Northern California ProFiles

USPTA NorCal March 2012

Learning from the Best at the Division Convention

Marvin Dent, Kathy Toon, Mark Fairchilds, Stan Smith, Doug King, Todd Dissly, Tim Mayotte, Dick Gould.

Not Pictured: Brian Gordon

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

What a great start to the year: a great turnout for our 2012 Annual Division Conference at Stanford! Highlights were a filled-to-capacity Awards Dinner/Living Legends Night (kudos to Legends emcee Scott Borowiak) and a fun Battle of the Divisions team social using the 10 and under format (thanks to tournament director Michael Friedman). Great speakers were plentiful: Stan Smith, Tim Mayotte, Marvin Dent, Brian Gordon, Dick Gould, Mark Fairchilds, Kathy Toon, Doug King and Todd Dissly. Thanks to Stanford University, hosts Dick and Anne Gould, the SAP Open, USTA NorCal, HarTru Tennis, and HEAD Penn for their support. Thank you to all the vendors at the trade show. Go to our USPTA NorCal Facebook page www.facebook.com/USPTANorCal to view the great conference video and pictures (thanks to Hans Römer). You can also access the pictures and video on our own website: www.norcaluspta.com. We are already thinking about next year’s convention. Going back to the Saturday-Sunday-half day Monday schedule is in the plans. The board has a few modest goals for 2012: 1. Get more USPTA pros under 30 involved; 2. Increase our participation in Tennis Across America; 3. Bring the Sanchez-Casals High Performance Course here to NorCal in 2013; 4. Work on getting a health care plan for NorCal USPTA pros (thanks to Jason Blum who is working on this project); and 5. Maintain our strong relationship with USTA NorCal (thanks to Nigel Pugh, our USTA NorCal Liaison on the Board). We need your help in achieving these goals. If you have any ideas please forward them to me at sharpejsd@comcast.net. Mark April 1 on your calendars. This is our first 2012 NorCal USPTA Specialty Course at ClubSport Fremont (thanks to Jason Beardslee and Larry Parker for organizing). Hank Pfister will be presenting “Competitive Singles Patterns and the Lost Art of Serve and Volley”. Go to www.norcaluspta.com to register. And finally, you have all probably heard that Tim Heckler, CEO of USPTA National, has decided to retire. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact me. The new National Board has set up protocols to hire a new CEO/ED. At the upcoming April Executive Committee Meeting, a whole morning session has been set aside to discuss long-range goals for National. This is a move to open the debate about our future to the divisions – rather exciting! Let’s have a great 2012,

Inside: Dates that Rate p. 3 Convention Wrap-up p. 4-6 Award Winners p. 7 Specialty Course p. 9 Wellness Tip p. 10 Regional News p. 11-21 New Members p. 16 National News p. 23

www.facebook.com/USPTANorCal 

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Board of Directors Northern California President John Sharpe 925-287-7807 sharpejsd@comcast.net Regional Vice President Andrea Barnes 415-370-9033 abarnes2@stanford.edu Vice President Scott Howard 650-281-3680 jscottiehoward@hotmail.com Vice President Hans Römer 831-657-6695 montereybayrc@gmail.com Secretary Jason Beardslee 925-922-9330 jasonbeardslee@gmail.com Treasurer Monty Basnyat 916-316-7577 mbasnyat@fitt10s.com Past President Michael Friedman 707-365-7901 talking10s@aol.com Advisory Member Jason Blum 415-407-6890 jblum@usptapro.com USTA Liaison Nigel Pugh 925-518-4235 nigel@alpinehills.us Executive Director Elaine Hennessy 925-478-9465 ncuspta@gmail.com

DATES THAT RATE

DATE EVENT

USPTA Northern California

Newsletter is published quarterly. It is distributed via email in March, June and September, and printed and mailed in

December.

The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Northern California Division.

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April 1 Specialty Course, ClubSport Fremont, Hank Pfister April 2 - 3 Certification Review and Testing, SF Tennis Club May 19 - 20 Ladies Invitational, Spanish Bay June 3 Specialty Course - TBA June 4 - 5 Certification Review and Testing, SF Tennis Club July 9 - 15 Bank of the West Classic Aug. 20 - 21 Certification Review and Testing, SF Tennis Club Sept. 15 Women’s Retreat, Monterey Sept. 16 - 21 USPTA World Conference on Tennis, Monterey Oct. 13 - 14 Ladies Invitational, Spanish Bay Nov. 11 Specialty Course - TBA Nov. 26 - 27 Certification Review and Testing, SF Tennis Club

