201011 racquet sports industry

November/December 2010Volume 38 Number 10 $5.00www.racquetsportsindustry.com

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

Under ConstructionHit hard by the economy,court builders remain wary

Under ConstructionHit hard by the economy,court builders remain wary

Billie Jean KingJoins TI Hall of Fame

Racquets forJunior Players

Billie Jean KingJoins TI Hall of Fame

Racquets forJunior Players

DEPARTMENTS

R S I N O V / D E C 2 0 1 0

INDUSTRY NEWS

7 Dunlop introduces‘Biomimetic’ frames

7 Jon Muir confirmed for2nd term as TIA prez

7 Jim Baugh joins SportingGoods Hall of Fame

9 Wilson debuts 2011apparel and footwear

9 Brooklyn courtsget re-‘freshed’

9 New rules for 10-and-undercompetition

9 Charleston wins 2010‘Best Tennis Town’

9 H.S. tennis players, schoolprograms increase

10 Short Sets

10 TIA Forum outlines keyplatforms for growth

11 Peoplewatch

12 Ron Woods namedUSPTA pro of year

12 Four earn USPTAMaster Pro status

14 TennisConnect goes mobile

4 Our Serve

7 Industry News

16 TIA News

29 Tips and Techniques

30 String Playtest: Genesis Typhoon 16L

32 Your Serve, by Allison Halbert

2 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY November/December 2010 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

ContentsContents

FEATURES

18 Igniting the Tennis BoomIn many ways, Billie Jean Kingwas thespark thatcreatedthe tennisindustry aswe know it.

20 Junior ClassFrames for younger playersare bringing in technologyfrom adult racquets, andhope to promote brandloyalty early on.

23 ‘Padel’ TennisImmensely popular inArgentina, the sport of‘padel,’ played on a smalleroutdoor court with walls,jumps to the U.S.

SPECIAL REPORT:STATE OF THEINDUSTRY

25 Under ConstructionCourt builders are unsure ofwhether the rollercoasterride is still heading down-ward, or will start the slowclimb out of the hole.

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. November/December

2010, Volume 38, Number 10 © 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 circulation and editorial: 760-536-

1177. Yearly subscriptions $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 November/December 2010

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

www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Saving a True Tennis ‘Landmark’

More than 70,000 people call the Forest Hills area ofQueens, N.Y., their home. But mention the words “For-est Hills” to many, many millions around the world, and

they still think of it as the storied home for tennis in the U.S.The private West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills was founded in 1892 and was

the home to the U.S. Championships (later renamed the US Open) from 1915 to1977, when it moved 4 miles away to Flushing Meadows. In 1923, as the event’spopularity grew, a 14,000-seat tennis stadium was built at the club. It was the firstconcrete stadium of its type in the country, unique for its time and representing anew era in stadium design.Nearly every great tennis player of the last century played on stadium court at

Forest Hills. It was the place where racial barriers in tennis first started to comedown. It helped lay the groundwork for what tennis is today, the fastest growingtraditional sport in America. But the stadium was more than just tennis. There wereconcerts there, too: the Beatles, the Who, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra,Barbra Streisand and many more.A lot of tennis and cultural history passed through the gates at the Forest Hills

tennis stadium. Yet the stadium that has been a landmark for our sport is, in fact,not a “landmark”—it does not have “landmark” status, so if members of the WestSide Tennis Club ever decide to sell the property, they can.This past summer that became an issue, when a developer wanted the site, now

neglected and in disrepair, to build luxury condos, and the West Side Tennis Clubhoped selling the property for $9 million would shore up their shaky financial situ-ation. Thankfully, in early October, the 300 voting club members shot down thesale by a narrow margin. It was a hot topic, both inside and outside of that exclu-sive club, and some are hoping to continue to push to sell the property.To prevent this, we need to make the Forest Hills stadium an official landmark.

Some involved in the preservation process want to possibly revitalize the stadiumas a concert venue and community center—and a place in which tennis again canbe played.But the preservation effort needs our help and support. We need to write to the

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission urging that this irreplaceablepiece of tennis history and cultural history be given landmark status.Yes, there are details that would need to be worked out—such as how much it

would cost to maintain the old stadium and where that money would come from.But let’s not let a small group of private club members ever again determine whatis important and worth saving in the tennis world, and let’s never again risk thepossible destruction of something that means so much to all of us in this business.The Forest Hills Tennis Stadium is a landmark, and we need to make sure it hasthat official status.To find out more, and to find email addresses of members of the NYC Land-

marks Preservation Commission, visit http://regoforestpreservation.blogspot.com/2010/07/save-forest-hills-tennis-stadium.html.The ball is in our court now to safeguard this home of U.S. tennis.

Peter FrancesconiEditorial 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

Jon Muir Confirmed for2nd Term as TIA President

Jon Muir willremain on as presi-dent of the TennisIndustry Associationfor a second term,following recom-mendations fromthe TIA board of

directors and its executive committee, tohelp see through platforms and projectsunder way that help support growth for ten-nis and industry businesses.“I’m happy to continue our collective,

ongoing efforts supporting the three plat-forms we have been developing: increasingthe number of frequent players, measuringand impacting more clearly the economicgrowth of the collective tennis industry, anddeveloping our communication channels todistribute clear, consistent messaging aboutour industry and most importantly abouttennis and the reasons to play,” Muir said.Muir’s decision to remain as president

took place during the TIA board of directorsmeeting held in New York City during the2010 US Open and signifies a strong com-mitment by industry partner organizationsto TIA goals and initiatives, according toJolyn de Boer, the TIA executive director.Muir’s second term will continue throughDec. 31, 2012.TIA also welcomed three new members

to its board during the recent meeting inNYC:� Gordon Boggis is the CEO of Prince SportsInc., based in Bordentown, N.J.

� Greg Mason is the Vice President of Salesand Marketing for Head Penn RacquetSports, based in Phoenix, Ariz.

�Meredith Poppler is the vice president ofindustry growth for IHRSA–InternationalHealth, Racquet and Sportsclub Associa-tion, based in Boston.

R S I N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0

November/December 2010 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 7www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Dunlop Introduces ‘Biomimetic’ Frames

Dunlop Racket Sports debuted five new “Biomimetic” racquets at a launch party inNew York City just before the US Open that included John McEnroe, Nikolay Davy-denko, Fernando Verdasco and other top Dun-

lop pros. Biomimetic means to “imitate life,” andDunlop says the new frames draw their keydesign features from some of nature’s mostevolved creatures.The three technologies of the Biomimetic

frames are:� Aeroskin: Like the skin of a shark, Aeroskin fea-tures tiny “riblets” that reduce aerodynamic dragby up to 25 percent for increased racquet-headspeed and power, says the company.

� HM6 Carbon: A newly designed carbon compoundthat mimics the hexagonal structure of a bee’s hon-eycomb, one of nature’s strongest and most efficientstructures. The substance, says Dunlop, reducesvibration by up to 10 percent.

� Gecko-Tac: The name given to Dunlop’s new grip sur-face treatment, which provides up to 50 percent more grip and tackthan previous grips, according to the company.“The Biomimetic range gives Dunlop some tremendous momentum

heading into 2011,” says Kai Nitsche, vice president and general manag-er of Dunlop. “Each racquet combines a tangible technological benefit with a sharpcosmetic. Our entire Tour Team is excited to switch to them for the 2011 season.”The racquets that will feature the new technology are the Biomimetic 200 Plus, the

Biomimetic 300, the Biomimetic 300 Tour, the Biomimetic 600 and the Biomimetic600 Lite. For more information, visit www.dunlopsports.com or call 800-768-4727.

Sporting Goods Industry Honors Baugh

Jim Baugh will be inducted into the Sporting Goods Industry Hallof Fame on May 3, 2011, at Loews Ventana Canyon in Tucson,Ariz. Baugh, the former general manager and president of Wilson

Sporting Goods, also was a former president of the Tennis IndustryAssociation.Baugh has been devoted to improving the health and fitness of

American children, creating the PE4Life initiative. He also helpedraise nearly $500 million in federal grants for schools through theCarol M. White Physical Education Program, known in the industry as the PEP Pro-gram.Baugh worked at Converse and Prince before joining Wilson in 1987. While at Wil-

son, Baugh joined the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association board of directors, aposition he still holds. It was through SGMA that PE4Life was founded, dedicated torebuilding quality physical education programs in schools. After leaving Wilson, Baughserved as president of the TIA and as a board member of the USTA.

Biomimetic 200 PlusBiomimetic 300Biomimetic 300 TourBiomimetic 600 LiteBiomimetic 600

November/December 2010 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 9

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


Wilson Debuts 2011 Apparel, Footwear

Wilson debuted its 2011 spring/summer apparel and footwear collections during theUS Open. The new performance apparel lines use “nano-fiber” technology to aid

in sun protection, moisture management and anti-microbial odor protection. Wilson’sknit apparel also uses bamboo fabrications, which are sustainable, manage moisturewell, and have a soft feel. “Body mapping” offers “no-sew,” seamless technology. Inaddition to spring and summer collections for men and women, Wilson also offers“core” performance collections, along with boys’ and girls’ collections.New Wilson tennis shoes for 2011 feature RG Technology, for “Reactive Gel”—

which are inserts in the midsole for cushioning, energy return, stability and dynamicmovement support, says the company. The men’s and women’s lines include the TourVision, Tour Spin II, Tour Fantom, Pro Staff Trigor, Pro Staff Victress and Pro StaffCourt, in addition to junior models.In related news, world No. 32 Philipp Kohlschreiber will be wearing Wilson’s new apparel and footwear

starting in January. For more information, visit www.wilson.com.

H.S. Tennis Players,School Programs Increase

There’s good news on tennis participationfrom the National Federation of State

High School Associations. According to theNFHS 2009-2010 High School Athletics Par-ticipation Summary, the number of boysand girls playing tennis in high schoolsrose more than 3 percent, from 334,758students to 345,150.The total number of boys participating

in tennis rose from 157,165 to 162,755,while girls playing tennis rose from177,593 to 182,395. Importantly, the num-ber of schools offering tennis alsoincreased. The 2008-2009 study showed9,499 schools offering tennis for boys,while the most recent study has that num-ber up to 9,916. For girls, the number ofschools rose from 9,693 to 10,166.

