201205 Racquet Sports Industry

May 2012Volume 40 Number 5 $5.00www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Are YourJuniors Prepped To Play?Selling Points:Tips to BoostYour Sales

Tennis BagsAren’t Just For RacquetsAnymore

Are YourJuniors Prepped To Play?Selling Points:Tips to BoostYour Sales

Tennis BagsAren’t Just For RacquetsAnymore

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DEPARTMENTS

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INDUSTRY NEWS

7 USTA teams with TGA for youth franchises

7 Garvin, 3 others honored by Hall of Fame

7 New icon system for 10U providers

8 Changes announced to National Junior Tourney Schedule

8 Kovacs to lead PTR SportScience Committee

9 GSS sets 2012 StringersSymposium for Florida

9 Denver to host PublicParks Championships

9 Head introduces Speed Pro Lite shoe

10 Peoplewatch10 Ashaway introduces

2 new tennis strings

11 Kuerten to go into Tennis Hall of Fame

11 USTA awards $900K in youth tennis grants

12 Short Sets

4 Our Serve7 Industry News13 USTA Annual Meeting14 Pioneers in Tennis16 TIA News

18 Retailing Tip20 Court Construction34 Tips & Techniques36 Ask the Experts38 String Playtest: Tourna Big Hitter Black 740 Your Serve, by Denny Schackter

2 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2012 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Cover photo courtesy USTA

ContentsContentsFEATURES

23 Get Them Ready to Play Properly preparing juniors for tourna-ments isn’t just about strokes andstrategy; they need to know the rulesand regs, too.

26 In the BagTennis bags have gone from simplyholding racquets to carry-alls thatcross over to life off the courts.

30 Nifty NineThe nine outdoor ASBA facility win-ners are excellent examples of hard-court construction.

34 Selling PointsThese ideas can help boost your salesand provide your customers withexcellent service.

Our Serve(Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry)

PublishersDavid Bone Jeff Williams

Editorial DirectorPeter Francesconi

Associate EditorGreg Raven

Design/Art DirectorKristine Thom

Contributing EditorsRobin BatemanCynthia CantrellJoe DinofferKent OswaldBob Patterson

Cynthia ShermanMary Helen Sprecher

RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRYCorporate Offices

330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084Phone: 760-536-1177 Fax: 760-536-1171

Email: [email protected]: www.racquetTECH.com

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

Advertising DirectorJohn Hanna

770-650-1102, [email protected]

Apparel AdvertisingCynthia Sherman203-263-5243

[email protected]

Racquet Sports Industry is published 10 times peryear: monthly January through August and combinedissues in September/October and November/December by Tennis Industry and USRSA, 330Main St., Vista, CA 92084. Periodcal postage paid atVista, CA and at additional mailing offices (USPS#004-354). May 2012, Volume 40, Number 5 ©2012 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. All rightsreserved. Racquet Sports Industry, RSI and logo aretrademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A. Phoneadvertising: 770-650-1102 x 125. Phone circulationand editorial: 760-536-1177. Yearly subscriptions$25 in the U.S., $40 elsewhere. POSTMASTER: Sendaddress changes to Racquet Sports Industry, 330 MainSt., Vista, CA 92084.

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

www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Demand More From Your Reps

4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2012

In our March issue, we ran a “Retailing” tip on how man-ufacturers’ sales reps should be one of the bestresources for tennis retailers. (If you don’t have the

March issue handy, go to racquetsportsindustry.com to seethe digital edition.) The tip, written by the TIA’s retailingconsultants, described some of the things manufacturerreps can provide to tennis shops to help build sales withconsumers, including helping stores with merchandise andbudget planning, conducting clinics on products they sell toyou, working with your staff to understand product fea-tures, and much more.

But it occurs to me, how many sales reps actually do all they can tohelp a retail store’s sales? Their success depends on your success. Yes,we hear about a lot of excellent sales reps out there—in fact, every yearwe have a number of great reps to choose from in picking our Sales Repof the Year award winner. But we also hear a lot of complaints aboutsales reps, too.

