200701 Racquet Sports Industry

January 2007Volume 35 Number 1 $5.00

DEPARTMENTS

R S I J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 7Contents

January 2007 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 3

ContentsINDUSTRY NEWS

7 New “String Center” softwarefor clubs, retailers

7 Nitsche named GM of DunlopRacquet Sports

7 PTR schedules 2007 Symposium

8 Community Tennis DevelopmentWorkshop set for Atlanta

8 Head adds Metallix and Airflowracquets

9 Dunlop introduces Aerogelline of frames

10 PTR, Playmate sign two-yearagreement

10 TCA re-brands as MidtownAthletic Clubs

11 PTR announces new directorof education

12 College coaches honored byUSTA, ITA

13 Tecnifibre adds frames toElite Series

15 Tennis Channel adds,shifts personnel

16 Prince offers new grips and strings

4 Our Serve

18 Court Maintenance

20 The Master Pros

22 Marketing Success

24 Teaching Pro

26 Junior Participation

28 Continuing Education

40 Science

42 String Playtest: Prince Synthetic Gut Multi 16

44 Tips and Techniques

46 Ask the Experts

48 Your Serve, by Jolyn de Boer

Cover photo: Stephen Whalen Photography

FEATURES

34 A Tennis Wish ListAs we begin the New Year, we asked people in the industry to tell us whatthey’d like to see.

38 Mark of DistinctionRSI and the ASBA bring you the best in tennis court construction with theDistinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards.

2007 USRSA STRING SURVEY30 Strings of Success

We provide expert guidance that can help you—and your customers—find theright strings.

33 Members’ Choice AwardsOur exclusive string rankings, and special poster, will help you pick the rightproducts for your shop.

here’s been a lot of good news in tennis lately. Par-

ticipation is rising, equipment sales are up, the

number of “play occasions” has increased. And, of

course, the big statistic that many people have quoted

over the last six months: Tennis is the only traditional

participation sport to have grown in the last five years,

up 10.3 percent, according to the Sporting Goods Man-

ufacturers Association.Clearly, things are beginning to click in this industry.But underneath all these participation increases is one solid, and

very obvious, fact: Everyone who plays tennis in the U.S., whethera recreational player or a pro, has to play on a court.

And that’s why, in my opinion, the most important people inthis sport are those who build and maintain tennis courts. Theyare, figuratively and quite literally, the foundation of tennis in thiscountry.

Your business—whether you are a tennis retailer, facility or clubmanager, teaching pro, or manufacturer—depends on people play-ing the game. And that, in turn, depends on having courts to beginwith. Tennis will not grow if courts in a community are in poorshape, or worse yet, if there are no courts.

Court builders, ably represented in the U.S. by the AmericanSports Builders Association (ASBA), are in a remarkable position.Their influence has been increasing throughout this industry, andthat’s great to see. Groups who have taken on the responsibility toincrease tennis participation in the U.S. are reaching out more andmore to those who make and refurbish our courts. We at RSI arededicated to helping the court-building business, because we knowhow important it is to tennis overall.

If you’re a retailer or teaching pro or other industry person whonever thought much about the court-construction business, takethe time to get to know those who build and repair the courts inyour area. They’re the foundation of your business, too.

Peter FrancesconiEditorial Director

Our ServeA Solid Foundation

(Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry)

PublishersDavid Bone Jeff Williams

Editor-in-ChiefCrawford Lindsey

Editorial DirectorPeter Francesconi

Associate EditorGreg Raven

Design/Art DirectorKristine Thom

Contributing EditorsCynthia Cantrell

Rod CrossKristen DaleyJoe DinofferLiza Horan

Andrew LavalleeJames MartinChris NicholsonBob Patterson

Cynthia Sherman

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 andadditional mailing offices. January 2007, Volume 35,Number 1 © 2007 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. Allrights reserved. Racquet Sports Industry, RSI and logoare trademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A. Phoneadvertising: 770-650-1102 x 125. Phone circulationand editorial: 760-536-1177. Yearly subscriptions $25in the U.S., $40 elsewhere. POSTMASTER: Sendaddress changes to Racquet Sports Industry, 330Main St., Vista, CA 92084.

4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY January 2007

T

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

PTR Schedules 2007 Symposium

The 2007 PTR International Tennis Symposium and$25,000 Championships will be Feb. 17 to 23 at Ship-yard Plantation on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

This year’s speakers include Jim Loehr, Tim Mayotte, PatEtcheberry, Rodney Harmon, Lisa Duncan, Kirk Anderson,Jorge Andrew, and more. Professional Development Cours-es also are offered during the symposium. There also is atrade show.

Registration starts at $325 and includes presentations, Awards Banquet, Flag Ceremony, HeadDinner Party, Gamma Dinner Party, Kaelin Dinner & Fashion Show, Trade Show admission, SilentAuction, USTA Recognition Breakfast, Closing Ceremony, and portfolio. For more information or toregister, visit www.ptrtennis.org and click on “Upcoming Events.”

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INDUSTRY NEWSINDUSTRY NEWSR S I J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 7

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


New “String Center” SoftwareHelps Clubs, RetailersManage String Business

Anew web-based software program called “String Cen-ter” promises to help clubs, pro shops, and specialty deal-ers manage and grow their racquet stringing business.

String Center, which is part of Sports InterActive’s Tennis Commerce Suite, will simplify record-keeping, increase productivity, and increase customers service for what typically is a tennis busi-ness’s highest-margin category, according to Herb Sweren, the owner/president of Sports InterActive.

“This is the very first system built for the string business to manage orders and the overall oper-ation,” says Sweren. “Most dealers have been running the stringing operation by keeping track oforders in a notebook. This product automates the process so they can generate more revenue moreefficiently.”

With String Center, stringers and managers can create customer profiles to record preferences forstring type and tension, print receipts and work orders, view and prioritize jobs, and automate theprocess of customer reminders, says Sweren.

“I’ve been able to expand my business and make my life easier,” says Ken DeHart, director oftennis at the San Jose Swim & Racquet Club in San Jose, Calif., who uses String Center along withthe retail and playing facility components of Tennis Commerce Suite. “You can document thingsmore easily, more professionally, and keep the human touch. String Center is a very efficient way tomanage your string business in one place, and our online store carries more physical inventory thanI could carry in my shop.”

String Center is a component of Tennis Commerce Suite, which is a full-service software packagethat creates an online store for tennis retailers and facilities and offers online solutions to increaserevenue and customer service. For tennis pro shops signing up for the Tennis Commerce Suite, the“Our Store Online” feature allows customers 24/7 access through a secure shopping cart with tailoredbranding and messaging, along with a toll-free customer service phone. For clubs and facilities, the“Premium SI Package” provides tools to manage member communications and on-court activities,including online court scheduling, program enrollment, and player matching.

For more information and pricing, contact 410-358-1304 or visit www.sports-interactive.net.

Nitsche NamedGM of DunlopRacquet Sports

DunlopSportsGroupAmericashasappointedKai Nitscheas general

manager of its racquetsports division. Nitsche hadpreviously been with Dun-lop for eight years, rising todirector of marketing forboth the Racquet Sportsand Golf Divisions. Mostrecently, he was the south-ern regional manager forHead/Penn Racquet Sports.

“Everyone in the racquetsports industry has thegreatest respect for Kai andhis abilities,” says Neil Mor-ton, CEO of Dunlop SportsGroup Americas. “His hiringis a strategic move thatshows Dunlop’s commit-ment to the growth of theracquet sports brand.”

In addition to growing Dun-lop’s national sales teamsand customer services,Nitsche will oversee thiswinter’s launch of the Dun-lop Aerogel line of racquetsand the continued develop-ment of product lines.“Dunlop is committed to itsdealers and partners in allracquet sports,” saysNitsche. “We have alreadytaken a number of steps toensure we are turning outthe very best product in themarket.”

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USPTA ProvidesPersonal Websites

The USPTA is providing allof its memberswith personal

websites to help thempromote themselves andtheir services.

While personal web-sites have been avail-able to all USPTA members since 1997,previously members had to request a site andprovide all the content to the USPTA, whichcontrolled the site. Now, however, the mem-ber will completely control the content, toadd and update information as needed.

In this new program, an individual web-site has already been created for every USPTAmember. Members just need to visit usp-tapro.com and log in, then they can start cre-ating and personalizing their own site. Eachsite has a home page that can be personal-ized. There are also pages for a teaching probiography and information on his or her facil-ity. Other pages are available for events, les-son programs, news, tennis tips, and more.Members can also upload images and a com-pany logo that can be placed on any page onthe website.

To find a USPTA pro and visit one of theirwebsites, go to www.usptafindapro.com.

Head Adds to Metallix, Airflow Racquet Lines

Head has added two new racquets to its Metallix power series line. Metal-lix consists of a specially designed matrix of carbon fibers and a crys-talline metal alloy that has a grain size 1,000 times smaller than that of a

typical metal, says Head, which translates into increased strength in alighter, powerful racquet.

The new Metallix 4 (left) blends power and control and isdesigned to appeal to players with a medium swing style. The 4

features a 107-square-inch head size, and unstrung weight of9 ounces. The 115-square-inch, 8.8-ounce Metallix 6 is

a power racquet designed for players with amedium to short swing style.

Also new from Head is an addition to itswomen’s Airflow line—the Airflow 1,which is designed for players with amedium to fast swing style. Head saysthe Airflow 1 offers the most control inthe line and provides lightweightpower, maneuverability, and comfort.The racquet is 99 square inches andweighs 9 ounces.

For more information, visitwww.head.com.

Atlanta to Host CTDW in February

One of the most usefulindustry events for helpingto increase tennis partici-

pation takes place Feb. 9 to 11in Atlanta—the USTA’s 2007Community Tennis Develop-ment Workshop.

The educational weekendworkshop, under the theme“Working Smart—WorkingTogether,” will be at the HiltonAtlanta Hotel and will feature leading speakers and opportunities to networkwith peers across the country. Program sessions will consist of DevelopmentArea sessions, Professional Skill Development sessions, and On-Court Demon-strations.

Development Area sessions include programs on organizational planningand development, financial management for not-for-profit organizations, mar-keting/promotions/PR/communications, and participation and programming.Each session will be a combination of instruction from a topic expert as well aspeer interaction and case study. The Professional Skill Development and On-Court Demonstration sessions include topics such as time management, proj-ect management, on-court drills, and teaching techniques.

In addition, “pre-workshop” sessions are offered on Friday, Feb. 9, at noadditional charge. These sessions are designed for specific program areas,including NJTL chapters, Community Tennis Associations, and park and rec pro-grams. The weekend also includes the 2007 Awards Banquet, and an exhibitarea.

TDW conference registration starts at $251 for the weekend. The hotel ratefor registered attendees is $145 per night. For more information, visitwww.usta.com or email [email protected] or call 914-696-7205.

Ashaway Renews Dealwith R-Ball ChampHuczek

Ashaway RacketStrings hasannounced therenewal of itslongstandingsponsorshipagreement withWorld Championracquetball play-er Jack Huczek.The deal will take Huczek, who has beenusing Ashaway string since early in hiscareer, into his second decade as anAshaway Racket Strings sponsored play-er. Terms of the agreement were not dis-closed.


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


Southern Section Loses Marc Kaplan

Marc Kaplan, the USTA Southern Section’sdirector of communications and publications,died Oct. 17, after a five-year battle with a

brain tumor. Kaplan, who joined the section in1999, worked tirelessly to generate media publicityand coverage for USTA Southern events. In honor ofhis work and contributions to tennis journalism, theUSTA Southern Section Media Excellence Award hasbeen renamed in his honor, and Kaplan himself isthe first recipient of the “Marc Kaplan USTA South-ern Section Media Excellence” Award.

“Marc’s courage and fortitude in both his job andhis personal battle with cancer has provided inspi-ration to all of us here at USTA Southern that isimpossible to measure,” says Southern Section

Executive Director John Callen. “We will miss Marc in so many ways.”

Dunlop IntroducesAerogel Line of Frames

Dunlop has introduced its Aerogelline of racquets, which the compa-ny says is designed with “the light-

est solid on earth, with a strength 4,000times its own weight.”

“Dunlop has a reputation for produc-ing some of the finest racquets played byprofessionals,” says Kai Nitsche, generalmanager of racquet sports. “Aerogel fur-ther enhances our position as a leader inperformance technology.” Framesdesigned with Aerogel, says Dunlop, arestrong and stable, allowing for touch andfeel for control.

Aerogel, which is nicknamed “FrozenSmoke” because of its lightness andhologram-like transparency, is threetimes the weight of air, says Dunlop, andis used by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labora-tory in space missions.

In Dunlop’s Aerogel line, the sub-stance is combined with the company’sMulti Filament (M-Fil) technology to pro-vide stiffening at the top of the frame—to minimize frame movement and createpower—and to provide stabilization atthe bottom of the racquet head—provid-ing for more player control.

The Dunlop Aerogel 2Hundred isdesigned for high-per-

formance playerswith long swings,and it allows forpower and spin,says Dunlop.The Aerogel3Hundred is acontrol-orientedracquet for highperformance/clubplayers.The 5Hundred is

for serious playerslooking for extra power

and playability from alightweight frame. And the5Hundred Tour (left) isslightly heavier and stifferthan the 5Hundred.

The line will be in stores inFebruary. A new websitelaunches in January featuringthe Aerogel line. Visitwww.dunlopsports.com.

Kloss Elected Chair of Women’s Sports Foundation

Ilana Kloss, CEO of World TeamTennis, has been elected chair of the board oftrustees of the Women’s Sports Foundation. In her new role, Kloss will preside overand provide guidance to the trustees and executive committee.“It’s an honor to be named chair of the board of an organization so important to

the lives of physically active girls and women,” says Kloss. “I started my career as aprofessional tennis player around the same time that the Women’s Sports Foundationwas founded. During my career on and off the court, I have experienced firsthand theimpact the Foundation has had on the lives of millions of athletic and active womenover the past 30 years.”

California, Forida Teams DominateWTT Rec League Championships

Teams from California and Florida dominated the national championships at theWorld TeamTennis Rec League National Finals in November, winning eight of 10division titles. Missouri and New York teams each captured one title at the

event, which was held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif.Forty-eight recreational and corporate tennis teams representing 19 states bat-

tled during the three-day event. Teams advanced to the national finals by eitherqualifying from their respective divisions in six WTT Rec League national qualifyingtournaments or by winning their local Corporate League. The weekend kicked offwith a clinic hosted by WTT co-founder Billie Jean King. Division winners are:� 3.0: Braemar (Encino, Calif.)� 3.5: Plash (Troy, N.Y.)� 4.0: Game-Set-Match (Key Biscayne, Fla.)� 4.5: Roamers (San Diego, Calif.)� Senior 3.5: Good Vibrations (Downey, Calif.)� Senior 4.0: Young at Heart (Kirkwood, Mo.)� Corporate 3.5: NoWaitFreight Logistics (Boca Raton, Fla.)� Corporate 4.0: US Southcom (Miami, Fla.)� Corporate 4.5: Smith Barney (Miami, Fla.)� Open: San Francisco Tennis Club (San Francisco, Calif.)

For more information on World TeamTennis or the WTT Recreational League,visit www.WTT.com or call 866-PLAY-WTT.

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Centre Court Tennis Offers“The Tennis Court Hat”Centre Court Tennis has introduced a lineof hats that promotes the game of tennis.The Tennis Court Hat features an embroi-dered emerald green “centre court” thatforms a vivid design on a brushed-cottontwill cap. The hat is available in a varietyof colors. To order, or for more informa-tion, call 888-TENNHAT (836-6428) oremail [email protected].

