200605 Racquet Sports Industry

May 2006Volume 34 Number 5 $5.00

RACQUETCUSTOMIZINGA Sure Way to Make Profits Stick

RACQUETCUSTOMIZINGA Sure Way to Make Profits Stick

Transition Tennis BallsCan Boost Your Business

How To Prevent Theft

Transition Tennis BallsCan Boost Your Business

How To Prevent Theft

DEPARTMENTS

R S I M A Y 2 0 0 6Contents

May 2006 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 3

Contents

4 Our Serve

18 Retail Strategies: Theft Prevention

20 Court Construction: Indoor Clay

22 Focus on Apparel

24 Marketing Success

26 Oncourt Programming: Cardio Tennis

INDUSTRY NEWS

7 USTA launches new “It’s YourGame” campaign

7 Instant replay debuts in pro tennis

7 Federer signs lifetime dealwith Wilson

8 New Gamma ProTour ballfeatures “ThinTex”

8 USPTA offers “Junior Circuit” fornovice players

8 Wilson, ITF expand partnership

9 “No Compromise” Babolat hybridstring promotion

9 TIA deal adds media servicesbenefit for members

10 Tennis Week founderGene Scott dies

10 Sampras is top pick in WorldTeamTennis draft

12 USTA sets Tennis TeachersConference

13 PTR awards state member ofthe year awards

14 Sharapova joins initiative togrow the game

28 Webwise

30 School Tennis

32 Tennis Tech

44 Tips and Techniques

46 Ask the Experts

48 Your Serve

FEATURES

Private court winner in Oakley, Utah

Oaks at Boca Raton Tennis Center

35 Made to OrderBuilding up and promoting a racquet customizing business will reaprewards for you, and give your players unparalleled service.� Why and How to Customize� Marketing Your Services� Rules for Customization� Resources and Online Tools

40 The Soft Sell“Transition balls” are gaining in popularity and exposure, and can help yourbusiness make gains, too.

42 Private RetreatsLocation is king for the RSI/ASBA residential court winners.

RACQUET CUSTOMIZATION

e all want people on our side. As teaching pros or coaches,

you want your students to think positively about you, to

talk you up to others who may not know you or your talents. As

retailers, you want your customers to know that you’ll go that

extra mile for them, but in return, you’d like their loyalty and

repeat business. As facility managers, you want your players to

talk up your courts and your programs, bringing others out to

play.It’s all good for your soul. And it’s good for your business.But, as important as it is to have people advocating for you and your

business, it’s maybe even more important that the sport have peopleadvocating for tennis in their local communities—with schools, business-es, colleges, and park and rec associations.Yes, tennis is on a high right now—participation is up, equipment sales

are up, play is up. But despite the good news, too many courts are stillbeing torn up and replaced with parking lots and strip malls, or given overto other sports or activities. Too many local, school, and college budgetsare reducing or eliminating their expenditures for tennis. This sport needsadvocates on the local level to turn this tide. And that’s where you canhelp greatly.The USTA earlier this year began a campaign to create and help “ten-

nis advocates” throughout the country. The USTA—but in reality, the sportas a whole—needs passionate people to organize and lobby their localpark and rec departments to ensure that tennis is getting its fair share ofthe budgeted recreational funds. The sport needs advocates to help devel-op and run after-school tennis programs to introduce the sport to the nextgeneration of players. Colleges and universities need to be contacted toestablish intramural tennis programs, and to prevent courts from beinglost.You need to jump into the fight on the local level. Talk with park and

rec and other town officials. Meet with school physical education teach-ers. Get to know the athletic departments at your local college. And gettogether with your local Community Tennis Association or USTA sectionor district, even the USTA national office, to push for tennis in your com-munity.Your business depends on tennis and keeping people playing the sport.

You cannot afford not to become an advocate for tennis. It’s time to getout there and make your voice heard in your community.

Peter FrancesconiEditorial Director

Our ServeBecome a Tennis Advocate

(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. May 2006, Volume 34, Number5 © 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 May 2006

W

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

he USTA haslaunched a nation-al advertising cam-

paign aimed at bringinglapsed players back tothe court and encourag-ing existing players toplay more often. Thecampaign will drive con-sumers to the redesignedwww.usta.com as the“one-stop shop for thegame of tennis.”

The new campaignhas a tagline of “Find aCourt, Find a Partner, Find a Program, USTA.com . . . It’s Your Game.” Ads will feature fivepublic tennis courts throughout the country with text focusing on recreational players’ emo-tional connection to the court and the game. Print ads will appear in national publicationsincluding Newsweek, Tennis, ESPN The Magazine, Runner’s World, and Ski Magazine, in additionto multi-cultural publications. TV ads will also run on CBS, ESPN2, USA Network, OLN, andThe Tennis Channel.

The revamped USTA.com launched in April and now offers a range of new services anddatabases to help consumers find a local court, playing partner, or programs, including non-USTA programs. The new site is cleaner and easier to navigate than the old site.

"The new image campaign and redesign of USTA.com provide a great one-two punch tohelp grow the sport,” says Kurt Kamperman, the USTA’s chief executive of Community Tennis.

INDUSTRY NEWSINDUSTRY NEWSR S I M A Y 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


Federer Signs LifetimeDeal With WilsonSolidifying a relationship that beganat age 10, Roger Federer has signed alifetime agreement with Wilson forracquets, string, tennis balls, and ten-nis accessories. Financial terms werenot disclosed.

Federer, the world’s No. 1-rankedplayer, has competed with Wilson rac-quets since day-one, signing his firstprofessional agreement with theChicago-based company in 1997. Fed-erer has won seven Grand Slam titles.

“I’ve literally grown up with a Wilsontennis racquet in my hand,” says Fed-erer, whose mother gave him his firstWilson racquet at age 10. “Havingcome this far, I can’t imagine compet-ing with anything else. Wilson and Ishare a commitment to advancingtennis and fostering athletics, and I’mvery happy to extend our relation-ship.”

Federer debuted the first nCode frameat Wimbledon in 2004 and went on towin the Wimbledon title. Since thenhe has competed with a Wilson nSix-One Tour exclusively.

“Roger will continue pushing the lim-its on the court, and we’re thrilledhe’ll be doing it with Wilson,” saysBrian Dillman, general manager ofWilson Racquet Sports. “WilsonnCode technology has had a tremen-dous impact on Wilson players andtheir performance, and Roger is theultimate example of this success.”

ro tennis made the leap to instant replay in March at the Nas-daq-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Fla. The Hawk-Eye technolo-gy was used on stadium court for both men’s and women’s

matches. Of the 161 challenged calls (84 by the men, 77 by thewomen), the players were successful 53 times.

The system that both the ATP and WTA tours agreed to allowsplayers two challenges per set and a third challenge if the set goesinto a tie-break. Line calls that are upheld on video review countagainst a player’s allotment, while successful challenges areunlimited.

Instant replay will be used during the US Open Series this sum-mer. Its Grand Slam debut will be at the US Open in August, onboth Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong courts.

P

TUSTA Launches New “It’s Your Game”Campaign

Instant Replay Debuts in Pro Tennis

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New Gamma ProTour BallFeatures “ThinTex”

Gamma Sports’ new ProTour Tournament Ball featuresThinTex technology, which the company says com-bines an ultra-thin sculpted core wall and ultra-high

pressure for superior playability. Gamma is also offeringthe ball with a money-back guarantee; if a consumerbelieves the ball is not the best-playing, says Gamma, it willrefund the purchase price.

The ThinTex technology allows the walls of the ball tobe ultra-thin, increasing playability, says Gamma. “As wemove from a thick-walled pressureless practice ball to athin-walled pressurized tournament ball, playability

improves,” says Gamma founderDr. Harry Ferrari. “Thus, going toan even thinner wall with higherpressure further improves playa-bility.”

The ProTour has receivedapproval from the USTA and theITF. It also has been named theofficial ball of the PTR and isavailable with the PTR logo.

For more information, con-tact Gamma at 800-333-0337 [email protected].


USPTA Offers “Junior Circuit”for Novice Players

The USPTA has created a USPTA JuniorCircuit, to provide opportunities to intro-duce less experienced junior players to

tournament competition. The Junior Circuit isrun by individual USPTA pros in their local areas.

Typically, most local and regional tournaments are designed forplayers with competitive experience, and they draw the area’s toptennis athletes. To help novice juniors, ages 10 to 18, gain positive,competitive experience, the USPTA Junior Circuit will feature:� Tournaments that target lower-level competition or recreationalplayers, so that more juniors can compete with peers of similarabilities, helping them prepare for higher-level competition if theychoose to advance.

� A tournament series, in a recognizable pat-tern, such as the first weekend of three con-secutive months, or every Saturday in aparticular month. The exact series will bedetermined at least in part by the pro in thelocal area.

� Local events in one city or a metro area, tohelp keep travel time and expenses low.

� Consistent format. The series will use one for-mat, such as playing pro sets for one-dayevents or traditional scoring at three-dayevents.

� A point system, to reward all participants,even if they do not win a match, and lets them track their stand-ings. Masters tournaments might be held for point leaders at theend of the circuit, and top players there might qualify for divi-sional playoffs.Consumers looking to find a USPTA Junior Circuit in their area

should contact their local USPTA-certified pro, or visitwww.usptafindapro.com. More info is available at www.uspta.com.

Wilson, ITF Expand Partnership

The International Tennis Federation and Wilson SportingGoods have announced a new three-year deal that names Wil-son the official ball of Fed Cup and extends Wilson’s existing

Davis Cup partnership through 2008. The new agreement, whichgives the company on-site exposure at every Fed Cup tie playedthroughout the year, went into effect with the 2006 Fed Cup byBNP Paribas World Group first-round ties and Zonal group eventsin mid-April.

“We are delighted that the ITF’s relationship with Wilson con-tinues to grow,” says ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti. “Thecompany has shown a great commitment to the ITF and itsactivities for several years, and to tennis in general.”

Wilson began its relationship with the ITF in 2002 when itbecame the official ball of Davis Cup. In addition, Wilson is alsothe exclusive supplier of tennis racquets, shoes, clothing, andaccessories to the ITF Development Coaching Team.

Dunlop, Tennis Life MagOffer Trip to US Open

Dunlop Tennis and Tennis Life Magazine are offer-ing to send two fans to the 2006 US Open finalsthrough a sweepstakes at the magazine’s website.

The grand prize winner and a guest will fly to NewYork City, spend three nights at the Roger Smith Hotelin Manhattan, and attend both the men’s and women’sfinals from Dunlop’s box in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Thewinner also will receive four Dunlop racquets, a com-plete line of Dunlop Sport luggage, two cases of Dunloptennis balls and an autographed John McEnroe poster.Two consolation prizes include Dunlop equipment andluggage and signed merchandise by McEnroe.

The sweepstakes is being offered throughwww.tennislife.com and ends on July 15.

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

“No Compromise” Babolat String Promotion

Through June 30, alltennis players whorestring their frames

with Babolat’s Custom+Hybrid string combina-tion will receive a bluebracelet featuring the“No Compromise” slo-gan of the Andy RoddickFoundation.

Babolat is teamingwith the foundation tosupport the “No Com-promise” campaign. Allproceeds from thebracelets benefit thefoundation(www.arfoundation.org),which benefits at-riskchildren. For more infor-mation on the Custom+ Hybrid combinations,visit www.babolat.comor call 877-316-9435.


TIA Deal Adds Media Services Benefit

Tennis Industry Association members now have a media service avail-able that can help them maximize their advertising budgets. Throughan exclusive deal with the TIA, Blue Plate Media Services, a full-service

media planning and buying agency, will help members maximize theirmedia spending through smarter planning, efficiency buying, and highlytargeted opportunistic media, says TIA Executive Director Jolyn de Boer.

“Not only does Blue Plate Media have an excellent trackrecord for helping companies get the most from their

advertising dollars, they also provide expert mediaadvice and planning,” says de Boer. “They can

help our members strengthen awarenesslevels and build their brands.”

The partnership will help TIAmembers, both large and small, byoffering expert media advice,

strategic media planning, and prime, discounted national and regionaladvertising at the best prices possible, she adds.

“Long-term plans, as well as short-term media opportunities, are avail-able across the media landscape, including consumer magazines, newspa-pers, television, outdoor, in-theatre and online,” says de Boer.

In addition to more traditional, integrated media planning, TIA membersare encouraged to complete a Media Buyer profile. Members are then noti-fied via email to prime, discounted advertising inventory in national andregional media, with savings of up to 80 percent. In addition, TIA membersmay take advantage of Blue Plate’s full-service creative. This combination ofservices make Blue Plate Media an extension to member marketing depart-ments—creating, planning and buying advertising—at substantial savings.

For more information visit www.TennisIndustry.org and click on BluePlate Media, or contact the TIA at 843-686-3036.

RSI Columnist Wins U.S. TennisWriters’ Association Honors

Writer Marcia Frost(left), the editor ofwww.CollegeAndJun

iorTennis.com, was hon-ored by the U.S. TennisWriters’ Association for a“Your Serve” commentaryshe wrote for the August2005 issue of RSI. Frost’scommentary pushed for

the USTA to recognize and reward top college play-ers with wild cards in the US Open.

Nearly a dozen writers were honored duringthe Nasdaq-100 Open as winners in the 7th Annu-al U.S. Tennis Writers’ Association Writing Con-test. Six of the 12 awards were claimed by writersfrom Tennis Week magazine. Other media outletswhose writers claimed prizes are the San Francis-co Chronicle, Advantage Tennis Grand Slam Year-book 2004, ESPN.com, and The Oakland Tribune.

