201007 racquet sports industry

July 2010Volume 38 Number 7 $5.00www.racquetsportsindustry.com

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

Facility ManagementTennis facility operators facechallenging times

2010 Guide to Ball Machines

Running Tennis Camps

2010 Guide to Ball Machines

Running Tennis Camps

Facility ManagementTennis facility operators facechallenging times

DEPARTMENTS

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INDUSTRY NEWS

7 USTA Tennis TeachersConference celebrates40 years

7 ASBA certifies fivecourt builders

8 PTR to deliver EtcheberryExperience Certification

8 Illinois facility installsbubbled ClayTech courts

8 Tennis Depot to distributePoly Star strings

9 USTA to build 4 claycourts at NTC

9 ITA allows QuickStartlines on match courts

9 John McEnroe opensacademy in NYC

10 Short Sets

11 TennisResortsOnlinenames top resorts, camps

12 Peoplewatch

12 TIA releases keymeasures for tennis facilities

13 College Tennis Roundup

14 Gamma launches newTNT2 Touch string

4 Our Serve

7 Industry News

14 Letter

16 TIA News

19 Pioneers in Tennis: Gene Scott

34 String Playtest: Solinco Tour Bite

36 Tips and Techniques

38 Ask the Experts

40 Your Serve, by Kalindi Dinoffer

2 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY July 2010 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

ContentsContentsFEATURES

20 Happy CampersA tennis camp at your facility can be a valuablesource of revenue in tough economic times.

23 Guide to Ball MachinesThree new machines have been added to ourexclusive ball machine guide for 2010.

32 Private EnterpriseThe six RSI/ASBA residential court winners showstyle and substance.

SPECIAL REPORT:STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

26 Facility ManagementWhether large or small, public or private, ten-nis facility owners and managers face manycommon challenges.

Private residence, Jupiter, FL

On the cover: Balboa Tennis Club, San Diego, CAby Kristine Thom

Our Serve(Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry)

PublishersDavid Bone Jeff Williams

Editorial DirectorPeter Francesconi

Associate EditorGreg Raven

Design/Art DirectorKristine Thom

Contributing EditorsRobin BatemanCynthia CantrellJoe DinofferLiza HoranGreg MoranBob 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 is published 10 times per

year: monthly January through August and com-

bined issues in September/October and Novem-

ber/December by Tennis Industry and USRSA, 330

Main St., Vista, CA 92084. Application to Mail at

Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at Vista, CA and

additional mailing offices. July 2010, Volume 38,

Number 7 © 2010 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. All

rights reserved. Racquet Sports Industry, RSI and

logo are trademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A.

Phone advertising: 770-650-1102 x 125. Phone circu-

lation and editorial: 760-536-1177. Yearly subscrip-

tions $25 in the U.S., $40 elsewhere. POSTMASTER:

Send address changes to Racquet Sports Industry,

330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084.

4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY July 2010

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

www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Keep the Debate a Healthy One

Lately, a few things have crossed my screen that have mademe a bit concerned about the health of some relationshipsin this industry. This regards a little dust-up about a (soon-

to-be) proposed rule change for 10-and-under tennis.Some quick background: The QuickStart Tennis format has been well accepted by

most in this industry. The reasoning is pretty solid: When starting kids out, they should

play on appropriately sized, shorter courts, with shorter racquets and lower-pressure

balls, and with modified scoring, eventually moving up to bigger courts and equipment.

In fact, many teaching pros are finding QST to be a huge moneymaker because

they can use a normal 78-foot court, divide it into four 36-foot courts, and have a large

number of kids playing in that space. Not only are the court sizes appropriate for the

kids, but also the balls they use allow them to actually sustain rallies and learn proper

technique right from the start. They have fun and learn at the same time. Now, many

facilities are permanently lining regular courts with 36- and 60-foot lines, and an

increasing number of facilities are going beyond that and building shorter courts.

Many people, including USTA officials, feel that for 10-and-under tennis to really

grow there needs to be more tournament competition on 36- and 60-foot courts. The

USTA’s Kurt Kamperman isn’t shy about saying the lack of current 10-and-under tour-

nament play isn’t just discouraging, it’s embarrassing, and for many, many years,

junior programs have simply failed to create an appropriate competitive pathway for

10-and-under kids. It’s time, he says, to try something different.

And here’s where this little “dust-up” comes into play. The ITF and USTA believe

most tournaments for 10-and-under players should take place on 60-foot courts with

an orange ball. Better skilled 10-year-olds could play on a 78-foot court with a green

(slightly lower pressure) ball, either limited in the 10s or playing up in the 12s. How-

ever, some feel there should be an option to allow these better 10s to play on a regu-

lar 78-foot court, with a regular yellow ball. All of a sudden, it seems the debate has

started to escalate.

Although, as of early June, nothing has yet been formally proposed by the USTA,

there already are strong feelings on all sides, including parents, teaching pros and

USTA Sections, which in some cases have already made rulings for their own sections

regarding this matter. This “back and forth” has at times been rather heated. At one

point, I was seeing letters and emails for and against certain aspects of this “unpro-

posed” change that seemed to take the opportunity to slam opposing parties on many

unrelated issues.

Here’s the thing—there’s no room for bad blood in this industry. Heck, the econo-

my has battered all of us around enough; we don’t need to do it to ourselves. On this

particular issue, we’re all after the same thing: Let’s get more 10-and-unders playing

tennis. These letters and emails I’ve been seeing—and yes, some are rather incendi-

ary—are all premature and mis-timed, and all leading to bad feelings.

Differences of opinion, especially regarding a rule change, are absolutely fine. But

let’s keep the debate healthy and productive. And let’s keep in mind the ultimate goal:

We all want more kids to play tennis.

Peter Francesconi

Editorial Director

INDUSTRY NEWSINDUSTRY NEWSI 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

Do you know an outstand-ing tennis facility in yourarea? If so, nominate it for

a 2010 USTA Outstanding TennisFacility award. Award nomina-tions must be received in theUSTA office by July 19.

Criteria for the awards andnomination forms are availableat usta.com/facilityawards.Recognition will be given to out-standing tennis facilities underthese jurisdictions: Parks &Recreation Departments, Educational Institutions, Non-Profit Corporations, and Private and/orCommercially Owned and Operated Facilities.

Award winners will receive a wood and marble wall plaque and a large sign to display at thefacility. In addition, certificates will be available for various agencies and companies recognizingthe honor. Winners also receive a one-year complimentary USTA Organizational Membership,and may choose to attend the USTA Technical Committee meeting in New York in early Sep-tember for a presentation.

This is the 29th year for the prestigious USTA Outstanding Facility Awards. This year, anoptional “Green Facility” section has been added to the nomination form. For questions, [email protected] or call Jeremiah Yolkut at 914-696-7154.

ASBA CertifiesFive Court Builders

Five tennis court builders haveearned the Certified TennisCourt Builder designation fromthe American Sports BuildersAssociation, the national organi-zation for builders, designersand suppliers of materials fortennis courts, running tracks,synthetic turf fields and indoorand outdoor synthetic sportssurfaces.

The certification program, whichwas developed by the ASBA inorder to help raise professionalstandards and improve thepractice of athletic facility con-struction, shows that an individ-ual has demonstrated orexceeded a specific level of pro-fessional experience. To achieveCertified Builder status, an indi-vidual is required to show docu-mented evidence of professionalexperience, and is required topass a comprehensive examina-tion on construction and main-tenance of the specific type offacility in which he or she isseeking certification. (Visitsportsbuilders.org for more onthe ASBA and certification.)

The new Certified Tennis CourtBuilders are Adam Fryor (CourtOne Inc., Youngsville, N.C.),Matt Graft (Talbot Tennis, Mari-etta, Ga.), Kevin Healion (Centu-ry Tennis Inc., Deer Park, N.Y.),Steve Horner (Advantage CourtsCompany, Amarillo, Texas), andFred Volpacchio (North Salem,N.Y.).

USTA Tennis Teachers ConferenceCelebrates its 40th Year

The USTA's 40th Tennis Teachers Conference will be in NewYork City from Aug. 28 to 31. The event is a leading resource forteaching professionals, organizers and coaches. It will be held at the

Grand Hyatt New York and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.Headlining the event is eight-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander; former top 10 play-

er and popular TV broadcaster Cliff Drysdale; and junior tennis coach Judy Murray, who is themother of two-time Grand Slam finalist Andy Murray and 2007 Wimbledon mixed-doubleschamp Jamie Murray.

Attendees at the USTA Tennis Teachers Conference have the opportunity to network with col-leagues and attend conference seminars, gather information and resources on the latest offeringsfrom a variety of tennis organizations and companies, and attend a "Night at the US Open" onMonday, Aug. 30, the opening evening of the tournament at the USTA BJK National TennisCenter.

Additionally, the TIA will hold its 3rd annual Tennis Forum on Tuesday morning, Aug. 31, high-lighting the latest trends in the tennis industry and the industry's efforts to grow the game.

For registration information for the Tennis Teachers Conference, visit www.usta.com/ttc. Reg-ister before July 16 and save 10 percent.

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July 2010 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 7www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Nominate Now for USTA Outstanding Facility Awards

2009 USTA award-winner Reynolds Plantation, Greensboro, Ga.

INDUSTRYNEW

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Prince Celebrates 40th Anniversary

August 2010 is the 40th anniversary of Prince Sports, headquartered in Borden-town, N.J. The company was started by Bob McClure in 1970, who invented the

“Little Prince” ball machine in his garage in Princeton, N.J.—the first commerciallyviable electric ball machine, according to Prince.

In 1976, the company developed the first oversize racquet, invented byHoward Head, then developed “long-body” frames. It also came out with thefirst multifilament tennis strings. Oneof the latest developments is “O-Tech,”which are air holes in the hoop of theracquet. The O technology has beenexported to other sports equipment,too.

Current Prince players includeMaria Sharapova, Bob and Mike Bryan,Sam Querrey, John Isner, Vera Zvonare-va, Nikolay Davydenko and Gael Mon-fils. Past player include JimmyConnors, Stan Smith, Andre Agassi,Michael Chang, Martina Navratilova,Pam Shriver, Monica Seles, JenniferCapriati and Gabriela Sabatini. For info,visit princetennis.com.

Wheaton Installs Bubbled ClayTech Courts

Lee Tennis Court Products recently installed the first bubbled ClayTech courtsat the Wheaton Sports Center, outside of Chicago. Compared to other clay

court surfaces, ClayTech is easier to maintain and thus more playable indoors,says Lee Tennis.

“Converting our Har-Tru courts to ClayTech bubbled courts has been one ofour best decisions,” says Dawn Szumski, general manager at Wheaton SportsCenter. According to Szumski, converting the three courts to ClayTech was aresult of their passion for continued innovation and exceptional indoor claycourt playability with minimal required maintenance.

“Sentiment from our players is that the bubbled ClayTech courts are moreconsistent and play significantly better and all we have to do is sweep and linethem once a day and occasionally spray them with water to keep the dustdown,” she says.

“ClayTech cleverly blends slide comfort, extreme playability with minimalbody injuries and maintenance,” says Pat Hanssen, Lee’s director of sales.

“If you currently have Har-Tru courts, this is a very simple change,” adds PaulTulacka, owner of Midwest Tennis of Westmont, Ill., which installed the courts.“The existing courts serve as the base for an asphalt pad and once this is com-plete the ClayTech glues down in as little as three days.”

For more information, visit leetennis.com.

PTR to Deliver EtcheberryExperience Certification

The PTR has a three-yeardeal with strength and

conditioning guru PatEtcheberry to conduct theEtcheberry Experience Certification Pro-gram internationally. PTR Master Pro Dr.Louie Cap (left in photo) and PTR Interna-tional Director Iñaki Balzola (right) werenamed as Etcheberry’s sole authorizedprogram presenters after completingextensive training with Etcheberry at Jus-tine Henin’s training facility in Florida.

The certification program passes alongEtcheberry’s fitness, strength and condi-tioning philosophy and techniques to anew generation of coaches and trainers.Etcheberry has trained professional ath-letes in sports from the PGA to the NBA. Intennis, he’s worked with Agassi, Capriati,Courier, Henin, Hingis, Sampras, Seles andmore.

PTR members receive discounts on allEtcheberry products and services, includ-ing Strength & Conditioning courses withEtcheberry himself.

LSI Offers New HiDef Lighting

LSI Industries’ new HiDef indoor court light-ing system uses high-output T5 fluorescent

lamps with a combination of direct/indirectlight distribution. LSI says benefits of the sys-tem include energy savings, enhanced lightquality, considerable reduction in light depre-ciation over the life of the system, long lamplife, and instant-on operation. For informa-tion, contact Bruce Frasure at 800-436-7800or [email protected] Depot to Distribute Poly Star

Poly Star strings will now be distributed by The Tennis Depot (thetennisdepot.com).Poly Star first introduced polyester strings to the tennis market, says the compa-

ny, and has 29 years of experience investing in research and development. Tourplayer Nikolay Davydenko is among current pros who use Poly Star.

Poly Star Classic, Energy, Turbo and Strike will be available in theU.S. in 12-meter sets and 200- and 400-meter reels. For questions orinformation, contact 866-787-4644 or [email protected].

July 2010 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 9

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ITA to Allow QuickStart Lines on Competition Courts

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association, the governing body of college tennis, hasapproved a rule change that will allow its competition courts to have permanent

USTA-approved 36-foot and 60-foot tennis lines. The rule change will allow collegiatefacilities to be used for tournaments and training sessions geared toward children ages10 and under using the QuickStart Tennis play format, which utilizes lower bouncingballs, smaller racquets and shorter courts, all tailored to a child’s age and size.

“The rule change to allow USTA approved 36- and 60-foot lines on competitioncourts was unanimously approved by the ITA Operating Committee at its meetings dur-ing the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga.,” says ITA Executive Director David A. Ben-jamin. “The ITA is excited and proud to lead the way with this endorsement of theQuickStart play format.”

