200801 Racquet Sports Industry

January 2008Volume 36 Number 1 $5.00

QuickStart Tennis:A New Formatfor Kids

QuickStart Tennis:A New Formatfor Kids

2

DEPARTMENTS

R S I J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 8ContentsContentsINDUSTRY NEWS

7 Prince launches new Recoil string

7 Las Vegas to host February’sCommunity Tennis workshop

7 Lee Tennis promotesFutty, Hanssen

8 PBI presents awards atannual meeting

8 Head adds three Prestige framesto the MicroGel family

8 James Blake to endorseTourna Grip

8 PTR Symposium set forFebruary in S.C.

10 DecoTurf chosen for 2008Olympics in China.

10 Prince adds new framesto its O3 line

14 Dunlop named title sponsor ofOrange Bowl

14 ITF launches new BeachTennis Tour

14 USTA/ITA award winners named

14 ASBA picks new chairman

14 Machine manuals now availableonline through USRSA

4 Our Serve

7 Industry News

15 TIA News & Updates

19 Facility Manager’s Manual

22 Industry People

26 Grassroots Promotions

28 Racquet Customization

42 String Playtest: Unique Big Hitter Blue 17

44 Ask the Experts

46 Tips and Techniques

48 Your Serve, by Tiffany Grayson

FEATURES

30 Tennis Goes GreenIndustry manufacturers and organiza-tions join in the fight to improve theenvironment.

33 USRSA Members’ ChoiceAwardsOur exclusive rankings, based onresponses by USRSA members, wilhelp you pick the right strings foryour shop.

34 Displays of FashionThese four retailers know how toassemble clothing to appeal to theircustomers.

38 Top of the ListRSI and the ASBA bring you the bestin tennis court construction.

40 Child’s PlayTennis pros and facilities—and thesport itself—stand to gain with theupcoming launch of the QuickStartTennis format.

2 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY January 2008

Outdoor Tennis Facility-of-the-Year AwardCloister Tennis Center at Sea IslandSt. Simons Island, Ga.

QuickStart Tennispg. 40

just spent a very enjoyable and informative weekendwith a group that may well be one of the most impor-tant in this industry. No, I wasn’t with any of the pro

players at season-ending tournaments, nor was I withall the organizational bigwigs attending the successfulDavis Cup final in Oregon.

I was in Austin, Texas, with the American Sports Builders Associa-

tion. These are the people who build, surface and maintain the courts

that we all need to sustain our livelihoods. If it weren’t for the court

builders, it’s fair to say there would be little to no tennis in the U.S.

Every year, ASBA members get together in early December for their

Technical Meeting and Trade Show—a time for presentations and sem-

inars on everything from asphalt mix and vapor emissions to negotiat-

ing contracts and writing proposals. It’s also a time to network with

manufacturers and peers, to share ideas and experiences. Some of the

most informative sessions are the “problem-solving roundtables,” in

which a room full of court contractors and manufacturers share con-

struction problems and solutions in a relaxed, unstructured manner.

This meeting was bittersweet in at least one respect. Longtime ASBA

executive Carol Hogan is retiring in 2008, after 20 years at the admin-

istrative helm of the organization (see page 22). Under Carol’s guidance

and organizational expertise, the ASBA has more than doubled its size.

But even more important, under her tenure the group has become a

much more influential voice within the industry itself, creating partner-

ships with key organizations such as the USTA and TIA. RSI, too, is a

partner with the ASBA in the Facility Awards program, which honors the

best in court construction (see page 38).

As always, though, there still is more work that needs to be done, and

the association management company that will take over for Carol will

have some very big shoes to fill.

The bottom line, though, is that the ASBA and its members are a valu-

able group in this industry. If you’re a court builder and are not a part

of the ASBA (www.sportsbuilders.org), you should be.

These are, indeed, very important people.

Peter Francesconi

Editorial Director

Our ServeVIPs of the Tennis Industry

(Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry)Publishers

David Bone Jeff Williams

Editorial DirectorPeter Francesconi

Associate EditorGreg Raven

Design/Art DirectorKristine Thom

Contributing EditorsRobin BatemanCynthia Cantrell

Rod CrossKristen DaleyJoe DinofferLiza Horan

James MartinGreg Moran

Chris NicholsonBob Patterson

Cynthia ShermanMary Helen Sprecher

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 Janu-ary through August and combined issues inSeptember/October and November/December byTennis Industry and USRSA, 330 Main St., Vista, CA92084. Periodicals postage paid at Hurley, NY 12443and additional mailing offices. January 2008, Vol-ume 36, Number 1 © 2008 by USRSA and TennisIndustry. All rights reserved. Racquet Sports Indus-try, RSI and logo are trademarks of USRSA. Printedin the U.S.A. Phone advertising: 770-650-1102 x 125.Phone circulation and editorial: 760-536-1177. Year-ly subscriptions $25 in the U.S., $40 elsewhere. POST-MASTER: Send address changes to Racquet SportsIndustry, 330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084.


I

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

INDUSTRY NEWSINDUSTRY NEWSR S I J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 8

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

Prince will soon start shipping its new Recoil string, which thecompany says will deliver precise string realignment afterevery shot, along with top control, playability and durability.

“It’s a breakthrough in string technology,” says Tyler Herring,Prince’s product manager for strings, grips and machines. Princewill start shipping the string to stores Jan. 18 and says the Recoillaunch will be the largest string launch in the company’s history.Key to the development of the string is Prince’s partnership

with W.L. Gore & Associates, the creators of Gore-Tex. The Recoilstring uses a new coating called Gore MicroWeb Technology,which is a proprietary formulation of expanded polyTe-traflourothylene (ePTFE). Essentially, says Herring, it is a “mesh-like web that allows for an ultra-low-friction surface.”According to Prince, the ePTFE coating creates “a combination of

benefits never before achieved in string playability and design.” Those benefits, says the com-pany, include precise string realignment after each shot and drastically reduced string notching forincreased durability. In addition, says Prince, Recoil’s advanced thermoplastic core and multi-lay-ered construction with new “high-tenacity filaments” provide extra comfort and better feel.Prince says Recoil was playtested by both ATP and WTA players, along with top juniors. The com-

pany recommends that, due to the low friction design of Recoil, it be strung with about 10 percentless tension than with other strings. For Recoil, Prince is targeting tournament-level players withlonger, faster strokes, who use “player” frames.“The launch of Recoil is a testament to a dedicated team focused on creating, refining, and per-

fecting products that will take players to the next level,” says Doug Fonte, president of PrinceAmericas.Herring says Recoil has been in development for about three years. “The material and process

had to be designed from scratch,” he says. “Every step had to be tweaked. We went through threeor four dozen initial prototypes, and then another couple dozen after that. It really was a labor oflove for us.”Videos and other information regarding Recoil will be on www.princetennis.com beginning Jan. 2.

Vegas to HostCTDW in FebruaryThe USTA’s popular Commu-nity Tennis DevelopmentWorkshop will be Feb. 22-24in Las Vegas. The educationalweekend workshop, held atthe Flamingo Las Vegas, willfeature leading speakers andopportunities to networkwith peers from across thecountry.

Programming topics includeboard and volunteer develop-ment, advocacy marketingand communication,fundraising best practices,event management, personaldevelopment, and more,including on-court demon-strations and tennis pro-gramming. The CTDWannually attracts more than500 community tennisproviders, from teaching prosto CTAs, to park and recpersonnel.

Two full-day “Pre-WorkshopSessions” will be presentedon Friday, Feb. 22, offering anintensive learning opportuni-ty for a limited number ofattendees. The two sessions(for an additional $60 persession) are Fundamentals ofOrganizational Managementand Tennis Court Construc-tion/Facility Operations.

Full conference registration is$330. The hotel rate for regis-tered attendees is $155 pernight. For more information,visit www.usta.com, [email protected], or call914-696-7205.

January 2008 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 7

Prince Launches New Recoil String

Futty, Hanssen Promoted at Lee Tennis

Lee Tennis has named Randy Futty as its new general manager and Pat Hanssen asdirector of sales. Both Futty and Hanssen have been active in the tennis industryfor many years.Futty (top) joined Lee Tennis, the maker of the Har-Tru surface, in 1992 and has

been instrumental in leading various initiatives for Lee in the areas of engineering,sales and marketing. In his new role, he will oversee sales, marketing and opera-tions. Futty has served in leadership positions for various industry associationsincluding the American Sports Builders Association and currently is the president ofthe associate affiliate division of ASBA.Hanssen, who joined Lee seven years ago, will manage the company’s sales team

while being integral to the marketing and communications efforts. He currentlyserves as president of the USTA Virginia district and vice president of the USPTA Mid-Atlantic section.

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PBI HoldsAnnual Meeting,Presents Awards

Peter Burwash Internationalrecently held its annualmeeting at the Naples

Grande Resort & Club inNaples, Fla. The meetingbrought together 90 PBI prosfrom around the world for con-tinuing education.Topics focused on both per-

sonal and professional develop-ment, ranging from coachingtour players and innovativeteaching techniques to commu-nication and program market-ing. Tennis industry icon AlanSchwartz highlighted the meet-ing with both a presentationand as the keynote speaker atthe concluding banquet.In addition to this week of

intensive educational activitiesboth on and off the tenniscourt, the following awardswere presented during the ban-quet:� Professional of the Year:Rene Zondag, tennis directorat the Madinat Jumeirah inDubai, United Arab Emi-rates.

� Most Improved Professional:Victor Motta, tennis pro atthe InterContinental Muscatin Muscat, Oman.

� Rookie of the Year: ScottAnders, tennis director atThe Lodge at VentanaCanyon in Tucson, Ariz.

� Site of the Year: The LakeGeorge Club in DiamondPoint, N.Y.

� Friend of the Year: PeterLoewy from Carmel, Calif.Peter Burwash International

directs tennis programs atresorts, hotels and clubs inNorth America, Asia, MiddleEast, Europe, Caribbean, Mexi-co, Indian Ocean and the Pacif-ic. For more information, visitwww.pbitennis.com.

Head Prestige Joins MicroGel Family

Head’s popular Prestige racquet, first introduced in 1987, isnow available with MicroGel technology. Three new MicroGelPrestige frames will be available in January: the Prestige MP,

Prestige Mid and Prestige Pro.“In today’s fast-paced, aggressive game, competitive players need

a racquet that provides ultimate feel,” says Kevin Kempin, vice presi-dent of sales and marketing for Head/Penn. “MicroGel technology cre-ates amazing response qualities and is wrapped up in cool-lookinghigh-tech racquets.”When combined with carbon composite fibers in the racquet head, Micro-

Gel deforms and compresses upon ball impact, says Head, uniformly absorbingand distributing the impact load around the frame. This creates a solid feel whileoffering extra stability, says the company.The MicroGel Prestige MP is a mid-plus tour racquet that provides touch and

control, says Head. The Prestige Mid is for serious heavy-hitters, and the Pres-tige Pro is for the faster playing style of aggressive players. For more informa-tion, visit www.head.com.

Blake to Endorse Tourna GripUnique Sports announces a multi-year agreementwith World Top 10 player James Blake to endorsethe Tourna Grip overgrip. Blake has been usingTourna Gripthroughout hiscareer and joinsPete Samprasand Bob andMike Bryan asan officialspokesman ofTourna Grip. Hewill be featuredon Tourna Grip packaging starting in 2008. Visitwww.uniquesports.us.

LejayFitness SkortsLejay has come out with avariety of “fitness” skortssuitable for tennis and otheroutdoor and indoor activi-ties, from cycling and spin-ning to dancing andaerobics. Lejay says the fit-ness skort adds a more femi-nine touch to the traditionalshorts. For more informationor to request a catalog, call800-932-7535 or log ontowww.lejay.com.

PTR SymposiumSet for February

The PTR will hold its Inter-national Tennis Sympo-sium & $25,000 Champ-

ionships Feb. 16-22 at PTRHeadquarters on Hilton HeadIsland, S.C. The Symposiumattracts nearly 1,000 tennisteachers and coaches frommore than 50 countries.Speakers this year include

Pat Etcheberry, Chuck Kriese,Dr. Jim Loehr, Dave Miley andAnne Smith, conducting class-room and on-court presenta-tions. Subjects range fromtennis business to tactics toinjury prevention and treat-ments. There is also a specialhigh school coaches’ programheld over President’s Week-end.Companies including Deco-

Turf, Gamma, Head/Penn andPlaymate are among the 45tennis organizations and man-ufacturers that will exhibit atthe Tennis Trade Show. Prod-uct demonstrations will beconducted on an adjacentdemo court.For information and regis-

tration, visit www.ptrtennis.organd click Upcoming Events.

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USRSAMEMBER CLASSIFIEDSFOR SALE: Prince P-200Stringing machine. Runs per-fectly, inc. all tools. $300.Will throw in $300 worth ofstring. Must be picked up.Lecanto, FL [email protected] Phone:352-746-4063.

FOR SALE: Tennis Shoplocated in central New Jer-sey. Excellent opportunity,please call for more informa-tion @ 908-230-0050.