“We had record-breaking participation in our2005 Writing Contest, with 27 media outlets rep-resented through 83 articles,” says Liza Horan,USTWA president and administrator of the con-test, which was open to all tennis writers. Win-ning writers and their entries are as follows:

Feature Story1st Place: "Who is the Greatest Tennis Player Ever,”by Paul Fein, Advantage Tennis Grand Slam Yearbook20042nd Place: "Once Upon a Time, Before He was a Sta-dium,” by Joel Drucker, Tennis Week3rd Place: "Life Could be a Dream," by Mark Win-ters, Tennis Week

Game Story1st Place: Federer Leaves Mortals Behind," by BruceJenkins, San Francisco Chronicle2nd Place: "Agassi Wins One for the Ages," by BruceJenkins, San Francisco Chronicle3rd Place: "Roddick, U.S. Beat Old Foe--the ClayCourt," by Whit Sheppard, ESPN.com

Hard News/Enterprise1st Place: "Doubles, Doubles Toil and Trouble," byRichard Vach, Tennis Week2nd Place: "Now up for Bids," by Richard Pagliaro,Tennis Week3rd Place: "Tennis's Best Serve," by Richard Evans,Tennis Week

Column/Commentary1st Place: "Not Carping, Caring," by Michael Mew-shaw, Tennis Week2nd Place: "Open the Door to College Players,” byMarcia Frost, Racquet Sports Industry3rd Place: "Tursunov's Victory Rings from Russia toRoseville," by Art Spander, The Oakland Tribune

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Schwartz, Santorum, GenglerHonored by Hall of Fame

USTA Immediate Past President Alan G.Schwartz of Chicago received the SamuelHardy Award, presented by the Interna-

tional Tennis Hall of Fame, at the USTA’s annualmeeting in Orlando, Fla., in March. The awardis given annually to a USTA volunteer in recog-nition of long and outstanding service to thesport.

Also honored by the Hall of Fame with Edu-cational Merit Awards were Dan Santorum of

Hilton Head Island, S.C., the CEO of the PTR, and Louise Gengler ofPrinceton, N.J., the longtime women’s tennis coach at Princeton Uni-versity and a leader in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

Tennis Educational Merit Awards are presented annually to individ-uals who have made notable contributions in the tennis educationfield at the national level. Award winners have repeatedly demonstrat-ed leadership and creative skills in tennis instruction, writing, organi-zation, and promotion of the game of tennis.

Tennis Week Founder GeneScott Dies

Former USTA boardmember EugeneL. Scott, 68, the

founder and publisherof Tennis Week maga-zine and a member ofthe U.S. Davis Cupteam from 1963 to1965, died of heartdisease March 20.

“A tennis icon,[Gene] touched thegame in every possibleway—as a player, asan advocate, and asthe publisher andfounder of Tennis Week,” said Franklin Johnson, USTAchairman of the board and president. “His passion andenthusiasm for the game were unparalleled, whetheron or off the court.” (For more tributes, see “YourServe” on page 48.)

Donations may be made to The Lucy Foundation,c/o Tennis Week, 15 Elm Place, Rye, N.Y. 10580, whichis a family charity established to aid organizations andprojects devoted to education and recreation, with aspecific focus on tennis.

New “Fit to Play Tennis” Book

Now available from Racquet Tech Publishing is Fit toPlay Tennis: High Performance Training Tips, by CarlPetersen and Nina

Nittinger. Thisphysical andmental train-ing manualarms athletes,coaches, andparents with abullet-point guideto designing high-performance train-ing programs. Thebook will guide youin learning how toenhance perform-ance, limit injuries,and avoid overtrainingand burnout by follow-ing practical tips andtechniques. For more information, visitwww.racquettech.com or call 760-536-1177.

Sampras TopPick in WorldTeamTennisDraft

Pete Sampras was the toppick in the WorldTeamTennis draft held at

the end of March. He will beplaying for the NewportBeach Breakers during theWTT Pro League’s regularseason July 6 to 26. Sam-pras’s first match will be onJuly 10.

This is the 31st season ofplay for the WTT Pro League,presented by Advanta, whichhas 12 teams in the U.S. that

will play 84 matches during the regular season. The top two teamsin both the Eastern and Western conferences will advance to theseason-ending WTT Finals Weekend, set for July 28-30, at the Pal-isades Tennis Club in Newport Beach, Calif.

Sampras, whose WTT debut marks his return to pro tennis com-petition, is one of several well-known names set to play for the pro-fessional co-ed tennis league in 2006. Other marquee picksincluded Venus Williams (Philadelphia Freedoms), John McEnroe(New York Sportimes), Anna Kournikova (Sacramento Capitals),Martina Hingis (New York Sportimes), Martina Navratilova (BostonLobsters), and the doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan (KansasCity Explorers).

Fred

&SusanMullane/Cam

eraworkUSA



Head/Penn and ATPExpand Partnership

The ATP and Head/Penn haveannounced a new three-year agree-ment that makes Head the official

ATP tennis racquet and racquet bagthrough 2008. The new deal is anexpansion of the ATP’s 13-year partner-ship with Penn.

Head will be the exclusive licenseefor the ATP and will introduce a co-branded line of bags that will be dis-tributed globally. Further programs,including a co-branded racquet, will bejointly developed with a special focuson China, the site of the Tennis MastersCup for the next three years.

The Head sponsorship joins Penn’sexisting sponsorship as the official ballof the ATP and the Tennis Masters Cup.Penn additionally sponsors 14 tourna-ments worldwide, including the nineATP Masters Series events.

TIA Earmarks$1.5 Millionto Grow Game

The Tennis Industry Associationreported income and expenses of$2,188,980 for 2005. More than

$1.5 million, or about 70 percent,went to grassroots programming andefforts to increase tennis participation.

TIA membership for 2005 morethan doubled, to 322 total membersfrom 150 in 2004 (including individ-ual, facility, retailer, and supportingmembers). Revenue from TIA dueswere up 60 percent versus 2004, butshort of budget due to slower thananticipated growth in the new mem-ber categories, says the TIA. Theanticipated membership goal for2005 was 573 members.


USTA Sets TennisTeachers Conference

Mark your calendars now for the2006 USTA Tennis TeachersConference, to be held Aug. 26

to 29 at the Grand Hyatt in New YorkCity. This year’s theme, “Setting theStage for Success,” encourages coach-es to establish a platform for players todevelop and grow in both skill andexperience.

The concept encompasses all levelsof play and development. At eachphase, teachers can set the stage forfun, growth, and ultimately, success.Registration starts May 1. Visit www.usta.com/ttc or call 914-696-7004.

Deco Installed at St. John’s University

DecoSystems, a division of California Products Corp., reported that their full cush-ioned tennis surface DecoTurf has been installed in the newly reconstructed ten-nis facility at St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y.

The three existing courts at the University’s Outdoor Tennis Facility were rebuiltand replaced with five fully cushioned DecoTurf courts by tennis court builder JMTennis Inc. of Old Bethpage, N.Y.

DecoTurf was also recently selected for use at the University of Alabama, the Uni-versity of Connecticut, and the University of Virginia. For more information, visitwww.decoturf.com or call 800-DECO 1ST.

LBH Names EvansHead of Sales

The LBH Group Ltd. has namedindustry veteran Bill Evans as thenew vice president of sales.

Evans will be responsible for manag-ing the sales of all of the LBH brandsfor both golf and tennis, includingLily’s of Beverly Hills, LBH, Wimble-don, and Fancy Pants. He previouslyheld the same position at Tail and isthe former president of Sergio Tac-chini in the U.S.

“Bill brings a wealth of industryexperience to LBH that will enableus to continue our growth in boththe golf and tennis markets,” saysLBH President Judy Petraitis. “Weare looking forward to his positiveimpact with our customers, salesreps, and internal personnel.”

The LBH Group, based in Tor-rance, Calif., has been manufactur-ing and distributing women’s golfand tennis apparel for 33 years. In1997 it became the licensee forWimbledon men’s and women’sapparel in the USA, Canada, and theCaribbean Islands.

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Head/Penn AnnouncesPartnership withBeach Tennis USA

Head/Penn Racquet Sports is theofficial racquet and ball of BeachTennis USA, which kicked off its

2006 National Tour in April with twoweekend events in Southern California.The 11-city tour will culminate with theU.S. Beach Tennis Open Championshipin Long Beach, N.Y., in August.

The relatively new sport of beachtennis is played on a regu-lation beach vol-leyball court.Using regula-tion tennisracquets,two play-ers oneachteam tryto hit a tennis ball back and forth, overthe net, without letting it hit the sand.Only one hit per team is allowed oneach volley. Scoring is the same as intennis, with no-ad at deuce. If a player'sserve hits the net and goes over, itcounts.

“We are very excited to be promot-ing beach tennis. This partnership withBeach Tennis USA is a great fit for usand we are excited to have establishedthis new connection to the sport of ten-nis,” says Amy Wishingrad, nationalpromotions manager for Head/Penn.

Bryans Have Firm GripOn Pro Doubles Lead

The world No. 1 doubles team of Bob andMike Bryan won a crucial doubles matchin the recent Davis Cup win over Chile in

April, which followed up a Davis Cup win ear-lier in the year. The duo, which also claimedtheir 28th pro doubles title in February, areexpected to be the mainstay of the Davis Cupteam that will travel to Russia in Septemberfor the semifinal round.

“Over the last seven months, the Bryanbrothers have won the US Open, the Aus-tralian Open, two Davis Cup matches, andThe Tennis Channel Open,” says GeneNiksich, president of Unique Sports Products.“Through all their wins, Unique Sports’ Tour-na Grip has been there.” The brothers, whoplay with Wilson nCode racquets, are long-time users of Tourna Grip. For more informa-tion, contact Unique at 800-554-3707.

PTR Awards StateMembers of the Year



National Public Parks TourneySet for National Tennis Center

The 80th Annual National Public Parks Tennis Champi-onships will be held June 19 to 25 on the blue courtsat the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Mead-

ows, N.Y., the home of the US Open.Entry deadline for all event—juniors, adults, and seniors

in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles—is June 5 at 5 p.m.Eastern time. Online entry at www.usta.com/tennislink ispreferred. Tournament I.D.’s are 100217106 for adults, and100216906 for juniors.

For more information, go to the website or call 718-760-6200.

The Professional Tennis Reg-istry presented the StateMember of the Year Awards

to 27 of its members recentlyduring an awards ceremony atthe PTR Symposium on HiltonHead Island, S.C.� Alabama: John Dotson & ScottNovak

� Arizona: Mike Lowdermilk� Arkansas: Craig Ward� California: Julien Heine� Colorado: Phil Betancourt� Connecticut: Sharon Weston� Florida: Noel Cubela� Georgia: George Hovsepian� Kansas: Marc Blouin� Louisiana: Jeff Smith� Massachusetts: JorgeMagalhaes

� Minnesota: Roger Mitten� Missouri: Greg Mahosky� New Jersey: Joe Bautista� New Mexico: Bev Bourguet

� New York: Bogdana Romanska� North Carolina: Allen Michael� Ohio: Ralph Dunbar� Oregon: Pam Lamb� Pennsylvania: Tina Tharp� South Carolina: Sam Kiser� South Dakota: Daryl Paluch� Texas: Kerlin Butchee� Virginia: Mary Conaway� Vermont: Errol Nattrass� Washington: Karen Green

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Sharapova Joins Initiative to Grow the Game

Maria Sharapova,the highest paidfemale athlete in

the world who appearedin the Sports IllustratedSwimsuit Issue in Febru-ary, is the latest super-star to promote thesport of tennis to attractnew and former playersas part of an industry-wide initiative for Tennis Welcome Centers.

“I’ve loved playing tennis since I was 4 years old, so it’s natural for me toparticipate in this campaign to encourage people to pick up a racquet andjoin in,” says 18-year-old Sharapova, who joins Jeff Gordon, Daisy Fuentes,Mike Wallace, Roy Jones, Jr., and fellow tennis pros Andre Agassi, Andy Rod-dick and James Blake, in the campaign to get more people playing tennis.

The national program is an unprecedented combined effort by every partof the tennis industry, including tennis facilities, manufacturers, tourna-ments, teaching organizations, tennis associations, retailers, and media. Themarketing campaign includes print advertisements, broadcast spots for bothTV and radio, and promotion on the Internet. The consumer website iswww.TennisWelcomeCenter.com. The program is available to any facility orschool with a tennis court. Prospective facilities can find information on par-ticipation at www.Partners.TennisWelcomeCenter.com.

Federer, Clijsters, OtherTop Pros Receive Honors

World No. 1 Roger Federer and US Openchamp Kim Clijsters received top honorsat the “Stars for Stars” Official Awards

Party of Professional Tennis in March in Miami.Federer was named 2005 Player of the Year

and also won the Fan’s Favorite Award and theStefan Edberg Sportsman of the Year. Clijsterswas named WTA Tour Player of the Year andComeback Player of the Year. She also receivedthe Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award forthe fifth time and was selected as the Fans’Favorite.

Other awards included: Bob and Mike Bryanas ATP Doubles Team of the Year and also FanFavorites. Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosurwon WTA Doubles Team of the Year. JamesBlake was named ATP Comeback Player. MostImproved honors went to Rafael Nadal and AnaIvanovic.

Newcomer of the Year Awards were present-ed to Gael Monfils and Sania Mirza, while LeizelHuber and Carlos Moya received Humanitarianawards for their responses to Hurricane Katrinaand the South Asian tsunami, respectively.


