a division of the uspta december 2011 2012 southwest...
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A Division of the USPTA December 2011
2012Southwest Conference
La CamarillaRacquet, Fitness & Swim Club
Scottsdale, ArizonaJanuary 27-28, 2012
Inside:President’s Message - 2
2012 Southwest Conference 4-5From The Professor - 6
Division News - 7-11National News - 12
World Conference - 13
A Division of the USPTA December 2011
SWPTA 2
President’s Message
Sara Stablein -SWPTA President
Happy Holidays to you and yours! Iam wondering if anyone else islooking at their calendar in disbelieflike I am. This year has truly flownby, it seems. I hope that it has beenbusy and prosperous for all of you.This is my last President’s messagefor this newsletter. Aside from 2011
flying by, it feels like my term as President for theSWPTA has also swooped by. I have enjoyed my termvery much; from working with the extremely talented andhard-working board that is in place, to traveling to theExecutive Committee meetings, to serving on differentNational Committees, I feel like I have gained invaluableexperience and met some top-notch professionals alongthe way.
The new Southwest Board that will be moving forwardwill no-doubt continue to work hard and pave the wayfor growth in the Southwest Division. I continue toencourage you all to get involved in any area that youfeel passionate about. We are a small division in num-bers, but we are strong in passion and work ethic. It isimportant to step outside your comfort zone now and thenin order to keep growing in your personal and profes-sional life. I am so proud to be part of the USPTA bothlocally and nationally and while I will be stepping awayfrom my role as President, I plan to stay just as involved.
My first role as Past President will be chairing theSWPTA 2012 Conference at La Camarilla Racquet Club.Our speaker line-up has shaped up really nicely. We arethrilled to have Feisal Hassan return to the Valley toteach our Specialty Course on Friday, January 27, 2012.Our very own Lalo Vicencio will be presenting hisfascinating Master’s Thesis topic of Laterality in Tennis.John DenBoer will be presenting on the ever evolvingtopic of Sports Psychology. These, along with manymore, will make the 2012 conference one that you cannotafford to miss. We will host a QST tournament, theSWPTA Awards Luncheon, the Trade Show and ourConference Party. I will look forward to seeing many ofyou there in January. I wish you and yours a very happyholiday season and a very Happy New Year!
SOUTHWEST DIVISIONBOARD OF OFFICERS
PresidentSara Stablein ................... 602-636-9840
Vicki Foster ................... [email protected] President
Chris Brewer .................. [email protected]
Secretary Dayna Maltby Guizzetti...602-399-0293
Glenn [email protected]
Past PresidentBritt Feldhausen............520-886-1885
[email protected] Emeritus
Gerald [email protected]
Executive DirectorJack Michalko .................. 602-740-0126
Southwest Coordinators
Northern New MexicoCorey Matney .................. 505-473-6543
Mark Pachtner ................. [email protected]
Southeastern Arizona David Hendricks.............520-571-1900
[email protected] Arizona
Larry Lineberry ................ [email protected]
Southern New Mexico & El PasoLalo Vicencio .................. 915-240-3919
The Southwest Magazine, official Publication ofthe USPTA Southwest Division, is published fourtimes annually. Items for the next publication
must be in the hands of the editor no later than February 10, 2012.
USPTA Southwest Divisionc/o Jack Michalko
77 East Missouri Avenue Suite 62Phoenix, AZ 85012
602-740-0126Fax 602-265-2711
USPTA World Headquarters800-USPTA-4U, Fax 713-978-7780
3SWPTA
Keep your Tossing Arm UpTip by Mark Centrella, USPTAPlayers at all levels are susceptible to hitting the ballinto the net on their serve. Generally speaking, a playerserves into the net because they are pulling down on theball rather than attempting to hit up. What happens isthey drop their tossing arm well in advance of theirforward swing. This creates a chain reaction. When thetossing arm drops early, this brings the shoulder down,followed by both the head and hitting arm. The result isa lower point of contact and a descending forwardswing. What should happen is the left arm drops at thesame moment as the forward swing. By doing so, theleft arm works to properly counterbalance the reachingmotion that is occurring up top. A good fix to this issueis to simply tell the player to keep their left arm up a fullsecond longer. Although this may disrupt their timing inthe short run, it will certainly increase their ace totals inthe long run.