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By Andrea Barnes, USPTA NorCal Regional Vice President Extraordinarily energetic host Dick Gould declared this year’s USPTA NorCal Winter Conference, held February 17 – 19 at Stanford, a “home run” and teaching pros, high school coaches, and industry insiders agree. Attendees heard an outstanding lineup of speakers, including 1972 Wimbledon Champion Stan Smith, former Stanford standout Tim Mayotte, highly regarded 3D analyst Brian Gordon, the engaging Marvin Dent, Stanford’s Gould and several of NorCal’s best: Doug King, Mark Fairchilds, Kathy Toon and Todd Dissly. There was fun too as coaches took to the courts Saturday night for the HarTru-sponsored Battle of the Regions round robin, a red/orange/green ball team event featuring pizza, beer, and a little trash talk in addition to tennis. A weekend highlight was the sold out, SAP Open-sponsored awards dinner and highly entertaining “Legends Night” featuring Smith, Mayotte, and Erik Van Dillen, who went from San Mateo to USC, Davis Cup, and tour success. Able and engaging host Scott Borowiak drew out many stories from the players’ tour days, including great tidbits on a contentious Davis Cup match in Romania where Smith and Van Dillen won the key doubles match under extremely difficult conditions. The 2011 USPTA NorCal Awards were presented at the banquet. Longtime NorCal stalwart, Modesto’s Mark Fairchilds, collected the President’s Award for his outstanding play and leadership in the USTA and USPTA communities. Veteran Board member, former NorCal President, and 2003 Pro of the Year, Michael Friedman of the Tiburon Peninsula Club, a tennis teacher for 46 years, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Andrea Barnes of the Stanford Campus Recreation Association collected Pro of the Year for her work promoting 10 and under tennis and on behalf of USPTA NorCal as their Regional Vice President. Todd Dissly earned a richly deserved Service to Tennis Award for his nonstop efforts in junior tennis in the South Bay. Al Juodikis, Associate Pro of the Year, directs the outstanding Red/Orange/Green program at the San Jose Swim and Racquet Club. Tim and Peanut Harper garnered the Community Service Award for teaching children how to achieve their personal best through their program “Harper for Kids.” Rosie Bareis’ Claremont Resort and Spa took home Facility of the Year. Rosie and her staff work tirelessly to promote tennis, hosting a myriad of USTA and USPTA events. Her associate pro, Dale Evans, Rookie of the Year Award winner, had a busy year at the club and as USTA NorCal Boys’ and Girls’ 16 Zonal coach. Tom Uyehara, High School Coach of the Year, leads the very strong Saratoga High program. Sandy Gostanian, Regional Director of the Year Award winner, combines work as an Adapted Physical Education Specialist and tennis instructor for all abilities, with working hard on behalf of USPTA as Fresno regional director and longtime chair of the Awards Committee. Men’s Senior Player of the year recipient Geoff Martinez represented the U.S. on the 55’s team at the ITF Seniors World Team Championships in San Diego. Susan Sharpe, a talented graphic designer and wife of NorCal President John, accepted an award of gratitude for her help on USPTA projects.

Our gratitude to HarTru Sports for sponsoring the “Battle of the Regions” 10 and under

style social tennis event.

Many thanks to Bill Rapp and the SAP Open for sponsoring

the Awards Banquet and providing us with the great seats at the SAP Open final.

The stories just kept coming at the thoroughly entertaining “Legends Night” featuring world-class pros Stan Smith, Tim Mayotte and Erik van Dillen and emceed by Scott Borowiak

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To view the video and pictures from the convention, go to www.norcaluspta.com

Division Convention February 17 - 19 Stanford University

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Many thanks to our vendors who participated in our trade show and donated raffle prizes: Alm Sports, Babolat, Bank of the West Classic, Carmel Valley Tennis Camp, Dunlop, DH Distribution, Fromuth, HarTru Sports, HEAD Penn, Glove It, OnCourt OffCourt, Prince, RSN Promotions, Sports Split Step, The Total Serve, USTA NorCal and Vintage Contractors

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USPTA NorCal Award Winners for 2011 Presented at the Awards Banquet at the Division Convention

Not pictured:

Geoff Martinez Eldon Rowe Senior Men’s Player

Pro of the Year: Andrea Barnes Lifetime Achievment Award: Michael Friedman

Community Service Award: Tim and Peanut Harper, Harper for Kids

Service to Tennis: Todd Dissly

Regional Director of the Year: Sandra Gostanian

Associate Pro of the Year: Al Juodikis

President’s Award: Mark Fairchilds

Award of Gratitude: Susan Sharpe

Facility of the Year: Claremont Resort, Rosie Bareis, Director of Tennis

Rookie of the Year: Dale Evans High School Coach of the Year: Tom Uyehara

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Tennis ‐ for the health of it! Wellness Tip By Brett Stephenson, USPTA P‐1 Chair, USPTA NorCal Wellness Committee 

  .

