August 2014 - United States Professional Tennis Association

August 2014
A Division of the USPTA
USPTA National Grass Court Championships
September 11-14, 2014
Desert Highlands
Scottsdale, Ariz.
President’s Message
Mark Frampton - USPTA Southwest President
Depending on where you are
in the Southwest, you’re either
enjoying some down time in
the desert or you’re extremely
busy teaching in the higher
elevations!
I’d like to share a few items
with you to bring you up to
speed with what’s going on
at National as well as in our
Southwest division:

Our 2015 divisional conference is scheduled
for February 7-8(Saturday-Sunday) at Phoenix Country
Club. Saturday will be a full day of on court presentations and indoor seminars ending the day with a party/
lip sync contest! Sunday morning will be a specialty
course. This will be a great venue as well as an opportunity for you to get your 6 continuing educational
credits. Once the conference schedule is finalized, you
will receive an e-mail listing the topics and speakers.
The conference committee is your Board of Directors
and District Coordinators.
Note: There will be no High School Coaches Workshop in conjunction with our conference. A separate
workshop will be held in January for the high school
tennis coaches.

Rx Prescription card-This card is in the latest
issue of Tennis Industry Magazine in the ADDvantage
section. 15-85% savings is offered on this plan. This is
great for those contracted pros that do not have benefits.
In addition, if you do work for a facility that has benefits, you can still show them the card and see which plan
gives you the most savings.
Take a moment and go to our new Facebook page,
SWPTA Pro Forum exclusively for Southwest members.
This will be one way that we will keep our members
updated on what’s going on in the association as well as
allow you to communicate with other pro’s in our division.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns,
please don’t hesitate to call me at (602)952-7234.
Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Please welcome Jonathan Davis to the Southwest Board of Directors. Jonathan has been a District
Coordinator for Southeastern Arizona and is the Under
30(U30) representative for our division. Jonathan also
serves on the national membership committee headed
by Jack Michalko. He’s the current Director of Tennis at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon Golf and Racquet
Club in Tucson, AZ.
National has two new member benefits:

Truecar.com-This is a site where USPTA members can save significant money when leasing or buying
a car.
page 2
SWPTA
2014 PaycheckCity.com
USPTA Grass Court Championships
Desert Highlands
Scottsdale, Arizona
September 11-14, 2014
Prize Money: $6,000
The 2014 PaycheckCity.com USPTA Grass Court Championships
will be held at the Desert Highlands Racquet Club Sept. 11-14
in Scottsdale, Ariz. USPTA Professionals will have the chance
to compete for $6,000 in total prize money among eight men’s
and women’s events: open singles and open doubles, 45 and over
singles, and 45 and over doubles.
Now in its ninth year, the USPTA Surface Championships offer
USPTA members the opportunity to test their playing skills in competition and earn prize money at each event.
The use of USPTAPlayer.com, the second largest tennis league
management software in the United States with more than 400,000
users annually, allows USPTA members to register for surface tournaments and get quick and easy access to location information, match
times and results. It not only provides tennis teachers and clubs with
access to a free website to build their business and connect with their
members/players from one central location,
but it also gives teaching professionals the
technology they need to run leagues, ladders, tournaments, flex leagues and round
robins.
The national tournaments are open to
Professional-level members in good standing. They are eligible to compete in any of
the competitions and the International Championships.
For additional information, please contact the USPTA at 800-USPTA-4U. USPTA Professionals may go to uspta.com/benefits then click on USPTA Surface Championships
for more information. Registration is now open for the USPTA Surface Championships
at www.usptaplayer.com.
Eric Anderson
Director of Tennis
Desert Highlands
Tournament Director
SWPTA
page 3
page 4
SWPTA
SWPTA
page 5
From The Professor
by Gerald Winder - Education Chairman
Something New...