First ‘Fresh Courts’ Refurbished

Six full-size courts were refurbished and two 36-foot courts were added at McCarren Park in

Brooklyn, N.Y., as part of the “Fresh Courts” reno-vation program by the USTA and AmericanExpress. The 2010 program targeted 17 tenniscourts in New York, Los Angeles and Washington,D.C.Hinding Tennis of West Haven, Conn., did the

work on the McCarren Park courts. Another freshcourts project is at the Jackie Tatum/Harvard Ten-nis Center in L.A., where work was done by ZainoTennis Courts of Orange, Calif.

New Rules for Kids’ Competition

The USTA approved a rule change in September requiring all 10-and-under tour-naments to be played with slower-moving and lower-bouncing balls, on short-

er courts and using shorter, lighter racquets. The change will take affect in January2012 and apply to all USTA-sanctioned events for children 10-and-under.“Scaling tennis down to the size of children will promote greater participation

and ensure that young kids will be able to play much more quickly,” said KurtKamperman, the USTA’s chief execu-tive of Community Tennis. “This rulechange is critical to the long-termgrowth of our sport, and ultimately willhelp us develop new generations of tal-ented players.”For more information on the rule

change, visit usta.com/rulechange.

Charleston is ‘Best Tennis Town’

Charleston, S.C., recently was voted America’s“Best Tennis Town” and received $100,000 for community tennis program-

ming. The announcement was made during the US Open. Charleston beat out81 other cities for the title. The first runner-up Atlanta will receive $50,000 andsecond runner-up Richmond, Va., will receive $25,000. In the inaugural com-petition in 2009, Midland, Mich., took home top honors.

‘Biggest Loser’ TV ShowFeatures Cardio Tennis

Anna Kournikova surprised the 15 contest-ants on the hit TV show “The Biggest Loser,”

then put them through a rigorous Cardio Ten-nis workout as a key part of the show’s weight-loss and fitness program. The episode aired onNBC on Oct. 5.“Cardio Tennis is about getting a great

workout, about burning tons of calories—about high, high energy,” said Kournikova,who had suggested Cardio to the show’s pro-ducers. The episode was filmed at the EdmundD. Edelman Tennis Center in Calabasas, Calif.Working with Kournikova were CT NationalProgram Manager Michele Krause and ChrisOjakian and David Schwartz.


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DUSTRYNEW

S

> The U.S. will host Italy in the 2010 Fed Cupfinal Nov. 6-7 in San Diego. The U.S. team willconsist of Serena Williams, Melanie Oudin,Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Liezel Huber. Inrelated news, Fed Cup Captain Mary Joe Fer-nandez has signed on for another two years.

> Nominated for the USTA Board of Directorsfor 2011-2012 are: Jon Vegosen for USTA pres-ident; David Haggerty, first vice president; Kat-rina Adams and Carol Welder, vice presidents;and Don Tisdel, secretary-treasurer; at-largedirectors Seth Abraham, Dale Caldwell, WilliamKellogg, John Korff, Delaine Mast and AndrewValdez; elite athletes Patrick Galbraith, ChandaRubin and Jeff Tarango; and immediate pastpresident Lucy Garvin.

> Seven tennis facilities won 2010 Outstand-ing Facility Award Honors recently: Libbey ParkTennis Complex, Ojai, Calif.; Palm Coast TennisCenter, Palm Coast, Fla.; Arthur Ashe YouthTennis and Education, Philadelphia; Lakes Ten-nis Academy, Frisco, Texas; Courtside Club, LosGatos, Calif.; Gable Tennis Complex, Culver,Ind.; and Biszantz Family Tennis Center, Clare-mont, Calif.

> This year's Babolat sales award winners are:Retailer of the Year—Michael Lynne's TennisShop; Sales Rep of the Year—Rick Walsh; “Ten-nis Runs in Our Blood” award—Tennis Ware-house.

> Wilson Tennis has hit 100,000 likes/fans onFacebook at www.facebook.com/wilsontennis.“Facebook is the center of all social media. Ourgoal for Wilson’s page is to keep an open lineof communication with the tennis communityand have some fun in the process,” said WilsonGlobal Marketing Director Linda Glassel.

> More than 50 Spanish women players,including former champions Arantxa SanchezVicario and Conchita Martinez, are supportinga boycott of Spain’s Fed Cup team. The playersay the national federation doesn’t supportwomen’s players. The boycott is scheduled tobeing in Spain’s World Group series againstEstonia in February.

> The U.S. Davis Cup squad will travel to ChileMarch 4-6 for the first round of play.

> Pete Sampras will serve as the firstspokesman for “Tennis Night In America,” ajoint promotional effort between the USTA andStarGames Inc. The annual event includesyouth registration events at facilities around thecountry and concludes with the BNP Paribas

S H O R T S E T SShowdown at Madison Square Garden onFeb. 28.

> NetKnacks Tennis Awards has signedon as a PTR Corporate Member.

> Available from Evolve9 and developedby Mike Barrell is a new manual and CD-Rom with formats for running formal andinformal QuickStart Tennis competitions.The CD also contains editable forms, off-court activity sheets and certificates. Visitwww.evolve9.com for more.

> Looking to build or rehab a tennis courtor facility? Check out the new website ofthe American Sports Builders Associationat www.sportsbuilders.org, which canhelp you choose a Certified Tennis CourtBuilder.

> Tennis Canada announced a three-yearpartnership between the Tennis Profes-sionals Association (TPA) and the PTR thatwill take effect in January. TPA was estab-lished for Canadian certified instructors,coaches and club professionals in 2004and has grown to more than 2,300 mem-bers.

> The Golden State Warriors along withThe Good Tidings Foundation unveiled anewly surfaced Novacrylic basketball courtat San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley MiddleSchool, part of NBC’s “Lend A Hand” pro-gram, which in addition to the new court,raised over $1.2 million in donated goodsfor kids. For more info, [email protected].

> BNP Paribas has agreed to continue itssponsorship of Davis Cup and Fed Cup foran additional five-years, from 2012through 2016.

> The Family Circle Cup announced apartnership with the City of CharlestonDepartment of Recreation’s Courting Kidsinner-city youth tennis program, commit-ting over $50,000 in financial, material,and promotional support. Dunlop Sportsand Vapor Apparel, year-round sponsorsof the Family Circle Cup, have contributeda significant amount of tennis equipmentand clothing to the program.

> Bud Collins has released a second edi-tion of his tennis encyclopedia and recordbook, “The Bud Collins History of Tennis.”The 816-page book is $35.95 from NewChapter Press.

TIA Forum OutlinesKey Platforms forIndustry Growth

The fourth annual TIA TennisForum was held during the 2010

US Open in New York City, detailingthe latest news about the state of thetennis industry, including playerdata, equipment sales data, andgrassroots initiatives. The Forum alsohighlighted the revamped and repo-sitioned TennisIndustry.org websiteand featured Billie Jean King’s induc-tion into the Tennis Industry Hall ofFame. (To see a video of the Forum,go to www.youtube.com/tennis-industry.)TIA President Jon Muir outlined

three key industry “platforms”—increasing the number of frequentplayers in the U.S., ways to betterdefine and boost the economicgrowth and impact of the tennisindustry, and effective ways to distrib-ute clear, consistent messaging abouttennis and the reasons to play it.Tennis ball shipments year to date

through the second quarter of 2010were up 1.6% in units and 2.7% indollars from the same period lastyear, according to TIA research.Racquet shipments year to date

through the second quarter of 2010were down slightly in units, but therewas a 7.4% increase in wholesaleracquet dollars. In terms of sell-through, racquet sales at pro/special-ty stores were strong through May,but dropped back in June and July.Overall year to date through July, rac-quet sales were up 3.1% in units and5.1% in dollars.But, Muir cautioned, “When we

try to summarize the broader state ofthe economy, one word keeps com-ing up, ‘uncertainty.’ We’ve had a bigdownsizing in the early part of 2010,it kicked up again, now it’s a bit backdown again, and is trying to find the‘new normal.’”In terms of participation, “taking

advantage of the momentum [fromlast year’s participation increase] ishugely important,” said Muir.

• Andre Agassi has been nominated forinduction into the International Tennis Hall

of Fame in the Recent Player Cat-egory. Joining Agassi on theballot in the Master PlayerCategory are Thelma CoyneLong and Christine Truman

Janes. Nominated in the Con-tributor Category are Mike

Davies and Fern Lee "Peachy" Kellmeyer.

• South Carolina high school studentTony Ly, age 17, will play in a doublesmatch with Andre Agassi and StefanieGraf after winning Head’s Star Seriescompetition. The match will take place inLas Vegas in November, with Tony bring-ing along his brother Brian, age 18, toplay on his team. Ly won the competition,which highlights Head’s YouTek StarSeries.

• The No. 1 player in Japan, Kei Nishikori,has signed a multi-year contract to con-tinue with his longtime racquet sponsor,Wilson Racquet Sports. Nishikori hasbeen a member of the Wilson Team sincehe was 10 years old. Currently rankedNo. 56, he plays with a Wilson Tour BLXracquet.

• Former New York City mayor and cur-rent USTA board member David Dinkinswas honored during the US Open withthe USTA’s 2010 President’s Award forextraordinary service to the sport. Dinkinshas served six consecutive two-year termsas a USTA Director at Large and leavesthe board after this year.

• Dan Santorum, CEO of the ProfessionalTennis Registry, received the International

Tennis Federation’s Service to theGame Award at the ITF’s meet-

ing in Washington, D.C., inAugust. Santorum wasnominated by the USTAand received the recogni-

tion for his outstanding con-tribution to tennis teaching,

both nationally and internationally.

• John Embree is taking on the consult-ing role of director of the IntercollegiateTennis Association’s Endowment FundCampaign. Embree most recently was the

president of the Americas for Prince Sports,leaving that company in June.

• The International Tennis Hall of Fame &Museum has elected 11 new members tothe board of directors: John P. Arnhold,Mark D. Ein, Renae A.R. Evangelista, JamesL. Farley, Philip H. Geier Jr., Madam Sun Jin-fang, Katherine Burton Jones, Geoff Pol-lard, Will Prest, Michelle Sicard, and KenSolomon.