High Intensity Workouts and Extreme Fitness! Yesterday’s athletes frequently played their sport overweight and out of shape. Even tennis has had its share of “timing players” rather than extremely fit specimens. Two of the fitness trendsetters were Martina Navratilova and soon after Chris Evert. Martina started lifting weights and went on a high carbohydrate diet to slow her aging and improve her quickness. Chris started her off-court training by taking high impact aerobic classes. But, even with their examples, professional tennis players through the 1980s and ‘90s still regarded fitness as a secondary necessity. Fitness workouts were just a little something extra to compliment hours spent on the court. But, not now! Today’s professional athletes are finely tuned fitness machines. Players in every sport are getting stronger, faster, and fitter every season. This advancement in fitness is due to combining advanced customized workouts with high-level scientific nutrition. In today’s competitive “high reward” sports it’s easy to see that extreme fitness is a requirement for all athletes. But, extreme fitness can also be used against the toughest opponent of all: Father Time. Recent Stanford University research has proven that high intensity workouts actually cause the adult body to manufacture stem cells, which can help to heal injuries and create formations of new cells/tissues. So a high- intensity workout is like taking a drink from the fountain of youth! With that in mind, remember the number one reason fitness goals are not achieved: injury. So it is a tight rope that must be walked, pushing workouts to the brink of injury while remaining injury free. However, with so many windfall benefits from high intensity workouts and extreme fitness, it is a path well chosen.

Example of Extreme Fitness schedule: Seven days a week AM yoga, pilates, exercise class Seven days a week PM up to 1 hour cardio Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday weight lifting Wednesday up to 3 hours cardio Saturday & Sunday AM yoga, pilates, exercise class Saturday & Sunday PM up to 2 hours cardio Remember to eat protein within 90 minutes after a high intensity workout. Protein consumption after a workout helps to reduce stress to the muscles and supplies needed nutrients for new muscle development. Primary proteins: beans, legumes, nuts, nut spreads, grains, tempeh, seitan and tofu Secondary proteins: dairy, eggs, fish, chicken, pork, red meat Executive Wellness Services is a company of world-class professionals providing tennis, massage, personal training, yoga and nutrition, to Bay Area corporations, residential communities and fine hotels. These services are delivered directly to the office, apartment, home or suite. For more information visit website at www.synergyhousing.com/executivewellness or call 925-683-2460.

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SACRAMENTO Andrew Fearnside fearnsidetennisacademy@yahoo.com

Well we haven’t had the rain we normally get and hopefully everyone has been out on court teaching some unexpected lessons. It’s a nice change from the usual winter blues. The 8th Annual USTA National Men, Women and Mixed 30’s Indoor Championships, sponsored by Freight Solution Providers will be held at the Spare Time Clubs Indoor Tennis Center in Gold River, California April 27 – April 30. Don’t miss out on this popular event that attracts players from all over the United States. Players will compete for the coveted gold ball in singles, doubles and mixed doubles as well as $10,000 in prize money. For any questions regarding the tournament, please visit www.usta.com or call Tournament Director, Isabella Kling at 916-635-3358. Joe Gilbert from JMG Tennis Academy/Rollingwood Racquet Club reports that one year after opening, his programs are very successful. Many of Northern California’s top juniors gather for intense drilling, match play, fitness and sports psychology. JMG are the initials of the program’s founder, Joseph Morris Gilbert, a well-known Sacramento coach, with a proven track record of developing juniors and adults. On February 25, Yuba Racquet Club Tennis Director Jim King hosted the Natomas Racquet Club, Park Terrace Racquet Club, Sun Oaks Tennis and Chico Racquet Club for a team challenge. Each club had 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 teams involved with Jim providing delicious food from his world famous Rolling Stone Pizza business. A great time

was had by all and we are looking forward to an even bigger event next year. If you need me for anything, or have some upcoming events you would like to share with your fellow USPTA teaching professionals, please contact me at fearnsidetennisacademy@yahoo.com. I’m looking into a USPTA NorCal/Sacramento area get-together and network day in the future: a chance to bounce ideas off each other and meet your fellow teaching pros. I’ll work out a date and get back to you all in the next newsletter.

Did you change your email address? Don’t miss a thing! The USPTA World Headquarters and USPTA NorCal want to keep you

informed of all the current news and member benefits. Don’t forget to keep your email address up-to-date with Kathy Buchanan at USPTA World

Headquarters: membership@uspta.org. Your email will remain confidential and only be used for USPTA business. USPTA never releases members’

email addresses to outside parties.

Jim King ready to fire a pizza in a very special way!

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NAPA-SOLANO Mark Hansen mhansen@milleniumsportsclub.com

Thanks to John Sharpe and all the board members for a great Annual Convention. It was great to see all the pros from our district, including Lucas and Vaclav Burger, Rick Hanover, Sam Levy, Adam Bottorff, Doug King, Jeff Jacklich and Michael Friedman. I hope to see all of you at the USPTA World Conference in September. It will be held in Monterey so it is the closest convention to us in many years. Don’t forget to sign up for the USPTA NorCal Facebook page: www.facebook.com/USPTANorCal. Hans Römer has been posting great pictures and status updates. We have many great pros in our district but today I would like to profile a younger pro who just took his USPTA teaching test at Stanford. Michael Fisher Jr. played tennis for a local high School (Vanden) where he was No. 1 for three years. Mike then moved on to Santa Rosa Junior College where he was named JC All American and won the NorCal JC doubles with KC Ensley. Mike and Mike Sr. were just named Father-Son Team of the Year for