Are your sales reps truly serving you the way you think they should?We want to hear about it—the good, the bad, the ugly. Tell us what youthink of your sales reps. What do they do that you like? What do they notdo? Do you get the feeling that they care about your business? Do theycome up with creative ways to help your business? And if you feel yoursales rep hasn’t been working up to par, what have you done about it?Let us know, at [email protected].

Now, let’s go a step further: Are your sales reps helping not just yourstore, but do they go beyond and help this sport? Do they care about ten-nis overall? Are they involved in their USTA section or district? Do theyget involved in the community? A good friend who managed a tennis andsports retail shop for many years and who now works in the tennis indus-try says the best sales reps he ever had were those who were committedto and passionate about the sport beyond simply pushing product.

I realize manufacturers are in business to sell product, and that theirsales reps make a living depending on how much product they sell. Butsales reps—just like teaching pros, retailers and facility managers—are inkey positions to truly make an impact on tennis in the U.S. They, like therest of us, need to think beyond being a sales force for one company ororganization; effective sales reps need to be a “sales force for tennis.”

Peter FrancesconiEditorial Director

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TECHNOLOGY

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INDUSTRY NEWSINDUSTRY NEWSI N F O R M A T I O N T O H E L P Y O U R U N Y O U R B U S I N E S S

Garvin, Staples, Bender, Kovacs Honored by ITHOF

The Interna-tional TennisHall of Famepresented the2011 SamuelHardy andTennis Educa-tional MeritAwards onMarch duringits annual

Awards Luncheon, held in conjunc-tion with the USTA’s Annual Meetingin Carlsbad, Calif.

Longtime USTA and tennis industryleader Lucy S. Garvin (above) ofGreer, S.C. received the SamuelHardy Award, which is presentedannually to a USTA volunteer inrecognition of long and outstandingservice to the sport.

The Tennis Educational Merit Awardwas presented to tennis coach,trainer and educator Butch Staplesof Bluffton, S.C.; wheelchair tennistrainer and expert Lynn Bender ofZeeland, Mich.; and strength andconditioning expert Dr. Mark Kovacsof Atlanta. The award is given annu-ally to individuals who have madenotable contributions in the tenniseducation field at the national level.Award winners have repeatedlydemonstrated leadership and cre-ative skills in tennis instruction, writ-ing, organization and promotion ofthe game.

"We are very pleased to recognizethese individuals, and we are grate-ful for the tremendous contributionsthey have made to tennis over theyears," said Christopher E. Clouser,chairman of the International TennisHall of Fame & Museum.

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May 2012 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 7www.racquetsportsindustry.com

USTA Teams With TGA for Youth Tennis Franchises

The USTA has teamed with the newly launched TGA Premier Youth Tennis (TGA), a youthsports franchise firm, to help introduce tennis to kindergarten through eighth-gradersacross the country. The partnership supports USTA’s 10 and Under Tennis initiative.

The USTA says it recognized the success TGA has had with its golf business, with thousands ofschools nationwide participating in TGA’s after-school enrichmentprograms. Using its current business philosophy of enriching kids’lives through physical fitness, health and nutrition, education, andcharacter building, along with its scalable business model, the USTAand TGA have worked together to develop curriculum for K-3rdgrade and 4th-8th grade.

“The partnership is a great fit and will build a pathway for ele-mentary and middle school kids to enjoy tennis through after-school programs,” says Kurt Kamperman, the USTA’s chief executive of Community Tennis.

TGA is expected to introduce tennis to boys and girls in elementary and middle schools, childcare centers and community-based organizations. Children who participate in the programs willhave the opportunity to transition from at-school programs to junior camps, clinics, and USTA pro-grams at facilities nationwide.

In addition, says the USTA, the franchise company will create jobs and business ownershipopportunities within the industry. In March, TGA began selling tennis franchises to the public,which is expected to attract tennis professionals as well as business professionals.

10 And Under Tennis Has New ‘Icons’ for ProvidersThe USTA has unveiled a new "icon system" for its growing 10andUnderTennis.com website,

allowing tennis facilities and providers to enhance their consumer search profiles. The newicon system makes it easier for parents and consumers to see what programs and services tennisproviders are employing in their 10 and Under Tennis programming.

