201503 tennis industry magazine

8/9/2019 201503 Tennis Industry magazine

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ennis Business

Key INDUSTRY CONFERENCESset for California

Product Management

Select the rightinventory to stay COMPETITIVE

The Sport

USTA PresidentKATRINA ADAMStalks priorities

I n c o r p

o r a t i n

g U S P T A

ARCH 2015 / VOLUME 43/ NUMBER 3 / $5.00

COURT

CONSTRUCTION& MAINTENANCEGUIDE• Hard Facts About Post-

Tensioned Concrete

• How to Evaluate Court-Builder Proposals

• California Sports Surfaces

Expands Its Brands

p g. 3 9


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DEPARTMENTS

4 Our Serve

7 Industry News

12 Letters

14 TIA News16 Racquet Tech

34 Ask the Experts

36 String Playtest: Yonex

PolyTour Spin G 125

PLUS

40 CEO’s Message

41 USPTA News

42 Vice President’s Message

44 Endorsee News

46 Inside Coaching

50 Growing Your Business

52 USPTA News

54 Master Pro Corner

56 Career Development

57 U30’s Serve

56 Member News

INDUSTRY NEWS

7 Key industry conferences

set for Indian Wells

7 Arthur Ashe inducted into

PTR Hall of Fame

7 USTA adds same-gender

doubles events

8 LSI installs LED lighting

on indoor courts

8 Nishikori makes cover of

Time magazine

8 USTA awards $86K in

Wheelchair Tennis

9 David Benjamin to

retire from ITA

9 Host a Tennis Play Event to

promote your programming

9 Cardio Tennis offers training

in U.S. and globally

10 Peoplewatch

10 USTA Insurance for CTAs

and NJTLs

11 Short Sets

11 Sign up now for ‘Try Tennis Free’

MARCH 2015

TennisIndustry 18 Select the Right Inventory Consumers have high demands and unlimited

shopping opportunities, so choosing the correct

inventory is essential to success.

20 Q&A With Katrina AdamsThe new USTA president talks about her goals

and priorities for the next two years.

22 Shoes: In-Store AdvantageFor players, buying shoes in a brick-and-mortar

shop provides advantages over internet and big-

box retailers.

44 Prince Gives PlayersTeXtreme Advantage

46 Leadership and Coaching

53 Influential Women of theUSPTA

54 Recharge Your Batteries Withthe 5L Formula for Success

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2 TennisIndustry March 2015

p.39

FEATURES

www.tennisindustrymag.com

Read more articles online at www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com


COURT CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE GUIDE

p.18

24 The Hard FactsWith its resistance to cracking, post-tensioned

concrete is becoming the go-to choice.

28 Serious PropositionsWhen you’re ready to resurface your courts, how

can you best evaluate the proposals?

30 Solid ConstructionCalifornia Sports Surfaces expands its product

offerings and continues to help pave the way for

growth in the sport.

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Our Serve Publishers David Bone Jeff Williams

Editorial Director

Peter Francesconi

[email protected]

Associate Editor

Greg Raven

Design/Art Director

Kristine Thom

Special Projects Manager

Bob Patterson

Contributing Editors

Robin Bateman

Cynthia Cantrell

Kent Oswald

Cynthia Sherman

Mary Helen Sprecher

Tim Strawn

Contributing Photographers

Bob Kenas

David Kenas

TENNIS INDUSTRY

Corporate Offices

PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096

Phone: 760-536-1177 Fax: 760-536-1171

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.TennisIndustryMag.com

Office Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Advertising Director

John Hanna770-650-1102, x.125

[email protected]

Apparel Advertising

Cynthia Sherman

203-263-5243

[email protected]

Tennis Industry is published 10 times per year:

monthly January through August and combined

issues in September/October and November/

December by Tennis Industry and USRSA, PO

Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096. Periodcal postage

paid at Duluth, GA and at additional mailing

offices (USPS #004-354). Mar 2015, Volume 43,

Number 3 © 2015 by USRSA and Tennis Industry.

All rights reserved. Tennis Industry, TI 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 Tennis

Industry, PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096. TI is the

official magazine of the USRSA, TIA,and ASBA.

Looking for back issues of Tennis Industry/

Racquet Sports Industry? Visit the archives at our

website at TennisIndustrymag.com for free digital

versions back to 2004.

I was messaging recently with acolleague who left the tennis in-dustry last fall after being heavily

involved in this sport for about five years. He mentioned something tome that I really hadn’t stopped to think much about before, but now Ifind hard not to notice.

My colleague said now that he’s no longer immersed in tennis, he hears very little about this sport. His new job has nothing to do with tennis orsports, and he just doesn’t see or hear

much about this sport that he was somuch a part of.

On the one hand, I know he hasother things to do in his new respon-sibilities and doesn’t spend his timesearching for tennis online or on TVor even at his local courts. But on theother hand, it was disappointing tohear that tennis just isn’t out therein the mainstream like it needs to be.Tennis was not finding him. If you’renot involved in tennis, you don’t re-ally hear much about it.

Think about this for a second. We’re all so immersed in tennis that we probably don’t see where thissport really fits into today’s society. With my own role in this industry, tennis is on my mind constantly, soin my world, I tend to think mostpeople are aware of this sport tosome degree. But the reality is, mostpeople aren’t.

On a practical level, this means we

need to better market this sport to the mainstream and drive awarenessof tennis and all its benefits. People today have a lot of choices when itcomes to keeping active. We need tomake sure tennis stands out from this crowd.

How do we do this? Well, if you’veread this column before, you knowmy thoughts on how we need to better market the health, fitness and so-cial aspects of this game, along withall the other benefits tennis can bring

to players of all ages and skill levels. We need to tell peoplewhy theyshould be playing this sport, then of-fering easy, social and fun ways to get them out on the courts. In a society that is getting more concerned aboutremaining active, both for body andmind, tennis is the perfect solution. We need to do a better job of getting that message through.

This isn’t an issue just for theUSTA, or the TIA, or the teachingorganizations. This is something all

of us involved in this sport need to work on. Whether you’re a teachingpro, tennis volunteer, retailer, facilityowner, manufacturer, avid player— whatever your connection to tennis,and whatever the reason you’re nowreading this magazine—you need to be an advocate for this sport andhelp get the word out to mainstreamconsumers. We can’t rely on peoplesimply “finding” tennis.

Peter Francesconi, Editorial Director

[email protected]

MainstreamMarketing

4 TennisIndustry March 2015 www.tennisindustrymag.com


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Two key tennis industry conferences are set for March in Indian Wells, Calif., bring-

ing together tennis industry executives, legends, pros, coaches and other sports

and business personalities. The events are the 2015 TIA Tennis Summit March

17-18, followed by the Tennis Owners and Manag-ers (T.O.M.) Conference March 18-19. Both will be

at the Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa and

will take place during the BNP Paribas Open.

The TIA Tennis Summit (TennisSummit.com)

will examine the state of the tennis industry andthe sport and discuss how tennis and the business

of tennis will grow in the future. Top executives

and personalities in tennis and the sports indus-

try, along with business and management experts,

will share their views and insights.Speakers to date include Life Time Fitness

Founder and CEO Bahram Akradi, Dr. Jim Loehr

of the Human Performance Institute, coaching

legend and tennis Hall-of-Famer Nick Bollettieri,

coach and tennis management expert Peter Bur-wash, internationally known management con-

sultant Dr. Gerald Faust, USTA President Katrina

Adams, Tom Cove of the Sports & Fitness Indus-try Association, media executives, tennis industry

and organization leaders, and many more.

Immediately following the Summit will be theTennis Owners and Managers (T.O.M.) Confer-

ence (TheTOMConference.com), for club and

facility owners and managers. This second annual

conference will bring

together leadingexperts in facility

management, pro-

gramming and other

vital areas to provide

practical informa-tion to grow tennis

businesses and bring in

more tennis players. Key

speakers from the Tennis Summit will also present at the TOM Conference, along with

management and business consultants, facility/club operators, executives from the PTR,

USPTA and USTA, sports facility legal experts, and many more.Helping to assemble the T.O.M. Conference speakers and topics is an experienced

tennis and sports industry advisory team made up of consultants Doug Cash, founder of

CashFlow Tennis; Rod Heckelman, general manager of Mt. Tam Racquet Club; Greg Lap-

pin, former national tennis director for Life Time Fitness; and Mark McMahon, tennis

consultant and principal of McMahon & Associates.For more information or to register for either conference, visit TennisSummit.com or

TheTOMConference.com.