Northern California. Mike has worked the last three years as an assistant pro for Phil Cello at Cello International Tennis Academy. Welcome Mike!! Steve Devries at Green Valley Country Club is currently in his second year as chairman of the Coaches Commission for Northern California. Steve recently attended the USTA national coaches meetings in Carson and helped with the Regional Training Camp (RTC) at UC Berkeley. Adam Bottorff of the Solano Athletic Club is busy with his QuickStart program. The juniors will have their end-of-session tournament with pizza and prizes on March 10. Adam has NTRP and NorCal junior tournaments coming in April. Paul Pena took over for former NorCal USPTA President Paul Garron at Fair Oaks Park and Rec. He has a QuickStart program up and running there and also at Antelope Community Tennis Association. At ACTA he is working with USPTA pro Felipe Monroy. Congratulations to Michael Friedman on his Lifetime Achievement Award ! We are very proud of him. Michael told me how grateful and humble the award made him feel. He also noticed at the banquet there were no retired pros and said, “I guess we don’t retire, we just fade away with our tennis shoes on!”

While ski parks are having a tough year, Siskiyou County tennis players have had it good! There have been only a few weeks this winter where local courts have been

unplayable due to snow or ice, compared to our normal three months of unplayable courts. Unfortunately for our high school teams just getting started, parts of the county received about 18 inches of snow at the end of February. We’re looking forward to our summer tournaments: the Alpine Doubles, July 13-15, the Mount Shasta Hardcourt, August 17-19, College of the Siskiyous tennis class and summer high school tennis camp.

REDWOOD Rod Koehler rodkoehler@sbcglobal.net

The true definition of “winter tennis.”

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Lynne Rolley at the Berkeley Tennis Club will be working with a new general manager starting April 16. Rigo Headley will join BTC after spending the last two years at the Fremont Hills Country Club in Los Altos Hills. 10 and under tennis is beginning to blossom. Carl Mendoza at Bay-O-Vista Swim and Tennis Club, has put a few clinics together for the young ones. The Pacific Coast Senior Tournament will also have a 10 and under event. Paul Torricelli of Harbor Bay Club and Rosie Bareis of the Claremont Resort also have offerings for the small ones. Speaking of the Claremont, congrats to Rosie and her young charge, Mackie MacDonald. Mackie reached the semifinals of the Australian Open Juniors. Rosie was there to cheer him on. Making a trip Down Under to do coaching is very impressive. Peter Benko and I were also in Melbourne attending a coaches conference, organized by Tennis Australia.

ALAMEDA Wendell Pierce WP606060@aol.com

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I recently returned from a family visit to England. While there, Bill and I took a day trip with Bill’s daughter and family to Wimbledon, which was a lifelong dream. We had a wonderful day, including an extended tour of the grounds and museum, ending with high tea in the clubhouse. I am teaching juniors, mentoring 3.0 ladies, and run weekly cardio classes. In addition, I am organizing and hosting the 16th annual Grandmas Tournament at the Tennis Club of Rio Del Mar on May 12 with all proceeds going to the Cancer Society. Last year 54 grandmothers participated. Hans Römer of the Monterey Bay Racquet Club has created a Facebook page for USPTA for NorCal (www.facebook.com/USPTANorCal). Hans has also posted excellent videos from the Stanford conference. NorCal and the Santa Cruz-Monterey region will be hosting the USPTA World Conference, September 16-21 at the Hyatt where the Monterey Bay Racquet Club is located. Put it on your calendar so we can represent! The World Conference needs NorCal pros to volunteer to introduce the various speakers at the conference. Those who are interested please email Michael Friedman at talking10s@aol.com .

Sometime in April we will be having a meeting for Santa Cruz-Monterey region pros at Monterey Bay Racquet Club. Look for a posting on the Facebook page. Brian Cory has become the director of tennis at Seascape Sports Club as of February 1. Among other duties, he will be hosting USTA junior tournaments in the local area. Tina Romeka of Meadow Brook recently held her first 10 and under workshop and play day, with more than 30 children participating. The club will be hosting several junior tournaments at all levels. Judy Newman of La Madrona Swim and Racquet Club recently played in the mixed and women’s doubles semifinals in a national 50’s tournament in La Jolla. Judy, Roy Cosio, and Dave Muldauer are very busy with well-attended junior programs in three age groups from 4 years old through high school. For adults, Roy has Sunday clinics, cardio classes, women’s doubles strategy and men’s singles strategy clinics and private lessons throughout the week. Susan Reeder and Steve Proulx were happy to see all the pros at Stanford as well as those who stopped by their Carmel Valley Tennis Camp booth at the SAP Open. Great tennis, great seminars, and great pros! Susan and Steve are gearing up for another fantastic summer at CVTC!

SANTA CRUZ-MONTEREY Gay Finch gay10sfinch@gmail.com

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CONTRA COSTA Benjamin Price bprice@clubsports.com

The weather is very fine but I worry that we will probably pay for all this sunshine later. The members are taking advantage of the dry days and I have had many racquets to string. At ClubSport Valley Vista, we have many USTA teams and our junior programs are doing very well. Registration is now open for the next junior tournament with a non-elimination format and trophies for first and second place. I really enjoyed the USPTA Convention at Stanford University. It was great to see Stan Smith. The specialty course with Tim Mayotte was fabulous and the 10 and under specialty course by Todd Dissly was a hit with me. I am amazed at the resistance from some of my fellow pros and the tennis parents to using the red and orange balls. They want to have the kids use the regular balls as soon as possible but I see my instruction go to waste: as soon as the little ones start using the regular balls their strokes break down. I’ll keep trying to convince them!