For facilities and providers, whether registering on the system for the first time or updatingyour existing listing, it’s easy to getthe icons on your profile—just go to10andundertennis.com/organizersand click on “Register your Facili-ty.” Once you fill out the question-naire, the proper icons willappear automatically on your pro-file for consumers to see. In addi-tion, facilities and organizers withicons on their profiles will beincluded at the top of the listwhen parents search for program-ming.

For more details on the iconsystem or to get listed on the site,visit 10andunder-tennis.com/orga-nizers or download the Icon Sys-tem flier.

Kovacs to Lead PTR SportScience Committee

Dr. Mark Kovacs has been chosen byPTR President Jorge Andrew to chair

the organization’s new Sport ScienceCommittee. Kovacs has been a presenterat the PTR International Tennis Sympo-sium for five years, and in 2012 he was the highest ratedspeaker with his presentation, “Teaching the Serve–An 8Stage Model to Improve Power, Spin and Placement.”

Kovacs was a collegiate All-American tennis player andNCAA doubles champion at Auburn University. After play-ing professionally, he earned a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiolo-gy from the University of Alabama. He’s a Fellow of theAmerican College of Sports Medicine, a certified specialistthrough the National Strength and Conditioning Associa-tion, and a tennis coach. This past March, Kovacs, who haspublished five books, received the Educational MeritAward from the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

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USTA Changes National JuniorTournament Schedule

The USTA has announced a series of reforms tothe National Junior Tournament Schedule

designed to make the system more efficient, effective andaffordable for current players and those who will enter thepipeline through the10 and Under Tennis initiative. The new sys-tem also aims to foster more local and sectional competition aswell as fortify two elite national championships in the sum-mer—the USTA National Clay Court Championships and USTANational Championships. The majority of changes will takeeffect in two years.

The changes were proposed by the USTA National JuniorCompetition Committee after more than a year of research. Theamendments received overwhelming support from the USTAExecutive Committee at the USTA Annual Meeting in March.

Changes to the schedule include:w Converting the USTA National Winter Championships to ateam event in 2014.

w Eliminating the USTA National Spring Championships in 2014to avoid a major national championship being contested dur-ing the school year.

w Create more local player opportunities and enhance the stand-ing of the current flagship national events.

w Change in draw size to 128 singles players and 64 doublesteams for the USTA National Clay Court and USTA NationalChampionships for the 18s, 16s and 14s age groups and to 64singles and 32 doubles for the 12s.

w Creation of new tournaments including the USTA NationalGrand Masters (a progressive event that will feature the top fin-ishers in younger divisions advancing to compete with thebest older players), the USTA National Winter Team Champi-onships and starting in 2013 the USTA National DoublesChampionships.

w Creation of more local competitive match-play opportunitieswhile reducing the expense and time of travel through newregional events.“The changes to the Junior Tournament Schedule were not

taken lightly; they were heavily researched and well-vetted,ensuring we proceed down the right path to develop futureworld-class players as well as lifelong players and fans,” said JonVegosen, the USTA chairman of the board and president. “Thesechanges are part of our overall long-term strategy to grow tennisin the United States. With more kids coming into the sportthrough 10 and Under tennis, this new calendar will make surethere are more opportunities for kids to compete locally.”

The USTA says the new structure aligns the Junior Tourna-ment Schedule with the current USTA Player Development phi-losophy and goals for training and competition.

“Our goal is more competitive matches at the right levelsalong with more opportunities to train, and this new approachworks well on both counts,” said Patrick McEnroe, general man-ager of USTA Player Development.

For more information about the changes, visitUSTA.com/juniorcompetition.

Nominate by May 1 For Prestigious Awards

Don’t forget to submit nominations by May 1 for twoimportant and prestigious community tennis awards. The

CTA of the Year Award honors a Community Tennis Associa-tion for outstanding service in growing and developing thesport of tennis in its community, and the Eve Kraft Commu-nity Service Award is given to individuals who bring thegame of tennis to everyone who wants to play.