P E O P L E W AT C H



Congratulations To the FollowingFor Achieving MRT & CS Status

New MRTsPatrick Thompson Reston, VirginiaChabil Dassoruth Victoria BC CandadaJames Gober Birmingham, AlabamaDimitar Yazadzhiev Santa Baraba, California

New CSsEdward Visaya Honolulu HIAlfonso Lafont Pedraza Santander ColumbiaEric Dillon Westlake, OhioBrenton James Peachtree, Georgia


INDUSTRYNEW

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Ron Woods Named USPTA Pro of the Year

Ron Woods of Corpus Christi, Texas,who has been involved in tennis for

more than 45 years and has been aUSPTA member for 44 years, receivedthe USPTA’s Alex Gordon Award for Pro-fessional of the Year. Woods was recog-nized during the USPTA’s annual WorldConference on Tennis, Sept. 27 to Oct.2 at La Quinta Resort and Club in LaQuinta, Calif.The professional of the year is

judged in seven areas, including: contri-butions to USPTA and USTA; as a teaching professional, player andcoach; education, research and publications; organizational affili-ations; and contributions to the community.Woods, who also was honored for achieving Master Profes-

sional status and received the individual award for Tennis AcrossAmerica, is a past president of the USPTA and serves on theUSPTA Executive Committee. He is a past president of USPTA’sTexas Division and has served as chairman of various USPTA com-mittees. In addition, he has also been highly involved with theUSTA Texas section and has served as chair of both the adultleague and adult senior competition committees. At the USTAnational level, he has served on the Davis Cup, adult league andinnovations committees.

Cutler Receives Top USPTA Ed Credits

Alan Cutler from Whittier, Calif., was the top credit earner inthe USPTA’s 2009 Career Development Program, earning

132 education credits. Cutler, a USPTA Master Professional, is aspecialist in Competitive Player Development and ComputerTechnology and has completed levels I and II of the USTA sportscience certification. He is the founder of Playtennisforlife.infoand has more than 25 years of teaching experience.

Randy Snow InductedInto USPTA Hall of Fame

During the USPTA’s World Conference,Randy Snow was posthumously induct-

ed into the USPTA Hall of Fame. Snow, whowas from Terrell, Texas, was a USPTA Pro 1 for 17 years andjoins only 10 others as grand inductees in the Hall of Fame.Snow, who was paralyzed from the waist down after a

farming accident when he was 16, became the first Para-lympic athlete inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Famein 2004. He was a silver medalist in the 1,500-meter wheel-

chair race held at the 1984Summer Olympics. He wongold medals in both singlesand doubles with Brad Parks atthe 1992 Summer Paralympicsin Barcelona. He was the onlyathlete to win medals at theParalympic Games in three dif-ferent sports—tennis, basket-ball, and track and field. He

also won the U.S. Open Wheelchair singles titles 10 timesand doubles six times.Snow also excelled in the corporate world, devoting 20

years to a highly successful medical supply company andalso worked as a recreational therapist. In 1999 he startedhis own company, called No XQs (No Excuses), and traveledextensively as a motivational speaker.He was considered a pioneer and an innovator in the

wheelchair industry and helped improve the designs for ath-letes and improve the lives of many disabled people. Hedevoted his time to giving back and sharing the game of ten-nis. He died last fall in El Salvador, where he was volunteer-ing at a wheelchair tennis camp.

Four Earn USPTA Master Pro Status

Four members of the USPTA were recognized for achievingMaster Professional status, the organization’s highest profes-

sional rating:� Rosie Bareis of Tracy, Calif., director of tennis at The Club atthe Claremont Hotel, Club and Spa in Berkeley, Calif.

� Randy Mattingley of Kingwood, Texas, director of tennis atthe Clubs of Kingwood

� Brett Schwartz of Mandeville, La., director of tennis at theNew Orleans Lawn Tennis Club

� Ron Woods of Corpus Christi, Texas, retired director of tennisat the Corpus Christi Country ClubThe four join an elite group as only about 1 percent of

USPTA’s more than 15,000 members worldwide have achievedthe Master Professional designation. Members must holdUSPTA’s highest certification rating (Professional 1) for morethan 10 years before becoming eligible for Master Pro status.

USPTA Honors Leaders in Tennis

The USPTA recognized those who stand out in all aspects ofthe tennis industry during its annual national awards

breakfast in September.� USTA/USPTA Community Service Award: Paul Garron ofAuburn, Calif., director of tennis at Rollingwood RacquetClub in Fair Oaks, Calif.

� USPTA Industry Excellence Award: Emily Schaefer of Hous-ton, director of tennis for Houston Parks and Recreation.

� Lessons for Life Individual Award: Ken Sumrow of Plano,Texas.

� Facility Manager of the Year Award: Rod Heckelman of SanRafael, Calif., general manager at Mount Tam Racquet Clubin Larkspur, Calif.

� Touring Coach of the Year: Dave Licker, Frisco, Texas� College Coach of the Year: Kendell Hale, Kansas City, Mo.� High School Coach of the Year: Vance VanPelt II, Hutchin-son, Kan.

� George Bacso Tester of the Year: David T. Porter, Ed.D., Laie,Hawaii.




New TennisIndustry.orgto Serve As CentralPortal for Industry

The TIA has launched its newlyredesigned website, TennisIndus-

try.org, as a “one-stop portal” for allthings relative to the tennis industry.The new website offers a fresh look thatprovides visitors with significantimprovements to navigation and easieraccessibility to additional tennis indus-try programs, marketplace news,research and initiatives.At www.TennisIndustry.org visitors

can subscribe to the industry newsletterand newsfeed, access industry researchreports, learn more about the tools andresources to help grow tennis business-es and attract more players and con-sumers, and learn how to get involvedby staying up to date and engaged withkey programs and services that benefitall sectors of the tennis industry.“Our goal for the new website is to

provide a central hub for the industry tohelp everyone stay informed andengaged with what is happening in theindustry,” says Jolyn de Boer, TIA execu-tive director. “It connects those in theindustry to all facets of the tennis busi-ness and the game.”

PBI Presents Awards

Peter Burwash International’s recentannual meeting at the Bio-Hotel Stan-

glwirt in Tirol, Austria, brought 90 PBI prostogether from around the world. Seminarand conference topics focused on person-al and professional development, rangingfrom coaching tour players and innovativeteaching techniques to communicationand program marketing.In addition, the following awards were

presented:� Professional of the Year: Kevin Connolly,tennis director, Rancho Las PalmasResort, Rancho Mirage, Calif.

� Most Improved Professional: Fran Bon-mati, head pro, The American ClubHong Kong

� Rookie of the Year: Scott Teller, tennisdirector, Wyndham Rio Mar BeachResort & Spa, Puerto Rico

� Site of the Year: Naples Grande BeachResort, Naples, Fla.


INDUSTRYNEW

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TennisConnect Goes Mobile

Now you can promote your tennis business andservice your most tech-savvy customers by pub-

lishing “mobile-specific” web pages that are simple tocreate through TennisConnect and easy to view on smartphones. With TennisCon-nect’s “MobileBuilder” component, tennis facilities and retailers can quickly gener-ate mobile web pages with key information about programs, news, directions,calendar of events and more—information that is critical to your business—and allscaled to be viewed on smaller mobile devices, such as an iPhone, Android or anyother smartphone.MobileBuilder also can automatically create several “system-generated” pages,

such as maps, weather, email and more. With the “contact us” feature, for instance,each function (email, phone) is automatically integrated with the smartphone.Uswers also can integrate social media sites into their mobile page.MobileBuilder, which is part of TennisConnect Components, is $8/month

($96/year) or $75/year with annual pre-payment. There is a one-time set up fee of$50 to establish your MobileBuilder database. Visit www.TennisCon-nect.com orcontact Marty Mohar at 843-686-3036 ext. 227 or [email protected].

Ashaway IntroducesUltraKill 18 R-Ball StringAshaway Racket Strings has introduced Ultra-Kill 18, the latest in its new line of Zyex-based racquetball strings. Built on a newmultifilament core, UltraKill 18 is designed toprovide players at all levels with a thinner,more playable string that provides bothpower and control.

Visit www.ashawayusa.com.

N.J. Club Offers ‘Teddy Tennis Academy’

Courtside Racquet Club in Lebanon, N.J., is the first “Teddy Tennis Academy”in the U.S. Teddy Tennis, developed in Britain, is for kids ages 3-1/2 to 5-1/2

and encourages them to play tennis by combining music, pictures and teddybear stories. The program can be used as a “feeder system” to QuickStart Ten-nis. Visit www.teddytennis.com for more info.

N O V / D E C 2 0 1 0

TIA Facility PanelThe Facility Panel is composed of tennis facilityowners or operators. Current members areRod Heckelman of Mount Tam Racquet Club,Larkspur, Calif.; Michael Mahoney of MidtownTennis Club, Chicago; and Mike Woody ofMidland Community Tennis Center, Midland,Mich. Some of the initial issues and concernsthe panel identified include:� The need to share information and commu-nicate more, both among facility own-ers/operators and with other industrygroups.

� Sharing “best practices” with all facilities.� More and better education for facility own-ers and their staffs.

� An emphasis on customer service, to bestgain and retain members, customers andplayers.

�Whether programs and initiatives are aseffective as they can be for facilities, andwhether they are being communicatedeffectively.

TIA Retailer PanelComposed of tennis retail owners/managers, thepanel’s current members are Brad Blume of Ten-nis Express, Houston; Todd Goldman of TennisLife Pro Shop, Lutz, Fla.; Bruce Levine of Court-side Racquet Club, Lebanon, N.J.; and DavidSchwartz of The Tennis & Golf Co., Royal Oak,Mich. Initial issues and concerns that the RetailerPanel mentioned include:� More and better education for retailers, con-sumers, sales reps, etc.

� Improving customer service that retailers andretail shops provide.

� How to prevent tennis retail shops from closing,and the affect this has on grassroots tennis.

� The changing nature of retail, and howto adapt to the changes, including internetretailing.

� Concerns over manufacturer pricing and adver-tising and how best they can support retailers.

� A possible cooperative campaign gearedtoward consumers to support local tennisretailers.

The TIA recently formed three advisory panels to helpkeep the TIA better informed with what tennis business-es and providers need to grow and prosper, while alsokeeping industry businesses better in touch with the TIAand current tools and resources offered.“Each panel – facility, retailer and technology – is

composed of individuals who have found success in theirfield, and these three advisory groups will keep both theTIA better in touch and tennis providers better informed,which in turn will help make our industry stronger,” saysTIA Executive Director Jolyn de Boer.