> Prince has announced a reorganizationdesigned to accelerate growth in the Asia-Pacific and Latin American regions. MikeRicketts, a part of the Prince managementteam for four years, is now the vice presi-dent and managing director of the Asia-Pacific region, and Jon Plimpton is themanaging director of the Latin Americanregion.

> More than 75,000 free racquets havebeen distributed to children by Advantasince the 2003 inception of Advanta’s“Ready, Set, Racquet!” program, designedto promote youth fitness and the lifelongsport of tennis.

> Wilson expanded its outreach to highschool tennis as a sponsor of the 7th Annu-al All-American Invitational Boys’ TeamHigh School Tournament in NewportBeach, Calif., in March. The company pro-vided tennis balls for the tournament,which invites 16 teams from across thecountry to participate based on rankingsand statistics. Wilson also offered coaching

SHORT SETSstrategies, player tips, and equipment guide-lines to coaches and players.

> The U.S. Davis Cup team beat Chile in Apriland now advances to the semifinals Sept. 23-24. The U.S. will face Russia at a site to bechosen by the Russian Tennis Federation.

> The U.S. defeated the Australian team 15-12 in the 20th Bonnebell Maureen ConnollyBrinker Cup international girls’ team competi-tion held in Australia in April. The competitionis for girls 14 and under. The U.S. leads theseries 17-3.

> Gamma Sports’ new ProTour TournamentBall will be the official ball of the Peter C.Alderman Foundation (PCAF) Pro-Am Celebri-ty Tennis Classic on June 9 and 10 at the SawMill Club in Mount Kisco, NY. To inquire aboutbecoming a Gamma dealer, contact 800-333-0337 or email [email protected]

> The reality series “Wife Swap” is lookingfor a family that is passionate about playingtennis for an upcoming episode. Potentialfamilies must consist of at least two parentsthat have one child age 5 or older living at


home. Families featured on the show receivea $20,000 honorarium, and if you recom-mend a family that appears, you’ll receive a$1,000 finder’s fee. To apply for the show,email a family photo and description [email protected].

> Charlotte, N.C., will host “The Champi-onships at the Palisades,” a new tennis tour-nament on the Outback Champions Series,to be played Sept. 20-24 at The PalisadesCountry Club. It’s the fifth tournament in theseries, a collection of tennis events in theU.S. featuring tennis greats over the age of30. John McEnroe and Jim Courier will high-light the eight-player field.

> Penn is the official ball of the Delray BeachITC, Pacific Life Open, Nasdaq-100 Open,Bausch & Lomb, and Family Circle Cup.

> The ATP has announced a seven-year dealwith Beijing Li-Ning Sports Goods Co.,China’s largest sports clothing company.ATP-branded clothing from Li-Ning will beavailable in the company’s more than 3,000stores in China starting in July.

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• Maria Sharapova hassigned a multi-year deal with Land

Rover that includes her use of Land Rovervehicles, and her participation in retail promo-

tions and events. ESPN.com reports the deal isworth about $2 million a year.

• World No. 1 player Roger Federer wasrecently appointed as a UNICEF GoodwillAmbassador. “It’s important to me to helpthe many children throughout the worldwho do not have the basic resources theyneed,” says Federer.

• Melanie McGeough is the new communica-tions manager for Wilson Racquet Sports.

• The USOC Coaching Recognition Program hasnamed Brian Barker of Monroe, Conn., as NationalCoach of the Year for his work with pro JamesBlake. Mark Bey of Skokie, Ill., the founder anddirector of CARE Academy, was named Develop-mental Coach of the Year, and Dr. Ann Lebedeff ofTemecula, Calif., received the “Doc” CounsilmanScience Award.

• Maria Sharapova won her 11thcareer tournament in March at thePacific Life Open in Indian Wells,Calif., her first victory playing withPrince’s O3 White racquet.

• Svetlana Kuznetsova, playing with aHead Flexpoint Instinct frame, won the Nasdaq-100Open in Miami in April.

• Mary Jo Campbell is the new strength and condi-tioning specialist and athletic trainer for USTA PlayerDevelopment. She will be based in Carson, Calif.

• Bernard Tomic, the 13-year-old Australian tennissensation, has signed with sports managementgroup IMG.

• Rebecca McPhee of Lexington, S.C., is the newevents manager on the USTA Southern Sectionstaff.

• Mark Vandewater has been named the RegionalSales Manager of the Year for Gamma Sports. Van-dewater, who joined Gamma in 2004, servicesaccounts in western Pennsyvlania, western NewYork, Ohio, and Kentucky.

• Todd Norton of Greenville, S.C., is the anew Tennis Service Representative in

South Carolina.

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Pacific Sport Resurfaces in U.S.

Pacific Sport, a German-based company whose Natural Gutstrings have received the No. 1 rating by the USRSA four out ofthe past five years, has resurfaced in the U.S. Pacific Sport spe-

cializes in the manufacture of strings, grips, and accessories.Distributed out of Santa Barbara, Calif., Pacific’s string line

includes award-winning natural gut, high-quality German-manufac-tured polyester, and multifilament synthetics. The company wasbest known during the early 1980s when John McEnroe won threeWimbledon titles using Pacific's Natural Gut. Pacific remains one ofa handful of companies in the world that still produces its own nat-ural gut.

Pacific players, which include competitive players in top NCAAprograms, nationally ranked juniors, and current and up-and-com-ing pros, are recognized by the unique “X” logo stenciled on theirstrings.

For more information, visit www.teampacificusa.com, call 800-892-5901, or email [email protected].

College Tennis Guides Availablefor High School Juniors and Seniors

The “Monthly Guide to College Planning” workbook was introducedas a complement to the information available onwww.CollegeTennisConnect.com, but the workbook proved so pop-

ular that it was broken into separate versions for high school seniors andjuniors. The books take the student/junior player through the 24-monthprocess of preparing tobecome a college player andinclude worksheets to checkoff their progress eachmonth.

They are written by Mar-cia Frost, a college tennisadvocate who travels to tour-naments and writes aboutjunior and college players, inaddition to interviewingrecruiting college coachesfrom all divisions. Frost isthe editor of www.CollegeTennisConnect.com and runswww.CollegeAndJuniorTennis.com. She also is a member of the USTAEastern College Tennis Committee.

CollegeTennisConnect.com combines the tennis knowledge of thePort Washington (N.Y.) Tennis Academy’s College And Junior Tennisand the directory experience of Richard Lipsey of College Sports Con-nect. It is the only online directory that lists every college in the U.S.and Canada with a tennis program and features numerous articles tohelp with college planning, all at a cost of $29 a year.

Coaches, teaching pros, and others in the industry can order theworkbooks and College Tennis Connect subscriptions for their highschool players. Volume discounts apply. For more information or toorder, visit www.CollegeAndJuniorTennis.com/CTCForRSI.php, or call609-896-1996.



Tail to Introduce Cardio Tennis Apparel Line

Tail says it will introduce a line of Cardio Tennis-specific appar-el for November delivery. Tail President Andy Varat said theline should be ready for showing in July.“It will be part of the Tail Tech line, which is the active part

of our tennis collection,” says Varat. The Cardio Tennis line willinclude fitness tops, capris, jackets, and skirts “and will defi-nitely have more of an active fitness look to it.” The line willalso merchandise back to Tail’s regular tennis collection.

For more information on Tail apparel, visit www.tailinc.comor call 800-678-8245.

BJK, Austin Family Honoredat USTA Annual Meeting

Tennis legend Billie Jean King and the Austin family of South-ern California were among those honored for their contri-butions to the game at the USTA Annual Meeting at the

Disney Yacht & Beach Club in Orlando, Fla., in March.In a special ceremony, King received the 2005 President’s

Award for her extraordinary service to tennis. “To me, BillieJean King is not only a great name in tennis, but a great namein all of sports,” said USTA President Franklin Johnson. “Shehas so many accomplishments, but she’s still giving to thegame.”

“When I was 12, I just knew I wanted to change things,”said King, who was interviewed by close friend and TV com-mentator Mary Carillo on stage in front of a capacity crowd.Carillo asked King about her past, present, and future in thegame as photos from her history in the sport were displayed,and King commented on the photos.

Tennis champion Tracy Austin, along with her parents,George and Jeanne, and four siblings, received the 2005 RalphW. Westcott USTA Family of the Year award, an honor pre-sented annually to a family who in recent years has done themost to promote amateur tennis, primarily on a volunteerbasis. The Austins have been at the center of the Southern Cal-ifornia tennis for nearly 50 years and have supported the USTAand numerous charitable initiatives.

Taught the game by their mother and father, all five Austinchildren—Tracy, John, Pam, Jeff and Doug—each have success-ful collegiate or professional tennis histories and have sincemade the sport their career. “The Austin family embodieseverything the USTA and this award stand for,” said Johnson.

Other awards presented at the USTA Annual Meetingincluded:� 2005 Barbara Williams Leadership Award—Margaret New-field, Miami, Fla.

� 2005 USTA Organiza-tion of the Year—PikesPeak Community Ten-nis Association, PikesPeak, Colo.

� 2006 Brad ParksAward—Grand RapidsWheel Chair SportsAssociation

Classic Turf System InstalledOn Bermuda Parking Garage Deck

Classic Turf Co. recently installed its patented cushionedcourt surface in Bermuda on top of a parking garage at theheadquarters of Ace Insurance Co. Ace Insurance officials

chose Classic Turf to replace previous surfaces that had failedon top of the concrete deck.

“Classic Turf’s breathable and waterproofing propertiesallow the Classic Turf System to be installed over the concretesubsurface permanently,” says Tumer Eren, the president ofClassic Turf. “This permanent installation over the concretedoesn’t just give players a soft, comfortable surface with aconsistent ball bounce and speed, but also, it protects theconcrete slab from the elements, such as the salt air, UV rays,rain, and hurricane-force winds.”

Eren shipped the prefabricated Classic Turf rubber rolls,along with specialized installation tools, to the Hamilton,Bermuda, site from his factory and warehouse in Woodbury,Conn. After preparation of the concrete slab, the Classic TurfSystem was installed according to its specifications. The com-pleted court also included the installation of two permanentbasketball backboards and hoops.

For more on Classic Turf, visit www.classicturf.org, [email protected], or call 800-246-7951.

before

after

STRATEGIESretailOn Guard!

Theft—whether from employees or customers—can destroy your business. Here’s what

you can do to prevent it.

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urning a business plan into a suc-cessful endeavor takes time,money, effort, and dedication.

Theft, which can happen in ways youmay not expect, can hamper your suc-cess if it is not controlled. To protectyour business and bottom line againsttheft, you need to stay vigilant and takeproper precautions.

THE INSIDE JOBSurprisingly, businesses take the biggesthit not from customer theft, or“shoplifting,” but from employee theft.It is estimated that employees alonesteal $1 billion a week from Americanbusinesses. In fact, nearly one-third ofbankruptcies in the U.S. are caused byemployee theft, explains John Case,who is with EmployeeTheft.com and isthe author of several books on employ-ee theft and shoplifting.

Among the common methods ofemployee theft are embezzlement,common pilferage, and abuse of dis-count privileges. Another method thatcan result in substantial losses isemployee collusion with customers, inwhich the two work together in a theftattempt. In some cases, an employeehas the opportunity to obtain and iso-late material for a customer, and thecustomer has the means to remove itwithout raising suspicions. Employee/customer collusion can also take placeat the cash register, where a customerbrings several items to the register, butthe cashier does not charge the cus-tomer for all of them.

According to Case, motives foremployee theft include revenge againstthe company, temptation, opportunity

The calls an “anti-snitch attitude.”Case suggests implementing an“anonymous tip” program to whichemployees can report a co-worker’sdishonesty without concern for dis-closure of their identity. The programcan be an informal, in-house set-up,although some go through serviceswhere employees can report inci-dents by calling a toll-free number.

Addressing suspected employeetheft can expose a business to liabili-ty to such issues as slander, defama-tion, false imprisonment, or inflictionof emotional distress. An attorney oryour local police department may beable to advise you on how to handlesuch an employee-theft situation.

CUSTOMER THEFTShoplifting by customers amounts tomore than $10 billion per year. In ten-nis retail, one of the most targeteditems is clothing.

Shoplifters engage in such behav-ior to fulfill a desire to get “some-thing for nothing,” and becausethere is a lack of fear of gettingcaught. Some signals that employeesshould look for that could indicatecustomer theft is a patron who refus-es help and/or handles merchandisewithout looking at it, instead lookingaround to see if they have beennoticed. Wearing bulky clothingwhere merchandise can easily be hid-den is another sign of possible intentto steal.

Employees should also take noticeif a group enters the store togetherand then spreads out to differentareas, forcing employees to monitorseveral departments at once.

“The most effective deterrent of

for dishonest behavior, financial need,and boredom. To help deter employeetheft, Case says, start with pre-employ-ment screening, which can include crim-inal, prior employment, and creditchecks.

“Most employees who steal havestolen before,” Case says. “They have apattern in dishonesty. If you don’t con-duct a thorough employment check, youare getting the people who are rejectedby other companies that do.”

To deter employee theft among exist-ing employees, Case says, “The key is toremove the opportunity.” A breakdownin business procedures, such as failure toconduct ongoing inventory counts, mon-itor item refunds, and personally super-vise employee performance, can facilitateemployee theft.