“We want to see nominations for both awards from allUSTA sections,” says Jane Morrill, leader of the Awards Proj-ect Team for the USTA’s CTA Committee. “We would especial-ly encourage those who submitted strong nominations in thepast that did not win to re-submit.”

While nominations for both awards are accepted year-round, May 1 is the deadline for applications to be consid-ered for the current year’s awards, which will be presentedearly in 2013 at the USTA Community Tennis DevelopmentWorkshop. To submit a nomination, visit usta.com/cta andclick on “CTA of the Year” or “Eve Kraft Award.”

Teen Contest Winner Hits with Sharapova

In March, 16-year-old Nadia Hilton-Adams and two friends hit with MariaSharapova at their local tennis club inGreenville, S.C. Hilton-Adams won theexperience after writing the grandprize essay in Head’s “Use YourInstinct to Play with Maria Sharapova”contest. Hilton-Adams also surprisedSharapova by locally fundraising nearly$5,900 to support the Maria SharapovaFoundation. Head then matchedHilton-Adams’ donation.


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Denver to Host Public Parks Championships

The 86th Annual National Public ParksTennis Championships will be July 21-29

in Denver. The event—with competitionfor adult, junior, wheelchair and adaptiveplayers—will be at the Gates Tennis Centerand Denver City Park.

Competition will include singles anddoubles events for all categories and NTRPdivisions for 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5. Therealso will be family (husband/wife,father/son, father/daughter, mother/son,mother/daughter) competition.

For more information and to register,visit denvergov.org/recreation.

GSS Sets 2012 Symposiumat Saddlebrook

The Sixth Annual GrandSlam Stringers Symposium

will be Sept. 22-26 at Saddle-brook Resort in WesleyChapel, Fla.

GSS Symposium founderTim Strawn says this year’s event willbring back the Wilson tour simulationstringing room. “If anyone has a desireto string at the pro tour level, this is amust seminar to attend,” he says. Theclass will be conducted by Ron Rocchi,Wilson’s global tour equipment managerand RSI’s Stringer of the Year in 2009.“Ron pulls no punches and really putsthe stringers to the test.”

New classes have been added to thelineup for 2012, says Strawn, plus, theevent is “a great networking opportunity,where you get to reconnect with oldfriends from previous years and makenew ones as well. We also hand out greatgift bags at the ‘meet and greet’ on Sept.22.”

Strawn says last year, each attendeereceived a triple racquet thermal bag, 12sets of string, a premium racquet, andmore. “All totaled, last year’s bags had anestimated retail value of over $500—soessentially, our sponsors are coveringthe cost of registration through the valueof the handouts,” says Strawn. Forschedules and information, visit grand-slamstringers.com or gsalliance.com andclick the “training” link, or call Strawn at540-632-1148.

Head Introduces Speed Pro Lite Tennis Shoe

Head has come out with its lightest tennis shoe ever, the Speed Pro Lite at 14 ounces,which is 10 percent lighter than the original Speed Pro.Head says the shoe features “Trinergy,” which unites

three innovations so the shoe “absorbs the energy onimpact, transfers it from the heel to the forefoot, andreleases it again to maximize upward motion and pro-vide full energy for the next step.” The company says theshoe’s half-sock construction gives it a “slipper-like” feeling.

The shoe, available in two color options (black/white/orange and white/black), has asix-month durability guarantee on the outsole and toe guard. For info, visithead.com/tennis.


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• Vesa Ponkka, the senior director of tennis at the Junior Tennis Champi-ons Center in College Park, Md., has been named 2011 USOC NationalDevelopment Coach of the Year for tennis by the U.S. Olympic Committee.It’s the second time in four years that a JTCC coach has earned that honor;Senior Director of High Performance Frank Salazar was the 2008 recipient.

• Scott Colebourne is the new director of the Cliff Drysdale-managed ten-nis program at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation resort in Florida.

• Julian Illingworth, the highest ranked American squash player ever, wonhis eighth consecutive U.S. Men's Championship, extending a streak thatbegan in 2005. The Portland, Ore., native, who recently renewed his long-term agreement with Dunlop, plays with a Biomimetic Pro GT-X 130.