FOR SALE: Silent Partner AriaElectric Stringer. Baseclamps upgraded. Alsoincluded: String clamps, man-ual and tools. Working inexcellent condition. $675.00plus shipping. Please call RonCondio at 716-763-0106 [email protected]

FOR SALE: Tennis /SwimClub for Sale in North Caroli-na. Profitable, excellentlocation, established mem-bership – set-

Deco Chosen for Beijing Olympics

The DecoTurf II cushioned tennis surface has been chosen for the 2008Olympic Games to be held in Beijing, China. Tennis practice sessions andmatch play will take place on the 17 courts at the Beijing Olympic Tennis

Centre from Aug. 10 through 17. A total of 172 men and women will competefor medals in men’s and women’s singles and doubles.The choice of DecoTurf was ratified by the Beijing Organizing Committee

for the Games and the International Tennis Federation. “DecoTurf is honoredand gratified to be selected as the tennis surface for the Beijing Olympics,”says John Graham, managing director for DecoTurf. For more information,visit www.decoturf.com or call 800-225-1141.

Trion:Z IntroducesUpscale Bracelets

Trion:Z, maker of ionic/magnetic healthgear for sports, has launched its Paletteline of titanium bracelets, an upscale ver-

sion of its popular dual-banded sportsbracelets and necklaces. The Palette Mag-Titanis a more dressy version of the Trion:Z tech-nology that is designed to deliver therapeuticbenefits for wearers.The Palette bands are made with pure Ti-22

titanium. The company says titanium in itspure form has therapeutic power, due to itsnegative electrical potential, to draw out posi-tive ions from the body. The bands won’t rustor stain. Trion:Z technology combines the ther-apeutic properties of medical-grade magnetsand minus ions.For more information, visit www.trionz.com.

Footwear Veteran Joins Prince

Prince Sports has hired former Nike and Adidas executiveGeorge Poulos as the company’s new Global CategoryDirector in charge of footwear. Poulos will be responsible

for refining and managing Prince’s plan for the category,which encompasses a range of consumer targets from fre-quent players to leisure usage, as well as varied channels ofdistribution and price points.“Prince is an industry leader, a forward-thinking company

that has, in the last few years, brought some of the most innovative products tomarket,” says Poulos. “The company is poised for growth in the coming yearsand I am excited to help them achieve that. More importantly, I am completelyfocused on delivering players the best tennis footwear available.”

Prince Adds Frames to O3 Line

Prince has expanded its O3 line with the Speedport White andOzone Tour frames for serious players and the Speedport Plat-inum and Speedport Gold for those looking for a game-

improvement stick. The four new frames will debut in January.The O3 Speedport White and Ozone Tour are for players look-

ing for feel, control and racquet speed in a traditional weightframe, says the company. Prince says the racquets are a result ofcontinuing conversations with top touring pros and juniors andincorporate features they desire. Both racquets also will be availablein a Pro version offering a slightly heavier frame and a denser string pat-tern. For those who purchase the Pro versions (O3 Speedport Pro White andOzone Pro Tour), the frame will be pre-strung with the new Prince Recoil string (seepage 7).“O3 continues to become a must-have technology among top-level players

and we continue to develop and deliver frames that meet the needs of thisgroup,” says Dave Holland, global category director for performanceracquets at Prince.The new O3 Speedport Platinum and O3 Speedport Gold are the

first frames to feature Prince’s “Strung-Thru-Stringing System,”which extends the main strings through the yoke of the racquet.Prince says this easy to string design will create the largestsweetspot available. (For players who would prefer to string thenew frames like any current O3 Speedport racquets, Prince offersan easy to insert throat piece for the Platinum and Gold.)“The Strung-Thru-Stringing System is, quite literally, a breakthrough

design feature that will not only surprise players in look but in overall feel and com-fort as well,” says Holland. For more information, visit www.princetennis.com.

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> Babolat will sponsor the USTA NationalSenior Tennis Championships, now known asthe Babolat World Tennis Classic, Jan. 20-27at Rancho Mirage, Calif.

> The 2008 editions of Friend at Court andRules of Tennis will be available for purchasein mid-January at the USTA Shop atUSTA.com or by calling the USTA Shop at800-677-0275.

> In a whimsical press release at the end ofOctober, Tennis Channel announced that itofficially retired the word “The” from itsname.

> Tennis Corporation of America (TCA)/ Mid-town Clubs has announced a partnershipwith Wayne Elderton, course facilitator forTennis Canada, to develop exclusive adult andperformance junior curriculum for Midtownclubs. Elderton recently introduced his “situa-tion” Game Based Approach training pro-gram to more than 50 TCA/Midtown Club

tennis pros at a three-day training at thecompany’s flagship Midtown Tennis Clubin Chicago. For more information, visitwww.midtown.com.

> The USPTA presented a $2,000 grant tothe first collegiate wheelchair tennis teamat Grand Valley State University in Allen-dale, Mich. USPTA First Vice President TomDaglis was on hand to present the check.

> Play Tennis Florida, a new magazine,has been named the official USTA Floridamagazine for 2008. Richard Vach, the for-mer publications editor for the ATP, is theeditor and publisher of the magazine,which will be published 11 times in 2008.Also, Janice Gendreau is the magazine’snew director of ad sales.

> Tennis Life Magazine has signed a 30-month agreement to be the official maga-zine of the Intercollegiate TennisAssociation. Starting with the Januaryissue, the magazine will run editorial ineach issue on college tennis.

> The next Clay Court Maintenance Sem-inars presented by Welch Tennis will be inMay, at locations to be announced. Welchpresented three well-attended one-dayseminars in October at different sites inFlorida. For more information, contact DebCarlson at [email protected] or 800-282-4415.

> The new Palm Coast Tennis Center offi-cially opened Nov. 10. More than 500 peo-ple attended the grand opening of the 10new Har-Tru HydroGrid courts. On hand

SHORT SETSwere George Todd, president of Welch TennisCourts; Sheldon Westervelt of Global Sportsand Design Group; and Chris Forrest, theproject manager at Welch. Former pro tourstars Tom Gullikson, Brian Gottfried, MalWashington and Scott Melville played a proexhibition. The Palm Coast Tennis Centersuperintendent is Ken Obermeier, and thecourts were built with the support of thePalm Coast Friends of Tennis.

> Deuce magazine, the ATP’s official publi-cation, has unveiled its first online issue, fea-turing exclusive stories with US Openchampion Roger Federer and finalist NovakDjokovic. Launched as an annual magazinein 2002, Deuce will now appear as an all-dig-ital publication on a quarterly basis, showcas-ing the lifestyles and personalities of ATPplayers and promoting ATP tournaments.You can find a link to the publication atwww.atptennis.com.

> The Tennis Server website has named Jus-tine Henin its 2007 Player of the year, andhas named the U.S. the 2007 Tennis Nationof the Year. The annual awards, now in their10th year, recognize exceptional achieve-ment in professional tennis.

> Beach Tennis USA has hired MJ GlobalSports & Media Inc., the consulting companyfounded by former NBA Senior Vice PresidentScott Levy, to further develop its media andsponsorship programs for the 2008 BeachTennis National Tour.

> The “Standard,” the newsletter of theUSPTA Southern Division, has been namedthe 2007 USPTA Newsletter of the Year.

New Drymax Tennis Socks

New from Drymax Sports are tennis socks with the company’sDrymax Fiber technology. Drymax says that its socks stay upto 25 times drier than socks made with wicking fibers like poly-

ester, acrylic, nylon, wool or cotton.Drymax Tennis Socks are designed with two different fiber tech-

nologies interwoven to form a dual-layer sock. “You can’t stop atennis match to allow your socks to dry out,” says Gus Blythe,developer of the Drymax Tennis Socks. “Drymax socksneed no drying time; they dry at the speed of sweat.”Suggested retail prices range from $9 to $15. For

more information, visit www.drymaxsports.com.


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

• Tina Tharp is thenew executive director of

Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis &Education in Philadelphia, one of

America’s premier public youth ten-nis programs, and winner of RSI’s 2007

Municipal Facility of the Year Award.Tharp formerly served as operations man-ager for the AAYTE.

• Communications Manager Megan Burchhas left Head/Penn to become the directorof marketing for Blizzard Ski Company inNew Hampshire. Allison Starr, who hasbeen with Head/Penn for a year and half,will become the company’s new communi-cations manager.

• RSI Contributing Editor Bob Patterson hassold Professional Racquet Service Inc. andPlayer’s Choice retail store in Birmingham,Ala., to concentrate on his RacquetMaxxbusiness, which provides racquet cus-tomization and stringing services via thewebsite at www.racquetmaxx.com (or toll-free at 877-663-0757). Patterson, a MasterRacquet Technician and RSI’s 2005 Stringerof the Year, also is consulting with compa-nies looking to open new tennis retailstores. He will join the Top Serve stringingteam for the 2008 Australian Open.

• Danish badminton star Michael Chris-tensen has signed a multi-year sponsorshipagreement with Ashaway Racket Strings.

• Gary Herman is the new senior v.p. ofadvertising sales for Tennis Channel.

• The International Tennis Hall of Famehonored Hall-of-Famer Bud Collins on Oct.4 at the Marriott Boston Copley Place. Theevening was emceed by Emily Rooney, aBoston TV personality, and included honorsby Tony Trabert, Donald Dell and others.Proceeds from the event will benefit theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame’s Annu-al Fund and a donation will be made toCollins efforts in helping to build ten-nis courts at a school in Chiang

Mai, Thailand, that was startedby his grandparents in the

late 1800s.

• Babolat has hiredMickey Maul as the salesmanager in the NorthernRegion and Michael Lata as thesales manager in the Western regionof the U.S. Maule most recently was aterritory manager with Prince and Latawas responsible for regional sales atAdidas.

• Former U.S. Davis Cup standout StanSmith is this year's recipient of the DavisCup Award of Excellence, presented by theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame and theInternational Tennis Federation. The presen-tation was made during the Davis Cup byBNP Paribas World Group Final betweenRussia and the U.S. in Portland, Ore.

• Fernando Velasco, the USTA Texas Sectionmanger and director of tennis, received thesection’s Senior Spirit Award recently fromUSTA Texas Excecutive Director Ken McAllis-ter.

• Jaime Kaplan of Macon, Ga., was hon-ored as a “Champion Beyond the Game”recently by Florida State University. Kaplan,who graduated from FSU in 1983, becamethe first FSU tennis player to qualify for theNCAA championships. After college, Kaplanplayed in 14 Grand Slam tournaments andwon five doubles titles. She also held aworld singles ranking of No. 252 and dou-bles ranking of 91. She was inducted in theGeorgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 andthe Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006.

• The last weekend in October proved tobe an extremely successful one for Princeplayers, as they captured three tour titles inless than twenty-four hours. The world’stop men’s doubles team of Mike and BobBryan captured their 10th title of the sea-son, No. 9-ranked Daniela Hantuchovatook home her second WTA Tour title andLiezel Huber, one half of the world’s topwomen’s doubles team, captured hereighth title of the year. The Bryansplay with the O3 Speedport Black,Hantuchova plays with theOzone Seven, and Huberplays with the O3 Tour.

P E O P L E W AT C H

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USTA/ITA AwardWinners Named

Ouachita Baptist UniversityDirector of Tennis Craig Wardis the national winner of the

USTA/ITA Community ServiceAward and Gustavus Adolphus'men's tennis coach Steve Wilkin-son is the national winner of theUSTA/ITA Campus RecreationAward. Both coaches were hon-ored Dec. 15 at the ITA CoachesConvention at the Naples GrandeResort and Spa in Naples, Fla.The USTA/ITA Community Serv-

ice Award honors an ITA coach forsignificant contributions in devel-oping community-based tennisprograms through communitycenters, schools, parks, communi-ty tennis associations, inner city,suburban or rural programs. TheUSTA/ITA Campus RecreationAward honors an ITA coach whohas done an outstanding jobimplementing the USTA's Tennison Campus program or similarrecreational tennis programs in aneffort to grow tennis participationwithin the campus community."Craig and Steve are great

examples of coaches who giveback to their communities andcampuses and our hope is thattheir efforts continue to inspireother varsity coaches to emulatethe great work they are doing,"says ITA Executive Director DavidA. Benjamin.

ITF launchesBeach Tennis Tour

The International Tennis Feder-ation recently announced thelaunch of the “ITF Beach Ten-

nis Tour” in 2008. Beach tennismerges tennis and beach volley-ball.Predominantly played as dou-

bles on a court similar to beachvolleyball, players use paddle batsand a slightly depressurized ten-nis ball. Regular tennis scoring isused, with no-advantage at deuce,no second serve and no let. Andof course the ball does notbounce.The ITF spent a year research-

ing the activity and interest levelin beach tennis. While a relativelysmall number of nations are cur-rently active in beach tennis, thefederation concluded that thepotential for growth around theworld is significant.The 2008 calendar will consist

of National Association sanc-tioned and/or organized tourna-ments worldwide, which will offerinternational ranking points toparticipants. Players will beranked individually based on theirresults in doubles events only.The official rules of beach ten-

nis and of the Beach Tennis Tour,along with application forms tostage ITF-approved Beach Tennistournaments, are atwww.itftennis.com/beachtennis.

