

ors. I played three doubles matches and

it had great touch, feel, and power. A

wolf in sheep’s clothing. This could

become another favorite.” 5.0 male all-

court player using Wilson nSix-One 95 strung

at 54 pounds LO (Wilson NXT Tour 17)

(Strings normally used by testers are indicated in parentheses.)

TESTERS TALK

the tie-off string will already be in place,just waiting to be pulled through.5 sets of Yonex Tough Brid 130 to:David Pavlich, MRT, Mandeville, LA

MENTORINGI enjoy the opportunity to string rac-quets at home. Now my 15-year-olddaughter has become a great stringer. Itall started years ago when she asked ifshe could cut and pull out the strings.Her interest will be a great assetthrough high school, college, and therest of her tennis days. Take the timeand get someone started today; it justmay be someone who lives under yourroof.5 sets of Volkl Power-Fiber 18 to:Shawn Huck, Anderson, Indiana

Editor’s note: Those who work in apro shop may be able to expand thisconcept to include inquisitive kidswho are hanging around.

Editor’s note: Prices for UPS protec-tors go up depending on how muchbattery life you need. If your powergoes out a lot, and you need to oper-ate your stringing machine duringthose times, a higher-capacity modelmight be worth the additionalexpense.

PRINCE O3 TIE-OFFSHere's one for those who use multifila-ment string in the Prince O3 frames thattie off the crosses on a cross. The difficul-ty comes from pushing the end of a softstring through the tie-off hole at thethroat. First, cut the string so you haveabout six inches more than normal.When you get down to the last twocrosses, weave them, but don't tensionthem yet. Push the end of the stringthrough the tie off hole, and then ten-sion the last crosses. Make sure that endof the string doesn’t fall or pull out in theprocess. After tensioning the last cross,

and TECHNIQUES

PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENTThe owner’s manual for my stringingmachine recommends using a surge pro-tector to help prevent electrical line prob-lems from causing expensive damage tothe machine electronics. However, ratherthan using just a surge protector, I pur-chased a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Sup-ply). A UPS protects your machine frompower surges and spikes like a surge sup-pressor, and it also keeps you up and run-ning during brownouts and outages. Theprice for providing my machine with aclean, constant flow of power was only$29.99 at Office Depot.5 sets of Wilson NXT OS 16L to:Fred S. McWilliams, CS, Arlington, TX


Readers’ Know-How in Actiontips


MARKETINGSTRINGING EXTRASWhen a customer comes in for just astring job, I usually install a free overgrip ifthe overgrip is dirty. It takes almost notime, the cost to me is minimal, and mycustomers have been very appreciative.5 sets of Gosen Polylon 16 & a GosenT-Shirt to: Dan Gleason, Richland, WA

—Greg Raven �

Tips and Techniques submitted since 2000 by USRSAmembers, and appearing in this column, have all beengathered into a single volume of the Stringer’s Digest—Racquet Service Techniques which is a benefit of USRSAmembership. Submit tips to: Greg Raven, USRSA, 330Main St., Vista, CA 92804; or [email protected].

STENCIL BOTTLE CLEAN-UPOnce your stencil ink has been opened andused a few times, you have to be carefulwhen taking the cap off, so as not to findthe sponge stuck to the cap and you are indanger of emptying the whole bottle of inkinto the racquet face and yourself. If youput a little rubbing alcohol on a piece ofkitchen towel and wipe the inside of thecap and the threads around the spongestopper, this gets rid of the residue of inkand the cap is easy to unscrew and youcan avoid those messy accidents and nearmisses.5 Packs of Unique Tournagrip(packs of 3) to:Jackie Vaughan, CS, Hagley, England

PREVENT GROMMETSTRIP PULL-OUTWhen stringing the last mains and thegrommet tries to pull out, I have found aneasy way to keep it in place. Normally youwould pull the string parallel with the hole.Instead, try turning the frame so that thepulled string is almost parallel to the han-dle. Use the brake and lock it into place.Now, the tensioned string will be applyingside force against the grommet, whichhelps hold it in place.5 sets of Tecnifibre X-OneBiphase 1.30 to:Steve Huff, Mechanicsville, VA

MEASURING THE SHORT SIDEA quick and easy way to measure the shortside is to measure 4-1/2 lengths of a stan-dard-length racquet. This should giveample length for theshort side withenough left on thelong side to do therest of the racquet. Itworks for racquetballracquets also of youmeasure 4-1/2 lengthsof a tennis racquet.5 sets of PrincePremier w/Softflex 16 to:Dan Gleason,Richland, WA

Editor’s Note: Youprobably want to bemore precise in yourmeasurements whenworking with reels

or when restringing a racquet thatrequires the whole length of string thatyou have in a set. You may also want tobe careful about using this techniquewith longer racquets. But, it is quick andeasy if you’re working with a set ofstring in a racquet that doesn’t requirethe whole length of string.