PTR,PlaymateSign Agreement

The PTR and Playmate begin a two-year sponsorship agreement in Jan-uary that will provide PTRmembers

with 10 percent off the list price on allPlaymate products, such as ball-throw-ing machines and ball mowers.

In addition, Playmate will conducta new Professional DevelopmentCourse for the PTR titled “TeachingToday’s Modern Game with a BallMachine.” The course will be taught byStan Oley, Playmate’s national salesmanager, and will debut at the 2007PTR International Tennis Symposium,held in February on Hilton HeadIsland. Playmate will give away a Play-mate Smash Ball Machine, a $4,000value, to one participant at the course.

For more information, visitwww.playmatetennismachines.comor www.ptrtennis.org.

USTA staff took atour of the Pennball plant inPhoenix in earlyNovember. USTAnational and sec-tion staff were inPhoenix for fivedays for stafftraining.

TCA Re-Brands as Midtown Athletic Clubs

Chicago-based TCA Holdings, a leader in upscale athletic club and sportsresort management, has renamed its largest division Midtown AthleticClubs. The company currently operates 13 Midtown clubs throughout

the U.S. and Canada, including the Midtown Tennis Club in Chicago, whichrecently won RSI’s “Private Facility of the Year” Award.

“As the health club industry matures, it will continue to divide into varioussegments based on price, facilities, and service,” says Steven Schwartz, pres-ident and CEO of TCA Holdings. “Our re-branding efforts reinforce our posi-tion as the leader of the upscale niche. Having one strong brand allows us tobetter communicate our special attributes to our members, as well as devel-op new product standards that continue to redefine upscale athletic clubsand sports resorts.”

As part of the re-branding effort, Midtown Athletic Club will invest tens ofmillions of dollars to expand and renovate its facilities, as well as developinnovative health, fitness, and sports programming designed to keep mem-bers “fit for life.” For more information, visit www.tcaclubs.com.

Delray Event to Test NewATP Round-Robin Format

The Delray Beach International TennisChampionships, held Jan. 28 to Feb. 4 atthe Delray Beach (Fla.) Stadium and Tennis

Center, will be the first of five U.S. ATP tourna-ments to test a new singles round-robin formatfor the 2007 season. The Delray event has beenawarded a 32-player round-robin draw that theATP says will be a new element of excitementto players and fans.

“It’s exciting for Delray Beach to open the2007 tennis season in the U.S. by rolling outthis new round-robin format,” says Mark Baron,the tournament director. “We’ve been dis-cussing creative ways to make our sport evenmore exciting and this format delivers a chanceto test some of those ideas.”

The new format will extend the tournamentto eight days—and from 11 to 13 sessions. “Thissystem will ensure each player gets at least twomatches in a particular city, and will allow formore scheduling to be done in advance,” saysMark Young, ATP Americas CEO. “We’veenjoyed success with this format at the TennisMasters Cup, and we look forward to seeing itin practice at other ATP events during 2007.



PTR Announces NewDirector of Education

Myles Williams is the new director ofeducation for the PTR. Previously,he was the PTR’s education advisor.

Williams, a psychology instructor atCentral Carolina Technical College inSumter, S.C., will oversee PTR’s educationprograms on a part-time basis from hishome office. He will be responsible for thecontent of new workshops and courses, as well as for educationalmaterials published by PTR.

Among other things, Williams will oversee PTR’s new web-basededucation, revise PTR educational materials, and serve as staff liai-son between PTR and the Master Professional Committee. He is aPTR clinician and tester, and a former full-time staff member.

Top-Selling Racquets at Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars, January-September 2006

Best-Sellers1. Prince O3 White (MP) $1872. Babolat Pure Drive Team (MP) $1613. Wilson N Six-One (16x18) (MS) $1614. Prince O3 Blue (OS) $2205. Prince O3 Silver (OS) $236

“Hot New Racquets”(Introduced in the past 12 months)1. Prince O3 White (MP) $1872. Prince O3 Hybrid Hornet (MP) $1613. Prince O3 Hybrid Hornet (OS) $1634. Wilson N Pro Open (MP) $1675. Babolat Pure Drive Roddick (MP) $170(Source: TIA/Sports Marketing Surveys)

Tennis Racquet PerformanceSpecialty Stores, January-September, 2006 vs. 2005

Units 2006 613,6842005 552,445% Change vs. ’05 11%

Dollars 2006 80,9482005 76,643% Change vs. ’05 6%

Price 2006 $1322005 $139% Change vs. ’05 -5%

(Source: TIA/Sports Marketing Surveys)

Top-Selling Tennis Shoesat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars, January-September 20061. Adidas Barricade IV $1022. Nike Air Max Breathe 2 $933. Prince T 10 $824. Adidas Barricade II $825. Nike Air Max Breathe 3 $97(Source: TIA/Sports Marketing Surveys)

Top-Selling Tennis Stringsat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars, January-September 20061. Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex2. Wilson NXT3. Wilson Sensation4. Prince Lightning XX5. Luxilon Alu Power(Source: TIA/Sports Marketing Surveys)

ITA Names Small-College Winners

Embry-Riddle's (Fla.) Mislav Hizak and Fresno Pacific's (Calif.)Jelena Pandzic rolled to the singles titles at the 2006 Intercolle-giate Tennis Association "Super Bowl" of Small College Tennis at

the Florida Gulf Coast University Tennis Complex in Fort Myers, Fla.In addition, men's and women's doubles champions were

crowned in all four divisions at the 2006 ITA National Small CollegeChampionships:� NCAA Division II men: Julien Carsuzaa and Dennis Riegraf of Lynn (Fla.)� NCAA Division II women: Tammy Kevey and Mandy Septoe, WestFlorida

� NCAA Division III men: William Ellison and David Oehm of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.)

� NCAA Division III women: Liz Bondi and Amrita Padda of DePauw (Ind.)� NAIA men: Mislav Hizak and Konstantin Lazarov of Embry-Riddle (Fla.)� NAIA women: Kamila Dadakhodjeava and Tereza Veverkova of Auburn-Montgomery (Ala.)

� JC men: Nahom Serekeberhan and Jorge Vazquez of Tyler Junior College(Texas)

� JC women: Hiroko Nishikawa and Mizuho Nishimura of HillsboroughComm. College (Fla.)

Luxilon Selected as Stringer For WTASeason-Ending Championships

Luxilon, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialtymonofilaments, was selected as the Official Stringer of theSony Ericsson Tour Championships in Madrid, Spain. At the

season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships held from Nov. 7 to12, 2006, Luxilon offered on-site stringing services for all WTATour players.

“The selection of Luxilon to provide stringing services to thisprestigious event underscores the dominance of Luxilon strings inprofessional tennis, and we feel this is a tremendous opportunityfor both parties,” says John Lyons, Wilson’s Global Business Direc-tor of Accessories. Earlier in 2006, Luxilon and Wilson SportingGoods announced an agreement making Wilson the exclusiveworldwide distributor of Luxilon tennis strings.

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12 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY January 2 007

USRSA MEMBER CLASSIFIEDSFOR SALE: Prince/Ektelon Neos 1000 with Wise USA 2086 tension head.Four years old, home use only, and as new condition. Includes tools,manuals, and shipping cartons. Available for inspection and pickup inSouthern California $1,350. Please contact Carl (760) 727-7455 or [email protected]

FOR SALE: Babolat Star 3 Stringing Machine. Completely reconditionedby Tennis Machines Inc. Serial #10971/MFG. Date 8/9/89. Very GoodCondition. $2800. Contact Russ Sheh 760-318-0580.

Texas Largest Tennis Store Seeking Additional Stringers – Large Daily Vol-ume. We can keep you busy stringing full time or provide part-time saleswith part-time stringing. We have 2 Babolat Star 5 machines and aBabolat RDC machine. Come grow with us. Join Our Team. Send resumeto: [email protected] or fax to 713-781-1237.

USPTA Names Winners of Hard Court Chps.

Oren Motevassel of Alpharetta, Ga., claimed the men’s open title andJulie Cass of Austin, Texas, won the women’s open title at the$8,000 USPTA Hard Court Championships recently. Cass, who beat

Michelle King of Austin in the singles final, then joined with King to winthe open doubles title.

The competition featured more than 30 of the top men and womentennis-teaching professionals in the country. Final-round results are:� Men's Open Singles: Oren Motevassel (1), Alpharetta, Ga., def. Guillaume Gau-thier (2), Tyler, Texas, 6-4, 6-3.

� Women's Open Singles: Julie Cass (1), Austin, Texas, def. Michelle King (2),Austin, Texas, 6-2, 6-4.

� Men's 45-and-over Singles: Vallis Wilder (2), Fort Worth, Texas, def. Patrick Ser-ret (1), Alexandria, La., 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 .

� Men's Open Doubles: Jonas Lundblad, Cedar Park, Texas, and Brian Notis (1),Austin, Texas, def. Lance Hagan, Dallas, and Stephen Gordon-Poorman (3),Southlake, Texas, 6-4, 6-2.

� Women’s Open Doubles: Julie Cass, Austin, Texas, and Michelle King, Austin,Texas, def. Shareen Lai, Morrisville, Pa., and Sarah Porter, Tempe, Ariz., 6-0, 6-1.

The tournament was the last for the year in a series of four nationaltournaments on several court surfaces that the USPTA offered to its mem-bers as part of the USPTA National Surface Championship Series. USPTAmembers are eligible to participate in any of the competitions and theInternational Championships. For information, contact 800-USPTA-4U orvisit www.uspta.com.

College CoachesHonored by USTA, ITA

Wichita State University Director of TennisChris Young (top, below) has been namedthe national winner of the USTA/ITA Commu-

nity Service Award and Lehigh University men'sand women's tennis coach DaveShook (bottom) is the nationalwinner of the USTA/ITA CampusRecreation Award. They werehonored in December at theIntercollegiate Tennis Associa-tion Coaches Convention inFlorida.

The Service Award honors anITA coach for significant contri-butions in developing commu-nity-based tennis programsthrough community centers,schools, parks, community ten-nis associations, inner city, sub-urban or rural programs. TheCampus Recreation Award hon-ors an ITA coach who has donean outstanding job implement-

ing recreational tennis programs on campus in aneffort to grow tennis participation.

"Dave and Chris are great examples of coacheswho give back to their communities and campusesand our hope is that their efforts continue to inspireother varsity coaches to emulate the great workthey are doing," says ITA Executive Director DavidA. Benjamin. The national winners were selectedfrom a group of USTA sectional winners. Young isfrom the Missouri Valley Section and Shook is fromMiddle States.

Other sectional winners of the Community Service Awardare: Eastern—Russell Crispell, Univ. at Buffalo; Florida—Dwayne Hultquist, Florida State; Intermountain—Nicole Ken-neally, Univ. of Colorado; Mid-Atlantic—Cinda Rankin,Washington & Lee Univ.; Middle States—Jim Holt, Gwynedd-Mercy College; Midwest—Frank Barnes, Univ. of Wisconsin-Whitewater; Missouri Valley—Chris Young, Wichita StateUniv.; Northern—Scott Larsen, St. Benedict; New England—Jeffrey T. Wyshner, Fairfield Univ./Univ. of Akron; NorthernCalifornia—Marc Weinstein, Mills College; Pacific Northwest—Lisa Hart, Washington State Univ.; Southern—Billy Pate, Univ.of Alabama; Southern California—Paul Settles, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges; Southwest—Lancy Lan-Shi Carr, Gate-Way Community College; Texas—Cari Groce, Texas Tech.

Other sectional winners of the Campus Recreation Awardare: Eastern—Ira Miller, Fairleigh Dickinson Univ.; MiddleStates—Lori Sabatose, Clarion Univ.; Midwest—Al Wermer,Univ. of Toledo; Missouri Valley—Chase Hodges, Drake Univ.;New England—Chuck Kinyon, Dartmouth College; PacificNorthwest—Gail Patton, Southern Oregon Univ.; Southern—James Cuthbertson, Johnson C. Smith Univ.; Southern Califor-nia—Paul Settles, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges.

Head Brings Metallix to SquashHead brings its Metallix technology of carbonfibers and new crystalline metal alloy tosquash with the new Metallix 150 squashframe. Designed for power, the ultra-stiff racquet also featuresHead’s Flexpoint technol-ogy. For more info,visit www.head.com



USRSA Adds New Salesperson

Christina Kaus has joined the U.S. Racquet StringersAssociation as the advertising and membership salesperson for both theassociation and for Racquet Sports Industry magazine. Kaus joins the sales

team that includes John Hanna, advertising sales director, and Cynthia Sherman,apparel advertising sales.

Kaus's sales responsibilities will include advertising in the Stringers Digest andthe Industry Resource Guide in RSI. Kaus will also be responsible for selling USRSAmemberships, Master Racquet Technician and Certified Stringer certification,instructional tools, and all of the other publications and supplies that the USRSAproduces.

"We're excited to add Christina to our team. Her extensive experience in salesand customer service as well as her passion for the game of tennis make her aperfect fit for this new position," says David Bone, executive director of the USRSAand co-publisher of RSI.

Tecnifibre Adds Frames to Elite Series

New for January is Tecnifibre’s TFlash 310 and an upgraded TFeel305,both part of the company’s Elite Series of frames. The newracquets are offered in two string patterns, 18x20 and

16x19.Current frames in the Elite Series are the TFight 335

and TFight 320, which both also are available in twostring patterns. “We’re targeting the fre-quent/tournament player who has discerningcriteria for the racquet’s performance,”says Paul Zalatoris, general managerof Tecnifibre USA. “We are pro-viding ‘customized’ optionswith our line offering of rac-quets.”

For more information, visit www.tecnifibre.com, email [email protected],

PE4life Announces Growth Plan

The new PE4life Board of Directors has announced its three-year plans for PE4life to expand its PE4life Academies to 25locations. These state-of-the-art PE training facilities will

educate and help establish almost 3,000 PE4life Programs orschools through the U.S., which is expected to teach a new, con-temporary PE program to over 7 million children by 2009.

"Our PE4life Academies are training hundreds of PE instruc-tors, teachers, and community administrators on how to implement quality PEprograms,” says Chairman Tom Fox. “Research conducted at PE4life Programs hasshown we are improving the fitness levels in children, reducing disciplinaryactions in schools and, with new research, increasing academic results as well. Itis time to expand and let our PE4life Academies reach their potential."

PE4life Founder Jim Baugh (above), a longtime tennis industry veteran whoserved as TIA president and USTA board member, says PE4life will look both with-in the sports world and outside for future support and partnerships. “We will havealmost 3,000 sites or schools to promote partner products,” says Baugh. “And, wecan influence over 7 million children through these PE4life Programs."

For more information, contact 816-472-7345 or email [email protected].

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> The Professional Tennis Registry willreceive the USTA’s 2006 Adaptive TennisNational Community Service Award at theCommunity Tennis Development Workshopin Atlanta in February. The award recognizesan organization or individual that hasdemonstrated continued excellence, dedica-tion, and service in tennis for special popula-tions or persons with disabilities.

> Apparel maker Lejay Inc. has moved itscorporate headquarters. The new address is10728 NW 53rd St., Sunrise, FL 33351;phone 800-932-7535 or 954-741-8707; fax954-741-8577; email [email protected];www.lejay.com.

> Communications firm Keating & Co. ofFlorham Park, N.J., is the new public relationsfirm for Dunlop Sports Group Americas.