After discovering that one employeewas committing credit-card fraudthrough the item-return process, CorinnePinsof-Kaplan, owner of the 18,000-square-foot Chicago Tennis and Golf inChicago, changed store policy, allowingonly managers to handle returns. “Toomany people had their hands in there,”she says.

Other signs of employee theft can beeasy to see, such as inventory placed indumpsters or at exits near employeeparking. “There’s no substitution for theowner being present as many days aspossible and putting in as much time aspossible,” says Mark Mason, owner ofMason’s Tennis Mart in New York City.“When that happens, there’s less of aninclination for employees to steal.”

Often, Case explains, other employ-ees are knowledgeable that a peer isstealing from the business but have what

customer theft are well-trained sales-people who are attentive and trainedto notice suspicious behavior,” saysCase. In his 1,000-square-foot shop,Mason commonly keeps three sales-people on the floor in the store’s maindepartments. “There’s nothing likehands-on service, which is good interms of increasing your sales, but it’salso very good because it preventstheft,” he says. “An owner shouldmake every employee aware that steal-ing is a reality.

“You want to keep a very relaxed,cordial atmosphere in your shop, but atthe same time you want customers toknow that you are in control.”

Further protection is offered bysecurity equipment. Widely useddevices include cameras and securitytags on merchandise. According toHarry Greenberg, business counselorfor SCORE, which offers training andadvice to small businesses, some fac-tors that businesses consider whenchoosing whether or not to invest inthe equipment is the worth of the mer-


chandise and the business’s history withtheft and subsequent losses.

Another way in which to discouragecustomer theft is to plan your shop’slayout with adequate lighting in allareas, and to keep the most expensiveproducts where they can be monitored.“We are very conscious of security andhow we set up the store,” says Pinsof-Kaplan. “For us, the fewer the blindspots, the better.”

PROTECT YOUR BUSINESSBusiness owners, managers andemployees should be thoroughlytrained in shoplifting detection, appre-hension, and prevention, and shouldalso be knowledgeable of state andlocal laws on shoplifting. Before youimplement a loss-prevention program,however, review the program with anattorney and coordinate whenever pos-sible with the local police department.

But, as any retailer would certainlyagree, “The best thing is just to preventit in the first place,” says Pinsof-Kaplan.�


Clay Courts Indoors?Efforts are under way to increase knowledge and improve playing conditions

on a surface typically reserved for outdoor play.

COURT construction�

Facilities had been left to their owndevices to come up with the best routinesthey could to keep the courts safe andplayable. A few were doing quite well andachieving considerable success pleasing theirplaying public, but even at those locations,there was concern over a perceived lack ofcontrol over court conditions and over thelack of any support from the manufactureror any industry trade associations.

In response, we hosted a conference onindoor clay courts on Long Island, N.Y., thatAugust to bring together builders, owners,managers, teaching professionals, and main-tenance personnel to gather knowledge andshare ideas and concerns. Close to 40 peo-ple attended what became the first of ourAnnual Conference on Indoor Clay Courts.

According to conference attendees, play-ers expect that clay courts indoors shouldplay the same as clay courts outdoors, yetthey rarely do. The controlled, comfortableslide on outdoor courts is replaced by a slip-pery court that often is too dry.

There were three areas of concern: sur-face compaction, irrigation, and humidity.Severe compaction occurs indoors becauseof the extremely high use, and this com-paction creates a surface that is bald, slip-pery, and difficult to irrigate. Water can andwill help soften the courts, but with lowevaporation rates indoors, it is difficult toirrigate the courts in a way that maintainsan appropriate amount of water in the sur-face profile.

Flooding the courts with too much wateris a real concern because they take so longto dry, and that increases the humidity levelsin the building. Whether the indoor courtsare in a permanent structure or an air struc-ture, controlling humidity levels is vital tomake the playing environment safe and

over long periods, it’s not hard to see whyclay has been low on the priority list as faras a surface for indoor facilities.

But recent developments are helpingmake clay courts in indoor facilities a moreviable, and indeed desirable, option.

At my company, Lee Tennis of Char-lottesville, Va., which manufactures Har-Tru,developing tools and techniques for main-taining clay courts is a part of our culture.We have long realized that the simpler themaintenance and the better the courts, theeasier it becomes to sell. Years of researchand innovation have helped to reduce main-tenance needs on outdoor clay courts fromthree hours per day to as little as 20 min-utes per day.

But up until three years ago, very littlework had been done to improve playabilityand decrease maintenance on indoor claycourts. The reason for this is in the numbers.There are an estimated 30,000 outdoor claycourts, vs. less than 500 indoors. But withthe recent interest in bringing the slidingbenefits of clay indoors, we’ve been takinga close look at what needs to be done.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTIONAt Lee Tennis, the first thing we did was tocompile an inventory of existing indoorcourts and to get a feel for court conditionsand customer satisfaction. A visit to 19 facil-ities in the Northeast in January 2004revealed that for the majority of them, boththe people maintaining the courts and thoseplaying on them were very unhappy. Fromfacility to facility, there was no consistencyin either the maintenance routines or theproblems, and generally there was confu-sion about what should be done to keepthe courts in the best shape.

ndoor facilities play an essential andoften overlooked role in the tennis

industry. In the northern half of the U.S.,for as many as nine months of the year,they are the lifeblood of the game, provid-ing access to leagues, lessons, tourna-ments, and the accompanying healthy, fun,social interaction.

Although they are found in abundancein the northern half of our country, somemay be surprised to learn there are indoorfacilities as far south as Alabama. They areeven being talked about in Florida, wherethere are pressures to flee the intense sum-mer sun for cooler, skin-safe environs.

As the baby-boomers, and the largestpercentage of the avid tennis playing pop-ulation, sprint toward the years onceknown as “retirement,” providing accessto tennis court surfaces indoors that areeasy on the body, and will allow this groupto play tennis well into old age, is increas-ingly relevant for facility owners, managers,and teaching professionals, all eager toattract and retain this well-to-do customersegment. Clay, and the American versionof it known as Har-Tru or fast-dry, is one ofthese surfaces.

It has long been known that a soft sur-face like clay is easier on players’ joints. Butclay is not typically at the top of the list forindoor installation, for two basic reasons:1) Indoor clay courts play differently thanoutdoor clay courts, tending to be harderand more slippery, and 2) indoor claycourts are more difficult to maintain thanoutdoor clay. When you add in concernsabout wear and tear to the structure hous-ing the courts from exposure to humidity

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pleasant. Simultaneously trying to keepthe court surface wet and the air dry is abit of a conundrum. In relative humiditygreater than 65 percent, condensationoccurs more frequently and mold andmildew start to grow. Too much humidityalso allow the tennis balls to get dirty andheavy.

The interconnected nature of theseproblems made resolving, or at least man-aging, these issue quite challenging, butsome of the work that we had done onoutdoor courts applied to indoor claycourts, too. For instance, several aggres-sive tools had been developed for use onoutdoor, sub-surface irrigated courts,which also tend to get very hard and aresusceptible to algae and moss. It wasfound that these tools could be incorpo-rated into the daily, monthly, and annualroutines effectively to break up the hardsurface layer and make it safer and lessslippery.

Another outdoor strategy tested andsuccessfully brought indoors was aeratingcourts. By using machines that shoot high-ly pressurized jets of water into the courtsurface, cavities were created to allowcourts to expand and soften and water topenetrate more freely.

NEW MANUALThe outcome of this work was a newIndoor Maintenance Manual for claycourts. The manual was introduced lastAugust at the Second Annual Conferenceon Indoor Clay Courts. While we considerthis manual a work in progress, it has cre-ated a baseline to work from by outliningthe challenges, explaining why they occur,and offering strategies for managingthem. It is available to the general publicat Lee Tennis’ website, www.hartru.com.(Also from the website, users can link toan “Indoor Forum,” where current andpotential indoor clay court personnel canshare ideas, post pictures, ask questions,and more.)

In conjunction with the new manual,we’ve also launched research aimed atquantifying optimal surface compaction,moisture content, and traction. For thisresearch, we’re utilizing the assistance ofsome of the best soils scientists in thecountry and hope that by understandingthe science of what is making courts sohard, they can provide better solutions forcourt maintenance. There is ongoing test-

ing at two facilities in Virginia, and we willbe conducting tests at more than 15 facili-ties along the East Coast.

When it comes to maintaining indoorclay courts, we still have a lot to learn, andchallenges still to overcome. But, for thefirst time, we know what those challengesare and have taken steps to find workable,practical solutions. For instance, we’ve stan-dardized maintenance routines and toolsand equipment to achieve excellent resultsin terms of playability, and we’ve developedways to communicate this information tocurrent and potential court owners.

Pat Hanssen heads up Lee Tennis’s commitment tofind solutions for maintaining indoor clay courts,including directing research and development inthis area. The Third Annual Conference on IndoorClay Courts will again be in August. For more infor-mation, contact Hanssen [email protected] or 1-877-4-HARTRU.


We’ve also begun to quantify scientifi-cally what owners and players consider“good” and “bad” in terms of playing con-ditions. As the data comes in, we’ll use it todevelop new tools, techniques—and maybeeven new surfaces—that will change theway people feel about clay courts indoors. �

FOCUS ON apparel

How to Shop for your Customers

/

onfused about what apparel lines tocarry? Making sure you bring in linesthat will easily find their way back

out the door is one of the toughest tasksyou’ll face. You need to pick what appealsto your customers visually and financially,and is comfortable to wear. And you needto know what sizes to stock.

First, know your market. Take a closelook at who’s playing at your club.Chances are your players are a mixed bagof sizes and shapes, from fitness divas tomature figures who need more forgivingstyles and fit. Ask a cross-section of mem-bers what sorts of things they look for intennis apparel. But be wary of basing yourorders on just one person’s opinion.

Don’t just look at the catalogs or web-site of apparel makers. Ask questions ofthe rep or manufacturer about the waytheir clothing fits and what types of play-ers are more likely to wear one of theirproduct lines over another. Then comparethe manufacturers’ target markets to thepeople you actually have playing at yourfacility or visiting your shop.

Always ask about advance ordering orpre-booking policies. Larger manufacturersmay pre-book orders, but odds are youwon’t be guaranteed all you order. Sincemany manufacturers forecast a specificnumber of units to be produced, largerretailers may receive all or most of whatthey ordered over smaller shops, and once

C


a product line is gone, it may gone forgood, with no backorder leeway.

In some instances, there are no guaran-tees, especially if clothing production isoverseas. But that’s not true of all manufac-turers. That’s why it’s best to check and seewhat each apparel company’s ordering poli-cies are and what availability will bethroughout the season before you committo a certain line.

A few apparel manufacturers offeredsome insight into how and who they designtheir clothing for.

THE LBH GROUP has three differentlines of clothing. The Lily’s and LBH lines,both made in the U.S. by the same manu-facturer, may appear somewhat similar, butthere are some subtle differences. Lily’s hasbeen on the market for about 30 years andfeatures a slightly more forgiving and tradi-tional fit with more “sweep” to the skirt,whereas 10-year-old LBH has a more activefit, employing high-tech Coolmax fabricsfeaturing racer-back tops and built-in bras.Wimbledon, the third LBH line, is very tradi-tional, catering to the “country club” niche,sporting more white, pleated skirts andcables.

LBH’s Katie Curry says their marketcaters to women who are reading fashionmagazines and want their tenniswear tomirror their everyday ready-to-wear clothes.Their lines are composed of many compli-mentary pieces and components suitable for

B Y C Y N T H I A S H E R M A N

the well-dressed team as well as style con-scious individuals.

LEJAY is made in Miami and offers twocatalogs per year featuring six fashiongroups in each. Within their fashion groups,Lejay features a variety of styles/silhouettesto appeal to a broad age range. They mayoffer different tops in all the samecolor/print so that customers have a choiceof style. Trish Levin of Lejay says a camisolewould appeal to the younger, more fitness-oriented customer, while the cap sleevemay be desirable for the more matureplayer.

Lejay’s lines, which feature built-in bras,are more fitted and have more cross-overpieces for active wear. The designs alsoreflect fashion trends, and Levin says theirtypical customer is active, energetic andfashionable. The company also offers morethan 25 styles for team play to mix andmatch.

BÄLLE DE MÄTCH lines are perfor-mance-driven and focus on kids, and menand women ages 18 to 45. This young,Southern California brand features the rec-ognizable “Yippee Man” on many of itstops and bottoms, as well as more sophisti-cated looks for active adults. But ownerJohn Embree notes that you don’t have tohave the perfect body to wear Bälle cloth-ing, so it’s “user-friendly.” Besides making alot of team clothing, Bälle carries children’stennis/activewear to include ages 4 to 14.

TAIL has been in the business for morethan 30 years, targeting the recreational,semi-competitive player, aged mid-20s andbeyond. The company makes use of high-tech fabrics, with lines that are gearedtoward the 25- to 40-year-old woman whoseeks a more athletic fit and more aggres-sive styling. But within those collections aremore relaxed fitting fashions for the moremature women.

About 80 percent of garments in manyTail collections feature a more classic fit,while the remainder are geared toward ayounger consumer with the more athleticfit. Tail does a lot of team business, and allclothing collections are “team friendly,”with plenty of crossover components. �

SUCCESSmarketing&


orried about finding the right peo-ple to help you on court with yoursummer programs or holiday

camps? There are three often-overlookedcategories that you should look into toease your hiring anxieties. Consider anyone of these resources, or use all three, tocreate new levels of success in your juniorprograms.