“Rock ‘n’ Rotate”Drill by Mark Centrella, USPTAThis drill is designed to accommodate 6-8 players and
its purpose is to practice baseline play in doubles aswell as shifting at the net. It is for all levels and is alsoa good drill to use for cardio training. Assuming thereare 6 participants, the pro will split them up into twoteams of 3. One team will begin at the baseline (2 atbaseline, one at back fence waiting to rotate in) and theother team will be on the opposite side at the net (2 atnet, one behind pro waiting to rotate in). The pro standsoutside the Ad alley and feeds from the volleyers’ sideof the court. The pro feeds the ball to the Deucebaseliner who can do anything they want with it. Thetwo baseliners play the point out against the twovolleyers. The baseliners can practice their drives andlobs while the volleyers practice their lateral movementas a team as well as their anticipation of drives vs. lobs.Once the point is over, both teams rotate clockwise.This means that the Ad baseliner runs over to take thenext feed on the Deuce side while their previous partnerrotates out and their new partner comes in on the Adside. Play a game to 15 and then have the teams switchsides. A variation of the drill is to enable the thirdvolleyer to play by standing at the baseline. This wouldallow the other two volleyers to close in tight whiletheir partner covers all lobs.
SWPTA 4
2012 USPTASouthwest Division
Conference&
High School CoachesWorkshop
La Camarilla Racquet,Fitness & Swim Club
SPEAKERS
Feisal Hassan, a USPTA Master Professional, is amember of the HEAD Penn Racquet Sports NationalAdvisory Board and National Speaker’s Bureau and holdsUSPTA specialist degrees in Competitive PlayerDevelopment, Facility Management and Little Tennis. Heis also a USTA Recreation Coach National and Quickstart
Trainer, a member of the National Cardio Tennis Speakers Team and co-chairs the USPTA National Education Committee and the USPTA NationalDiversity Committee. He is also on the USPTA Testing Committee. Hewas also the Director of Certification & Testing for the USPTA MiddleStates division. Feisal comes to us courtesy of HEAD Penn.
Gary Trost is a new National Board Vice President of theUSPTA and has been a Pro 1 since 1987 . He served forpast nine years on the National Executive Committee ,Head Tester for the USPTA Missouri Valley Division andhas served on the Missouri Valley board for the past 12years. Gary was named Missouri Valley Pro of the year in2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009 as well as Oklahoma Pro of the
Year in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006. Gary won the ”George Bacso” NationalTester of The Year Award in 2006. Currently he is the Director of Tennisfor the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club where he has taught for thepast 14 years. Gary comes to us courtesy of the USPTA.
Lalo is a USPTA pro 1 from El Paso TX. He is thefitness coach for Mexico’s Davis Cup team and he is theNational Coordinator for strength training and conditioningfor Mexico’s Tennis Federation.Lalo played division 1 andgraduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with aB.S. in Kinesiology and Education. He also has aMaster’s degree in Tennis Teaching and TrainingMethodology from the Valencian International University
(Spain) and conjunction with the ITF and the Spanish Federation.Lalo is currently the fitness coach for several ATP players playing at theChallenger level, he also consults other top ITF juniors in the field offootwork, fitness and conditioning.
CONFERENCE SITE & HOTELACCOMMODATIONS
La Camarilla Racquet, Fitness & Swim Club is theofficial site of the 2012 Southwest Conference. Theclub is located at 5320 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, justeast of SR51 and Tatum Blvd. Sky Harbor InternationalAirport is only 20 minutes away. For specific directions,please call 480-998-3388. The conferenceaccommodations will be the Hampton Inn located at10101 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85253.The Group rate is $99/night; please reference the groupname “USPTA” when making your reservation at (480)443-3233.
Dr. DenBoer is a Licensed Psychologist and certifiedtennis instructor through the United States ProfessionalTennis Association (USPTA). He is the Founder andDirector of Mental Edge Tennis,LLC™(www.mentaledgetennis.com), which specializes inproviding mental coaching to competitive tennis players.He has been providing formalized tennis instruction for
the last 10 years and currently provides playing and mental instruction toplayers of all ages and ability levels, including ATP/WTA tour players. Heis currently #1 in the Southwest and in the top 20 nationally at the Men’s30’s level, #1 in the Southwest in Men’s Open Doubles, and #3 in theSouthwest Men’s Open division.