• The USTA Eastern Section inducted four into its Hall of Fame recently:Nancy Gill McShea, an award-winning tennis writer and co-author of thebook “Tennis in New York”; Ron Rebhuhn, a longtime adult tournamentdirector and USPTA Master Pro; Molly Van Nostrand Rice, a three-time

Wimbledon quarterfinalist; and Peter Rennert, a former Australian Openquarterfinalist.

• Former USTA Northern California President Mark Manning passed awayin March. A former Oakland fireman, Manning was the first African-Ameri-can to be elected as president of the board of a USTA section.

• Paulo Barros of Orlando, Fla., won the men’s open title and MarinaMcCollom of West Des Moines, Iowa, defended her women’s open title atthe $10,000 USPTA Clay Court Championships in March at BallenIslesCountry Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

• Head/Penn team racquetball player Lexi York, playingwith a YouTek Submission racquet, won the girls’ singlestitle at the 2012 USA Racquetball National High SchoolChampionships in early March. York is the first freshmangirl in the history of the high school racquetball tourna-ment to win the title.

PEOPLEWATCH

Ashaway Introduces New Crossfire Plus And Dynamite 18 Soft Strings for Tennis

Ashaway Racket Strings has introduced a new member of the Crossfire family ofhybrid strings for tennis players. New Crossfire Plus combines a 1.25 mm (17

gauge) blend of braided Aramid and PTFE fibers for the mains with Synthetic Gut withan abrasion-resistant wear layer for the crosses.

The result, says the company, is a tough, durable hybrid combination with a softerfeel, superior resilience, and maximum ability to impart spin. Crossfire Plus isdesigned for chronic string breakers and top-spin players looking for a hybrid stringcombination that plays better than a heavier gauge Aramid, but wears just as well.

Bright yellow in color, Crossfire Plus is avail-able in 7/6 meter sets (23/20 ft.). Ashaway rec-ommends stringing the Aramid/PTFE mainswith 10% to 15% less tension than the Syn-thetic Gut crosses, or up to 60 and 65 lbs.(27/30 kgs), respectively.

Ashway also has added Dynamite 18 Soft toits growing line of Zyex-based tennis strings.Built on a new multifilament core, Dynamite18 Soft is 1.15 mm in diameter (18 gauge) anddesigned to provide a softer feel, and optimumability to spin the ball, says the company.

The Zyex multifilament core in Dynamite18 is designed to increase power andresilience, while reducing tension loss over thelife of the string. The ultra-thin constructionand braided surface softens impact to providebetter feel, while improving ball control andthe ability to impart spin.

Bright blue in color, Dynamite 18 Soft isavailable for all players in 40 ft. sets and 360ft. reels. Recommended stringing tension is upto 55 lbs. (25 kgs). Ashaway suggests using10% to15% less tension than normally usedfor standard tennis strings. For info, visit ash-awayusa.com.

Average Shoe PriceIncreased 12% in 2011

In its first-ever Annual FootwearSourcing Forecast, the FootwearDistributors and Retailers of America(FDRA) found that the average priceof shoes increased more than 12 per-cent in 2011.

“The combined volatility of con-sumer demand and raw materialcosts has created enormous chal-lenges for footwear sourcing inrecent years,” said the FDRA in astatement. “After nearly a decade ofrelying on a China-first, and oftenChina-only, model, U.S. footwearcompanies are faced with a changingreality of higher prices, shortages inlabor, increased compliance costsand unstable consumer demand.”

According to the Forecast, U.S.footwear imports from Chinaaccounted for 85.3 percent of all U.S.footwear imports in 2011, the lowestpercentage in seven years. Vietnam,as the No.2 supplier of footwear tothe U.S., provides just over 7 percentof footwear imports by volume, but itis anticipated that Vietnam will movecloser to 13 percent of U.S. importsby volume. Also, the Forecast saysCambodia, Bangladesh andNicaragua have the potential toincrease market share in the U.S.

May 2012 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 11

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USTA Awards $900,000 in Grants for Youth Tennis

The USTA announced 18 communities across the country will receive $50,000 grants aspart of its effort to get more kids playing tennis. The contribution will be distributed

over a three-year period to build new and adapt current tennis courts to accommodate 10and Under Tennis, as well as support new programs. In total, the USTA will disperse$900,000 in grants to support its youth initiative and fund tennis programs.