As an Education Chairman
for the SWPTA I feel I would
be somewhat remiss if I didn’t
at least mention the biggest,
and most important, education event of the year for the
USPTA. As most know by
now, our organization is combining with the USTA (and the
US Open) to field what should
be an outstanding combination
in New York, the Big Apple
itself. The dates for this are Aug. 22-25, 2014, so hopefully you have your plans in place by this time. Also,
I should point out that as we now all need a minimum
six (6) Education Credits to stay in good standing in our
association over the next three (3) years, here is your
chance to get far more than that at one time! As someone who has attended close to 25 World Conferences
over the years, I can say directly that I always walked
away with a new idea, a new drill...or drills, a new
program, and some new friends! Since I have attended
the USTA Tennis Teachers Conference a few times, that
has proven to be a well-constructed event also. Being at
the US Open three times just added icing on the cake!
Keep in mind that the USPTA will not have a separate
World Conference this year, so this is it. I understand
next year our 2015 World Conference will be in the Big
Easy...New Orleans!
I have perused the speakers list for this upcoming
conference, and it is outstanding. Several of our top
speakers will be presenting, as well as top industry
leaders from the USTA...a good combination I feel.
There will be five educational tracks involved for your
choosing: Business/Professional Development, Club
& Team Coaching, Competition and Play, 10 & Under
Tennis, and High Performance - A little something for
everyone. If you would like to see what qualifies for
educational credits overall, not just in New York, go to
the USPTA.com website. Did you know that you can
page 6
print out your own personal Educational Credit Report
Card by going to the Membership Directory on USPTA.com? This way you can always have your totals at
hand, and you can pull up any other USPTA Professional in the same way. These are always good to show
to your GM or Director.
Also of note is that several of your possible tennisrelated certifications will now count towards your
Educational Credit totals that are required to remain
active in the USPTA. To check on these, go to USPTA.
COM for a listing of what would count, or call National
Headquarters in Houston at 1-800-USPTA-4-U. Since
many of us have multiple certifications, this could be a
additional help for you towards your credits.
Something else new is starting to be developed. It is
called Smart Court, created by PlaySight. It is a revolutionary way to build a court based on some of the
technology from fighter jets, from an Israeli company.
Using five cameras, one at the net and four in each
corner, it combines video technology with data analysis. It can be from drills, or actual match play. You can
change parameters at will, such as measuring height
above the net, distance covered, and just about all the
“fancy” stats you see on TV...all on a court near you,
or...maybe on yours! As of now, there are 10 Smart
Courts in the New York area, so perhaps Conference
attendees may have a chance to see one in action.
They are also up and running at Roland Garros in Paris
as well as Stefan Edberg’s academy in Sweden. But
they are not cheap at present with a $10,000 price tag
plus some monthly residuals. But this product would
certainly set your facility/program far apart from the
others in the local area, for sure! Rumor has it that our
fellow USPTA Member and Master Pro Dr. Jim Loehr
is one of the investors in this project.
I can’t help but smile at so many of the current racket
manufacturers who are making more space between
string holes, including our fine major endorsee, Prince.
Obviously, the ongoing theory is to generate more spin.
Adding many of the current strings in to the mix, I believe it is a sound idea overall. Interestingly, this same
idea was tossed around close to 35 years ago, but never
really took hold. Back then, I was the Director of Tennis for a time near the Finger Lakes of Western New
continued on page 7
SWPTA
continued from page 6
York. The string companies were touting how much X
string would increase spin, though many experts in the
field were saying it depended more on the size of the
holes. Of course, the string companies couldn’t sell
holes, so they were having none of that. In some free
time, I decided to prove it, at least to myself! I strung
up various frames with all the same string, but leaving
out several of the strings in each racket, thus creating
more holes, and much larger ones. Well, to my satisfaction at least, it worked! The spin generated by some of
those test rackets was enormous! However, any attempt
to control a volley went downhill pretty quick! I had a
few of my members try those rackets, and several actually wanted their sticks strung that way! Well, whatever
works to satisfy our members, right? So, just saying that
it is interesting that what comes around, comes around.
You might experiment with some of this idea if you
wish, but it is my experience that it is a bit difficult to
do with modern sticks due to the current string patterns,
and head strength. You would have to drop the tension...
but it is fun to try!
SWPTA
I hope everyone has a great Fall season, and a cool one,
for sure! Any comments, questions send to usptapro@
msn.com.