March 2015 TennisIndustry 7

Industry NewsInformation to help you run your business

Evolve9 Launches ‘GirlsTennis Network’

In January, evolve9 launched the

Girls Tennis Network (GTN), de-

signed to both recruit girls under

age 12 to tennis and, importantly,

to retain them in tennis. GTN looks

to help and support coaches and

facilities in retaining and develop-

ing more girls in their programs.

“Part of our mission,” according

to the evolve9.com website, “is to

encourage and develop respect for

more female coaches, but also to

help all coaches develop a greater

understanding of working with

young girls.”

For more information, visit

evolve9.com or girlstennisnet-

work.com.

Arthur Ashe InductedInto PTR Hall of Fame

Arthur Ashe was inducted posthu-

mously to the PTR Hall of Fame at the

PTR Award Banquet on February 19.

The tennis legend and humanitarian,who died in 1993, was inducted into

the International Tennis Hall of Fame

in 1985 and posthumously received

the Presidential Medal of Freedom in

1993 from President Bill Clinton. In his

playing career, Ashe won three Grand

Slam singles titles.

Ashe spoke twice at the PTR

Symposium and played a key role in

PTR’s quest to increase diversity. In

his honor, PTR has restarted the ACE

Program in 2015, to help educate and

develop the next generation of tenniscoaches. Ashe joins Dennis Van der

Meer, Jim Verdieck and Dr. Jim Loehr in

the PTR Hall of Fame.

USTA Adds Same-GenderDoubles Events

The USTA is adding same-gender

couples’ doubles tournaments to

its 2015 adult competition tennis

calendar. The groundbreaking

move opens the door to new play

opportunities for same-sex spous-

es, those in civil unions, domestic

Bahram Akradi


Key Industry ConferencesSet for Indian Wells, CA

Dr. Jim Loehr

Katrina Adams

Nick Bollettieri

Peter Burwash Tom Cove


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Industry News

partners, and spousal equivalents, mak-

ing the USTA’s popular adult competitionmore diverse and inclusive.

The Plaza Racquet Club in Palm

Springs, Calif., will host the inaugural

event, March 7-8. Other sanctioned same-

gender events will be scheduled by the

USTA throughout the 2015 calendar year.

The new divisions can be found in the

“Family Divisions” categories on

Tennislink.

“The USTA could not be more excited

to offer the opportunity for same-gender

couples to play in sanctioned tennis

tournaments,” said Katrina Adams, USTA

Chairman of the Board, CEO and Presi-

dent. “Tennis once again has stepped to

the front to break down barriers.”

USTA Awards $86,000 inWheelchair Tennis Grants

The USTA is awarding a record $86,000 in

Wheelchair Tennis Grassroots Grants to 20

programs nationwide. Grants were awarded

to local organizations that promote and

develop the growth of wheelchair tennis

and use the sport to build stronger, healthier

communities.Since the inaugural grants in 2008, the

total pool of USTA wheelchair tennis grant

money has increased each year. Grant

amounts were based on each program's

existing budget and future programming

needs. Recipients can use the award to meet

the USTA’s grant initiatives including coach-

ing, court time, equipment, recruitment and

events.

“The USTA is delighted to award a record

amount of wheelchair tennis grassroots

grants to deserving wheelchair tennis orga-

nizations for their commitment in promoting

and growing the sport,” said Dan James,

USTA national manager of Wheelchair

Tennis.

USRSA Adds New Tester

Larry Haugness, the manager of the

Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield,

Mo., is the newest USRSA tester.

Haugness has been stringing racquets

for 43 years and customizing frames

for the last 21 years. He’s the first vice

president of the USTA

Missouri Valley Sec-tion, a National Tester

and Clinician for the

PTR, and a USA High

Performance Coach.

Haugness, who played

college tennis at Boise

State, also is a former

WTT coach and WTT general manager,

and a winner of the USTA/PTR Commu-

nity Service Award.

Nishikori Makes Cover of Time

World No. 5 Kei Nishikori was featured on

the January cover of Time Magazine Asia.

The 25-year-old Japanese star was profiled

by Hannah Beech, who talked to him about

his early move to train in Florida and quotes

Andre Agassi as saying, “Kei is one of the few

players that I’d pay money to see play.” He’s

the second Asian tennis player, after Li Na of

China in 2014, to be on Time’s cover.

Ashaway Adds New ZyMaxFire Badminton Strings

Ashaway has introduced a new line of

badminton strings that incorporates a

new polymer as a raw material. The newZyMax Fire line includes four strings,

each

designed

to optimize

the various

character-

istics of

Ashaway's

proprietary

BETA poly-

mer fibers, and constructed using the

company's special ZyWeaVe string core

technology. This allows players to selecta string tailored to their games.

The company says ZyMax benefits

include excellent elasticity and dynamic

stiffness for feel and repulsion; optimum

power and durability, including excellent

knot and loop strength; and exceptional

tension-holding ability for consistent,

reliable performance.

Federer, Hewitt LaunchNew, Fast Format

FAST4 TENNIS, an innovative, new format

for tennis developed by Tennis Australia, re-


LSI Installs LED Lightingon Three Indoor Courts

The Fort Collins Country Club’s three new indoor tennis courts are lightedwith the new SxS LED indirect lighting system from LSI. Average light levels

as designed for this facility are over 100 foot-candles, with exceptional uni-

formity, says LSI.

The SxS LED system requires virtually no maintenance over its 60,000 to

100,000 hour life, and the company says the system will require 50 percent lessenergy cost than conventional HID lighting systems.

Fort Collins Country Club Director of Tennis Scott Langs says, “I've been a tennis

pro for over 30 years and have been in many indoor clubs. The new LED lighting

system LSI provided is the best I've seen.”



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Industry News

March 2015 TennisIndustry 9www.tennisindustrymag.com

ceived a world-class global launch in Janu-

ary when Roger Federer challenged Lleyton

Hewitt to a high-impact match at the iconic

Sydney Opera House. Designed to offer a

faster game, FAST4TENNIS has four rule

variations from traditional tennis: no-ad

scoring, no lets, a tiebreaker to be played at

three games all, with the first player to win

four games winning the set.

Nainkin, Diaz Join USTAThe USTA announced that David

Nainkin has rejoined USTA Player De-

velopment full-time as National Coach,

Men’s Tennis, and that Maureen Diaz has

been hired as a full-time National Coach

based out of the USTA Training Center–

East in Flushing, N.Y.

Nainkin, who was part of the USTA

coaching staff from 2004-2013, returns

to the USTA after spending a year coach-

ing Sam Querrey. He’ll be based out of

the USTA Training Center–West in Car-

son, Calif. Several top pro players haveachieved career-high rankings under

Nainkin’s guidance, including Mardy

Fish (No. 7), Sloane Stephens (No. 11)

and Querrey (No. 17).

Diaz joins the USTA Training Cen-

ter–East coaching staff after working

as both a part-time coach and teaching

pro at the USTA Billie Jean King National

Tennis Center since early 2013.

USRSA AnnouncesNew MRTs, CS

Master Racquet Technicians

Rich Bender - Myrtle Beach, SC

Jiri Cechak - Greenwood, CO

Matthew Collura - Richmond Hill, ON

CANADA

Will Coston - South Paramus, NJ

Patrick Lustado - Lakewood, CA

Igor Maas - Naples, FL

Mark MacDonald - Schaumburg, IL

Scott Macias - Plano, TX

Kyle Rogers - Kennesaw, GA

Andrew Rohlfs - Austin, TXScott Rutknowski - Paramus, NJ

Scott Russell - Plano, TX

Jeffrey Stanford - Palm Desert, CA

Certified StringerScott Prakken - Matawan, NJ

Cardio Tennis TrainingIn U.S. and Globally

As Cardio Tennis comes up on its 10th

year in 2015, training courses continue to

be added to the schedule both in the U.S.

and around the world.

TIA Cardio Tennis Manager Michele

Krause recently held training sessions in

South Africa and Florida, and currently

on the schedule are courses in Belgium

and Poland on March 8 and Denmark on

March 28-29.

Also scheduled

for March 28-

29 is a training

course in New York at the USTA Billie Jean

King National Tennis Center that will in-

clude both Cardio Tennis and TRX Cardio

Tennis training courses.

Other training course are still be-

ing finalized for locations that include

Colorado, California and Florida. If you’d

like to host a training session for tennis

providers, contact Krause at Michele@

CardioTennis.com. For more informationand to register, visit CardioTennis.com.