Community officials will work with the USTA to ensure that local organizers have theproper techniques and skills to implement this new method of teachingtennis to kids. The USTA and its USTA Sections will be working with part-ners such as schools, public parks, youth organizations, tennis facilities,and pros to incorporate tennis into physical education classes, after-school programs and other youth programs.The 18 communities are: Atlanta, GA (east); Atlanta, GA (west); Birming-

ham, AL; Bayamon/San Juan, PR; Honolulu, HI; Jacksonville, FL; Jackson, MS; Lee County,FL; metro Phoenix East Valley, AZ; Mobile, AL; Northern Albany, NY; Northern Colorado;Pensacola, FL; Richmond, VA; San Francisco, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; Seattle, WA; andSpringfield, MA.

Last year, the USTA awarded grants and provided support to 26 communities. To date,the USTA has invested over $2 million in grants to support its youth initiative.

USPTA Seeks AwardNominations

The USPTA isseeking nominations

for its 2012 NationalAwards Program. Thedeadline for nominations is July 2.Recipients will be honored during theannual awards breakfast at the USPTAWorld Conference, Sept. 16-21 at theHyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spain Monterey, Calif.

All Professional-level USPTA mem-bers are eligible. Award nominationforms and guidelines are available atuspta.com, by calling 800-877-8248or by sending a request [email protected].

Kuerten to Go Into International Tennis Hall of Fame

Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten of Brazil, who won the French Open in 1997, 2000 and2001 and held the No. 1 ranking for 43 non-consecutive weeks, will be inducted

into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July. He’s the second Brazilian to receivethe honor; Maria Bueno was inducted in 1978.

Kuerten, 35, was elected in the Recent Player Category. Additional members of theClass of 2012 include Spanish tennis great Manuel Orantes, in the Master Player Cat-egory; tennis administrator and promoter Mike Davies in the Contributor Category;and Randy Snow, who has been elected posthumously in the Recent Player Categoryfor his accomplishments as a wheelchair tennis player.

The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be July 14 at the International TennisHall of Fame in Newport, R.I.

Correction✘ In our Racquet Selectorin April, we printed theincorrect contact infor-mation for Tecnifibre.The company’s toll-freenumber is 888-TFTen-nis, and the website isTFTennis.com.

WTT Pro League Releases2012 Season Schedule

The 37th season of the World TeamTen-nis Pro League kicks off on Monday,

July 9, with the defending championWashington Kastles vying to continuetheir 16-match winning streak that start-ed last summer, as they face off againstthe Orange County Breakers in Irvine,Calif.

The 59-match WTT Pro League regu-lar season schedule runs for three weeks.The WT Finals will be played inCharleston, S.C., Sept. 14-16.

The Kastles, who won their secondWTT championship last summer withthe first undefeated season in WTT histo-ry, open the 2012 season on the roadagainst the newly rebranded OrangeCounty Breakers led by former world No.1 Lindsay Davenport. Visit WTT.com.


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> Roger Federer was named the greatest ten-nis player by Tennis Channel in its “100 Great-est of All Time.” The Top 10�are: 1. Federer, 2.Rod Laver, 3. Steffi Graf, 4. Martina Navratilo-va, 5. Pete Sampras, 6. Rafael Nadal, 7. BjornBorg, 8. Margaret Court, 9. Chris Evert, 10. Bil-lie Jean King.

> The USTA is accepting nominations throughJune 29 for its 31st Annual Outstanding FacilityAwards program, designed to recognize tennisfacilities by encouraging high standards forconstruction and renovation. Winners are rec-ognized at the USTA Semiannual Meeting inSeptember in New York City. Visitusta.com/facilityawards for more informationand to nominate.

> The USTA’s Tennis On Campus programrecently relaunched its website, tennisoncam-pus.com. Since its inception in 2000, participa-tion in Tennis On Campus has grown to morethan 35,000 students who compete at morethan 575 colleges and universities. Many TOCalumni stay active in the game as players andbecome volunteers for their USTA Districts andSections or work in the tennis industry.