2014 Testing Dates
October 25-26
Paradise Valley Country Club
Paradise Valley, AZ
Head Tester - Mark Frampton
602-952-7204
[email protected]
page 7
Phoenix Arizona
fellow USPTA pros is invaluable, so mark your calendars now and come to the meeting. We will be meeting
at Phoenix Country Club, 2901 North Seventh Street,
Phoenix, AZ 85014. Don’t miss this great opportunity!
by Brian Edwards
Our busy season has come to
an end as the Arizona heat has
cleared out a large number of
our players. Only the diehards
are still gracing the courts. I
hope all of you had a good
season and if you are like me,
you are looking forward to a
little bit of a break and perhaps
a vacation in a cooler climate.
Whether vacationing or continuing to work, I hope all is well with everyone.
Once again Phoenix Country Club will be hosting the
USPTA Southwest Conference February 7- 8. I have
truly enjoyed hosting the conference the last two years
and am extremely excited to host again in 2015. Mark
your calendars early, and let’s make 2015 a conference
to remember.
Eric Anderson, Director of Tennis at Desert Highlands,
reports that the Southwest Slam Series Grass Court
Tournament was held at Desert Highlands earlier this
summer from June 4-8. One hundred forty participants
enjoyed the great grass courts and several USPTA pros
participated and won titles, including John Witter (55
Singles), Bruce Connors (50 Singles), Chris Cummings/Eric Anderson (50 Doubles), and Ash Mitha (65
Singles). Eric also reports that Desert Highlands will
be the host of the $6,000 USPTA Grass Court Championships sponsored by PaycheckCity.com, Sept 11-14.
Tournament entry includes a dinner for all players at the
famed Desert Highlands clubhouse on Friday, September 12. You can enter the tournament through usptaplayer.com/tournaments/734 until Monday, September
1. For more information, Eric can be reached at 480419-3651.
Your next USPTA Phoenix District Meeting will be
Friday, September 19th at 1:00 pm. Learning from your
page 8
I would like to welcome USPTA Professional Alexis
Ubiera to Phoenix. Alex has come to our section from
New Jersey where he was working at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. He joined the staff at Phoenix
Country Club June 2nd, so let’s all make him welcome.
Remember if you have any information you would
like to have in the Southwest Magazine, contact me at
[email protected]. Thanks and have a great
summer!
Northern Arizona
by Claudette Laliberte
Sedona:
USPTA Elite Professional
Claudette Laliberte held the
2nd Annual “Whites and
Woods” Mixed Doubles event
on June 28th at the Enchantment Resort. Participation increased by 30 percent over last
year. The Resort is hoping this
tournament gains momentum
and continues to increase each
year. Players were mostly local, along with a few players
from Colorado!
The SCTA (Sedona Community Tennis Association)
recently completed their Men’s Doubles and Women’s
Doubles League Championships. A record number of
teams participated from the Sedona area. It’s nice to see
that although Sedona is a small community, there is a
genuine, consistent love for tennis!
Enchantment Resort Tennis has added some new tennis
programming with the hopes of making tennis at Enchantment a tennis destination. New programs include
continued on page 9
SWPTA
continued from page 8
daily adult clinics and daily junior clinics for children
of all ages. A family clinic has also been added. This
new programming has been well received by guests of
the resort, and the tennis pros have been busier than
normal during the slower summer months!
Southern New Mexico & El Paso
Master Professional Larry Lineberry coached the
Southwest Section Boys and Girls 16 & Under Zonal
Team played July 2-7 in Salt Lake City. For the first
time in over a decade, the team posted a winning
match record of 3-2 for the week. The wins including
a dramatic 10-8 win over Southern California which
finished second overall in the 12 team competition. It
was the first time a Southwest zonal team ever defeated
a Southern California team!
Tennis may not be the first
thing you think of when
you think of El Paso. Hot
dry weather, perhaps, or the
Franklyn Mountains, or the
Chihuahuas baseball team.