Benjamin to Retire from ITA

D

avid A Benjamin, executive director and CEO ofthe Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), has

announced his retirement effective in July.Benjamin's tenure at the ITA began in 1979, when

he was elected president of the ITA while serving as

the director of tennis and head men's tennis coach

at Princeton University (and also chairing the NCAATennis Committee). In his 26-year coaching career at

Princeton, Benjamin guided seven Princeton teams to

Eastern College Athletic Conference titles, and finished

with an overall coaching record of 339-150, with an Ivy

League record of 178-44.In 2001 he received the Educational Merit Award

from the USTA. In 2006 he was inducted into the USTA

Middle States Tennis Hall of Fame alongside Billie

Jean King, and in 2011, Benjamin was honored with the

USTA's President's Award.

The USTA is looking to launch thousands of “Tennis Play Events” throughout

the country in the month of March. For tennis providers—including teach-

ing pros, facilities, parks and municipalities—hosting a Tennis Play Event is a

great way to introduce tennis to kids, get new players

into the game and provide a platform to registerchildren for spring programs. As an added incentive,

the first 2,000 providers to register to host an event

will receive a $50 Amazon.com gift card.

Events can be for kids and families of all agesand skill levels, or providers can host a Play Day to

introduce kids to competition. Registration ends on

March 30 and events can be held at any time in the

month. To register to host a Tennis Play Event, visit YouthTennis.com/host or call

800-990-8782.

March is the No. 1 time nationally when parents begin registering their childrenfor spring programs. By hosting a Tennis Play Event, organizers can showcase their

junior programs and attract new players. The push for Tennis Play Events in March

also is in conjunction with World Tennis Day, which takes place on March 10.

Host a ‘Tennis Play Event’ toPromote Programming


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People Watch

Steve Wilkinson, longtime

men’s tennis coach at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota

and founder of Tennis and Life

Camps, passed away Jan. 21 at

the age of 73 after a seven-year

battle with cancer. Wilkinson

spent 39 years (1971-2009) at

the helm of the Gustavus men’s

tennis program. His teams

compiled 929 wins overall, the

most victories in the history of

collegiate men’s tennis.

Novak Djokovic, playing with

a Head Graphene XT Speed rac-

quet, beat fellow Head player

Andy Murray (Head Graphene

Radical) to win the title at the

Australian Open in January.

Former ATP player and

current WTA coach and Davis

Cup captain Mauricio Hadad

has joined Gamma and will

represent the brand on court

and at ATP/WTA Tour events.

Currently, Hadad is the coach

of British tennis player LauraRobson, who is playing with a

Gamma RZR Advanced Aerody-

namics racquet.

Rafael Nadal is now playing

with the new Babolat Play Aero-

pro Drive connected racquet.

Tecnifibre has signed pro

players Donald Young to

a three-year contract and

Jeremy Chardy to a four-year

term. Young plays with the

Tecnifibre TFight 315 racquet

and Chardy plays with the

TFight 305.

The International Tennis

Hall of Fame & Museum has

named Stu Upson to the new

position of Chief Operating

Officer. He comes to the HoF

with more than 20 years of

experience in managing

sports and entertainment

properties, most recently

as executive director of the

U.S. Bowling Congress, the

national governing body of

bowling. He will report to Hall

of Fame CEO Todd Martin.

Pros who recently obtained

PTR Masters of Tennis certi-

fication include Ogidi Obi ofSan Jose (Performance), Jason

Jospeh of Buffalo, N.Y. (Junior

Development), Bo Gard of

Laurel, Miss., (Performance),

Ben Hestley of Atlanta (Per-

formance), and Noah Suss-

man of Boulder, Colo. (Junior

Development).

World renowned dermatolo-

gist Dr. Ashfaq A. Marghoob

joins Drs. Mark Kovacs, Jeff

Chandler, Ben Kibler and Jim

Loehr, and nutritionist Page

Love Bombac on the PTR’s

Sport Science Committee.

The director of Memorial

Sloan Kettering’s regional

skin cancer clinic in Long

Island, N.Y., Dr. Marghoob is a

board-certified dermatologist

specializing in treatment of

cancers of the skin.

Ashaway Racket Strings has

signed Cliff Swain protégé and

rising racquetball star Maria

Jose Vargas of Bolivia to its

roster of sponsored players.

Vargas was named Rookie of

the Year by the Ladies Profes-

sional Racquetball Tour

(LPRT) in 2013,

and finished

the 2013-14 season

ranked No. 3

in the world.

She uses Asha-

way's PowerKill

17 string.

American

TimmyBrownell

won the

U.S. Junior

Open

Squash

Champion-

ships held at Yale

University’ Brady Squash

Center in Connecticut.

William Genesen (17, Tulsa,

Okla.) and Kelly Chen (15,

Cerritos, Calif.) won the USTA

Winter National Champion-

ships Boys’ and Girls’ 18s

singles titles in January

in Scottsdale, Ariz., each

earning wild card entries

into future USTA Pro Circuit

events.

Andrew Walker, formerly

chief marketing officer of

the WTA, is the new ITF com-

mercial director, replacing

Kenny MacLeod, who left

the organization.

Sea Colony Tennis

Director Thomas John-

ston, USPTA, PTR, MS is

the USTA Delaware District

Pro of the Year.

Industry News


Lacoste Produces LimitedEdition Wood-Graphite Frame

Lacoste has introduced the

limited edition LT12 racquet,

a hybrid that combines wood

and graphite. The LT 12 is 70 percentwood and 30 percent high modulus

graphite. The racquet uses three types

of wood: walnut for rigidity inside the

racquet, balsa at the core and lime

tree wood for the inner part of the

frame.Lacoste says each hand-

made frame takes

five hours

to make by a French craftsman. Each

frame is unique, due to the natural

grain, hues and streaks of the wood.

The LT12 will be limited to 650 num-

bered frames and available in April. Price is about

$600.


Is Your CTA or NJTL Insured?

Leaders of local USTA Community Tennis

Associations and NJTL Chapters and Pro-

grams, make sure to check out the insurance

programs offered to eligible organizationsthrough the USTA.

The Master Liability Insurance Program

offers up to $2 million in coverage, and the

Directors and Officers and Employment

Practices Insurance Programs offers cover-

age through an “A”-rated carrier. Hundreds

of CTAs and NJTLs across the country have

enrolled in the programs.

For additional information on eligibility or

further information on the insurance, contact

the USTA’s insurance consultant, Eagle Risk

Management, at 888-654-USTA (8782) or visit

www.usta.com/cta.


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Industry News

March 2015 TennisIndustry 11www.tennisindustrymag.com

ShortSets

SFIA’s National Health

Through Fitness Day

(NHTF Day) will be March3-4 in Washington, D.C.

About 150 leaders from

the sports, fitness, and

PE industries will lobby

Congress to pass key

legislation to help the

U.S. overcome a major

epidemic, obesity and

sedentary lifestyles.

Visit sfia.org/nhtf.

The Junior Tennis

Champions Center in

College Park, Md., hasannounced a three-

year partnership with

Wilson to be the JTCC’s

official ball and racquet

sponsor. As part of the

agreement, Wilson also

will test new equipment

at JTCC.

Poland won its first

Hopman Cup title in

January, beating the

U.S. 2-1.

Memphis-basedServiceMaster signed

on as presenting spon-

sor of the Memphis

Open through 2017.

The 2015 tournament

was played Feb. 7-15

at The Racquet Club of

Memphis

‘Green’ Solutions Can Save You Money • The Tennis Legacy Fund is a non-profit

committed to increasing the awareness of

sustainability within the tennis industry and

community. To help tennis providers operate

a more profitable and sustainable business, TI

magazine will run occasional tips by the Tennis

Legacy Fund in partnership with Greenlight

Solutions and a sustainability initiative by

students at Arizona State University

Cool Roofs: Did you know that standardor dark colored roofs can reach up to 150

degrees F. in the hot summer sun? Roofs

painted with a white, highly reflective coat-

ing deflect UV rays and heat, thus making it

50 degrees cooler. This will extend the life of

the roof and reduce your usage of air condi-

tioning, resulting in 10 percent to 30 percent

savings. This roof painting project provides a

unique community service opportunity; con-

tact local organizations to gauge interest in

making positive change in both your facility

and the environment. —Ashley Guelian

Sign Up Now For ‘Try Tennis Free’

Don’t miss this chance to boost your busi-ness and bring more people into tennis with

the industry-supported “Try Tennis Free”

(TTF) campaign, which will run throughout

the month of

May.