“USTA Player Development is thrilled that the ITA and its member coaches havetaken the lead in embracing 36-foot and 60-foot tennis,” says Patrick McEnroe, gener-al manager of USTA Player Development. “Comprised of some of the top player devel-opment coaches in the nation, the ITA recognizes the importance of appropriatetraining and competition for the 10-and-under population.”

New Ashaway ZyMax 67Badminton StringAshaway Racket Strings has intro-duced ZyMax 67, a tournament-gaugebadminton string with increased dura-bility and strength. The company saysthe 22-gauge (.67 mm) ZyMax 67offers the lowest tension loss of anybadminton string. Key to the perform-ance of the ZyMax line is a combina-tion of high-tech core and braidmaterials, and Ashaway's proprietaryZyWeaVe core process technology,which allows the production of lighter,stronger badminton strings.

Available in sets of 10m and 200mreels, ZyMax 67 strings up tighter andplays firmer with maximum tensionstability, says Ashaway, and it main-tains string tension longer and dis-plays consistent performance. Visitwww.ashawayusa.com.

Mac Opens Academy in New York City

John McEnroe will open and direct the John McEnroe Tennis academy at the $18 millionSportime at Randall’s Island Tennis Center in New York City. The Hall-of-Famer and for-

mer world No. 1 player, who is a native New Yorker, says the full-year programs will beginright after the 2010 US Open. Sportime, which owns 13 tennis and fitness clubs in New YorkState, will partner with Mac in the operation of the academy.

USTA to Install4 Clay Courts at NTC

In its effort to develop Americanchampions, the USTA is installing

four clay tennis courts at the USTABillie Jean King National TennisCenter in New York, home of the

hard-court US Open.“Now, every player who

comes through the USTAsystem will have a very

strong grounding in clay-courttennis,” USTA CEO Gordon Smithtold Bloomberg news service.According to playtheclay.com, awebsite developed by Lee Tennis,of the 103 men who have reachedthe top 10 since the ATP rankingswere created, 91 of them grew upon clay.


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> The U.S. Davis Cup team will play itsWorld Group Playoff in Colombia Sept. 17-19. The U.S. needs to defeat Colombia toretain its position within the 2011 WorldGroup. The loser will be relegated to theAmericas Zone I for 2011 and not be ableto win the Davis Cup title next year. It’s thefirst time since 2005 that the U.S. has hadto play in the World Group Playoffs.

> The digital edition of RSI will now beemailed free to all PTR members.

> Tournament officials for The MPS GroupChampionships, the WTA Tour event thatrecently completed its second year in 2010in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., after a long runas The Bausch & Lomb Championships atAmelia Island, say the event will not con-tinue in 2011 due to the WTA Tour realign-ment of its tournament calendar.

> Mercedes-Benz entered a multi-plat-form global marketing partnership with16-time Grand Slam Champion and worldNo. 1 Roger Federer. The agreement coin-cides with the start of the Mercedes-Benzsponsorship of the US Open, beginning inAugust.

> World TeamTennis and Solfire todayannounced a multi-year agreement mak-ing Solfire the official apparel provider ofWorld TeamTennis and an official sponsorof the WTT Professional and RecreationalLeagues, and WTT Smash Hits.

> The USTA is awarding more than$315,000 in Recreational Tennis Grants to38 non-profit organizations across thecountry. The USTA’s Recreational TennisDivision has pooled financial resources tocreate a series of Program/Project Supportgrants and Community Partnership Invest-ment awards. These will be distributed ona bi-annual basis to non-profits that arecommitted to increasing tennis participa-tion, are well-established in their commu-nities, support tennis programming andfoster diversity among participants. Intotal, the USTA awarded over $1 million inRecreational Tennis Grants to qualifiedapplicants in 2009.

> “Let’s Play Tennis! A Guide for Parentsand Kids by Andy Ace” is a new bookabout getting parents and their childrenstarted playing tennis together. The authorand illustrator, Patricia Egart, has coached

S H O R T S E T Syouth and high school tennis for 15 years.The book is geared to children betweenages 5 and 10. For info, call 763-438-8466or visit andyacetennis.com.

> The U.S. Fed Cup team has drawn Bel-gium as its opponent for the first round ofthe 2011 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas WorldGroup competition. The second–seededU.S. team will travel to Belgium for thematch.

> “When it comes to kids, tennis clearlyknows something that golf does not,” saysa recent Wall Street Journal article. Whilethe golf industry worries it has lost nearly amillion kids ages 6 to 17 (a 24% drop, to2.9 million), the tennis industry, concludesthe article, is an example of how to dothings right. Tennis play for that age grouphas jumped from 6.8 million to 9.5 millionin five years.

> Recently fifteen PBI pros providedinstruction for the 3-day Columbus Celebri-ty Classic Tennis Invitational in Columbus,Ga. It was the 12th consecutive year PBIpros have been involved with the event,which this year raised $345,000 for theJohn B. Amos Cancer Research Center.

> Looking for something unique for yourkid’s bedroom wall? Fathead (fathead.com)offers life-size wall graphics of tennis play-ers Andy Roddick, Tommy Haas and Alek-sandra Wozniak (among other sportscelebs).

> Wimbledon now has an official poet-in-residence. Matt Harvey was named the first“Championships Poet” and will write apoem each day on “all things Wimbledon,”attempting to capture the flavor of theevent. Verses will be published online and inpodcasts and can be about anything andeverything—play on the grass courts, rain,the roof, queuing spectators, strawberriesand cream, tantrums on the court.

> The Legends Ball, which benefits theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame & Muse-um, returns to Cipriani 42nd Street in NewYork City on Friday, Sept. 10. Contact 212-843-1740 or [email protected].

> Eric Hechtman of Miami won the men’sopen title and Marina McCollom of WestDes Moines, Iowa, won the women’s opentitle at the $10,000 USPTA Clay CourtChampionships in May.

U.S. Men Claim SixthInvacare World TeamCup Title

The U.S. Quad Team of Nick Taylor ofWichita, Kan., David Wagner of Hills-

boro, Ore., and Bryan Barten of Tucson,Ariz., led Team USA to the 2010Invacare World Team Cup title in May,defeating Israel 2-0 in the final, held inAntalya, Turkey.

The U.S. women’s team—EmmyKaiser of Fort Mitchell, Ky., Dana Math-ewson of San Diego and Hope Lewellenof Chicago—finished in sixth place inthe women’s division.

Alpha Back to Presentat GSS Symposium

Alpha Racquet Sportsannounces their plans

to return for a fourthstraight year as a sponsorof the 2010 GSS RacquetStringers Symposium inOrlando, Fla., Oct. 9-13. AlphaNational Sales Manager Mark Gonza-lez will be co-presenting a four-hourseminar titled “Machine Repair &Maintenance” with J.C. Carpentier ofTennis Machines.

“This is a must-attend event forany stringer looking to increase theirknowledge, learn new techniques,and improve their skills” says Gonza-lez, who developed the presentation.The goal is to provide hands-on learn-ing to assist stringers in the propercare of their expensive stringingmachines and diagnostic equipment.

“Mark has done a tremendous jobin putting together a very useful pres-entation for stringers who really wantto know more about taking care oftheir equipment,” says symposiumdirector Tim Strawn. “And J.C. Car-pentier of Tennis Machines is consid-ered to be one of the premiertechnicians in the world when itcomes to maintaining and repairingthe equipment we use, so we’re luckyto have him on board.”

For details and to register for thesymposium, visit grandslam-stringers.com.


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Congratulations To the FollowingFor Achieving MRT & CS Status

New MRTsColton Westran Big Rapids, MIEvan Valerie Big Rapids, MIStefano Prete Victoria, AustraliaJeff Doty Sheridan, ORDaniel Howard East Lansing, MIJames Thompson Austin, TXCraig Carter Asheville, NC

New CSsKendra Blewitt San Francisco, CASteven Summers New Haven IN

TRO Names TopResorts, Camps

Tennis Resorts Online recentlyreleased its annual rankings of

the Top 100 Tennis Resorts andCamps worldwide. Rankings, avail-able at tennisresortsonline.com,are based on reviews submitted byvacationers over the last year. Thisyear they were asked to rate theirexperience in each of 17 cate-gories.

Kiawah Island Golf Resort inSouth Carolina repeated as the No.1 Resort while the Roy EmersonTennis Weeks at the Gstaad Palacein Switzerland once again snaredNo. 1 Camp honors. Rankings arealso broken out into the best in sev-eral categories, including gamematching, tennis staff, instruction,lodging, cuisine and more.

The top 5 resorts are:1. Kiawah Island Golf Resort, S.C.2. Wild Dunes, S.C.3. Topnotch Resort and Spa, Vt.4. Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt, Austria5. Rancho Valencia, Calif.

The top camps are:1. Roy Emerson Tennis Weeks, Switzer-land

2. Vic Braden Tennis College, Utah3. New England Tennis Holidays, N.H.(recently moved to Sugarbush, Vt.)

4. Cliff Drysdale Tennis, Vt.5. Saddlebrook Tennis, Fla.

CERTIFIEDSTRINGER

U • S • R • S • A

• Former USTA President Randy Gregson of New Orleans died May23 in New Orleans. He was 91. Gregson was USTA president from1985-86, and a past president of the USTA Southern Section andthe Louisiana Tennis Association. After Hurricane Katrina, Gregsonwas instrumental in procuring grants from the USTA to helprevamp the city’s tennis courts.

• Serena and Venus Williams, both playing with Wilson K BladeTeam racquets, won the French Open doubles title, their 12thGrand Slam women’s doubles championships. The sisters are nowthe No. 1 doubles team in the world for the first time in theircareers and one of only five teams to complete a career doublesGrand Slam.

• Bob and Mike Bryan tied the all-time record for doubles titles onthe men’s tour, scoring their 61st win in mid-May. The twins arenow tied with the Australian doubles team of Mark Woodfordeand Todd Woodbridge. Ironically, by the time the Woodies areinducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July, theAmerican twins may very well have eclipsed their record.

• Gael Monfils has signed a multi-year deal with K-Swiss footwearand apparel. The world No. 20 player will be the highest rankedmen's singles player on the K-Swiss team.

• The Association of Private Clubs and Directors, along with TheBoardRoom magazine, recently honored Chuck Gill, USPTA vicepresident and tennis director at Ibis Golf & Country Club in WestPalm Beach, Fla., with its Distinguished Club Award.

• Wimbledon and French Open champion Jan Kodes of the CzechRepublic has partnered with New Chapter Press for the U.S. releaseof the book “Jan Kodes: A Journey to Glory from Behind the IronCurtain.” The coffee table book, originally published in Czech, pro-vides a narrative and illustrated history of Czech tennis through theeyes of Kodes and author Peter Kolar.

• Tennis Channel has extended its French Open relationship withJohn McEnroe through 2013. It has also re-signed French Openand US Open announcer Ted Robinson, extending his role with thenetwork through 2013.

• Jeanne G. Austin, the mother of Pam, Jeff, Doug, John and TracyAustin, and wife for 64 years of George Austin, passed away May25. She was 84 years old and lived in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.

• In May, the ITF suspended Wayne Odesnik for two years forimporting human growth hormone into Australia, an anti-dopingviolation. The ban is backdated to December and will end on Dec.28, 2011. All his results from this year will be wiped out. Odesnikpleaded guilty in March and was fined more than $7,000, and heagreed to a voluntary suspension.

• USA Racquetball’s Winter Issue of “Racquetball” Magazine wasdevoted to the women of the sport, honoring 11 of racquetball’smost influential women in 2009. Among those named wasrenowned clinician and coach Fran Davis, Head/Penn RacquetSports National Promotions Coordinator.

• Two American sophomores, Bradley Klahn of Stanford andChelsey Gullickson of Georgia, took the NCAA Division I Men’s andWomen’ singles titles in Athens, Ga. This is the second consecutiveyear that Americans have won the NCAA singles titles. Americansalso swept the doubles titles, as Virginia’s Drew Courtney andMichael Shabaz won the men’s title while Stanford’s Hilary Barteand Lindsay Burdette took the women’s.

• Former USTA Eastern Section President Dan Dwyer died May 25.He had also served as tournament director of the New York CityMayor’s Cup, and he founded the National Tennis Association forthe Disabled and the International Lichtenberg Buick-MazdaWheelchair Tennis Tournament. He was the USTA’s first WheelchairCommittee chair, and he was a member of the ITF WheelchairCommittee.


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P E O P L E W AT C H

Key Measures for Tennis Facilities Released

Tennis facility owners and operators, along with others in the industry, can now get the latest trends and data for operatinga tennis facility in the “Cost of Doing Business: Tennis Facilities” report from the TIA. The bi-annual report provides a method

for facilities to measure their performance against industry averages.The data in the CoDB report is weighted by facility size and type to match the profile of tennis facilities in the U.S. The

report contains general trends as well as data pertaining to tennis programming and facility operational costs. Also included isdata on facility membership, dues, court usage fees and more.

“As a facility operator, you can see where your tennis facility may be outperforming the industry and where you may havechallenges or can improve,” says TIA Executive Director Jolyn de Boer. “Comparing your operations to industry-wide averageswill help you identify opportunities to maximize growth and profitability.”

For tennis facilities in 2009, the cost of doing business analysis indicates many positive results, mixed with some outcomesthat reflect the nature of operating a business in a down economy. The good news for tennis facilities, though, is that averagerevenue per court is up 18% since 2005 and the retention rate of introductory programs for new players/beginners is high, at65%.

For more information or to obtain a copy of the CoDB report, email [email protected] or call the TIA at 866-686-3036. For more on research available from the TIA, visit www.tennisindustry.org.