Mark has been the Director of Tennis at Paradise ValleyCountry Club since2004. He was the host pro for theUSPTA World Conference in 2002 held at the Pointe SouthMountain Resort in Phoenix, Ariz. Mark was the districtcoordinator for thePhoenix area for three years and thenbecame Treasurer for the Southwest Boardfor an additionaltwo years.He was the Southwest Pro of the Year in 2002and then again in 2009. He has served on the Southwest
Division Conference Committee since 1998. Mark has two boys, Zach (11)and Luke (13).
5SWPTA
Name ______________________________
USPTA No. ______ E-Mail ______________
Address ____________________________
City ____________ State _____ ZIP ______
Phone No. __________________________
USPTA Pro 2 Day Rate $119 USPTA Pro 1 Day Rate $85 Non USPTA Coaches 2 Day Rate $130 Non USPTA Coaches 1 Day Rate $99 Significant other (Non USPTA) $30
The first 25 Pros/coaches to registerwill be put into a raffle for a free caseof Pro Penn Tennis Balls
Method of payment:
Check - Make Checks payable toSWPTA & mail to: Jack Michalko, 77 E.Missouri Ave., Suite #62, Phoenix, AZ 85012
Visa
MasterCard
________________________ _________Credit card No. Exp. date
____________________________________Signature
Attendee Information
Friday, January 27
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Certification TestingCarefree Resort & Conference Center
8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Registration8-9 a.m. Cardio Tennis
Josh Basha9-11 a.m. High School Coaches Workshop
Jason Jamison (Courtesy USTA)Noon – 4 p.m. Specialty Course - Creative Drill Designs For Doubles
Feisal Hassan (Courtesy HEAD Penn)4:15-5:30 p.m. QST Tennis Ball Tournament
Saturday, January 28
8 a.m. – Noon Registration8-9 a.m. Smash & Dash Aerobic Tennis
Mark Frampton8-9 a.m. Diversity Meeting
Britt Feldhausen9-10 a.m. Dominant Side of body in Tennis
Lalo Vicencio10-11 a.m. Mental Warrior
John DenBoer11-Noon Ladies teams - drills to get on the
same pageGary Trost (Courtesy USPTA)
Noon – 2 p.m. Awards Luncheon2-3 p.m. Idea’s to grow your business...From
marketing to creative programmingMark Frampton
3:15-4:15 p.m. Tennis Specific ConditioningTim & Suzy Wilke
4:30-5:30 p.m. HEAD Penn Ad Staff MeetingTennis Shop
6-8 p.m. Trade Show8:30-11 p.m. Conference Party
2012 Southwest ConferenceLa Camarilla Racquet, Fitness
& Swim ClubScottsdale, Arizona
SWPTA 6
from the professorfrom the professorfrom the professorfrom the professorfrom the professor
by Gerald Winder - Education Chairman
It’s your time to step up now!
I first got involved with theSouthwest Division of the USPTAin 1995 as District Coordinatorfor the Tucson Area. Since thattime I have held every position onour Board of Directors, andbeyond, for 17 years running! Having been asked over that spanto chair several committees,besides Education, I have will-
ingly done that. I also was Conference Chairman in2002, and over the years, was divisional team captainfor 10 years, and Battle of the Divisions captain (re-member that?) for about the same. I had the true privi-lege of serving on the National Executive Committee for6 1/2 years. As you are reading this, my current andfinal term on our board, that of SWPTA Pro Emeritus,will be ending as of Dec. 31. Whatever it was that I wasasked to take on, I accepted, willingly. I can only saythat it has been a truly great ride...a TRULY greatride!!! Having made many great friends, both in ourdivision and elsewhere, has made it all so worth it manytimes over! And, the opportunity to learn so very muchas a USPTA tennis professional from so very manycolleagues, in our division and out, has been such a bigbonus for my labors! I simply can’t ever pay all thosepeople back.