“Tennis

providers who

participated in

the inaugural

TTF campaign

last May reported that on average, facilities

saw 30 new and returning players hitting

their courts,” says TIA Executive Director

Jolyn de Boer.

The free sessions can vary depending

on the location, as each facility or certified

tennis professional can choose the best

introductory session or program they feel

will encourage new and returning players to

step onto the court. Free offers can include

lessons, clinics, Cardio Tennis, Play Days,

and more.

Providers can easily sign up at PlayTen-

nis.com to participate in TTF and receive

free customizable marketing material to

download to promote the campaign locally.


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Industry News

Positive ImpactI enjoyed “Our Guiding Lights”

in the January 2015 issue (“OurServe”). It made me think about

the numerous people who have had

an influence on my life and career.

I can only hope that I can havesome positive impact on some of

the younger pros and students in

this great game of ours.

Jerry O’Hara, USPTA

Mount Lebanon, Pa.

Well-Deserved AwardI read with great interest your ar-

ticle about Shima and Joe Grover

winning Tennis Industry’s “Tennis Advocate of the Year” award (Jan-

uary). I know it's well deserved.

I have known Shima and Joe

since 1962, when they were

sophomores and I was a freshmanat Alma College in Michigan. In

the small-world department, Joe

Letters was my “dad” in the Delta SigmaPhi fraternity. In those days, I don'tthink we knew a tennis ball from a

baseball.We fell into the sport as adults,

myself while being a sports writerand editor for the Miami Herald,

and I believe Shima and Joe through

their kids taking up the sport in

Midland, Mich. A few years ago, when Joe was on the USTA Board of

Directors, I spend a wonderful day

with him at the US Open.

Jim Martz

Editor, Florida Tennis

Moving OnI appreciate Mark Rearden's honesty

and words of encouragement (Your

Serve, “Fifty and Fired,” January).I too received the shock of a midday

firing and was extremely hurt by the

people in the small town that I had

dedicated my time and passion to for

five years. I am still jaded and haveleft the industry that I love. I am an

Elite Professional and have been

with the USPTA for over 20 years, and

I miss teaching and coaching. Mark’s

article reminded me of what I truly

love to do and my 2015 goal will beto fight my way back into the tennis

industry. Grace Mehrizi Easton, Md.

Great article and insight. A great

reminder for all of us teaching profes-sionals—both young and older

Nigel O’Rourke Director of Tennis, Toscana Country Club

Indian Wells, Calif.

Racquet Blast from the PastDunlop is marketing its new iDapt

frame as "the first tennis racquet with

interchangeable parts.” Those of us

old enough can remember that in 1973Tretorn, in Sweden, came out with a

steel racquet with a replaceable head

and grip pallet. This was, arguably, the

heaviest and worst-playing racquet

ever produced.

Philip Blackwelder

USPTA Professional



15/64www.tennisindustrymag.com March 2015 TennisIndustry 13


16/64

Empowering Tennis Businesses &Join industry and business leaders, executives and

professionals, including...

Two key conferences at the Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, Calif., March 17-19

All segments of tennis come

together for the second annual TIATennis Summit to discuss how wecan continue to collaboratively movethe industry and the sport forward. Akey focus will be how we can growand retain the “core” group of tennisparticipants (those who play tennis10 or more times a year).

Important and Dynamic Topics:

• The State of the Tennis Industry

• The Sports Marketplace: Industry Trends to Watch

• The Sports Marketplace and

Tennis: Consumer Habits & Trends• USTA’s Vision for the Future

• Lake Nona—The New Home ofAmerican Tennis

• Staying Relevant and Ensuring OurFuture

• How the Pro Tours Connect toGrassroots Tennis

• Collaborative Leadership

• Challenges and OpportunitiesFacing Tennis

• Tennis as a Healthy Commodity

• Capturing the Youth Market, andBeyond

• Moving the Needle on CorePlayers

• New Approaches for FutureGrowth

Katrina Adams – Chairman of the Board, CEO and President–USTAKatrina Adams began a two-year term as USTA chairman of the board,CEO and president in January—the rst African-American and rst formerpro tennis player to serve in that role. She’s also on the board of the USTA

Foundation and International Tennis Hall of Fame. Adams is a contributor onCBS Sports Network’s rst all-female sports show, “We Need to Talk,” is ananalyst for Tennis Channel, is a contributor to Tennis magazine and tennis.com,and is executive director of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program.

Bahram Akradi – Chairman, President, CEO and Founder–Life Time Bahram Akradi founded Life Time in 1992 with the mission to provide anentertaining, educational, friendly, functional and innovative experience formembers. A native of Tehran, Iran, Akradi relocated to Colorado Springsat age 17 and began his health club career in sales at Nautilus Fitnesswhile attending the University of Colorado and receiving a B.S. in electricalengineering. In January, he was named Tennis Industry magazine’s “Personof the Year” for his support of tennis at his clubs.

Peter Burwash – Entrepreneur, Author, Founder & President–Peter Burwash International Former ATP pro player and Canadian No. 1 Peter Burwash founded PeterBurwash International in 1975, and it’s become the world’s largest tennismanagement company, operating in 32 countries. Burwash, who wrote thepopular book “Tennis for Life,” with over 1 million copies sold, was awardedthe International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Educational Merit Award in 1995. Heis a certied sports physiologist and nutritionist and a sought-after speaker forFortune 500 companies.

Nick Bollettieri – President, Bollettieri Tennis Program–IMG Academy In 1978, Nick Bollettieri founded the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy inFlorida, the rst full-time tennis boarding school to combine intense trainingon the court with a custom-designed academic curriculum. Bollettieri, whohas coached 10 No. 1 players, joined with IMG in 1987 and now trainsover 13,000 junior, collegiate, adult & professional athletes annually. At 83years old, Bollettieri is still going strong, coaching and teaching, travelinginternationally conducting clinics, and giving motivational speeches.

Tom Cove – President & CEO¬Sports & Fitness Industry Association Tom Cove represents the interests of the nation’s sports & tness industry bydirecting SFIA’s overall strategy and positioning among legislative, industry,and media inuences. As head of SFIA, Cove is responsible for fullling theassociation’s mission of promoting sports & tness participation and industryvitality. He also oversees the industry’s premier research facility. Prior tojoining SFIA, he served on staff in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrationand the United States Senate.

Speakers and panelists are listed to date.14 TennisIndustry March 2015

Jorge Andrew

Jim Bates Doug Cash VirgilChristian

DavidEgdes

JohnEmbree

SimonGale

Jeff Gocke LarryHaugness

RodHeckelman

KurtKamperman


17/64

Leaders for a Stronger Industry!

Join this industry’s leading expertsin club and facility management andprogramming for practical information

and key takeaways that you canimplement to become more competitiveand protable. The T.O.M. Conferencewill be full of fresh ideas to help youimprove your operations, streamline yourbusiness, and increase your bottom line.

Important and Dynamic Topics:

• Member Acquisition and RetentionStrategies

• Staff Compensation—Managing YourBiggest Expense

• Idea Fair—Programming That Works• Facility and Surfacing Technology

and Trends• USTA Plans to Bring More Players to

the Game• Evaluate Personnel Before, During and

After Hiring• 2015 Legal Alerts You Need to Know

About• Making Big money in the Youth

Tennis Market• Social Media Game-Changers• Evaluating and Managing Tennis as a

Prot Center• The Latest Technology for Today’s

Facilities• Moving the Needle on Adult Core Play

• Manage and Improve YourClub’s Culture

• How to Use Industry Research to HelpYour Business Grow

• Academies and Camps that Makea Difference

• Adapting your Facility for the Future

will bring together exciting speakers both from within the tennis business and outside of this industry.

March 18-19

Dr. Gerry Faust – Founder & President–Faust Management Corp.Dr. Gerry Faust founded Faust Management Corp. in 1983, specializingin providing methods and tools to help create the insights andenvironments that allow businesses and their leaders to succeed.Currently on the adjunct faculty at UCLA’s Graduate School ofManagement, he started his career as a professor and research scientistin the eld of human learning, problem solving/decision making andtechnology-based training. A dynamic speaker, his work has included

executive coaching and strategic planning with companies of all sizes.

Charlie Hoeveler – CEO–US Sports Camps Charlie Hoeveler was a New England junior champion at age 18, thengraduated from Dartmouth, where he was an Ivy League singles anddoubles champion. He received an MBA from Stanford, majoringin nance. In 1975, Hoeveler founded US Sports Camps, which isthe world’s largest sports camp organization with 75,000 camper/ participants, offering 17 different sports, at 750 camp locations (80tennis camps). In 1998, he was inducted into the Northern CaliforniaTennis Hall of Fame.