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


Division IMenNational Assistant Coach of the Year - Will Glenn,GeorgiaITA/Farnsworth National Senior Player of the Year -Robert Farah, USCNational Rookie of the Year - Henrique Cunha, DukeNational Player to Watch - Austin Krajicek, TexasA&MITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sports-manship - Jason Jung, MichiganITA/Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award - John-Patrick Smith, TennesseeWomenNational Assistant Coach of the Year - Dave Balogh,FloridaNational Senior Player of the Year - Caitlin Who-riskey, TennesseeNational Rookie of the Year - Lauren Embree, FloridaNational Player to Watch - Hilary Barte, StanfordITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sports-manship - Catherine Newman, VanderbiltITA/Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship - CameronEllis, Georgia

Division IIMenWilson/ITA Coach of the Year - John Hansen, Valdos-ta State Univ.Assistant Coach of the Year - Daniel Rockhill, Con-cordia College NYPlayer of the Year - Alex Grubin, Concordia CollegeNYRookie Player of the Year - Leandro Ferreira, Univ. ofWest FloridaPlayer to Watch - Dilshod Sharifi, Francis MarionUniv.ITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sports-manship - Lorenzo Cava, Bentley Univ.WomenWilson/ITA Coach of the Year - Pablo Montana, Cali-fornia Univ. of PAAssistant Coach of the Year - David Secker, Arm-strong Atlantic State Univ.Player of the Year - Jenny Chin, BYU-HawaiiRookie Player of the Year - Barbi Pocza, Barry Univ.Player to Watch - Alida Muller-Wehlau, ArmstrongAtlantic State Univ.ITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sports-manship - Natalia Ramos, Florida Institute ofTechnology

COLLEGE TENNIS ROUNDUP - ITA Inducts 10 Into Men’s Hall of Fame

Division IIIMenWilson/ITA National Coach of the Year - AndrewGirard, Carnegie Mellon Univ.National Assistant Coach of the Year - Brendan Kin-caid, Salisbury Univ.National Senior Player of the Year - John Watts,

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) inducted 10 members into the ITAMen's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame during the NCAA Division I Men's TennisChampionships in May. The ITA HoF is located on the University of Georgia campusin Athens.

The Class of 2010 consists of five players, one player/coach, three coaches andone contributor. Players are Mahesh Bhupathi (Ole Miss), Daniel Courcol (Mississip-pi State), Zan Guerry (Rice), Rodney Harmon (Tennessee/SMU) and Leif Shiras(Princeton). The player/coach inductee is Jay Lapidus (Princeton/Duke). The coaches

are Kent DeMars (South Carolina), Craig Tiley (Illinois) and Steve Wilkinson (Gus-tavus Adolphus). The contributor inductee Gordon Smith (Georgia).

In other ITA news, Lauren Lui of Northwestern University and Daniel Canellas ofthe University of Alabama-Huntsville have been selected as the 2010Wilson/ITANational Promoter of the Year Award winners. The award recognizes individualswho promote the game at the collegiate level. Both student-athletes have beenselected to receive a paid summer internship at Wilson's global headquarters inChicago.

ITA NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS

Division III (cont.)Washington Univ.-St. LouisNational Rookie of the Year - Mark Kahan, Amherst CollegeNational Player to Watch - Austin Chafetz, Amherst CollegeITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship -Matt De Vlieger, Calvin CollegeWomenWilson/ITA National Coach of the Year - Marty Perry, Univ.ofChicagoNational Assistant Coach of the Year - Jason Box, Bates Col-legeCo-National Senior Player of the Year - Grace Baljon,WilliamsCollege, and Siobhan Finicane, Pomona-Pitzer CollegesNational Rookie of the Year - Kate Klein,Washington Univ.-St. LouisNational Player to Watch - Ellen Yeatman,Washington andLeeITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship -Julia Browne, Tufts Univ.

NAIAMenWilson/ITA Coach of the Year - Kris Miller, Oklahoma ChristianUniv.Assistant Coach of the Year - David Goodman, Azusa Pacific Univ.Player of the Year - Matthijs Bolsius, Azusa Pacific Univ.Rookie Player of the Year - Martin Poboril, Oklahoma ChristianUniv.Player to Watch - Joel Myers, Point Loma Nazarene Univ.ITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship - Oliv-er Sindayigaya, Lewis-Clark State CollegeWomenWilson/ITA Coach of the Year - Rich Hills, Point Loma NazareneUniv.Assistant Coach of the Year - Viviana Yrureta, Oklahoma ChrisitianPlayer of the Year - Natasa Zoricic, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ.Rookie Player of the Year - Caroline Nilsson, Embry-Riddle Aero-nautical Univ.Player to Watch - Gabriela Bergmanova, Vanguard Univ.ITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship -Sheryl Bon, Azusa Pacific Univ.

INDUSTRYNEW

SJ U L Y 2 0 1 0


Letters

Great job on the “Teaching Assistance” article in theJune RSI. It was very well written and brought tolight all of the opinions, facts and views of bothorganizations and industry leaders. You were verydiplomatic and skillful in not taking sides or leadingto any conclusions before action is taken.

Kirk AndersonNew Fairfield, Conn.

Compliments on your "State Of The Industry" arti-cles. Very well done. As a teaching pro, the story inthe June issue is of particular interest. But I do thinka comparison between golf and tennis is not as sig-nificant as it sometimes is made out to be.

The whole "access" issue separates the twosports. What do I mean? I can print business cards,go to a public tennis facility and advertise myself asa “tennis teaching pro." How many golf courses canone just show up and start teaching or advertise thatthey are a "golf pro?" Not many, if any at all. Rightor wrong, anyone can call themselves a tennis pro.

Furthermore, I do not see the PGA trying to pro-mote one standard teaching method for the sport.Should the USPTA and PTR decide to join forces, theyshould take a similar approach. Focus on ways togrow the sport, make it more fun, etc. Minimize oreliminate a "teaching method" as a point ofemphasis.

[Name Withheld]Southern California

Your recent efforts to candidly discuss tennis partici-pation challenges are much appreciated. In particular,I really liked your piece concerning a possible mergerof the USPTA and PTR. Great work!

Kevin TheosTennis Service Representative-Alabama

One Teaching Pro Group or Two?

We welcome your letters and comments. Please limit letters to 300 words maximum. Email them to [email protected] or fax them to 760-536-1171.

In March, I attended the USTA Semi-Annual meet-ing in Dallas, where USTA Executive Director Gor-don Smith shared some interesting statistics. Didyou know that by the year 2040, 50% of the U.S.population, under 18, will be 50% white and 50%non-white? In the year 2010, babies born in theU.S. will be 50% white and 50% non-white.

My point in sharing those stats has nothing todo with our population makeup. It has to do withthe next generation of industry leaders beingproactive to their surroundings. I’ve been spend-ing a great deal of time recruiting young peopleto teaching tennis. The average age of a tennisteaching pro is 46. That’s a depressing statisticsince our game is growing in participation, butsoon we will not have anyone to teach it.

As I speak to groups of teaching pros, I empha-size to them the need to be current. Generally, Ifind most teachers are on the court 30 to 35 hoursa week and for the most part, totally disengagedfrom the operations of their clubs and also theirmembers. If a teacher is 35 now, I believe he orshe can teach 30 to 35 hours for maybe 10 yearsbefore burnout, injuries and boredom set in.

To avoid this, I recommend teachers take timeto learn a second language (Spanish would be agood bet) and take some accounting and comput-er classes. Learning a bit about other cultures alsocould be your ticket to longevity in the business.Survey your club today and envision what the cul-tural makeup will be in 10 years.

Change is inevitable, and if our game is to con-tinue its growth curve, then we as an industrymust embrace change and not fight it.

Denny SchackterTennis Priorities Company

(www.tennispriorities.com)

Teaching Pros: Plan for the Future

Gamma Launches New TNT2 Touch String

Gamma Sports has launched its newest addition to the TNT2 string line, the Touch. The TNT2 Touch is thefirst multifilament string with the Gamma patented TNT process."Many players spend hundreds of dollars to buy a new racquet every few years looking for a competitive

edge,” says Chuck Vietmeier, national sales manager for Gamma. “Little do they know that they can get asignificant boost in their play simply by using quality strings. Players will really see a difference in theirgame when they start playing with the new TNT Touch.”

As part of the product roll-out, Gamma wants to hear what players have to say about TNT2 Touch. UntilJuly 31, Gamma will run the “Feel the Touch Difference” contest. Registrants will get the chance to win$500 in Gamma Sports products. For contest information, visit gammasports.com/tnt2touch.

16 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY July 2010 Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org

‘Roadmap for a Healthy Sport’The fourth annual TIA Tennis Forum, with the theme, “Roadmap for a Healthy Sport,” willbe Tuesday, Aug. 31, at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. The Tennis Forum, presented byTennis Magazine, will be from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. in the Manhattan Ballroom and is free and

open to all in the industry.Held in conjunction with the 40th Annual USTA Tennis

Teachers Conference, the Forum will present the latest newsabout the state of the tennis industry, including participationgrowth, equipment sales data, grassroots initiatives and more.

Importantly, the Forum will outline pathways to increasingthe number of frequent players in the U.S., ways to better define and boost the economicgrowth and impact of the tennis industry, and effective ways to distribute clear, consistentmessaging of health, fitness and the reasons to play tennis.

The USTA Tennis Teachers Conference runs from Aug. 28 to 31 and is a leading resourcefor teaching professionals, organizers and coaches and includes presentations and semi-nars, an exhibitor area, and opportunities for tennis teachers to network.

For more information about the TIA Tennis Forum, visit TennisIndustry.org/Forum.

J U L Y 2 0 1 0

While the TIA Tennis Forum isfree for all, please register atTennisIndustry.org/Forum, oremail [email protected].

First-Quarter Shipments ReboundWhile first-quarter TIA racquet census reports showed racquet shipments flat (1.1%increase over same period ’09), wholesale dollars for the quarter were up 19%, reflect-ing a growing trend in performance racquet demand and increasing price points. TIACensus reports also showed unit shipments of balls (6.2%) and strings (8.0%) up for thesame quarter. At pro/specialty, racquets have been increasing monthly from 4% in Janu-ary to a high of 18% in April compared to sales in 2009.

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOTTennis Welcome Centers: 2,742Cardio Tennis: 1,776QuickStart Tennis: 1,602Consumer Queries: 4 million monthlySearchable Events: 100,000Online Court Reservations: 2 million

2010 Tennis Industry Hall of Fameto be Announced at ForumAlso at this year’s Tennis Forum, the 2010 inductees into the Tennis IndustryHall of Fame will be announced. The TI Hall of Fame was created in 2008 torecognize individuals who havemade a significant impact on thesport, from the 1960s to the present.Nominations are made in four cate-gories: inventors, founders, innova-tors and contributors. For moreinformation about the Tennis Indus-try Hall of Fame, visit TennisIndus-try.org/hof.

The first TI Hall of Fame inductees were Dennis Vander Meer and Howard Head; 2009’s sole inducteewas Alan Schwartz. Plaques of Tennis Industry Hallof Fame inductees are on display at the Interna-tional Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.

Van der Meer Head Schwartz

TIA TENNIS FORUM

July 2010 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 17Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org

TennisConnect: ‘Components’Provide Just What You NeedTennisConnect provides access to affordable, reliable customer-servicefunctions such as online player matching, event enrollment, court reser-vations, group email and more. While you can still purchase TennisCon-

nect in its “bundled” form, it hasnow been broken out into “compo-nents” that are far more cost-effec-tive than “going it alone.” TCworks with any existing websiteand allows tennis providers thechoice to purchase and use justwhat they need.

Available components include: Contact Manager and Find-A-Game,Group Email, eCalendar, Tennis Court Scheduler,Web Page Builder, StringCenter, Demo Racquet Center, TennisCollect, and Web Site Builder, withfuture plans for a league/ladder component as well as a Quickbooks-inte-grated POS software and hardware system. TennisConnect currently hasmore than 200,000 registered users.

You can connect with your players through technology starting atabout a dollar a day. To learn more, visit TennisConnect.com.

TOOLS & RESOURCES

CareersInTennis.com:For Job-Seekers & EmployersAttracting more young talent into this industry is a key goal, and the freeCareers In Tennis website does just that. Employers—in all areas of thetennis industry—can post positions they’re lookingto fill, including internships, and job-seekers can postresumes and letters. The CareersInTennis.com siteincludes information and descriptions of jobs andcareer paths in the tennis industry, tennis teaching certifications and ten-nis management degree programs. The site is designed to promote morefinancially attractive and stable job opportunities and to create greaterawareness of the importance of hiring only certified teaching pros.

GrowingTennis.com:Programs, Information and ResourcesRegistration, administration and fulfillment for Tennis Welcome Centers,Cardio Tennis, QuickStart Tennis and the GrowingTennis 50/50 Co-opFunding program are easy through the Growing Tennis System. With 4million consumer queries monthly, more and more facilities are postingprograms and information for free so customers canfind them. Meanwhile, managers, owners and teach-ing pros are using the free tools and resources tohelp their businesses. Update your information, orregister in the 20,000-facility database now, atGrowingTennis.com.

Facility Manager andRetailer Business ManualsBusiness resources on GrowingTennis.com includea “Facility Manager’s Manual” and a “Retailer’sManual”—both free and available to download inwhole or part. The Facility Manager’s Manual, writ-ten by longtime club manager Rod Heckelman,covers all the topics that a manager or tennisdirector needs to know about to effectively, efficiently and profitably runa tennis facility. The Retailer’s Manual organizes the experiences of manyretailers to cover topics critical to running an effective and profitable ten-nis retail operation.

Cost of Doing Business–Facilities:Latest Trends, Data & PerformanceAmong the 80+ research reports available fromthe TIA is the bi-annual “Cost of Doing Business:Tennis Facilities” report, which provides a methodfor facilities to measure their performanceagainst industry averages, identifying opportuni-ties to maximize growth and profitability. Amongrecent data is the fact that average revenue percourt is up 18% since 2005 and the retentionrate of introductory programs for new play-ers/beginners is high, at 65%. Other findings include average member-ship prices, both for tennis-only and all-inclusive memberships, havedecreased since 2007, down 15% and 25% respectively. For info or toobtain a copy of the CoDB report, email [email protected],call 866-686-3036 or visit www.TennisIndustry.org.TennisInsure: Safeguarding Your Business

TennisInsure is a comprehensive insurance program created specificallyfor the tennis industry. Tennis facilities and clubs, employees, manufac-turers, retailers, and court contractors can now receive industry-specificbusiness insurance solutions with great rates through NetQuotes.comand Aflac. The TennisInsure™ Program will give you the opportunity tocompare competitive rates and coverage from some of the most rep-utable insurance companies in the industry. Visit TennisInsure.com for afree quote.