Remember that if you make your pro-grams fun and build the self-esteem ofeach participant in the process, you arealmost guaranteed to succeed.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PHYS-ICAL EDUCATION TEACHERSIf your summer program includes youngerbeginning children, consider hiring ele-mentary school physical education teach-ers. Many in your area are looking forsummer employment, and the month ofMay is a good time to start asking around.They don’t even need any tennis experi-ence.

First, go to a local elementary schooland ask if you can just observe a phys edclass. You’ll probably see a very dedicatedand competent teacher organizing dozens

of kids in numerous fun and engagingactivities. Most certified tennis teacherswould be totally stressed and uncom-fortable in that type of environment.Maybe that’s why tennis teachersresort to line drills most of the time. Ifthey have more kids, the lines just getlonger. It’s just a question of training.

Elementary school PE teachers, onthe other hand, are well-schooled andcomfortable engaging large groups ofkids and can make the activities funand effective for each age group andskill level. It is usually much easier toshow a PE teacher the basic tennis pro-gressions for beginning juniors, as com-pared to training tennis pros to becomecompetent group activity coordinators.Definitely have a trained teaching prohead up the groups of beginningjuniors, but give him or her a staff ofenthusiastic professionals to work withand let the fun begin!

COLLEGE PLAYERSFor your more advanced juniors, youwill need coaches with solid tennisgames. College players are always look-ing for summer employment. No doubtthat you need a veteran teaching proto direct the overall program for yourcompetitive juniors, but try placing astrong college player to execute yourdrills on each court.

Hiring college players for your sum-mer programs makes sense. It could bea cost-effective alternative (generallyyou can expect to pay them less thanfull-time teaching pros), and the collegeplayers themselves are probably lookingfor a way to be on the court as muchas possible during their summer break.

If you want to check competitivepay scales, just call some of the largeracademies across the country and askwhat they pay college players who helpthem out in their summer programs.

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.

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Options for HiringOn-Court Summer Help

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You’ll probably find that you can offerthe college players a decent hourly ratethat will be more than the academies, yetstill fit your budget.

ENGAGE YOUROWN JUNIORSA few programs in the U.S. have figuredout how to design and schedule theirjunior programs to capitalize on the pow-erful motivational force of kids helpingother kids.

Well, here’s how it works: Most sum-mer programs group juniors by playinglevels and ages. Schedule the oldest andstrongest children to play in the first timeslot. The next oldest should be schedulednext, and so on, until the very youngestchildren are scheduled to play last.

Now, have the best kids in each pro-gram stay for 30 minutes and help withthe next younger program. Set it up sothat kids who are asked to stay arelooked up to for their qualities of reliabili-ty, maturity, helpfulness, and overall abili-ty. They become the “assistant pros” forthe next younger group. This benefitsthem in that they get more court timeand contact with your professional staff.Plus, they will enjoy being looked up toby their slightly younger peers.

The next younger group benefitsbecause they look up to the next oldergroup and will be inspired to performwell just by being around them. This nat-ural mentor program is one of the mostpowerful yet underused tools available. �

PROGRAMMING�


ennis facilities are always looking forways to increase revenues. And thenew Cardio Tennis program may be

just the thing to help your bottom line.For the 250 facilities that took part in a

survey last fall to gauge the effectivenessof Cardio Tennis programming, revenuesincreased an average of 10 percent, saysthe Tennis Industry Association. The surveyalso indicated that for facilities runningCardio classes for three months, participa-tion rates doubled.

Cardio Tennis—developed by the TIA inconjunction with the USTA and tennisteaching pros—launched at the 2005 USOpen. It’s a group activity, ideally done tomusic, that combines tennis with a high-energy cardiovascular workout, offeringplayers of all abilities a way to get in shapewhile improving their games.

Currently, more than 1,100 public andprivate facilities have signed on as officialCardio Tennis sites. And Cardio Tennis hasspread beyond the U.S. The program is inmore than 20 countries, including theUnited Kingdom, Italy, and Germany.

“Cardio Tennis is not only growing ten-nis participation, it’s growing revenues aswell,” says Jim Baugh, the president of theTIA.

“It seems that every time we do a class,we have someone new coming out,” saysDavid Oom, the director of tennis at MVPSportsplex in Grand Rapids, Mich.

TRY CARDIO FOR FREEThe newest promotion for Cardio Tennisis a free lesson promotion for the monthof June. Throughout the month, hundredsof facilities around the country will offerfree Cardio Tennis classes for players whohave yet to try the new fitness activity.

“If you can get that person out on thecourt for a Cardio Tennis class, and you’rea great pro who gives a great class,you’ve got them hooked,” says CardioTennis Program Manager Michele Krause.

“People have been hearing about Car-dio Tennis but may not know what it is,”Krause says. The survey last fall, she adds,indicated that pros at sites offering freeintroductory classes felt that was by farthe best method to bring in new partici-pants. After the free class, pros are urgedto sign up potential players immediatelyfor future classes, offer Cardio Tennispackage deals, get email addresses, andsend follow-up email reminders.

T

The TIA is hoping to have at least 500sites offering the free Cardio classes inJune. Print ads in magazines such as Shape,Men’s Health, and Fitness, in addition totraditional tennis publications, will combinewith commercials on ESPN, FIT TV and TheTennis Channel to drive consumers to thewebsite www.cardiotennis.com, wherethey can find a location near them offeringthe free classes.

“The benefit to the pro or facility withthis free promotion is that they can’t lose,”says Krause. “We’re essentially doing themarketing and advertising for you.” Proswill, of course, want to supplement thenational advertising with ads and stories intheir local media, along with other localpromotions.

FREE WORKSHOPSAND CLINICSFor a successful Cardio Tennis program, “Itstill comes down to the presence of the

on-courtNew Promotions, Workshops

Add to Cardio Tennis’s AppealB Y P E T E R F R A N C E S C O N I

Cardio TennisClinics & WorkshopsUpcoming Cardio Tennis Workshopsand Clinics include the following. (Formore information, to register, or tosee the most updated list, visitwww.partners.cardiotennis.com andclick on “2006 Workshop Schedule.”)

April 28: Atlanta, Ga.April 29: Austin, TexasMay 4: ChicagoMay 6: Berkeley, Calif.May 7: Eugene, Ore.May 8: MacLean, Va.May 11: Detroit, Mich.May 12: Punta Gorda, Fla.May 12: Flushing Meadows, N.Y.May 12: Grand Rapids, Mich.May 13: Anderson, S.C.May 19: Midland, Mich.May 21: Overland Park, Kan.June 10: Greensboro, N.C.June 11: Princeton, N.J.June 25: Lexington, S.C.

whohave experiencewith the program.Pros attending

the morning sessioncan also stay for the afternoon session.Lunch is served in between, and attendees inthe morning receive a free heart-rate moni-tor. Afternoon session attendees receive anew CD from PowerMusic designed specifi-cally for Cardio Tennis workouts.

Cardio Tennis Training Center Clinics:To reach more pros at the grassroots level

more frequently, the TIA is offeringfree clinics at Cardio Tennis TrainingCenters, says Krause. Currently, thereare about 14 Cardio Tennis TrainingCenters, with more slated to join thelist.

The Training Centers will offerthree-hour clinics twice a year to prosin their areas. Local pros also can goto these facilities throughout the yearto participate in or observe pros doingCardio Tennis classes. Again, thistraining is at no cost to the pros. �

pro,” says Krause. “If it’s a bad experi-ence for players, they won’t come back.”Cardio Tennis is fast-paced, yet fun. Theidea is to keep players moving, and hit-ting, so a lot depends on the skill andknowledge of the pro.

To that end, the TIA is running a seriesof free workshops and clinics across thecountry in 2006.

Cardio Tennis Workshops: Last year,there were 27 workshops in the U.S. For2006, the format of those workshops hasbeen altered to meet the needs of thedifferent experience levels of the pros,says Krause, since some pros have beenrunning the program for six months,while others are just starting out.

The free workshops now have morn-ing and afternoon sessions, which eachfeature 1-1/2 hours in class and 1-1/2hours on court. The morning sessions arefor pros new to the program or who havenever attended a Cardio workshop in thepast. The afternoon sessions are for those


web wise


Anyone trying to make a dime certain-ly treasures their customers. Evenwhen the customer isn't right, "the

customer is always right." Right?Making your customers happy—and

keeping them that way—is the secret tosustained business. As W. Edward Dem-ing, Ph.D., a statistician best known asthe father of the Japanese industrialrevival, put it, “Profit in business comesfrom repeat customers, customers thatboast about your product or service, andthat bring friends with them.”

Your first interaction with the cus-tomer can determine whether or notyou’ll have repeat business. By deliveringa quality product with efficient and pro-

Loyalty programs abound these days.You probably have a frequent-flieraccount that earns you a point for everydollar you spend on your airline-brandedcredit card. American Airlines’ loyalty pro-gram helps travelers earn miles on all

fessional service—whetherthat’s booking a lessonfor them over thephone or taking thetime to outfit themwith the proper rac-quet and shoes—youwin a chance to provethat they should spendtheir money at your estab-lishment.

Keeping them coming back formore becomes the next step, andresearch shows that they will be morelikely to return to your place of business ifit’s a rewarding experience. And todaythat literally means delivering “rewards.”

F

Perhaps your key chain is full of tiny cards with bar codesthat score you extra discounts when checking-out at Stop &Shop, PetSmart and CVS, or serve as your membership cardat the gym. Every time you swipe that card, your actionsare being tracked by that company for marketing reasons.Trading privacy for discounts and free merchandise is a con-cession America is willing to make.

Rewarding customer loyalty is nothing new. Rememberthose S&H Green Stamps that used to earn prizes? Well,what started in 1896 as the Sperry & Hutchison GreenStamps loyalty program went digital in 2000

(www.greenpoints.com)and counts 9 millioncard holders. Cus-tomers can redeemtheir loyalty pointson everythingfrom blendersto airlinevouchers.

The S&H model calls

for inviting your customers tojoin the loyalty program, thenanalyzing the data of their pur-chases. When you crunch thenumbers and see trends, you canbetter serve your customers.

“When people are playing tennisor witnessing a tennis event orshopping, the success of thatparticular endeavor is relateddirectly to the experience,” saysRon Pederson, president andCEO of S&H. “And if the tennisexperience is captivating andstimulating to a wide variety ofpeople, you can translate thatexperience to a really wonderfulloyalty program. For your bestshoppers—the ones who areprofitable and are loyal—theirexperience is enhanced. So loyal-ty marketing is simply personalizing the experience.” —L.H.

Personalize Shopping With A Loyalty Program

Payback Time:Affordable Ways toReward Your Customers B Y L I Z A H O R A N

PERSONALIZED PROPSTake the digital photo idea one stepfurther by printing them on T-shirts,greeting cards, and other merchandise.Just go to www.Zazzle.com to choosea product and upload a photo. Bonus:You can earn up to 17 percent com-mission from Zazzle when customerspurchase through links on your web-site.Cost: $2.49 and up

GRAB BAGNot sure what to give your long-stand-ing customer who has referred lots ofbusiness, or even your hardworkingemployees? Check outwww.GiftCertificates.com. An onlinevoucher can be purchase in denomina-tions to fit any budget, and there aresolutions for small businesses seekingincentive programs.Cost: $5 and up

PASS-ALONG VALUEMake bill payment a little more enjoy-able for your customers and players bygiving U.S. Postal Service postage.Sounds boring? Actually, tennis-themed stamps wed function andfame. Commemorate the great ArthurAshe by purchasing his official stampsat www.USPS.com, and upload aleague team’s photo or your store logofor custom stamps atwww.PhotoStamps.com. (Rememberthat the 1-ounce rate for first-classpostage is now 39 cents.)Cost: $7.40 for 20 Ashe stamps (37cents); $17.99 for 20 custom photostamps (39 cents)


Liza Horan is editor and founder ofTENNISWIRE.org, anindustry news site,and president of theU.S. Tennis Writers’Association.

retail spending, notjust flights.The internet has created

lots of opportunities for small busi-nesses to offer thoughtful thanks totheir customers, through gestures ofsimple means to large-scale rewardprograms. Putting forth a little moreeffort toward customers can workwonders for loyalty.

Here are cool—and convenient—ways to reward your best customers:

FROM ME TO YOUIf you don’t collect email addressesfrom your customers and members,start today. It’s the most convenientand affordable means of communica-tions, and it provides an easy way totell business contacts you are thinkingof them. Send out tennis-themed e-cards as invitations, thank-you’s, birth-day greetings or other messages.Remember, it’s replacing a hand-writ-ten note, not a marketing pitch. Go towww.123Greetings.com for e-cardsand www.Evite.com for invitations.Cost: Free

YOU’RE THE STAR!Grab a digital camera, or find a friendor club member who has one, andpick one day to photograph thegoings-on at your facility. It could be aregular day where people are partici-pating in clinics or league play, or aspecial event like a tennis festival oropen house at your club or shop. Thenupload the images to a photo website,such as www.KodakGallery.com. Yourmembers will able to view the photoalbum online and purchase prints for29 cents each.Cost: Free

TENNIS<


he USTA is calling on teaching pros,parks, Community Tennis Associa-tion’s, coaches, and volunteers to

carry on the momentum of its SchoolTennis initiative by keeping kids playingeven after the last school bell of the dayrings.

With the help of increased fundingfrom the USTA board of directors, SchoolTennis is emphasizing the development ofafter-school programs to supplementschools’ Physical Education tennis unitsbeing established across the country. TheUSTA has collaborated with leading physi-cal education expert and curriculumwriter Dr. Robert Pangrazi to develop stu-dent-friendly tennis units, especially forgrades 3 through 6, providing racquetsand easy-to-rally transition tennis balls toparticipating schools.