Machine Manuals Available Online

The USRSA has recently added a new page to itsmembers-only website, www.racquettech.com,that features user manuals for stringing

machines and diagnostic machines. The onlinemanuals will come in handy for anyone who haslost the user manual for their machine or who buysa used machine that doesn't come with a manual.“The website page currently has manuals for

more than 50 machines,” says USRSA ExecutiveDirector David Bone. “But we intend to continueadding to the page so that we can eventually offera manual for every machine being used today.” Tofind the new page on www.racquettech.com, clickon “Reference,” then click on “Machine Manuals.”“If you have a user manual for a discontinued

machine, we encourage you to share it onlinethrough the USRSA,” adds Bone. If you are unableto digitally scan the manual and email it [email protected], you can send it to theUSRSA at 330 Main St., Vista, Calif. 92084. TheUSRSA will scan the manual then post it on the site.Your manual will be returned the next business day.For more information, [email protected] or call 760-536-1177.

ASBA Picks New Chairman

George Todd (left) of Welch TennisCourts in Sun City, Fla., is the newchairman of the American Sports

Builders Association, taking over from GerryWright (right) of Court One in Youngsville,N.C., for a two-year term. The new Tennis Division chairman is MarkBrogan of Pro-Sport Construction of Devon, Pa., who replaced GordyPierce of Cape & Island Tennis and Track of Pocasset, Mass. The ASBAheld its annual Technical Meeting and Trade Show Dec. 1 to 4 in Austin,Texas, with a full slate of seminars and presentations on construction-related topics. Also, the organization presented its annual awards. Formore information about the ASBA, visit www.sportsbuilders.org.

Dunlop Named TitleSponsor of Orange Bowl

In a multi-year deal with the USTA, Dunlop has beennamed title sponsor of the Orange Bowl Interna-tional Tennis Championships, one of the premier

junior tournaments in the world.The 2007 event, the first under Dunlop’s sponsor-

ship, was held Dec. 3 to 9 at The Tennis Center atCrandon Park in Key Biscayne, Fla. Dunlop was theofficial tennis racquet, racquet bag, ball and stringprovider for the tournament.

USPTA Honors Heckler, Gilbert

The USPTA recently recognizedits CEO, Tim Heckler, and long-time member Townsend

Gilbert at its World Conference onTennis. Heckler (left) was honoredfor his 25 years of service andGilbert received the President’sAward.Heckler has been instrumental

in increasing membership and income for the USPTAand leading the organization since 1982. Gilbert, aUSPTA member for 21 years, was honored by outgo-ing President Ron Woods for his service to the USPTA,especially his dedication to Little Tennis, the associa-tion’s program for children ages 3 to 10.

T I A N E W S J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 8

Latest Research Reports Available from the TIA

Two recent reports from the Tennis Industry Association continue to show positive trends andsteady participation gains in the tennis industry. The Tennis Marketplace 2007 and the Costof Doing Business–Facilities reports are both available from the TIA, and both contain key

data to help you run your business more efficient-ly and more profitably. (See “Fast Facts from theLatest Research Reports” on page 16.) And theTIA continues to expand and enhance the datathat makes it the research source for this business.

The current Tennis Marketplace also includesdata from TENNIS Magazine’s study of sub-scribers, who account for 1.1 million frequent ten-nis players. For more information, visitwww.tennisindustry.org, email [email protected], or call the TIA toll-free at 866-686-3036.

Ball & Racquet Shipments Forecast To Reach 15-Year HighNews You Can Use!Tennis is thefastest growingsport in Ameri-ca, and nowthe stage is setto roll out a

new initiative to get kids 10 &under into the game. Quick-Start Tennis, formerly Project36-60, is a play format muchlike soccer, baseball and otherteam sports that takes intoconsideration age-appropriateequipment and abilities. TheUSTA together with great sup-port from all areas of theindustry—manufacturers toteaching groups—realize thepotential of QuickStart Tennisto grow not only participation,but also lessons, court time,equipment sales and eventuallya larger player talent pool. Getinvolved with this major indus-try initiative. To find out more,go to part-ners.QuickStartTennis.com orvisit growingtennis.com to reg-ister your facility and programs.

NEWS & UPDATESNEWS & UPDATES

(Source: TIA/Sports Marketing Surveys)

Top-Selling Racquetsat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars, January-September 2007(average selling price)

Best-Sellers1. Babolat Pure Drive Cortex (MP) $1722. Prince O3 White (MP) $1853.Wilson K Six One 95 (16 x 18) (MS) $1754.Wilson K Six One Tour 90 (MS) $1845.Wilson K Six One Team 95 (MS) $176“Hot New Racquets”(Introduced in the past 12 months)1.Wilson K Six One 95 (16 x 18) (MS) $1752.Wilson K Six One Tour 90 (MS) $1843.Wilson K Six One Team 95 (MS) $1764. Prince O3 Speedport Red (OS) $2275. Prince O3 Speedport Blue (OS) $244

Tennis RacquetPerformanceSpecialty Stores,January-September, 2007 vs. 2006

Units 2007 634,3172006 613,684% Change vs. ’06 3%

Dollars 2007 $87,842,0002006 $80,948,000% Change vs. ’06 9%

Price 2007 $1382006 $132% Change vs. ’06 5%

Top-SellingTennis Shoes atSpecialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars,January-September 2007(average selling price)

1. AdidasBarricade IV $100

2. NikeAir Breathe Free 2 $95

3. AdidasBarricade II $83

4. PrinceMV4 $94

5. PrinceT10 $77

Top-SellingTennis Stringsat SpecialtyStoresBy year-to-date dollars,January-September 20071. Prince

Synthetic Gut Duraflex2. Wilson

NXT3. Wilson

Sensation4. Prince

Lightning XX5. Luxilon

Alu Power

Jolyn de Boer

January 2008 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 15Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org

The 16-page TennisMarketplace is pub-lished bi-annuallyand is an executivesummary of all TIAresearch and marketintelligence reports.Each report includesan overview fromour tennis participa-tion studies, con-sumer report,specialty retailaudit, dealer trendsand census reports.

Shipments of tennis balls and racquets, leadingindicators of play, continue to show significantgrowth. In fact, using the first three quarters to

forecast final 2007 shipments produces volumes notseen since the early 1990s. Much of this growth hastaken place in the last 4 years with shipments of rac-quets increasing 37% since 2003 and shipments ofballs increasing 14% over the same period. Much ofthis growth is in youth racquets, which showed a48.9% increase in units from 2003 to 2006 and afurther 15% increase year to date in 2007.

J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 8T

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16 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY January 2008 Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org

Participation & Player Profiles� Tennis is the only traditional sport to have a pos-

itive participation change since 2000, accordingto the SGMA. Tennis has had a 12.2 percentincrease, while other sports, including Baseball,Basketball, Swimming, and Soccer, are showingdeclines.

� Total players numbered 24.2 million in 2006,while figures remained steady, frequent players(5.2 million) saw a 10 percent increase since2003.

� 6.1 million new players began playing tennis in2006.

� Just over 65 percent of all tennis players are aged13 to 44, and there are as many players aged 13to 24 as there are players aged 25 to 44.

� Tennis participation and increased householdincome go hand in hand, as does the sunshinefactor—participation is greater in the South Atlantic and Pacific regions.

� Education is key—nearly 60 percent of tennis players have attended college.

Fast Facts From The Latest Research Reports

Court ActivityMonitorOne of the seven compo-nents of the Tennis HealthIndex is the Court ActivityMonitor, which is designedto develop a national facilityaudit to supplement partici-pation data by monitoringkey operational data. EarlySeason results of the CourtActivity Monitor include:� 67.8 percent of facilities

have seen increases innew players, while 4.2percent have seen adecrease.

� 61.1 percent of facilitiesreport an increase in totalcourt usage, vs. 4.4 per-cent reporting a decrease.

� 46.9 percent of facilitiesshow an increase inleague play, while 7.8percent show a decrease.

� 27.1 percent show anincrease in tournamentplay, vs. 8.9 percentshowing a decline.

Cost of Doing Business–Facility SurveyHere are some of the fast facts from theCODB–Facility Survey:� 55 percent of facilities operate a Cardio

Tennis or other tennis fitness program.� Average annual dues for tennis-only

memberships were $768. For all-inclusivemembership, the average was $2,509.

� Peak court fees were up from an averageof $21 in 2005 to $23 in 2007. Averageoff-peak hourly fees were up from $16 to$20.

� Two-thirds of outdoor courts have lights.� 48 percent of facilities have a tennis-spe-

cific website.� 47 percent of facilities offer match-mak-

ing activities.� Adult league programming time

increased from an average of 11.6 hoursper week in 2005 to 13.3 hours in 2007.

� Three-quarters of all facilities rate thefuture of the tennis industry as good orvery good.An email survey using a representative sam-

ple of the TIA National Database brought a total of

713 responses. The results were weighted by

number of courts to be representative of the

national breakdown of facilities.

Welcome, New Members!The following have joined the TIA in October and November.(For more on TIA membership, visit www.tennisindustry.org orcall 843-686-3036.)Supporting Member

Armor Crack RepairFarmingdale, NJ

TennisConnect Member

Palmilla Tennis ClubCabo San Lucas, Mexico

Brattleboro Racquet ClubBrattleboro, VT

Thorntree Country ClubDesoto, TX

Mario's School of TennisPortsmouth, RI

TennisConnect Lite Member

Westside Athletic ClubNashville, TN

GZ TennisLititz, PA

Chantilly International TennisFairfax, VA

Eastside Racquet Club,Manlius, NY

Individual Member

Village Glen Tennis ClubWilliamsville, NY

Tampa Palms Golf & CountryClub, Tampa, FL

Midcoast Maine TennisAssociation, Brunswick, ME

DeRosa TennisContractors, Inc.Mamaroneck, NY

Julian KrinskyCamps & ProgramsKing of Prussia, PA

Individual Member–Lifetime

Racquet KoopNew Haven, CT

Associate Member–Facility

Brenda Athletic ClubsTurlock, CA

Philip CohenPittsfield, MA

Associate Member–Retail

Racquets, Etc.Westfield, NJ

The TIA has a wealth of data available to help you with your business. (For more information, visitwww.tennisindustry.org, email [email protected], or call 866-686-3036.) Here is a sampling of some of thelastest data from The Tennis Marketplace 2007 report and the Cost of Doing Business–Facilities report.

T I A N E W S

Growing Tennis Updates

James BlakeJoins TWC Campaign

Popular pro James Blake hasjoined Maria Sharapova in help-ing the effort to get more peo-

ple playing tennis. Blake will appearon 2008 marketing materials that areavailable free to all Tennis WelcomeCenters to help promote the game,your facility and your programs.

To become an Official Tennis Wel-come Center and to receive freenational, regional and local marketingsupport to attract new players, visit www.Partners.TennisWelcomeCenter.com. You’ll thenjoin a network of TWCs across the country that players can search for when looking forintroductory and instructional programming.

Cardio Tennis: Growing Globally

Cardio Tennis continues to grow,and over the last few months,there have been many exciting

developments around the world:� Cardio Tennis was recently launched

to consumers by Tennis Japan atevents in Tokyo and Osaka (right).

� During September’s Davis Cup tie inGreat Britain, a Cardio Tennis eventwas held before the men’s doublesmatch (vs. Croatia) in front of thou-sands of fans at the All-England Clubin Wimbledon.

� The Tracy Austin Cardio Tennis Tour spent two days on Oahu recently promoting CardioTennis at a USTA block party. Austin also made a guest appearance in front of nearly 500consumers at the grand opening of a new tennis facility in Surprise, Ariz., which wasopened by her brother, John.

� Ricardo Mendivil from Boynton Beach, Fla., is the 2007 USPTA National FeedingShootout Champion, setting a new world record of 66 balls in one minute. Mendivil setthe record in the semifinals, when he beat out Samantha Ardenfriend of Sarasota, whohad 61 balls. In the final, Mendivil shot 63 to beat out Al Pico of Dayton, Ohio.

� Sections of the Partners.CardioTennis.com site featuring new drills and promotionalmaterials are now pass-code protected with a special log-in for official Cardio Tennissites. Official sites should call the TIA toll-free at 866-686-3036 for the password.

New Tennis WelcomeCenters and CardioTennis Sites

Currently, there are 2,058Tennis Welcome Centersand 1,600 Cardio Tennis

sites in the U.S. For more on theseprograms, and on how your facili-ty can become a Tennis WelcomeCenter or Cardio Tennis site, visitwww.growingtennis.com or con-tact the TIA toll-free at 866-686-3036.