Stay Informed About YOUR Industry!To receive the TIA’s monthly newsletter,sign up at TennisIndustry.org/Contact.

Download the PlayTennis WidgetPut the PlayTennis widget on your website now,and consumers will quickly be able to find pro-grams, places to play, retailers, demo racquets,game-matching, coaching and more. To down-load the widget, visit TennisIndustry.org.

Pioneers In Tennis


ho was Gene Scott? Askany number of people andyou'll get any number of

answers. He was an outstanding play-er, an outspoken publisher, a mentorto young athletes, a tournament direc-tor, a prolific writer and a passionateadvocate for what he considered thepurity of the game. He was a devotedfamily man. And he was more."Tennis insiders thought of Gene

as a dynamic figure, a cataclysmic fig-ure," says his longtime friend DonaldDell. "And I think, honestly, that therewere lots and lots of people whoknew about Gene Scott but not a lotof people who really knew him."In the 1960s, Scott was a world-

ranked tennis player, a fierce com-petitor with a strong serve-and-volleygame who reached the quarterfinalsof the French championships and thesemis of the U.S. Championships. Hewas rated in the U.S. top 10 a total offive times, and at one point was No.11 in the world.Dell, whose experiences with Scott

date back to their three years togetheron the Yale varsity tennis team, to thepro tour, and to their enrollment atthe University of Virginia law school,may have a more comprehensiveview of Scott's athletic prowess thanmost people."Gene was maybe the best athlete

who ever went to Yale, and I say thatvery knowledgeably," says Dell. “Wewould play tennis, then after eachmatch, Gene would run across thestreet and high-jump with the trackteam, and he would win. Finally, thetrack coach said, 'Gene, you're mak-ing a mockery of this. You're not evenpracticing, and you're winning. Youhave to choose what you want to do.'He chose tennis, but if he hadn't, hewould have graduated easily with 12letters in three years."By 1969, Scott was still playing,

W

"Pioneers in Tennis," an occasional column in RSI, draws attention to trailblazers in the sport. Have someone to suggest?E-mail [email protected].

Gene ScottA dynamic figure for the sport.

but had turned his attentions to thefuture of the game. He was a co-founderof the National Junior Tennis League,where he mentored young playersincluding John McEnroe.In the 1970s, he was the face and

voice that the public associated with ten-nis. In 1973, he served as a televisioncommentator for the Billie JeanKing-Bobby Riggs match. In 1974,he founded Tennis Week magazine,and gained great notoriety as acolumnist who became in thewords of Dell, "the conscience ofthe game." He wrote 20 books andinnumerable magazine articles, andproduced TV documentaries, on thesport. Between 1973 and 1977,Scott won five consecutive U.S.Open Championships in “court ten-nis,” the original game upon whichthe modern sport of tennis is built,and in 2000, he was elected to theCourt Tennis Hall of Fame.Scott's outspoken approach and

bombastic attitude could keep peo-ple at a distance, says Bobbie Faig,who worked with him for 29 yearsboth on the magazine and in thedevelopment and administration of protournaments. "He was difficult, no ques-tion," laughs Faig, "but working withhim was an unbelievable experience. Hewas always challenging you to learnmore, and to be better."Scott spent two years on the USTA's

board of directors, she added, "but I feltlike he was too outspoken and toostrong for them. I think he actuallyscared people."By the 1990s, Scott had married

Polly Eastbrook. "He was 57 when wehad our first child and 59 when we hadour second," says Polly Scott, "and Ihave to say I don't think he was quiteprepared for it in terms of what he felt,and in terms of how much he felt. Atthat point, he had devoted the first 57years of his life to tennis. But when he

had his first child, it was a game-chang-er. He loved every minute of being ahusband and a father."In 2006, at age 68, Scott died sud-

denly of previously undiagnosed amyloi-dosis, a rare illness in which proteinfiber deposits impair the heart.“I miss so much the lively discus-

sions we used to have about issues intennis and how to perpetuate thegame,” says Ray Benton, former presi-dent of Pro-Serv who is now the CEO ofthe Tennis Center at College Park inMaryland. “Things still come up, and Ithink, 'I'd like to talk about that withGene.’”

"The children were so young whenhe died," says Polly, "and I know theyremember him as a father, and I knowthat tennis is very much interwoven intoour family life. I hope that one day, Samand Lucy go to the International TennisHall of Fame and see the plaque there[Scott was inducted in 2008], and toYale and see the court that is dedicatedto their father."Her voice catches. "If I've done an

inadequate job of telling them the story,they will know about their father'simportant and significant contributions,about how much he had given to tennis,and how much the sport gave back tothem. That was the cycle of it, and weare all the very proud beneficiaries ofthat special process."

—Mary Helen Sprecher �


R E V E N U E G E N E R A T I O N

HAPPYCAMPERSA tennis camp at your facility can be a valuable source of revenuein tough economic times. B Y B R U C E K N I T T L E

In today’s chaotic economic environment, we’re all looking toincrease revenues and keep our businesses healthy. If you ownor direct a tennis facility, you might be worried about declining

membership, decreasing pro shop sales, and the loss of league orclinic proceeds. But one valuable source of revenue—which fre-quently is overlooked—are tennis and sports camps.

If organized properly, camps can provide a reliable basis forimproving your profitability. Whether you already run camps atyour facility, and especially if you don’t, these suggestions canimprove your overall bottom line and, in the process, help youestablish quality camps at your site.

Even when a family’s budget is tight, parents will spendmoney on their children. When it comes to camps, parents wanttheir kids to go to the best, just as they want them to be at qualityschools. Yes, cost usually is a factor, but parents often will makenecessary sacrifices to locate the appropriate camp for theirchildren.

A tennis facility can accommodate these parents by being flex-ible in the fees charged, weeks when camps are offered, and typesof camps available. This makes it easier to attend the programs atconvenient times, and for the right price. For instance, offercamps in different sessions, with weekend and nightly programs.

You can run adult and kids camps, with different price ranges.This flexibility gives potential customers choices to find whatwould fit their budgets, and it gives you numerous avenues toincrease capital.

In today’s economy, many people aren’t taking expensivevacations. Instead, they’ll attend an affordable camp where theywill enjoy great fitness and fun. Facilities need to market theircamps as a wonderful, enjoyable option to save money.

To maximize revenues, try to have more than one camp. If

your facility has space, bringing other camps into your venue isan excellent way to increase revenue. College athletic facilities areprime examples of this. Frequently, these sports venues willattract numerous camps over the summer, and the schools areable to generate considerable income. As a tennis facility, you canemulate this concept, but on a smaller scale. The camps you bringin can be charged rent, or you can have a profit-sharingarrangement.

With these additional camps, new people will visit your club,increasing the likelihood of potential customers for other pro-grams. You should have an arrangement with these outsidegroups to be able to market what your facility offers.

ESTABLISHING A TENNIS CAMP� Make a commitment: Whether you house a camp already or

are thinking of starting one, form a business plan, get a missionstatement and determine how viable it is. If it looks good, thenyou’ll need to commit your full energy going forward.

� Treat camps as a separate business: Even though camps willoften be part of a tennis facility, and directed by similar individ-uals, there needs to be differentiation. These points will beaddressed further, but suffice it to say that the camp and facili-ty need to be treated as two distinct entities; to make a campsuccessful, it needs to be a business unto itself. If you simplythink of the camp as something on the side—an addendum tothe other business—you’ll fail. If you can’t put your full energiesinto it, put someone else in charge who has the time andknowledge.

� Licensing and accreditation: All camps need to be licensed andneed to have a permit to operate. Each state is responsible for

HAPPYCAMPERS


camp licensing, and usually it is the state’s Department of Health,or a similar agency, that takes care of this. The process of licens-ing should be started early on, because often it involves a gooddeal of paperwork. But with a licensed camp, you put yourselfout there as a professional operation and gain in credibility. Youshould also get your camp accredited with a professional camporganization, such as the American Camp Association. This willfurther your camp’s reputation.

� Get insurance: Take care of this early on. Liability insurance isimperative, and you want it separate from the insurance that cov-ers your facility. Property coverage, and transportation insur-ance, may also need to be explored. There are insurance brokerswho specialize in camps, and I would recommend dealing withthem. Workers compensation and disability insurance will alsobe required. Each state has its own regulations with regard tothese two types of insurance.

� Employees, not independent contractors: Your instructors andcounselors should be treated as employees, not independentcontractors. You are in control of their hours and are directingthem on how to perform their duties.

MARKETING YOUR CAMPOnce the basics of setting up are completed, then the task of mar-keting your camp begins. At the outset, when you were formulat-ing the business plan, a marketing plan should also beincorporated in the process. This is a strategy to help guide you for-ward with the business of finding campers.

Some elements that work best when marketing a camp includedirect mailing, advertising, internet marketing, and referrals fromclients. Having a website that is simple to navigate and highlightsyour camp’s features is essential. Increasingly, people seek campsthrough the internet and want the ease of online registration.

To gain enrollment, make sure you contact everyone who is aparticipant at your club, involved in any of the programs, or is astaff member. This can be by brochure or letter highlighting thecamp, and through email and email newsletters. These will oftenbe your first customers, and they frequently bring their friends andrelatives with them.

One vehicle that has worked well is local and regional maga-zines for parents, which often have camp guides. Newspapers alsomay have a bulletin section where you can advertise your camp forfree. When I ran my camp, I was amazed at how many individu-als responded from this section.

The best way to increase enrollment is to be professional ineverything you do at your facility. People see how trustworthy youare, and they will want to send their children to your programs.Having an excellent reputation for integrity will do more to estab-lish your camp in years to come than anything else. Isn’t this howwe all want to be perceived when building a business? �

Bruce Knittle is president of the sports consulting firm Knittle SportsSolutions (www.knittlesportssolutions.com). A former sports campowner, he also was a college head coach and directed sports pro-grams for many years. He can be reached at [email protected].

Silent Partner Sport (Edge Series)

2 0 1 0 G U I D E T O B A L L M A C H I N E S

FIND YOURBALL MACHINEFor 2010, new machines from Lobsterand Silent Partner and Sports Tutorjoin the list.

Anyone who's been thinking about buying a ball machine will be excitedto hear that the USRSA has updated its Ball Machine Selection Guide for2010. This is the only source anywhere that allows ball machine buy-

ers to compare the features from all the different brands in one easy-to-useguide.

Three new machines have been added to the 2010 guide - oneeach from Lobster, Silent Partner, and Sports Tutor. To see how theycompare to all the other ball machines available, check out the charton pages 24 and 25. You'll see the specs for the 3 new machinesprinted in red.

Remember, many machines offer options that can be added at thetime of purchase. We list all the features that come standard witheach machine, but we also list all the options available, along with thecost of adding each. —David Bone �

Lobster Elite Grandslam V Limited Edition

FIND YOURBALL MACHINE


Sports Tutor Tennis Cube

Sports Tutorsportstutor.com800-448-8867

Super Coachtennismachine.com408-660-1173


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Grand Slam PC $8,995 3 35” x 21” x 38” 300 110 X 1 - 10 120 X X X X X X 8 ∞ X X X X X X X X X X X $4,395 $85.15 X

I-SAM $684 1 19” x 17.5” x 18” 250 34 X 2 - 8 65 X X X $112 X X 12 X X X X X 13, 14Professional Portable 1 $1,073 1 19.5” x 16” x 21.5” 300 48 X 2 - 8 75 X X X X $112 X X 15 X X X X X X 14, 15 Professional Portable 4 $1,749 1 19.5” x 16” x 21.5” 300 48 X 2 - 8 75 X X X X X 2 $112 X X 15 X X X X X X X X 14, 15 Sport $3,595 3 35” x 25” x 50” 250 87 X 1.5 - 8 85 X X X X X 3 X X X X 16Coach $3,975 3 35” x 25” x 50” 250 87 X 1.5 - 8 85 X X X X X 6 X X X X X 16

Boomer $14,450 2 38.5” x 31” x 21.5” 300 124 X 1.0 - 10 100 X X X X X 30 1000 X X X X X X X X X X $3,895 X X 17

Lite (Edge Series) $799 1 24” x 22” x 16” 200 35 X 1.5 - 10 95 X X X X X 9 X $40 XSport (Edge Series) $949 1 24” x 22” x 16” 200 46 X 1.5 - 10 95 X X X X X 21 X $40 XStar (Edge Series) $1,099 1 24” x 22” x 16” 200 46 X 1.5 - 10 95 X X X X $249 $100 X 21 X X X X $40 XRival (Scoop Series) $1,399 1 28” x 22” x 18” 300 48 X 1.5 - 10 95 X X X X 3 $249 $100 X 21 X X X X X X $60 X 23

Ace Attack $5,999 1 34” x 53” x 127” 200 150 X 1.5 - 12 110 X X X X X 4 X $300 X X $200 X

Tennis Twist $229 1 10” x 11” x 23” 28 11 5 15 X X X 6 D Cells

Tennis Tutor ProLite - Basic $649 1 12” x 19.5” x 18” 125 22 X 1.5 - 10 60 X X X X X $50 9 X X $70 X $35 Tennis Tutor ProLite $749 1 12” x 19.5” x 18” 125 29 X 1.5 - 10 60 X X X X X $50 9 X X $70 X $35 18Tennis Tutor $1,049 1 12” x 19.5” x 20” 150 42 X 1.5 - 12 85 X X X 4 X $50 X 18 X X $200 X X $35 X 18, 19Tennis Tutor - Plus $1,249 1 20” x 19.5” x 20” 150 46 X 1.5 - 12 85 X X X X 4 X $50 X 18 X X $200 X X $35 X 18, 19, 20a

Tennis Tutor - Plus Player $1,649 1 20” x 19.5” x 20” 150 46 X 1.5 - 12 85 X X X X 5 X X X X $50 X 18 X X $200 X X X $35 X 19, 19, 20b, 22a