> Since Lessons for Life became USPTA’s nationalcharitable program in 1999, USPTA pros haveraised more than $47 million in support of variouscharities. Through Lessons for Life, the USPTAencourages its members to use tennis as a vehicleto help others through fundraisers and other activ-ities in their communities.

> Tennis News honored BNP Paribas as its 2011Persons of the Year during the tournament in Indi-an Wells, Calif., in March. Steve Bellamy, the inau-gural Person of the Year in 2005, presented theaward to Michele Sicard, head of corporate com-munications at BNP Paribas Americas.

> The USPTA has released five instructional DVDsfrom its show “On Court.” The new releases are:“Forehand Movement Patterns and Exercises,”“Serve and Volley,” “Get to the Net,” “ImprovedForehand Technique,” and “Change Up YourServe.” Visit usprotennisshop.com or call 800-877-8248.

> According to Ray Benton, the CEO of the JuniorTennis Champions Center in College Park, Md., theJTCC’s 16 high school graduates in 2011 earnedmore than $1.6 million in college scholarships over

four years. Students in the JTCC class of 2012have already received commitments from Har-vard, University of Michigan, Notre Dame andLoyola University Maryland, he says.

> The City of Irvine, Calif., is hosting its Sec-ond Annual Professional Growth Weekend forTeachers and Coaches of Tennis. The conferencewill feature leading coaches and teachers fromthe USPTA and PTR at the Bill Barber Commu-nity Park Tennis Center on May 5 and 6. Forinfo, call 949-724-6617 or email [email protected].

> The Granite Club in Canada recently wonthe Facility of the Year Award by the TennisCanada Tennis Professional Association. Also,head tennis pro Timm Fisher was recognized asclub Pro of the Year for 2011.

> The UK’s Tennis Industry Association hassigned a partnership agreement with thenational governing body for British tennis, theLawn Tennis Association, in which the UK TIA'sadministrative offices will relocate to theNational Tennis Centre in Roehampton, Eng-land.

SHORT SETS


2012 USTAAnnual Meeting

much in ‘fiefdoms.’ There can’t belimits on who works on what andwho they work with.”

“The ‘what’ is to promote anddevelop the growth of tennis, the‘why’ is because tennis changeslives,” Smith said.

Kurt Kamperman, the USTA’schief executive of Community Tennis,keyed on bringing more kids into thegame. “10 and Under Tennis is oursilver bullet,” he said. “It will have ahuge effect, with long-term conse-quences. We’ll be talking about 10and Under Tennis for years to come.”

About 38,000 local providers havegone through 10 and Under Tennistraining in the last five years, Kam-perman said. To date, the USTA hasgiven 50,000 “first-year free” mem-berships to kids. The USTA also ispromoting different types of events tobring kids into tennis, including Kids’Tennis Clubs and Tennis PlayDays.

“We have the infrastructure, thekey right now is local delivery. Are weready at the grassroots?” said Kam-perman.

“Our biggest challenge is that wehave a lot of facilities and programsthat are only halfway in,” he added.“Is your facility, section, CTA going tooffer the very best experience possi-ble?”

Kamperman outlined steps for asuccessful 10U program: 1) promoteusing the right equipment, 2) promote36- and 60-foot lines for courts, 3)promote training opportunities, and4) register programs on 10andun-dertennis.com.w

STA leaders talked about theimportance of change at theAnnual Meeting in mid-March,

held at La Costa Resort in Carlsbad,Calif.

“All of us need to realize thatthings don’t get better by chance, butby change,” said USTA Chairman ofthe Board and President Jon Vegosen(above right) at the opening session.More than 800 volunteers and staffattended the meeting. “The impor-tance of change in our sport cannot beoverstated. We work to change andenhance people’s lives.”

Vegosen outlined a few changes onthe horizon, including the constructionof a new Grandstand Stadium at theUS Open and a new roof-ready LouisArmstrong Stadium. The USTA alsohas created “national volunteer com-petencies,” which add a frameworkfor selection to national committeesand other positions. Another change isthe National Junior Tournament struc-ture and schedule, helping to make itmore cost-effective and time-effectivefor parents and student tennis players.