But, this is not written as a resume’ of my activities inany way, but as a challenge...to YOU!! As you readthis, our new Board of Directors has been nominated,and will serve you well! I have put my money wheremy mouth is/was, and got involved long ago. It is timefor me to move on, and be put to pasture. It is time fornew blood to step up. Time for YOU to get involved ona divisional level...to bring new, fresh ideas to theforefront! To network with the rest of our division sothat you may get new ideas, and give new ideas to therest of us! Time for your professionalism, your thoughts,
your contacts, your viewpoints, your talents to blossomout as one of our new divisional leaders! As I havealways said, you can be part of the problem, or part ofthe solution. You could have the solutions to some ofthe challenges our division, and many divisions, face. Ihope, in some small way, that I have been part of thesolution to a better, more viable SW Division over thelast 17 years. You can sit back, critique or criticize, oryou can be a mover/shaker to take the SWPTA to newheights and directions. How can you get involved withyour division? Simple actually! Just call or emailanyone on our board currently, and let us know you areinterested. Or, contact our ED, Jack Michalko, and lethim know you are interested in possibly serving on acommittee or activity. We are ALWAYS,repeat...ALWAYS looking for more people who want towork with us to make the division better and to serve
you, our members. Have aprogram or activity you arepassionate about? Want tosee a new one started? Wantthe division to go a certaindirection (as I did yrs. ago)?Then, YOU lead us there!YOU start the new program! YOU drive your passionhome! If not you, then who? If everyone leaves involve-
ment to the next guy/girl, we would not even have adivision! Your suggestions are always welcome, andyou have skills we as a division need! This is YOURdivision, and it is what YOU make of it! Many of thecritiques of the division that I have heard over the yearsfrom pros in our division have been, in many cases,from people who don’t understand how the divisionoperates, what our structure is as part of the USPTA,what funds us, and more. Please see this as your per-sonal invitation to join us, learn from everyone else,teach everyone else...be our future leaders! Just how didI actually get involved? I simply called our thenSWPTA president monthly for 5 months until he got tiredof hearing from me, and he put me to work! True story!!
Over the years the SW Division has won numerousawards given to small divisions of the USPTA, such asTennis Across America, Small Division of the Year,etc. No one person ever achieved these by themselves. Everything we have achieved has been by a lot of
continued on page 7
7SWPTA
sacrifice, time expended, talents given, professionalismshown...so that you, our members, will have bigger bangfor your buck. So you as members will have a betterdivision to be part of. If you have any suggestions aboutanything on a divisional level, please contact anyone onthe incoming Board of Directors, or Jack Michalko aswe are always willing to hear your ideas/thoughts onmaking us all a better entity of the USPTA. I’m suremost of you know of the recent election of a new Na-tional Board of Directors for our association. Regard-less of who you voted for (you did vote, right??!!), thosepeople stepped up and will lead us nationally. If that ishow you want to serve, then get involved on a divi-sional level and learn what makes us tick as a tradeassociation. Throw your passion into the USPTA tomake us all better with your time, talents, and skills.
So, while I write this with some sadness, I relish in thefact that our incoming president, Vicki Foster, and theincoming Board of Directors will take us to newheights! If I can help anyone with anything, or if youhave questions about the SWPTA that I can help with,please don’t hesitate to contact me anytime. As always,comments plus or minus, can be sent [email protected]. Au Revoir!
continued from page 6
A luncheon meeting was held for theSoutheastern Area USPTA Profes-sionals at Tucson Racquet Club onDecember 13, 2011. It was greatseeing everyone.
Tucson Professional BrittFeldhausen reports that TucsonCommunity Tennis Program (TCTP)
has started its schools and after school program withfamily nights and the 10 and under format. Britt and JillFeldhausen opened two refurbished courts at SabinoVista Hills and hope to start an after school 10 andunder program with a “Community Teens Team theme”for the juniors. The opening party for the homeownersfeatured 36ft tennis for everyone to enjoy and was heldon Sunday, November 6, 2011.
Tucson Professional, Gerald Winder, at Ventana CanyonResort, has added another USPTA Little Tennis Class.He will also be doing more corporate events in thefuture.