Tennis Tower $1,275 1 44” x 23” x 22” 225 60 X 1.5 - 8 85 X X $270 X 4 X $200 X X X XTennis Tower - Pro Player $2,195 1 44” x 23” x 22” 225 60 X 1.5 - 8 85 X X X X 5 X X X X X X X X XShot Maker - Standard $3,100 2 38.5” x 31” x 21.5” 300 96 X 1 - 6 95 X X X X X 3 X $200 X X X XShot Maker - Deluxe $4,200 2 38.5” x 31” x 21.5” 300 96 X 1 - 6 95 X X X X X 6 X X X X X X X X 22bWilson Portable $1,095 1 22” x 14” x 20” 110 38 X 1.5 - 10 75 X X X X $200 2 $50 X 12 X X $200 X X $35 X 18Tennis Cube $499 1 15” x 12” x 13” 70 24 X 2 - 10 50 X X X $100 X 6 X X 18

SuperCoach $11,465 1 36” x 27” x 22” 200/300 121 X 1.4 - 5.6 65 X X X X X 30 32 X X X X X X X X X X 21

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Triple-Oscillation / 1d - Triple-Osciillation + 2-Line Narrow, Wide2 - Fast charger $993 - 3 Pre-Programmed Court Drills (6 ball sequence per drill) 3 Positional

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6 - Oscillation Upgrade $199, Remote Control Upgrade $275 7 - 6-Hour Non-Memory Battery Upgrade $149, 3-Hour Rapid

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11 - Genie PC Conversion Box $375012 - Grand Slam PC Conversion Box $375013 - Extra Heavy Duty Battery $35, Wireless Remote $10014 - 110/220 Volt AC converter $112, Water Resistant Cloth Storage Cover $6815 - Lob Enhancer $30, adjustable oscillation width16 - Ships via FedEx Gnd, Feeds Balls from 30" above ground17 - Plays Games, Rates Shots, Uses a Camera, Talks to Players, Cordless Headphone System ($500 or

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Elite Freedom $799 2 24” x 16” x 19” 150 30 X 2 - 12 70 X X X X 8.5* X X X $49 X 1a, 2Elite Grandslam IV $1,899 2 24” x 16” x 19” 150 44 X 2 - 9 80 X X X X X X X X X 18** X X $300 X X X $49 X 3Elite 1 $1,049 2 24” x 16” x 19” 150 42 X 2 - 12 80 X X X X X 18** X X $169 X X $49 X 1b, 2Elite 2 $1,299 2 24” x 16” x 19” 150 44 X 2 - 12 80 X X X X X X X 18** X X $169 X X $49 X 1c, 2Elite 3 $1,549 2 24” x 16” x 19” 150 44 X 2 - 12 80 X X X X X X X 18** X X $169 X X $49 X 1d, 2Elite Grandslam V $2,199 2 24” x 16” x 19” 150 44 X 2 - 9 80 X X X X X 6 6 X X X X X X 18** X X $300 X X X $49 X 4Elite Grandslam V Limited Edition $2,799 2 24” x 16” x 19” 150 44 X 2 - 9 80 X X X X X 6 6 X X X X X X 18** X X X X X X $49 X 5

Half-Volley $1,195 2 19” x 21” x 25” 200 42 X 1 - 10 80 X X X X X 7 X X X X $85.15 X 6, 7Volley $1,695 2 19” x 21” x 25” 200 46 X 1 - 10 80 X X X X X 2 X 15 X X X X X $85.15 X 7Ace $3,495 3 35” x 21” x 38” 200 85 X 1 - 10 95 X X X X 3 X X X X X X $4,395 $85.15 XSmash $4,395 3 35” x 21” x 38” 300 85 X 1 - 10 95 X X X X X 7 X X X X X X $4,395 $85.15 X 9, 10, 11Deuce $5,195 3 35” x 21” x 38” 300 85 X 1 - 10 95 X X X X X 7 X X X X X X X X X X X $4,395 $85.15 X 8, 10, 11Genie $5,995 3 35” x 21” x 38” 300 85 X 1 - 10 95 X X X X X 7 X X X X X X X X X X X $4,395 $85.15 X 8, 9, 11Genie PC $7,820 3 35” x 21” x 38” 300 85 X 1 - 10 95 X X X X X 8 ∞ X X X X X X X X X X X $4,395 $85.15 X 8, 9, 10Grand Slam $7,495 3 35” x 21” x 38” 300 110 X 1 - 10 120 X X X X X X 7 X X X X X X X X X X X $4,395 $85.15 X 8, 9, 10, 12

Grand Slam PC $8,995 3 35” x 21” x 38” 300 110 X 1 - 10 120 X X X X X X 8 ∞ X X X X X X X X X X X $4,395 $85.15 X

I-SAM $684 1 19” x 17.5” x 18” 250 34 X 2 - 8 65 X X X $112 X X 12 X X X X X 13, 14Professional Portable 1 $1,073 1 19.5” x 16” x 21.5” 300 48 X 2 - 8 75 X X X X $112 X X 15 X X X X X X 14, 15 Professional Portable 4 $1,749 1 19.5” x 16” x 21.5” 300 48 X 2 - 8 75 X X X X X 2 $112 X X 15 X X X X X X X X 14, 15 Sport $3,595 3 35” x 25” x 50” 250 87 X 1.5 - 8 85 X X X X X 3 X X X X 16Coach $3,975 3 35” x 25” x 50” 250 87 X 1.5 - 8 85 X X X X X 6 X X X X X 16

Boomer $14,450 2 38.5” x 31” x 21.5” 300 124 X 1.0 - 10 100 X X X X X 30 1000 X X X X X X X X X X $3,895 X X 17

Lite (Edge Series) $799 1 24” x 22” x 16” 200 35 X 1.5 - 10 95 X X X X X 9 X $40 XSport (Edge Series) $949 1 24” x 22” x 16” 200 46 X 1.5 - 10 95 X X X X X 21 X $40 XStar (Edge Series) $1,099 1 24” x 22” x 16” 200 46 X 1.5 - 10 95 X X X X $249 $100 X 21 X X X X $40 XRival (Scoop Series) $1,399 1 28” x 22” x 18” 300 48 X 1.5 - 10 95 X X X X 3 $249 $100 X 21 X X X X X X $60 X 23

Ace Attack $5,999 1 34” x 53” x 127” 200 150 X 1.5 - 12 110 X X X X X 4 X $300 X X $200 X

Tennis Twist $229 1 10” x 11” x 23” 28 11 5 15 X X X 6 D Cells

Tennis Tutor ProLite - Basic $649 1 12” x 19.5” x 18” 125 22 X 1.5 - 10 60 X X X X X $50 9 X X $70 X $35 Tennis Tutor ProLite $749 1 12” x 19.5” x 18” 125 29 X 1.5 - 10 60 X X X X X $50 9 X X $70 X $35 18Tennis Tutor $1,049 1 12” x 19.5” x 20” 150 42 X 1.5 - 12 85 X X X 4 X $50 X 18 X X $200 X X $35 X 18, 19Tennis Tutor - Plus $1,249 1 20” x 19.5” x 20” 150 46 X 1.5 - 12 85 X X X X 4 X $50 X 18 X X $200 X X $35 X 18, 19, 20a

Tennis Tutor - Plus Player $1,649 1 20” x 19.5” x 20” 150 46 X 1.5 - 12 85 X X X X 5 X X X X $50 X 18 X X $200 X X X $35 X 19, 19, 20b, 22a

Tennis Tower $1,275 1 44” x 23” x 22” 225 60 X 1.5 - 8 85 X X $270 X 4 X $200 X X X XTennis Tower - Pro Player $2,195 1 44” x 23” x 22” 225 60 X 1.5 - 8 85 X X X X 5 X X X X X X X X XShot Maker - Standard $3,100 2 38.5” x 31” x 21.5” 300 96 X 1 - 6 95 X X X X X 3 X $200 X X X XShot Maker - Deluxe $4,200 2 38.5” x 31” x 21.5” 300 96 X 1 - 6 95 X X X X X 6 X X X X X X X X 22bWilson Portable $1,095 1 22” x 14” x 20” 110 38 X 1.5 - 10 75 X X X X $200 2 $50 X 12 X X $200 X X $35 X 18Tennis Cube $499 1 15” x 12” x 13” 70 24 X 2 - 10 50 X X X $100 X 6 X X 18

SuperCoach $11,465 1 36” x 27” x 22” 200/300 121 X 1.4 - 5.6 65 X X X X X 30 32 X X X X X X X X X X 21


S P E C I A L R E P O R T : S T A T E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y

FACILITY MANAGEMENTWhether large or small, public or private, tennis facility owners andmanagers face many common challenges.BY MARY HE L EN SPRECHERAdd i t i o n a l r e p o r t i n g b y P e t e r F r a n c e s c o n i

In terms of tennis facilities, there are no terms—or at least nonethat seem to apply in every situation. Across the U.S., facilitiesvary widely in player demographics, staff size and budget. They

may be public or municipal, commercial or private, with courtsthat are hard or soft (or both), indoor or outdoor, bare bones orwell-appointed and receiving extensive daily maintenance. Theymay be tennis-only, or they may be part of larger complexes thatinclude everything from exercise rooms to golf to squash to swim-ming pools to day spas.

Just about the only common denominator is that in tennisfacilities, managers and owners have multiple responsibilities.The same person who is on the court giving a lesson at 2 p.m.may be cloistered in his or her office by 4 p.m., sweating over a

balance sheet and keepingone eye on the clock becauseat 5 p.m., a potential teach-ing pro is going to presentherself for a job interview.For them, the state of theindustry is all about beingready for the next challenge,and their days are full ofthose.

This constant need todiversify, says Dan Santorum, executive director of the Profes-sional Tennis Registry, has resulted in club owners and managersbecoming almost a breed unto themselves. They are isolated,despite having constant interactions with staff, players and theirboard of directors. It leads to inertia, to frustration and some-times, to burnout. IHRSA (the International Health, Racquet andSportsclub Association), he adds, has shifted its focus from strict-ly racquet sports to fitness facilities in general, and the USTA hasbeen emphasizing community tennis.

'THE CONFLICT NO ONE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT'Among many facility owners and managers, there are varyingdegrees of unease and resentment toward the USTA.

"Most club owners and managers feel a little bit disenfran-chised by the USTA," says Santorum. "Their complaint is that theUSTA's main focus is on the public sector, people playing in theparks, and that less attention is being paid to clubs. The volumeof tennis is in the clubs, but most of the people play in publicparks. It's important to reach the masses, but the majority of fre-quent players and teaching pros are going to be in the clubs."

Rod Heckelman, general manager and tennis pro at theMount Tam Racquet Club in Marin County, Calif., calls the fric-tion with the USTA "the conflict no one wants to talk about,"since it touches on sensitive issues on both sides. And while sta-tistics touting the growth of beginner players are good news,facility owners and managers have ongoing worries."From the standpoint of the clubs and tennis players, the

numbers being up are great: good news and increased income,"Heckelman notes. "The competition being down impacts theUSTA directly; in fact, competition is their main source ofincome, especially adult leagues. For clubs, it is the reverse: Weneed more participation and less competition, more recreationaltennis and more activities, less league play that steers playersaway from needing a club. This puts the USTA at odds with theclub industry."The USTA is aware of the complaints, says Kurt Kamperman,

the USTA’s chief executive of Community Tennis. Kamperman,who recently spoke at the PTR's second annual Tennis ClubOwners and Facility Managers Conference, also was able to lis-ten to the questions and concerns of participants, and to addresssome of the issues."A lot of things came up informally at the conference," says

Kamperman, "about clubs and the USTA and the different prior-ities each has. For instance with league tennis, club owners weresaying it doesn't really make them money so it wasn't a big pri-ority for them." Still, he notes, "I know a lot of commercial clubswhere league tennis is their huge driver. There are some clubsthat are clinging to the contract court time, but that's a modelthat is changing."He fully acknowledges the USTA's recent focus on the public

sector, but says it is a strategy that should ultimately work in thefavor of private and commercial facilities, since, "If you're hav-ing a booming tennis section at the parks, it shouldn't be a dis-traction; it should act as a feeder system."The focus on public tennis was well under way when the

recession hit. But in at least one way, Kamperman adds, thedownturn in the economymay have unexpectedly contributed togetting some more of those new players onto courts, since parkand school programs are available free or for a low cost—some-thing that would appeal to anyone affected by job loss or othersetbacks. As the economy improves, those new players will seekbetter facilities, more enhanced learning opportunities and morecompetition, and will begin joining clubs."Now the focus is on growing a stronger frequent-player

FACILITY MANAGEMENT

This is the fourth in a series of articlesabout the tennis industry's changinglandscape. Future topics will deal withparticipation, court construction, protennis and more. We'd like to hearyour comments and concerns too. E-mail them to [email protected] put “state of the industry” in thesubject line. To view past “State of theIndustry” stories, visit www.racquet-sportsindustry.com.


base," he says. "That's next: Let's now do whatever we can to cre-ate that base. I think that bodes well for clubs."

SURVEY SAYS...In a survey conducted by the Tennis Industry Association in thefourth quarter of 2009, 76 percent of facility owners and man-agers reported that their outlook for the industry was "good" or"very good," a 7 percent increase since 2005. In addition, theynoted, the average number of participants in introductory orbeginner programs was up 16 percent since 2005 and 50 percentsince 2007, and that the retention rate for those new players hadremained high.But there are worrisome signs too. Average all-inclusive dues

are 25 percent lower now than they were in 2005 as more facili-ties struggle to competewith not only other fitnessprograms and opportuni-ties, but against an econo-my that has many familiesand individuals cutting backon discretionary spending.Among those facilities indi-cating their court usage was down, most blamed membershipshortfalls, with less league play and lowered demand for grouplessons and clinics (two things normally counted on as the bigmoney-makers) also being cited.According to Doug Cash, a business consultant with CashFlow

Tennis, the drop-off can be attributed to two types of cutbacks onthe part of players. "Probably the peak year for membership was2007," he notes, "and then there was a reaction to the economy.People who belonged to a club and who were low users down-graded; that is, they went to a less expensive membership, andthose who weren't using the club as much dropped their mem-bership. As a result, there was an increase in attrition rates at thatpoint. Normal attrition is 20 percent, and it probably jumped to 30percent during 2008-2009, which also included the number ofdowngrades.“As 2010 hits, the attrition rate has become better,“ Cash adds.