If you like this method of measuring,you can extend it further. Four racquet-lengths are exactly nine feet. As you cansee from the table, you can guestimatelength pretty closely using just thelength of a standard racquet. For quickreference, make a copy of this table andkeep it near your stringing machine.

LENGTHS FEET1 2.252 4.503 6.754 9.005 11.256 13.507 15.758 18.009 20.2510 22.5011 24.7512 27.0013 29.2514 31.5015 33.7516 36.0017 38.2518 40.5019 42.7520 45.00

the EXPERTSask

GETTING STARTEDWITH CUSTOMIZING

I RECENTLY BECAME A CERTIFIEDStringer, and now I'm interested inlearning racquet customization,

should I get a good scale and balanceboard, or go all out and get a BabolatRDC?

IF YOU’RE IN A FINANCIAL positionto purchase a Babolat RDC

machine, that wouldbe a great next step.Granted, you can getstarted with an accu-rate scale and a bal-ance board, and youcan make a simplefixture that—alongwith a stopwatch

and the on-line calculator in the USRSAmembers-only section of the website—allows you to measure swingweight fairlyaccurately. Still, the Babolat RDC offers a

lot of capability inone convenientpackage.

The BabolatRDC machine alsohas a couple fea-tures you can’tduplicate with ascale, balanceboard, and stop-watch. Amongthese is the ability

to check frame flex. Customizing racquetsoften involves matching two or more rac-quets so that every matched racquet feelsand plays the same. You cannot easily modi-fy the flex of the frame. Sensitive players can

detect small differ-ences in flex, andfor them, evenafter you matchevery other charac-teristic, the rac-quets will still play

differently. Therefore, it is best to knowthe flex of each racquet before you startattempting to match one to the other.

Of course, the Babolat RDC machinealso measures stringbed stiffness, whichcan be used as a quality-control measureafter each stringing, as well as a monitorof tension deterioration over time, and ithas other diagnostic features you mightfind useful.

If you have enough room in your cus-tomizing area to spread out a bit, you canpurchase separate devices. For example,you could use an RA Test, which measuresbalance, racquet flex, and stringbed stiff-ness, and an Alpha AccuSwing or thestopwatch method for swingweight, withthe AccuSwing also serving as your scale.Or you could buy the new Prince PTC toget weight, balance, and swingweight,and an RA Test to measure flex. (See thereview of the Prince PTC elsewhere in thisissue.)

This brings up the issue of how much

Q

A


Your Equipment Hotline


customization work you think you’d bedoing. If you don’t anticipate doing much,then you will be able to get away withslower processes, such as the stopwatchmethod. However, if you are going to bedoing a lot of this type of work, or doingit under pressure situations (such as attournaments, where time is always of theessence), then you should go for thequicker—but more expensive—equip-ment.

TECNIFIBRE MOUNTINGI HAVE A TECNIFIBRE SP Pro Cord,which is old enough that some ofthe really large racquets—such as

the Wilson Hyper Sledge Hammer 2.0—are difficult to mount. I know there areadapters, but do you have any tricks thatmake it easier to string the super-oversizeracquets on this machine?

THE BEST TRICK IS TO REPLACE THEstock turntable with the newer

turntable from the Tecnifibre TF 6000.Tecnifibre designed the TF 6000 turntablespecifically to mount the super-oversizeframes, while it still mounts everythingdown to a badminton frame. The turnta-bles on the TF 7000 and TF 8000 alsohave this flexibility, but neither retrofits tothe SP Pro Cord. As a side benefit, you getbrand new clamps as part of the turntableassembly. Tecnifibre USA can be reachedat 877-332-0825.

FRAME SLIPPAGEHAVE YOU EVER FINISHED string-ing the mains on a frame andnoticed that the throat billiard is

resting up against one of the first grom-mets? I use a Babolat Star 3, and I knowthe frame was perfectly centered when Ifirst mounted it. This only happens whenthe frame has a smooth finish. My mainconcern is if the frame is off center, itcould cause frame distortion.

AS LONG AS YOU MOUNTED THEracquet properly to begin with,

there shouldn’t be a problem. The Babolatmounting system is not designed to

immobilize the racquet—the racquet ismeant to "float" to some degree so it canflex and move within acceptable parame-ters, unlike mounting systems thatattempt to clamp the frame to the tow-ers. You may be seeing this only whenthe finish is smooth because on texturedfinishes, the billiard itself tilts slightly toone side or the other rather than sliding,which masks the misalignment. At anyrate, the angle of misalignment is so smallthat it’s not going to cause any distortion,and once you get going on the crosses,the side-to-side forces are going to beeven greater than those generated by theinstallation of the mains, and presumablyyou’re not seeing any problems there.You can check your mounting any timeby measuring the dimensions of theunstrung frame, and comparing themagainst the dimensions of the strung rac-quet. If you're within 3/32-inches, andyou've strung the racquet according tothe manufacturer's instructions, the rac-quet should be fine.