New Tennis Welcome Centers(as of Nov. 14)

Edgewood Avenue ParkNew Haven, CTEvergreen Valley College Tennis CenterSan Jose, CAHardscrabble Club, Brewster, NYHighland Park Tennis CenterBirmingham, ALNorth Carolina WesleyanTennis ComplexRocky Mount, NCSchaumburg Tennis PlusSchaumburg, ILSpring Grove Community CenterSpring Grove, PASt. Peter's Grand Slam Tennis CampPortland, METhe Oaks ClubOsprey, FLWilbur Cross Tennis CourtsNew Haven, CT

New Cardio Tennis Facilities(as of Nov. 14)

Boca Raton Resort & ClubBoca Raton, FLClay Time Indoor TennisIsland Park, NYCranmore Family Fitness CenteNorth Conway, NHCrete Reformed Church, Crete, ILHighland Park Tennis CenterBirmingham, ALPeninsula Covenant CommunityCenter, Redwood City, CAPirozzol Park–Elmira Town HallTennis Courts, Elmira, NYSchamburg Tennis PlusSchaumburg, ILThe Oaks Club, Osprey, FLTwin Tier Racquet ClubBig Flats, NY

Register Your Programs, Using Quick Start Tennis

The QuickStart Tennis format is America’s plan for 10-and-under tennis. To inte-grate the QST format into your programming, go towww.partners.quickstarttennis.com. You’ll find information about the QuickStart

Tennis format specifications, training opportunities, equipment, and other resources.When you start offering programs in the QST format, be sure to register them for free

at growingtennis.com. Registering will ensure that when parents or kids search for ten-nis programs in your area, your programs will appear on consumer websites such asUSTA.com, Tennis.com, TennisChannel.com, TennisWelcomeCenter.com and more.

The 2008 Cardio Tennisworkshops and schedule iscoming soon. Visitwww.growingtennis.com.

January 2008 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 17Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org


KEEP A DAILY LOGFor many facilities, there is still a need for writ-ten memos. Having a daily log at the front deskis a necessity. Any and all information getsrecorded in that log. This allows every employ-ee starting their shift to catch up on what’sbeen happening.

It also helps to have every new shift start afew minutes earlier so that they will have timeto talk directly to the person who is leaving. Asmuch as many employees want to clock outand get out of there, they need to realize theimportance of person-to-person communication.The daily log helps and the personal contactcloses the deal.

You will find that you may need severaldaily logs, one for each department. This isespecially true with the maintenance depart-ment and the cleaning people. How often haveyou seen something that needs to be addressed

ommunication is the glue that holdsyour facility together. The larger thefacility, the more important and

potentially complicated the lines of communi-cation. There is nothing more frustrating to amember than to have one of your front-deskstaff say, “I don’t know anything about that,”when asked about a program or clinic.

When someone calls the club and has aquestion about an event or class, can yourstaff answer every question? Is it possible forthem to answer every question?

Realistically, there are limitations on theinformation a front-desk person can obtainand retain, but that does not mean they can-not answer every question. What’s wrongwith, “Let me look into that to make sure Ihave the right information, and I’ll get back toyou within a few minutes.” With this reply,the member feels that they received the prop-er service and know they will have theanswers they need quickly.

HAVE THE RIGHTINFORMATIONHow can you make sure this employee will beable to retrieve that information? Let’s start byreviewing how you disperse the bulk of yourinformation.

Newsletters: With most facilities, thisbegins with a monthly newsletter. The infor-mation for the newsletter is put together afew weeks ahead of time and is usually pro-duced from what you have gathered from yourstaff.

Establish a monthly timeline to make surethis information gets to you on time so thatyou’re able to send it back to the source andconfirm the data. Make sure you have a sec-ond, maybe even a third, person proof yourwork, to protect yourself from errors or misin-formation.

In-House Staff Letters: After thenewsletter, the next form of communicationshould be an in-house staff letter. This is pro-duced to help create more insight to the clubnewsletter.

Since you want the members to read thenewsletter, you have to make sure that theinformation is clear and simplified. They arenot likely to read drawn-out stories orreports that are general and wordy. The staffnewsletter can be used to fill in the blanks.Besides adding more details about clubevents, the staff newsletter can provide abridge for your departments to exchangeinformation.

Fliers: The last form of publicationwould be fliers. Fliers are not just for inform-ing your membership, they are also great forannouncing special events and situationsthat are occurring at the club. Just remem-ber, too many fliers and they become a blur.Post them in a common location that willbecome habit for your employees or yourmembers to review. Disperse the fliers andposters in special areas only for specialevents.

ELECTRONICCOMMUNICATIONSEmail and voice mail are effective, but dohave their limits. For instance, you shouldn’tdepend on them being received or sent withcomplete reliability. Both systems are subjectto failure or down time for various reasons.

Make a point when using email or voicemail to ask for verification that the messagehas been received. If you use email as ameans of announcing a special event ornotifying either your staff or membershipabout an event, don’t overdo it. Too muchand it can end up becoming too common-place and eventually ineffective. Email is agreat way to establish weekly or monthlyupdates to your departments or to any spe-cial group.

If you have the ability to send voicemail to a group, this is also a good methodof announcing a special event or informationyou would like to get out quickly. Onceagain, email and voice mail are mosteffective if they are used regularly by theemployees.

C

Spreading the WordCommunication to both employees and mem-bers is the key to a successful business.

BY ROD HECKE LMAN

��

Rod Heckelman is the generalmanager and tennis pro at theMount Tam Racquet Club inMarin County, Calif., where hehas been for the last 31 years.His career in the industry start-ed in 1967 at the famed John

Gardiner’s Tennis Ranch. In 1970, when Gar-diner opened his resort on Camelback Mountainin Scottsdale, Ariz., Heckelman, at age 20,became one of the youngest head pros in thecountry. He created the “Facility Manager’sManual” based on his years of experience inthe tennis business.

and were unable to take care of? That’swhen you need a maintenance log so thatevery task can be addressed as quickly aspossible.

Depending on the size of your facility,your ability to immediately reach your main-tenance crew will also be enhanced withthe addition of a good radio or phone sys-tem. Too many emergencies come up infacilities that need attention right away, andwith many large facilities, the people youneed can be hard to find.

UNDERSTANDTHE MESSAGEGood communication is an art form. It startswith the message, but is only complete ifthe recipient understands the message. Toooften, your complete understanding of atopic may have you abbreviating the infor-mation. It may be clear as a bell to you, butit can be confusing to others who do nothave the experience.

The reason this is such a concern is thatmany employees may say they understand amessage when they really don’t, but they’reafraid to have you think they don’t under-stand. Good managers needs to stay on top


�

�

of this issue. Without being too inquisitive,try to get into the habit of verifying informa-tion with your employees to make sure youare on the same wavelength.

To help make sure your message is under-stood and eventually executed, avoid cluster-ing a bunch of information on top of aninitial request. For instance, one of youremployees wants to point out a particularproblem, and while he is going over this youbegin to point out several more issues youwould like to have addressed. Stick to thetopic; don’t cloud up the issues. Not only willyou likely confuse the employee, but he maybe reluctant to bring anything to your atten-tion again.

Instead, note to yourself what otherthings you want done, then tell the employeethat when he’s done with his project, youwant to review other issues with him. Thenschedule that in a more organized and pre-pared manner.

Another important aspect of good com-munication is making sure you have the facts.In a club, members and employees interactconstantly. Facts can often be lost as infor-mation meanders through the club. Althoughyou may want to keep any rumors from being

part of your operation, in a club atmosphereit is unavoidable.

For that reason, research every piece ofinformation you receive. Live by this rule: Ifyou didn’t hear it from the source, then it’snot fact.

The reverse will also be true. As a man-ager, you will be quoted frequently. Manypeople will quote people in authority so thattheir statements have more weight. For thisreason, when it comes to important subjects,keep a record of what you said.

Learn to listen first, then respond second,when anyone comes to you with a problemor a request. Get all of the facts. �

Organizational MovementFor the last 20 years, Carol Hogan has guided the ASBA to new levels ofprofessionalism and influence.


INDUSTRY�

There’s the traditional retire-ment celebration that comeswith a gold watch and good

wishes from co-workers. CarolHogan’s came with an ovationfrom the sports facility construc-tion industry.

In December, Hogan formallystepped down as executive vicepresident of the American SportsBuilders Association, a positionshe had held for 20 years. It hasbeen, by any account, an eventfultwo decades, with changes thatencompassed not only the associ-ation, but also the industry as awhole.

“I can’t believe it’s all coming to anend,” Hogan said before December’sTechnical Meeting in Austin. “We’ve seenso many changes.”

In 1988, Hogan took over as executivedirector of what was then known as theU.S. Tennis Court and Track Builders Asso-ciation—a group that had potential butlacked poise and positioning. Hogan, aCertified Association Executive (CAE) with14 years of experience managing tradeand professional non-profit associations,saw a group that was ready to move tothe next level. She began marking off thesteps to take it there: New policies, sys-tems, budgets. Sometimes, memberscheered. Sometimes, they chafed. Butundeniably, the association was providingbetter service to its members.

“Carol had the drive to make this aprofessional trade association in everysense of the word,” says David Marsden,CTCB, who served as chairman of theASBA, as well as Tennis Division presidentand as chairman on a number of commit-tees during Hogan’s tenure.

Under Hogan, the association’s publi-cations flourished. Specifications wererewritten and became the industry stan-dards. Hogan herself wrote “TennisCourts: A Construction and Maintenance

people

B Y M A R Y H E L E N S P R E C H E R

Manual” (a book that had been previous-ly published by the USTA under the title“Tennis Courts” was discontinued, withthe USTA endorsing the new book). Alater publication written by Hogan, “Run-ning Tracks: A Construction and Mainte-nance Manual,” replaced the oldUSTC&TBA “Track Construction Manual.”

Not bad for someone with no con-struction experience.

“Her writing is absolutely phenome-nal,” says Gordy Pierce, a past chairmanand longtime volunteer. “The fact thatshe was able to take the information andmake sense out of it was incredible. Andshe’s never been out there with a shovelin her hand—it’s amazing.”

“Carol came to us with experienceand training in how to run an associa-tion,” says Donna Sierks, CTB, CTCB,who served as Track Division presidentand as chairman of the USTC&TBA.“What she developed was an outstandingknowledge of our industry.”

Under Hogan’s guidance, the associa-tion made contacts with other industryassociations and with trade magazinesand publications, as well. “Nobody isgoing to take this organization seriously ifwe don’t take it seriously,” Hogan wasfond of telling her staff.

As the athletic facility industry diversi-

fied, the association took a newname: the American SportsBuilders Association. New mem-bership divisions were added, aswere more publications. Theassociation’s awards program(now recognizing excellence in awide range of facilities) isextremely competitive.

ASBA is now under newmanagement, with Hogan pro-viding a smooth transition. Hercontract officially ends in Sep-tember 2008—20 years after shefirst took on the association. Onthat first day, she stood in her

office and watched as box after box wasbrought in. There were hundreds of files,thousands of books and an endlessmountain of paper.

“I remember looking at all those boxesand thinking, ‘What have I gotten myselfinto?’” she says. “But we just startedunpacking and we went to work.”

The willingness to tackle any project,and ultimately to do it well, despite theodds, says David Pettit, ASBA’s longtimelegal counsel, is one of Hogan’s hallmarks.

“She is a ‘can-do’ person who is notafraid to take on virtually any challenge,even if there is a significant risk of fail-ure,” says Pettit. “The association haschanged dramatically over the years, andCarol's presence has been instrumental inthose changes. The growth in member-ship is, in my opinion, the result of herachievements.”

“Carol always had the best interests ofthe association at heart,” says Marsden.“Her knowledge of association manage-ment, her level-headed thinking and herthorough preparation always gave uscomfort that we were in good hands.”�

The author is a reporter for The Baltimore Guidenewspaper. She previously held the position of Asso-ciation Coordinator with the ASBA and continues towrite technical articles for the association.

Carol Hogan (at left, with ASBA staff Cynthia Jordan and Judi Mellendick) has keptthe ASBA moving forward for the last 20 years.

PROMOTIONSgrassroots

hours. Our total advertising budget waszero. The first week an email was sent toa small number of people in the commu-nity. A handful of kids and their parentsshowed up. They were uncertain, cautiousand tentative.

Precisely at 7 p.m., our Prince ball can-non started firing yellow balls along afixed path. The kids struggled to returnthem. Some parents mumbled about thechances of their kid ever returning one.

"Pizzaball!" shouted the organizer asthe first pink ball exploded from the muz-zle of the ball cannon. Everybody leanedforward in anticipation, watching as itarced through the air. The 8-year-old girlreceiving the ball was a little too eager.She closed her eyes, started her swing tooearly and missed it entirely. Shoulderssagged in universal disappointment andthe girl moved to the back of the line.

One by one, the kids cycled throughtheir rotation. Each yellow ball represent-ed an opportunity for practice andimprovement. As each kid took their mark


ood ideas are like power tools. It'sgreat when you own them, but bor-rowing them gets the job done,

too. In Calgary, Canada, for example,our community tennis club borrowed apromotional idea from a bowling alleyand ended up hosting our most success-ful promotional event yet.

The idea? Fill a ball machine with stan-dard yellow tennis balls. Add two cans ofpink balls and mix well. Line some kids upto practice their ground strokes. Everynow and then, the machine will feedthem a pink ball. When they return it, givethem a prize.

In our case, the prize was a coupon fora personal-size pizza and soda provided bythe local franchise of a national pizzachain, Boston Pizza. Based on this, mydaughters quickly christened our promo-tion "Pizzaball" night.

We started our Pizzaball promotionlate in the season with no advance plan-ning. The total amount of time from inspi-ration to implementation was less than 72

G and awaited the feed, a coach gavethem pointers: ready position, racquetback, wrist firm, eye on the ball.