> New members beginning three-year termson the board of directors of the Internation-al Tennis Hall of Fame are: Girard Brownlow,Jim Courier, Phil Gore, Sir James Harvie-Watt,Joel Katz, Deno Macricostas, Greg Muth andJon Vegosen. Harvie-Watt was also appoint-ed to the Hall of Fame’s Executive Committeeand will co-chair the International Council.

> The U.S. Squash Racquets Associationannounced that it will move its headquartersto New York City by late spring, from its cur-rent location in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. For moreinformation, visit www.us-squash.org.

> UCLA's Ben Kohlloeffel and Miami's (Fla.)Audra Cohen captured singles titles at theIntercollegiate Tennis Association NationalIndoor Championships. This event, the sec-ond of three national championships for sin-gles and doubles during the 2006-07collegiate tennis season, was hosted by OhioState at the Racquet Club of Columbus. Indoubles, Georgia's John Isner and Luis Florestook the men’s title and William & Mary'sMegan Moulton-Levy and Katarina Zorcicwon the women's final.

> Through January, the International TennisHall of Fame in Newport, R.I., will display¡Vive el Tenis!, a new exhibit that exploresthe journey of tennis from its English andEuropean roots throughout North, South,and Central America and the Caribbean. Forinformation, visit www.tennisfame.com orcall 401-849-3990.

> “Gary the Tennis Coach” is a new inde-

SHORT SETSpendent film slated to be released in2007. It stars Seann William Scott, bestknown for playing Steve Stifler in the“American Pie” series, as a high-schooljanitor who coaches a group of misfits tothe Nebraska state championship.

> The 2007 World TeamTennis Champi-onship Weekend presented by Advantawill be July 27-29 at the home court of theSacramento Capitals, Allstate Stadium atWestfield Galleria at Roseville in Califor-nia.

> Look for a revamped Prince website inearly January that will feature the newestgeneration O3 technology racquets, alongwith unique 360-degree views of the newframes for 2007.

> Head/Penn and the ATP have extendedtheir partnership for Head/Penn to be theofficial ball of the ATP Masters Series andTennis Masters Cup through 2009.Head/Penn, which earlier this year extend-ed its agreement to become the officialracquet and tennis bag of the ATP, hasserved as the official ball of the ATP since1993.

TSRs Visit9,000 Facilities

Mark McMahon, the USTA’smanager of Tennis ServiceRepresentatives, reports that

through the first nine months of2006, the 90 TSRs made 9,302facility visits, an average of morethan 1,000 a month, and met morethan 33,000 personnel. Each TSRaveraged 16 visits per month, forabout 143 per TSR for the ninemonths.

About 26 percent of all TSR vis-its were at tennis clubs, 22 percentat schools, 21 percent at park andrec facilities, 10 percent at Commu-nity Tennis Associations, 7 percentat program delivery or serviceorganizations, 3 percent at NJTLs,and 12 percent to other tennis-related organizations.

The average customer servicerating for the visits, says McMahon,is a 4.71 out of 5.00.

For a Good Cause

At the recent Tennis Masters Cup inShanghai, about $40,000 was raisedfor ACE (Assisting Children Every-where), the partnership between theATP and UNICEF, through donationsmade for aces served on court,silent auctions, and sales of theFeder-bear Beanie Baby. Visitwww.atptennis.com.

TennisTunes.com Launches WithFederer, Roddick, Sharapova Songs

Singer and songwriter John Macom of the Hoboken, N.J.-based band “Binge” haslaunched www.tennistunes.com, a website devoted to his music inspired by theworld of tennis. Macom—noted for his musical contributions to TV shows such as

“Dawson’s Creek,” “Party of Five,” “Felicity,” and “American Embassy”—has originalsongs about Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, and other pros available fordownload for $1.30 each.

“International tennis is a fascinating and exciting sport full of personable and charismaticstars that have provided me with plenty of musical inspiration,” says Macom. “I’m excited thatthrough the world-wide-web, I’m able to share my music with all who find it entertaining.”



TTC Adds,ShiftsPersonnel

Recent personnel moves at TheTennis Channel include two newmarketing execu-

tives and a number ofpromotions.

Neil Roberts (right,top) is the new directorof marketing and Lau-ren Leder (middle) isthe director of on-aircreative. In addition,Kate Varley (below) waspromoted to director ofshort-form content andspecial projects. Allthree will report to FayeWalker, the vice presi-dent of marketing.

Also, the TTC pro-moted four in its distri-bution and productiondepartments: EricTurpin is the new vicepresident of distribu-tion, Eastern region;Laura Hockridge, executive producer,series and specials; Heath Woodlief,producer; and Michelle Hanchaikul,associate producer.

In other news, the TTC has part-nered with Bellrock Media to marketand distribute the mobile game TurboTennis, which is available for downloadon major cell-phone carriers for $5.99by sending the text message “TURBO”to “TENIS” (83647).

Klip to DistributeVölkl Racquets

Effective Jan. 1, Völkl TennisGmbH will use Klip America asits distributor in the U.S.

Inquiries should go to Benny E. Neu-mann, Klip America’s marketing andsales coordinator, at 866-554-7872,fax 720-559-3253 or email

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• Stan Smith of HiltonHead Island, S.C., and Kay

McDaniel of Cleveland, Tenn., will beinducted into the USTA Southern Section

Tennis Hall of Fame on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

• Carla Simpson McKenzie is the new assistantdirector of the Professional Tennis Management(PTM) program at Methodist College in Fayet-teville, N.C. McKenzie, a PTR and USPTA pro, grad-uated from the college and completed the PTMcurriculum. She is currently enrolled in the Profes-sional MBA program at Pinehurst.

• Pop singer Gwen Stefani bought two Head Air-flow 7 racquets recently at Tennis Ace in Los Ange-les. Reports say she had demoed a number offrames before picking the Airflows. Stefani’s hus-band, singer and guitarist Gavin Rossdale, is anavid player and regular customer at the shop.

• West Florida sophomore Tammy Kevey andEmbry-Riddle (Fla.) junior Mislav Hizak received the2006 James O' Hara Sargent SportsmanshipAwards presented by Rolex Watch USA at theIntercollegiate Tennis Association National SmallCollege Tennis Championships presented by theUSTA. The award, given in memory of Jim Sargent,former media manager for Rolex Watch USA whodied in a car accident in 2000, goes to playerswho display outstanding sportsmanship and exem-plify the spirit of college tennis during the courseof the ITA National Small College Championships.

• New staff at the International Tennis Hall ofFame in Newport, R.I., include Gretchen W. North-ern as director of annual giving and donor rela-tions, Leigh Persico as special projects manager,and Charles Kehres as special events manager.

• For the third time in the last four years, Bob andMike Bryan have clinched victory in the StanfordATP Doubles Race. The Bryans previously finishedas the No. 1 team in 2003 and 2005 while finish-ing second in 2004.

• Jim Courier claimed the year-end No. 1 rankingin the 2006 Outback Champions Series, a collec-tion of tennis events in the U.S. for champion ten-nis players over the age of 30. Second place wentto John McEnroe. Visitwww.championsseriestennis.com.

• Dan Malasky has been named USTAcounsel, Professional Tennis, supporting

legal matters for the ProfessionalTennis Division.


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O P L E W ATCH

Prince Adds New Strings, Grips

Prince Sports has come out with new strings andgrips designed to satisfy all types of players, andwith packaging that’s color-coded so customers

find exactly what they’re looking for.The new strings are the Synthetic Gut Multifilament

16 (see our playtest on page 42) and 17 gauge, part ofthe “playability series”; Tournament Poly in 16 and 17gauge, part of the “durability series”; and Synthetic GutPoly Blend, with 17-gauge tournament poly mains and16-gauge synthetic gut duraflex crosses, in the “dura-bility series.”

According to Prince’s Dave Holland, more than10 million sets of Prince Synthetic Gut string hasbeen sold since its introduction in 1991.

Prince has also segmented and color-coded itsgrips into four categories: tacky, absorbent, traction,and cushion. The new grips are the DuraPro+(tacky), DuraPerf+ (absorbent), DuraTred+ (traction),and DuraRib+ (traction). Currently in the line is theCushion Fit grip, which is in the “cushion” segment.

Packaging for the grips, which have photos of Princepros Maria Sharapova and James Blake, includes informationon the “triple-tier” construction, which Holland says will improvetack level and add life to the grips. There is also a sample of the actual gripfor customers to feel. Suggested retail prices for the grips are $8.99.

Also, Prince offers a new, modular grip display that can be hung off ahook or attached to a slatwall, and it features the Dura grips, Cushion Fitgrips, and No Sweat! overgrips.

For more information, visit www.princetennis.com.

ITA, USTA Honor College All-Stars

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association and the USTA honored the bestfrom the 2006 collegiate season at the USTA National Tennis Center.The ITA Collegiate All-Star team recognized the nation's top-ranked

men's and women's tennis players from the season-ending Fila CollegiateTennis Rankings at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and NJCAA levels,as well as champions from the 2005 ITA National Intercollegiate IndoorChampionships and 2006 NCAA Championships.

This year's women's All-Stars are Miami's Audra Cohen, Florida's DianaSrebovic and California's Suzi Babos in D-I singles; Stanford's Alice Barnesand Anne Yelsey, Miami's Melissa Applebaum and Cohen, and Northwest-ern's Cristelle Grier Fox and Alexis Prousis in D-I doubles; ArmstrongAtlantic State's Luisa Cowper in D-II; Washington & Lee's Emily Applegate inD-III; Fresno Pacific's Jelena Pandzic in the NAIA; and Broward's Marta Simicin the NJCAA.

On the men's side, the All-Stars are UCLA's Benjamin Kohlloeffel, Geor-gia's John Isner and Miami's Luigi D'Agord in D-I singles; Illinois' KevinAnderson and Ryan Rowe, Pepperdine's Scott Doerner and Andre Bege-mann, and Ohio State's Scott Green and Ross Wilson in D-I doubles; Drury'sMattias Oddone in D-II; Bates' Will Boe-Wiegaard in D-III; Embry-Riddle'sMislav Hizak in the NAIA; and Temple's Damian Johnson in the NJCAA.

Also honored were Megan Moulton-Levy of William & Mary and JonathanStokke of Duke, who were recognized with the ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadershipand Sportsmanship Awards.

IBM, Heineken RenewUS Open Sponsorships

IBM and Heineken have renewedtheir partnership agreements for theUS Open.IBM will continue as the “Official

Information Technology SolutionProvider” of the US Open and also willcontinue as one of six USTA CorporateChampions. The multi-year deal con-tinues through 2009, and will makeIBM a 16-year sponsor of the US Open.

Heineken USA, the nation's largestbeer importer, extended its agreementwith the US Open through 2010.Heineken, the “Exclusive Beer Spon-sor,” is in its 15th year of sponsorship.



Fischer Tennis HasU.S. Distributorship

Fischer Tennis is now distributingracquets from its Fischer SportsUSA headquarters in New Hamp-

shire.Fischer, which is privately owned

and based in Austria, produces “tourna-ment-player” frames, says Brian Hunter,the U.S. national sales manager for Fis-cher Tennis, who’s been with the com-pany for a year. Pros Marcos Baghdatis,Dominik Hrbaty, and Meghann Shaugh-nessy use Fischer frames, as does about10 percent of ATP and WTA top 100players, says Hunter. “It puts us on themap as a player’s racquet.”

The company introduced threeframes at the end of the summer, theMagnetic Tour (below) and the Magnet-ic Vision and GDS Vision, both designedfor women players. “In 2007, we’re real-

ly looking to bringthe MagneticSpeed series tothe forefrontin the U.S.market,”saysHunter.

Fisch-er Sports,whose U.S.division is

headed byPresident Dave

Auer, is one ofthe top ski manu-

facturers in theworld. Its Fischer

Advanced CompositeComponents divisionproduces lightweightcomponents for the auto-motive and aircraft indus-tries. “It’s an innovation andtechnology company,” saysHunter.

Contact: Fischer SportsUSA, 60 Dartmouth Drive,Auburn, NH 03032; 603-314-7110 or 800-844-7810; fax 603-314-7124;

email [email protected];www.fischertennisusa.com.

onfused about how to improve theperformance of your clay courts?Looking for a long-range plan to

upgrade your facility, but don’t knowwhere to begin? Is your facility seeing theeffects of age, and you’re not sure justwhat it needs?

When it comes to facility maintenanceand upkeep, it’s easy for tennis pros, gen-eral managers, and other court owners tofeel overwhelmed and often confused byrecommendations from players, builders,and club personnel. That’s why Lee Tennishas stepped in, offering a “Facility Analy-sis Survey,” or FAS, that can be a guide toimproving and upgrading your tennisfacility.

But Lee Tennis, best known as themakers of the Har-Tru surface, goesbeyond simply looking at thecourt surface itself, althoughthat is a big part of the FAS. Thesurvey, which is conducted byan experienced Lee Tennis staffmember, includes gathering anddocumentation of historical sitedata, geotechnical information,court orientation, computer-generated three-dimensionaltopographical surface maps, sur-face thickness and base stonemeasurements, analysis of theirrigation systems, drainage,curbing, lighting, nets, netposts, fencing, and court andplayer amenities.

“Our goal is to create aroadmap that will allow a courtowner or club to offer the besttennis court experience possi-ble,” says Lee Facility Analysisand Consulting Services ManagerEd MonteCalvo. “The report wecreate includes short- and long-term recommendations, as wellas three-dimensional maps ofevery court.”

Lee’s FAS also offers recom-mendations on irrigation, light-ing, and, if the facility desires,

options on converting hard courts. “Our jobis to take the guesswork out of upgradingyour courts and to do it in a way that everymember can understand and ultimately sup-port,” says MonteCalvo. “We’ve surveyedover 800 clay courts in the last four years.”

The information gathered for the FAS isput into a bound, full-color, easy-to-readreport, complete with photos, charts, andcomputer-generated drawings specific to thefacility being analyzed. Lee Tennis personnelalso will present the FAS information to aclub’s board of directors, tennis committee,members, park and rec departments, home-owners associations, resorts, or othergroups.

In fact, that’s what MonteCalvo did forthe Elmcrest Country Club in Cedar Rapids,Iowa, when the club was investigating con-

verting one of its six hard courts to a claycourt. MonteCalvo met with the board ofdirectors and others involved in the project.

“We had always talked about getting aHar-Tru court,” says Cam Watts, whorecently retired as the tennis director atElmcrest. “Ed guided us toward subsurfaceirrigation.”

According to Lee Tennis, the FAScomes in handy in a number of instances:� For construction and maintenance guid-ance prior to facility renovations or newconstruction.

� To evaluate existing court conditions andoffer improvements to court mainte-nance.

� To identify capital improvement needs forlong-term planning and budgeting.

� To investigate the possibility of convert-ing hard courts to Har-Tru.

A few years ago, Jamie Peter-son, the tennis director at theChartwell Golf and Country Clubin Severna Park, Md., had an FASdone on his seven courts. Sincethen, he has redone two courtsaccording to the survey results,“but the FAS also plans for the

other five to be improved,which is in our capital plan inthe future,” says Peterson.

The FAS also has been con-venient for Mark Finnerty, the

grounds manager at the MerionCricket Club in Haverford, Pa.Merion had six Har-Tru courtsrebuilt in 1989, and Finnertybelieved they were no longer play-ing consistently. “I thought it wouldbe nice to have an actual report toback up what I wanted to havedone,” he says. “The FAS con-firmed what I needed to have con-firmed.

“I generally know what needs tobe done,” says Finnerty. “But toactually have an outside companycome in, then write up a nice,detailed report for you, that’s a realnice service.” �

MAINTENANCEcourt�


For more on Lee Tennis’sFacility Analysis Survey, call877-4-HAR-TRU.