Nevertheless, The Hunt USTA
25K Women’s Tennis Tournament is the biggest professional tennis event in El Paso,
TX. This event takes place
every year during the summer. Tennis players ranked as
high as two hundred in the world play this hard court
tournament. Ross Walker, Director of Tennis at Tennis
West Racquet and Sports Club, has been the director of
this tournament for 19 years. “I enjoy being the director of this tournament. People get to watch and enjoy a
very high level of tennis,” Ross said. Every year, Ross
Walker gives a wild card to an up and coming junior
player or to a women tennis player who plays for the
University of Texas at El Paso.
Larry, in his role as the NAZ Tennis Service Representative for the SWS, will be forming Jr. Tennis
same gender leagues across Northern Arizona this fall.
Teams from Prescott, Flagstaff, and the Verde Valley
will participate. The plan is to help high school players with fall match play in preparation for the spring
season
Flagstaff:
USPTA Elite Professional Brian Young
Tennis is booming in the Flagstaff area! Coach Brian
Young is calling it one of the best seasons ever, including when he was at Continental Racket Club back in
the 90’s. Brian is convinced that part of the upsurge is
due to 10 & Under Tennis, foam balls, size-able rackets
for tots, an emphasis on fun and early rally success.
There has also been a larger than normal showing of
players in the 50-65 year range coming back to the
game.
by Daniel Dominguez
After the tournament is over tennis summer camps are
well underway. Some players look forward to spending hours on the court hitting tennis balls, while other
players just look forward to trying something new and
having fun at the same time. Adult players love joining
tennis leagues and playing matches against other teams
around city. In the end, the most important thing is to
stay active.
It seems as though most USPTA Professionals in N.
Arizona are staying very busy despite the rains, and
monsoons. This is a great sign that tennis is alive and
thriving here. N. Arizona USPTA Professionals are doing a great job promoting the game they love!
SWPTA
page 9
Northern New Mexico
by Amy Badger
Despite the summer heat
Northern New Mexico tennis
is smokin’...maybe considering all the forest fires I should
say...rockin’. It’s hard to
believe Adult and JTT teams
have or will soon be entering end of season tournaments and setting their sights
on sectionals! USPTA pros
working at private and public
facilities collectively have
over 200 adult and junior USTA league teams. We are
indeed a small but mighty community of tennis enthusiasts!
The 2014 Coleman Vision Tennis Championships is
gearing up again in September at Tanoan Country
Club. This is a 75k women’s pro event. Net proceeds
go to the New Mexico Youth Tennis Foundation which
supports organizations and programs that enhance the
lives of New Mexico youth through tennis and education. USPTA professional, David Pitts is the host pro
and Assistant Tournament Director. Amy Badger is
Director of Volunteers and Dick Johnson, Assistant
Special Events Coordinator, all are USPTA professionals. The tournament is in its 17th year running and
continues to be the longest running Women’s USTA
pro event in the country. Another example of the commitment this wonderful tennis community makes to
provide a high quality tennis event to up and coming as
well as seasoned world class tennis professionals, New
Mexico and the Southwest. Wonderful past players include Sloane Stephens, Melanie Oudin, Mirjana Lucic,
Shelby Rogers, Aleksandra Wozniak, Lauren Davis,
Taylor Townsend and so many more. Historically the
tournament will also play host to roughly 700 elementary and middle school students with their attendance
at youth clinics throughout the week. The tournament
is scheduled for September 14-21. Please come see
where today’s players become tomorrow’s stars! Go to
www.colemanvision.com for more information or feel
free to contact me, Amy Badger at [email protected].
The University of New Mexico is hosting a grand
opening of the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium July
31st. The McKinnon addition will bring the University
tennis facilities to 19 courts with the help of the already
established Linda Estes Tennis Center/Lobo Tennis
Club. This should be a very exciting event!
The Tennis Club of Albuquerque just completed a
junior L6 event. There was strong participation and
great to see so many local players stroking their way
into the competition format. This club has three full
time USPTA certified teaching pros headed up by Gui
Dupont. Gui is doing a super job of revitalizing current membership while bringing in new members every
month. With the help of his assistants, Amy Badger
and Alex Mansfield, summer programming is busy and
full with waiting lists for adult and junior camps, clinics and social tennis events.