Tucson USPTA Professional, Jay Hitchcock, who is atthe Fort Lowell TennisCenter, held a USTAsponsored tennis clinicon November 4, 2011,USPTA ProfessionalDavid Hendricks alsohelped out with theclinic.. The clinic’sobjective was to pro-mote 10 and Under Tennis. The kids were given theopportunity to use age appropriate equipment during thisfun and educational event. 10 and Under Tennis helpskids get in the game and stay in the game by makingtennis more kid-friendly. Students from Bonillas,Whitmore, and Saint Michael’s schools attended theevent. Some participants had played tennis before, butmost had not. The event was a great way to introduceyounger players to 10 and Under Tennis and let themexperience the benefits of the program firsthand.
by David Hendricks
Southeastern Arizona
SWPTA 8
Phoenix, Arizona
We are heading into the holidays andall our valley tennis programs are infull swing. Here are just a few greatexamples of what is happening:On October 26 we had one of ourmost successful district meetings atthe Village with over 25 teaching
professionals attending. Laurie Warder updated us onthe 10 and under tennis program, Jack Michalko re-ported on the USPTA World Conference and Paul Burns,USTA SW President, discussed USTA initiatives. Thankyou to Brian Cheney for hosting the meeting!
Lancy Carr started a free cardio tennis class in May2011 on Thursday nights in honor of her son. All dona-tions are for the Nathan Grant Carr memorial fund atCommunity Bridges, a non-profit organization Nathanwas working for. Thanks to the donations of her tennisstudents, tennis parents and friends the free cardio tennisclinic has raised over $800 so far!
Eric Anderson, Director of Tennis at Desert Highlandsreports that his club isin full swing and thatthe month of Octoberwas his busiest inyears. He also reportedthat as part of DesertHighlands memberenhancement program,he had invited formertour player andAmerica’s most successful Davis Cup Captain TomGorman to the club on Saturday, December 17, toparticipate with his members regularly scheduledmorning play, play on the grass court exhibition, and togive a presentation on his career and share stories of themost notable Davis Cup team ever consisting of Agassi,Courier, McEnroe, and Sampras.
Congratulations to Brian Cheney! He was player captainrepresenting the USTA in the ITF World Team Champi-onships held in Manavgat, Turkey October 10-16.
There were 24 countries represented and US wasdefending from last year’s win over Spain. Von CrammCup is for 60 and over Men. The format is two singlesmatches and one doubles to decide a singles split. USAbeat France in the semi- finals 3-0. In the finals againstAustralia Brian defeated Ray Brae in three sets, LarryTurville lost to Andre Rae in two sets. In the decidingdoubles match Paul Wulf and Tony Dawson (USA)defeated Rae and Max Bates (Australia) 6-4, 6-2 for thecup win.
The Phoenix Motor Company sponsored an Open Prizemoney tournament at the Village December 15-18. Itwas played in Men’s and Women’s open divisions alongwith NTRP doubles divisions.
Sara Stablein, Director of Tennis at the Phoenix CountryClub, reported that her Kid’s Day on November 6th wassponsored by Fiesta Bowl and The Londen Group. Thekids, ages 5-10, participated in a free clinic taught bylocal and touring pros. The young players received afree HEAD racquet, T-shirt and lunch with dessert. In October, Cheryl Barnett conducted her first “CardioFor The Cure” class at the Anthem Community Centerand she was able to raise $300 for the Susan B. KomenFoundation. Most participants had never done cardiotennis before and everyone received prizes. This willbe an annual event!
Premier League Tennis, a league for Valley 4.5 maleplayers, had its end-of-the season playoffs on December10 at Phoenix Tennis Center. In its second season, theleague has secured sponsorships from HEAD Penn,Solinco, and Tennis Cabana. For more informationabout the league, please check outwww.premierleaguetennis.com.
On January 21, Troon Country Club will host its secondannual Special Olympics Tennis Fun Day, invitingnearly 100 athletes, volunteers and sponsors. The firstevent, coordinated by the club’s Director of Tennis,Mark Pachtner, raised $5,200 in 2010, the highestamount in Pachtners’ 12-year involvement.
The free clinic for children and teenagers with intellec-tual - and, in some cases, physical - challenges isscheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on January 21 atTroon Country Club in north Scottsdale.
continued on page 9
by Mark Pachtner
9SWPTA
During the Fun Day of clinics and exhibition play, thevolunteer pros will teach tennis to the special athletes.Each athlete will receive a commemorative event shirt, afree tennis racquet and a gold medal for participationduring the awards luncheon.
Athletes and volunteersalike also will get toexplore a fire engine,courtesy of the ScottsdaleFire Department and theArizona Golden RetrieverConnection will showcase
their Golden Retriever therapy dogs.