“For facilities and retailers, the first step is for thepanels to identify issues, concerns and challenges theyare facing. Then panel members will work on ways tohelp address theseissues. The Tech Panelwill identify ways thatbusinesses can usetechnology to stay com-petitive in the marketplace.” The panels may add androtate members as they develop and identify issues andprojects.

What issues are importantto you? Let us know [email protected].

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

TIA Technology PanelThe Tech Panel is the newest of the TIAadvisory groups and currently consists ofLance Andersen of the Longfellow Club,Wayland, Mass.; Robin Bateman of JohnDrew Smith/Tattnall Tennis Centers,Macon, Ga.; Billy Power of TexarkanaCountry Club, Texarkana, Ark.; and CharlieRuddy of TennisConnect, along with theTIA tech team of Matt Allen and RyanMelton. Initial goals for the panel include:� How to get current industry “players” toembrace new technology.

� Effective means of distributing messag-ing regarding new technology and toolsand resources available for tennisproviders.

� Determining the effectiveness andusability of current technology tools andresources.

� Finding ways to bring the latest technol-ogy to tennis providers at an affordableprice so more players can be engaged.

FACILITY PANEL

RodHeckelman

MichaelMahoney

MikeWoody

RETAILER PANEL

BradBlume

ToddGoldman

BruceLevine

DavidSchwartz

TECHNOLOGY PANEL

LanceAndersen

RobinBateman

BillyPower

CharlieRuddy

TIA Advisory Panels Look At Facilities, Retailers, Technology


2010 Tennis Industry

Hall of Fame

She has won Grand Slams and racked up titles. She'sdefied stereotypes, broken down barriers and throughthe formation of World TeamTennis, even reshaped the

way people enjoy the spectator aspect of the sport. Perhaps itshouldn't come as a surprise at all that Billie Jean King wantsto change the perception of even the learning experience in

tennis.“My mantra is to

get rid of the word‘lesson,’” King says.“When a child signsup for tennis, theyshould be put on ateam immediately.The socializationprocess is so impor-tant. Children want tobe on a team withtheir friends. This ishow they learn lead-ership roles.”

Few players, maleor female, have hadthe large-scale impactof Billie Jean King, onor off the court, andnone can claim to

have her continued influence. And as this year's inductee intothe Tennis Industry Hall of Fame, she was once again thefocus of the intense scrutiny and applause that has character-ized her career.

King was honored at the Tennis Industry Association’sTennis Forum, held in New York City Aug. 31 during the 2010US Open. It was a time for the industry, the media and evenKing herself to reflect on her career and on her accomplish-ments.

The world first became aware of Billie Jean King in the1960s when as a teenager, she began playing in Grand Slams.She won her first doubles title at Wimbledon at age 17, andwent on to amass 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles and mixeddoubles titles, including a record 20 titles at Wimbledon (sixtimes in singles, 14 times in doubles and mixed doubles).Other Grand Slam wins included the French Open, Australian

Open and US Open.It wasn't enough just to play the game, though; King made

it better. She campaigned for equal prize money for men andwomen; her efforts helped make that goal a reality at the USOpen in 1973. She led efforts among players to support thefirst women's professional tour, the Virginia Slims. (King wasone of nine players who accepted $1 contracts from promot-er Gladys Heldman, a move that led not only to the women'stour, but to the formation of the Women's Tennis Associa-tion).

Jeff Williams, group publisher of Tennis Magazine, whointroduced King at the TI Hall of Fame induction, character-izes her as "the spark that caused a boom, a boom that gaverise to the tennis industry as we know it today."

One defining moment both for King and for women insports came in 1973, when she beat Bobby Riggs in thenationally televised Battle of the Sexes match. Her 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win was a pivotal point for women's tennis. It was the sameyear she won her fifth Wimbledon singles title (as well as herninth doubles title and her third mixed-doubles title there)—but it was the match with Riggs that would cement her statusas an icon in the tennis world and in pop culture in general. Itwas also the moment that would bring tennis into the public'sconsciousness for good.

Because of King, Williams adds, "We are all part of anindustry that is bigger, an industry that is better, and an indus-try that is stronger."

She founded the Women's Tennis Association in 1973, theWomen's Sports Foundation and Women's Sports Magazinein 1974, and also in 1974, co-founded World TeamTennis, thegroundbreaking co-ed professional tennis league. She alsofounded the World TeamTennis Recreational League, one ofthe most popular recreational tennis formats in the U.S.

King often mentions the social aspects of tennis, particu-larly the way it helps its youngest players learn to get along. Itmirrors her philosophy of life: “You hit one ball at a time andyou learn the consequence of ‘hitting the ball’—how it makesyou adapt. Tennis teaches you to keep playing, keep goingand maintain optimism in life.”

It was that mentality that she brought to the formation ofWTT, noting, "When we started World TeamTennis, it wasabout the socialization.”

Her involvement with the sport continues today; she is a

Igniting the Tennis BoomIn many ways, Billie Jean King, the newest inductee into the TennisIndustry Hall of Fame, was the spark that created the tennis industryas we know it. B Y M A R Y H E L E N S P R E C H E R

2010 Tennis Industry

Hall of Fame


member of the board of directors of the Women's SportsFoundation, and remains involved in the USTA, where she iscurrently the honorary chairman of the Tennis in the ParksCommittee.

Her involvement with tennis on thepublic level stems from her first experi-ence with the sport, which came aboutwhen a friend in fifth grade asked her toplay. “If she hadn’t asked me, I wouldn’thave started playing,” King says. Shecontinues to promote municipal tennisprograms, saying, “Get out and play andhave fun.”

Last year, King was awarded thenation’s highest civilian honor, the Pres-idential Medal of Freedom, making herthe first female athlete to be so honored.During the presen-tation ceremony,President Obamasaid of King, "Wehonor... what shedid to broaden thereach of the game,to change howwomen athletesand women every-where view them-selves, and to giveeveryone—includ-ing my two daugh-ters—a chance tocompete both onthe court and inlife."

King continuesto push barriersnot just from the sidelines, but also outside of tennis. In2007, she co-founded GreenSlam, an environmental initia-tive for the sports industry. She was named Global Mentor forGender Equality by the United Nations Educational, Scientif-ic and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2008.

She continues to be a leader in the fight for equality andrecognition in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgenderedcommunity, and has been honored by organizations includ-ing the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD and the LambdaLegal Foundation. She currently serves on the board of theElton John AIDS Foundation.

Her honors and awards include the NCAA President's Ger-ald R. Ford Award (2009) and Major League Baseball's Bea-con of Change Award (2010). In 2010, she was appointed tothe President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.

King's significant contributions on the court, to the sportitself, and to society were noted when in 2006, the USTANational Tennis Center, home of the US Open, was renamed

the USTA BillieJean King NationalTennis Center. Thecourt on whichgenerations ofplayers will settheir own mile-stones and breaktheir own barriersnow carries thename of one of thefirst players to dothat.

King is now thefourth person tobe inducted intothe Tennis Indus-

try Hall of Fame, following Alan Schwartz in 2009and Dennis Van der Meer and Howard Head in2008. Plaques of the inductees hang in the Inter-national Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.

She recently had double knee joint replace-ment, but has kept on playing tennis and has kepton enjoying the game. And she continues to advo-cate for youth programs, particularly at the begin-ner level.

“Anytime we can give the gift of tennis,” saysKing, “we give the gift of a lifetime to children.”


RACQUETS

Frames for young players are bringing in technology from adultracquets, and hope to promote brand loyalty early on.

performance models that mirror the sticks of tennis heroes.No doubt part of the pride is finding an answer for the desire of

the serious tennis teen who is not ready to swing an adult racquetbut won't accept being part of child's play. Babolat USA MarketingDirector Susan DiBiase describes the junior performance racquetsof her company and others as, “[looking] like their favorite pro’sracquet, but more appropriate to their playing ability and strength.”

There is certainly no shortage of appropriate, quality racquetsto choose from for the serious teen. Or, as Parry puts it, “There isno such thing as a 'bad' racquet/string combination, only a 'bad'choice for your own personal needs!” Probably the best advice anyshopper can receive is to not become overwhelmed by all theoptions.

As Cory Springer, Wilson’s global business director for tennisracquets, says, “There is a high degree of expertise among floorpersonnel. Those people are helping to match the player to the rac-quet. The key thing [for juniors and their parents] is to find the rac-quet that fits.”

Recognizing the business imperative to maximize lifetime cus-tomer value, manufacturers are bringing increasing attention andfocus on enticing players who will shortly be making adult deci-sions and spending their own money on tennis equipment. Sinceracquets are most often the most expensive part of the game, thereis serious competition among manufacturers to offer the bestchoice for a market just about ready to bloom. �

JUNIOR CLASSJUNIOR CLASSB Y K E N T O S W A L D

BABOLATGiven that one of the key drivers of youngdesire is hero worship, it is difficult to bein a better place than Babolat, whoseteam includes 2010 US Open champsRafael Nadal (playing with an AeroProDrive) and Kim Clijsters (who hits withan AeroPure Drive). Two new racquetsadded to the performance line that hasfound such favor with young hitters inthe relatively few years since Babolatentered the racquet market are the Aero-Pro Drive Junior (100 sq. in. head, 26 in.,8.6 oz. unstrung), featuring the sametechnology as played with by Nadaland Caroline Wozniacki, and PureDrive Roddick Junior (100 sq. in.,26 in., 8.8 oz. unstrung).

DUNLOPDunlop, whose marketing efforts areexpanding online with Dunlop-buzz.com and various mobile apps to“remind” everyone of the historiclegacy they build their new productson, has introduced the HM6 carbon-framed Biomimetic 300 26” (95 sq.in., 26 in., 9.7 oz. strung) modeled onFernando Verdasco‘s racquet as acomplement to its new adult line.Adding to the racquet’s allure is atextured skin, a feature the Dunlopsays is not just cosmetic, butreduces drag in a way that canbe measured by the ear whenlistening to this racquet swingcompared to other frames.

Pure DriveRoddickJunior

Biomimetic300

Thankfully, the days of a junior tennis racquet being an adultstick with the handle sawed off are long gone. This isn’t tosuggest that finding the right racquet for a younger player

today is easy, but the search does come with the near-guarantee offinding a high-quality model. This is particularly true when talkingabout the performance racquet niche of the junior tennis market.