“For the after-school programs, we’refocusing on team- and play-based pro-grams, not just lessons,” says Jason Jami-son, product manager for the USTA’sSchool Tennis program. “Every time thesetypes of programs are offered, participa-tion is quadruple that of lesson-basedprograms. People are drawn to playingthe game.”

The USTA is encouraging interestedpros, organizations, and facilities to“adopt” schools in their area that canfeed into their after-school programs.Getting to know phys-ed teachers in theschools, and even assisting with classes orhosting a field trip to a tennis facility, canget youngsters interested in the game,get your name out into the community,and help your revenue stream.

Last spring, Chris “Mick” Michalowski,director of tennis at the Grand TraverseResort and Spa in Traverse City, Mich.,

saw more than6,000 kids ashe visited localschools toinstruct phys-edtennis units. Bydistributing infor-mation about theresort’s summer pro-grams in the classes,Michalowski attractedmore than 550 kids. “Thekey is to get them to sign upwith their buddies from school,” he says,adding that going into the community tooffer tennis programs has given theresort visibility, but more important, “itgives the sport visibility.”

Responsibilities of after-school pro-gram organizers include recruiting volun-teers, securing a site, program promotionand registration, training coaches, andscheduling practices and matches. USTAJunior Team Tennis, a six-week programwith practice and match play, is a recom-mended format for an after-school pro-gram. “Kids love tennis when it’sintroduced to them in a fun manner witha ball that’s easy to play with,” saysJamison.

Charging a fee for an after-schoolprogram, Jamison says, helps tennis com-pare to other organized sports for chil-dren, like Little League baseball, and alsohelps the pro or facility generate somerevenue. “The image in the past was thatUSTA School Tennis only focused onexposing kids to tennis in the P.E. class,”he says. “What we’re trying to do now isget kids into something more structuredafter school.” A fee of between $25 and$60 per child is recommended to cover

T

the cost of a tennis racquets, T-shirts,tennis balls, awards, fliers, coaching,insurance, and other expenses. Scholar-ships can be provided so no child isturned away.

In addition to School Tennis andaccompanying after-school programs,the USTA has launched “Rapid Rally,” askill competition for boys and girls ages 8to 13, to further encourage tennis activi-ty among children. In Rapid Rally, playershit a low-compression tennis ball againsta wall for as long as they can within 30seconds. For tennis pros and facilities,administering Rapid Rally is free andeasy—racquets and balls are provided,and any wall will do. There are three lev-els of competition—local, regional, andnational. The National Finals are held atthe US Olympic Training Center in Col-orado Springs, Colo.

“Rapid Rally can serve as a spark toget kids playing,” says Jamison. “Youdon’t need traditional courts, and youcan use it as a feeder into more struc-tured organized play programs. We see itas a really effective way to get and keepkids in the game.” �

schoolExtracurricular AcesBy “adopting” local schools, prosand facilities can attract children toafter-school programs that will helpgrow the game and their businesses.B Y K R I S T E N D A L E Y

TENNIS�


s a sports psychology consultant andfather of a 13- year old son, it’s hard

to escape the fact that for better orworse, technology and electronics are amajor part of our lives. Whether you owna store, manage a shop, direct a tennisfacility, or teach lessons for a living, learn-ing about different products and how toincorporate them into what you do canlead to increased fun and profits.

In this article, I will describe a numberof products I use or am familiar with. Ihave chosen to focus on products thatare relatively low cost, easy to use, anddo not require any extensive training.

With a little research and a smallamount of marketing, stores could allo-cate a “Peak Performance” corner andpromote a variety of products tennis con-sumers would likely buy and benefitfrom, while tennis professionals couldincorporate them into their lessons andclinics, generating more interest andincome.

HEART-RATE MONITORSPortable heart-rate monitors have beenaround for a while. They consist of a beltor strap that attaches around your chestand transmits to a watch-style receiverworn on the wrist. These devices give youconstant feedback on how hard yourheart is working during exercise.

The “beats per minute” numbershows on your wristwatch screen andcan be set to emit a sound if you goabove or below a preset level. Heart-ratemonitors allow you to train more effi-ciently to condition your heart and make

training more interesting by setting goalsand objectively seeing how you are doing

Generally, recommendations are for youto exercise between 65 percent and 85percent of your maximum heart rate. Thestandard heart-rate calculation is 220 minusyour age multiplied by the desired percent-age.

Polar (www.polar-usa-sales.com) isprobably the most popular manufacturerand has a series of monitors with variousbells and whistles. Prices start at $39.95 forthe basic A1 model and go up to $399.95for the AXN 700. The products are widelyavailable at sporting goods stores anddepartment stores. Heart-rate monitors alsocan be a part of the TIA/USTA’s new CardioTennis program. As a revenue source, mon-itors can be sold or rented to participants.

ULTIMATE BALANCE TRAINERThis new product is a bio-feedback type ofdevice that let’s you know if you are bend-ing or lunging “too much” and creating an“unbalanced” hitting plane. The device,which I tested as a prototype a few yearsago, is attached to a sports cap, hat, orvisor by a Velcro strip.

The Ultimate Balance Trainer (above) isquiet when you move in balance, but whenyou are out of balance, you hear, “front,”“back,” “left,” or “right” to let you knowyou are moving out of position. The sensi-tivity level can be adjusted to the skills levelof the player, permitting more or lessmovement before the warning goes off. Itis battery operated and there are no wires.

The device can be useful and motivatingas part of a lesson on movement and bal-

A

ance. It’s available throughwww.ultimatebalance.com for $195. Avariety of accessories are available at addi-tional cost.

BLOOD PRESSURE/PULSE RATE MONITORSTo assist in learning to control worry andtension, the Omron digital blood pressuremonitor is simple to use, provides immedi-ate results, and costs under $50. Youwrap the cuff on your arm, hit a button,and it automatically inflates. A fewmoments later your blood pressure andpulse rate appear on the screen.

To train, sit quietly for 15 minutes asyou breathe slowly and deeply, concen-trating only on your breath. Take yourreadings again and record them on asheet of paper. After a few weeks of prac-tice, you will see and feel the difference.It’s available at most drugstores chains.

COMPUTER AND VIDEOTENNIS GAMESKids love video games. Tennis videogames can excite kids about playing ten-nis, can be used as part of a rainy-day pro-gram, or incorporated into a tennis campprogram during lunch or quiet time.

One popular game is Virtua Tennis bySega. “Sega did an excellent job makingsure even those unfamiliar with the rulesand strategies of tennis will be able tojump right into the game,” says onereviewer. Virtua Tennis and similar prod-ucts can be purchased through ama-zon.com. Used versions are available forunder $10. �

High-Tech Tennis Toysfor Fun and Profit

D R . R O B E R T H E L L E R

Dr. Robert F. Heller is a perfor-mance enhancement psychologistand trains athletes and businessprofessionals to perform at theirbest. He is the author of "Manag-ing Your Stress," "Mental Tough-

ness," and "Mental Skills for Match Play."For information on telephone consulting,speaking engagements, and ordering prod-ucts, call 561-451-2731 or [email protected].

tech

R A C Q U E T C U S T O M I Z A T I O N

MADETO ORDER

Building up and promoting a racquetcustomizing business will reaprewards for you, and give your

players unparalleled service.

Most racquet manufacturers have many different frames available for alltypes of players. Generally, racquet makers cast a wide net and try tosnare as many players as they can with their different models.

But, as a stringer, teaching pro, or pro shop or facility operator, you knowthat rarely do your players fit perfectly into the racquet manufacturer’s moldwhen it comes to a frame that can best help their game. In just about everycase, your customers’ games can benefit from some type of racquet customiza-tion. Players should never have to change their games to adapt to a frame thatis wrong for their style of play.

It’s like buying a new suit. Sure, there are off-the-rack suits that will fit fine,but to really look the best on you, the suit will need some tailoring. Certainly,touring pros—and many serious recreational or tournament players—“tailor”their frames to get the best performance possible.

For your customers, a properly customized racquet can improve their gamesand help prevent or lessen injuries, such as arm and shoulder problems. Foryou, it can be a gold mine—possibly the greatest untapped gold mine in the ten-nis retailing and racquet service business.

A customized racquet can add $20 to $50 to every sale, and it is the No. 1service that you can provide to differentiate yourself as a consummate expertand to make your shop a truly “total” racquet-service establishment. Not onlydo you want to handle all your customers’ stringing needs, but for players look-ing for that “perfect” frame or looking to “match” their racquets, you need tolet them know that adjustments you can make to their grip and racquet weight,balance, and swingweight will help them play better.

Why do so few shops customize frames? Is it lack of knowledge and equip-ment, or is it fear of the unknown? It’s probably a mix of all of the above. Butthere are a number of resources that you can use to increase your knowledgein this area and help you become familiar with the customizing process. In thisand subsequent articles in RSI, you’ll learn how you can customize your play-ers’ frames, and build your customization business.

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

MADETO ORDER



Why Customize?Customizing a racquet can affect a shot’s depth, spin, angle,and speed, as well as the feel, comfort, and safety of that shotto the player. It is truly a service that can make the techni-cian/retailer/pro a hero to the customer.

The first step in customizing a racquet is to help your cus-tomer purchase the right frame off the shelf to begin with.This, of course, is done with a subsequent view to “optimiza-tion,” for which you plant the seeds with the customer duringthe selection process with statements like, “This racquet bestmeets your requirements on average, andwe can then adjust its power, control, andcomfort to optimize and match it to yourneeds and abilities.” Again, like buying anew suit, you want the off-the-rack productto be a good base from which you can startmaking alterations. The off-the-shelf racquetis just the beginning of the racquet fittingprocess. The new racquet is just a templatefrom which to create your customized workof art and to demonstrate your expertise.

Even though all racquets should undergosome type of customization, today the mostcommon reason to customize a frame isprobably to match racquets. Player’s withmultiple racquets want all of them to feelexactly the same for every movement inevery direction.

You can customize frames by adding thecorrect amount of weight to the correct loca-tions, which usually involves adding leadtape to one to three locations on the racquet.The goal is to match all the so-called racquet“weights”: stationary weight, swingweight,twistweight, recoilweight, spinweight, andhittingweight, as well as the balance point.

Keep in mind that it’s much easier to addweight to a frame than it is to take weightaway. Also, you can’t change the stiffness ofa frame, so when matching racquets, makesure your customer buys frames with thesame stiffness.

Another reason to customize a frame isto optimize performance. The goal is toalter feel, power, control, and/or comfort.Optimization involves experimenting withadding weight to various locations and then having the cus-tomer hit with the frame to see how that affects performance.By trial and error and intelligent lead-tape placements (i.e.,knowing the probable effect of each placement), the playerwill find a combination that he or she likes best. In general,serve-and-volleyers like lighter more maneuverable setupsand baseliners like a setup with greater weight and swing-weight.

A third reason to customize a frame is for stroke adjust-ment. For example, if a player is hitting too early, addingweight toward the tip will slow the head down. If the player is

hitting too late, removing tape from the tip will speed up thetip, or adding it to the handle will slow the forearm in com-parison to the tip, which brings the racquet through faster.

And last, a racquet can be customized with an eye towardinjury prevention. For example, shock and vibration can belessened by adding weight in the head or lowering string ten-sion. But adding weight to the head could also create a lateimpact point, straining the wrist and causing injury. Cus-tomization is never done in isolation—how the player reactsto the customization is the important thing.

How toCustomizeThere are three basic ways to cus-tomize a racquet:

Lead weight application. Thiswill alter the overall weight of theframe and will alter how thatweight is distributed throughout theracquet. The four properties of theracquet that you typically modifyare the total weight, balance, twist-weight, and swingweight.

The overall weight of a racquetis easily measured on a scale. Thebalance of the racquet is the pointalong the length of the frame atwhich it balances. You can buy abalance board or you can makeyour own.

The swingweight is measuredusing precise equipment, such asthe Babolat RDC machine, thePrince Precision Tuning Center, orthe Alpha Accuswing. (The higherthe swingweight, the more difficultthe frame is to swing.) While thesemachines can be a bit pricey,they’re definitely worth the invest-ment if you’re planning on boost-ing your customization business. Ifbuying a diagnostic machine is notin the budget right now, you canuse the online tools available atwww.racquettech.com (for USRSA

members) to measure and calculate swingweight and twist-weight (twistweight is not measured by any commerciallyavailable diagnostic machine).

Handle shaping and sizing. This obviously affects grip,feel, and strokes, but it also will change the weight and weightdistribution of the racquet, so it additionally affects howheavy the racquet is, its balance, swingweight, etc.

Building up a grip is easy with heat-shrink sleeves or over-grips, but decreasing the handle size or taking weight out ofthe handle is a bit more challenging and may be limited bythe type of handle the racquet has. You can slightly shave

Handle sizingwith heat-shrink sleeve

Lead weight applicationto the handle

� Adding weight to the head changes themagnitude and size of the sweet area,simply by increasing the racquet’s resis-tance to being pushed, twisted, rotated,and bent by the ball.

� You have to have an overall strategy ofattack because changing any one racquetproperty usually changes others.

� When experimenting with performanceeffects, don’t add more than 3 to 5 gramsat a time. Placing just 5 grams of leadtape at the tip of the racquet adds about17 units to swingweight and shifts thebalance point by about a quarter-inch.

� Adding weight to the tip of the frameincreases swingweight and balance themost, making the racquet more head-heavy.