This year's Division Convention at Stanford was another great conference. Many thanks to emcee Scott Borowiak, who once again did an outstanding job as an interviewer this year for legends Stan Smith, Erik van Dillen and Tim Mayotte. As usual, Scott's evocative questions led the trio to reveal interesting information about themselves. Many thanks to all the Nor Cal USPTA board members who made this event special. And the lucky winner is…USPTA Pro Angella Woods of Murphys, near Sonora. She won free registration for the Monterey World Conference in September of 2012. Also, earlier she won the big prize at the exhibitor's drawing. Angella, I hope you also purchased a lottery ticket! Those attending this year's Conference from the Central Valley region were Angella and Jeff Woods, Matt Wineapple, Brian Heiser, Don Purdy, Mark Fairchilds, Phong Le, Jack and Julie Bracken and Bill Weber. The Brenda Athletic Club Sports-Modesto will have just hosted a USTA junior tournament as you read this column. Director of Tennis Brian Heiser will have had two full weekends hosting 300 junior players. Mark will be using three sites to run the tournament. In late March, it will be Calcutta time, the tennis and social event orchestrated by Mark followed by the club singles championships in April.

Welcome to Modesto's new USPTA member, Matt Wineapple. Matt has been under the tutelage of Mark Fairchilds and Brian Heiser during the summer months. Matt, former Modesto J.C. tennis player, will be teaching the 10 and under tennis and also the junior program. Director of Tennis Steve Tiffin, at the Woodbridge Tennis Club in Lodi, was very happy to win a big prize at the convention also. He will be busy this winter in Manteca running league teams. Mark Weir, USPTA pro and Director of Tennis at the Del Rio Country Club, has only had to use an indoor court about eight times this year due to wet weather. Mark still runs his third Friday of the month tennis and pizza junior get together. The week of March 25-29, Mark has invited 10 juniors from Oregon to participate in a junior mixer with players from Del Rio, Brenda Athletic Club-Modesto, and other clubs. USPTA pro Justin Yarborough from Turlock has joined the Merced Tennis Club as their new Head Pro and Director of Tennis. Central Valley USPTA pros have come up with a great idea for junior tennis in the area. From March 18 to November 1, each participating club will alternate hosting a singles tournament for boys and girls, 10 and under, 12s, 15s, and 18s, who do not have a USTA ranking.

CENTRAL VALLEY Jack Bracken brackenf@mjc.edu

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SANTA CLARA - SAN BENITO Ken DeHart kendehart@aol.com

Nancy Ghantous at Almaden Golf and Country Club is active with her Cardio Tennis program and her 10 and under program has continued to grow. They will be resurfacing their lower courts this spring. Her club is part of the new 2.5 ladies league this year as well. Leslie Johnson from San Jose Swim and Racquet Club was named Volunteer of the Year by NorCal USTA. Leslie is part of the 10 and under program at SJSRC. Al Juodikis from San Jose Swim & Racquet Club was chosen as USPTA NorCal Associate Pro of the Year for all his work with 10 and under tennis in San Jose. David Crain has joined the staff at San Jose Swim and Racquet Club working with the 10 and unders as well as the intermediate and advanced juniors. San Jose Swim and Racquet Club hosted an orange ball event with Faith Mason's juniors. 30 kids were part of the four- hour event with games, drills, competition and snacks for all. Ken DeHart was the keynote speaker for Wilson at the annual Minnesota High School Coaches Workshop March 2-3. Ken presented on the “25 Best Tips & Drills” and

“Best UDF's (Unusual Doubles Formations) to use for Strategy and Momentum.” There were about 200 high school coaches in attendance. Ken is now in his 10th year as Director of Tennis at the San Jose Swim and Racquet Club. Noi Cherry and the Los Gatos Swim and Racquet Club hosted a Red/Orange ball play day in February with players from Courtside and San Jose SRC. About 20 players participated. The South Bay has been very active in 10 an under tennis with weekly Red/Orange/Green events at various clubs and facilities in preparation for the 10 and under spring league. The green level accepts 12 and under players as well. The South Bay 10 and under USTA league starts April 9 and runs through May 27. Red, orange and green levels are represented. Five clubs have committed: AGCC, LGSRC, Courtside, SJSRC and LGTA, each providing six players in each level. The format is modified round robin where each player plays each player on the opposing team. Other clubs and facilities are welcome to participate. A kickoff event will be held to introduce the play format: Orange on Saturday March 10 at AVAC, red ball on Sunday, March 11at SJSRC and green ball on Sunday March 25at LGSRC. For more details contact Al Juodikis at SJSRC: ajcom@aol.com or 408-893-2650.

Did you know NorCal has a website with a calendar of activities, event registration, DVDs, newsletter archives and job postings? Check it out: www.norcaluspta.com

Del Andres……………

Jared Fegert…………..