Please contact Mark Pachtner @ 480-358-7718 forsponsorship and volunteer opportunities and remember,only $50 will sponsor the participation of one specialathlete!
continued from page 8 Keep your Distance When Your Opponent ison DefenseTip by Mark Centrella, USPTA
Closing in tight on the net is a common instinct forplayers after they have hit an aggressive approach shotthat has put their opponent off balance. Like a shark,they close in to feast on their prey. What they may beforgetting is that the more their opponent is on thedefense, the more inclined they will be to pop the ballup. The act of moving right on top of the net is almostthe same thing as telling your opponent, “Hey, I knowyou are on the defense and will try to lob so I’ll comecloser to give you more room over my head.” As sillyas this sounds, it happens all the time. That is whyplayers should keep a healthy distance between them-selves and the net when coming in on a shot that has puttheir opponent off balance. By stopping closer to theservice line, the aggressive player protects themselffrom the lob, but remains close enough to the net to beable to close in a few steps to put a weak ball away.
SWPTA 10
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Northern Arizona
by Larry Lineberry
Prescott
Several USPTA professionals were apart of the Northern Arizona TennisAssociation (NAZ) annual awardsbanquet held in Prescott November 4th.USPTA professionals, Sterling Fetty,Binki Thalheimer, Nicole Williams,Miguel Phelps, Chris Howard and
Larry Lineberry were all either award winners or awardpresenters on the evening agenda. Binki Thalheimer wasrecognized for her USPTA national women’s 55 & overplayer of the year award. Thalheimer is a longtimeresident of Prescott.
Sterling Fetty of Prescott presented the NAZ femalejunior player of the year to his top player, TaylorJohnson of Prescott. Nicole Williams of Flagstaff pre-sented the NAZ male junior player of the year to her topstudent, Adam Skrocki. Miguel Phelps of Prescott wasawarded the NAZ high school coach of the year. ChrisHoward accepted the NAZ facility of the year to theRough Rider tennis courts where he has been the longtime teaching professional. Larry Lineberry of Sedonawas voted a third year as NAZ president.
Sedona
Sedona Racquet Club has been bought by a long timeSedona family, effective December 1st. Director oftennis, Larry Lineberry will remain in that role andperhaps in a larger role.
Flagstaff
On October 5, 2011, legendary singer/songwriter BruceHornsby performed a benefit concert at the AudreyAuditorium for the Northern Arizona Tennis Association.The concert was made possible through his lifelongfriendship with Master Professional Larry Lineberry.
Lineberry, the current NAZ president, promoted theconcert himself after not having much confidence inothers who said theycouldn’t make theconcert a success.“My tennis back-ground reallyhelped. After pro-moting over 20professional tennistournaments, a onenight music concertwith no chance ofrain was not that difficult” said Lineberry. “It was greatfun and Bruce and his team were terrific through thewhole process”. Over $13,000 was raised to beginUSTA QuickStart programs in Flagstaff. USPTA profes-sional Mark Frampton and his son were two of the over600 in attendance. They saw Hornsby perform for overtwo hours, three standing ovations and his usual widerange of talent with the piano, songwriting and voice.Hornsby also made a financial contribution to help theprogram.
L-R Bruce Hornsby and Larry Lineberry
11SWPTA
It is hard to believe that the summercame and it is over. All the kids areback in school and the adults havestarted the fall/winter team tennisleagues. This past September I had theopportunity to work with Mexico’s 16and under national team at the Junior
World Cup. The event took place in “La Loma” sportscenter in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. “La Loma” has hostedthis event for the past 4 years and it is a well recognizedsports center by elite athletes in different sports. MichaelPhelps spent a few months doing a preseason prepara-tion as well as Jelena Jankovic spent time training withPat Etcheberry to get ready for the tour.
There are a total of 32 teams entering the event, 16 teamsfor the Junior Fed Cup (girls) and 16 teams for the JuniorDavis Cup (boys). The format of tournament starts with around robin format. Each country is placed in a group of4 teams and the seeded countries are placed in strategicplaces. The tie is decided by winning 2 out of 3 matches,2 singles and 1 doubles. In 2008 the American teamcommanded by Captain David Roditi led the boys’ teamof Evan King, Denis Kudla and Raymond Sarmiento to aworld title beating Argentina in the final. The vastexperience of Roditi (a former ATP player and currentmen’s head coach at TCU) was the key factor to help theyoung team get acclimatized to the high altitude and theconditions.