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Lee’s Facility Analysis Survey Offers“Roadmap” for Court Owners

Typical three-dimensional court perspective included in an FAS report

indicates direction of water flow.

A Facility Analysis Survey at Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, Ariz., ledto a renovation of the courts.

THE master prosA Team EffortJimmy Pitkanen says both players and coaches have a lot to gainfrom the team experience.

As both a participant and coach, JimmyPitkanen of Knoxville, Tenn., hasenjoyed the camaraderie that comes

from being part of a tennis team. Forteenagers struggling against peer pressure,he says, there may be no greater refuge.

“There isn’t abetter environ-ment to learn,

perform, andcompete than ona team,” says 53-year-old Pitkanen,a former directorof tennis at clubswho now coachesat the exclusiveWebb School ofKnoxville. In fact,he says the onlytrophies he kept from his “playing days”were those he earned with his own highschool and college teams. “It means more,”he adds, “when you’re not just in it foryourself.”

That attitude goes a long way inexplaining why Pitkanen joined both thePTR and the USPTA in the 1980s, and whyhe worked so hard to earn the prestigiousMaster Professional rating from both orga-nizations in the 1990s—an accomplishmentshared by only five others in the world.

“It’s important to belong to the organi-zations,” Pitkanen says. “It’s not what theycan offer you, but how you can workthrough them to service the industry. It’s animportant part of a pro’s makeup andcareer development.”

According to Fred Viancos, the USPTA’sdirector of professional development, aMaster Pro must put in court, organization,education, and business hours, in addition

to extensive education programming.USPTA CEO Tim Heckler adds, “The MasterProfessional rating is highly respected by allmembers of the tennis community due tothe objectivity and accountability required toearn it.”

“Jimmy is very involved in everythingfrom school tennis to USTA programs, andalways has been,” says Geoffrey Norton,the PTR’s director of development. “He’svery well known and respected in theSouth. In our workshops, his name seems tocome up in every conversation as a goodsource for information for this or that. He’sa key guy who helps out in all aspects ofthe industry.”

“I always say passionate teachers inspiretheir students, and Jimmy has done that foryears,” says PTR CEO Dan Santorum, whohas known Pitkanen for 18 years. “Somepeople go through the motions of teaching,but some do it from the heart. Jimmy is oneof those people.”

Pitkanen says he maintains dual mem-berships because the resources provided byboth organizations help keep him on thecutting edge of the industry. “They’re alsoboth service-oriented groups,” he notes,

BY CYNTH I A CANTRE L L


“and once you get involved in your com-munity, you can’t sit still and not do more.”

Pitkanen, who coaches the girls’ andboys’ high school tennis teams at the WebbSchool of Knoxville, teaches his players thatcommunity service is just as important as aconsistent serve by taking them to the localboys’ club to hit and socialize with the kids.Whenever possible, they take extra balls ormaybe even a new net to donate to thefacility.

“Kids really enjoy helping each other,”Pitkanen says. “It’s wonderful to see.”

This is the fifth of nine installmentson the teaching pros who hold Mas-ter Pro certifications from both thePTR and the USPTA.

Pitkanen’s Tipsfor Success� Stick with fundamentals. A lot of pros getcaught up in teaching the latest fad, butfundamentals—like “get into the readyposition” and “watch the ball as it comesoff your opponent’s strings”—never go outof style.

� Give a kid a chance. Teaching pros whofavor teaching adults might want to recon-sider. Kids stay kids for a short time, andthe lessons you impart about tennis and lifemay have a powerful and lasting effect. Fewoccupations offer such opportunity for jobsatisfaction.

� One day at a time. Many young playerswant to become pros some day, Pitkanennotes, but the rest will become pros inanother area of life. Focus on teaching play-ers how to get the best out of theirgames—and themselves—so they’ll be pre-pared for whatever career lies ahead.

� Team spirit. Pitkanen says students shouldbe encouraged to join competitive and intra-mural sport teams and leagues. Althoughteenagers often have many competing inter-ests, he believes being part of a team canbe “one of the most joyous parts of highschool or college life.”


Pitkanen was just a kid himself when helearned tennis from his father at age 11. Hecontinued playing in high school and at the Uni-versity of Tennessee. His decision to become ateaching pro, he says, was natural.

“I love people and I love to teach. Com-bined, there couldn’t be a better career forme,” Pitkanen says. “There’s something specialabout the immediate sense of satisfaction youget from watching players improve not onlytheir strokes, but the mental aspect of theirgames. I enjoy every single day.”

That sense of job fulfillment is enhanced bycalls, cards, and visits from former students.Pitkanen says one of last year’s graduates calledrecently so he could diagnose problems she washaving with her forehand. The captain of lastyear’s boys’ team recently asked if he could joina team practice when he came home fromcollege.

“I told him, ‘Bring your running shoes,’”Pitkanen says, “‘because you’ll be running withthem, too.’”

That’s what teammates do. �

SUCCESSmarketing&


clubs in your area. Some ideas are to offerterrific participation prizes, in addition toquality food and beverages that they willcome back to experience.

MEMBER INCENTIVESI recently switched dentists at the recom-mendation of a close friend. The new den-tist, as a thank-you, sent my friend a $50credit, and he also gave us the sameamount as a first-visit discount.

Consider a coupon for the pro shop of$100 as a thank-you to the referring mem-ber. It’s a substantial amount of money, yetthe actual cost of goods to the club mayonly be $50. And, for the new member,I’ve always been a fan of a free 30-minuteintroductory lesson. Even if the new mem-ber doesn’t invest regularly in lessons, thisis a great way to help them feel welcome.

NON-MEMBER USAGE RATESFor many potential members, the amount itcosts to join your club or facility will play amajor part in their decision. Ideally, youwant to capture their hearts and get themto regularly use your facility.

However, chances are as non-members,they’re paying for guest passes, or payinghigher non-member lesson rates, or areunable to take advantage of member sav-

marketing&

ecruit orperish.”Many

organizationslive by that say-ing. So, too,should your clubor facility. Sincesome degree ofannual attritionis unavoidable,if you don’tbring in newmembers, yourbusiness will grad-ually whither away.

The tennis clubbusiness is just that—a business.Profit and loss is calculated like any otherbusiness. Although there are many sourcesof revenue, such as food and beverage,lessons, pro shop sales, racquet stringing,and ball machine rentals, the primary rev-enue stream comes from membership.

Rates of attrition in the club businessvary from region to region, but all clubshave this challenge in common: namely,how to bring in more new members thanthe number of members who leave. For aclub manager, who budgets revenues ineach category, finding ways to bring moremembers to any club or facility is like print-ing your own money.

Before sharing ways to bring in newmembers, we need to note the importanceof conducting interviews with both incom-ing and departing members. For incomingmembers, it is most important to determinetheir expectations and reasons for joining.Obviously, if those expectations are met,chances are they will remain as members.

For departing members, exit interviewsare essential to keep any facility vibrant andhealthy. Many will leave for reasons totallybeyond a club’s control. However, someuseful feedback will inevitably be gainedfrom exit interviews. Just be sure to act onit. Surprisingly enough, a high percentageof clubs do not conduct exit interviews. The

most successful clubs, on the other hand,use this tool religiously and reap the ben-efits of long-term success in the process.

FREE GUEST DAYSMarketing campaigns always differenti-ate between cold-calling and contacting“warm” leads, always preferring a warmprospect to a cold one. For our purposes,a friend of an existing member definitelyqualifies as a warm lead and is a goodprospect for membership.

Establish a regular “free” guest dayand be sure to offer the guest a specialpacket that they will value. Considerincluding a discount coupon for the proshop or an introductory lesson. Keepthem coming back to your facility andyour ultimate success is guaranteed.

MEMBER–GUEST SOCIALSOne of the primary reasons people joinclubs is to be with friends. If you want toentice new members into your facility,the best way is to create opportunitiesfor potential members to make newfriends who, coincidentally, happen to bemembers at your club.

Nearly every club schedules member-guest social events. The trick is to planyour social so it stands out from other

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New Members:Your Key to Staying in Business

B Y J O E D I N O F F E R“

New Members:Your Key to Staying in Business


Joe Dinoffer is a Master Professional forboth the PTR and USPTA. He speaks fre-quently at national and international ten-nis teacher workshops as a member ofboth the Head/Penn and Reebok National

Speaker’s Bureaus. He is president of Oncourt OffcourtInc. and has written 16 books and produced more than30 instructional videos.

ings on pro shop andclub snack bar pur-chases. These“member benefits”

should graduallyconvince the non-members to takethe plunge and

join your facility.

SERVE THEKIDS, RECRUITTHE PARENTSIt’s an establishedfact that clubs withprospering andexpanding juniorprograms havehealthy bottom linesas well. Why? When

the young childrenare well-served and

happy at a particularclub, parents naturally

consider how the facility canbenefit their entire family.

BIRTHDAY PARTIESParents are always looking for creativeoptions when planning their children’sbirthday parties. What if you designed aseries of theme birthday parties and pro-moted them in a brochure for your existingmembers? Themes could include hiringclowns, magicians, or jugglers to entertainthe children. Hire your own pros to rungames with prizes on your courts (not ten-nis-specific).

Now, imagine weekly birthday partieswith an average of 20 young children andtheir parents looking on. Since the vastmajority will be non-members, what a greatway to regularly expose your facility to alarge group of potential members in afavorable environment, all at the sametime. Just remember to give the guests apacket including discount coupons alongwith a special offer to entice them to enrolltheir children into one of your junior pro-grams. �

PRO�


ith a double major in marketingand business management, OndrejVana plans to get a job in business

after he graduates in 2008 from OuachitaBaptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark. He’llalways have a second career option, how-ever, since he became a certified teachingpro through the Professional Tennis Reg-istry’s “PTR on Campus” program.

“I expected to learn a lot, but not asmuch as I did,” says 23-year-old Vana, anative of the Czech Republic. “I knowhow to play tennis, but it was hard toexplain it, especially because I’m an inter-national student. But that’s not a problemat all now. I really appreciate the PTR tak-ing the time to do this.”

Vana’s teammate, 20-year-old seniorChris Jones of Jonesboro, Ark., has beenusing his new tennis teaching skills at asummer sports camp at the T Bar MResort & Conference Center in NewBraunfels, Texas. “The PTR program wasgreat for me. I hadn’t considered teachingtennis as a profession before, but it issomething I see myself doing until I finish

with college and graduate school,” Jonessays. “The free certification was incredible,and I would certainly recommend it to otherstudents.”

PTR on Campus trains and certifies highschool and college tennis players for acareer as a tennis teaching professional. Inexchange for a free, 10-hour certificationcourse, participants are asked to perform 10hours of community service teaching tennis,preferably in a multicultural community.

Designed for full-time students 16 to 23years old with at least a 4.0 rating, the free“PTR Teaching Essentials Workshop” (nor-mally $95) usually takes place over thecourse of a weekend. Students may alsopurchase a PTR membership for the stan-dard $100 initiation fee plus $25 annualrenewal dues instead of the regular $125fee (until they finish their undergraduateprogram). Optional liability insurance isoffered for $20 for students, instead of $40.

Dan Santorum, CEO of the PTR, says PTRon Campus was created as a proactive solu-tion to the anticipated retirement in the nextfive to 10 years of thousands of teachingprofessionals who began their careers dur-ing the 1970s tennis boom. By offering freeeducation and special introductory prices onmembership, Santorum says the hope is forprogram participants to ultimately fill tennisteaching jobs at parks, camps, clubs, andresorts nationwide. Until they graduate, henotes, students who are certified can teachduring summers and throughout the schoolyear to earn money that may help pay forcollege.

“We are graying as an organization andfacing a huge void of experience,” says San-torum, noting that the average age of a PTRmember (as of June 2006) is 45.74 years.“Tennis is growing, and this program is thePTR’s way of building a workforce of youngteaching pros to meet that growth.”

W

PTR on Campus was launched as apilot program for the University of Wash-ington’s women’s tennis team in Novem-ber 2004, at which time about 15 currentand recently graduated team playersbecame PTR-certified. Patty Fendick-McCain, a former Top 20 WTA Tour play-er who was Washington’s head coach atthat time, says she was especially attract-ed to the program’s community-servicecomponent.

“As a college coach, I always felt wecould do more [to benefit] inner-city ten-nis,” says Fendick-McCain, a two-timeNCAA Division I singles champion who isnow head women’s tennis coach at theUniversity of Texas in Austin, “but I didn’tknow how to connect the dots.”

Since PTR on Campus was officiallyannounced at the 2005 US Open, col-leges and universities that have hostedPTR on Campus have included FurmanUniversity, Penn State, St. Mary’s Universi-ty, South Carolina State University, TexasTech University, and the University ofSouth Alabama.

Emilien Rabin, who was one of eightOuachita players who participated in PTRon Campus last fall, says he gained confi-dence as well as teaching knowledge.Originally from Beaupreau, France, 24-year-old Rabin—who graduated in May2006 from Ouachita Baptist—now worksat the Polo Tennis and Fitness Club inAustin.

“It was good to be [among] only afew people in order to be able to askmany questions. It is also fun because youget certified with people you know,”Rabin says. “Bringing the classes to cam-pus made it really convenient and easy.” �

teaching

For more information about PTR on Cam-

pus, visit www.ptrtennis.org.

PTR on Campus ProgramTrains and CertifiesFull-Time Students

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

PARTICIPATION<


s a program coordinator for juniorplayers, I’m constantly on the lookoutfor new ways to entice players into

the game (it takes a lot to pull a kid awayfrom his Xbox 360). So you can imagine mysurprise when I realized I didn’t need tolook any further than my own backboard.That’s right. The practice wall.

A new program for juniors, called RapidRally, uses low-compression balls and awall. Players stand behind a 15-foot tapeline to serve, then they hit the ball againstthe wall as many times as they can in 30seconds.

For Rapid Rally, the USTA partnered withthe U.S. Olympic Committee and Kellogg’sFrosted Flakes to incorporate tennis into itsalready existing junior skills competition(other sports offered are soccer, basketball,and track & field). I first heard about RapidRally during the USTA’s Community TennisDevelopment Workshop held in Californiain early February. The program caught myimmediate interest.

Then, Rapid Rally came up during ameeting with Karen Zuidema, a formerUSTA Georgia Schools Program Coordinatorturned Tennis Service Representative.

“Yeah,” Karen told me in mid-February,her voice filled with enthusiasm. “PaigeMiller and I want to get 100 sites partici-pating in Georgia.” Paige is the marketingdirector for USTA Georgia. Karen rattledoff the program’s advantages while show-ing me a sample of the kit I’d get for eachsite I registered.

Our junior programs include an after-school tennis gig where instructors bringtraveling equipment into 21 existing after-school programs to instruct and play ten-nis-based games. Why not do Rapid Rallywith them?

I broughtthe idea up toour tennismanager/headpro, CarlHodge, and itdidn’t take melong to con-vince him,either. Its no-cost feature,combined withthe flexibilityand conve-nience theprogramoffered, were key factors. “And besides,” Iadded for good measure, “it’s tennis!Offered for the first time in a JuniorOlympics program. We have to support it.”

His comment was, “That’s how Ilearned to play tennis—against the wall.”So great was his conviction that he pur-chased enough materials to construct fourpractice walls, which are now permanentlyhung on the bottom courts at our tenniscenter, thus adding a 22nd site for us tohost Rapid Rally. We developed a programbeginning with Rapid Rally practice ses-sions, followed by the competition. Thenwe provided other events and classes thatplayers could enroll in.