Within 10 minutes, yellow balls start-ed to sail over the net and land in thedoubles court. At first it was sporadic.Then it became consistent. Eventually,the pink balls started to fall in too.Before the end of the night, every pinkball was greeted with joyous shouts of"Pizzaball!" from kids and parents alike.

The effects of this little promotionwere instant and electric. Each week,the number of kids lined up to play Pizz-aball was larger than the week before.Each week brought old faces and newfaces. By the end of the season, evenour 6-year-olds were returning Pizzaballsand winning prizes.

In just six weeks, more than 40 newkids came to the courts to try a sportthey had never tried before. Other kids,who were previously part of our tennis

Bringing In the DoughFor one club in Canada, a simple promotion with a local pizza franchiseis putting more kids, and adults, on court. B Y B R E N T J O H N E R

�


community, suddenly had a reason topractice. Our tennis courts, typicallyvacant during the workday, were consis-tently busy with 6- to 12-year-olds forthe rest of the season.

More importantly for the future ofour tennis club, though, the Pizzaballpromotion sparked an interest in adulttennis. This was unexpected bonus.

Our program did not include babysit-ting. We made it clear from the startthat this was not a drop-them-off-nowand pick-them-up-later kind of event.We expected parents to stick around andadd to the excitement by shouting"Pizzaball!" and cheering their kids on.

The excitement of the moment, thefresh air, the sound of the ball on theracquet and the simple act of being atthe tennis courts rekindled an old flamein some parents. They dusted off theirold racquets and started bringing themto Pizzaball night. Open courts weresoon filled with parents hitting balls toeach other.

Through Pizzaball, parents with oldracquets and rusty games found otherparents with old racquets and rustygames. Together, they learned that ourclub hosts two practice nights weeklywhere adults can practice with the ballmachine, practice serving with a basketof balls or practice hitting on two courtsset aside for rallying.

Thanks to Pizzaball, our pros soldsome late season lessons, the racquetstore sold some new racquets and ourcommunity association sold some brandnew memberships. And, of course, everykid who won a pizza in our little promo-tion showed up at Boston Pizza—parentsand siblings in tow—to claim their tastyprize.

The only negative in all this is the factthat we didn't get started until the sea-son was nearly over. Next season will bedifferent. We already have a plan inplace. Boston Pizza Ball Night now has apermanent—and prominent—spot on ourclub's weekly calendar.�

Brent Johner is a foundingmember of the Oakridge Ten-nis and Squash Association inCalgary, Alberta, Canada. Heis currently executive directorfor Challenge Network Calgary(www.challengenetwork.com),

a social network for racquet sports players.

RACQUET customization


starting a new business or growing anexisting one, I led the “From Garage toStorefront” session, which coveredeverything from developing a businessplan to marketing your business.

Wilson’s Principal Designer and Glob-al Tour Services Director, Ron Rocchi, leda captivating session called “From theManufacturer’s Perspective,” whichincluded video of the racquet manufac-turing process, from developing theblueprints tothe final cos-metics. For the2008 sympo-sium, Rocchiwill be joined byJoel Disbro, Wilson’s Tour StringingManager. They’ll not only show the rac-quet manufacturing process, but they’lladd a hands-on opportunity to experi-ence the process, along with a uniquelook at tour stringing.

John Gugel also led an in-depth semi-nar on “Racquet Customization,” a topicthat will also be expanded for 2008.Other new seminars planned for 2008include “Stringing and Service forSquash and Badminton” led by RogerDalton. Gugel will also lead a seminar on“RacquetTracker,” a software programhe developed to keep track of clientsand work orders.

More seminars are slated for the2008 Symposium, which is scheduled forOctober in Orlando. The USRSA will jointhis year as the title sponsor. If you areserious about your business, you can’tafford to miss this event.�

Inaugural StringersSymposium DrawsBeginners and Veterans B Y B O B P A T T E R S O N

Master Racquet TechnicianBob Patterson has more than20 years of experience and isthe founder of the Racquet-MAXX customization service.He was RSI’s Stringer of the

Year in 2005.

of vital topics to interest technicians ofall experience levels.”

Both leaders and attendees camefrom around the globe. “I thoroughlyenjoyed the whole experience,” saysSimon Jordan of the United Kingdom.“Everything was presented in a friendly,open manner.”

During the seminar, Jordan took andpassed the test for Master RacquetTechnician certification. “When Ireturned to the UK, I placed a smallreport in the local press on the sympo-sium and passing the MRT,” he says.“This has increased my stringing busi-ness enormously. I feel the symposiumwas well worth it—I learned a hugeamount, and gained invaluable experi-ence. I will definitely be looking atattending future symposiums.”

Seminar topics included “Basic StringStuff” led by MRT John Gugel of WinterPark, Fla. Tim Strawn teamed with MRTRichard Parnell from Spain and RogerDalton from England to lead “The Artof Working with Natural Gut.” Daltonof Bow Brand Strings provided abehind-the-scenes look at the labor-intensive manufacturing process of nat-ural gut. I led the “Advanced Stringingand Service Review,” which helpedexperienced stringers fine-tune theirskills and prepare for the MRT exam.

Grant Morgan provided an insidelook at life on the Pro Tour with“ATP/WTA Tour Stringing—Wimbledonto Davis Cup.” Morgan was the RSIStringer of the Year in 2006 andworked as Andy Roddick’s stringer forseveral years. For 2008, Morgan willlead a seminar on “Beginning Stringingand Racquet Service.”

Mark Gonzales of Alpha Sports ledtwo classes, “Equipment Selection—Know Before You Buy” and “MachineRepair and Maintenance.” For those

ast April, I participated in one of thebest things the stringing businesshas ever seen—the first Grand Slam

Stringers Symposium, which was held atthe T-Bar-M Resort in Texas.

This event was the brainchild of2007 RSI Stringer of the Year TimStrawn, the founder and operator ofGrandSlamStringers.com. Tim’s websitesells quality tools and related productsfor stringers, but the real draw is a veryeducational message board that drawspostings from new stringers to seasonedtechnicians traveling on the professionaltour.

GSS hosted the symposium to bringstringers together in what was a great

learning environment. Seminarscovering a wide range of topics,

and scheduled so that atten-dees could participate inevery session if they wanted,

were often “hands on,” withplenty of individual atten-tion. The symposiumoffered a huge amount ofinformation, for beginners

and veterans alike.But learning was not limited to the

seminars, as both attendees and semi-nar leaders had plenty of chances tointeract. “It was a fantastic opportunityto participate in hands-on seminars con-ducted by some of the world’s mostknowledgeable people associated withthe manufacturing, customizing andstringing of tennis racquets,” says EdMatheson of Atlanta.

“I was very pleased with the successof the first symposium and believe itgave us enough momentum to take itto the next level in 2008,” says Strawn.“The chemistry between the seminarleaders was second to none. Many ofthe seminars will be expanded and newones added for 2008. We’ll have plenty

L

For more information aboutthis event in 2008, watchupcoming issues of RSI or visitwww.grandslamstringers.com.

E N V I R O N M E N T A L I S S U E S

Industry manufacturers and organizations join in thefight to improve the environment.


Somewhere, Al Gore is smiling. Or at least he would be if hechecked out what the tennis industry has been doing of lateto reduce its carbon footprint on the environment.

In the last couple of years, tennis manufacturers, tournamentdirectors, and power brokers have joined the fight to improve theenvironment. Efforts have ranged from the symbolic to the sub-stantial, and in typical tennis-industry fashion, plans have been abit fragmented as everyone, it seems, pursues their own green pol-icy. But the good news is that the ultimate goal is the same—toreduce tennis’ negative impact on the environment.

That’s particularly been the case for racquet manufacturers.“The industry is becoming more green overall,” says Linda Glassel,

vice president of marketing for Prince Sports. “Every brand hasbeen trying to be more eco-friendly.”

Head, for example, announced in September a partnershipwith the global environmental charity Cool Earth, which fights cli-mate change by protecting endangered rainforests. Under thisagreement, Head will purchase credits that will go to helping pre-serve rainforests, which lock up atmospheric carbon in their vege-tation to the tune of 150 tons of carbon per half-acre. Many believethat reducing rain-forest destruction is the first step in tackling cli-mate change.

“Educating sports enthusiasts about the affects of carbon emis-sions is an important part of why we’re doing this,” says Head CEO

B Y J A M E S M A R T I N


Johan Eliasch. “We all depend on a stable climate to ski, play ten-nis, or dive [which are the three main sports that Head services]. Ifwe don’t wake up and make a difference now, we won’t be doingthese things in their natural environments much longer.”

With its efforts, Head hopes to preserve 7,000 acres of rainfor-est, or the equivalent of 100,000 tennis courts. It also will soon startincluding information on its products about the Cool Earth initiativeto encourage sports enthusiasts to become more environmentallyresponsible.

Manufacturing ChangesAnother major company, Wilson, has been tackling the green issueby changing their manufacturing and pro-duction processes. Since last March, atleast 25 percent of each Wilson tennis ballcan has been made of recyclable materialsin an effort to reduce the amount of plas-tic that ends up in landfills. Wilson saysthat for 2007, this program will result inlandfill waste being reduced by 330,000pounds.

Wilson’s ultimate goal is to use 100percent recyclable materials for its ballcans, though certain challenges persist,like finding recyclable material strongenough to keep the can’s structuralintegrity and maintain the appropriateamount of pressure. But Wilson’s stringand grip packaging is already made of 100percent recyclable materials.

The company’s [K] Factor racquets are also environmentallyfriendly. That’s because the process to build them requires lesschemicals and resins than the company’s other racquet models.Jon Muir, general manager of Wilson Racquet Sports, estimatesthat there’s 15 to 20 percent fewer chemicals used in [K] Factorframes.

“We decided we needed to do something tangible, not just saywe support the environment,” Muir says. “It’s one thing to say yousupport the environment, but I challenge the industry and askthem what are you actually doing to help. We’ve shown real num-bers and real costs. I’d like to see our competitors show that, too.”

That’s one philosophy and approach. Another is first gatheringmore information on the sporting industry’s impact on the envi-ronment and developing a consensus on what to do. This is thegame plan for Prince, which has joined forces with Billie JeanKing’s GreenSlam Initiative.

Environmental “Clearinghouse”The goal of GreenSlam is to raise awareness for everyone insports—pro and recreational players, spectators, and companies—and, ultimately, establish a Green Dream Team of global compa-nies and launch an eco-friendly line of sporting goodsequipment, apparel, shoes, and accessories.

“I’m challenging myself—the industryof sports, professional athletes and fans,

to take positive action to helpcounter the negative effects of cli-mate change,” King said during theUS Open, where she announcedthe initiative. “It’s simple—if thebillions of people who live andlove sports take just one singlestep, we can help win back ourplanet.”

One aspect of GreenSlam willbe a program to help consumers taketheir old sporting equipment to drop-off centers, such as tennis

clubs and stadiums, where it can bereused instead of being thrown away. AsPrince’s Glassel puts it, “Rethink, recycle,and reuse….What can we do with theresources we have so we’re not putting allof our old equipment in landfills.”

Other items on the GreenSlam agendainclude raising funds for ecologically sup-portive sporting events, as well as formingan independent council of “greeningexperts” to help set the agenda and shareinformation with venues, companies andpromoters.

Basically, GreenSlam would become aclearinghouse for all environmentallyrelated issues as they relate to sports, anda place where everyone, from promotersto players to manufacturers, can go to get

up-to-date information and analysis.

Event “Emissions”One of King’s other passion projects, World TeamTennis, is alsoleading the green charge. No surprise there, since WTT has longbeen the sport’s laboratory for change.

In 2007, WTT signed FirmGreen, a company that developsalternative energies from local renewable sources, to a multi-yearsponsorship. Under the deal, FirmGreen planned to donate renew-able energy credits and greenhouse gas emission offsets to helpWTT reduce its carbon footprint for two California teams, the New-port Beach Breakers and Sacramento Capitals. To calculate emis-sions associated with league play, FirmGreen was set to review allevent-related activities, from travel to venue lighting. And in 2008,it will expand its efforts to all of World TeamTennis.

Last year, WTT even rolled out a recyclable green carpet,instead of the customary red one, during player introductions inNewport and Sacramento.

“You have to start somewhere,” saysWTTCEO Ilana Kloss. “We’reproud to be the leaders in innovation, whether it’s colored courts orenvironmental efforts. In a way, World TeamTennis is a think tank.And we’re happy to share what we learn with the industry.

“This is Billie Jean King’s philosophy,”Kloss adds. “Set an example and teachpeople how to do the right thing.” �

“It’s simple,” saysBillie Jean King. “Ifthe billions of peoplewho live and lovesports take just onesingle step, we canhelp win back ourplanet.”

2 0 0 8 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 haveunique combinationsof benefits. But once again,

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 comfort.

Our 31st annual stringsurvey, which is on theposter inserted into thisissue of RSI, is a compila-tion of survey question-naires sent in Septemberto 2,000 randomly select-ed U.S. members of theUSRSA (no chain stores).Recipients were given a listof every string on the mar-ket and asked to rate theones they are familiar withfrom 1 to 10 in each of thethree categories. Then anaverage score was calcu-lated for each string ineach category.