Dick Johnson is completing his summer camp at La
Cueva High School and the Albuquerque Academy’s
six week summer camp program. He reports that between
his camp and that of the Academy’s there were about
230 students. Dick is also the tennis chairman overseeing the All-Star North vs. South high school tennis
matches at the NMHSCA annual conference. Dick will
be speaking at the conference on “No Cut Tennis”. By
the time of this reading Dick will have assisted Brett
Hall in Angel Fire with a weekend Adult Camp, which
I’m sure will have been a huge success. Dick’s fall
programming at La Cueva starts in September.
The Wheelchair Tennis Program, called the weekly
Wheelaround is held at the Jerry Cline Tennis Center.
Amy Badger of TCA has been selected as the coach/
teaching professional helping these amazing wheelchair athletes. She (ok I’ve) had the distinct honor of
working with a great group of gentleman. Included in
the list is a long time doubles partner of Randy Snow,
who as you surely know was a world class tennis
player, first Paralympian inducted into the USPTA Hall
of Fame, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and in 2012 posthumously inducted into the International Tennis Hall of
Fame in Newport, RI. Let’s just say this doubles part
continued on page 11
page 10
SWPTA
continued from page 10
ner is good...and very humble. Also I have the privilege
of working with a three time US Open champion in C
doubles, another great guy. Finally and most importantly are the super guys coming out who are just starting to
play, or starting to compete. They all make my day and
help me become the best teaching professional I can be.
I’m always learning.
Here in our district, middle school tennis will be starting up in August and there are several of us who are
coaches. Dick and I have two of the largest programs,
my coaching at the Albuquerque Academy and Dick
at Desert Ridge. Dick was one of the initiators of this
unbelievable program. The season runs mid-August mid October.
Well, I hope to be able to report on more activities from
our pros after the Tennis Teachers Conference in New
York. Meantime, I hope everyone continues to have a
successful, albeit hot, summer and busy fall programming.
Southeastern Arizona
by Jay Hitchcock
School is still out of session;
however summer tennis camps
are in full swing. In Tucson
there are two high quality tennis camp locations that have
been offering tennis instruction
for more than 50 years combined. One is the Smith Perry
Tennis Camp at the Reffkin
Tennis Center. The other is at
the Tucson Racquet and Fit-
Camp Director Gary Engelbrecht and USPTA Pros Sam
Ciulla and Bruce Connors, along with the other tennis
teachers on staff, recently taught more than 350 tennis
players who came out for a July session. All camps
have 5 hours of daily activity and include lunch.
At the All Sports Camp, campers get to participate in
tennis and a variety of other sports. The camp is designed for those interested in developing skills in sports
that can last a lifetime.
The Pee Wee camp is for 5-7 year olds. It provides
campers lots of fun in a non-competitive environment.
The Junior Tennis Camp is geared toward tennis players of all levels. It covers the entire spectrum of tennis
development.
At the Smith Perry Tennis Academy Camp, USPTA
pros Ron Smith and Andre Gavino, along with top college tennis players, conduct a successful tennis camp
at the Reffkin Tennis Center. Ron Smith has been the
Camp Director at this camp for the past 27 years. He
takes pride in offering quality instruction in a fun yet
competitive environment. The “teams” format provides
fun and camaraderie with teammates and coaches during team games. And with 25 courts available for use,
campers get an opportunity to play both singles and
doubles on a daily basis. If three and a half hours of
tennis is not enough, or if you prefer tennis in the evening, an evening camp is also offered from 6:30-830.
There are other quality camps in town, but if you decide
on the camps at the Tucson Racquet and Fitness Club or
the Reffkin Tennis Center, you can’t go wrong.
ness Club.
At the Tucson Racquet and Fitness Club three different
tennis camps are offered. They are the Pee Wee Camp,
the All Sports Camp, and the Junior Tennis Camp. The
Junior Tennis Camp is strictly tennis, while the Pee Wee
and All Sports camps offer tennis and other activities.