Michael Hall………….

Bryan Juinio………….

Mary Lehman………...

Miro Markovic………..

Eric Nunn……………..

Isamarie Perez………..

Keith Pollak…………..

Matthew Weinapple…..

Welcome New NorCal Members!

Dublin

Reno

San Francisco

Fresno

Santa Rosa

Tracy

Pleasanton

San Francisco

San Francisco

Modesto

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PENINSULA Chris Bradley candcnbc@aol.com

Hello All,

What a winter, eh!!!!! 77 degrees today in Boulder Creek and 80 degrees in Woodside yesterday. Here’s to a great spring for all of us. I do want all of you to take a look at the NorCal USPTA Facebook page put together by Hans Römer (thanks Hans). Keep a lookout for information about USPTA’s Tennis Across America. Most of you might know that we took second place in the country among the USPTA Divisions last year for participation. Our illustrious President, Mr. John Sharpe, has mandated that we be Numero Uno, Number 1, for 2012 when we host the World Conference. To do that we all have to try and spend one afternoon for two or three hours giving back to the sport that has done so much for us. Give a USPTA Tennis Across America free clinic at your facility or help at someone else’s.

I want to congratulate Terry Roundtree for receiving his USPTA P-1 certification. Terry has been at Alpine Hills since he was 13 years old. He was a junior member, played on many championship teams and helped coach USTA junior league state championships teams. After graduating from San Jose State with a psychology degree he decided to use his degree on the courts of Alpine and has been there ever since. Nice going Terry! Alpine will again be the host of the Annual Maze Cup competition between boys and girls 16s and 18s from NorCal and SoCal. This will be the seventh time since 1988 that the Cup has been held at Alpine.

Terry’s boss and tennis director at Alpine, Nigel Pugh, received the very prestigious Fred A. Earle Jr. Teaching Professional Award from the USTA. This award “recognizes invaluable contributions to the growth of tennis made as a teaching professional.” Congrats Nigel! This award, which was first given in 1994, was also won by David Higaki in 1997, (former Alpine Pro and East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutorial Executive Director), and yours truly in 2002. A hat trick for Alpine.

Fred Earle Jr. was the founder of the Modesto Racquet Club (now Fitness and Sport) and the coach of Modesto JC. His teams beat USC and other powers during his tenure. Fred (a member of the NorCal USTA Hall of Fame) was always in the first row of the seminars at the

annual USPTA conventions. That was at 91 years of age. What a man!!!

My NorCal USPTA Facebook post Saturday night of the convention:

I know we still have Todd tomorrow but everything so far has been great. Thanks to all the Board members, speakers (Tim, Stan, Brian, Marvin, Doug, Dick, Mark, Kathy and Todd), our host and my Coach Dick Gould (and Anne) and of course our own Elaine Hennessy for making this a top notch convention. Scott Boro did another excellent job with legends Tim Mayotte, Stan Smith and Erik Van Dillen. Congrats to all the well deserving award winners. Let's not forget to all take part in USPTA's Tennis Across America in 2012 and bring home the prize at the World Conference in Monterey. Hats off to all the attendees for taking the time to enjoy and learn.

Nigel Pugh reports he had 36 juniors take part in the first TAUT Player Development Camp at the Stanford Campus Recreation Center. This camp is designed to feed into the national Early Development Center program for both coaches and players. Head coach for the camp was Nigel Pugh and nine coaches took part in a training session before the camp. Thanks to Andrea Barnes for making this first camp possible.

Junior Team Tennis red, orange and green levels are beginning in the South Bay and Lower Peninsula areas, contact Al Judakis for the South Bay and Nigel Pugh for the Lower to Mid-Peninsula TAUT JTT leagues.

If you are looking for more education on 10 and under tennis, sign up for the QuickStart Workshop at Alpine Hills on Saturday March 24 from 1-4pm.

Winter Conference speaker Kathy Toon comes to Alpine Hills on March 28. Kathy’s doing a workshop on the mental game for our ladies teams leading into the USTA adult leagues. Seven time grand slam winner Mats Wilander comes to Alpine Hills on April 21 to run two 2-hour sessions for the members of Alpine.

Please let me know of news at your facility for future newsletters. Peninsula pros look for an announcement of a USPTA Tennis Across America fun get together at SCRA. Speaking of SCRA, it is only fitting to congratulate Andrea Barnes, the tennis director at SCRA, for being named the USPTA NorCal Professional of the Year: a very deserving award to one of my best friends and hardest working teaching professionals anywhere. Yahoooooooo Andrea!