For a string to qualifyfor a rating, the respon-dent must have strung atleast 20 sets of that stringin the past year. This 20-set minimum ensures thatrespondents are rating astring they know some-thing about and that hassome vitality in the mar-ketplace. For some busi-nesses, 20 sets mayrepresent 20 percent oftheir total business, andfor others, 1 percent.Some businesses may onlysell 20 sets of the string;others may sell 500. Eachranking, however, carriesthe 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 12

questionnaires. We feelthat having at least 12respondents allows usto include enoughstrings by enough man-ufacturers, includingsmaller market sharecompanies. Too high anumber will mean thesurvey results will onlyinclude the top two orthree manufacturers.

Remember, the cat-egory scores for eachstring are averages ofall the respondents’rankings for a givenstring. Often, theseaverages are veryclose; the differencesbetween rankings canbe mere hundredths ofa point. Though onlyone string can claim thetop spot in a category,many of the stringsclose to each other inranking are of equalstature. In practice,each of these strings isone of the best of itsniche.

Hang our String Sur-vey poster in your shopand let your customersdetermine whichstrings may best helptheir games.�

Brand 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2002/3 2001 2000Wilson 22.0 21.6 23.2 22.0 21.9 23.8 21.6 30.5Gamma 20.0 21.3 20.4 22.9 24.7 25.6 25.9 27.2Prince 17.3 16.4 19.8 19.6 19.8 19.2 20.7 23.7Babolat 12.3 11.9 9.3 7.2 7.1 6.1 6.9 6.3Head 7.5 8.6 9.4 7.7 7.4 7.3 4.0 7.0Luxilon 6.1 5.7 3.6 3.4 3.0 - - -Tecnifibre 4.7 4.8 4.5 4.8 4.1 4.1 4.7 3.4Ashaway 1.5 1.4 2.0 1.6 1.8 1.7 2.2 <1.0Gosen 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 1.9 1.9 3.2 1.4Forten 1.2 1.1 1.2 2.3 2.6 2.6 3.5 0.5Pacific 0.9 - - - - - - -TOA 0.7 0.6 0.8 0.4 - - - -Dunlop 0.7 0.5 0.6 1.2 1.1 - - -Klip 0.7 0.5 0.6 0.9 - - - -Kirschbaum 0.5 0.7 0.8 0.8 - - - -Alpha 0.4 0.8 0.9 1.0 - - - -Others 1.5 2.7 2.3 2.3 4.6 5.2 4.4 -

Most Responses by Brand(percent)


Gauge 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2002/3 2001 200016 56.7 58.4 64.6 62.0 62.4 61.9 58.9 54.817 26.1 25.5 24.5 28.2 23.1 26.2 27.0 31.816L 6.2 6.0 4.6 3.8 4.3 2.8 1.5 -

15L 5.3 5.5 3.8 4.3 5.7 5.9 7.8 11.118 3.4 3.7 1.9 1.3 1.4 1.8 2.9 0.9

17/16 0.7 - - - - - - -15 0.4 0.5 0.6 - 0.5 - 0.8 0.8

16L/16 0.4 - - - - - - -16/17 0.3 - - - - - - -19 0.2 0.3 - - 1.7 0.4 0.4 -

Most Responses by Gauge(percent)

APPAREL

Retailers who sell lots of apparel know the best way to stokesales is to make their inventory not only easily accessibleto the customer, but also to lay it out in an appealing way.

With clothing crossing over into the active-wear mainstream, spe-

cialty retailers have to think like designers and assemble outfits andgo-with accessories to complete the sale. Here are four retailerswho know how to keeps things interesting for their customers tohelp boost their sales. —Cynthia Sherman


Port Royal Racquet Club

Hilton Head, S.C.


Kelly KulpMerchandising ManagerFromuth Retail StoreWest Lawn, Pa.Keeping things looking fresh is the key, says Kulp. “You want to keep theflow of merchandise moving, displaying new things in the front of thestore, maintaining a separate clearance section.”

Fromuth has a large section devoted to Nike, and that company providesits own installations and brand fixtures, but Kulp steers toward a “bou-tiquey” look for other brands that are merchandised separately by colortheme and have their own displays. Mannequins matching the fixtures arefeatured in current outfits, and Kulp uses shelf space for folded tops, hatsand other accessories. Components of lines are displayed and merchan-dised to the optimal end of creating pieces to be worn together.

In the front of the store, there is a seasonal display to give the sense ofcurrent themes. And for the holidays, there is a variety of cold-weathergear and gift items attractively displayed.

Kulp’s Tips for Success

� Display merchandise by color story.

� Merchandise outfits together so cus-tomer can see the finished look.

� Keep things fresh!

Tanda BiancoClub Manager, Port Royal Racquet ClubHilton Head, S.C.Having a standing or hanging display every few feet in the shop, displayingcomplete outfits, will help to maximize sales, says Bianco. Mannequins on coun-tertop displays additionally feature a whole themed look, and the well-spacedfour-arm racks on the floor allow customers to shop with ease.

Color coordinating with accessories like flip-flops, wrist bands and visors offerthe customer options to stay within a color theme if they wish. “Most people inour shop look with an eye toward fashion rather than the athleticism of a ofpiece clothing, though male customers often look at the technical fitness aspectof clothing,” Bianco says.

She rotates displays every week or so and the four-arm racks in the middle ofthe floor showcase the newest items. The shop is set up so that the maincounter is in the center, so the first thing the customer sees is the helpful salesstaff.

Bianco’s Tips for Success

� Keep rotating displays.

� Have nice accessories (key chains,watches, small purses, sandals, etc.) togo with outfits.

� Carry a variety of brands, things cus-tomers might not see in big-box stores.


Alison BygraveCo-owner, Tennis AceWoodland Hills, Calif.Bygrave uses built-in alcoves and sections in her shop to create sepa-rate themed areas, which lend a warm and cozy feeling to the space.“Changing displays on a weekly basis, and using different yet com-plementary color combinations across brand lines, make things aes-thetically pleasing,” she says.

“I like having open space. People don’t like clutter and everythingbecomes accessible,” she adds. Bygrave also employs wall racks andcustom-made fixtures to create interest and diversity.

Bygrave’s Tips for Success

� Display variety (skirts, tanks,shorts, dresses) within each brandgroup and color set.

� Use attractive color schemes inblocks, which are aestheticallypleasing.

� Change outfits weekly, and keepthe shop clean!

Anita DorsettBuyer, The Woodlands CountryClub Pro ShopThe Woodlands, TexasWhen women shop, says Dorsett, they like to see a whole outfit dis-played. “I like to cross-merchandise whole outfits from head to toe togain customer appeal—perhaps featuring a Tail shirt flecked with goldand Wilson shoes which may also feature gold trim.”

A hanging mannequin is featured in her window donning the latestlooks in tennis. By carrying at least half a dozen brands, Dorsett makesuse of four-way displays, grid walls and spiral racks to showcase colorschemes in clothes and shoes for a complete look.

Dorsett’s Tips for Successs

� Displays need to be eye-catching.

� Know your customer and whatthey like.

� Good price points and displaysshould create “a package deal.”


RSI and the ASBA bring you thebest in tennis court construction.

When it comes to excellence in court construction, it’s hard to find better examplesthan those entered in the RSI/American Sports Builders Association Facility-of-the-Year Awards contest.

Each year, based on entries submitted by an ASBA member—whether a contractor,designer or supplier—the association selects outstanding tennis facilities that meet thestandard of excellence determined by the judging committee. For 2007, the panel ofjudges deemed 18 courts or tennis facilities as outstanding, or “distinguished,” as theaward reads.

Four of those entries, however, were chosen for special “Facility-of-the-Year” honors:the Cloister Tennis Center at Sea Island in St. Simons Island, Ga., received the OutdoorTennis Facility-of-the-Year Award; Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis & Education in Philadel-phia received the Indoor Tennis Facility-of-the-Year Award; the court at a private resi-dence in Parkland, Fla., received the Residential Tennis Facility-of-the-Year Award; andthe University of North Dakota Wellness Center (above) in Grand Forks, N.D., receivedthe Indoor Multi-Purpose Facility-of-the-Year Award.

The eight-court Cloister Tennis Center consists of all new hydrocourts and includesan exhibition/stadium court. Seven courts were build atop a parking deck, 15 feet aboveground level, which required ramps and cranes to bring materials and equipment to thejobsite. The stadium court, built below grade, has terraced areas for spectators. The cus-tom fencing was designed for player safety and long-term use in the harsh coastalclimate.

The Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis & Education facility not only won RSI’s 2007 Munici-pal Facility of the Year Award, but the specialty contractor, Sportsline of Exton, Pa., alsowon RSI’s 2007 Builder of the Year Award. The new facility’s eight indoor cushionedcourts have won the ASBA’s Indoor Facility-of-the-Year Award, but the eight outdoorcourts also are being honored this year with a Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Award.AAYTE itself has been widely acclaimed by the PTR, ITF and USTA for its blend of ten-nis, education, mentoring and more.

The private court at Parkland, Fla., is a new asphalt court with lighting for night play.The customer wanted a surface to accommodate other sports their kids are involved inbesides tennis, including hockey and basketball. Amenities include player seating, ashaded area near the courts, and windscreens.

The University of North Dakota Wellness Center also is new construction. The multi-activity court that was installed of prefabricated rubber can be used for tennis and manyother sports. —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 Cloister Tennis Centerat Sea Island, the indoor tennis facility atArthur Ashe Youth Tennis & EducationCenter, the private residence in Parkland,Fla., and the University of North DakotaWellness Center, these 14 locations werechosen by the 2007 panel of judges forthe ASBA as excellent examples of courtconstruction, receiving DistinguishedTennis Facility-of-the-YearAwards. You’ll read more about themin upcoming issues of Racquet SportsIndustry. (The nominating company is inparentheses.)� Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis & Education, Out-door Facility, Philadelphia (Sportsline Inc.)

� Balin Residence, Thorton, Pa. (SportslineInc.)

� Finley Residence, Paradise Valley, Ariz.(General Acrylics Inc.)

� Goddard Eisenhower Tennis Complex, God-dard, Kan. (Mid-American Courtworks)

� L’Hermitage Tennis Facility, Fort Laud-erdale, Fla. (Fast-Dry Courts)

� Maize Middle School Tennis Complex,Maize, Kan. (Mid-American Courtworks)

� Mesa Community College, Mesa, Ariz.(General Acrylics Inc.)

� Oconomowoc High School, Oconomowoc,Wis. (Munson Inc.)

� Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, Ponte VedraBeach, Fla. (Fast-Dry Courts)

� Private Residence, Boca Raton, Fla. (Fast-Dry Courts)

� Rockefeller University Outdoor Tennis Facili-ty, New York, N.Y. (Classic Turf Co. LLC)

� Trump Palace Tennis Facility, Sunny Isles,Fla. (Fast-Dry Courts)

� Virante Tennis Facility, Punta Gorda, Fla.(Ritzman Tennis Courts LLC)

� Windstar on Naples Bay, Naples, Fla. (Fast-Dry Courts)


Indoor TennisFacility-of-the-Year AwardArthur Ashe Youth Tennis & EducationPhiladelphiaSpecialty Contractor: Sportsline Inc./Rob WernerSurface: California Products (DecoTurf)Lighting: LSICurtains: M. PuttermanNets, Straps: J.A. CisselNet Posts: Collegiate PacificRubber Flooring: Dodge-Regupol

For details on the 2008 Distin-guished Facility-of-the-YearAwards, contact the ASBA at866-501-ASBA [email protected].

Outdoor TennisFacility-of-the-Year AwardCloister Tennis Center at Sea IslandSt. Simons Island, Ga.Architect/Engineer: Peter Capone and AssociatesGeneral Contractor: TDX Construction Inc.Specialty Contractor: McLean Tennis Inc.Surface: Lee Tennis (Har-Tru)Lighting: LSI CourtsiderTrench Drain: Zurn IndustriesNets, Straps: Edwards/Collegiate Pacific

Residential TennisFacility-of-the-Year AwardPrivate ResidenceParkland, Fla.General Contractor: Fast-Dry CourtsSurface: Nova SportsLights: RLSWindscreens: M. PuttermanNet Posts: J.A. Cissel

Indoor Multi-PurposeFacility-of-the-Year AwardUniversity of North Dakota Wellness CenterGrand Forks, N.D.General Contractor: Gaukol Builders/Paul JensenSpecialty Contractor: Kiefer Specialty Flooring Inc.Surface: Mondo USA


n March, QuickStart Tennis, a new play format designed tohelp get more children ages 10 and under into the game, willofficially launch.The key with QuickStart Tennis (referred to as Project 36-60

during development) is that it uses equipment, court dimensionsand scoring all tailored to the age and size of the kids. QuickStartTennis will be broken out into two age groups, 10-and-under and8-and-under.

RSI spoke recently with Scott Schultz, the USTA’s managingdirector of Recreational Tennis, about QuickStart Tennis, and howtennis teaching pros and facilities can get involved in and benefitfrom this initiative.