SWPTA
page 11
page 12
SWPTA
National News
USPTA Partners with Paloma Financial, John Hancock to Offer Members
Long-Term Care Insurance Options
HOUSTON – The United States Professional Tennis
Association (USPTA) announced an agreement with
Paloma Financial and John Hancock to offer a discounted, long-term care insurance program to its members.
Hancock’s USPTA-endorsed program provides a 5
percent discount to all USPTA members – and their
eligible family members – who apply for long-term care
coverage. The program provides valuable benefits in a
variety of care settings and gives USPTA participating
members a choice when it comes to where care will be
administered.
“Along with the health care options we began providing last year, being able to deliver a long-term care
insurance program is another tangible benefit of being
a USPTA member,” USPTA CEO John Embree said.
“Several members have requested this benefit, and we
are proud to work with Paloma and John Hancock in
order to provide this resource to them.”
Recent studies put the cost of long-term care around
$87,000 a year, with costs increasing at around 5 percent annually. That means the cost of care is doubling
every 14.4 years, at a time when seven in 10 Americans
will experience a long-term care incident prior to death
and few Americans own long-term care insurance.
“When given the choice, most people want to have care
provided in their home or a community setting in lieu
of a nursing home,” said Steve Sandberg of Paloma
Financial. “The program we will be offering USPTA
members through Hancock helps preserve these choice
options should an insured person require care in the
future.”
Long-term care is the term used to describe chronic illness or injuries that result in the inability of an individual to perform normal activities of daily living without
assistance.
Long-term care insurance provides the dollars necessary to pay for daily care needs such as eating, bathing,
walking or transferring. Nearly half of those receiving
long-term care assistance are under the age of 65.
John Hancock is a respected name in the insurance industry with strong financial ratings and was a pioneer in
the long-term care insurance industry. Today, Hancock
remains one
of the leaders in long-term care insurance coverage.
Paloma Financial is an insurance and financial services
organization headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens,
Fla., and services the needs of USPTA members nationwide.
For more information on the USPTA endorsed John
Hancock Long-term Care Plan, visit www.usptaretirement.com or call Paloma Financial at 888-737-4289.
USPTA, Emirates Airline US Open Series Continue Collaboration in 2014
HOUSTON – Once again, the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) has partnered with
the USTA to make the 2014 Emirates Airline US Open
Series available to the USPTA and its members.
The partnership began in 2013 to provide USPTA Professionals access to the U.S.-based tournaments in the
Series and was modeled after other successful
agreements already in place in Stanford, New Haven
and Cincinnati.
“The tournaments that comprise the Emirates Airline
US Open Series not only showcase world champions
to the fans, but serve as a platform to cultivate emerging pro tennis talent,” said J. Wayne Richmond, General Manager, Emirates Airline US Open Series. “This
ongoing partnership with the USPTA is truly emblematic of the greater mission of our sport – growing and
developing the game at every opportunity.”
continued on page 14
SWPTA
page 13
continued from page 13
Now in its 11th season, the Emirates Airline US Open
Series continues to serve as a true regular season of
hard court tennis, linking eight summer tournaments to
the US Open.
In 2013, the Series reached more than 30 million
television viewers and totaled nearly 400 hours of
broadcast coverage throughout the summer on ESPN2,
CBS Sports and Tennis Channel. “Part of our mission
at USPTA is to promote the growth of tennis, and it’s
imperative to continue supporting these professional
tournaments in the
U.S.,” said USPTA CEO John Embree. “Our members
understand the importance in creating interest with
consumers in these events, and since we had such a
great response from USPTA members who were able to
attend the tournaments last year, we were thrilled to be
able to offer this benefit again.”
SEE what others paid for the new car you want, or see
dealer used prices so you know when you’re getting a
good deal
GET your new car Guaranteed Savings Certificate or
Used Vehicle Price Certificate
SAVE time and money with negotiation-free Guaranteed Savings off MSRP on a new car from a Certified
Dealer
No hassle and no haggling. Learn more about this benefit and start shopping at uspta.truecar.com for a total
value in savings of more than $5,000.
Guaranteed Savings not available in all states. In these
states, a Target Price is shown, which is a market-based
example of what you can reasonably expect to pay for
your vehicle as configured. Your configured vehicle
may not be available or in-stock at the Certified Dealers.
Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams won the 2013 US
Open and Emirates Airline US Open Series men’s and
women’s titles, each earning a record tennis paycheck
of $3.6 million.
For more information on the Emirates Airline US Open
Series please visit www.emiratesusopenseries.com .
New Benefit – USPTA
Auto Buying Program
We are excited to announce a new member benefit for
USPTA Professionals, the USPTA Auto Buying Program through TrueCar.com.
Get dealer pricing information before you leave home,
and your Guaranteed Savings Certificate* will lock
in your savings so you can spend more time enjoying
driving your new car, and less at the dealership. USPTA
members save an average of $3,078 off MSRP with
USPTA discounts. In addition, there is an added $2,000
in benefits for USPTA members – $1,000 credit against
auto repairs and $1,000 for deductible reimbursement.
U 30 News!
by Jonathan Davis
Today the average teaching
professional is 49 years old
and there is a definitive lack of
young teaching professionals
in our industry. The USPTA is
addressing this issue by starting a nationwide taskforce to
help build the next generation
of teaching professionals in
the tennis industry. Known as
the Under 30 Initiative (U30),
many sections are currently building leadership teams
to help aid and assist teaching professionals under the
age of 30. The main goal of the U30 Initiative is to develop a voice for this generation that will in turn magnify the impact they will have in their careers, community
and culture of tennis.
Currently there are six sections, including the South-
How it works:
page 14
continued on page 15
SWPTA
continued from page 14
west,
that are building their U30 teams. Our primary focus
for the Southwest U30 team is to:
1. Help young professionals entering into the tennis
industry develop a strong network that will assist them
in future career endeavors.
2. Provide financial assistance to attend local workshops, and divisional and World Conferences through
stipends and scholarships.
3. Create a U30 workshop specifically for U30 members built around the wants and needs of developing
tennis professionals.
4. Help create a mentoring system with established
industry professionals.
5. Increase attendance from U30 professionals at the
USPTA Southwest Division Conferences and at the
World Conference.
6. Increase the number of USPTA members under the
age of 30.
Although our section has a relatively small number
of U30 members we are confident that we can create a strong network of professionals to help grow our
organization. We are constantly on the lookout for
like-minded individuals to recruit into our association.
If you know of anyone who is interested in tennis as
a career or in joining our U30 team please have them
contact me and I will be happy to answer any questions
they may have. You can contact me via email at [email protected] or at (520) 5774009. Please feel free to contact me with any questions
about the U30 Initiative or to find out how you can help
our team out.
SOUTHWEST OFFICERS
President
Mark Frampton ... 602-952-7234
[email protected]
Regional VP
Chris Brewer ... 623-853-7926
[email protected]
Vice President
TBD
Secretary
Mark Pachtner...480-585-9878
[email protected]
Treasurer
John DenBoer...602-510-9217
[email protected]
Past President
Vicki Foster ... 602-930-8423
[email protected]
Pro Emeritus
Britt Feldhausen ... 520-886-1885
[email protected]
Executive Director
Rita Michalko ... 602-793-5500
[email protected]
SOUTHWEST COORDINATORS
Northern New Mexico
Amy Badger ... 505-379-6728
[email protected]
Phoenix
Brian Edwards ... 602-636-9840
[email protected]
Southeastern Arizona
Jay Hitchcock ... 520-247-4747
[email protected]
Northern Arizona
Claudette Laliberte ... 928-300-8702
[email protected]
Southern New Mexico & El Paso
Daniel Dominguez ... 915-581-5471
[email protected]
Head Tester
Mark Frampton ... 602-952-7234
[email protected]
The Southwest Magazine is the official Publication of the
USPTA Southwest Division of the United States Professional Tennis Association.
SWPTA
page 15
Career Corner
by Dave Moyer-USPTA Elite Professional
Looking for a job can be a
stressful proposition for anyone. Whether you are currently
in a job, but just wanting to
move on or you are unemployed and needing employment quickly, the job market
can be competitive and tough
to stand out above the crowd.