� Adding weight at or near the balancepoint will not change the balance, but willchange the weight and swingweight.

� Adding weight to the handle will makethe racquet more head-light and heavieroverall, but it will only slightly increaseswingweight.

� When adding lead tape to the hoop, addequal amounts to both sides of the frameand both sides of the strings.

� Adding weight to the 3 and 9 or 2 and 10o’clock positions will have the doubly ben-eficial effect of increasing swingweightand twistweight (power and stability).

� Adding weight will always add bothpower and control by limiting how muchthe racquet rotates, twists, and bends oncontact with the ball. With racquetframes, whatever increases power willtend to increase directional control(though it could lead to hitting too long).

� With strings, whatever increases powerwill diminish control. Softer stringbeds,which increase power, allow the ball todwell on the strings longer. That meansthe ball has more time to change the ori-entation of the racquet face before itleaves the strings, compromising control.Stiffer stringbeds have more controlbecause impact is shorter and the racquetface orientation is not altered as much.

Rules for CustomizationA “Weighty” IssueThe four properties of the racquet that you typically modify are thetotal weight, balance, twistweight, and swingweight.

The overall weight of a racquet is easily measured on a scale andmodified by placing lead tape at various points on the racquet. Thebalance of the racquet is the point along the length of the frame atwhich it balances. You can buy a balance board such as the Alphaboard below, or you can make your own. The swingweight is mea-sured using precise equipment, such as the Babolat RDC machineor the Prince Precision Tuning Center.



Advantage: USRSA MembersThe online tools available at www.racquettech.com (for USRSA members) do all the heavy lifting for you. From com-paring every property of every racquet and string to every other and choosing the best for your customer, to calculatingthe amounts and locations of lead weight placement for customization, these tools are essential to your success and tomaking your customers happy.

Racquet SelectorRacquet Selector starts with all the specs of yourcurrent racquet, asks you how you would like eachof those changed, and asks you to prioritize yourdesires. For the choices at left, the Racquet Selectorreturned two racquets that matched all eight of thepriorities listed. If the “all” box for manufacturersto search is checked, Racquet Selector will return20 racquets on the market matching all eight prior-ities. If Racquet Selector can’t find a match for alleight of your criteria, it will list the racquets thatmeet your top seven, or six, etc. It always finds theclosest racquet on the market to your desires.

Racquet CustomizerThis is your ultimate tool. You tell the Customizer what thespecs of your racquet are, then what you want them to be,and it will tell you how much and where to add weights. In

the example here, Customizersays to add 0.02 gm at 68.58 cm(the tip), 4.93 gm at 53.34 cm(approximately 3 and 4 o’clock),and 12.05 gm at 2.54 cm (in thehandle).

Racquet OptimizerThe top three sliders set up the cur-rent specs of your racquet. The bot-

tom four sliders allow you to do“what if” scenarios for different

amounts and locations of lead tapeplacement. The results are displayed

in the middle boxes. It is great for“tweaking” customizations preformed

by the Racquet Customizer (below).

Join the USRSAFull membership in the U.S.Racquet Stringers Associa-tion, allowing access to allthe online tools listed here,and much more, is $109 ayear. Web-only memberships,allowing access to the onlinetools, is $55 a year, or $9 amonth. To join the U.S. Rac-quet Stringers Association,visit www.racquettech.comor call 760-536-1177.

Resources for Customizing RacquetsThere are a number of resources available that aredesigned to give you all you need to know to serviceracquets effectively for your players.

For the skills and techniques involved in fine-tuningracquets, check out these media (available from theUSRSA at www.racquettech.com or 760-536-1177):� “Racquet Service Interactive” CD� “Total Racquet Service” DVD� Racquet Service Techniques volume of the Stringer’sDigest.

The scientific concepts behind the racquet customizationtechniques are contained in two books (available fromRacquet Tech Publishing at www.racquettech.com or760-536-1177):� “The Physics and Technology of Tennis”� “Technical Tennis: Racquets, Strings, Balls, Courts, Spin,and Bounce”

The measuring equipment comes in high-tech and low-techflavors. High-tech equipment to measure weight, balance,and swingweight are� Babolat Racquet Diagnostic Center� Prince Precision Tuning Center� Alpha Accuswing

down handles made of wood or polyurethane, but you can’tshave down graphite, plastic, or composite cushioned handles.

Stringbed customization. Stringing a frame is obviouslyalso a method of customization. You can alter stringbed stiff-ness by varying the string material, gauge, tension, and if buy-ing a new racquet, pattern. Stringing customization altersplaying characteristics by affecting one thing—stringbed stiff-ness. The stiffness of all strings has been measured by theUSRSA and can be found atwww.racquettech.com/members/tools/string_selector.html.

Most stringers and retailers see themselves and marketthemselves as just that—stringers and retailers. If both pre-sented themselves as “racquet performance optimizers,” cus-tomers would see their services in a new light and would bemore curious and aware of the possibilities to improve.

Marketing CustomizationIt’s all about marketing your services effectively. Master rac-quet customizer Bob Patterson of Birmingham, Ala., who wasRSI’s 2005 Stringer of the Year, says you should create a “Rac-quet Service Center” in your shop and “flaunt” your cus-tomization services (see RSI, February 2006, page 13).

Here are some other tips that can help you build-up yourcustomizing business and offer real value to your players:

Be different. Offering “stringing” and “racquet sales” isabout as exciting and different as, well, stringing and racquetsales! Everyone can and does do that, and if that’s what youadvertise, that’s all customers will expect. But, corny as it

might sound, what if you promoted your expertise as “Per-formance Optimizing Services” or “Performance Enhance-ment Experts”?

Make it the star. Create a customization center in yourstore, highlight it, display it, “trick it out,” and direct traffic to it.

Integrate it. Your performance services (stringing, weight-ing and balancing, racquet selection, handle adjustments,etc.) are a package and should be promoted as such.

Market the benefits. Don’t call it “racquet customization”or “racquet optimization.” Rather, emphasize the benefits:“Power boosting,” “control tuning,” “comfort-izing,” “feelenhancement.”

Guarantee satisfaction. With every racquet purchase,guarantee the customer will prefer the performance-enhancedracquet to the off-the-shelf racquet, or the customization(attempt) is free of charge.

Offer “performance enhancement days.” These are justlike demo days, except players demo their own racquets butwith lead tape added to change the racquet’s characteristics.The procedure is simply to apply lead tape to players’ rac-quets and send them out to hit a few dozen balls and then torelate their experiences to you. Based on the feedback, youwill or will not change the amount and/or location of lead tapeand send them back out again. You can probably orchestratethis with four to eight players per court.

Racquet customization can and should be a big part ofyour business. Your players need to know that, as good as theoff-the-shelf frames may be, your expertise can help themtune the frame to exactly fit their games.�


The low-tech, no-cost methods are provided at www.racquettech.comtools center (for USRSA members):� Swingweight:www.racquettech.com/members/tools/swing_weight.html

� Twistweight:www.racquettech.com/members/tools/twist_weight.html

� Recoilweight:www.racquettech.com/members/tools/recoil_weight.html

� Hittingweight:www.racquettech.com/members/tools/hitting_weight.html

� No shock sweetspot: www.racquettech.com/members/tools/cop.html

Racquet and string selector tools:� Selecting the best off-the-shelf racquet template:www.racquettech.com/members/tools/racquet_selector.html

� Selecting the best string:www.racquettech.com/members/tools/string_selector.html

Calculation tools for customization:� Calculating amount and location of lead weights for frame match-ing: www.racquettech.com/members/tools/racquet_customizer.html

� Calculating trial and error, simple adjustments:www.racquettech.com/members/tools/optimizer/optimizer.html

� Turning one racquet by any company into any racquet from thesame or any other company:www.racquettech.com/members/tools/morphinator.html


ane Webb of Sherman, Conn., learned to play tennis in herhigh school physical education class, but gave up the sportbecause she considered the hit-miss-run-after-the-ball begin-

ner’s experience too tedious. Now 52, Webb credits a single pieceof equipment with her return to tennis: a “transition ball,” anoversized,foam ball with an inner core that slows down its flightwhile allowing it to bounce like a traditional tennis ball.

“Chasing balls all the time got frustrating,” Webb recalls. “Ithought, ‘I’m just not very good at this. When you’re playing withthe [transition ball], you get proficient very fast. It gets you excitedabout the game when you can play with some degree of coordi-nation. Now I see why people think tennis is fun.”

While it took only 15 minutes for Webb and her husband tosuccessfully rally with their tennis instructor and his wife over aportable net in a church parking lot, Indiana University senior NeilKenner says he and his teammates also benefit from practicingwith transition balls.

“We weren’t too happy when [assistant men’s tennis coach]Randy [Bloemendaal] had us hit with them for the first time. Wewanted to play with regular balls,” says Kenner, admitting thatwarming up with the softer balls across three-quarters of the courthelps him focus on proper positioning and swinging through the

ball on every shot. “After a while, I definitely thought we were all hit-ting the ball cleaner. We just had to give the [transition ball] achance.”

Chuck Kriese, head coach of men’s tennis at Clemson Universityfor the last 30 years, says he’s used transition balls for about twoyears to help players regain some of the lost artistry in tennis—par-ticularly in the men’s game—due to its lightning-fast tempo. Whilehigh-tech racquets allow advanced players to experience successdespite “hacking, slicing, and pushing” a regulation ball back, hesays the transition ball slows down the game in a manner that forcesplayers to develop good shot selection and technically soundmechanics.

“Tennis players are the worst at trying new things, but you seeresults right away with transition balls,” says Kriese, who experi-mented with them at his beginners’ camps before quickly incorpo-rating it into his work with advanced players. “I think it’s one of thebest teaching tools out there.”

While transition balls and other low-compression balls from avariety of manufacturers are becoming more popular in the U.S.,they have been used in Europe for years, according to Kirk Anderson,the USTA’s director of recreational coaches and programs, who alsosits on the International Tennis Federation’s Tennis Participation TaskForce and Transition Ball Subcommittee.

In England, for example, Anderson says players use transitionballs that generate three increasing levels of speed before graduat-ing to a regulation ball. In Belgium, juniors play sanctioned tourna-ments using seven kinds of transition balls in seven correspondingtennis court boundaries. With about 90 different transition balls usedworldwide, he says the ITF is working to standardize ball specifica-tions and corresponding court sizes, rules, and regulations.

Here in the U.S., Anderson says transition balls present endless

J

THE SOFTSELL

B Y C Y N T H I A C A N T R E L L

T E A C H I N G T E N N I S

THE SOFTSELL

“Transition balls” are gainingin popularity and exposure,and can help your business

make gains, too.


opportunities for growing modified versionsof tennis, just as half-court basketball, slow-pitch softball, no-check hockey, and flagand touch football maximize participationrates in those respective sports. Transition-ball advantages include more moving andhitting made possible by longer rallies, fewerinjuries as a result of the lighter ball impart-ing less stress on joints, reduced playerintimidation since the balls are made offoam and other soft materials, and appealto all age groups.

Aside from the ball, according to Ander-son, no special equipment is necessary. Reg-ulation size or modified tennis courts maybe used, in addition to gymnasiums, parkinglots and even some carpeted areas.

To spread the word, according to Jason Jamison, the USTA’sschool tennis product manager, transition balls are being promot-ed at conventions, recreational coach workshops, and school pro-grams. In fact, the USTA now includes transition balls along withracquets and a portable net in its equipment kit distributed toschools.

“The [transition ball] offers a play-based approach that helpsplayers develop the confidence to stay with the game,” says Jami-son. “Beginners are actually more fun to coach, too, becausethey’re having fun and they’re motivated to learn more.” Anadded bonus, he notes, is that pros can make more money teach-ing with transition balls by dividing a court into six parts, teachingmore players in the same amount of time.

“Everything about [transition balls] is good,” says Harry Gilbert,a USPTA-certified teaching pro at the Waccabuc Country Club inWaccabuc, N.Y., who has used the softer balls in his Little Tennisclasses for several years. The balls look like standard tennis ballsand produce a lively and predictable bounce, but their low-com-pression core produces a slow-moving effect that gives playersmore time to prepare for and react to each stroke.

“I like them because they’re visual and they don’t bounce overthe kids’ heads,” Gilbert says. “They’re easy to control, but even ifone goes flying, it’s safer than a regular ball.”

Craig Jones, tennis director at Idle Hour Country Club inMacon, Ga., says he keeps a separate basket of transition balls onhand at all times to use with the 4- and 5-year-olds in his pro-grams. “They help grow the game because players experience suc-cess right from the beginning,” he says.

While Jones says the beginner adults at his club shun transitionballs once they see youngsters playing with them, tennis directorWill Hoag of the Coral Ridge Country Club in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,says that is a mistake. The two-tone balls are easier for all ages totrack, he notes, allowing players to shed their self-consciousness inthe process of focusing on the ball.

“Adults are always afraid of hitting balls over the fence, but I’mnot sure Roger Federer could do it with these balls,” says Hoag,who attributes his club’s growing adult membership with the suc-cess their children experience with transition balls.

While there are many transition balls on the market, both theUSPTA and the PTR have partnered with different manufacturers.

Tim Heckler, chief executive officer of the USPTA, says transi-

tion balls are steadily gaining populari-ty—with good reason. “I’ve alwayscalled it a miracle ball because they’revery forgiving—you can hit it off center,which most beginners do, and it comesoff the racquet fairly straight,” saysHeckler. The USPTA endorses Pro PennStars, which are available through theorganization for $10.95 per dozen.