Ilana Kloss – CEO/Commissioner–Mylan World TeamTennis Ilana Kloss leads Mylan World TeamTennis, which showcases the bestin professional team tennis competing for the King Trophy, named afterco-founder Billie Jean King. A former world No. 1 doubles player andUS Open doubles champion, Kloss oversees Mylan WTT and also thenationwide grassroots Mylan WTT Recreational League programs. Shealso is actively involved in the Women’s Sports Foundation as a memberof the executive board and past board chair.

Dr. Jim Loehr – Co-Founder–Human Performance Institute / V.P. ofApplied Science & Performance Psychology–Wellness & Prevention Inc.Dr. Jim Loehr is a world-renowned performance psychologist and authorof 16 books including his most recent, “The Only Way to Win.” He alsoco-authored the national bestseller “The Power of Full Engagement.”Dr. Loehr’s ground-breaking, science-based energy management trainingsystem has been chronicled in leading national publications, and hehas appeared on numerous TV shows. He has worked with hundredsof world-class performers in sports, business, medicine and lawenforcement.

Alan G. Schwartz – Chairman of the Board–TCA Holdings Alan Schwartz founded Midtown Tennis Club, the world’s largest indoortennis club, in 1969. An accomplished player, winning eight NationalPublic Parks Tennis Championships and seven Illinois State TennisChampionships, he has a passion for tennis and has worked tirelesslyto grow the game. He served as president of the USTA and presidentof the National Indoor Tennis Association, and has served on the boardsof the TIA, Tennis Channel and ITF. He also co-developed the NationalTennis Rating Program.

Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org March 2015 TennisIndustry 15

GregLappin

DavidLaSota

JefferyLong

PaulLubbers

MarkMcMahon

J. WayneRichmond

DanSantorum

P.J.Simmons

JeffWilliams

GordonSmith

MatthewStevens


18/64

Two-Piece Stringing

Without a Starting Knot By Bob Patterson

Racquet Tech


W hile using a starting knot is a

perfectly acceptable method for

installing cross strings on a two-

piece string job, they do sometimes present

problems. With stiffer poly strings, starting

knots can be hard to cinch up and the larger

knot can be a bit unruly and not aesthetically

pleasing.

Using a starting clamp instead of a start-

ing knot makes things easier and ensures all

your knots are uniform. This is the method

used by most of the top stringers on the pro

tour. If you don’t currently use this method,

you should give it a try. Even if you don’t use

it all the time, it can come in handy in certain

situations, such as when the tie-off is close to

other strings and there is not enough room to

accommodate a larger starting knot.

First, you will need a quality starting

clamp. This is a vital tool that every profes-

sional stringer should have. Remember that

the starting clamp is holding a lot of pressure,

so make sure you get a good one! It shouldhave strong holding power but not crush the

string. A starting clamp has many uses; here

is how it is used for starting the crosses:

Feed your cross string through as normal,

but instead of tying the starting knot, make

sure you leave enough string outside the

frame to reach your tensioner. Place the

starting clamp on the string so that it rests

against the frame. Now you can apply tension

and clamp, as you would normally do. You can

either leave the starting clamp in place until

you have all the strings in place or you can

remove it once you have a couple of crossesinstalled. Either way, you will need to make

sure that your machine clamp is available to

use on the same side that the starting clamp

is placed.

To remove the clamp, you will need to

re-tension the top string by applying tension

to the string you left outside the frame and

clamp the string with the machine clamp.

Once you have clamped and while the string

is still tensioned and the starting clamp is

away from the frame, simply remove it. Now

you can tie your normal knot to secure the

string.

1. Make sure you leave enough string to reach your tensioner. Place the clamp onthe string so that the clamp rests against the frame.

2. Tension and clamp the first cross string as you normally would and continueas you normally would.

3. When you are ready to remove the clamp, re-tension the top cross and clampwith the machine clamp.

4. With the top cross now securely clamped with the machine clamp, remove the

starting clamp.


19/64


20/64

Inventory Management


How can a small pro shop or specialtyretailer compete with online retail giantsthat have massive inventories?First, don’t try to be something you arenot. While large online retailers can carry“everything,” it would be disastrous for most retailers to at-

tempt the same. While online retailers may do an admirable

job of marketing, they can’t really compete with hands-onservice that you can provide, so take advantage of that.

Impeccable service is vital to the success of smaller shops,

but your inventory also is a key component. If you offer the

best service in the world but don’t have the products that your

customers are looking for, you won’t be successful.

Selective BuyingSince you can’t stock everything, selective buying is vital for

the smaller shop. Having the right merchandise will ensure

that your customers can get what they need, and you can pro-

vide it with friendly, helpful service that your online competi-tion cannot provide.

A key component to smart buying is having a plan. Know

how many SKUs you need (and can afford) to carry to meet

your sales goals. Without a plan, it is easy to buy too much.

Try not to get caught up in sales promotions from your

vendors. While quantity discounts are appealing, make surethe deal will work with your plan. Remember, you are the

customer here and you make the final decision of what you

need and what will work best for you.

Be methodical in your buying and know your customers. With a limited inventory, knowing your customer is a crucialcomponent to making sales and not having dead inventory

hanging on the wall.

A large part of knowing your customers is having a

method to track sales, such as a good point of sale program

that allows you to easily see what is selling and what is not.Knowledge will help you make better buying decisions. If

you find you’re selling more oversize racquets, then you’ll

want to skew your inventory in that direction. What grip

sizes are your best sellers? Make sure your buying reflects

that knowledge.

This applies across the board to all departments. In ap-parel, it is vital to know what sizes and silhouettes are your

Select the RightGear to StayCompetitiveConsumers havehigh demands andunlimited shoppingopportunities, sochoosing the correctinventory is essentialto success. By Bob Patterson



21/64www.tennisindustrymag.com

best sellers. Knowing what styles, sizes and price points are

your best sellers will make your apparel and shoe invento-

ries turn faster and ensure that your customers are finding

exactly what they need.

Stay CurrentPay attention to trends and to what your customers are

seeking. If your customers are asking for a certain item or

brand that you don’t carry, you may want to consider addingit your inventory—but be cautious. Remember, you can’t

carry everything, so make sure there is adequate demand

and that it fits into your plan before jumping in.

Also look for trends on the court. Are you seeing a certain

brand that you don’t carry or an item that seems to bepopular? If so, they are buying it somewhere, so you prob-

ably should be stocking it.

Your inventory selection should always be evolving.

Don’t get stuck in the rut of selling the same things the

same ways. There are constant innovations in the products

you sell, and your customers are changing too. So keep up


to keep your business relevant and successful.

Don’t Compound MistakesNo matter how meticulous you plan and how careful youbuy, you will make mistakes. An item that you thought was

a sure winner is still hanging on the wall. Don’t compound

the mistake by just watching it hang there. Why is it not

selling? Does it need marketing? It may be as simple as

moving it to a different location in the store to bring moreattention to it, or having your staff explain the benefits.

It is inevitable that you will have something that just

does not sell regardless of your best efforts. In those cases

get rid of it. Even if you have to sell it for less than you paid

or donate it to charity, don’t allow it to hang there gather-ing dust. Move on and learn from it.

With a good buying plan and inventory management,

you can compete with anyone while providing your

customers with the best customer service they could ask

for and in doing so you will ensure that your business

continues to grow.

Tips to Keep Your Gear Moving

Racquets• Make sure you have a selection of frames for all

player types, but skew the selection to fit your

customer base.

• Stock the grip sizes of the models to fit the likely

customers. Don’t buy larger sizes for racquets

that you know will primarily be bought by

women.

String• Make sure you have a good selection of all

types and gauges to fit different playing

styles.

• Try new strings as they are introduced and

add them to the inventory if they fill a need.

• Don’t hold onto an “old faithful” once sales

have declined significantly. Replace it with

something new and relevant.

Apparel• Schedule deliveries so that you consistently

have new merchandise coming in.

• Have a mark-down schedule to start

discounting items as the group gets picked

over or has been on the floor for a while.

• Continue marking down until it moves or

donate it and make room for merchandise

that will make a return on the investment.

Shoes• Make sure you have a good selection of styles

and price points.

• Keep sizes in stock for top sellers so that you

don’t miss sales.

• Make frequent reorders to ensure that size

runs are adequate and special orders are

prompt.