“There aren't as many fringe people, meaning the people who arethere are really into tennis. Clubs are growing their membershipagain. New membership sales are about 70 percent of what theywere in 2007."Even at a time when statistics say tennis has never been

stronger, managers remain concerned about the economy andare trying to be as conservative as possible in their own spending.Only 20 percent of facilities planned for capital improvements in2009; less than half of those improvements will be made to ten-nis courts, while the remaining percentages include equipment,interior building, exterior building and landscaping (in descendingamount of funding allocated).Facility managers and owners want to capitalize on the growth

of tennis and translate it into a better bottom line for their orga-nization. But unlike the retailers and the manufacturers who wantto capture the business of the frequent tennis players, many facil-ity managers are concerned about the next generation of frequentplayers. They want to know, where are the kids?

"The key to any successful tennis club is the tennis-playing

family," says Hunter Gallaway of the Lafayette Tennis Club inLafayette, Calif. "That's who we're catering to. You're always look-ing to bring new blood in, and we want to keep growing our otherprograms, including our super seniors, but the family is the mar-ket we're trying to bring in."

The problem, say managers, is that families have changed.More children have scheduled activities during what used to befree time, and children who once would be enrolled in tennislessons are going into other sports such as soccer or basketball.Juniors who play at the high school level are often seduced bylacrosse, which plays in the fall and spring, and are choosing thatover tennis. And, managers add, parents seem to be driving theirchildren into popular sports in the hope of excelling and scoring acollege scholarship, rather than finding a sport that is enjoyable

and healthy."When it comes to kids

who could be playing asjuniors, I think other activi-ties are the main competi-tion," says AllisonMcLendon, retail managerat Bentwater Country Club

in Montgomery, Texas. "We have a lot of kids who tell me, 'I havegymnastics on Monday, soccer on Tuesday and tennis onWednesday.'""Tennis and the whole country-club lifestyle has changed

because families are putting their kids into other sports," saysGeorge Kustas of the Poughkeepsie Tennis Club in Poughkeepsie,N.Y. "They're not only putting these kids into these sports, butthey're putting them in full force. They join travel teams and theyplay all year round. They're on the field from Saturday morning toSunday afternoon. The family isn't going to the club and hangingaround the pool. And the kids aren't picking up their racquets andheading down to the park to play tennis with their friends on thepublic courts. They see the court from the minivan as they driveby on their way to soccer practice, but that's it."

MEMBERS ONLY?As the economy has tightened, facility managers have becomemore creative in the options they offer potential members—andthe ways they get them in the door."People have several options here," says Dr. Sophie Woorons-

Johnston of Performance Meadows at Brookstone Tennis inAnderson, N.C. "Our initiation fee is very low, but having it pre-vents people from coming in and out. We also have a beginnerdiscount right now so that people can join without paying initia-tion fees. For returning players, people who were members butwho left for a while, we will also waive the initiation fee one time."

Some facilities offer reduced dues or a “price-match” with duesadvertised at nearby facilities. Other incentives include the firstmonth (or first several months) free, discounts to friends who joinat the same time, and free months to members who refer newmembers.At the same time, some organizations are finding ways to get

individuals in the door by using a seasonal aspect of the facility,such as just the pool in the summer months. Many of these peo-ple can be persuaded to trade up once cool weather hits, they add,


“As 2010 hits, the attrition rate has become better,”says Doug Cash. “ Clubs are growing their membershipagain. New membership sales are about 70 percent ofwhat they were in 2007.”



particularly if they're given a taste of the other amenities. GregMoran, director of tennis at the Four Seasons Racquet Club inWilton, Conn., gives individuals with pool-only memberships aninvitation to a free tennis clinic. "Once we get them on the tenniscourts, we're confident we can hook them," he notes.

"I think tennis is a try and buy sport," says Cash, "which meansyou have to get people in the door of your club. You can give peo-ple a trial membership whether they're beginner or advanced. Ifthey like it, they'll get involved. I don't know if more people aretrying that, but more people should be."According to the TIA's survey, a decreasing number of clubs is

offering “tennis-only” memberships. In 2005, 57 percent of allfacilities offered dedicated tennis privileges, as compared to 50percent in 2007 and 46 percent in 2009. The average dues for ten-nis-only memberships has also dropped 15 percent since 2005."The best thing we’ve done is make things more inclusive,"

says Sean McQuillan, director of tennis at Norton Pines in SpringLake, Mich. He notes that by creating a program in which playerstry two organized activities offered at the club, they receive enroll-ment in a third activity free."We put the incentives out there for people to play more often

and try more things," McQuillan adds. "We didn’t have a lot ofcompetitive juniors playing, so we started a challenge ladder. Ifyou win, you get a racquet, if you come in second, you get a bag.Now, we have juniors playing again."

KEEPING PLAYERS IN THE FOLDMember retention is another concern for facility owners and man-agers. Keeping a member happy is easier thanspending the money and energy to find a newone. And at a time when there are multipleoptions for exercise (including walking or run-ning, which are free), keeping players in thefold takes more work than it used to.

Owners and managers agree that it isessential to get new players involved immedi-ately, and to make them feel welcome.Woorons-Johnston stresses upon her staff theneed to foster a family atmosphere in the club,and to make sure new members do not feelthat a cliquish atmosphere exists."The most important thing you can do to

keep the person in the club is to get them intoa group of peers and friends," says FreddyGoodman, director of tennis at the Club atRawls Creek in Irmo, S.C. "Whenever we get a new member, wetry to get them on league teams. They need to be in a social groupand you need them to participate. If we don't get them involved,if we don't get them to come to the mixers, they don't stayaround. I found that out a long time ago."According to Michael Mahoney, general manager of Midtown

Tennis Club in Chicago, participation is the key to retention efforts."Upon joining the club, our objective is to get a new member

involved in club activities by introducing them to group program-ming with an emphasis on introducing them to other members atthe same playing level and with similar availability," saysMahoney. "We invite new members to participate in special

events such as mixers, match play nights, and drop-in format pro-grams such as Matinee Tennis, Early Bird Tennis and Cardio Ten-nis. New members receive a dozen coupons either discounting thefee or offering the activity free altogether for trial participation."At the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex in Surprise, Ariz.,

director John Austin has implemented the “Tennis University”learning program. "The concept is that we'll have you playing ona 2.5 league by the time we're done," he says. "We don't want les-son-takers, we want players."

WHO'S MINDING THE STORE?One point of discussion among facility owners and managers isthe need for a pro shop—or, to be more accurate, the lack of needfor one. While there are a few facilities that still have flourishingshops, most owners and managers we surveyed say that keepinga fully stocked (and fully staffed) store is no longer a profitableventure."We have two pro shops, one at our athletic club over the ten-

nis courts and one at our golf course," says Rob Goldman, chiefoperating officer of the Columbia Association in Columbia, Md.“But we’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that with themajor e-commerce opportunities out there for people, we shouldjust stick with providing necessity items. We've been trying toreduce our inventory. We still carry some racquets, and the proscan still sell racquets, but we don't sell shoes or clothing at all anylonger."Racquet stringing remains profitable for many clubs. The TIA

survey found that in a typical month during 2009, the averagefacility expected to sell 10 racquets, but torestring 30. Grips and balls are always indemand, say managers, and some facilitiesstock clothing with their logo on it, but veryfew keep tennis skirts, tops or dresses instock."Really, with clothing, the only time we

did well was when it was on sale," saysGoodman of the Club at Rawls Creek. "I hadto discontinue it."More and more facilities report having

their front desk personnel handle the sale ofmerchandise, and pros taking orders forrestringing. The rise of online court reserva-tion systems, say owners and managers,has freed up those individuals to performmore in-person customer-service functions

and allowed court bookings to operate more efficiently.Ray Major, tennis director of the Fretz Tennis Center in Dallas,

is an enthusiastic proponent of technology in tennis. Upon arrivingat Fretz a little less than a decade ago, Major found himself facedwith a system "where everything was done on paper and therewas an old-fashioned cash register." Major wasted no time in tak-ing the program online. Today, he uses TennisConnect, which hesays "streamlines everything and makes it a lot easier."The ability of players to log in, make court reservations, and

sign up for leagues and lessons on their own time is a benefit tofacilities as well as a convenience to players. "It significantlyreduces costs and manpower, and it allows me to go out and clean


QUICK FACTSThe TIA survey of facilities revealed thefollowing trends

• Group lessons and private clinicscombined accounted for about 60%of expected tennis revenue.

• A typical facility will have two tothree staff members affiliated withUSPTA and/or PTR.

• There was an 18% reported increasein the annual tennis revenue percourt.

courts, knowing that I don't have to be there in case someonewants to book a lesson," says Tim Jachymowski, owner of theSpring Lake Park, Minn.-based PublicIndoorTennis.com. "I getcourt reservations that come in at midnight, 1 a.m., and peoplehave used their credit card, so it's all paid for. If that person does-n't show up, I already have my money."

NET GAMEWhile all facilities interviewed had websites, the complexity andamount of use varied widely. Some were strictly informational,listing only the basics: facility features, operating hours, address,directions and so forth, while others were more interactive, includ-ing links to online court reservation systems and the ability to signup for notification of future events.According to the TIA, 53 percent more of the facilities that have

a tennis-specific website now have their programming listed ontheir website as well. A total of 27 percent use online registration,and 35 percent indicated an interest in offering online registrationdirectly from program listings on the Tennis Welcome Centerwebsite or the Cardio Tennis website. (Cardio Tennis program-ming was popular in 2009, offered by 61 percent of all respon-dents, and outpacing even the popularity of swimming pools,fitness centers and group exercise classes.)

Communication with players and members has gone electron-ic as well: E-mail is the preferred method of notification of newprograms, upcoming events and breaking news on rainouts orcancellations. Very few facilities still use a printed newsletter astheir primary means of communication. Jachymowski says thathe, like most, has an e-mail list, and "we do quite a few mass e-mails, but we're careful not to get to the point of overwhelmingpeople."And the TIA, says Executive Director Jolyn de Boer, has long

been a proponent of using technology to increase business forclubs and facilities. “The TIA’s TennisConnect has recently comeout with modifications that make it even easier for facilities to usejust the features they need,” she says. “Our websites, includingGrowingTennis.com, include easy links for facilities to post theirprograms and information for free into a national database search-able by consumers everywhere.”Some facility owners and managers have ventured into social

media. Mahoney reports that Midtown is on Facebook and hasnearly 1,000 fans. Through Facebook, he adds, Midtown "can pro-mote club events and social connections between members, suchas arranging a game. A subscriber can also watch Midtown-specif-ic video clips."

THE BOTTOM LINEWhile no club owner or manager likes the actual work of it, keep-ing a balanced budget is key to long-term success. Statistics thatshow tennis participation is on the uptick aren't much help ifyou're running in the red. The TIA survey found that the annualprofit/loss ratio was down 50 percent since 2005. Owners andmanagers are turning to creative ways to cut costs, and are meet-ing with varying levels of success.When the Columbia Association announced that it would be

discontinuing the free towel service at its three health clubs, mem-bers' complaints forced them to reverse the decision, according to

Rob Goldman. But when members at the Courtside Athletic Clubin Greenville, S.C., were given the choice of losing the towels ortaking a dues increase, says Randy Bailey, the director of tennis,"They said get rid of the towels. It wasn't really a big deal tothem."When budget cuts at the Dunes West Golf & River Club in

Mount Pleasant, S.C., resulted in having fewer staff available tocare for the facility's three soft courts, management instituted ado-it-yourself policy among members, requiring players to dragthe courts after playing. "We got a little resistance in the begin-ning," says Jack Miller, director of tennis. “But once people sawhow well the courts were playing, they were fine with it.""The key to keeping members is always their perception," says

Cash. "The perception of, 'Am I getting enough value for what I'mpaying?' People have started looking at every dollar they are pay-ing, so you have to be careful when you're cutting."Overall, the bottom line is at the top of everyone's list of con-

cerns, forcing managers to get, in their words, “lean and mean.”Phil Feidelseit of Brattleboro Racquet Sports in Brattleboro, Vt.,reports that his operation and two affiliated clubs employ a coregroup of volunteers to help do maintenance and open courts forthe year. Virtually all facilities have slashed their marketing andadvertising budgets, doing most of their external promotionsthrough e-mail and word of mouth.

RANGE OF COST-SAVINGS MEASURESCost-saving measures employed by facility owners and managersranged from barely noticeable to drastic. Conservative measuresincluded using energy-efficient light fixtures, having court lights ontimers and going with less expensive soap or paper towels. Moresevere cutbacks involved the elimination of full-time positions andincreased reliance on part-time help. Cutting staff hours, whilealways an unpopular decision, was unavoidable in many cases.The TIA survey found that in comparing wages and independentcontractors in 2009 to wages in previous survey periods, wagesconsistently accounted for approximately 40 percent of tennis-related business expenses.

At Norton Pines, McQuillan was one of those who made thechoice to go with less expensive help. "It’s changed my staff a lit-tle, but for the better, I think. I have some pros who are young,right out of college. They're really hungry to work, and they'realways recruiting more private lessons."Private clubs are not the only ones feeling the economic pinch.