The Junior World Cup reveals the new generation oftennis stars. Ashleigh Barty, the 15 year old sensationfrom Australia who won Wimbledon Juniors a fewmonths ago, led her team to an overall victory in SanLuis Potosi. Barty is a solid player who looks just likeany other girl when she trains but stands head andshoulders above the rests when she competes. It is not somuch her powerful serve or her big forehand, it is theway she constructs points and manipulates the court tocreate opportunities and convert them with an incredibleprecision.
Greg Rusedski led England’s boys’ team to a worldchampionship title. Pat Cash was not so lucky and hisboys had to settle for 5th place overall. I must say that itwas amazing to see these two former stars playing pointswith their players and still showing an incredible timing.The next stop will be the Davis Cup tie. Mexico playsagainst Colombia and it seems like Giraldo and Fallawill be close to impossible to beat on the red clay ofMexico City. I hope the travelling slows down and I canspend more time at home!
On another note, I would like to write about a greatteaching pro who recently got back on the court. I amtalking about Victor Silva.
Victor is a USPTA professional who has been aroundtennis since he was 12 years old. He started playingtennis at Campestre Country Club in Ciudad Juarez,Mexico. He started getting involved in teaching when hewas 17 and became an assistant pro at Campestre.
During the early years of his career he had the opportu-nity to direct the junior tennis program at BritanniaCountry Club with over 300 players! Teaching andplaying tennis were part of Victor’s passion in life, heenjoyed playing tournaments at the local and southwestlevel. During the years he competed, he establishedhimself in the top list of the southwest rankings in theOpen division.
In 1990, Victor took the USPTA certification and becamea member. Victor is a lifelong learner and his credentialsspeak for themself: Bachelor of Business Administra-tion, Master of Arts, Master of Business Administration,Doctoral candidate at Canterbury University, Chair/professor at Marco Polo IU School of Internet Entrepre-neurial Studies and teaching assistant at the Departmentof Languages and Linguistics at UTEP (2001).
Victor spent some time away from tennis, why? I don’tknow, perhaps he was finishing another Master’s degreeor he was getting another certification to be a teacher orperhaps the company that he owns in Chihuahua, Mexicoand the hundreds of employees was keeping him toobusy. I do not know the answer to that but I know that ElPaso’s tennis community gained a great teaching pro anda great person.
Southern NM & El Paso
by Lalo Vicencio
SWPTA 12
National News
USPTA Competitive Player Develop-ment Conference to take place inFlorida— Conference is set for January —
The United States Professional Tennis AssociationCompetitive Player Development Conference will takeplace at Club Med Sandpiper Bay, Fla., from January20-22, 2012. The conference will allow attendees tolearn the Spanish method for developing players.
Featured speakers for the conference include EmilioSanchez Vicario, Luis Mediero and Gabe Jaramillo.Sanchez Vicario, who is a USPTA Master Professional,is the former captain of the 2008 championship DavisCup team for Spain and a former tour player rankedNo. 7 in singles and No. 1 in doubles. He was alsocaptain of Spain’s Olympic gold medal team in 2008.The Sanchez family is also well known for Emilio’ssister, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, who won four GrandSlam singles titles, six Grand Slam women’s doublestitles, and four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.
Luis Mediero is a USPTA Master Professional and thefounder of Registro Profesional de Tenis (RPT) inMadrid, Spain. Mediero, who is also the president ofthe International Coaches Institute, has a lifetime ofcoaching experience that he has shared through courses,clinics and conferences in 80 countries, and he willprovide invaluable insights to attendees.
Gabe Jaramillo is a renowned international tenniscoach who developed some of the most well-knowntalents in the history of tennis. He was the director ofthe Bollettieri junior tennis program for 26 years. Hetrained such tennis greats as Andre Agassi and MonicaSeles. Jaramillo, who is a USPTA-certified P-1 mem-ber and an RPT International Master Pro, is now thetennis director for Club Med Academies.Early registration for the conference is $300 forUSPTA members and includes all materials. Thedeadline for early registration is December 31. Theconference will be presented in English. More informa-tion about the conference, including a detailed agenda,
USPTA raises more than $6,500 dur-ing Lessons for Life silent auction
The United States Professional Tennis Associationraised $6,587 from its silent auction held at theUSPTA’s Tennis Buying Show during the World Confer-ence on Tennis from Sept. 19-24, at the SaddlebrookResort in Wesley Chapel, Fla.