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Fresno extends a Texas-sized welcome to Dean Petty, Head Professional and Director of Tennis at Fig Garden Swim and Racquet Club. Dean started playing tennis with his family when he was 6-7 years old and by 10 or 11 he realized that tennis was more than just a recreational pastime. He competed in tournaments from 12-18 years old and then played college tennis at Tyler Junior College and Abilene Christian University (ACU). He was formerly ranked in the top 20 in singles and top 30 in doubles and was the 2005 USTA National Champion in the 5.5 division. After graduating with a degree in Broadcasting from ACU, Dean started teaching tennis. For a brief time he worked in the business world, but soon realized that he had a God-given talent to teach. He previously taught tennis at Brentwood Country Club, Chickasaw Country Club and Memphis Country Club and coached for Memphis University School, a private high school in Tennessee. Upon being hired at Memphis Country Club,

he was asked to become a certified member of USPTA. Dean has maintained his membership with USPTA since that time in 2003. Dean says that he enjoys teaching ladies who are playing in USTA leagues. They tend to be serious about wanting to learn, improve, and they enjoy that journey. They have good focus and concentration and it is fun to see their improvement. Of utmost importance to Dean is that whatever he does is for the glorification of the Lord. If you met Dean at the Convention, you’ll know that he lives what he says. I look forward to working with him and the other Fresno Area professionals in the coming year.

FRESNO Sandy Gostanian hyeslk@att.net

New Fresno Region Pro Dean Petty

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The winter conference a Stanford was great. It is wonderful to see all the new ideas and concepts that are presented during the conference. As always, a huge thank you to Dick Gould for arranging for the USPTA to learn at this wonderful facility. One of the reminders I took away: What makes a good tennis player? A player who can soften the ball, have touch, place the ball in the court and take off the power. Anyone can hit hard (anyone). For this newsletter I am excited to introduce a brand new USPTA Professional, born and raised in Reno. Dane McQuivey is 26 years old and received his certification in July 2011. He started playing tennis as a young boy and says, “It is great to now be part of a team that is teaching the next generation of tennis players.” During his high school years he played No.1 varsity singles and competed in the Northern Nevada Regionals and the State of Nevada high school championships. Since graduating from high school Dane says, “I have rededicated myself to becoming a stronger and smarter tennis player. I take this concept to the Reno Tennis Center where I teach in the junior program.” Dane says that it is extremely rewarding to work with kids of all ages and see their tennis skills progress. He is currently a Community Health Science major at the University of Nevada and his goal is to stay active in the community keeping as healthy and happy as possible. Dane admits that, “Learning to play tennis has been the best decision I have personally made regarding my own health and happiness. My goal as a USPTA teaching professional is to share my love of tennis with as many people as possible, and help them develop better playing skills, technique, and understanding of the game.”

For me personally, I remember Dane as a youth. I used to play mixed with his dad in local tournaments, and would see Dane on the courts practicing with his dad. The Caughlin Athletic Club is excited to be gearing up for spring and summer with socials, tournaments and lots of new and exciting programming. The ever-popular Hot Summer Mixers are back, Memorial Day Reno City Championships, beginner clinics, leagues and Saturday morning drop-in mixed. The lady instructors of CAC have developed Kardio Kidz which will be introduced to the community in April. However, this past week their focus was on clearing the snow off the courts. Tennis programs can be found at www.caughlinclub.com The Biggest Little Tennis Association (BLTA - website www.blta.org) is excited to announce the winners of the Reno-Tahoe High School Senior Tennis Player Scholarship. They congratulate the following youth: First place Jeffrey Harris of Galena High School and Emily Collins of Carson City High School. Second place Benjamin Drozdoff of Carson City High School and Sonia Meza of Sparks High School. Information regarding the scholarship may be found on the BLTA website along with updated information on the winners of the 2012 scholarship. The BLTA and Lakeridge Tennis Club hosted a 10 and under workshop in January brought to the Reno area by USTA. In attendance were 32 coaches, USPTA pros, parents and tennis professionals who all will be working to bring the USTA 10 and under formatting to the area courts this spring. The BLTA has announced the Reno/Tahoe Satellite Tournament Series and this information can be found on their website. This year there are 11 satellite tournaments in the series. BLTA is excited to make available to one of the lucky grand prix award winners the opportunity to win an APPLE IPAD or two tennis racquets of their choice.

TAHOE-RENO Christy Funk c.funk@sbcglobal.net

Participants in the 10 and under tennis workshop held in January at the Lakeridge Tennis Club.

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The Winter NorCal USPTA Conference last month at Stanford was magical. Like always, Director of Tennis at Stanford, Dick Gould, was such a gracious host. We are so lucky to have Coach Gould in our region. Isa Perez is doing an excellent job as the Adult Tennis Club Director for the San Francisco Tennis Club. Isa's energy, positivity, and organizational skills are fantastic. Moreover, Isa Perez is a new member of USPTA, and she is already shining. Weston Reese, Director of Tennis at the San Francisco Tennis Club, once again did an excellent job testing prospective pros at the Winter Conference at Stanford.

Congratulations to Peanut and Tim Harper for receiving the 2012 NorCal USPTA Community Service Award. Peanut and Tim with Harper for Kids do so much to grow grassroots tennis in Northern California.

On Sunday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m., the San Francisco Region is having a Pizza Night at Goat Hill Pizza in Potrero Hill, San Francisco. RSVP to Jason Blum by Friday, April 20 at jblum@usptapro.com.