A

Our local Rapid Rally season is over.However, don’t let that stop you fromadapting the game, to kick-start your path-way programs, or maybe incorporating theactivity into your Tennis Fun Day or SpecialOlympics programs. We’ve done all ofthese.

How did tennis stack up in its first yearas part of this USOC program? Among the5,600 sites that participated in one of thefour USOC events, 1,700 were tennis.That’s 30 percent! Approximately, 400,000kids picked up racquets to hit against thewalls of gyms and city parks nationwide.

In Georgia,close to 100 sitesregistered. In myarea of Macon, weintroduced after-schoolers to RapidRally at our 22sites. About 15percent of allthose whowrapped their fin-gers around a rac-quet continued infollow-up groupdrills over the sum-mer at our Parks

and Rec tennis center. Of these, 35 young-sters were invited to take our Fast Trackclasses, instruction geared toward prepar-ing the novice player for USTA sanctionedtournaments.

Go ahead, kick start your pathway pro-grams …against the wall. �

Junior

Robin Bateman is the site coordinator forthe Tattnall Tennis Center in Macon, Ga.,

where she coordinates ten-nis programs and leagues,is a tournament director,serves as a team captain,and assists junior teamscompeting at district,regional, and sectionevents.

Against the WallWith Rapid Rally, beginning players

have a fun way to get into tennis.BY ROB IN BAT EMAN

For more on Rapid Rally, contact your localTennis Service Representative or visitwww.usolympicteam.com/joskills.


Busy Making a Living?College Courses

Are Just aMouse Click Away

Tennis teaching professionals must be self-motivated and goal-driven to be success-ful. The organization that the pro works

for has the responsibility to provide them withthe necessary environment in which to performtheir tasks, but the professional must be ableto market his or her abilities to their customerbase. A club professional essentially runs hisown business, so having the skills and trainingto perform his duties will provide the founda-tion for that success.

But how does a pro acquire the necessaryskills and training when he’s spending 35hours a week on court teaching and hours offthe court trying to fill appointments for the fol-lowing week? The answer may be distanceeducation.

The U.S. Distance Learning Associationdefines distance learning as the acquisition ofknowledge and skills through mediated infor-mation and instruction, encompassing all tech-nologies and other forms of learning at adistance. Online distance-learning courses areoffered to students anytime, and online highereducation is part of a growing trend that isproviding accessibility to a segment of the pop-ulation that, for whatever reason, may nothave the ability to attend traditional collegecourses.

REGIONAL ACCREDITATIONWhat should someone look for in a college oruniversity that offers distance education? Thefirst concern should be accreditation. In gener-al the most widely recognized and sought-afterform of accreditation in the U.S., by both col-

� No loafing—online students need to beengaged or they don't make the grade.

� Heightened written communicationsskills and a raised awareness of theimportance of good written communica-tions in business.

“ASYNCHRONOUS”CLASSROOMOne of the barriers prohibiting many busyworking adults from going to college isthe requirement to be in a particular placeat a particular time—a “synchronous”classroom in “real-time.” But online pro-grams have been specifically designed totake advantage of technology, meaningthat an online classroom or program caneasily be “asynchronous”—neither time-nor place-dependent. You go online toread lectures, participate in discussion, andpossibly complete exams. Many of theassignments and exercises required inonline courses will still be completed off-line using word processing software. Thissystem is open 24 hours a day, seven daysa week.

If a tennis teaching pro is looking toattend college for the first time, completeor finish his or her undergraduate degree,or is looking into a graduate program, dis-tance education can provide the qualityand flexibility to balance one’s professionaland family life. �

leges and employers alike, is "regional"accreditation.

Six regional accrediting bodies existin the U.S. Because the standards andrequirements associated with receiving“regional accreditation” are so high,many colleges will only accept creditfrom other regionally accredited collegesor universities. Additional informationregarding the regional accrediting agen-cies can be found at www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/accreditation/regionalagencies.html.

Many students are curious to know ifa degree online is different from an on-campus degree. Keep in mind that thedevelopment of online classes or degreeprograms must adhere to the same strin-gent accrediting standards as the devel-opment of on-campus courses andprograms. The only difference is in thedelivery. Online classrooms do a greatjob of maintaining all the value of class-room interaction with classmates and theinstructor, while maximizing the freetime of individual students.

In addition, graduates of online pro-grams tend to show a number of distinctqualities of benefit to the employer, suchas:� Proven comfort with integrated tech-

nologies.� Tendency to maximize resources to get

the most done in the least amount oftime.

� Familiarity with the future of commerceand business—the rise of internet- andintranet-based business practices arenothing new to online students.

� Broad exposure to students from differ-ent regions and around the globe—often more so than campus-basedpeers.

CONTINUING

B Y D O N A L D L E A V Y

Donald Leavy is a USPTA teachingprofessional in Grand Blanc,Mich., and holds a BA in econom-ics from the University of Michi-gan and an MBA from BakerCollege. He is the developmentdirector for Baker College Online

Center for Graduate Studies. If you have questionsregarding the benefits of distance education, youcan reach him at [email protected].

education

STRINGS OFSUCCESS

2 0 0 7 S T R I N G S U R V E Y


How do you know what to stock for your shop? Weprovide expert guidance that can help you—and yourcustomers—find the right strings.B Y B O B P A T T E R S O N , M R T

There are a ton of strings on the market today; the num-ber and variety available is mind-boggling, to say theleast. In our September/October 2006 issue, we reported

on testing (performed by the U.S. Racquet Stringers Associ-ation) on 478 different strings from 31 manufacturers forstiffness and tension loss. In this issue, our annual String Sur-vey points out that plenty of those strings meet the criteriaas favorites for USRSA members.

But regardless of the size and scope of your stringing opera-tion, chances are you can’t stock all the strings on the markettoday. So how do choose? And more importantly, how doesyour customer choose?

Even for a veteran stringer, choosing which string you needfor your inventory can be a daunting task. It seems that manufac-turers constantly are introducing new strings made from newmaterials or with new techniques. Should you stock the new orstick with the tried and true? Since you can’t stock them all, howmany is enough? How many is too many? How many differentgauges? How many colors?

The questions seem endless, but making good decisions aboutyour string inventory, presentation, and your staff’s productknowledge can make a big difference in your bottom line.According to the most recent dealer survey from the TennisIndustry Association, stringing and racquet service is by far the

STRINGS OFSUCCESSHow do you know what to stock for your shop? Weprovide expert guidance that can help you—and yourcustomers—find the right strings.


most profitable segment of the tennisretail industry. However, those greatmargins can be eroded by poor inven-tory selections and not providing theconsumer with the product they wantor need. That’s why we’re here tohelp.

STRING SELECTIONSuperior racquet service begins withyour selection of string. While having avast assortment of strings available for

your customers to choose from may beimpressive, it can also be confusing. You

need to walk the fine line between too muchand not enough.Although there are plenty of new introductions,

many of the most popular strings have been onthe market for years. To satisfy a variety of play-ers, you will need to carry a good assortment ofstring types, gauges, and colors. Exactly how

many different SKUs depends on your vol-ume, how much display/storage space,and money you have to invest.

Once you determine the correctsize of your inventory, you’ll need todecide what strings make sense for your

clientele. You need to carry at least a cou-ple of choices in each category, along with a

variety of gauges to meet the varying needs ofyour customers. Try to offer as many brands as

possible. By having a wider selection, your customerswill have more to choose from and won’t feel likethey are being steered to a certain brand becausethat is all you offer. But again, too many choicescan be confusing to the customer.

You should be able to provide distinguishingcharacteristics of each string. If you find yourselfexplaining that “these three are basically the

same,” then you can probably eliminate two ofthem and free up room to bring in a couple of othersthat have something different to offer.If your competitors have four different strings to

choose from and you offer a choice of 20, that alone willset you apart. But if you can explain a clear difference in

each of the 20, along with the benefits of each one, that willreally separate you.

Although you should certainly consider new introductions,don’t be too hasty to drop a string just because something newcomes along. If a new string has something to offer, it should cer-tainly be considered.

Some of your customers will be anxious to try the newestproducts, but many have found a perfect string and tension set-upthat works for them and aren’t interested in changing. If suddenlyyou no longer stock their string, they may look elsewhere ratherthan switch.

By constantly evaluating your sales you can determine which

strings should stay in your line-up and which are expendable tomake room for new ones. As you add new strings, make sureyou keep a good balance of the various categories making youroverall selection complete.

PRESENTATIONHaving a distinct, professionally appearing racquet servicearea and a well-merchandised selection of string, grips, andovergrips says a lot to customers who come into your shopor store. If your stringing machine and selection of string isprominently displayed, there is no question that you serviceracquets. Don’t make the assumption that everyone willknow that you do. If your machine is tucked away in theback room and your string is kept in a drawer, the customermay assume that you don’t service racquets.

Displaying your string selection can be impressive and infor-mative. Try displaying strings in a methodical manner. Groupthem according to brand, or better yet, by category. If your cus-tomer is looking for durability, you can point out your selection.If it is comfort that is most important, then they are all groupedtogether. It will make explaining the selection easier for thetechnicians and the customer can better differentiate theiroptions.

PRODUCT KNOWLEDGEKnow your string inventory. There is plenty of informationavailable, starting with the manufacturer’s information, butdon’t rely solely on this. When considering a new string tobring into inventory, gather as much information as possi-ble from a variety of sources.

The USRSA’s annual string test and member survey providea wealth of information, as do the monthly string playtest ineach issue of RSI. Probably the best evaluation is testing thestring yourself. Put a set in your own racquet, even if it is some-thing you would not normally play with. You can determine foryourself if it meets the marketing claims from the manufacturerand whether or not it will fill a void in your inventory and bebeneficial to your customers.

But knowing your inventory is only half the story. To takefull advantage of your product knowledge, you need to applythat knowledge to the needs of your customers. Taking a fewminutes to get to know your customer and his or her game willallow you to make suggestions of string type and tension thatmay help them get the optimum performance from their rac-quet. They will appreciate your expertise and willingness tohelp them rather than just selling them a string job.

A small investment of your time will earn a customer forlife, and a happy customer will spread the word to many otherplayers.

Master Racquet Technician Bob Patterson of

Birmingham, Ala., owns Players Choice Ten-

nis and the racquet customization company

Racquetmaxx. In 2005, he was named RSI’s

Stringer of the Year.

2 0 0 7 S T R I N G S U R V E Y

What string is best for your customer? It’s a tricky question toanswer, since there are so many different strings out therethat all haveuniquecombinationsofbenefits. Butonceagain,

we’ve gone right to the experts, the thousands of U.S. Racquet StringersAssociationmembers, and asked them to rate strings in three categories:playability, durability, and com-fort.

Our 30th annual string sur-vey, which is on the posterinserted into this issue of RSI,is a compilation of surveyquestionnaires sent in Sep-tember to 2,000 randomlyselected U.S. members of theUSRSA (no chain stores).Recipients were given a list ofevery string on the marketand asked to rate the onesthey are familiar with from 1to 10 in each of the three cat-egories. Then an averagescore was calculated for eachstring in each category.

For a string to qualify for arating, the respondent musthave strung at least 20 sets ofthat string in the past year.This 20-set minimum ensuresthat respondents are rating astring they know somethingabout and that has somevitality in the marketplace. Forsome businesses, 20 sets mayrepresent 20 percent of theirtotal business, and for others,1 percent. Some businessesmay only sell 20 sets of thestring; others may sell 500.Each ranking, however, car-ries the same weight, and all

are included in the total sum and average for that string. Weadded the scores from each respondent to obtain a sum forthat string, then divided the sum by the number of respon-dents who rated it.

To ensure that strings with a reasonable breadth of distrib-ution are included, each string must be rated on at least 16

questionnaires. We feelthat having at least 16respondents allows us toinclude enough strings byenough manufacturers,including smaller marketshare companies. Toohigh a number will meanthe survey results will onlyinclude the top two orthree manufacturers.

Remember, the cate-gory scores for each stringare averages of all therespondents’ rankings fora given string. Often,these averages are veryclose; the differencesbetween rankings can bemere hundredths of apoint. Though only onestring can claim the topspot in a category, manyof the strings close toeach other in ranking areof equal stature. In prac-tice, each of these stringsis one of the best of itsniche.

Hang our String Surveyposter in your shop andlet your customers deter-mine which strings maybest help their games.�

Brand 2007 2006 2005 2004 2002/3 2001 2000Wilson 21.6 23.2 22.0 21.9 23.8 21.6 30.5Gamma 21.3 20.4 22.9 24.7 25.6 25.9 27.2Prince 16.4 19.8 19.6 19.8 19.2 20.7 23.7Babolat 11.9 9.3 7.2 7.1 6.1 6.9 6.3Head 8.6 9.4 7.7 7.4 7.3 4.0 7.0Luxilon 5.7 3.6 3.4 3.0 - - -Tecnifibre 4.8 4.5 4.8 4.1 4.1 4.7 3.4Ashaway 1.4 2.0 1.6 1.8 1.7 2.2 <1.0Gosen 1.4 1.6 1.8 1.9 1.9 3.2 1.4Forten 1.1 1.2 2.3 2.6 2.6 3.5 0.5Alpha 0.8 0.9 1.0 - - - -Kirschbaum 0.7 0.8 0.8 - - - -TOA 0.6 0.8 0.4 - - - -Dunlop 0.5 0.6 1.2 1.1 - - -Klip 0.5 0.6 0.9 - - - -Others 2.7 2.3 2.3 4.6 5.2 4.4 -

Most Responses by Brand(percent)

Gauge 2007 2006 2005 2004 2002/3 2001 200016 58.4 64.6 62.0 62.4 61.9 58.9 54.817 25.5 24.5 28.2 23.1 26.2 27.0 31.816L 6.0 4.6 3.8 4.3 2.8 1.5 -15L 5.5 3.8 4.3 5.7 5.9 7.8 11.118 3.7 1.9 1.3 1.4 1.8 2.9 0.915 0.5 0.6 - 0.5 - 0.8 0.817L 0.2 - 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.619 0.3 - - 1.7 0.4 0.4 -18/17 - - - 0.5 0.4 - -

Most Responses by Gauge(percent)



wish more funds were available torebuild our public tennis courts. As alifetime public-park tennis player, I real-

ize the importance of having a nice facilityto bring the local tennis communitytogether. —Chris Gaudreau,

Racquet Koop, New Haven, CT

I wish those who hire tennis professionalswould realize a teacher’s importance, notonly to their facilities, but to the sport oftennis as a whole, and compensate teach-ing pros accordingly. The salaries and ben-efits of these valued teachers have notkept pace with other professions, especial-ly at the entry level. With tennis beginningto grow again, the primary way to derailthis momentum is a lack of young, quali-fied tennis teaching pros. Teaching prosare the engine that drives the tennis train.It is in the best interest of the entire indus-try to work with PTR and USPTA toengage those responsible for hiring teach-ing professionals to ensure wages andbenefits are attractive enough to maintainthe numbers needed, as well as a high-level caliber. —Dan Santorum, CEO, PTR

My tennis wish for 2007 is that every ten-nis player tells a friend about the fun theyare having playing our great sport. If we

do this, tennis will always be a healthy life-time sport. —Max Brownlee,

General Manager, Babolat USA

My wish list for tennis in 2007 is: for ten-nis to become the sport of choice by chil-dren 8 to 18. The USTA's revitalizedSchools Program is introducing a new cur-riculum at the elementary level, middleschool team tennis, and no-cut high schooltennis. We need to take tennis to wherethe kids are and that's schools. Also, I’dlike to see American women again domi-nate the world's top 10 and be in the finalof the US Open. And I’d like the U.S. tobring home the Davis Cup.