According to Austin, municipal facilities like his are no different."Our city is having its problems like all cities are. We've reducedour part-time staff. The squeeze is on and we're watching everynickel.""You really worry when you have a facility," says Gallaway at

Lafayette Tennis Club. "You do worry about that one major disas-ter—a roof collapse, things like that—but mostly you worry thatthe little things will start piling up at once: You need a new poolpump, you need two new windscreens, you need a new bench,your lights need to be replaced, and all of a sudden it's $25,000later. That kind of thing can put a small club out of business. Youhave to plan for things to go wrong. You have to stay current onmaintaining equipment."Virgil Christian, USTA's director of community tennis develop-


ment, says that his organization's message to pay attention todetail at the beginning of a project can pay dividends in thefuture. Unfortunately, he adds, people don't always listen."We advise people to build it right, and to get a profession-

al involved, too. Don't go investing money and then come backbecause something failed. Get it right the first time and do themaintenance. It's amazing how much it will save you in thelong run."All facilities surveyed carry liability insurance. Many carry

an umbrella policy, while other managers and owners have on-court pros who carry additional insurance. All try to keepunnecessary risks at bay by doing daily walk-throughs of theircourts."We're in an area where the land shifts a lot, so there are

always going to be cracks in our courts," says Gallaway, whosefacility is in Northern California. "I know that cracks canbecome a danger situation. If I have one major crack and it's ahazard and one person could trip on it, I'll have someone godown and fix it. If I wait until my members tell me it's time toresurface, it's too late."The need to ensure member safety, the need to balance the

budget, and the need to keep courts busy are all topics familiarto facility managers, although it's not often they get the chanceto have a dialogue on those subjects. In 2009, the PTR offeredits first Tennis Club Owners and Facility Managers Conference.According to Santorum, the conference was a revelation to thePTR as well as to the participants.“The most important part to them was the networking they

did," he notes. "We found they really enjoyed meeting otherclub owners and sharing best practices."

For a number of years, the TIA has been increasing theresources and tools available for tennis facility owners andmanagers when it comes to networking and running their busi-nesses, says de Boer. “We offer online technology webinars,and we’re working on setting up expert panels for facility andretail advisory councils. We started taking these steps last year,along with our efforts to help jumpstart the market at retail.”

STAYING HUNGRYNo matter whether a facility serves families in the suburbs or issituated in the middle of a retirement community, no matterwhether it's a high-end club in a gated community or a publicfacility in the middle of a major city, owners and managers saythat the key to survival is staying fresh and ready for whatevershot the economy puts over the net next.Ray Major says that at the Fretz Tennis Center, "We're con-

stantly trying to think of new ways to reach our customers, togive them good service and give them things they'll enjoy. Weoffer specials and ways to help them stretch their dollars a littlefurther. We want them to know that we understand the econo-my's bad too, and that we're with them on this.""I'm always trying to stay involved and keep myself fresh,"

says Miller. "We're always trying to get better and not sit backand enjoy having the clients; that's not the way we operate. I'mjust a tennis nerd through and through, I guess, but our mem-bers seem to like that and they keep coming back." �



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

Private courts really show off style and creativity—both ofthe owners and of the court contractors. These six winnersof the Racquet Sports Industry/American Sports Builders

Association 2009 Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awardsshow some wonderful details, in both the finished product andin the construction.

Five of these courts are new construction, including anamazing “sports complex” at a private residence in Jupiter,Fla., that has two courts—hard and clay—along with a bocceball court and half-court basketball court. The owner has kidswho are nationally ranked, traveling and playing tournaments

on different surfaces. The family decid-ed, after years of having the kids trainat other facilities and camps betweenevents, that it would be better for themto train at home, so they needed tour-nament-quality courts. The clay court

has sub-surface irrigation, and both courts have tournament-quality lighting for play at all hours.

The other five winners are all hard courts, including the onlyupgrade in the group, the Anderson Residence in Beach Lake,Pa. The contractor widened the existing, undersized court area,installed new fencing and lighting, along with a post-tensionedconcrete slab. The court now has a cushioned surface and a hit-ting wall. Time was spent on a perimeter drainage systembecause the original court was built close to a river and at the

bottom of a severelysloped yard.

The hard court atthe Keating Resi-dence in Gladwyne,Pa., was built on asteep hill andrequired retainingwalls on three sides. The township required a storm-watermanagement system under the court with 2 inches of sub-basematerials separating the system from the stone base of thecourt. Limited access meant that large-wheeled loaders had tobe used to transport stone and asphalt to the construction site.

The new court at the Ienner Residence in Greenwich,Conn., is adjacent to the existing pool house, which itself posedsome challenges. The contractor needed to remove and redi-rect all the pool filter lines, including HVAC and gas lines, underthe court. He also needed to put in electrical lines for the lightsunder the pool house foundation. The driveway didn’t allowlarge dump trucks, so material had to be delivered in six-wheelvehicles. The court was designed as it was being built, withdecisions made by the owner as the project unfolded.

The Campion Residence in Carleton, Ore., was built adja-cent to an outdoor patio, allowing for player seating and shade.But the area had soft soil, from the many trees and decayedvegetation that had built up over many years, which requiredextensive excavation of the site. The new court in Parkland,Fla., also had to contend with nature. The customer wanted

the court close to theproperty line, butthere was a line ofpine trees in thearea that had ashallow root sys-tem that woulddestroy concreteand asphalt. Thecontractor had to

cut out roots and built up the site. —Peter Francesconi

These six residential court winners show styleand substance.These six residential court winners show styleand substance.

For details on the 2010 Outstand-ing Facility-of-the-Year Awards,contact the ASBA at 866-501-ASBA or [email protected],or visit www.sportsbuilders.org.

Campion Residence, Carlton, Ore.(Nominated by Atlas Track & Tennis, Tualatin, Ore.)General Contactor: Atlas Track & TennisSurface: California Products-PlexipaveFencing: Atlas Track & TennisNet, Center Strap: Douglas Industries


PRIVATEENTERPRISEPRIVATEENTERPRISE

Anderson Residence, Beach Lake, Pa.(Nominated by Pro-Sport Construction Inc., Berwyn, Pa.)General Contractor: Pro-Sport ConstructionSurface: California Products-DecoTurfLights: LSINet, Center Strap: J.A. CissellPosts: Lee Tennis

Private Residence, Jupiter, Fla.(Nominated by Fast-Dry Courts, Pompano Beach, Fla.)Architect/Engineer: Fast-Dry CourtsGeneral Contractor: Fast-Dry CourtsNo. of Courts: 2Hard Court: Nova Sports Combination with Deco CushionClay Court: Lee Tennis HydroblendSub-Surface Irrigation: Lee TennisNet Posts: J.A. CisselWindscreens: PuttermanLighting: RLS TE 2000ECNets: Superior Court Supplies

Keating Residence, Gladwyne, Pa.(Nominated by Pro-Sport Construction Inc., Berwyn, Pa.)Surface: LaykoldLights: LSINet, Posts, Windscreen: J.A. Cissel

Private Residence, Parkland, Fla.(Nominated by Fast-Dry Courts, Pompano Beach, Fla.)Architect/Engineer: Fast-Dry CourtsGeneral Contractor: Fast-Dry CourtsSurface: Nova Sports Combination with Deco CushionNet Posts: J.A. CisselWindscreens: PuttermanLighting: RLS TE1000ECNet: Superior Court Supplies

Ienner Residence, Greenwich, Conn.(Nominated by DeRosa Tennis Contractors Inc., Mamaroneck, N.Y.)Architect/Engineer: Sasaki Associates Inc.General Contractor: DeRosa Tennis Contractors Inc.Surface: California Products-Pro DecoTurfLighting: LSI Courtsider XLWindscreens, Net, Posts, Center Strap: J.A. Cissel



String Playtest

EASE OF STRINGING 17gauge 18 gauge(compared to other strings)Number of testers who said it was:much easier 0 1somewhat easier 3 2about as easy 16 24not quite as easy 16 11not nearly as easy 1 1

OVERALL PLAYABILITY(compared to string played most often)Number of testers who said it was:much better 3 1somewhat better 5 7about as playable 16 8not quite as playable 8 20not nearly as playable 4 3

OVERALL DURABILITY(compared to other stringsof similar gauge)Number of testers who said it was:much better 8 7somewhat better 8 15about as durable 18 14not quite as durable 2 3not nearly as durable 0 0

RATING AVERAGESFrom 1 to 5 (best)Playability 3.4 3.5Durability 4.2 4.2Power 3.6 (13th) 3.6Control 3.7 3.5Comfort 2.8 3.2Touch/Feel 2.9 3.0Spin Potential 4.1 (1st) 3.7Holding Tension 3.4 3.7 (14th)Resistance to Movement 4.0 (15th) 4.0 (12th)

Solinco tells us that Tour Bite is anewly developed, high-performance,and versatile monofilament co-poly-ester string designed to generateextreme power, and intense spin andbite. According to Solinco, Tour Biteuses an innovative, proprietary com-posite formula of high-tech polyesterresin compounded with new, perfor-mance enhancing additives. The dis-tinct composition and make-up ofSolinco’s co-polyester strings providethe basis for their unique feel andplaying characteristics.

Solinco says its co-polyester stringsuse the most innovative and cutting-edge engineering procedures thatinvolve the mastering of three or moreseparate heating and cooling stages.Each distinct stage is carefully executedat specifically designed temperatures,durations, and with specialized extru-sion techniques and molds to improvespecific playing characteristics of eachstring. Solinco even matches the materi-al with the shape of the string for maxi-mum performance.

Solinco tells us its strings are quicklygaining popularity. Solinco is the officialstring of the 2005 NCAA ChampionUCLA Men’s Tennis Team, the 2006NCAA Champion Pepperdine Men’sTennis Team, Virginia Tech Men’s Ten-nis Team, and East Tennessee StateUniversity. Touring pros such as KevinKim, Lester Cook, Cecil Mamiit, andLeonardo Tavares have also adoptedSolinco.

It is recommended for competitiveand performance-focused playersdemanding the absolute highest levelsof spin, bite, power, and control.

Tour Bite is available in 16, 16L, 17,and 18 gauges in silver only. It is pricedfrom $11.50 for 40-foot sets, $155 for656-foot reels. For more information orto order, contact Solinco at 310-922-7775, email sales [email protected], or visit solin-cosports.com. Be sure to read the con-clusion for more information aboutgetting a free set to try for yourself.

IN THE LABWe tested both the 17 and 18 gauges ofTour Bite. The coils measured 40 feet.We recorded stringbed stiffness imme-diately after stringing at 60 pounds in aWilson Pro Staff 6.1 95 (16 x 18 pattern)on a constant-pull machine. We remea-


Solinco Tour Bite

sured after 24 hours (no playing) for ten-sion loss, as shown in the table. Ourcontrol string, Prince Synthetic GutOriginal Gold 16, measured 78 RDCunits immediately after stringing and71 RDC units after 24 hours, repre-senting a 9 percent tension loss.

The string was tested for fiveweeks by USRSA playtesters withNTRP ratings from 3.5 to 6.0. Theseare blind tests, with playtesters receiv-

ing unmarked strings in unmarked pack-ages. We did advise playtesters to reducetension by 7-12 percent compared tonylon, as recommended by Solinco.

Tour Bite seems more ornery to han-dle than other polys, but only a little. Wehad more problems weaving the lastcrosses than we did with coil memory.

ON THE COURTSolinco made it a good day to be aUSRSA string tester. Tour Bite 17 finishedwith an incredible seven ratings of wellabove average in Playability, Durability,Power, Control, Spin Potential, TensionRetention, and Resistance to Movement.Of these, the results for Spin Potentialmake Tour Bite 17 the best string we’veever tested for Spin Potential. To backthat up, Tour Bite 17 also came in 13thbest in the Power category and 15th bestfor Resistance to Movement. The overallscore for Tour Bite 17 was well aboveaverage.

Not to be outdone, Tour Bite 18 alsoreceived ratings that were well aboveaverage for those same seven categoriesof Playability, Durability, Power, Control,Spin Potential, Tension Retention, and

Solinco Tour Bite 17 gauge 18 gauge

Diameter unstrung (mm) 1.22-1.25 1.18-1.20

Diameter strung (mm) 1.18-1.22 1.15-1.16

String weight (grams) 14 13

RDC stringbed stiffness new 74 72

RDC stringbed stiffness after 24 hours 68 66

Tension loss percentage after 24 hours 9 8

Number of playtesters 36 39


Broke during stringing 0 0

Excess coil memory 12 9

Difficulty tying knots 2 4

Friction burn 3 2


“ Spin! Power! Control! I have foundmy new string.” 4.0 male all-courtplayer using Babolat Pure Drive Roddickstrung at 56 pounds LO (Luxilon AluPower Fluoro 17)

“ This string has the bite of a GreatWhite Shark! It’s just as comfortable asmy typical hybrid set up.” 4.5 male all-court player using Babolat Pure DriveRoddick strung at 54 pounds CP (LuxilonAlu Power Rough/Babolat Xcel 16L/17)

“ This is a control string with a large,comfortable sweet spot. The interestingshape definitely promotes spin. Big spin.I’m not quick to jump on any bandwag-on, but this is just a darn good string.”3.5 male all-court player using Prince O3Citron OS strung at 58 pounds CP (Lux-ilon Timo/Tecnifibre NRG2 17/17)

TESTERS TALK

“ Bottom line: I love these strings! It is hard to find a string that has this combination ofpower, control, comfort, and feel without alsopossessing some negative qualities. Perhaps it’s time to switch from natural gut.” 5.5male all-court player using Head LiquidmetalRadical OS strung at 57 pounds CP (Babolat VS Touch 16)

“ Amazing bite! Outstanding control! Playerswho hit with heavy spin will love this string.”5.0 male all-court player using Wilson BLX Tour strung at 63 pounds LO (Wilson HollowCore 16)

“ Sign me up! This string would make a greathybrid main. Spin is phenomenal. Shock absorp-tion is impressive. This is a really nice surprisefor a poly.” ” 4.0 male baseliner with moder-ate spin using Head Youtek Prestige Mid strungat 57 pounds CP (Signum Poly Plasma 16)

FREE PLAYTEST STRINGPROGRAM

Solinco will send a free set of Tour Bite to

the first 500 USRSA members who cuts

out (or copies) this coupon:

Offer expires 15 July 2010

Offer only available to USRSA members

in the US.

Name:

USRSA Member number:

Phone:

Email:

If you print your email clearly, we will notify

you when your sample will be sent.


For the rest of the tester comments, visit www.racquetsportsindustry.com.

USRSA Attn: Solinco String Offer330 Main Street, Vista, CA 92084

or fax to 760-536-1171, or email theinfo below to

[email protected]

Resistance to Movement. Of these, therating for Resistance to Movement wasour 12th best result, and the rating forTension Retention was our 14th bestresult. Tour Bite 18’s overall score wasalso 14th best of all the strings we’veplaytested for publication.