—Greg Raven �

We welcome your questions. Please send them toRacquet Sports Industry, 330 Main St., Vista, CA,92084; fax: 760-536-1171; email:[email protected].

Q

A

QA

Your ServeThe Trickle-Down Effect

Does professional tennis drive recre-ational play? The recent participationnumbers, thankfully, indicate that there

has been a growth spurt. Importantly, thosefigures were tallied shortly after the 2005 USOpen, which was—by almost every mea-sure—a remarkably successful event.

If pro tennis does drive recreationalplay, then there are four areas thatshould be addressed to help assure con-tinued growth. Maintaining the statusquo is no longer acceptable. Seekingways to position tennis more favorablymust become a higher priority. Successin this regard will create a trickle-downeffect that extends to recreational play.

REGIONALIZE THEPROFESSIONAL TOURSTop professional players in this era con-stantly plead for more time off. Mostleading players already shorten their sea-sons by skipping key tournaments to restor recuperate. As a fan, though, I wantmore. The disturbingly large number ofscheduled exhibitions weakens any argu-ment that the season is too long.

There should be more, not fewer,tournaments all over the world. I advocatethe establishment of four distinct profes-sional tours in North America, SouthAmerica, Europe, and “Australiasia.”

For years, fans and journalists havecomplained that top players lack engagingpersonalities. This is an abject falsehood,but certainly language barriers have anaffect on the relationship between ath-letes and the fans and media. Each conti-nental tour would be open to playersfrom anywhere in the world, but therewill be a natural regionalization. Competi-tors will opt to stay “near home” whengiven the choice. This would reduce theinternational travel that wears out ath-letes. It also creates additional “playerjobs.”

The media will become accustomed to

the players who support the “local”tour. There will be natural geographicrivalries. Fans will wonder: Which circuitis the best? These questions will be set-

tled during the four majors. All this willcreate more excitement and, indeed,more rivalries during the four GrandSlams and the year-ending Tour Champi-onships. John McEnroe and Bjorn Borgonly played one another 14 times duringtheir careers. This made their meetingsin the biggest tournaments feel likechampionship fights.

CREATE A SHOT CLOCKBegin enforcing the “play shall be con-tinuous” rule. The hardest part ofwatching tennis matches is all of the“dead time” between points. Playerswho maintain a quick pace of play aremore attractive to follow.

Let’s reduce the time permittedbetween points to 15 seconds. Tourna-ments should have a “countdown clock”at the corner of each court, and this willautomatically reset after the completionof a point. Fitness will play a larger roleand the matches will have a briskercadence. When there is a natural pausein the action, for extended applause asan example, then it will create somelegitimate drama and fans will feed offthat.

INCLUDE 3RD-PLACEMATCHESBy the final Sunday each week, fans arelimited to watching a singles and a doublesfinal. And that’s it. Tournament directorsought to embrace the same concept thatrules at the Olympics (not to mentionNational junior tournaments), which is toplay off for third place. Offer a differentsplit in the prize money for the winner ofthis match and modify the allocation ofranking points.

This would mitigate fan dissatisfactiondue to a non-competitive final and giveorganizers a built-in assurance in the caseof one injury-shortened match.

MAKE THE BALLS VISIBLEDuring Wimbledon, which remains oursport’s grandest tournament, the ball toooften seems to disappear during telecasts. Iadvocate using optic orange tennis balls,which would be a better contrast to thegreen grass courts. It is essential that themost visible tournament is more, well,visible.

The players would accept this change.Consider the new court color at the USOpen, which went from “dull” green to“television-friendly” blue. Not a singleplayer complained and, in fact, many indi-cated that they liked the new color scheme.In the end, orange balls at Wimbledonwould make the game easier to follow ontelevision. �

We welcome your opinions. Please emailcomments to [email protected] or faxthem to 760-536-1171.

Bill Mountford is the director of tennis at the USTANational Tennis Center, the country’s largest public

tennis facility and home to theUS Open. He has been publishedfrequently, speaks at nationalconventions, and writes a weekly“Ask Bill” column forwww.usta.com.


“John McEnroe and Bjorn

Borg only played one

another 14 times during

their careers. This made

their meetings in the

biggest tournaments feel

like championship fights. “

The head pro at the National Tennis Center says that to continuethe growth in the recreational game, the pro tours need tomake some changes. B Y B I L L M O U N T F O R D

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