What is QuickStart Tennis?Schultz: It’s simply a format for 10-and-under tennis based onscaling down the equipment, size of the court, and length ofmatches. (See chart at right.) Right now, most kids in this agegroup try to play tennis on the same size court, using the sameball, oftentimes using the same size racquet, as is used in profes-sional tennis. And most tournaments for kids this age use thesame scoring as the pros but have the kids play twice as manymatches.

Can you imagine kids at this age trying to play baseball with

the same-size bats and field dimensions as is used in the MajorLeagues? Or playing golf from the back tees? We’ve turned off mil-lions of kids to tennis by forcing them to play the same game withthe same equipment and same court dimensions as the pros. TheQuickStart Tennis format will give us the opportunity to make thatfirst experience for kids a great one and keep them in the game.

Is QuickStart Tennis a USTA program?Schultz: No. Think of it as real tennis for 10-and-under players. Wewant the format to be used in team competition, individual compe-tition, lessons, team practices and even casual play. The USTA willuse the QuickStartTennis format in USTA Jr. Team Tennis andmany sanctioned tournaments in 2008.

And importantly, millions of kids will be exposed to QuickStartTennis through USTA Schools Tennis. PE teachers love it becausecourts can be set up in the gym, cafeteria or playground.

What other organizations are behind this?Schultz: The TIA, USPTA, PTR, NRPA, tennis manufacturers—allhave contributed to the development of QuickStart Tennis and arecommitted to making it successful. In fact, both teaching pro orga-nizations are incorporating the format into their tennis program-ming for children: USPTA Little Tennis and PTR Kids Tennis.

I

1 0 - & - U N D E R T E N N I S


scoring based on age. TheQuickStart Tennis formatuses all of these elementstogether, the same way, andthat makes a huge difference.

The other key is that therewere very few competitionsusing scaled-down equip-ment and courts. Therefore,it was used primarily as ateaching aid and was notconsidered “real tennis.”Since the QuickStart Tennisformat will be used in com-petition, kids and parentsboth will consider it “real.”

Getting kids at this age toplay on teams is critical toretention. In addition toUSTA Jr. Team Tennis andmany sanctioned tourna-ments using the format in2008, we know that manyprofessionals and clubs willbe using the QuickStart Ten-nis format for their localteam events and competi-tions as well.

How is QuickStart Tennis being promoted?Schultz: Right now, we are working with our partners to promote this to tennisproviders and help them with integrating the QuickStart Tennis format into theirprogramming. When we launch a consumer campaign in March, we want there tobe plenty of providers offering QuickStart Tennis for people to sign up for.

How will you measure success of QuickStart Tennis?Schultz: We want a lot more kids that are under 10 to start playing tennis, we wantthem to stay in the game, we want them to develop as players, and ultimately havemore American Grand Slam champions. The most important thing we can do forthe health of our sport is to get hundreds of thousands of kids in this age groupplaying on teams. If we do, every entity in tennis wins big—clubs, pros, parks,manufacturers, tennis associations, even TV ratings for the US Open. �

What can teaching pros andfacilities gain by using Quick-Start Tennis?Schultz: The response from professionals, clubowners, parents and kids has been overwhelm-ingly positive. As we’ve already found out, youcan get more kids on court at the same timeand make more money per hour.

Professionals really love this formatbecause kids start having fun right away andwant to stay with the game. But also, Quick-Start Tennis allows young players to betterdevelop proper tactics, footwork and techniqueat a much younger age, because the ball islanding in the kids’ strike zones, rather thangoing over their heads.

Does it make sense for peopleolder than 10, even adults, tostart this way?Schultz: Sure, many tennis teachers are usingthis as a progression for getting people of allages to have success right away. Having begin-ners and advanced beginners play on smallercourts with slower moving balls makes a lot ofsense. They have better first experiences andwill pick up the game faster. However, we willfocus our efforts initially on 10-and-underyouth as this presents our greatest opportunityfor impact on the growth and development oftennis.

How is QuickStart Tennisdifferent from what peoplehave been doing for years—using foam balls and smallerracquets?Schultz: There are two key differences. Like alot of professionals, I used foam balls andsmaller racquets when I was teaching. Butthere were never standardized specificationsfor the ball, the racquet, the court, the net and

Age Court Size Racquet Ball Net Height Scoring

• 5 to 6

• 7 to 8

• 36’ x 18’ • Up to 23” • Foam or very lowcompression ball

• 2’9” • Best of 3 games

• 1st to 7-point games

• 9 to 10 • 60’ x 21’ singles

• 60’ x 27’doubles

• Up to 25” • Lowcompression

• 3’

• Same height as regu-lar-sized court

• Best of 3 sets

• 1st to 4 games wins set

• Third set-1st to 7 points

How to Get StartedUsing QuickStart TennisTo integrate the QuickStart Tennis format into your 10-and-under programming, go to www.partners.quickstart-ten-nis.com. You’ll find information about the QuickStart Tennisformat specifications, training opportunities, equipment,and other resources.

When you start offering programs featuring the QuickStartTennis format, be sure to register them for free at grow-ingtennis.com/QuickStart. Registering will ensure that whenparents or kids search on the web for tennis programs inyour area, your programs will appear on consumer websitessuch as USTA.com, Tennis.com, TennisChannel.com, Ten-nisWelcomeCenter.com and more.

QuickStart Tennis Specifications


string PLAYTEST

EASE OF STRINGING(compared to other strings)Number of testers who said it was:much easier 0somewhat easier 1about as easy 22not quite as easy 15not nearly as easy 1

OVERALL PLAYABILITY(compared to string played most often)Number of testers who said it was:much better 0somewhat better 6about as playable 15not quite as playable 15not nearly as playable 2

OVERALL DURABILITY(compared to other stringsof similar gauge)Number of testers who said it was:much better 10somewhat better 17about as durable 10not quite as durable 1not nearly as durable 0

RATING AVERAGESFrom 1 to 5 (best)Playability 3.5Durability (4th overall) 4.4Power 3.5Control 3.6Comfort 3.2Touch/Feel 3.0Spin Potential (3rd overall) 3.7Holding Tension 3.6Resistance to Movement (4th overall) 4.1

Unique Big Hitter Blue is a monofila-

ment string made with polyether.

According to Unique, the use of poly-

ether in this advanced German string

formulation allows for a much softer

string that absorbs shock and increases

comfort, while retaining the incredible

durability, power and resistance to

movement of the best new generation,

co-polymer polyester strings.Unique tells us that Big Hitter Blue

offers control and comfort at normalswing speeds, but when power is wanted,long, fast swings with Big Hitter Blue cre-ate an ultra powerful pop. The extra dura-bility allows players to use a thinnergauge for more bite and accuracy, whileexpecting the same or better string life.Unique also recommends its use in hybridcombinations with Unique Tourna-GutNatural Gut for a great combination ofdurability, touch, and power.

Unique Big Hitter Blue is available in40-foot sets in blue only. It is priced from$6.75 for sets of 40 feet, $59 for reels of660 feet (200 meters). For more informa-tion or to order, contact Unique at 800-554-3707, or visit www.uniquesports.us.

IN THE LABWe tested the 17-gauge Unique Big HitterBlue. The coil measured 40’ 3”. The diam-eter measured 1.23-1.26 mm prior tostringing, and 1.20-1.23 mm after string-ing. We recorded a stringbed stiffness of74 RDC units immediately after stringingat 60 pounds in a Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95(16 x 18 pattern) on a constant-pullmachine.

After 24 hours (no playing), stringbedstiffness measured 64 RDC units, repre-senting a 14 percent tension loss. Ourcontrol string, Prince Synthetic Gut Origi-nal Gold 16, measured 78 RDC unitsimmediately after stringing and 71 RDCunits after 24 hours, representing a 9 per-

cent tension loss. Unique Big HitterBlue 17 added 18 grams to theweight of our unstrung frame.

The string was tested for fiveweeks by 39 USRSA playtesters, withNTRP ratings from 3.5 to 6.0. These areblind tests, with playtesters receivingunmarked strings in unmarked packages.Average number of hours playtested was32.1.

Big Hitter Blue strings up about the

same as other poly strings, despite itsslightly different formulation. One endwas pre-cut at an angle, which was nice.We noticed some burning on the mainstoward the end of stringing the crosseson a tight stringbed pattern, similar towhat we’ve seen with other poly stringscontaining ether.

The blue color is a nice change fromother strings, especially considering thatit doesn’t come off during play: The coloris part of the string.

No playtester broke his sample duringstringing, 14 reported problems with coilmemory, three reported problems tyingknots, and one reported friction burn.

ON THE COURTOur playtest team gave Unique Big HitterBlue 17 fantastic scores in three cate-gories important to power players. BigHitter Blue 17’s scores for Spin Potentialput it in third place of the 116 stringswe’ve playtested for publication. Itsscores were also good enough forfourth-place finishes in both Durabilityand Resistance to Movement. It’s inter-esting to note that another Uniquestring, Tourna Poly Big Hitter, is still infirst place in Resistance to Movement,and is in second place in Durability. (Seethe May 2004 issue of RSI for the fullplaytest report on Tourna Poly Big Hitter.)

Unique Big Hitter Blue 17’s highscores in these three categories helped itearn an average score of 10th overall.

Our playtest team also awarded BigHitter Blue 17 scores well above averagefor Playability, Power, Control, and Ten-sion Retention.

Two playtesters broke the sample

UniqueBig Hitter Blue 17


recommended for those looking for a softresponse, but it would be a great choice forbaseliners who take big swings.” 4.0 male all-court player using Fischer Pro No. One strung at63 pounds LO (Natural Gut 16)

“ Though this string starts fairly stiff, it settlesquickly and becomes quite playable. This is theperfect string for those who are searching fordurability, power, and spin.” 4.5 male all-courtplayer using Head FXP Radical Team strung at 53pounds LO (Klip Legend 16)

“ This string has decent spin potential and sur-prisingly high power. The most surprising ele-ment, however, is the touch.” 4.0 malebaseliner with heavy spin using Prince TripleThreat Hornet strung at 53 pounds CP (WilsonNXT OS 16L)

“ The power level is uniquely low, so it is rec-ommended to people looking for more control.After several hours of play, my arm felt a littletired. I had to work overtime to get any pace on

“ This string has the perfect combination ofpower, control, and spin. My kick serves andtopspin forehands seem to explode off thecourt. The natural gut definitely adds comfortand power. This set-up is perfect for heavyball hitters. I found myself playing very confi-dent tennis.” 5.0 male serve-and-volleyerusing Wilson nPro strung at 57 pounds LO(Wilson Reaction 18)

“ It’s about time somebody made a trulycomfortable polyester. While I do tend tofavor polyester strings, this one really standsout. It requires no adjustment period. It’s oneof those strings that you know you’re goingto like right after you hit the first ball.” 3.5male serve-and-volleyer using Head i.RadicalMP strung at 63 pounds LO (Polyester 16)

“ This polyester is as good as any I’ve tried.What make it special are the high power leveland exceptional comfort.” 5.0 female all-court player using Head Liquidmetal 4 strungat 57 pounds LO (Head RIP Control 17)

“ As a multifilament user, I tend not to likethe stiffness of polyester. This string, howev-er, is extremely playable. The combination ofpower, spin, control, and comfort is trulyimpressive. Perhaps it’s time to make aswitch.” 5.0 male all-court player usingBabolat Pure Control Zylon 360 strung at 50pounds LO (Babolat Xcel Premium 17)

“ This string has good power and plays aswell as the top polys on the market. It is not

during play, one at three hours and one atfive hours.

CONCLUSIONBig Hitter Blue’s playing characteristicswon’t be for everyone, but if you’ve triedother poly strings containing ether andfound you like the way they play betterthan you like the price, Big Hitter Bluemay be just the ticket, costing about halfthat of its most direct competitor on themarket.

If you think that Unique Big Hitter Blue17 might be for you, Unique has a specialoffer: Buy one set of Big Hitter Blue andget one set free.

. —Greg Raven �

TESTERS TALK

the serve. This could be the perfect choice forover hitters.” 4.5 male all-court player usingHead i.Prestige Mid strung at 53 pounds CP(Gosen Polylon 16)

“ Durability, control, and resistance tomovement are the top attributes. Whilepower, playability, spin potential, and tensionmaintenance are good, touch and feel arelacking. This is a good overall string, but it ismost likely designed for hard hitters withdurability concerns.” 5.0 male all-courtplayer using Wilson Hyper Pro Staff 6.1 strungat 55 pounds LO (Wilson Sensation 16)

“While I did not anticipate a responsive,comfortable ride, I am disappointed with theutter lack of spin potential.” 4.5 male all-court player using Wilson nTour strung at 54pounds LO (Wilson NXT 16)

For the rest of the tester comments, visit

www.racquetsportsindustry.com.

the EXPERTSask

MISSING STRINGSELECTOR LISTING?

I WAS TRYING TO USE THE STRINGSelector to find strings comparableto a string that was discontinued a

couple of years ago. However, when Iselect the manufacturer of the discontin-ued string, the String Selector shows onlycurrent strings. Can I use the String Selec-tor to compare older, discontinued stringsagainst current strings?