Technology allows for increasing nuance in how a racquet playsand, increasingly, kids and their parents are demanding thosechoices—which they should. Hunter Hines, Dunlop’s eastern regionsales manager, recommends, “Parents and players should pick themost advanced racquet that the child is comfortable with. If a childcontinues to play with a racquet that is not suited to their develop-ment level, it can hamper their progress.”

“Demo first, if at all possible,“ insists Pacific’s Global Player Ser-vices Director Tom Parry, echoing Hines with the advice to “pur-chase what is best suited for the player’s actual ability, body, game,style, etc.—as of today.”

The current excitement is with reference to the sales potentialinherent in the USTA “QuickStart” and ITF “Play and Stay” initia-tives—the change of rules for the under-10 players and need fornew, color-coded equipment that promotes the game in a muchmore child-friendly manner. However, when the discussionmoves from that niche of the junior market, you can’t help buthear the pride in the product as manufacturers discuss how theyhave introduced tour-level technologies in shorter, lighter junior

GAMMAThe next big thing from Gamma regardingracquets will be the development of itsline to use with 10-and-under tennis.Building the bridge between that line ofjunior racquets and its adult perfor-mance frames is the new 300X TourJunior (95 sq. in., 26 in., 8.8 oz. strung)with a “titanal” composite frame andthe same technology as Gamma’s Tour300x and 340 Team frames.

HEADIn Head’s line of racquets offering a choicefor all swing types and playing styles aretwo designed specifically for the juniorperformance crowd. The YouTek SpeedJr. (102 sq. in., 26-1/5 in., 9.2 oz. strung)is a shorter, lighter version of the rac-quet Novak Djokovic uses with thepatented d30 technology and Teflongrommets. Another option is the Micro-gel Prestige Junior 26+, with its micro-gel/graphite frame (102 sq. in., 26-1/4in., 9.5 oz. strung).

PACIFICPacific, which recently incorporatedTecnifibre racquet technology as acomplement to its string sales, ismaking a big push in the junior rac-quet market. Racquets designed forthe junior on the brink of an adulttour model are the BasaltX framesand the X Force Team 1.45 (98 sq.in., 27 in., 8.7 oz. strung) and FinesseTeam 1.55 (102. sq. in., 26-1/2 in., 8oz. strung), which also is a featuredplayer in some foreign markets foradult women looking for a racquetthat’s easier to maneuver.

PRINCERather than refer to a junior perfor-mance line, Prince highlights its“reduced length performance mod-els.” Among the racquets recom-mended for top-flight juniors are theExo3 Graphite 26+ (100 sq. in., 26-1/2 in., 8.8 oz. unstrung); the Exo3Rebel 26 (95 sq. in., 26 in., 7.9 oz.unstrung) modeled after the racquetGael Monfils plays with; and twonew racquets, both using Prince’sO3 technology: the O3 Hybrid Shara-pova 26+ (100 sq. in., 26 in., 7.8oz. unstrung) and the O3 HybridIgnite 26+ (100 sq. in., 26-1/4in., 7.8 oz. unstrung).

VOLKLVolkl weighs in with its carbon/fiberglassframed Volkl Power Bridge 10 (98 sq.in., 26.8 in., 9 oz. unstrung) and VolklPower Bridge 9 (102 sq. in., 26 in.,8.6 oz. unstrung). Once again, thetechnologies, dampening system andframe construction mirror the tourversions, but the heads are a touchlighter and the racquets a tad shorterand more maneuverable.

WILSONLike the other manufacturers, Wilson has beenlooking at the needs of younger playersmore carefully and aligning their juniormodels with those played by popular tour-ing pros. Their current performance mod-els, both using the tour BLX technologywith basalt fibers enhancing the frames,are the Pro 26 BLX (100 sq. in., 26 in., 8.8oz. strung) and Six.One 26 BLX (100 sq.in., 26 in., 8.9 oz. strung), a lighter,shorter version of Roger Federer’s stick.


300XTour Junior

MicrogelPrestigeJunior

X ForceTeam

Six.One26 BLX

PowerBridge 9

O3 HybridSharapova26+


R A C Q U E T S P O R T S

Until a year ago, the popular Latin racquet sport called“padel” was virtually unknown in the U.S. outside privateclubs, the odd school and a few homes. In July 2009, how-

ever, two public facilities opened 3 miles apart in Miami, both start-ed by former professional players from Argentina.

“I knew the Argentine community in Miami was quite large andwould enjoy the game,” says Gustavo Roque, who launched MiamiPadel (www.miamipadel.com) after installing a padel court out-doors atop an existing tennis court at the Ives Estates Tennis Cen-ter. Coincidentally, only days earlier the husband and wife team ofAdrian Beltramino and Natalia De Biasi had opened the doors ofthe AB Sport Club (www.absportclub.com), a 20,000-square-footindoor facility with two padelcourts, an indoor soccer field, snackbar, pro shop and outdoor terrace.Within months, both clubs haddeveloped such a large followingthat each needed to add an addi-tional court to keep up withdemand.

Padel originated in Mexico inthe late 1960s. Combining ele-ments of tennis, racquetball andsquash, it’s played on a 10-by-20-meter rectangular court with a netacross the middle, 3-meter-highwalls on all four sides (with a 1-meter extension atop the backwalls), no ceiling and a surface that is often, though not universal-ly, artificial grass. The back wall and part of the side walls are solidand frequently made of glass for better spectator viewing; theremainder of the walls are wire-mesh panels.

Played only as doubles, it uses the same scoring system andballs as tennis but requires a special 18-inch racquet with a solid,slightly oblong head whose surface is smooth and has numerousholes. Players must serve underhand and that coupled with thesmaller footprint and option of playing balls off the sides or backwalls leads to extended points and long rallies.

“New players can pick up the sport quickly,” says U.S. PadelAssociation (USPA) President Mike May. “Using a short racquetmakes the ball easier to control and the ball doesn’t have the veloc-ity of one coming off a tennis racquet’s strings. And with under-hand serves, the frustration level is cut in half because you’re not

double-faulting. But most of all, because it’s doubles and you’revery close together, it’s easier to talk, so it’s very social.”

A former tennis touring pro, May himself was introduced topadel in the early 1990s by his strength coach. “I saw somevideos and got the bug,” he says. A few months later he becamepart of a U.S. team competing against Canada and Mexico at theTri-National Cup in Acapulco.

At the end of that tournament, what is now the USPA boughtthat tournament court and had it shipped back to the U.S., settingit up at the private Houstonian Club in Houston and putting on anexhibition to drum up interest. May has since became the club’sracquet sports director and has focused on introducing club

members and Houstonian Hotelguests to the sport, as well as ondeveloping a U.S. team for inter-national competition and advisingentrepreneurs and clubs aboutpadel.

The sport is hugely popular inMexico, Spain and Argentina, allof which have professional tours,and is spreading through Europeand beyond. In Argentina, in fact,it’s second only to soccer in thenumber of participants. Yet herein the U.S., it’s been slow to catchon, with some 4,500 to 5,500 par-ticipants compared, to an estimat-

ed 4.5 million amateur players in Argentina.“For padel to grow we need more facilities like AB Sport Club

where people can afford to go without having to become a mem-ber,” May says. The USPA is caught in a classic dilemma: How doyou get people interested in a sport they’ve never heard of? Toincrease awareness, the association hopes to find a sponsor sothe U.S. can host the 2012 World Padel Championships (May,Roque and Beltramino will be part of the U.S. team for the 2010championships in November in Cancun).

Meanwhile, May is doing all he can at a grassroots level tospur new padel court construction. “I get calls from people want-ing to invest in padel facilities, so I give them my numbers, I givethem my statistics, sources to buy a court. The model is you getat least two courts and make it a social environment, you’ll havea winner.” �

THE ARGENTINESPORT OF ‘ PADEL’JUMPS TO THE U.S.

THE ARGENTINESPORT OF ‘ PADEL’JUMPS TO THE U.S.

For more information aboutpadel, see the USPA websiteat www.usapadel.com.

B Y R O G E R C O X


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

UNDER CONSTRUCTIONCourt builders have been hit hard by the slump in the economy.Many remain cautious, unsure of whether the rollercoasterride is still heading downward, or will soon start the slow climbout of the hole. BY MARY HE L EN SPRECHER

Add 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

There's been no doubt that the economy is playing a tough gamewith all aspects of the tennis industry. A financially tenuousenvironment is wreaking havoc on membership numbers, les-

son enrollment and equipment and apparel sales. Retailers, man-ufacturers, teaching pros and facility owners have all sounded offon their worries, and also on the strategies they're using in orderto meet the next shot that comes over the net to challenge them.

The impact is huge fortennis-court builders as well.That shouldn't come as anysurprise; home and commer-cial building and buying, andthe market for those in thebusiness of remodeling, hasbeen anemic at best. It onlystands to reason that the ten-

nis-court construction and rehab industry would be affected by thesame external factors. And while many tennis courts can be lessexpensive to build, operate and insure than some other recre-ational facilities (such as swimming pools), they do represent a sig-nificant investment, something many buyers have put on hold forthe time being.

THE SUDDEN DROPTennis-court construction professionals (those whose companiesmarket themselves strictly as court and athletic facility specialists,not those who are general contractors for many different types ofprojects) have been hit hard. Most say the slide actually started atleast two years ago.

"With us, everything hit around mid-2008, and it was a veryclearly defined line," says David Marsden of Boston Tennis CourtConstruction Co. Inc. in Hanover, Mass. "At the beginning of '08,we had enough business to know we had a good year ahead of us.Then suddenly, in the second half, business just dropped off thetable. I told (my business partner, Bruce Mahler), ‘I think we'd bet-ter get ready for a crummy 2009.’”

"For us, it was like someone turned a switch off," notes KevinHealion of Century Tennis in Deer Park, N.Y. "We just went dead."

Many company owners, who had become accustomed to a cer-tain workflow and pace, scrambled to find jobs. Trouble was, theyweren't alone.

"We suddenly started seeing so many more bidders on tennis-court projects than ever before," says Steve Wright of Trans Texas

Tennis Ltd. in Houston. "These were for projects that in the past,tennis-court builders would exclusively have been bidding on.That's been a huge shift and it's certainly that way today. Evenmulti-million-dollar general contractors are bidding on thesetennis-court projects. Before, they never would have botheredwith them."