“There’s hardly a situation in theworld that these balls wouldn’t help,whether a player is a beginner, comingback from injury, or looking for morecontrol,” Heckler adds. “To a certainextent, [transition balls] have revolution-ized the game.”

Similarly, PTR CEO Dan Santorumsays the Dunlop SpeedBall is so benefi-

cial to players of all ages and abilities that the PTR assisted in itsdevelopment and designated it as the organization’s official teach-ing and training ball.

“I think the best testimonial is the number we sell,” says Santo-rum, noting the PTR sold more than $40,000 in Speedballs (at $25per dozen) in 2004, a 63 percent increase from the previous year.Members can also purchase SpeedBall court tape and spot markers,and a three-part video series instructing them how to use Speed-Balls in coaching inexperienced, developmental, and tournament-level players.

“I believe [transition balls are] here to stay,” Santorum says. �Bo

bKe

nas

Miami, Fla.(Nominated by Fast Dry Courts, Pompano Beach, Fla.)Architect & Contractor: Fast Dry CourtsSurface: Lee Tennis Har-Tru (Hydroblend)Subsurface Irrigation: Lee TennisNet, Net Posts, Center Strap: BP InternationalWindscreens: J.A. CisselTrench Drain: Zurn IndustriesLights: RLS Lighting TE 1000 System


Private RetreatsPrivate RetreatsFor these residential award-

winners, location is king.

Everyone knows that the first rule inreal estate is “location, location,location.” That maxim certainly

applies to the six residential court win-ners of the Racquet Sports Indus-try/American Sports BuildersAssociation 2005 Facility-of-the-YearAwards. All are in wonderful locations,and all these courts enhance the valueof the properties on which they’relocated.

But, certainly with residentialcourts, “location” can also mean par-ticular difficulties for court contractors.In fact, all of the nominating compa-nies listed difficulties that they had toovercome to produce these winningcourts. Maybe one of the most difficultwas the private Har-Tru court in Oak-ley, Utah, which was cut out of theside of a mountain in a remote area.The result, though, complete withstone perimeter to blend into the sur-roundings and a special wire fencingwith wood posts, is impressive.

The hard court in Lemon Heights,Calif., also had difficult hillside access,set back from the street. Retainingwalls, a concrete cantilever founda-

tion, and other construction supportmethods were employed to completethe job. For the Har-Tru court at Har-bour Island in the Bahamas, all mate-rials and equipment had to be shippedfrom the U.S. in containers by freightboat. The work was completed duringthe harsh weather of hurricane season.

The cushioned acrylic court in Nor-well, Mass., also required excessivesite work and preparation, since thechosen location had a 7-foot change inelevation within the court limits, and amore than 10-foot elevation changethroughout the excavation. The con-tractors also needed to remove (andlater replace) a pergola and stone wall,then build a 50-foot gravel road to thesite to gain access.

The private Har-Tru court in Miamiis right in the city, so work space waslimited, and a privacy wall wasinstalled. And the Gywnedd, Pa., hardcourt required a retaining wall that thetownship specified as “natural only.”

All this just proves that when youhave a great location for a court, you’llgo to great lengths to make it perfect.

—Peter Francesconi

Harbour Island, Eleuthera, Bahamas(Nominated by Fast Dry Courts, Pompano Beach, Fla.)Architect & Contractor: Fast Dry CourtsSurface: Lee Tennis Har-Tru (Hydroblend)Subsurface Irrigation: Lee TennisNet Posts, Line Tapes: Lee TennisNet, Windscreens: J.A. CisselTrench Drain: Zurn Industries

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


Gywnedd, Pa.(Nominated by Pro-Sport Construction Inc., Devon, Pa.)Contractor: Pro-Sport ConstructionSurface: NovaNet, Windscreens: BP InternationalNet Posts: Douglas IndustriesLights: LSI Industries

Lemon Heights, Calif.(Nominated by Zaino Tennis Courts Inc., Orange, Calif.)Contractor: Zaino Tennis CourtsSurface: California ProductsNet, Net Posts: Edwards

For details on the 2006 Outstand-ing Tennis Facility Awards, contactthe ASBA at 866-501-ASBA [email protected].

Oakley, Utah(Nominated by Welch Tennis Courts Inc., Sun City, Fla.)Contractor: Welch Tennis Courts Inc.Surface: Lee Tennis Har-Tru (Hydroblend)Subsurface Irrigation: Welch Tennis Courts (Hydrogrid)Net, Net Posts: BP International

Norwell, Mass.(Nominated by Boston Tennis Court Construction Co. Inc.,Hanover, Mass.)Contractor: Boston Tennis Court Construction Co. Inc.Surface: Nova Sports USANet Posts: BP InternationalNet, Center Strap: J.A. CisselLights: LSI Courtsider Sports Lighting

CATCHING BOXPATTERN MISWEAVESWhen stringing a racquet using a box pat-tern, you weave at least one of the bot-tom crosses before you weave the firstcross at the top. If you’re not payingattention, it’s easy to weave that top crossincorrectly compared to the bottom cross,which is difficult to catch until you havealmost all the rest of the crosses installed.One way you can easily double-check tosee that you are on the right track is tocount the remaining grommet holes forcross strings, after weaving the top two orthree crosses. Even though it means morework if I’m wrong to wait this long, bythis time all the mains will be in, so I knowI don’t have to worry about countinggrommet holes for main strings while I’mtrying to count only grommet holes forthe crosses. When I do the counting, I say“easy” or “hard” for each open grommethole, depending on whether the weave isan easy weave or hard weave, based on

pulling the string out, clip the "U" in halfso that you won't have as much string topull through. This helps prevent burninga notch in the blocking string.5 sets of Head FiberGEL Power 16 to:Steve Huff, Mechanicsville, VA

and TECHNIQUES

USE THE DARK SIDEThank you, Prince, for marking both sidesof your newer frames with dots that showwhich grommets and grommet holes getmain strings, but on the two-tone rac-quets, the dark dots on the side with thelight background are not as visible as thelight dots on the side with the dark back-ground. Mount the racquet “dark side” upand you’ll be able to see the dots better.5 sets of Gamma Zo Power 16L,Gamma Hat & Gamma T-Shirt to:Glenn Brewer, Marietta, GA

BLOCKED HOLE STAND-OFFWhen you are stringing the mains, andrealize that you are going to block a hole,instead of looping a string around thestring that blocks, try this: Take a piece ofstring and make a loop. Place this loop ofstring between the frame and the stringthat will be blocking the hole. This will giveyou the perfect size opening to slip thecross string through. Then, instead of just


Readers’ Know-How in Actiontips


matching racquets, if I need to addweight in the handle I’ll take off thebutt cap, make the modifications, andthen reattach the butt cap. But at tour-naments, time is of the essence, and ifthe racquet needs only a couple ofgrams of lead tape at the butt cap, I’llstick the tape to the outside of the buttcap, and then cover it with one of ourlogo stickers.5 sets of Forten Dynamix 16 to:David Mindell, Cathedral City, CA

—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].

the crosses I’ve already installed. Thelast hole should be “hard.” If it’s not,the top cross was woven the wrongway. I know some stringers who countthe remaining grommet holes as “over”or “under,” depending on the orienta-tion of the cross as it encounters thefirst outside main, however, you’ll getthrown off if the remaining crossesdon’t all start outside the outside main.I find this technique particularly helpfulwhen stringing at tournaments, wherenot every racquet is what it appears tobe. Even given the variety of stringingpatterns and the fact that any racquetcan have either an odd or even numberof crosses, it only takes a couple of sec-onds to verify that the crosses will finishcorrectly.5 sets of Prince Premierw/ Softflex 16 to:Casey Maus, Cathedral City, CA

HYBRID CLAMPINGHybrid jobs are nice because you havetwo shorter pieces of string to workwith, instead of one long piece. Howev-er, you also have two different strings,which means you might have two dif-ferent gauges. You might even have

different string characteristics, and a 16-gauge natural gut is not going to clampthe same as 16-gauge polyester. Whenyou also consider that some natural gutstrings have a lubrication on them, andthat it’s easier to spot clamp slippage onthe mains than on the crosses, you havea situation where you might not find outthe clamps were slipping on the crossesuntil after the racquet is off the machine.Therefore, no matter how well yourclamps held the main strings on a hybridjob, always check clamp slippage whenyou get to the crosses. If you spend thetime to pay attention to how the clampsare holding the first couple of crosses,you won’t need to spend time later re-doing the string job correctly.5 sets of Gosen Polylon 16 & Gosen T-Shirt to:Chase Oliphant, Cathedral City, CA

MARKETINGMULTIPURPOSE STICKERSWe have press-on stickers featuring ourstore logo, which we can apply to any-thing from racquet bags to shoe boxes.One of their many uses is on racquet buttcaps after customizing a racquet. Undernormal conditions, when customizing or

the EXPERTSask

MATCHING OLDER FRAMESA LOT OF THE GUYS I PLAY WITHat my local public courts useancient racquets. They obviously

love these racquets, but they wouldn’t beopposed to buying new racquets if theycould find something that matched—without having to demo every frameunder the sun. I should mention thatthese frames are so old that there are nospecs on RacquetTECH.com.

MOST OF THE SPECS ON Racquet-TECH.com are for racquets released

since the mid-1994 arrival of the BabolatRDC machine, which allowed us to getthe specs for new racquets quickly andeasily. It seems as if we’ve been publishingthese specs forever, but there are still a lotof older frames running around out there.To make the process of finding a new

racquet as painless as possible, you needto get as much information as you canabout the old racquet. Weight and bal-

ance are pretty easy to obtain, so at aminimum you should have that informa-tion. However, to really winnow downthe new-racquet options, you need toget the swingweight of the old racquet.This means finding someone who has aswingweight tester, although USRSAmembers can also use a stopwatch andthe Swingweight Calculator on-line atRacquetTECH.com. If you can also get aflex reading, that’s great, but even with-out knowing the flex, you’re way aheadof the game. Look for racquets that havesimilar weight, balance, swingweight,and whatever other characteristics arebeloved in the old racquet. USRSA mem-bers can use the Racquet Selector featureon-line at RacquetTECH.com to speed upthis step.Once you find some likely replace-

ments, start playtesting the most flexibleframes first, and work up to the stifferframes if your customer needs morepower, keeping in mind that denser

stringbed patterns will have less power thanmore open stringbed patterns.Finally, take comfort in the fact that even

if we had the specs of the old racquet onRacquetTECH.com, and matched it exactlyto the specs of a new racquet, you’d stillneed to playtest the new frame to ensurethat it is what your customer is seekingbecause some of the specs of the old framemay have changed since it was new. Forexample, the stiffness has probably gonedown after years of use. But, followingthese procedures should help to narrowdown the universe of racquets, and to just ahandful to demo.

VIBRATION DAMPENERSCOULD YOU PLEASE GIVE ME A rul-ing on placement of anti-vibrators?My understanding is that a player

may place an anti-vibrating device under thelowest horizontal, over the highest horizon-tal, left of the farthest left vertical, and rightof the farthest right horizontal. I've been

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Your Equipment Hotline


told by a few players that the ruling stipu-lates that they be confined to lower thanthe lowest horizontal only.

You are correct. According to theofficial Rules of Tennis, Section 4

(The Racket): "Case 3. Can vibrationdampening devices be placed on thestrings of a racket and if so, where canthey be placed? Decision. Yes; but suchdevices may be placed only outside thepattern of crossed strings."

GUT ALTERNATIVESWHAT STRING OTHER THAN natur-al gut or a hybrid with gut wouldbe best for the arm? I've heard

that a thin-gauge string is better than athicker gauge, but wouldn't a thickergauge absorb more shock at impact thana thinner string? One of my customershas some arm and shoulder problems.

YOUR BEST APPROACH WILL BE TOcheck through the string lab test

results that we publish each year (USRSAmembers can also find these results on-line). You can see from the lab results forgut what measurements are desirable,and then try synthetics with measure-

ments closest to those of gut. Even differ-ent strings with similar measurements canhave different characteristics, so you’llhave to playtest synthetic candidates atdifferent tensions to find the feel andlongevity you seek.Of course, there is nothing else quite

like gut, so you might want to get yourcustomer to try one. The minor additionalcost of a gut hybrid is nothing comparedto not being able to play tennis, andwhatever loss there is in durability maywell be made up by longevity and playa-bility.

USING RACQUET SELECTORI HAD A CUSTOMER BRING ME AProfile-type frame from Germany,and he asked for a similar frame

available today. I clicked Wilson for themanufacturer and Profile 2.7 110 for theframe. I picked swingweight as priorityone. When I clicked “Find My New Rac-quet,” nothing happened. What's goingon? I tried the tool for other manufactur-ers and it works fine.

THERE’S A QUIRK IN THE RACQUETSelector, where if there is data

missing in the “Current Specs” column,

the tool won’t return any results. All youneed to do to get it to work is to fill in anumber for the missing data. In this case,the data for balance is missing. If, forexample, you manually typed “33” inthis field, the tool would have returned75 racquets with similar swingweight.

SOFT WEAVEI'VE BEEN STRINGING FOR A LOTof years, but never ran across theterm "soft weave." I can find

references to it but not how you do it.

A SOFT WEAVE IS JUST THE oppo-site of a hard weave. A soft weave

is when the string (normally, a cross)goes over a lower string and under araised string. This term is most frequentlyused in reference to racquets with stag-gered string patterns. USRSA memberscan find a picture of this in the racquetservice techniques chapter of the Rac-quet Service Techniques book in theirStringer’s Digest series.

—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].

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