CONCLUSIONAfter looking at all the data and readingeach of the comments, you’ll probablywish that we’d tested these strings oneat a time, so you wouldn’t have tochoose between them. Sorry. Not only isthere little to separate these strings fromeach other, there’s little if anything toseparate them from the top of the heap.Not bad for a string company that hasbeen doing business in the U.S. for justover a year.

If you think that Solinco Tour Bitemight be for you, fill out the coupon toget a free set to try.

—Greg Raven �


Average playtest duration 20.2 26.5

Broke during play 2 2

Breakage at (hours) 8, 15 5, 11

Tour Bite 17 Tour Bite 18

machine, you canuse stick-on mag-net strips to holdthem. I paid abouta buck for a hugepackage of these

magnets at Walmart. I use one to holdone of the billiard adaptors for my Babo-lat Star 4 to the shell of my machinebeneath the turntable. It’s always avail-able, and always out of the way.5 sets of HEAD FXP Control 16 to:James Sly, Carpinteria, CA

TWIST AND SHOUTThe best way to ease any string througha blocked hole is to hold the string withyour needle nose pliers and push it intothe hole repeatedly using gentle pres-sure. Poly strings are stiff enough thatthere’s not usually a problem gettingthrough a blocked hole, but when thereis a problem, the stiffness can help youanother way. Again holding the stringwith your needle nose pliers twist thestring from back and forth, clockwiseand counter-clockwise, while gentlypushing. If you’ve cut the tip of thestring to a point, as you should, thatpoint will find a way around the blocklickety-split.5 sets of Unique Big Hitter Blue 17 to:L. Hodges, Apple Valley, CA

MAGNETSIf you have any small ferrous items youneed to have around your stringing


Tips & Techniques

COOL CLIPPERSMy flush cutters had gotten so old theywere barely cutting any longer, but mylocal Lowe’s home improvement storedidn’t seem to carry anything evenremotely compa-rable in the toolsection. Fortu-nately, I hap-pened to wanderdown the elec-tronics aisle,because that’swhere I foundthe Kobalt Assorted Precision Pliers andSnip Set (Item number 294654, modelnumber PI2448).The clippers are a nice size, have cush-ioned handles and spring loading, andfeature an extra thing that grabs the endof string you’re cutting off, so it doesn’tgo flying around the room. The needle-nose pliers seem custom-built for remov-

Readers’ Know-How in Action


Tips and Techniques submitted since 2000 by USRSA mem-bers, and appearing in this column, have all been gatheredinto a single volume of the Stringer’s Digest—Racquet Ser-vice Techniques which is a benefit of USRSA membership.Submit tips to: Greg Raven, USRSA, 330 Main St., Vista, CA92804; or email [email protected].

July 2010 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY

ing the old strings from Head racquetswith the CAP system grommets:Between the spring loading, the plierteeth and the cushioned handles, youshould be able to pull out the strings inunder a minute. I paid less than $15 forthe set.5 sets of Babolat Revenge 16 to:Jeff Officer, Del Mar, CA

COOL STRINGBED CUTTERS

Even though my heavy-duty shears wereperfectly capable of cutting out oldstringbeds, I’d been envious of my fellowstringers’ Babolat stringbed cuttersbecause of the offset handle. I couldn’tfind anything like them outside of Babo-lat, but I was trying to avoid spendingthat much dough on a pair of scissors.Fortunately, I saw a short video onYouTube showing the Black and Decker

SZ360 3.6-Volt Ni-Cad Cordless PowerScissors cutting out a stringbed. Perfect!The handle is offset from the cutters,and the cutters themselves are so smallthat they easily get into the stringbed toget you started. On top of this, thePower Scissors are incredibly fast: Ittakes about three seconds to cut outboth the mains and the crosses, onceyou get the technique. I paid less than$20 for mine.5 sets of Wilson K-Gut Pro 16 to:Rob Hartmann, Jess Ranch, CA

CUT THE CROSSES FIRSTI like to cut the string for both the mainsand the crosses before starting stringing,so I don’t have to interrupt the flow ofstringing between the mains and thecrosses. I found that it saves a few sec-onds to cut the string for the crossesfirst. This way, you have the section forthe mains in your hands when you finishcutting, ready for stringing, and the sec-tion for the crosses is already set aside,waiting for you.5 sets of Gamma Zo Pro Spin 16 to:Ted Ruthling, Santa Fe, NM

STRING SAVER

If you need a handy place to storeunused pieces of string, your old Babolatstring packages are perfect for this task.Peel the stickers off both sides, close thecase fully, and feed the string throughthe big hole on the side. The stringwon’t get loose, and there’s plenty ofroom on the outside to write what’sinside. I use them to store sets I cutfrom reels so I’ll have them in my bag,as well as for returning leftovers toclients.5 sets of Tecnifibre Multi Feel 15L to:Dimas Mendez, MRTPonce, Puerto Rico

—Greg Raven �

? Ask the Experts

POWER DIFFERENCESIT IS SAID THAT THE HEAVIER Aracquet the more powerful it isbecause of the mass. Please

explain how a racquet that weighs 280grams with a flex of 72 is more powerful(2218 power rating) than another racquetthat weighs 337 grams with a flex of 70(2209 power rating)?

MASS IS AN IMPORTANT factorin racquet performance, but it is

not part of our power formula, which is:Power formula = (length index × head-size × flex × swingweight) ÷ 1000The second racquet in your examplecomes off as more powerful because it isslightly stiffer with a slightly larger headsize.It is important to keep in mind that

overall racquet mass alone is far lessimportant for power than thedistribution of that mass onthe frame. If most of themass is in the handle, even a

“heavy” racquet will not have much ofits mass in the hoop. Conversely, youcan have a “light” racquet with a hollowhandle and a high percentage of its massin the hoop. For the “heavy” racquet, thebalance point will be low on the frame,and for the “light” racquet, the balancepoint will be high on the frame. As aresult, the “heavy” frame will not havehas much mass in the hitting zone as the“light” frame.USRSA members can experiment to

see the relationships among the variousracquet characteristics using the on-lineHitting Weight Calculator at USRSA.com.Our Racquet Selection Maps (which

usually appear in RSI magazine in Aprileach year) have more information aboutthe Power formula.By the way, the difference in power

between 2218 and 2209 is negligible.

POLY VS. NYLON TENSIONS

RECENTLY ONE OF MY USTALeague teammates asked me tore-string his racquet. He said that

he normally has it strung with a nylonstring at 63-64 pounds (1-2 pounds abovethe recommended tension range). Thistime we are going to use a poly in themains and nylon in the crosses (17 gaugein both cases). I rarely string with poly,but I've always heard that you shoulddrop the tension by some percentagewhen using it, compared to a nylonstring. What is your recommendation?

FIRST, CHECK WITH THE stringmanufacturer to see if it recom-

mends dropping tension on its poly, assome do not. Because you’re not doingthe whole stringbed in poly, it won’t beas important to drop tension on the poly,as the nylon is going to provide a mitigat-ing effect.Our lab tests show that although poly

A

Q


Your Equipment Hotline

Racquet Mass Balance Hitting wt. Impact point“Heavy” 350 grams 29 cm 135 grams 54 cm“Light 272 grams 38 cm 180 grams 54 cm

Q

A

strings typically lose tension fasterthan nylon strings, they are stillmuch stiffer in play. Reducing thereference tension doesn’t reallycompensate for the difference ininstalled tension. However, yourcustomer seems to be attempting togain a stiffer stringbed through theuse of over-tensions, so the move toa poly (or, in this case, a polyhybrid) might give him what he’sseeking — with or without reducingthe tension on the poly mains.If you do go with a different ten-

sions for the mains and crosses,keep an eye on the frame deforma-tion. If the hoop isn’t holding itsshape with the tensions you’reusing, you need to inform the cus-tomer that each stringing is dramati-cally reducing the life expectancy ofhis frame.Aside from that, your best

approach (with this and otherstrings) is to remind the customerthat you're dealing with a string job,not open-heart surgery. If you don’tguess right the first time (on the ten-sion or the string), no one is goingto die. He can always try somethingelse next time.

LOCKING THETURNTABLE

I HAD A DISCUSSION WITHa fellow stringer about theuse of the turntable brake to

tie-off the knots while stringing. Hetells me that there is no advantagein locking the turntable brake to tie-off the knots. My position is that it ismuch easier and takes less armstrength to tie off the knots with thetable locked. I also told him thattying off a moving object is moredifficult than tying off one that is sit-ting still.I have searched the Internet for

information regarding the turntablebrake’s usage for tying knots andfound nothing. Do you have anyinformation I can use to convincemy friend?

LOCKING THE TURNTABLEwhile tying off is a personal

preference, and most stringers we

know normally don’t do it. Some of thisdepends on how easily your turntablerotates, as some turntables have justenough drag to keep them where you wantthem to be while you are tying off. If yourturntable spins more freely, you might feelthat you need to use the turntable brake soyou don’t have to chase the racquet aroundin circles.Another case where you might want to

lock the turntable would be when you’redealing with a difficult tie-off hole, and/or a

really soft string that refuses to go throughthe grommet. In each of these instances,having one thing that’s the way you want it(the locked turntable) can reduce your frus-tration level. Otherwise, if the turntable isstaying put on its own, there’s no sense inlocking it unnecessarily. Simpler is better.

—Greg Raven �

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

Q

AJuly 2010 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 39www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Icaught the tennis bug when I was 10years old, and like so many competitivejuniors, I dreamed of playing college

tennis. I’ve lost count of the number oftimes I’ve cheered on my local college ten-nis team, the SMU Mustangs, envisioningmyself closing out the decisive third-set tie-breaker.

When I was 15, I was right on track toaccomplishing my dream—perhaps evenon an athletic scholarship. That summer Igot a taste of team competition when Iqualified for the National 16’s Zonals, ateam competition held in Waco, Texas. Itwas so much fun that I couldn’t wait to playon a college team!

Like many teenage athletes, I fanciedmyself invulnerable to injuries; “other”players got injured, not the well-muscledathlete I had trained to become. But fatehad other ideas. In practice one steamyAugust morning following the 16’s Zonals,I sprinted in for a drop-shot only to pull upwith a gasp of pain.

Now, a year and a half, one hip surgery,and numerous physical therapy sessionslater, I hover at the tail end of a slow recov-ery. Junior tennis and college athletic schol-arship opportunities have expired for thissoon-to-be high school senior.

While many of my junior tennis match-es are now just a hazy blur, one tennisevent jumps to mind when I think aboutcollege tennis. It was February 2007, and Iwas participating in a weeklong tenniscamp at the Van Der Meer Tennis Academyin Hilton Head Island, S.C. In addition tobelting balls from dawn until dusk, I attend-ed lectures by a sports psychologist, a nutri-tionist . . . and a college tennis coach.

Dede Allen, women’s coach at WakeForest University, discussed not only thenuances of NCAA rules but also the criteriaon which athletes should evaluate theirprospective colleges. Most junior tennisplayers consider only the athletics—theability of the team, the qualifications of the

coach and the value of the scholarship—without also considering the location,academics or social scene of the placethey will be spending the next four yearsof their lives.

Coach Allen highlighted the impor-tance of evaluating a school holisticallybecause injury can strike an athlete atany time. “What happens if you getinjured in your freshman year on theteam and then find yourself stuck at aschool that, aside from the athletics, youdon’t really like?” she asked the group ofteens. “It’s vital that you judge a schoolfrom all standpoints. You are a prospec-tive student-athlete, not a prospectiveathlete-student.”

Right now, I can hear my peers: “Youmay have a point, but I won’t get injured… I’m too fit … I’ve never gotten injuredbefore.” And who wouldn’t scorn thelone voice of one injured player?

Well, optimists, here’s something toconsider: A few years ago, I attended ahome match of my beloved SMU Mus-tangs. Eager not to miss a minute of theaction, I arrived at the 11:30 a.m. start-time. But something was wrong—therewere only four Mustangs on the courts.

“Hi,” said a voice behind me. Iturned around to find two Mustang-cladathletes, one sporting an ankle braceand crutches and the other nursing aheavily taped right wrist. “What hap-pened?” I asked. “Well,” the tallbrunette on crutches responded, “Irolled my ankle pretty badly a couple ofweeks ago, and she (gesturing to herteammate) sprained her wrist. Unfortu-nately, our two reserves are out withinjuries as well. We have to forfeit one

Kalindi Dinoffer, 17, of Dallaswill be a high school senior thisfall. In addition to tennis, sheenjoys playing guitar, readingand writing poetry.


'Injury has opened myeyes to the sport of a life-time that tennis truly is.'

doubles match and two singles matches!”At the time, I never thought injury

would ever apply to me. Now, though, I amstruck by the sheer statistics on that day—half the team’s players injured at once!While that drastic number might be anuncommon occurrence, when I think backover the years, most of the time I remem-ber seeing at least one SMU player on thesidelines, icing a knee or taping an ankle.Injuries really can strike anyone at any-time.

Toughing out long, grueling deucegames with my injury, I have been able toexpand my attitude toward tennis.Although pre-injury me was blind to themultitudes of adults enjoying the sport atrecreational, national and even interna-tional levels, I now realize that tennis doesnot reach its zenith in college. For fear ofsounding trite, injury has opened my eyesto the sport of a lifetime that tennis truly is.

As a 12-and-under player, I imaginedthe top group of 14-and-unders to be thepinnacle of achievement. Well, the 14shave come and gone, and now the 16s arewaving their goodbyes. Today, the 18s andcollege tennis dominate my thoughts—orat least they would be if my injury had notbroadened my perspective on tennis andon life.

I hope to play this sport—at whateverlevel—for many years to come. But thissummer, like so many high school juniors,I will start exploring potential colleges.Thanks to Coach Allen’s advice, academicsand athletics as well as social and geo-graphical intangibles will weigh equally inmy decision. �

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

Your Serve


Student-Athlete, or Athlete-Student?B Y K A L I N D I D I N O F F E R

After being sidelined by injury, a teenage player considers herpath—and tennis’s appeal.

201007 racquet sports industry

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