While normally, competition is the sign of a healthy market-place, this economy has created conditions that are far fromnormal. The problem with the increasing number of bidders atthe table, say tennis-court contractors, is that few of those bid-ders actually understand the sport of tennis, and fewer stillknow how to build a court correctly. (See “Finding the RightBuilder” on page 26 for insights on how to pick a skilled courtbuilder/repair professional.)

The wrong decision comes back to haunt the facility owner,says George Todd of Welch Tennis Courts Inc. in Sun City, Fla."I’m seeing people make some fairly good-sized mistakes fromthe standpoint of design. It’s going to be hard for the owner tocome up with the budget twice: once to get the project built andonce to get someone to fixall the things that are wrongwith it."

As the USTA’s Director ofCommunity Tennis Develop-ment, Virgil Christian con-stantly lobbies for the use oftennis-court contractors tocallers who ask for advice ona construction or rehab pro-ject. The USTA's FacilityAssistance program includesadvocacy, technical supportand financial assistance, andthe staff has been busy latelywith calls and e-mails.

"At one point in the dia-logue, we always tell peoplethat they should get professional involvement," says Christian."We try to tell them, 'You’re going to lose a lot more than you’resaving.' I must have this conversation four times a week. Wealso try to get them to get a local architect or engineer to guidethe process. We want to see a nice facility built, and our stan-dards are high. Tennis courts are not parking lots."

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

This is the seventh in a series of articles aboutthe tennis industry's changing landscape.Future topics will deal with participation, day-to-day conditions affecting teaching pros andmore. We'd like to hear your comments andconcerns too. E-mail them [email protected]. Please put “state of theindustry” in the subject line.


‘We suddenly startedseeing so many morebidders on tennis-court projects thanever before," saysSteve Wright. ‘Before,[some of thesebidders] never wouldhave bothered.’




THE QUICK FIXThese days, many players will have their current racquet restrungrather than buying a new one. Owners and managers of tennis courtsare taking a similar route. Mark Brogan, who owns Pro-Sport Tennisin Devon, Pa., serves as Tennis Division President of the AmericanSports Builders Association (ASBA). From talking to others in the court

construction industry, he hasnoticed a distinct trend amongconsumers toward whatbecomes—literally and figurative-ly—a patch job.

"If people have a pretty majorreconstruction project coming,they want to know what they cando so that they can put it off for afew years," says Brogan.

Like many surfacing manufac-turers, Jeff Gearheart of SportMas-ter Sport Surfaces in Sandusky,Ohio, has noticed "positive move-ment in court repair and resurfac-ing, so it seems the economy isbeginning to strengthen. New con-

struction is still slower than usual, though."What contractor Herb Osburn of Aylett, Va.-based Tennis Courts

Inc. calls “a Band-Aid job” doesn't come close to being profitable fora company that normally resurfaces a particular asphalt court everyfive to eight years.

Some companies, however, profit from thecurrent “repair, don't replace” trend. NGI Sportsin Chattanooga, Tenn., and Armor Crack RepairSystem in Farmingdale, N.J., both make repairsystems for cracked tennis courts, and bothreport strong sales. Armor's contracting division,which does the actual repair work using Armor'sproducts, has also been busy. "In fact," notesArmor’s David Clapp, "the last two years, ourschedule was booked full by June. This may indi-cate that repair work is abundant."

“The repair business is phenomenal,” addsTom Hinding of RiteWay Crack Repair of WestHaven, Conn. “Our business has grown tremen-dously. People are doing the minimal possible toget by, asking us to get them by for two to fivemore years before they have to resurface.”

THE NO-FRILLS COURTThe need to cut expenses in new construction orrehab of tennis courts has resulted in a new no-frills approach (see “Spending Less on CourtImprovements” on page 27). Even maintenanceis affected by the downturn.

In clubs with soft courts, owners and man-agers are simply trying to hold the line on costs,says Randy Futty of Lee Tennis Court Products in Charlottesville, Va.Futty, ASBA's Supplier Division President, notes that from what hesees of the country-club market, "Until membership starts to

increase, people don't want to spend yet. They're just hanging inthere, doing the basics. Folks with clay courts are doing just enoughto maintain them."

Brogan says contractors are finding that owners have scaled downtheir plans for tennis facilities; this too cuts into the builder's bottomline. "In the private sector, we're seeing that projects are moving, butpeople are cutting back to the bare minimum. They're not going withlights, they're not going with the cushioned surfaces. They’re gettingrid of the fluff."

Art Tucker of Andover, Massachusetts-based Plexipave Div. of Cal-ifornia Products has noticed a lack of investment in the peripherals ofthe court. During a visit to a major university not long ago, Tuckerstopped by the tennis facility. "I looked at the courts, and they weremostly in good shape, but the fencing around them looked like some-thing out of ‘Shutter Island’—it was worn out, the galvanization wasgone and the whole thing was really dangerous. But if you askedsomeone there, they'd probably just say they couldn't squeeze any-thing else out right now."

MARKET SPECIALIZATIONTennis-court builders tend to specialize in certain markets. Theyrange from public or municipal facilities (including courts for schoolsystems), to private clubs, to colleges/universities/private schools, tothe individual or residential court market.

According to Rick Burke of NGI, many builders who work in thepublic and municipal market still have an active caseload becausetheir projects are the result of bond money that has been in place forseveral years. But even that, he notes, may be drying up soon. Thosecontractors, he adds, "are worried about next year."

Colleges and universities, as well as privateschools, are unique in terms of tennis-facilityconstruction and rehab. Many new constructionprojects in educational institutions are the resultof fund drives and alumni and corporate dona-tions; therefore, much depends on eachschool's success with fund raising and develop-ment—but these are areas that are presentlysuffering. At the same time, however, schoolsneed to remain competitive in order to attractnew enrollment, and state-of-the-art studentwellness centers and athletic facilities can bekey to those efforts. It is, says John Graham ofDecoTurf in Andover, Mass., a conundrum.

"We are somewhat confused as to howschool systems can continue to lay off teachersand still find money to build or resurface tenniscourts," he notes. “We're not complainingabout the work, but we just don't understandhow it's happening."

The residential court market has just aboutflat-lined, according to Osburn. "Our privateresidences are way off," he says. "People arewaiting to fix things until the court is wellbeyond easy repair."

Fred Manchester, who operates ManchesterCourts LLC in Lexington, S.C., says he has had good luck lately withhis maintenance business for local private clubs with soft courts.However, he adds, when the recession first hit, "People put projects

FINDING THE RIGHT BUILDERPlanning any new court constructionor rehab work? Don't fall prey to aninexperienced contractor.

• Require references and check fortennis court -specific experience;find out if the company's previouscourt projects are holding up.

• Find out if the company has a Certi-fied Tennis Court Builder (CTCB) onstaff.

• Check for membership in the Ameri-can Sports Builders Association (goto www.sportsbuilders.org and usethe search feature); ASBA also hashelpful publications and informa-tional resources.

• Find out about the USTA's FacilityAssistance program (advice, grants,answer to FAQs and more) by goingto www.usta.com/facilities/.

‘In the private sector,we're seeing thatprojects are moving,but people are cuttingback to the bareminimum,’ says MarkBrogan. ‘They’regetting rid of thefluff.’


on hold. I had projects that were supposed to happen, and they did-n't. Some things that I had been doing as repeat business, like clubswith clay courts, the clubs elected to do theircourts in-house or not at all. There was also adefinite drop in inquiries about new construc-tion." For Manchester, inquiry calls are startingto come in again, but he remains cautious,waiting to see if they pan out.

MATERIALS AND LABORAnother essential contributor to the bottomline for tennis-court builders is the cost ofmaterials and the price of the fuel that getsthose materials to the jobsite. Two years ago,the cost of asphalt, which is petroleum-based,was wildly volatile (as were the costs of gaso-line and diesel fuel), and was wreaking havocon contractors' estimates. Concrete also wentup in cost, as did rubber. While those pricesare a bit more predictable now, they can stillthrow a wrench into an estimate, according toFred Volpacchio of Hudson Design Build GroupLLC in Peekskill, N.Y.

"There’s still a lot of volatility in that sector,and for steel and other products," says Volpacchio. "Mostly for me,it's steel, which affects a lot of the different trades for materials. Ihaven’t seen that settle down yet."

While all tennis-court contractors reported difficulty in attract-ing new work and bidding against unqualified companies, virtuallynone reported trouble finding and keeping workers. Many use fore-men and other lead workers who have held their positions foryears, or decades.

"We get the same foremen back year after year," says Marsden."We also get the same laborers coming back because our foremenlure those guys back. We pay a fair amount of money in a shortseason. Having the same people saves us a lot of headaches intraining and quality."

According to Wright, the recession has taken any difficulty outof getting laborers on board. "For common labor, projects likemoving stuff around and helping out the skilled guys, we canalways get college kids, people who are out of work, etc. The onlyproblem there is that you just don't know how long they're plan-ning to stay with you."

Only one contractor (who asked not to be identified) had a laborproblem: "Finding someone with a valid driver's license."

NEW PLAYERS: NEW COURTS?New-player initiatives, such as the USTA's 10-and-under tennisusing the QuickStart play format and its focus on community ten-nis, including its grant program, have created optimism amongbuilders, says John Graham.

"I think the USTA is doing a fantastic job on promoting thegame," he notes. "We as an industry are really lucky to have a gov-erning body that is doing that; it's something not a lot of sports cansay."

QuickStart Tennis focuses on shorter courts, more appropriatefor kids. And the USTA has been pushing hard for two years tohave courts built and/or lined specifically for the 10-and-under play

format, including supplying grants to facilities to help cover costs.Graham notes that his company has been designing line paint for

QST courts in colors that will not distractadults from their game, but will allow chil-dren to understand the court boundaries.

Tom Hinding, who also owns HindingTennis Courts of West Haven, Conn., sayshe’s realized a huge increase in business inbuilding and lining shorter courts for Quick-Start Tennis. “We’re pushing it hard—weknow it’s the future. And clubs are now see-ing the potential of QuickStart courts; it’sgenerating a lot of money for them. Now,people are actually calling us and saying theyneed to get QST courts installed, and askingwhat they have to do,” says Hinding. “I thinkwithin five years, if a club can fit it, you’ll seepermanent QST courts at every club.”

He also has noticed that more senior play-ers are enjoying tennis on the shorter courts,too. “I go over to East Shore Park in NewHaven, which has four permanent 36-footcourts, and I see more seniors playing thanjuniors,” Hinding notes. In fact, the Interna-

tional Tennis Federation is looking into rolling out a program foradults using the shorter courts.