—Jane Brown Grimes,USTA President, 2007-2008

I want to see the TIA, USTA, ITF, ATP andWTA continue to work together to growinterest in the sport at the professionallevel and use their combined resources andinfluences to grow the game at the grass-roots. The success of the US Open Series isproof that marketing and cooperation cangenerate interest. Also, I wish manufactur-ers would consider the long-term effectsof their decisions on the entire marketrather than catering to the big-box andonline stores’ desire for discount racquets.

A TENNISWISHLISTAs we begin the New Year, weasked people in the industry—including teaching pros, pro shop andfacility managers, court builders,manufacturers, and more—to tell uswhat they’d like to see.

I

The current prac-tice of special make-up rac-

quets for these dealers that are cheapknock-offs of discontinued products mayresult in quick sales, but it hurts theirbrands and the tennis retail business ingeneral. —Bob Patterson,Player’s Choice Tennis, Birmingham, AL

For 2007, I’d like to see tennis participa-tion continue to grow. And also, I wish forgood growth in business for our retailpartners. —Kai Nitsche,General Manager, Dunlop Sports U.S.

I’d like to see continued collaboration andcooperation throughout the tennis indus-try. Working together, we can continue togrow the game of tennis, which benefitsus all. DecoTurf is committed to workingfor an ongoing expansion of tennis withour industry partners in 2007.

—John Graham,Managing Director, DecoTurf

The thing that benefits all of us is thegrowth of the game overall, and we wantcontinued growth in 2007. I think theindustry as a whole has to be very carefulabout selling itself down. We all exist bet-ter when our margins are strong, andwhen we sell ourselves down, we do adisservice to our consumer. There is some-what of a trend if you look at the declin-ing prices of our products, and that’s not

A TENNISWISHLIST

C O M P I L E D B Y M I T C H R U S T A D

contractors, media, facilities and busi-nesses—in recognizing the power of pos-itive thinking and synergies that arenecessary for our sport’s health andgrowth. —Jolyn de Boer,

Executive Director,Tennis Industry Association

I hope that the USTA continues to lead aclearer path from junior tennis to collegetennis and on to the tour. And, related tothat, my goal for 2007 is to increase theamount of writing I do for tennis publica-tions, which means that there is anincreased interest in college and juniortennis, which is the foundation of oursport. —Marcia Frost, Editor,

CollegeAndJuniorTennis.com

Understanding the role that fitness playsin tennis will enable the market to growand branch out to reach more people.With more tennis enthusiasts getting intoCardio Tennis and cross-training to stayfit, tennis apparel with a "fitness" spinwill become the apparel of choice forthese customers. If the tennis industryembraces this trend, our businesses willgrow. —Brad Singer,

V.P. of Sales and Marketing, Tail

My wish is that all entry-level playerslearn the game quickly through the useof slower and lighter balls on smallercourts so they can enjoy this great gameas quickly as possible. If this would hap-pen, tennis would have a much higherretention rate from the 6 million playerswho try our sport for the first time everyyear. —Kirk Anderson,

Director of Recreational Coachesand Programs, USTA

Our main wish is for the game to havean upsurge in popularity in the U.S. Thiscan be done with the continued successof upgrading the public courts through-out the country. The programs within theUSTA, like Adopt a Court, Tennis in theParks, and Multicultural Grant Program,continue to upgrade facilities.

—Michael Smith,Courtsmiths, Toledo, OH

At the top of my wish list is thegrowth of U.S. tennis at all levels—from the recreational league player tothe development of American stars of

tomorrow. Let’s use the legends of thegame to help mentor a new generation.Now more than ever, it’s critical that allof us who have a stake in the future oftennis work together to energize ourexisting fan base and bring in new fans.Adopting exciting innovations such as on-court coaching, no-ad scoring, moreinstant replay, and player names on theback of shirts would be a good start.Finally, I want to see the top-ranked U.S.men and women supporting Fed Cupand Davis Cup—in all ties—throughoutthe entire year. —Ilana Kloss,

CEO/Commissioner,World TeamTennis

I’d like to see an all-American final at theAustralian Open, French Open, Wimble-don and US Open. Or, I’ll settle for an all-American men’s final at the US Open, so Ican forget about work on that Sunday.My second wish? Tickets to the final!

—Richard Zaino,Zaino Tennis Courts Inc., Orange, CA

I wish for James Blake to win a GrandSlam title in 2007. American tennis needsits top players winning Slams to keep thesport visible. Blake is clearly a tennis play-er that the public can get behind—he'sclassy, he's cool, he's college educated. Ibelieve that his raising his game to yetanother level would provide a nice shot inthe arm for the game. And, I would hopehis winning a Slam shines a light on thelevel of player our collegiate coaches canhelp develop. —Casey Angle,

Director of Communications,Intercollegiate Tennis Association

I would like to see the frequent playerbase grow in 2007 and that new playerscontinue to develop a love for the sport.I hope everyone in the tenniscommunity can continueto work

necessarily a good trend. The tennis con-sumer is certainly price conscious, but notdiscount-price conscious in every case.

—Doug Fonte, President, Prince

I wish that all the entities in tennis contin-ue to put TENNIS first and continue towork collaboratively so the growth we’veseen in the past two years continues. Weabsolutely have to step up our efforts inattracting and retaining more youth. Weneed to make tennis the new team sport,and we have to enlist parents to play acritical role in that. Participation in virtual-ly every other youth sport is being drivenby parents, and we need to capture par-ents as well. Parents are never going toreplace teaching pros, but especially atthe entry level, it’s absolutely critical thatwe engage them in the process of theirkids’ learning. —Kurt Kamperman,Chief Executive of Community Tennis,

USTA

My wish is for Cardio Tennis to really takeoff. It’s a fabulous way for people to getfit and play tennis, and a great way toget them out on the court and eventuallyplaying matches. Once we get peoplepassionate about the game, then from amanufacturer’s standpoint, we’re allgoing to sell more product.

—Sarah Maynard, Directorof Marketing and Promotions,

Völkl Tennis

We’d like to see the prices of construc-tion materials stabilize; we’ve experiencedseveral years of rapidly increasing rawmaterial costs. We would also like to seethe price of fuel drop by about 50 cents agallon. And it would be nice to see thehousing industry rebound after a tough2006. —Stephen N. Dettor,

President, Fast-Dry Courts Inc.

My wish is for tennis to be back amongthe Top 10 Most Popular Sports in theU.S., and to have Cardio Tennis listed as aseparate category on that list. I’d also liketo see an increased network of qualityTennis Welcome Centers and Cardio Ten-nis sites. And we need increased use andsupport of the current technologies avail-able to connect consumers to our indus-try. Finally, I wish for the continuingcollaborative effort by all sectors—organi-zations, manufacturers, retailers, court



collaboratively. I would like to see RogerFederer win the Grand Slam in 2007,which would create terrific media buzzabout tennis. We at Wilson will be doingeverything we (K)an to support him,including, in 2007, what will be thelargest global tennis racquet launch in thetennis industry to date.

—Jon Muir, General Manager,Wilson Racquet Sports

My wish is that the USTA would spendmore money on Player Development andrecognize that all great players in thisnation came from existing U.S. tennisacademies and local tennis programs, andthat it is important for this funding to fil-ter through these same sources so wecan truly build great players. The USTAhas not yet succeeded for 25 years inproducing top-level players at its owncenters. As a result of it continuing toattempt to control player development, itis stemming the growth of grassrootsplayers who could be growing faster andbetter were the funding made availablefor them to do so. In plain words, theUSTA should stop trying to be responsiblefor primary coaching, but definitelybecome involved with primary funding.Foreign players and foreign coachesacross the world recognize U.S. acade-mies and coaches as among the very bestto learn from. It is time for our own lead-ers to do the same.

—Tim Heckler, CEO, USPTA

I wish the weather to be kind to theindustry across the country so play ishealthy. I hope that tennis pros are busierthan they have been in the past few sea-sons, which would mean lots of playersactively involved in the sport. I hope thatgrassroots initiatives nationwide designedto increase player participation thrive,thereby bringing in scores of new players.I wish the economy to continue itsgrowth so consumers have disposable

money to spend—all contributing factorsto making it a banner year at retail! Final-ly, I hope the price of oil continues itssteady, downward trend, so manufactur-ing/product costs can flatten or even dropfrom the significant increase we have seenover the past six months.

—John R. Embree,Bälle de Mätch Tennis Wear

My wish is simple. I would like all theinner-city parks that have tennis courts indisrepair to have the funds to spruce themup and make them playable. Tennisshould not be just for the well-heeled. It issuch a great game and we are not attract-ing our inner-city poor who cannot afforda private club. —Gene Niksich,

Unique Sports Products,Alpharetta, GA

For 2007, I wish that the stature and visi-bility of tennis continue to increase so thatmany more Americans are aware of oursport and want to play and follow it. Oneway this will be accomplished is withgreater national and local media coverage.Also, I’d like to see Americans achievemore in professional tennis tournaments,particularly the Grand Slams, Davis Cupand Fed Cup such that no other nationdoes better. And that tennis participationcontinues to grow as a result of theUSTA’s efforts coordinated with all of ourtennis partners, particularly the teachingpro organizations and as a result of ourprograms and activities in the publicparks, working through the NRPA.

—Franklin R. Johnson,USTA President, 2005-2006

We need more tennis clubs in New YorkCity. We have lost quite a few clubs in thelast few years, and this has affectedindoor play in NYC. Real estate valueshave gone up considerably these last few

years, andtennisis notthe opti-mum

usage at thispoint. I would like to see clubs go up thisyear and in the future. —Mark Mason,

Mason’s Tennis Mart,New York City, NY

I would wish for all Community TennisAssociations to send at least one or two

of their strong leaders to the USTA Com-munity Tennis Development Workshopevery year. There's no better way forgrassroots leaders to get an overview ofwhat the USTA challenges them with eachyear. Every time I have gone to this work-shop, my bond and devotion to tennisbecomes stronger, and I have come awaymotivated by more project ideas than I canimplement. My enthusiasm to grow thesport is refreshed and renewed—as itshould be for every community tennisadvocate. —Robin Jones,Grassroots Tennis Advocate, Founder,

Western Wake Tennis Association,Cary, NC

I’d love to have ball sales double in 2007,and I’d also like to see natural gut salesdouble, too. I want player participation torise 25 percent, and I think a nationwideUSTA/USPTA/PTR/TIA initiative to offer freeintroductory tennis clinics would help.Also, it would be great for the USTA, ATP,and ITF to run a national TV advertisingcampaign for the sport. —Sean Frost,

Klip/Iso-speed/Völkl

My wish is to have a few more Americanstars on the horizon who would re-ener-gize the sport in the U.S.—both men andwomen players who can take the sport tonon-players and get them excited aboutwatching and participating. Also, I’d like tosee the finals of the US Open on a Mon-day night, when a ton more people wouldwatch it. Television coverage has greatlyimproved over the years, but very few ifany doubles matches are shown. Morepeople play doubles than singles andwould relate more to watching doubles.

—Glen Agritelley, Owner,TBarM Racquet Club, Dallas, TX

For 2007, I would hope the tennis indus-try, including the USTA, teaching pros,manufacturers, facilities, etc., continues towork together at all levels to build the keyinitiatives to bring players into the game,like Cardio Tennis, Tennis in the Parks, etc.It is crucial that we all keep our eye on thekey goal—growing the game—which willbenefit all of us in the long term. Theother hope is that a strong American play-er emerges to increase awareness amongthe casual tennis fan and bring even moreplayers into the game. —Greg Mason,

Director of Sales and Marketing,Head/Penn Racquet Sports

I’d like to see us maintain the realprogress we’ve made in recent years byworking more closely together as an alliedindustry for the benefit of tennis overall.The USTA, ITF, ATP and Sony EricssonWTA Tour have made great strides thisyear in the evolution of how tennis pre-sents itself to television viewers, throughinnovation and cross promotion acrossnetworks sharing rights packages.Because television is such an importantfactor in driving any sport’s ultimate suc-cess, I’d hope to see all tennis broadcast-ers deliver increased focus on storytellingand the amazing personal journeys of allthese great players. —Ken Solomon,

Chairman and CEO,The Tennis Channel

We need more players! It would do somuch good for everyone: all the coaches,all the programs, all the facilities, all thestringers, and all the companies. For along time now, we've all been workinghard to grow the game, trying to intro-duce young players to a life-long passionfor tennis. I think a payoff for this dedica-tion would be my No. 1 wish. To simplysee more Americans playing tennis, fromthe local city court to high in the ranks ofthe professionals. —Matt Ferrari,

Gamma Racquet Sports

My wishes for the new year are that thepro game sees some new stars on tour,preferably Americans, and that our cus-tomers have as good a year in 2007 asthey did in 2006. —Pat Shields,

Fromuth Tennis

I’d like to see both the industry and ourcompany grow as it has for the past twoyears. I wish for good health of our indus-try, with growth in participation and fre-quency of play, and also for an increase in

players of all ages and abilities—so thatonce again tennis is a leading sport inAmerica. —Paul Zalatoris,

Tecnifibre USA

I'd like to see tennis covered in the main-stream media, and outside of thesports section. While we do need allthe coverage we can score in thesports pages, tennis is morethan a pro game—it's alifestyle. There are endlessangles for the businessand health sections ofnewspapers, and maga-zines and TV showsdevoted to them. All of

us have a hand in this by staying in touchwith trends in our game, and promotingthe game to our local media.

—Liza Horan,TENNISWIRE.org and President,U.S. Tennis Writers Association

I’d like to see new programs to attractnew players to the game that keep thesport in the public focus. We also needto keep hammering the benefits of oursport through advertising. And I wish theentities in tennis would set aside differ-ences, stop worrying about themselves,and really focus on making this game thebest it can be, the ideal vehicle for kidsand adults to learn, grow, stay healthy,and have fun. —Pat Hanssen,

New Markets Manager,Lee Tennis

I’d love to see the Tournament DataManager system + TennisLink offered totournament directors when they hostnonsanctioned social fundraising events.Doing so increases the willingness of thetournament director to host such events,thus allowing players more opportunitiesto play, and increasing the players enthu-siasm and commitment to the game. Asa result, the industry as a whole benefits.

—Robin Bateman,Site Coordinator,

Tattnall Tennis Center, Macon, GA

I wish each tennis academy and tenniscamp across the country would identifyand send one student interested in pur-suing a career in tennis to a professionaltennis management program, like that atFerris State, which specializes in educat-ing and training professionals to enter

the industry fully capable to handle abroad spectrum of areas within the busi-ness of tennis. When the number ofqualified professionals increases, thepotential for growth in our industry alsoincreases. Also, I wish that club ownersand managers would seek out not justgreat tennis players to teach at their facil-ities, but also professionals with a diversebusiness background as well.

—Tom Daglis, Director,Prof. Tennis Management Program,

Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI

My tennis wish for 2007 includes theATP and WTA getting off their butts andmarketing the sport properly in the U.S.Get tennis on major network and cablestations (not counting the US OpenSeries, which was the brainchild of theUSTA, and the Slams). Have finals playedon Monday night, market more playermerchandise, partner with other organi-zations for ideas. Proper marketing ofpro tennis would help the sport, and inturn help grow all tennis-related busi-ness.