During the silent auction, attendees had an opportunity tobid on a variety of items, including:* Andy Murray–autographed racquet, courtesy ofHEAD/Penn* 6-ft by 10-ft. Tuffy windscreen panel with a 3-ft by 3-ft one-color logo, courtesy of Aer-flo* Dartfish Connect 6.0 annual license +90 Dartfish TV,courtesy of Dartfish* Two tickets to the 2012 U.S. Open, courtesy of USTA* Nolan Ryan–autographed baseball, courtesy of Olshan* Two-night stay in a deluxe view room at Hyatt Re-gency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Fla., courtesy of HyattRegency Grand Cypress
The auction benefits the USPTA foundation, whichthrough grants supports various programs in the commu-nity that help to grow tennis and bring the game to thosewho might not otherwise have the chance to play.
is available online at www.uspta.com, by [email protected] or by calling 239-641-0010.For hotel accommodations [email protected] or call 772-342-4217.
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World Conference Update
The Southwest Divisonhad a great time at thisyear’s USPTA WorldConference down inTampa, Florida. Wereceived the SmallDivision of The Yearaward at the AwardsBreakfast which set thetone for a really greatweek. Congratulations also goes outto Binki Thalheimer of Prescott, Ariz.
who won the National Female Player of The Year Award in the 55 and overdivision. Britt Feldhausen hosted the Southwest Party in his room early in theweek which got everyone in the mood. The weather was beautiful and theseminars were great! Florida is a long way to go for our division but wereally had a good turnout this year. As always it was was lots of fun to
network andcatch up withpros fromother parts ofthe counrty atthe USPTAWelcomingParty and theTennisBuying Show. Attending the USPTA World Confer-ence is what this association is all about. It is a greatway togather upideas youcan bringhome withyou toincorpo-rate into
your programs. Next year’s World Conference will be closer to home inMontery, Calif., September 18-22, 2012. We hope to see a lot of ourSouthwest pros in attendance.
Southwest Wins The 2011 USPTA Small Division of The Year Award!
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Volleyers Need Not Be Afraid to Leave Homein Doubles!Tip by Mark Centrella, USPTA
When your doubles partner is serving and you are at thenet, your basic goal is twofold: 1. Cover your alley, and2. Poach a high enough ball within comfortable reach.The big key is to understand that an equal amount ofweight should not be placed on each goal due to thesimple fact that returners hit the ball back crosscourt ahigh percentage of the time. Your positioning at the netwhen your partner is serving should reflect this. Toooften good volleyers “stay home” to protect their alley,not providing any help to their partner. Volleyers shouldnot be afraid to take one additional step towards themiddle of the court as the serve is landing. Doing sowill put more pressure on the returner to hit a bettercrosscourt angle or force them to attempt the lowerpercentage shot down the line. Bottom line is, do not beafraid to “leave home” unless your opponent gives yougood reason.
Listen, Don’t Just Talk to Your StudentsTip by Mark Centrella, USPTA
The best coaches have a knack for communicating totheir students what they expect from them. Whether acoach wants their student to hit one hundred crosscourtbackhands in the next drill, or shorten their backswingon a return of serve – great coaches know how toproperly communicate and motivate. Perhaps just asvaluable, but often overlooked is a coach’s ability tolisten to what their players have to say. Too oftencoaches are consumed with their desire to talk andneglect the need to listen. Perhaps a student is not giventhe opportunity to tell the coach that a new grip is givingthem elbow pain, or that they are frustrated and wouldprefer to move on to a different drill, or that they justhad a really bad day and are only looking to smacksome groundies as a stress relief rather than listen totheir coach’s monologue. The very best coaches are theones that allow for just as many opportunities to listenas they do to talk.
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A Publication of the USPTA Southwest Division
The Southwest Magazine is published quarterly by the Southwest Division of the United States Professional Tennis Associa-tion.
The opinions expressed in the Southwest Magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Southwest Magazineor the USPTA Southwest Division.
Copyright© Southwest Division/United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2011. All rights reserved. Reproductionof any portion of this newsletter is not permitted without written permission from the USPTA Southwest Division.
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Jack Michalko / editor77 East Missouri Avenue # 62 / Phoenix, AZ 85012602-740-0126 / e-mail: [email protected]