While organizers and those in the industry have been living andbreathing it every day, says the USTA’s Christian, the message ofthe ever-growing comeback of tennis is finally filtering through themunicipal market. What resonates most, he adds, is the notion thatchildren are finding it easier to take up the game, since "there’s nota park director out there who doesn’t want kids playing."

Builders have praised the USTA's facility grants and its facilityadvocacy and information pro-grams as being important firststeps in helping a limping con-struction industry regain its foot-ing. Some say they're alreadyoptimistic (albeit cautious aswell).

"We get the sales reports,"says Rob Righter of Nova SportsUSA in Milford, Mass., "and wesee that ball sales and racquetsales and clothing sales are grow-ing and we know that looks goodfor our industry."

"I don't have that many bigworries about the industry," saysLee Tennis’s Futty. "When youlook at us compared to othersports, we're doing a hell of a job.I think we need to keep doingwhat we're doing: growing the game, positively branding thegame, and working toward a unified goal of bringing more playersinto the game for life and keeping the ones we have from leaving.You want to get them to the dance and have them dance all nightversus leaving after one song."

SPENDING LESS ONCOURT IMPROVEMENTSTennis participation may have climbedto its highest level in decades in 2009,but spending on courts and facilities ison the downswing. According to a TIAsurvey of over 420 facilities:

• 20% of facilities planned for capitalimprovements in 2009.

• Less than 50% of those improve-ments will be made to tennis courts.

• The remaining percentages includeequipment, interior building, exteri-or building and landscaping (indescending amount of funding allo-cated).

‘The USTA is doing afantastic job onpromoting the game,’says John Graham.‘We as an industryare really lucky tohave a governingbody that is doingthat; it's somethingnot a lot of sportscan say.’


Programs that increase the player base, say builders and suppli-ers, can spell success for all segments of the industry. More lesson-takers means more income for pros. More players means morebusiness for parks, clubs and other tennis facilities. More leagues

means more court use, and itall adds up to a demand formore courts, more well-appointed courts, and morecourts that must be kept ingood shape.

"A rising tide lifts allboats," was the saying echoedby no less than four builders.

Green building and the useof sustainable materials andeco-friendly techniques are aconcern in most segments ofthe construction marketplace.However, as tennis-courtbuilders note, many initia-tives, such as the Leadershipin Energy & EnvironmentalDesign (LEED) green buildingcertification system, apply tonew construction, and thoseprojects have dropped off sig-nificantly. But eco-friendly

construction remains a powerful marketing tool.While many builders employ green techniques in varying degrees

(see “Going Green” above), others say the concept creates increasedwork when contractors are more pressed for time than ever before.They are hopeful that the process, essential as it is, can be stream-lined in years to come.

"More and more owners are having LEED documents, and wehave to fill those out to show we're complying with the sustainabledesign items people are requesting," says Wright. "The paperworkinvolved is taking a great amount of time."

MEETING THE CHALLENGEFrom the outset, the economic downturn caused builders to rethinktheir strategies. Todd noted that Welch Tennis Courts has becomefiercely competitive in its pricing. “But I would say the bigger changefor us has been using a wider, broader area to find the jobs."

At Century Tennis, says Healion, "Some of our men went onunemployment, but they do every year. They went on it a little earlythis year. We don't look for different work in the winter; we triedsnowplowing years ago, but we learned that it damages the equip-ment that we're going to need in the spring."

Brogan notes that many contractors in the ASBA have startedthinking outside the box, or at least outside the tennis court, for otherincome opportunities. "I’ve done that, and we’ve tried to educate ourmembers over the past few years on ways to diversify and on otherthings they can do to expand their capabilities during the toughtimes." Brogan says his own company has installed synthetic puttinggreens and tees for golf courses. Other ASBA members have builtplaygrounds and facilities for basketball, bocce and shuffleboard, aswell as dog parks with antimicrobial artificial turf.

Most contractors were reluctant to discuss layoffs or downsizingof their workforce, although some did say—off the record—theyeither recently had made, or were currently being faced with, thatdecision.

Like many tennis-court builders, Fred Kolkmann of Fred Kolk-mann Tennis and Sport Surfaces LLC in Grafton, Wis. admits to beingworried about the lasting impactof the recession on an industry inwhich he has spent his life. "Iwould say it's going to take a fewyears to get back out," he notes. "Ithink it's going take some compa-nies under, and it's going to hurtnext year."

Some builders met the chal-lenge head-on, creating their ownstrategies to deal with theimpending shortfalls. When Mars-den shared his gloomy forecastfor 2009 with his business part-ner, he said, "Bruce came up witha three-pronged attack. He said:'One, we're going to retain our key customers. Two, we're going topay our vendors on time. Three, we're going to try to get our employ-ees as close to the salaries of previous years as we can.' That was hisplan, and that's what we did, and we succeeded and we survived.Right now, I think that if we just plod along, this is going to be an OKyear."

After 35 years in the business of building tennis courts, saysOsburn, there aren't very many surprises the economy has in storefor him any longer. "I say to people, 'Just ride the rollercoaster. Rideit on down, get to the bottom and hopefully it has enough steam toget back up.' I do remember setbacks in the late 1970s, early '80s,but I don't remember whether they were as bad as this."

Opinions diverge as to whether that rollercoaster has hit bottomyet, whether it's still plummeting, or whether it's climbing back up.Nobody is a fan of thrill rides, though.

"It’s an exciting time, all right," says George Todd, "if you canstand the excitement." �



GOING GREENWant to incorporate eco-friendly tech-niques into your facility? Some tipsfrom builders and manufacturers:

• "Asphalt tennis courts are wonder-fully recyclable," says Art Tucker."Hot mix is already using up to25% of recycled products."

• According to David Marsden, "Ourcompany has taken the initiative ona few things, like using magnesiumchloride instead of calcium chlorideon clay courts. Calcium chloride is afairly corrosive salt; it'll corrode thenet posts and damage plants."

• "We are always trying to recycle alot of the playing lines on clay ten-nis courts," says Kevin Healion.

‘It's going to take afew years to get backout’ of the recession,says Fred Kolkmann.‘I think it's going takesome companiesunder, and it's goingto hurt next year.’

a racquet, the articles speak to putting twopencils under a weight and then mountingthe racquet on those pencils ... and to thenbegin the pendulum swinging to determinethe amount of time required to swing thatracquet 10 times.

I did that a few times and decided tomake something that would probably bemore accurate and somewhat as a tool tobe used as needed.5 sets of Head FXP Power 17 to:Mathew Calendar, Greenacres, FL

Editor’s note: This jig requires the use of anaccurate scale, an accurate way of measur-ing from the butt cap of the racquet to the“pivot string,” and a stopwatch. Use thestopwatch to time how long it takes for thebutt end of the racquet to complete oneback-and-forth motion. You can then useyour data to calculate the racquet’s swing-weight, although USRSA members can sim-ply plug the numbers into the on-lineswingweight calculator in the Tools sectionof USRSA.com, which is much easier. Also,it is easier to be accurate timing the motionof the racquet if you can sight past the buttcap to a reference point on the floor. A fulldescription of this method appears alongwith the on-line swingweight calculator atUSRSA.com.

POCKET SPOTLIGHTRecently while stringing, I wanted to get abetter look at one of the grommet holes.Instead of using a “normal” flashlight, Iused a new LED flashlight I had justreceived. It was fabulous! Not only was itsmall enough to keep in the tool tray or in

STRING DESIGNATIONSString gauges have always frustrated me.One manufacturer may call a 1.20 mmstring “18 gauge” where another will usethe same designation for 1.10 mm, and itfollows down the line to the thickest string.There is no consistency in this measure-ment. For this reason, I never refer to stringgauge in my database or on string labels, orin fact anywhere in the shop. I use onlymetric diameter. There can be no confusionusing this measurement.5 sets of Babolat Revenge 16 to:Vince Chiarelli, MRT, Largo, FL

BOOMERANG SUBSTITUTEIf you don’t have a boomerang tool andyour machine doesn’t have a turntable lock,you can use a ½-inch dowel to maintain thespacing of the cross strings when stringingPrince O-Port, SpeedPort, and Exo3 frames.

Simply position the dowel (or whateveryou have handy) against the inside of theframe while pulling tension on the top halfof the crosses.

5 sets of Dunlop Comfort Synthetic 16 to:Gordie Lehman, Raleigh, NC

HOMEMADE SWINGWEIGHT JIGIn articles that reference making a setup toenable one to determine the swingweight of

Tips & Techniques

your stringing travelkit (only 2 incheslong), but the light isbrighter and whiter thanthat of a traditional flashlight. The one Igot is rechargeable, so I just plug it intothe cigarette lighter of my car to top offthe battery. I got mine at 12vspot-light.com.

5 sets of Unique Big Hitter Blue 17 to:Ralph Flohre, Virginia Beach, VA

BLACK STRING BACKGROUNDWhen stringing black strings it helps toput a piece of white paper in the tray ofyour machine as a background. Thismakes it much easier to see what you’redoing when weaving the crosses.5 sets of Wilson K-Gut Pro 16 to:Gerry Bohn, Aspen, CO

Editor’s note: Now if we only had a tip tomake it easier to thread these blackstrings into black grommets on dark-col-ored frames!

—Greg Raven �

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, CA92084; or email [email protected].


Readers’ Know-How in Action



String Playtest

EASE OF STRINGING(compared to other strings)Number of testers who said it was:much easier 0somewhat easier 2about as easy 21not quite as easy 10not nearly as easy 4

OVERALL PLAYABILITY(compared to string played most often)Number of testers who said it was:much better 1somewhat better 31about as playable 13not quite as playable 15not nearly as playable 5

OVERALL DURABILITY(compared to other stringsof similar gauge)Number of testers who said it was:much better 5somewhat better 18about as durable 12not quite as durable 1not nearly as durable 1

RATING AVERAGESFrom 1 to 5 (best)Playability 3.2Durability 4.2Power 3.5Control 3.5Comfort 3.0Touch/Feel 3.0Spin Potential (10th best) 3.6Holding Tension 3.5Resistance to Movement 3.8

Genesis Typhoon is a five-sided monofila-ment poly. It is made from a proprietarycomposite formula of high-tech polyesterresin combined with new performance-enhancing chemical additives and alu-minum fibers. Genesis tells us that afterextruding Typhoon, it applies several heat-ing and cooling stages. Typhoon is thenadditionally twisted axially for maximumbite. A coating of Teflon increases the live-liness and offers a nice crisp stringbed.