—Richard Vach,Co-Founder, Tennis-X.com

I wish for the greater acceptance ofwheelchair tennis as an integrated sportin America. I truly believe that we in ten-nis can increase sport opportunities forpeople with physically disabling condi-tions through tennis. This would includethe current programs such as Run/RollTournaments (a Blaze Sports/USTA col-laboration), high school tennis, USTALeagues, and USTA tournaments. I wouldlove to see growth in the number of peo-ple playing wheelchair tennis and a simi-lar growth in the number of peopleplaying tennis with people in wheelchairsin 2007.

—Dan James,National Manager Wheelchair Tennis,

USTA

To grow the sport in 2007, we mustthink of the FAMILY. Get everyoneinvolved! Once this happens, you createa buzz that spreads like wildfire. We typi-cally tend to focus on either juniors oradults. This is not the complete picture.Juniors and adults playing as a family arethe key to retention. —Ajay Pant,

National Tennis Director,Tennis Corporation Of America



MARK OFDISTINCTIONMARK OFDISTINCTIONRSI and the ASBA bring you the best intennis court construction.

Once again, we’re proud to have joined with the AmericanSports Builders Association to bring you examples of excel-lence in tennis court construction.

Each year, based on entries submitted by an ASBA member—whether a contractor, designer, or supplier—the associationselects outstanding tennis facilities that meet the standard ofexcellence determined by the judging committee. For 2006, therewere 25 courts or tennis facilities that were deemed outstanding—or “distinguished,” as the award now reads—by the panel ofjudges.

Four of those entries, however, were chosen for special honors:the Boars Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va., received theIndoor Tennis Facility-of-the-Year Award; Columbine CountryClub in Littleton, Colo., received the Outdoor Tennis Facility-of-the-Year Award; the Vanderbeek Residential Court in Warren,N.J., received the Residential Tennis Facility-of-the-Year Award;and the Pennington-Ewing Athletic Club in Ewing, N.J. receivedthe Indoor Multi-Purpose Facility-of-the-Year Award.

The Boars Head Sports Club expanded its existing three indoorcourts by adding nine more cushioned hard courts, and now all 12indoor courts feature ICA’s Elite indirect light fixtures. The award-winning sports club, which is affiliated with the University of Vir-ginia, also has 14 outdoor tennis courts.

The Columbine Country Club upgraded its outdoor facility. Fiveexisting asphalt courts were overlaid with post-tensioned con-crete, and two new fast-dry courts with subsurface irrigation werealso installed, along with fencing, windscreens, and bench seat-ing. Also, 5-foot-wide sidewalks were installed leading to courts.

The new synthetic turf court at the Vanderbeek residence wasbuilt into the side of a steep hill and required a retaining wall near-ly 20 feet high. More than 60 truckloads of rock was removedfrom the solid bedrock hillside, then 3,000 cubic yards of fill dirtwas brought in, requiring five separate permits, to build up thecourt area. After completion of an upper retaining wall, access tothe court was limited to foot traffic, so all remaining materials hadto be lowered by crane.

The multi-purpose Pennington-Ewing Athletic Center has twoindoor hard courts where members and their guests can play andtake lessons and clinics. The facility also includes three racquetballcourts, two international squash courts, an indoor track, basket-ball court area, cardio area, and other workout rooms.

—Peter Francesconi

R S I / A S B A D I S T I N G U I S H E D F A C I L I T Y - O F - T H E - Y E A R A W A R D S

Distinguishing HonorsIn addition to the Boars Head Sports Club, ColumbineCountry Club, Vanderbeek Residential Court, and Pen-nington-Ewing Athletic Club, these 21 locations werechosen by the 2006 panel of judges for the ASBA asexcellent examples of court construction, receivingDistinguished Tennis Facility-of-the-Year Awards.You’ll read more about them in upcoming issues ofRacquet Sports Industry. (The nominating company isin parentheses.)

� Ace Insurance Co., Hamilton, Bermuda (Classic Turf Co.)� Bath Club, Miami Beach, Fla. (Fast-Dry Cos.)� Boulevard Club, Vero Beach, Fla. (Fast-Dry Cos.)� Center Court Ridge at Reunion Resort & Club, Kissimmee,Fla. (Welch Tennis Courts)

� Centre Court Racquet Club, Louisville, Tenn. (BaselineSports Construction LLC)

� Clayton Residence, Carmel, Ind. (Leslie Coatings Inc.)� Ellis Methvin Tennis Center, Plant City, Fla. (Welch TennisCourts)

� Fleckenstein Tennis Facility, Mukwonago, Wis. (MunsonInc.)

� Gooch Residence, Rumson, N.J. (The Racquet Shop)� Hillsboro Club, Hillsboro, Fla. (Fast-Dry Cos.)� Kenyon Athletic Center, Gambier, Ohio (DecoSystems)� Lombard Street Reservoir/Alice Marble Tennis Center, SanFrancisco (Vintage Contractors Inc.)

� Powell Residence, Gladwyne, Pa. (Pro-Sport Construction)� Robinson Residence, Radnor, Pa. (Pro-Sport Construction)� Seiderman Residence, Parkland, Fla. (Fast-Dry Cos.)� The Club at Olde Stone, Alvaton, Ky. (Welch TennisCourts)

� The Club at River Forest, Forsythe, Ga. (Welch TennisCourts)

� Tivoli Lakes Tennis Center, Boynton Beach, Fla. (WelchTennis Courts)

� USPTA World Headquarters, Houston (Dobbs TennisCourts)

� Vaughn Athletic Center-Fox Valley Park District, Aurora,Ill. (Kiefer Specialty Flooring Inc.)

� Wilson Residence, Rixeyville, Va. (Lawn Tennis & SupplyCo. Inc.)

RSI and the ASBA bring you the best intennis court construction.


Indoor TennisFacility-of-the-Year AwardBoars Head Sports ClubCharlottesville, Va.Specialty Contractor: ICA Sports, Olathe, Kan.

For details on the 2007Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards, contact the ASBAat 866-501-ASBA [email protected].

Outdoor TennisFacility-of-the-Year AwardColumbine Country ClubLittleton, Colo.Architect/Engineer: Renner Sports Surfaces, DenverGeneral/Specialty Contractor: Renner Sports SurfacesSurface: Lee TennisNets, Net Posts, Windscreens: Douglas Industries

Residential TennisFacility-of-the-Year AwardVanderbeek ResidenceWarren, N.J.General Contractor: Pro-Sport Construction, Inc.Lights: LSI LightingNets, Net Posts, Windscreens: J.A. Cissel

Indoor Multi-PurposeFacility-of-the-Year AwardPennington-Ewing Athletic ClubEwing, N.J.Specialty Contractor: Sportsline Inc.Suppliers: M. Putterman, J.A. Cissel, Re-TekSurface: California Products


science

noticed something interesting at the Aus-tralian Open in January. That is, I couldsometimes read the label on the ball as

the ball travelled over the net, even thoughthe players were hitting topspin ground-strokes. The ball was hardly spinning at alleven though the players were trying tomake it spin. The problem was, the playersweren't hitting the ball hard enough tomake it spin. The ball bounced off the courtspinning rapidly but it stopped spinning assoon as it came off the strings. Instead ofreversing the direction of spin, as the playerswere trying to do, all they were doing by hit-ting the ball was bringing the spin to a stop.

An interesting question is how the spinoff the court affects the spin that players getoff the strings. Men tend to hit the ballharder and can therefore generate moretopspin than women. But if they hit the ballwith more topspin then the ball will comeoff the court spinning even faster. Thatmeans that men have to work harder toreverse the direction of spin in order toreturn the ball with topspin.

Suppose that two players get into along topspin baseline rally where bothplayers are hitting the ball at the samespeed straight up and down the middleof the court. A typical rally is shown inFig. 1 where the ball travels over the netwith spin S1, bounces off the court withspin S2, and comes off the strings withspin S1. Provided both players keep hit-ting the ball at the same speed and atthe same height over the net, the ballwill get stuck in a groove where it spinsclockwise at S1 or S2 while it travels leftto right and then spins counter-clock-wise at S1 or S2 as it travels back fromright to left. The spin changes from S1 toS2 every time the ball hits the court andit changes from S2 back to S1 every timethe player hits the ball. In reality thespeeds and spins will change during therally but it is easier to figure out what ishappening if we assume that the speedsand spins remain constant for at leasttwo consecutive hits.

SPIN OFF THE COURTWhen a ball hits the court in a rally situ-

ation, the change in spin depends on theamount of friction between the ball andthe court and on the vertical speed of theball. The spin will change typically by about1,500 rpm on a fast court and by about2,000 rpm on a slow court. A ball hit high-er over the net will tend to hit the court ata higher vertical speed, in which case thechange in spin will be proportionally high-er, but 1,500 or 2,000 rpm is typical. A ballhit with say 1,000 rpm of topspin willtherefore bounce off the court with about2,500 rpm on a fast court or 3,000 rpm oftopspin on a slow court. If the ball is hitwith 1,000 rpm of backspin then it willbounce off the court with 500 rpm of top-spin on a fast court or 1,000 rpm of top-spin on a slow court. Regardless of the spinof the ball before it bounces, a fast courtchanges that spin by around 1,500 rpmand a slow court changes it by around

2,000 rpm, assuming that the ball is hit frombehind the baseline and lands about 6 feetshort of the other baseline. In other words, S2= S1 + 1,500 on a fast court and S2 = S1 +2,000 on a slow court.

SPIN OFF THE STRINGSWhen a player hits the ball, the direction ofspin off the court needs to be reversed inorder to return the ball with topspin. Depend-ing on how hard the player hits the ball andhow steeply the racquet rises up the back ofthe ball, a player can change the spin by any-thing between about 1,000 rpm and 6,000rpm. Suppose that the change in spin is X.Then the spin off the strings is S1 = X - S2. Forexample, if the spin off the court is S2 = 3,000rpm and the change X = 4,000 rpm then thespin off the strings is S1 = 4,000 – 3,000 =1,000 rpm. However, if S2 and X are bothequal to to 3,000 rpm then S1 = 0 and the ball

will come off the strings without any spinat all. That's what I was seeing in some ofthe women's matches in January.

Rearranging the above terms with alittle math shows the following handyrelationships: S1 = (X – 1,500) ÷ 2 and S2= (X + 1,500) ÷ 2 for a fast court rally,while S1 = (X – 2,000) ÷ 2 and S2 = (X +2,000) ÷ 2 in a slow court rally. If we sub-stitute X = 1,500 rpm for a fast court andX = 2,000 rpm for a slow court then S1= 0 in each case. The player thereforeneeds to change the spin by at least1,500 rpm on a fast court and 2,000 rpmon a slow court to return the ball withtopspin. Otherwise the ball will bereturned without spin or with backspin.Figure 2a shows a slow court rally whenX = 2,000 rpm, S1 = 0, and S2 = 2,000rpm. Fig. 2b shows a slow court rallywhen X = 3,000 rpm, S1 = 500 rpm, andS2 = 2,500 rpm. Figures 3a and 3b showthe corresponding situations on a fastcourt: Fig. 3a when X = 2,000 rpm, S1 =250 rpm, and S2 = 1,750 rpm; Fig. 3bwhen X = 3,000 rpm, S1 = 750 rpm, andS2 = 2,250 rpm.

Note that the spin off a slow court isfaster, but that makes it harder, not eas-ier, for the player to return the ball withtopspin. �

Spin Off the Court and Strings B Y R O D C R O S S

I

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string PLAYTEST

EASE OF STRINGING(compared to other strings)Number of testers who said it was:much easier 2somewhat easier 9about as easy 22not quite as easy 0not nearly as easy 0

OVERALL PLAYABILITY(compared to string played most often)Number of testers who said it was:much better 2somewhat better 10about as playable 6not quite as playable 14not nearly as playable 1

OVERALL DURABILITY(compared to other stringsof similar gauge)Number of testers who said it was:much better 2somewhat better 9about as durable 19not quite as durable 3not nearly as durable 0

RATING AVERAGESFrom 1 to 5 (best)Playability (#10 overall to date) 3.8Durability 3.7Power 3.3Control (#5 overall to date) 3.8Comfort 3.7Touch/Feel 3.5Spin Potential 3.3Holding Tension 3.5Resistance to Movement 3.5

Prince Synthetic GutMultifilament 16Synthetic Gut Multifilament is Prince’s

latest offering for the player looking for

a playable multifilament string with a

crisp feel and good durability, at a

midrange price.

Synthetic Gut Multifilament is availablein 16 and 17 in natural only. Its list whole-sale price is $9 for sets of 40 feet, and$145 for 660-foot reels. For more informa-tion or to order, contact Prince at 800-2-TENNIS, or visit www.princetennis.com. Besure to read the conclusion for more infor-mation about getting a free set to try foryourself.

IN THE LABWe tested the 16-gauge Synthetic GutMultifilament. The coil measured 39’8”.The diameter measured 1.29-132 mmprior to stringing, and 1.27-1.29 mm afterstringing. We recorded a stringbed stiff-ness of 73 RDC units immediately afterstringing at 60 pounds in a Wilson ProStaff 6.1 95 (16 x 18 pattern) on a con-stant-pull machine.

After 24 hours (no playing), stringbedstiffness measured 67 RDC units, repre-senting an 8 percent tension loss. Our con-trol string, Prince Synthetic Gut OriginalGold 16, measured 78 RDC units immedi-ately after stringing and 71 RDC units after24 hours, representing a 9 percent tensionloss. Synthetic Gut Multifilament added 13grams to the weight of our unstrungframe.

Synthetic Gut Multifilament is easy toinstall, as attested by our playtesters. It hasa nice feel to it, and is soft without beingproblematic on blocked holes.

No playtester broke his sample duringstringing, none reported problems withcoil memory, only one reported problemstying knots, and only one reported frictionburn.

ON THE COURTThe string was tested for five weeks by

33 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP ratingsfrom 3.5 to 5.5. These are blind tests,with playtesters receiving unmarkedstrings in unmarked packages. The aver-age number of hours playtested was23.

Prince Synthetic Gut Multifilament gotgreat ratings from our playtest team. Todate, our playtest program has tested 107strings from different manufacturers. Anystring that receives a score in the topfive—as Prince Synthetic Gut Multifilamentdoes for Control—is impressive. For thatmatter, any string that scores in the top10—as Prince Synthetic Gut Multifilamentdoes for Playability—is impressive. In addi-tion, though, Prince Synthetic Gut Multifil-ament scored well above average or betterin every other category, too, which includeDurability, Power, Touch/Feel, Comfort,Spin Potential, Tension Retention, andResistance to Movement. It not only has acombined rating that is well above aver-age, it is the 15th best string we’ve testedto date, in overall score. This is especiallyimpressive considering its midrange price.

Only one playtester broke his sample,after 11 hours of play, which in itself isnoteworthy.

CONCLUSIONThe overwhelmingly positive commentsabout Prince Synthetic Gut Multifilamentare entirely consistent with the fact that—on average—the members of our playtestteam played with the test sample almostas long as they normally use their favoritestring, which comes out to a full sevenhours longer than the minimum require-ment for the playtest. This is underscoredby the fact that the lowest rating itreceived is still well above average, makingit a well-balanced string that doesn’t haveto sacrifice in one area to excel in another.