22/64

USTA


K

atrina Adams took on the role of chairman,

CEO and president of the U.S. Tennis As-

sociation in January. With her ascendancy,

she becomes the fourth woman to head theorganization, but she is first in a number of

other important categories. Adams is the first African-Amer-ican to lead the USTA in the organization’s 134-year history.

She’s also the first former professional athlete to have the job.

And, at age 46, she’s the youngest person in the role.

Adams played on the pro tour from 1984 to 1999, reachingNo. 8 in the world in doubles and No. 67 in singles, and win-

ning 21 WTA doubles titles. She has also served on the WTA

board of directors as a player representative and won the

WTA’s Player Service Award twice.

For the past nine years, Adams has been the executivedirector of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program

in New York City, which each year serves more than 1,000

inner-city kids, who are taught tennis and receive tutoring

for school, along with life skills. She’s also been an analyst forthe Tennis Channel since 2003, and is a contributor on CBSSports Network’s first all-female sports show, “We Need to

Talk.” In addition, Adams, who lives in White Plains, N.Y., and

Lakewood Ranch, Fla., has contributed to Tennis magazine

and tennis.com. This month, she is scheduled to speak at the

TIA Tennis Summit March 17-18 in Indian Wells, Calif.

We recently caught up with Adams as she was preparing toaddress the USTA Leadership Meeting in California in Janu-

ary—her first gathering as president and where she reveals

to staff and USTA section leadership her priorities for her

two-year term.

TI: What are your top goals as USTA president?

Adams: My No. 1 goal is to execute the mission of the USTA,

which is to “promote and develop the growth of tennis” in

America. With that, of course, comes continuing to lead the

charge with the Youth Imperative and getting more kids on

the courts. We’ll continue to focus on that.

In addition, one of my main goals to add to those numbersis to be more inclusive of the Hispanic community, a popula-

tion we haven’t penetrated well. There are a lot of oppor-

tunities there—to attract entire families to the sport, to be

all-inclusive, to try to get the community more active and

involved in tennis, like they are in other sports. We also want to go after the recreational high school player.

We have a lot of no-cut teams in the U.S., and it’s great to have

all these youngsters involved in tennis for the high school sea-

son. But after that, they’re probably playing other sports, or

no sports at all. We need to find a way to better engage themin playing tennis beyond the high school season—we want to

drive them to programs in nearby parks, CTAs and facilities

and make it a fun experience for them. It’s not necessarily toget them on a competitive play track, but on a recreational

play track—to make them year-round frequent players.

TI: What are some of the top challenges you feel you’ll face in

your term?

Adams: It’s about making sure we have “buy-in” from all

constituents in this industry. It’s also about communication,

and really believing there’s an opportunity for growth andmaking sure there are ways for that to happen.

We need to make sure all constituents understand that we

as the USTA are here to help them, and not to hurt them. For

me, it’s about having a positive attitude and trying to have a

unified voice within the sport.

Catching Up With NewUSTA President

Katrina Adams




TI: How can the tennis industry help you achieve your goals?

Adams: Marketing is a huge key. Any time we’re trying to

attract a new group, or just players in general, it’s how we as a

team can market the sport as a whole. We need to do a muchbetter job of marketing the sport overall, the value of the

sport, telling the full story of the sport, how beneficial tennis

is for people, how it leads to healthy lifestyles for all ages, the

camaraderie and social aspects of tennis.

It’s also about collaboration and partnerships, and aboutlistening. It’s about embracing what the needs are of people,

not just of tennis.

TI: What do you feel are your strengths?

Adams: I think I walk around with a positive attitude at all

times and there’s nothing that I can’t succeed at. It’s all aboutpreparation, being alert, communicating, and

being a good listener. If I can embrace the

good, bad and ugly of what people experience

and be able to articulate that, I think that’s a

great strength of mine.

TI: And how about weaknesses?

Adams: I would say my weakness is my pa-

tience. I’m a competitor. I don’t like losing. I

don’t take no very easily. I always feel there’s away to turn a negative into a positive, recog-

nizing and realizing that I’m not going to be

able to turn everything around that I want,

but as long as we can start going in the right

direction, that’s all that I ask for. I have to re-

alize there are differences in our approaches. As a player, I’m a serve-and-volleyer, and

that’s my personality, and there’s a reason why

I’m a serve-and-volleyer: I like to get in there and get things

done.

TI: How important is the Lake Nona project?

Adams: What a huge opportunity. These are very exciting

times. We’re able to build a home for American tennis. It’s not

about player development; it’s a home to bring thousands of

all ages together. It’s truly inclusive and embraces who we are.It’s a huge asset as to how we’re pushing the mission forward.

There are always going to be people who will gripe, but it’s

hard to see how people don’t see this as a positive. There area lot of good things that will come out of this project that can

only be good in the long run.

TI: Talk about the significance of being the first African-

American USTA president.

Adams: I came up through the ranks because of my passion,

leadership abilities and belief that I could make a difference.

I was fortunate to be appointed USTA first vice president andnow president. And that’s because of my skills and talents and

how I relate to people. I’m here in spite of my differences.

But it’s helping us embrace those differences. We embrace

diversity and have done a really good job with that. But we

have to do the same with our own volunteer community with

people getting involved and feeling they can make a differ-ence. Hopefully we can open the door for others of color

within this organization.

TI: As a former pro player, how can we get the pro tours and

pro players to help promote tennis at the grassroots? Adams: It’s a goal of mine to get them more involved. But

when you’re in the pros, you’re thinking about going out and

doing the best you can in your game, not in the organization

of the game. But now, I can see, the USTA really helped me.

You start to understand the importance of the organization.

I’d like to communicate with my peers and colleagues, andpay it forward and help assist the next generation of players.

In all fairness to [pro players], I think they do a really good

job of [reaching the grassroots], based on the time that they

have. They’re doing clinics all the time;

there’s always some kind of communityactivity they’re involved in. And many have

their own foundations.

Going back to how this industry can help

grow tennis, within pro players’ contracts

with manufacturers, there’s a way to helpthe recreational game and getting more

players into the game. It’s about getting ev-

eryone involved and finding opportunities

to promote the game at every level. We need

to rely on our partners.

TI: From a USTA perspective, talk about the

role of teaching pros in growing the game,

and how the USTA is working with teachingpros. Adams: We partner with both the USPTA

and PTR, and do a lot with their conventions. We need to

continue to focus on educating our coaches. And we need to

embrace our teaching professionals as being professionals.

Then we can have a huge impact on the growth of tennis.

TI: What’s going on with competitive junior tennis?

Adams: We’ve made some major changes to the structure.

We’ll continue to monitor it as it evolves. Dealing with our

national players is no easy task. You need to be patient, oth-

erwise mistakes may become irreparable.

The structure of the USTA, the system, doesn’t allow us tomake changes quickly. There’s a whole process that we have

to go through within our bylaws and we can’t change that

overnight. We do it at the pace that we’re capable of, and we

have to do our due diligence to find out what people think

will work.

TI: How do you get more adults into the game?

Adams: One of the things that concerns me is there are a lot

of older players leaving the game because they can’t cover the

court like they used to. I’m hoping they realize that shortercourts and red, orange and green balls are for them, too. I’m

hoping we can get that message out, because it will help this

industry.



24/64

Footwear


W ith the possible exception of re-

stringing, shoe sales are the greatest

opportunity for tennis specialists tooutmaneuver both the internet and

big-box retailers.The easy part of the transaction, according to Steve

Vorhaus, owner of Rocky Mountain Racquet Specialists in

Boulder, Colo., is that, “People shop for shoes when they need

them, and most don’t do it soon enough.” The benefit of thatconsumer behavior is that players do not want to wait on

shoes by mail that may not even fit, particularly when price

differences are minimized.

Additionally, and contrary to situations involving other

merchandise, internet surfing may even be helpful to thebrick-and-mortar retailer by priming the sale with scads of

online information and opinion on a line or particular shoe’s

features and benefits.

More complex for the sales equation is matching highlyindividual tastes with the right features, style and fit—par-ticularly the sometimes impossibly hard to delineate “feel” a

customer wants. The player who arrives at a store looking for

new shoes is not window-shopping; he or she is a sale waiting

to be made. At this point, according to Kay Barney, Head Penn

Racquet Sports district sales manager, “The most important

thing in-store is really having the right selection of shoes, andthen having [and sharing] the knowledge about those shoes.”