SAN FRANCISCO Jason Blum jblum@usptapro.com

Tim and Peanut Harper bring their “Inches and Miles” presentation to children at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

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Rob Jessen has become Tennis Director at San Domenico School. Congratulations Rob and good luck with your new position! Rob brings a wealth of coaching experience that he’s acquired over the past 24 years at Bay Club Ross Valley. With a friendly nature, he develops a personal plan for each student. His knowledge and guidance has allowed his students to meet their goals time and time again. He will be missed dearly at Ross Valley; however will always remain a cherished member of the tennis leaders at the club. The 2012 ITF Senior World Championships showcased some of Marin’s top pros as they took on international competition. We’re very lucky to have these talented teaching pros, who still actively compete, available to share their strategies, skills, and methods. Jeff Greenwald of Corte Madera won the Men’s 45 Championships. Greenwald is an ATP-ranked competitor and sports psychologist who has been influenced and guided by Rod Heckelman of Mt. Tam Racquet Club. Polo Cowan of the Mill Valley Tennis Club and Shibu Lal of Mt. Tam Racquet Club both advanced to the second round of their draws. Geoff Martinez of San Rafael, recently named recipient of the USPTA NorCal Eldon Rowe Men’s Senior Player of the Year Award, played an important part of the U.S. Men’s 55 team that placed second just behind Australia. Martinez also won two matches in the doubles tournament and one match in the singles draw beating Bobby Favish from South Africa 6-2, 6-2. Martinez has coached the Marin Academy boy’s tennis team for 16 years. The opening match for his MA Wildcats is scheduled to take place on March 13 and will be showcased for all at the Marin Tennis Club starting at 3:30. The Mt. Tam Racquet Club will host the next 10 and under play day on March 10 from 4:30- 6:30. These events are low-cost to run and a highly effective way to get children interested in tennis. Most kids are pleasantly surprised when they play with the modified equipment. Once they attend these events, they realize they can easily play and it ignites their newly formed love of the game! Bay Club Ross Valley hosted a successful 10 and under junior play day in January and we are happy that other clubs are now taking turns hosting the event around the county. Let’s keep this going!

Mt. Tam hosted their Men’s Open Doubles Tournament as well as the Marin Cup last week. These events brought top players from all over Northern California to compete. The Marin Cup is an annual team competition where the best doubles teams from different clubs in Marin face each other. This exciting even creates bonding between club members, an opportunity for our youth to see the adults showing sportsmanship while competing, and a social event where people in our tennis community can meet new hitting partners from other clubs. Mt. Tam finished first, followed by Belvedere/TPC, Rolling Hills and the Marin Tennis Club. Thanks to all the pros who worked to put on this event. Special thanks to Shibu Lal, Steve Summer, and Rod Heckelman of Mt. Tam Racquet Club for all their organizing, providing amazing facilities to host the matches and making sure everything ran smoothly. Steve Summer, Tennis Director at Mt. Tam, placed second in the Men’s Open Doubles Tournament with his partner Brad Weston on his home court. Summer and Weston were the second seeds and lost 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 for first seeded Hoeveler/ Brunner. This action-packed match showcased the best men players around town!

MARIN-SONOMA Audra Silman audrasilman@gmail.com

Winners Hoeveler & Brunner (left) & Finalists Weston & Summer (right) escorted by Bo (front in red), presenter of the prize money.

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Noteworthy from National...

USPTA’s Heckler announces plans to retire in December 2012 Tim Heckler announced that he will retire from his position as chief executive officer of the United States Professional Tennis Association in December 2012, after 30 years in the position.

When Heckler was tapped as USPTA CEO in 1982, the organization had approximately 2,400 members and an annual budget of $700,000. Today, the association is the world’s oldest and largest organization of its kind, serving more than 15,000 members in 66 countries, and operating on an annual budget of $6.5 million. Also, the Association’s equity has grown from $60,000 in 1982 to more than $4.2 million today. Heckler started his tennis-teaching career in 1970, the same year he joined USPTA. He was elected president of the USPTA Texas Division in 1974 and served as national president of the organization from 1980 to 1982.

USPTA and ThanksUSA Join Forces to Thank the Troops As part of “Tennis Thanks the Troops,” the USPTA and ThanksUSA have teamed up to encourage USPTA professionals to fund scholarships for the families of military men and women. USPTA pros can donate a portion of lesson or clinic fees taught during Memorial Day Weekend 2012 (or any other weekend/date); provide the opportunity for students and club members to donate $5 for the cause, or they

can run a simple round robin or other event with all or a portion of the proceeds being donated to ThanksUSA. Through Lessons for Life, which became USPTA’s national charitable program in 1999, the USPTA encourages its members to use tennis as a vehicle to help others through fundraising activities in their communities. In the past year alone, ThanksUSA received 1,800 applications from the spouses and children of our armed forces. While ThanksUSA was able to provide 300 scholarships valued at $3,000 each, the organization could only meet a small portion of the need among deserving applicants. In 2012, ThanksUSA seeks to award at least 500 scholarships totaling $1.5 million. Scholarship recipients represent all military branches – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Guard and Reserve – and come from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.