As the name implies, Prince SyntheticGut Multifilament builds on the heritageand credibility of Prince Synthetic Gut,adding even more playability. If you think

that Prince Synthetic Gut Multifilamentmight be for you, fill out the coupon toget a free set to try. —Greg Raven �

“ I usually do not refer to synthetic strings asgut-like, but in this case, it does apply. Thisstring is comfortably firm and powerful. Aftera short break-in period, this string became softand even more powerful. Feel, comfort, andplayability were above average and possiblybetter than any nylon I’ve used!”4.0male all-court player using Volkl V1 Classicstrung at 60 pounds CP (Natural Gut 16)

“ Just when I thought nylon was out oftricks, I discover a rare treat. This is one ofthose strings that would play comfortableacross the tension range. It has wonderfulshock-absorbing qualities without sacrificingfeel. The tension maintenance is exceptional.Given its low trampoline effect (a common dis-ease of multis), the stringbed plays withrefreshing predictability and on-demandpower, i.e., I didn’t have to adjust my strokes,control and power were simply there. After awhile, I forgot I was testing. This is not a nichestring, it does everything well. It’s got loads ofbite and dwell time for topspin, and excellentdepth and trajectory control for flat drives. Thisstring inspires confident tennis.”5.0male all-court player usingWilson nPro strungat 62 pounds LO (Babolat Superfine Play 17)

“ This string is very easy to install and eveneasier to play with. It has a higher comfort

level than many natural guts and the playabili-ty is amazing. Highly recommended if you likecomfortable strings with controllable zip.”4.5male all-court player using Volkl DNX 10Midstrung at 60 pounds LO (Natural Gut 16)

“ This has all the playing characteristics ofnatural gut without the fraying. This string iswithout question the best I’ve tried in a longtime. The comfort and playability areexcellent.”4.5male baseliner with heavy spin usingWilsonHyper Hammer 4.3 PH strung at 62 pounds LO(Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 1.24 17)

“ This string has that elusive combination ofcontrol and power. Its resistance to movementis impressive.”5.0male all-court player using Head Flexpoint Radi-cal MP strung at 60 pounds LO (Gamma ESP 17)

“ This string produces good power, spin, andcontrol. It plays soft initially and settles afterseveral hours of play. There is little to no stringmovement. I would recommend this string toheavy hitters.”4.0male all-court player using Head Flexpoint Pres-tigeMP strung at 62 pounds CP (Luxilon BigBanger Original Rough 16)

For the rest of the tester comments, USRSA members

can visit RacquetTECH.com.

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

TESTERS TALK

FREE PLAYTEST STRING PROGRAMPrince has generously offered to send a free set of Synthetic GutMultifilament to the first 500 USRSA members who request it.

To get your free set, just cut out (or copy) this coupon and mail it to:USRSA, Attn: Prince Synthetic Gut Multifilament String Offer,

330 Main Street, Vista, CA 92084or fax to 760-536-1171

Offer expires January 15th, 2007 One set of free string per USRSAmembership. Offer only available to USRSA members in the US.

FREE! Prince Synthetic Gut Multifilament!Offer expires January 15th 2007

Name:USRSA Member number:Phone:Email:

If you print your email clearly, we will notify you when your sample will be sent.


stringing machine, keep the bottle awayfrom the machine! Bottles can tip overand spill, damaging your machine. Myadvice is to apply the alcohol to the clothand walk the cloth over to the machine.This way, there is no chance for an acci-dent to occur.5 sets of Wilson NXT OS 16L to:Fred S. McWilliams, CS, Arlington, TX

BUMPERGUARD STORAGEI keep my bumper guards in a smallishbox that forces them into the shape of amild arc. This way when I need to install

and TECHNIQUES

FINDING FACTS FAST

Finding the stringing pattern for commonframes in the Stringer’s Digest is a stepthat can be made a little quicker. Insteadof just putting plain tape on the page Iwant to mark, I use my own string labels,writing the racquet name in the "String"field. This allows me to flip to the rightpage in the book in about two seconds.5 sets of Ashaway MonoGut 17 to:Greg Jastrzab, Kearney, NJ

CAREFUL CLEANINGWhen using rubbing alcohol to clean a


Readers’ Know-How in Actiontips

them, they are pre-formed to follow theform and shape of the racquet. It makestheir installation a lot easier!Forten Tournament Bag to:Terry Boyle, Columbine Valley, CO

TLC FOR THE RDCI was getting varied swingweight readingson my Babolat Racquet Diagnostic Center(RDC). I took the cover off and found thatthere is a ball bearing system on top thatis exposed to dust from outside themachine. I blew the dust out with com-pressed air and sprayed the ball bearingswith a silicone lubricant, and it works con-sistently again.5 sets of Gamma Flex Core Control 16& Gamma Hat & Gamma T-Shirt to:Dan Kerr, Warton, ONT, Canada

BETTER CLAMP CLEANERInstead of using an alcohol-soaked clothor a regular pipe cleaner, I've found usingdecorative pipe cleaners packaged as


Tips and Techniques submitted since 2000 byUSRSA members, and appearing in this column,have all been gathered into a single volume ofthe Stringer’s Digest—Racquet Service Tech-niques which is a benefit of USRSA membership.Submit tips to: Greg Raven, USRSA, 330 Main St.,Vista, CA 92804; or email [email protected].

Chenille Stems found in craft stores muchbetter. They are longer and have a sturdycore wire with soft bristles. Bend into a Ushape, dip in alcohol and easily cleanclamps and gripper with one hand whilegently maintaining the gap between thegripping surfaces with the other (neverclamp down on the wire). I do this oftenand seldom have to disassemble for brushcleaning.5 sets of Head FiberGEL Power 16 to:Eldon Whitlow, Pekin, IN

STARTINGWITHOUT SLIPPAGEAs others have pointed out, pulling ten-sion on the first center main puts a lot ofstress on the clamp holding the other cen-ter main. With no string tension behind itto help, that first clamp can and willmove. To eliminate any clamp movementwhen pulling that first center main, posi-tion the clamp so that it is up against the6 or 12 o'clock mounting post. Tighteningthe first center main string will cause theclamp to pull up against the mountingpost, at which point it’s not going tomove any farther. Preventing clamp move-

ment also seems to reduce the likelihoodthat the string will slip, too.5 sets of Klip Synthetic Gut 16 & a KlipHat to:Steve Huff, Mechanicsville, VA

CLEANER STENCILINGI use my workbench to stencil. It can bemessy but, before starting, I spread outpages from my local newspaper. When Iam done, I discard the top sheet of thenewspaper, and have a clean work surface

for the next stencil job.5 sets of Volkl Power-Fiber 18 to:Dan Kerr, Warton, ONT, Canada

—Greg Raven �

the EXPERTSask

RACQUETS GOING SOFTDO RACQUETS GO SOFT WITHage, and if so, how do you mea-sure it?

ALL RACQUETS DO “GO SOFT”with age, partially due to tempera-

ture cycling and partially due to impactstress. With wood racquets, the typical fail-ure when subjected to temperatureextremes is either to warp (in the case ofheat) or crack/crush (in the case of cold).The typical failure from impact is breakage.

According to materials engineer TomKosinski, the carbon fiber and graphite inmodern racquets are subject to the samestresses as wood frames, but they usuallyfail differently. When heated, the fillermaterial (resin in most cases) will tend toexpand slightly, and will become more pli-able. The overall strength and modulus ofthe carbon fiber are such that you do notreally notice the expansion, and thegreater the ratio of pure fiber to resin, theless expansion there will be.

Given enough temperature extremesand enough temperature cycles over time,however, even the best modern materialswill begin to develop microscopic cracks. Itis common in composites for temperaturecycling to cause the materials to fail on amicroscopic level, developing small cracksin the material matrix. Over time, thesecracks grow and cluster, and the materialstarts to “soften.” This is the mechanismthat people experience when their carbon-fiber frames have seen a lot of use, andthe frame doesn't seem to have the punchanymore. The frame will not look any dif-ferent, but the material has lost the char-acteristics it had when new.

In the cold, especially with framesstrung at very high tensions, the framestend to crack and snap. While the materi-als are best under compression, microscop-ic cracking will still occur, and the colder itgets the more brittle the materialbecomes. Typical failures in extreme coldinclude the development of microscopiccracks and the enlargement of otherdefects in the material matrix. Every framehas some defects in it after the molding

process. Most defects are small, or not inan area where they can be a problem. Incold temperatures the material will growthose defects quicker and tend to failmore catastrophically. Most frames thathave developed problems due to coldwill tend to crack on the inside of theframe hoop, because the material in thisarea is under tension, and carbon andceramics are not as strong under ten-sion.

Modern composite racquets aremuch more resilient to impact-relateddamage than wooden racquets, butrepeated impacts over time do promotethe propagation of microscopic cracks,just as thermal cycling does. Also, thestress of re-stringing can speed thebreakdown of the composite matrix.

Even so, softening happens veryslowly over time. Most players won’t beable to feel it happening because theywill adjust to the softening as it happens.The only way to measure the amount of“softening” is to use diagnostic equip-ment such as the Babolat Racquet Diag-nostic Center (RDC) or RA Test Machine.Most players cannot afford devices suchas these, so those who want to track thissoftening will need to find a local shopor club that has one. In order to mea-sure the change in flex of a racquet, youhave measure the flex when the racquetis new, using a calibrated device, so youcan continue to measure the flex overtime and compare current readings tothe initial readings.

MARKETING AVENUESI'M WONDERING HOW I CANpromote my stringing businessbeyond handing out fliers. Clubs

have their pros doing stringing at localevents so I always feel uncomfortablemarketing myself around there. Should Iask the local pro shops if I can providebackup when they get overwhelmed? Iseem to be walking on eggshells wher-ever I market myself in the tennis com-munity. Short of opening up a retailstore, how do stringers typically growtheir business?

IN ADDITION TO FLIERS, YOU COULDalso do a website, on which you make

available information for customers andpotential customers. To draw customers tovisit your website, you could start an e-mailnewsletter. It doesn’t have to be very long,or contain earth-shattering information, andyou can even report on news of interest toyour local tennis community. Tell your fellowplayers that you are starting an e-mail list forlocal tennis news, and start collecting e-mailaddresses. Each time you send out anewsletter, include your website address.

You are right not to approach shop own-ers or managers during tournaments—unless the stringing team is clearlyoverwhelmed. It couldn’t hurt to approachthem during a slack time, to see if they haveany need for an overflow stringer. It’s alsopoor form to put up a flier for your servicesat the pro shop, and this extends to anycourts that are adjacent to the pro shop.

One big boost you can give your market-ing efforts is to get USRSA certification. Ifthere are other certified stringers or MasterRacquet Technicians (MRTs) in your area,you’ll need to be certified, as well, to com-pete, and if there are no certified stringersor MRTs in your area, certification will giveyou a tremendous advantage. Depending onyour area, players may have a lot of stringersto whom they can turn. If you’re the onlycertified stringer or MRT, you have a greatselling point when talking with potentialcustomers, and it will look good on yourwebsite and e-mails.

In addition to passing out fliers, you canalso put up fliers with tear-off tabs at thebottom with your contact information. Postthese at public courts where there is no proshop. Public-court players are "fair game,"although you still want to tread lightlybecause they may string their own racquets,or they may have their best friend in thewhole world stringing for them.

Finally, we have compiled many othermarketing tips from other USRSA membersover the years. All of these tips can befound on our website at www.usrsa.com orin the Racquet Service Techniques book ofthe Stringer’s Digest.

—Greg Raven �

QA


Q

A

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

Your Equipment Hotline

Your ServeA Growing Tennis VillageThe TIA’s executive director says collaborations within the industry arewhat lead to the growth of the sport.

Over the last 10 years, I’ve come to thinkof the Tennis Industry Association asSwitzerland—a neutral ground where

ideas can be freely explored and developed,where all brands can live in harmony, and wherethere is a collective group of manufacturers,organizations, retailers, teaching pros, court con-tractors, facilities, pro groups, and tennis mediawho all are working for the good of the sport.All of these constituents have ownership in theTIA and its mission, which is to promote thegrowth and economic vitality of tennis.

In 1995 I started working directly forthen-TIA President Kurt Kamperman. Thatyear, we announced the Grow the GameInitiative at the Super Show in Atlanta—thestart of numerous collaborative effortsamong industry businesses and organiza-tions. When Kurt moved on to his currentposition as USTA chief executive of Com-munity Tennis, I knew it would be great fortennis and a positive relationship-builder forthe TIA.

Jim Baugh succeeded Kurt as TIA presi-dent, and during his three-year term I sawsingle-minded passion that resulted in suc-cessful launches of the Tennis WelcomeCenter and Cardio Tennis initiatives.

It underscores a basic fact I've observed:Industry-wide collaborations in tennis makefor successful ventures. And that's what istruly unique about the TIA. This spirit carriesus into 2007, with new TIA President DaveHaggerty of Head/Penn, and a fully commit-ted Board of Directors and Executive Com-mittee, which includes Jon Muir of Wilson,Doug Fonte of Prince, and Kurt Kampermanof the USTA. Our board members are lead-ers in business who make up all areas of theindustry and give the TIA depth and direc-tion. The TIA is everyone’s vehicle to impacttennis.

MY EARLY TENNIS TRIBEGrowing up in Reading, Pa., tennis was amajor part of my life. Every day after school,anywhere from eight to 16 (or more) of uswould be at various courts around the city.We’d take turns playing, doing homework,

eating, and then meeting back up onlighted courts later so we could play afterdark. We had courts along the river, onthe mountain overlooking the city, underthe viaduct, at schools and parks—toomany to recall.

While my formal instruction was main-ly through the schools, my tennis gamewasn't about the competition as much asthe social aspect. It was great fun. I wasan unofficial missionary for the gameback then, convincing friends and familymembers to pick up a racquet.

I converted my future husband, a

commercial airline pilot, to switch careersto tennis. Since 1990, he has been thedirector of tennis at Sea Pines Resort onHilton Head Island, S.C. The majority ofmy former tennis friends are still avidplayers and many have made it theircareer, including me. Nearly 24 years agomy path was re-connected to tennis, thelast decade with the TIA. I feel very fortu-nate to work in this game I love.

Throughout my history in business, I’veworked directly with—and learnedfrom—many great leaders and visionaries.After college, I worked for retail legendAlbert Boscov in the special events andmarketing department of Boscov’sDepartment Stores. Then I was hired bythe president of Club Med to help estab-lish their first retail sales office in Manhat-tan.

In the early 1980s, my “pilot-turned-tennis-pro” husband and I moved toHilton Head, and I became the marketingand advertising director for Dennis Vander Meer, where I met the first of many

Avid player Jolyn de Boer is

the executive director of the

Tennis Industry Association.


“Industry-wide collabora-

tions in tennis make for

successful ventures. And

that's what is truly unique

about the TIA.”

B Y J O L Y N D E B O E R

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

amazing people in this industry. After eightyears, I started my own marketing andadvertising agency, working with the likesof Stan Smith, the Family Circle Cup, theSouth Carolina Tennis Association, the TIA,and many other businesses. I realized, how-ever, that the TIA was where I belonged.

A BRIGHT FUTUREThe TIA is a group of positive people work-ing for a common good, who want onlythe best for tennis. That spirit of collabora-tion has been pervasive in the organizationfor many years. Our board, our members,and the participating partners—many whogive a percentage of their sales—enable theTIA to “perform” to its fullest. The USTA isa major partner in our success, too, and wevery much value our growing, positive rela-tionship.

Through our research partners SportsMarketing Surveys, W&W Services Inc., andTaylor Research Group, the TIA producesmore than 80 market intelligence reportsand surveys annually, including the annualParticipation Study, plus consumer and cen-sus reports that monitor ball and racquetshipments.

The TIA remains focused on improvingthe health of the game for all constituents.Tennis is on the rise and all areas of theindustry are working together to keep themomentum going.

When I visit my hometown these days,it’s good to see the tennis courts in Hamp-den Park are full of tennis players, notskateboarders.

And it makes me proud to be part ofthis growing tennis village. �

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