Data Driven A key component to smart buying is having a plan. To get theselection right, Barney recommends a [mostly] data-driven

approach. Nobody can afford to be over-inventoried in sizes

or models. Take advantage of the manufacturer’s infor-

mation, but rely on the store’s own sell-through data and

historical trends. Upon that foundation gain knowledge andfeed the gut instinct you sometimes have to follow by listen-

ing to the most trusted floor staff for customer feedback,and constantly keeping abreast throughout the industry and

within your own sales niche of what is turning in terms of

sizes and styles.

With the shoes and customer in the store, it then comesdown to execution. Sales staff have to be attentive and

knowledgeable and the store as a whole has to offer a good

shopping experience, so tend to the basics. Even if it is the

middle of a swamped Saturday, says Barney, “If the shoe wall

looks discombobulated from customers, make sure to clearit up!”

Even looking their most attractive, shoes do not sell them-

selves. Sales are closed and customers satisfied when spe-

cialists apply their essential attributes of knowledge, timeand care. For Vorhaus, a trained staff tries on the differentshoes themselves and discusses the differences in features

and fit before attempting to sell customers.

Having employees who play the game in the shoes they

are selling is important, as is teaching them how to inter-

view customers to be able to understand what is wanted in

terms of brand, looks, durability and weight, and also how toexplain the differences in technology and features among a

final round of carefully considered options.

Long-Term RelationshipsRegrettably, part of the cost of doing business this way is that

sometimes all that energy and attention is something a store

The In-StoreAdvantageFor players, buying shoes ina brick-and-mortar shop willprovide advantages over internetand big-box retailers. By Kent Oswald




owner has to amortize into the cost of building long-termrelationships rather than an immediate sale. “People

don’t wait for the shoe” once you’ve sold them on it, says

Vorhaus. It is frustrating to put in the work and then not

have the right shoe in inventory, because, “If you don’t

have it you [could] see it on their feet the next time theycome in the store. You’ll have made the sale for someone

else.”

While the majority of the sale depends on both inven-

tory and the effectiveness of the sales associate, there are

tactics to employ that will encourage customers to thinkabout shoes more often and open them up to possibilities

once they get in the store. Sales associates can cultivate

relationships with current customers by giving them a

heads-up when the newest model of their shoes arrive;

the store’s social media accounts should always feature

images or videos when announcing shoe informationTennis industry veteran Wally Craig, national sales

manager for SP Tennis LLC representing Asics Tennis,

suggests that even as every square foot of selling and

display space has to be used efficiently, there are still ways

to get some pop from in-store displays. Use mannequinsfor cross-merchandising; display single shoes on top of

clothing rounders; highlight a particular shoe away from

the shoe wall to enhance its story; and experiment with

displays and then keep an eye out to see how to influence

store traffic to the shoe sales area.


Rotating MerchandiseThe advice about using in-store space efficiently is echoed

by Karen Moriarty, co-owner of The Tennis Professionals

and Sportech in Westchester County, N.Y. A rotation strategy

has been developed whereby new models go on the slat-wall

shelves, sometimes in multiple colors at different angles, andthen as inventory dwindles the shoes are moved closer at

hand to the floor, which makes them easier to grab and works

as a reminder to bring them to customers’ attention while

the window of interest in that style is still open.

To get prospects into the store when new models arrive,Moriarty’s sales staff will call certain customers, while others

are notified through email blasts. To keep customers coming

back, the stores offer flexibility for those players who want to

take two pairs home and “demo” them (in the house, not on

the court) before returning the one they don’t like quite as

much for a full refund.Retailers and reps alike say there is no secret to selling

tennis shoes, but it turns out there is. The secret is that by

the very nature of a transaction that often relies on so many

intangibles, a small store has the advantage over the Goli-

aths. As Barney puts it, “You can try to display in differentways to see what is best for your shop, but it all comes down

to earning business from consumers by ensuring a fair price

and that they will get the size, model, expertise and time that

they want.”

And that, of course, is where the specialists excel.


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The Hard Facts

With its resistance to cracking,

post-tensioned concrete is becoming the go-to choice for tennis courts. By Mary Helen Sprecher



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Court Construction & Maintenance Guide

The tennis industry has changed and evolved, and

nowhere is this more evident than on the courtitself. New lines and new technologies have certainly

grabbed their share of headlines, but the real newsmay be what’s going on below the surface.

Times were, when it came to hard surfaces, asphalt courts werethe standard and could be found in parks, homes, clubs, even in

championship arenas. However, as times have changed and oil

prices have fluctuated, post-tensioned concrete has been quietlymaking its move to become the go-to choice. There are many rea-

sons PT concrete courts have been successful, but ask any specialtycourt contractor and you’ll consistently hear one answer: Properly

installed, they won’t crack.To back up, post-tensioned concrete courts are those that are re-

inforced by sheathed steel cables within the concrete slab. After theconcrete has begun to set and has reached sufficient strength, the

cables are tightened and held permanently under stress. The cables

exert a tremendous compressive force, holding the pavement at thesame tension and guarding against cracking.

Consider the alternative: Asphalt, as a bituminous pavement, ispoured and smoothed into a tennis court surface before it is coated.

Beneath the coating, the asphalt dries and shrinks as it ages (this isnot a flaw in the mix; it is the nature of asphalt). The brittle pave-

ment becomes less resistant to damage and more prone to crackingand crumbling, and areas where freeze-thaw cycles are the norm

will see even more of this. As a result, a court that once lookedsmooth and unblemished might look surprisingly cracked and agedwithin a comparatively short time.

A ‘Standard’ TechniquePost-tensioned concrete, meanwhile, does not respond to freeze-

thaw cycles and will not get brittle in a few years. Even in warmerareas, tennis court contractors are leaning toward this method of

construction over other concrete uses.“Post-tensioned concrete has been a standard tennis-court con-

struction technique in the USTA Southern California section formany years,” says Richard Zaino of Zaino Tennis Courts in Orange,

Calif. “We discovered in our earliest experience with engineeredpost-tension courts that were designed and built due to poor soilsconditions, the post-tensioned concrete courts were performing

much better than steel rebar-reinforced slabs on good soil con-ditions. So we took what was given to us by the post-tensioned

concrete engineers for specific sites and made this a standard in allour court building.”

Those who have been thinking of replacing their current courts—or adding new ones—likely have plenty of questions. Before you

make a decision, though, it’s best to consult with a court contractor.

Here is some information to bring with you to the table:• How many courts you’re talking about.

• Any budget you have in mind.• The window of time you are seeking to have work done.



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forces. The owner and/or consultant should make sure

this element is not left out of the design/constructionprocess.

A few other items for the owner’s or consultant’s checklistinclude:• Use stone screenings in lieu of sand for the cushion layer

under the vapor barrier and concrete slab. The stonescreenings will bind together and not displace as easily as

sand.• Construct a thickened edge around the perimeter of the

slab to provide for increased concrete coverage aroundthe end anchors.

• Provide the proper level of pre-stressing to overcome the

slab to subgrade friction, which will minimize restraint-to-shortening cracking.

• Insist on proper recording of cable elongations to ensurethe proper stressing of cables.

• Ensure the slab is adequately moisture-cured to minimizethe amount of shrinkage cracking that may occur.

• Ensure the field personnel have adequate training in thecable stressing operations because this process involves

extremely high forces and can be dangerous if not done

properly.• Do not let unauthorized personnel (visitors, vendors or

others) into the area while cables are being stressed.If it sounds like a lot, well, it’s because post-tensioned

concrete construction is a specialized art form. It is not thesame as pouring a driveway or a sidewalk, and should not

be mistaken as such. It will require specific equipment andexpertise.

The reward, however, can be a long-lasting surface thatprovides enjoyable play with minimal upkeep—for years tocome.

• Whether the courts are (or will be) lighted for night play

(if lighting already exists, make a note as to where theposts are set).

• Whether the courts are currently fenced.Other factors will influence the design and cost of theproject, and the court contractor can help you decide what

is important. In addition, court owners and facility manag-ers should be prepared to do their homework in order to

make the best decision and get the most out of the project.