Genesis Typhoon is recommended to thecompetitive and professional players whodemand the absolute highest levels power,spin, feel, and control. Over 30 colleges arenow playing with Genesis string including 2-time defending NCAA national championUSC, University of San Diego, Texas A & M,Portland State University, George Washing-ton University, and many more. Genesisstrings are now being distributed throughmany countries including USA, Mexico,Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Japan, South Korea,and Australia. Genesis believes thatTyphoon’s price/performance ratio isunmatched in today's market.

Typhoon is available in 16L (1.26 mm) inBattleship Gray and Twilight Blue. It is pricedfrom $9.90 for sets of 40 feet, and $118.90for reels of 660 feet. For more informationor to order, contact Genesis at 888-750-1011, or visit genesis-tennis.com. Be sure toread the conclusion for more informationabout getting a free set to try for yourself.

IN THE LABWe tested the 16L gauge Typhoon. The coilmeasured 40 feet. The diameter measured1.25-1.29 mm before stringing, and 1.22-1.24 mm after stringing. We recorded astringbed stiffness of 73 RDC units immedi-ately after stringing at 60 pounds in a WilsonPro Staff 6.1 95 (16 x 18 pattern) on a con-stant-pull machine.

After 24 hours (no playing), stringbedstiffness measured 67 RDC units, represent-ing a 8 percent tension loss. Our controlstring, Prince Synthetic Gut Original Gold 16,measured 78 RDC units immediately afterstringing and 71 RDC units after 24 hours,representing a 9 percent tension loss. In labtesting, Prince Synthetic Gut Original has a

stiffness of 217 and a tension loss of 11.67pounds, while Genesis Typhoon 16L has astiffness of 237 and a tension loss of 20.64pounds. Typhoon added 15 grams to theweight of our unstrung frame.

The string was tested for five weeks by37 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP ratingsfrom 3.5 to 6.0. These are blind tests, withplaytesters receiving unmarked strings inunmarked packages. Average number ofhours playtested was 27.8.

Genesis Typhoon feels thin for a 16Lstring, and there is no question about it hav-ing a polygonal cross-section — or about itbeing twisted during the manufacturingprocess — when you see it. Typhoon haswhat might be called “coil memory,” even


though itstendencyis that itwants to be straight,rather than coiled. Typhoon glidesnicely for a twisted, polygonal string,whether you’re pulling the crosses acrossthe mains, feeding it through an angledgrommet, or cinching up a knot.

No playtester broke his sample duringstringing, 10 reported problems with coilmemory, one reported problems tyingknots, and three reported friction burn.

ON THE COURTOur playtesters forgave any issues withstringing Typhoon once they hit the court,ranking it 10th overall of the 147 stringswe’ve playtested for publication for SpinPotential, and well above average for Dura-bility, Resistance to Movement, TensionRetention, and Power. As a result, GenesisTyphoon’s overall average score was alsowell above average. Because Genesis recom-mends Typhoon for competitive and profes-sional players, it shouldn't come as asurprise that playtesters with NTRPs of 4.5and above and/or playtesters who normallyuse polyester strings gave Typhoon highermarks than the rest of the playtest team.

CONCLUSIONWhen playtesting a poly, you expect theplaytest team to comment favorably on thestring’s spin, resistance to movement, anddurability. You don’t expect raves about thefeel and touch, yet that’s exactly what sev-eral of our playtesters did. With the publici-ty about poly strings these days, tennisplayers of every age, shape, and descriptionare considering trying them. According toour playtest team, Genesis Typhoon is oneyou could recommend even in cases wherethere could be issues with arm sensitivity.

Another one of Genesis Typhoon’sstrengths is its tension maintenance. In our24-hour stringbed test, it lost less tensionthan our benchmark nylon string, and several of our playtesters praised this characteristic.

If you think that Genesis Typhoon mightbe for you, fill out the coupon to get a freeset to try. —Greg Raven �

Genesis Typhoon 16L


TESTERS TALKFREE PLAYTEST STRING PROGRAM

Genesis will send a free set of Typhoon to the first 500 USRSA members who cutout (or copy) this coupon and send it to:

Offer expires 15 November 2010Offer 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.


USRSA, Attn: Genesis String Offer, 330 Main Street, Vista, CA 92084 or fax to 760-536-1171, or email the info below to [email protected]

“ The feel is outstanding.” 4.5 male all-court player using Wilson K Six One (68Holes) strung at 55 pounds LO (Wilson Hol-low Core Pro 17)

“ This is a responsive string with an excel-lent feel.” 5.0 male all-court player usingPrince EXO3 Black (port inserts) strung at 58pounds CP (Prince Premier LT 16)

“ The texture enhances bite. This stringhas some serious spin potential.” 4.0female all-court player using Prince O3Tour MS strung at 58 pounds CP (Tecnifi-bre NRG2 16)

“ This is a great option for hard hitters.No shortage of bite.” 3.5 male all-court player using Pro Kennex GraphiteAcclaim strung at 57 pounds CP (WilsonNatural Gut 17)

“ This is is one of the best polyestersI’ve tried. The shape separates it from

“ I’m not a big fan of polyester, but I reallylike the spin potential of this string.” 4.0male baseliner with heavy spin using Dunlop200G (Muscle Weave) strung at 65 pounds CP(Prince Synthetic Gut w/Duraflex 17)

“ This string lacks the 'wow' factor.” 4.5male all-court player using Wilson BLX ProOpen strung at 62 pounds LO (Wilson Sensa-tion 16)

the pack.” 4.5 male all-court player using WilsonnPro strung at 55 pounds LO (Wilson NXT 16)

“ This string packs a little extra bite. Durability isexcellent.” 4.5 male all-court player using Wilson KBlade strung at 56 pounds LO (Luxilon Adrenaline 17)

“ This is an average poly which plays better after theinitial tension loss. Big hitters will enjoy the control.”5.0 male serve-and-volley player using Volkl DNX V1MP strung at 42 pounds LO (Gamma Zo Tour 17) For the rest of the tester comments, visit

www.racquetsportsindustry.com.

What makes a Professional Ten-nis Management Programunique? In the program, stu-

dents receive a business degree and areable to choose between a concentration inmarketing or resort management. Studentsare able to participate in professional work-shops, network with industry leaders andgain “real world” experience throughinternships. All of this helps students havea better grasp of the whole tennis industry,not just a niche, providing them with acompetitive edge.

I graduated from the PTM program atFerris State University in 2007, and wewere required to complete two intern-ships prior to graduation. For many, thoseinternships provide valuable experienceand increase a graduate’s value in themarketplace. Nothing can compare to theexperience you gain from being throwninto the fire and dealing with issues on thejob. Internships help to assess what skillsare needed in the real world, such as inter-personal skills, persistence and proactiveapproaches to handling problems.

When I was looking for internships, Iknew I wanted to work both at an exclu-sive club and in a corporate environment. Ifelt it was important to have diverse expe-riences in the tennis industry.

My first internship was with thePhiladelphia Cricket Club, one of the old-est, most prestigious clubs on the EastCoast. I gained experience both on courtteaching and off court by running USTAand club tournaments. In addition, I wasable to be a part of the ITF Junior GrassCourt Championships, which leads to play-ers competing in the Junior Wimbledonevent. Working seven days a week duringmy summer in Philly was common; ittaught me a great deal about what it takesto be dedicated to what you do. Also livingin a new city on my own and meeting newpeople was a growing-up experience.

For my second internship, I worked inPhoenix in the marketing department ofHead/Penn Racquet Sports. I noticed quick-ly that the corporate environment is nightand day compared to working at a club.Part of the country club culture is recre-ational and informal; the corporate environ-ment was more serious. But it wasdefinitely fulfilling. I was able to be a part ofprojects ranging from Chrysler NationalPromotional Sweepstakes, trade shows,promotional and sponsorship events as wellas market research, which I loved.

After graduation, I gained even moreon-court experience at Saddlebrook Resort,expanding my knowledge in a businessenvironment, in which I completed a Mar-keting and Communications Internship withthe Sony EricssonWTA Tour. All these oppor-tunities gave me the chance to learn moreabout myself and what direction in tenniswould be best for my skills and interests.

These experiences also made me under-stand that each company and organizationhas its own personality. When I finished myinternship with the WTA, I had to askmyself what environment and company isbest for me? I analyzed all my resourcesthat I collected throughout my internshipsand college networking.

The first full-time position I took was asa pro shop attendee and assistant tennisprofessional. As time went on, my role shift-

Allison Halbert graduated fromFerris State University’s Profes-sional Tennis Management Pro-gram in 2007 with a businessdegree and marketing concentra-

tion. She worked at the Isleworth CountryClub in Orlando, Fla., as an assistant tennispro. Currently, she is a USPTA Pro 1 in Orlan-do, looking to continue her education in amaster’s program.


‘Internships help to assesswhat skills are needed inthe real world, such asinterpersonal skills,persistence and proactiveapproaches to handlingproblems.’

ed more toward the assistant tennis profes-sional role, with my biggest responsibility asthe Men’s Team Coordinator at an exclusivecountry club in Orlando. I was able to planevents and clinics and run two men’sleagues. When running a men’s program,persistence and follow-up is a key to suc-cess, as many members have hectic workschedules.

I was able to utilize my corporate mar-keting experience by promoting the men’steam and marketing the events. The countryclub I worked for had a small membership,so it was vital that I took a proactive and cre-ative approach to keep members involved.My past internships prepared me for thiswith tangible job knowledge.

But there are some things internshipscannot fully prepare you for, such as achanging economy, changes within thecompany, member issues, managingfinances, co-workers and team involvement.While I was able to get a glimpse of theseand other challenging issues in my intern-ships, in real life they come at you with a dif-ferent, higher level of intensity. I know thebest thing that will help me is time—time tocontinue to experience life’s challenges.

But I learned that when times are tough,there are resources I can draw on: a sup-portive family, caring mentors, and as muchexperience as I can glean from my previousjobs and internships. All will help me growas a person and as a professional. �

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

Your Serve


On-the-Job Training

B Y A L L I S O N H A L B E R T

A young professional says the experiences she gained from her PTMinternships have helped guide her career in the tennis industry.

201011 racquet sports industry

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