IT DEPENDS TO SOME DEGREE ONwhen the string was discontinued.

While we have been lab-testing string forseveral years now, we switched to a newtesting protocol in 2004. After switchingto the new protocol, however, we didattempt to retest every available stringthat we had tested using the previousprotocol.

Therefore, if you can’t find the lab testresults for a string that was discontinued

since 2004, it’s likely that we neverobtained a sample of that string for testing.If the string you’re trying to match was dis-continued before 2004, there is an outsidechance that—despite our best efforts—itwas not retested using the new protocol.

Your best bet will be to check backissues of RSI and RacquetTECH magazine tosee if it appears in our published lab testresults. If so, compare it to other strings inthat year’s results. You want to find a com-parable string that is still available today.Then, look up that other comparable stringin the most recently published lab testresults. This will allow you to find other cur-rent strings that have similar characteristics.

HYBRID THEORYI WAS JUST WONDERING, WHATare the benefits of putting naturalgut in the main strings and Luxilon

in the cross strings, as Roger Federer does?I would think there is more durability need-

ed in the main strings, thus it would be bet-ter to put Luxilon in the mains and get bet-ter feel in the crosses from the natural gut.Does this sound logical?

IT DOES SOUND LOGICAL, AND IT’Swhy most people who use a hybrid

string job (that is, a string job that incorpo-rates two different types of string), put themore durable string in the mains. However,doing things the other way seems to beworking for Federer.

Even though recreational players don’trestring as often as the pros do, they maystill benefit from experimenting by stringinghybrids “both ways.” In our playtests ofthree different hybrid strings from Klip, wehad one playtest team use the more durablestring in the mains, and the other team usethe more durable string in the crosses. Inthe gut/poly X-Plosive and gut/nylonScreamer, playtesters preferred having thegut in the mains. With the gut/nylon Light-

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Your Equipment Hotline

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ning, playtesters preferred nylon in themains. However, with both X-Plosive andLightning, the difference between gutmains and gut crosses was much smallerthan it was for Screamer.

The bottom line, then, is that you can’tbe afraid to experiment, and you neverknow what combination is going to workfor you until you’ve tried it.

RESTRINGING FREQUENCYWHAT IS THE RECOMMENDEDstringing frequency for club play-ers?

THE USRSA SUPPORTS THE INDUS-try-standard recommendation of

restringing as many times per year as youplay in a week. However, this advice istypically given to those who don’t playmuch, and seem to be looking for anyexcuse not to restring. Club players —who are by definition more active andserious about the game than recreationalplayers — should restring more often.

Whether in play or not, nylon stringshave lost significant tension after abouttwo months. “Poly” strings typically havelost significant tension after about onemonth. Natural gut loses tension, too, butseems to retain its playability until about30 minutes before it breaks. These wouldbe better guidelines for club players.

It’s true that it all comes down to whatfeels right to the player, so you couldmake the argument that if the player ismost comfortable using two-year-oldstrings, then that’s what he should use.

The problem arises when those stringsbreak. It would be next to impossible tomatch the tension and elasticity of two-year-old strings with new strings of thesame make, model, and gauge. Even so,that’s the best case scenario, where youcan actually still buy the string the playeris used to using. Sometimes, those oldstrings may no longer be on the market,so you’d be trying to match the old deadstrings with a new string that may not becomparable in every category.

By changing strings regularly, there ismore consistency in the ball’s responseoff of the strings. This allows the playerto develop a better expectation of howthe racquet and strings will perform at alltimes, which means he will have feweradjustments to make when going fromold strings to new. This consistency can

only be achieved through frequentrestringing.

FRAME STRESS ANDTIE-OFF POINTS

IS THERE A WAY THAT THEamount of pressure or stress onthe frame can be measured? It

seems that the stress must increase atthe tie-off points. I am curious howmuch additional load this places on theracquet.

THE EASIEST WAY TO CHECK thestress on the frame is to measure

its dimensions before, during, and afterstringing. A tape measure will get youpretty good information, although theUSRSA uses a set of special oversizedmicrometers supplied by Dr. Carl Love,which are accurate to one-thousandth ofan inch. This won’t tell you how muchstress there is per se, but it will tell you ifthe stress is unbalanced enough todeform the hoop.

As for stress at the tie-off point, giventhe huge amount of overall stress towhich the hoop is subjected, measuringframe deformation at one point wouldbe difficult. If you think about it, though,you’ll see why the tie-off isn’t a problem.

Consider the case in which the stringdoes not tie off, but continues to theother side of the racquet. In this case,that string will receive full tension, whichwill impart corresponding stress to theframe. The frame is designed to with-stand this stress, of course, so there is noproblem.

In the case where the string ties off,on the other hand, the only pull on thestring before releasing the clamp is thatapplied manually during the knottingprocess, and that is (or should be) a tinyfraction of the reference tension. Afterthe knot is tied and the clamp released,the added stress from the tied-off stringis along the side of the hoop, not acrossthe racquet face.

To look at it another way, before youcould apply enough tension on the tie-off knot to deform the hoop, the anchorstring would fail.

—Greg Raven �

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

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TYING OFF NATURAL GUTI use a dead man’s knot whenever theanchor string is natural gut. The versionI use is a double half hitch tied around aseparate string and the anchor string.I’ve taken a page from the racquetmanufacturers, which strive to maketechnologies “visible,” by using a col-ored string (such as orange) to make itmore visible. So far, each of my naturalgut customers has noticed and hasbeen appreciative of my attention todetail. Make your “extras” visibleenough for your customers to notice,

and TECHNIQUES

AVOIDING COIL MEMORY

I’m sure that all stringers become frus-trated from time to time with coilmemory when measuring out a lengthof string. I’ve found that by using asimple countertop paper towel holder,you can eliminate that problem. Simplyplace the towel holder on the floor,drop your coil of string over the towelholder, and began pulling off andmeasuring your length of string.5 sets of Gamma Syn Gutw/WearGuard 16 & Hat & T-Shirt to:Carl M. ThompsonTemple Hills, MD


tips

and you’ll be surprised at how much itadds to your credibility and prestige.5 sets of Head FXP Power 16 to:Steve Huff, Mechanicsville, VA

INVESTING INPRE-STRETCHINGInvesting one minute in pre-stretchingcould be one of the most profitable andenjoyable investments a stringer canmake. Our shop realizes big gains withpre-stretching:1) It saves us at least 10 percent of thetime it takes to string each frame;

2) It makes stringing more enjoyable; and3) It slows tension loss by more than 10times. This increases playability for ourcustomers, which reflects well on us.

This is how we pre-stretch in our shop:1) Mount the string on our Pre-StretchRack for a minimum of 10 minutes.Usually, we let the string pre-stretchwhile stringing another racquet. (Seethe photo of our Pre-Stretch Rack.)

Readers’ Know-How in Action


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].

2) Set the machine pre-stretch to pull20% over reference tension. For exam-ple, if machine tension is adjusted to50 lbs., the pre-stretch setting will be60 lbs.

3) While stringing on our constant-pullmachines, we allow the tension headto continue to pull tension whilethreading the next string through theracquet.Because of this pre-stretching, our

string jobs are unusually stiff compared toracquets strung with a more traditionalmethod at the same reference tensionwithout pre-stretching. Thus, we usually

start with a lower reference tension thannormal. Over time, our string jobs aretighter than those done traditionallybecause our tension loss is reduced (seethe chart).

Another result of our pre-stretchregime is that during the first couple ofhours after stringing, the stringbed ten-sion actually increases.5 sets of Wilson NXT 16 to:Dr. Carl Love, Albany, OR

WRAP IT BACKWARDSIt seems that I often get caught on courtwith a student who needs my help replac-ing her overgrip, but neither the grip tapenor the grip band are anywhere to befound. Rather than go back out to the carto get my scissors and tape, I wrap thenew overgrip from the “wrong” end.That way, I can use the end that has thesticky part on it to attach the loose end tothe racquet. I’ve never had one comeloose, and at the end of the lesson I usu-ally have time to go get the tape and fin-ish the job properly.5 sets of Dunlop M-Fil Tour 16 to:Mark Goodman, Victorville, CA

STRONGER CLAMP CLEANERCleaning clamps and other stringingmachine parts with isopropyl (rubbing)alcohol may promote rusting because itcontains a percentage of water to beginwith, and it’s hygroscopic so it absorbsmoisture from the air. When the alcoholevaporates, the water remains and rust-ing may occur. I prefer to use acetone oracetone-based nail enamel remover. It is amuch stronger solvent, and really doesthe job. Just make certain not to get it onany painted or plastic surfaces.5 sets of Gamma Asterisk 16 &Hat & T-Shirt to:Luis De Santis, Venezuela

Editor’s note: Acetone fumes should notbe inhaled, as they can cause liver dam-age. Never consume acetone nor get itin your eyes. It’s also a good idea tokeep it from your skin. —Greg Raven �

A New Way toLove TennisAn Atlanta retailer says her loveof the game is complete afterestablishing a tournament tobenefit charity.

Ilove tennis. I guess you could also say that ten-nis is a way of life for me. Not just because Iplay, but also because of my overall lifestyle.

I did not grow up playing tennis; Icaught the “tennis bug” in my adult years,when my (now) husband taught me to play.Now, I love playing tennis for fun withfriends, playing for a charitable cause, andof course playing in leagues.

I love tennis so much that I chose towork in the industry, too. Four years ago Istarted my own business—a tennis specialtystore in the suburbs of Atlanta. Our store,Coach Matt’s Tennis & More, has providedfull-service tennis resources for the area,where we’ve been fortunate to make newtennis friends. Working with customers andvendors alike has been an enlighteningexperience that has furthered my adorationfor the sport.

Once our business was established, Idecided that it was also important to “giveback” to the sport. We decided that oneway we could accomplish our goal was tohold an annual charity event that wouldoffer a fun experience to the participantswhile raising money for local grassroots pro-grams. And so, in 2004, the Annual CoachMatt's Charity Invitational was born.

The event itself is an amateur doublestournament in which you compete againstplayers of your same caliber. We also offera “celebration of tennis” at the end of thetournament with exhibition matches,games, music, raffles, and more. We havebeen honored to have world-class tennispros Ellis Ferreira, Mark Knowles, Tom Gor-man, Tom Gullikson, Amer Delic, JustinGimelstob, and Bobby Reynolds join us inthe past. It’s an exciting weekend of tennisand we’ve been able to raise thousands of

dollars for local programs.It was during the first year of our tour-

nament that I first met Kelly. I wasresearching local options for charities inneed of sponsorship dollars when I heardabout local tennis training academies fordisabled athletes. Special Populations Ten-nis Program Inc. (www.specialpops-tennis.com) is a volunteer-run programthat provides meaningful, year-round ten-nis training for mentally disabled athletesso they can compete in tournaments inGeorgia, the U.S., and abroad. Many ofthese athletes would never have theopportunity to play tennis if it weren’t forthis program.

We offered them sponsorship from ourcharity event and I invited them to our“celebration of tennis” at the end of thetournament. Kelly, who has Downs syn-drome, speaks on behalf of the group andshared with the 250-plus spectators whyshe loves tennis. She brought everyone totears with her sweet words and emotionaldelivery. I knew from that moment thatwe would continue to support the trainingacademies whenever possible.

It has been three years since we startedour charity event and the 2007 event, heldNov. 10-11, was our most successful yet.We had more support from our communi-ty and vendors than ever before and wehad a record-breaking 150 amateur dou-bles players in our weekend tournament.We ended our event with a doubles exhi-bition between collegiate players fromUGA and Georgia Tech. Special guestsJustin Gimelstob and Tom Gorman werealso on hand to play tennis with our spe-cial athletes and raise money for ourcause. This year we raised more money

B Y T I F F A N Y G R A Y S O N

and recruited more volunteers for ourprogram than we have in the past.

I cry each year when Kelly gets on themicrophone and explains to everyonewhy she loves tennis and why each dollarraised helps more athletes like her playtennis. I thought I learned to love thegame when my husband taught me toplay. Then I thought I really loved tenniswhen I started my retail company. Then Ithought that when I went to the USOpen and met some of the amazing play-ers you see on TV, I finally couldn’t lovethe game any more. I was so wrong….

Hearing Kelly talk about why she lovesthe people who make her tennis dreamscome true… Watching the special athleteyou just sponsored win a medal in com-petition… Giving a high five to an athleteafter he or she hits a winning shot…Knowing that every dollar we raise goesto helping one more special athlete playtennis… That’s what taught me to reallylove the game.

Tennis isn’t just about one game ormatch—it’s about a lifetime of experi-ences. So thank you to the volunteers,fundraisers, friends, and tennis familythat have taught me how to love ten-nis—the new way! �

Your Serve

Nonprofit charitable groups like Special PopsTennis are always in search of volunteers andfundraising efforts. If you would like to getinvolved or find out more information, visitwww.specialpopstennis.com. For additionalinformation on the Annual Coach Matt’s CharityInvitational visit www.coachmattstennis.com.

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


Kelly, with the author, thanks the crowd at theAnnual Coach Matt’s Charity Invitational.

Documents

200801 Racquet Sports Industry