Here are three things to help
you get the position you are
looking for:
1. Get your name out there in the market – If you are an
Assistant or Head Professional looking for a job, it is
in your best interest to figure out who the key players
are in your area and get to know them. Find out which
clubs have thriving tennis programs and introduce yourself to the Director of Tennis. The more people you get
to know who are in a position to hire, the better chance
that your name will come up when a facility is looking to hire. Don’t wait until you are unemployed to do
this though, the sooner the better. This is where being
involved in the USPTA is a great benefit. You should be
attending meetings, division conferences and national
conferences. The more people get to know you the better chance you will have to move ahead in the business.
2. Have great writing skills for not only your resume,
but more importantly a cover letter – This is your
chance to wow them and stand out from other applicants. I can’t tell you how many resumes I have re-
page 16
ceived through the years with no valuable information
on it or even worse they have bad grammar and spelling errors. Those resumes immediately get deleted
or thrown away. Your cover letter is your chance to
sell your prospective employer on who you are, what
you will bring to our organization and how you will
fit in as part of our team. Be specific on your accomplishments and how you were able to achieve them.
A facility is not looking to hire someone to maintain
the status quo, but rather to take them to new heights.
How will you take us there?
3. Presentation at an in-person interview is key – Once
you have been able to get your foot in the door, you
now have your chance to impress and get the job.
Do your homework ahead of the interview. Find out
everything you can about the club/facility and use it in
your interview. Knowledge is power and the more you
can show them that you are invested in what they are
about and want to accomplish the better. Make sure
to look professional and always error on the side of
overdressing. When I had my first big interview in my
20’s, one of my mentors gave me the great advice of
wearing a suit and tie. Sure enough, most of the candidates that interviewed showed up in tennis clothes
or looked like they just walked off the court from a
lesson. The search committee told me they were impressed that I wore a suit. You can always change into
tennis clothes if they want you to go on the court later
for a lesson interview.
Finally, bring something more than a resume with
you for the committee. Stand out by putting together
a booklet of events that you have run with pictures,
newsletter articles that you have written for your current job, emails that you have received from clients
that praise your abilities. This will set you apart from
others and shows them that you are more than a tennis
teacher but a tennis professional.
SWPTA
Custom
Courts &
Tiles, Inc.
CCT Services & Products
• Resurfacing - Economy, Standard & Premium
• Post Tensioned Concrete - New Construction
PT Concrete Overlays
• Cushioned Court Overlays
• Synthetic Turf Overlays
• Fencing
• Lighting Installation, Repair & Cleaning
• Electro-static Painting
• Windscreen & Installation
• Tennis Nets & Installation
• Net Post Repairs & Replacement
• Court Washing
• Basketball Backboards & Installation
• Tennis Court Equipment
• Court Cabanas
CCT is a quality full service contractor.
CCT offers complete services for the
construction, renovation or repair of
court facilities:
‡¬7HQQLV
• Basketball
• Pickle Ball
• All Purpose Courts
CCT Manages all phases of every
project giving us better control over
scheduling, quality control and the final
product.
CCT strives to provide the right
solution for our customers.
Custom Courts & Tiles, Inc.
8340 E. Thomas Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
John Anderson - President
Office: 602-741-8599
Fax: 480-596-5117
John Byron - Sales Manager
Office: 602-524-2189
Email: [email protected]
www.customcourtsandtiles.com | Licensed, Bonded & Insured | ROC# 196792
SWPTA
page 17
A Publication of the USPTA Southwest Division
Jack Michalko / editor
77 East Missouri Avenue, Suite 62, Phoenix, AZ 85012
602-740-0126 / e-mail: [email protected]
The Southwest Magazine is published quarterly by the Southwest Division of the United States Professional Tennis
Association.
The opinions expressed in the Southwest Magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Southwest
Magazine or the USPTA Southwest Division.
Copyright© Southwest Division/United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2014. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this newsletter is not permitted without written permission from the USPTA Southwest
Division.
Advertising information: All ads must be camera ready and in color if possible. Prices are per issue.
Full Page.............$150
Half Page............$100
1/4 Page..............$70
page 18
August 2014