Checklist for PT ConcreteDavid LaSota of D.W. LaSota Engineering of Patton, Pa., of-

fers some advice regarding some items for an owner’s check-list (or perhaps one that should be given to a consultant on

the project):• Hire a professional engineer who is familiar with post-

tensioned slab design and construction. Some clients (andprofessionals) leave it up to the contractor to design the

PT slab; however, not all contractors have the engineeringexpertise to perform such services. Check references and

ensure your chosen professional is the right person for

the job.• Most tennis courts include net posts, nets, center strap

anchors, center straps and fencing as part of the job. Theprofessional should ascertain these elements are incorpo-

rated safely into the post-tensioned project.• Installation of a vapor barrier under the slab can

minimize the transmission of water vapor through theconcrete slab that can cause delamination of the acrylic

surfacing. The vapor barrier also reduces the under-slabcoefficient of friction, which minimizes the number of

cables required to achieve the required compressive



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30/64


Serious

Propositions When you’re ready to resurface yourcourts, how can you best evaluate thecourt-builder proposals? By David LaSota and Mary Helen Sprecher

I

t’s in the budget. You’re planning to

resurface your courts this spring. And you’ve already taken the first

steps by having specialty contrac-tors come in and review the scope of

work to be done.

Now, you’re sitting at your desk,studying the proposals that have come

in as a result of those visits. And you’re abit confused. The prices vary, but how do

you know which one is the best? Do youreally want to pick just the lowest bid—

only to find out you’ve made a mistakein evaluating the proposal? How do you

know what you’re looking at?

In this case, you get a little help froma consultant. Longtime tennis facility

design professional David LaSota from

2. The builder should include cleaningof the court surface as part of the scope

of work to ensure a good, solid substrate

onto which the acrylics can adhere. Thiscould include pressure-washing, scrap-

ing and grinding to remove any debrisor impurity that could prevent proper

adhesion of the acrylics.3.Proposals should state that the

courts will be flooded to identify any“birdbaths,” defined as depressions that

will hold water deeper than the thick-

ness of a nickel. Any depressions shouldbe marked and patched prior to the

application of the acrylics. The buildershould include this in the proposal.

4.Cracks in the court pavement shouldbe thoroughly cleaned and filled prior to

the application of the acrylics. Variousmethods for addressing pavement cracks

are available. The builder should clearly

describe how they plan to repair cracks

in the court surface. (Note: The use ofa proprietary system may drive up thecost, so make sure which methods are

being used so that you can fairly evalu-ate all proposals). The proposal scope

of work should quantify the amountof crack repair to be completed by the

builder.5. On courts where staining is present,

stain blockers are available to reduce the

chance these stains may bleed throughthe new acrylic coatings. The builder and

surface manufacturer should be con-sulted for guidance on treating stains.

6. Depending on the condition of the

D.W. Engineering has provided a check-list for tennis court owners and manag-

ers to use as they review the proposals

in front of them.Oh, and if you’re not sure whether aproposal includes something, don’t be

afraid to call and ask. Most contractorsare glad to explain a proposal if doing so

makes it easier for the customer.1. Be sure to have court builders pro-

vide comparable scopes of work so that

an apples-to-apples comparison can bemade between the proposals submitted.

(In other words, check the wording tomake sure all proposals are addressing

the same type of job; again, if you haveany questions about what is included,

call and ask).



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court surface, the application of a resurfacer may be required prior

to the acrylic color coats. The acrylic resurfacer provided a good base

from which the acrylics can be applied. Asphalt-based resurfacermaterials should be avoided due to their history of failures and surface

delaminations.7. As a general rule, it is best to provide a slow to medium-fast court

surface pace to provide the average tennis player more time to react toa shot from the opposing player. The acrylic manufacturer and court

builder can customize the surfacing acrylics to achieve the surfacepace desired by the facility owner.

8.The builders should specify in their proposal the application rates

for the acrylic materials they will be applying to the courts. This willallow the consumer to ensure adequate material will be used on the

resurfacing. For example, if the builder proposes to install two coatsof acrylic color to your tennis court at 0.05 gallons per square yard

per application, assuming your court is 7,200 square feet (800 squareyards) in size, they will need to provide: 800 square yards x 0.05 gal-

lons/square yard/application x 2 applications = 80 gallons of acrylic Acrylic coatings are generally provided in 55-gallon drums; there-

fore, the builder should have two drums of material on site to resur-

face your court.

9.The playing lines should use textured line paint to match the paceof the adjacent playing surface. Non-textured lines are available andcause the ball to bounce differently than the court surface.

10. If you have asked for 36- and/or 60-foot court lines for youth andbeginner play, make sure these appear on the proposals as well.

11. Seriously consider hiring a court builder who is a member of the American Sports Builders Association. In addition, ASBA offers a Cer-

tified Tennis Court Builder program, which is voluntary. CTCBs have

accumulated activity points and passed a comprehensive exam thatasks them to display their knowledge of tennis court construction.

Evaluating proposals is nerve-wracking, particularly the first timearound. Just remember to pay attention to details and to ask ques-

tions, rather than make guesses, whenever you’re uncertain.In the end, you may be able to form a lasting relationship with a con-

tractor you can trust and turn to for future projects.

Redoing the Courts:How to Define the Scope of Work Inevitably, someone’s going to say, “We should

redo the courts.” Unfortunately, that can mean a

broad spectrum of work, which comes at an even

broader spectrum of price points. Here are a few

options:

• Crack Repair: This generally pertains to an

asphalt court, and is a process of f illing, patching

or repairing cracks. This may be a spot treatment,

pertaining to one area only, or it may be a more

widespread repair using a proprietary system.

It is performed when the cracking is the court’s

only problem, and when it is generally a matter

of aesthetics.

• Resurfacing: Resurfacing is defined as putting a

new surface on the court. The simplest way is by

filling the cracks and low spots and then puttinga new acrylic coating on top of the court in order

to create a smooth, unblemished surface. Other

types of surfaces can be laid over an existing

court as well. (Note that the court is only as good

as its base, however, and a court with underlying

problems will have recurrent trouble.)

• Overlays: A court might have underlying issues

but still have appropriate slope and drainage.

In these cases, contractors often suggest that

repair be made using an overlay, or slipsheet

overlay, in which a thin layer of stone or stone

dust is placed directly over an old court surfaceprior to a new asphalt surface being laid. The

stone acts as a slipsheet and absorbs any

movement from the old, cracked court below

before it reflects up to the new surface. (In a

post-tensioned concrete overlay, an entirely

new concrete slab is installed over the problem

court.)

• Reconstruction: If the court has severe

problems, a contractor may recommend a total

court reconstruction. Options include excavation

followed by reconstruction of the court, and

pulverization followed by reconstruction.• Court Conversion: Some court owners may

decide to explore the option of converting their

hard court to one with a fast-dry or synthetic turf

surface—or going in the other direction, for that

matter.

What you choose to do with a court will

ultimately rest on its current condition, as well as

the site, the location, the budget, the wishes of the

owner, the needs of the players and more. Knowing

your parameters when you meet with your court

contractor will make it easier to arrive at the right

decision for you and your facility.



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SolidConstructionCalifornia Sports Surfaces, the makers of DecoTurf andPlexipave, expands its product offerings and continues to helppave the way for growth in the sport. By Peter Francesconi

One of the first questions tennis fans often ask about

the California Products Corp., the maker of twoGrand Slam tournament surfaces, is why—for a

company that has called Massachusetts home fornearly 90 years—is “California” in the name.

It started in 1926, when Napoleon N. Bernier came eastwith a license agreement from a Los Angeles company tomake stucco products, which had become very popular in the

West. The company Bernier founded in Cambridge, Mass.,was called California Stucco Products Corp. of New England,

which eventually expanded its product line beyond stucco.Today, California Products Corp. is headquartered outside

of Boston in Andover, Mass., and consists of three divisions:California Paints, California Sports Surfaces (CSS) and

Fiberlock Technologies. California Paints produces some of

the most well-respected interior and exterior paint brands.Fiberlock specializes in products that address environmental,

safety and health hazards. And CSS brands now include Plexi-pave, DecoTurf, Plexitrac, Rebound Ace and three new addi-

tions: Latex-ite, Premier Court and Guardian Crack Repair.

Revolutionizing Court SurfacesIn 1953, the company, now called California Products and led

by industry pioneer Bob Caldwell, originated the water-basedacrylic color-coat concept and developed what came to be

called Plexipave, and likely changed the game of tennis. Thefirst court to use this acrylic system was at a private residence

in Ipswich, Mass., and now, Plexipave has been the surface of

the Australian Open since 2008.Other notable developments that have come out of Cali-

fornia Products’ research and development lab include asqueegee-applied acrylic, cushion-type surface using a

multi-coat application, which was introduced in 1969. CalledPlexicushion, it is designed to reduce player fatigue without

affecting the speed of the game.In 1977, with the introduction of the

201503 tennis industry magazine

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