The 10 and Under Tennis initiativehas been another major change in ten-nis. “We’ve change our approach, andthat’s made our sport much moreapproachable,” Vegosen said of the10U initiative.

USTA CEO Gordon Smith described“how we’ve changed things in WhitePlains to respond more quickly. Every-one on the White Plains staff has to bemission-driven. If you’re not about themission, it’s not good enough.”

Smith said the staff “was very

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‘Change’ a Big Topicat Gathering of USTAVolunteers, Staff


Volunteers, Rod Laver HonoredDuring an awards lunch at the Annual Meet-ing in California in March, the USTA honoredtop volunteers and others. Sports broadcast-er Ted Robinson emceed the event, and afterthe awards he interviewed tennis legend RodLaver on stage, in recognition of the 50thAnniversary of Laver’s first Grand Slam.

Award winners recognized at the meetingare:w Bill Talbert Junior Sportsmanship Award (in

partnership with the International TennisHall of Fame): Josh Hagar, Austin, Texas;Sierra Halverson, Minneapolis; Andrew Ball,Palo Alto, Calif.; Whitney Kay, Alpharetta,Ga.

w Seniors’ Service Award (for excellence inservice to senior tennis): Alice Lee, CapitolHeights, Md.

w Brad Parks Award (for outstanding contribu-tions to wheelchair tennis): Dean Oba, SaltLake City, Utah.

w NJTL Founders’ Service Award (for out-standing contributions to the NJTL net-work): David N. Dinkins, New York, N.Y.

w Barbara Williams Leadership Award (for afemale volunteer who encourages andinspires others to volunteer): Sue Gregor,Wayzata, Minn.

w USTA Organization Member of the YearAward: Fred Wells Tennis and EducationCenter, St. Paul, Minn.

w Ralph W. Westcott USTA Family of the YearAward: Huether Family, Sioux Falls, S.D.

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Pioneers In Tennis


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

Jim Baugh: Passion, Creativityand Recreational Players

decline for several straight years. Jimdecided he was tired of fighting for mar-ket share in a shrinking market, and thatthe best way to grow was to grow the‘brand’ of TENNIS by working togetherto grow the sport.”“Jim is a compelling force. He’s tena-

cious and focused and has always beenvery intuitive about the tennis market,”says Jolyn de Boer, the TIA's executivedirector. “Jim is a true pioneer whochampioned many successful initiativesto grow the game. While I feel he willalways have a ‘soft-spot’ for the TIA, I’mvery pleased to see his talent serving thegreater good through national health andfitness initiatives he is spearheading toget Americans active.”Although Baugh has retired from Wil-

son, he continues his involvement in thesports industry as a board member ofthe Sporting Goods Manufacturers Asso-ciation (SGMA). He also runs Jim BaughConsulting, serving the sports andleisure industries.And he continues to press for pro-

grams that keep Americans of all agesactive. He spearheaded PE4LIFE, agrassroots industry-wide initiative toincrease sports and fitness programs inAmerica. He also worked with SGMA toraise $800 million from the Federal Bud-get for phys ed programs (through thePEP program).Getting the country's population

more active as a whole is essential, henotes. And so is continuing to reach outto people who don't play tennis ... yet.The potential player base is out there,and Baugh says he looks forward to aday when it finds the game. And he isconfident the way to do that is to hone-in on recreational play.“Jim is a unique individual,” says de

Boer, “and we are fortunate to continueto benefit from his focus, dedication andpassion for sports.”

—Mary Helen Sprecher ◗

company-wide, implementing new strate-gies for global marketing, branding, sales,product development and more for thetennis, golf, team and licensing divisions.“Jim combined passion, creativity and

vision with principled leadership,” says for-mer USTA President Alan Schwartz, whoworked closely with Baugh in 2003 and2004. “Jim also understood and anticipat-ed the fitness craze. To increase tennis’srelevancy, he created Cardio Tennis, a pro-gram in which we have over 1,000 partici-pants a month here at Midtown TennisClub in Chicago.”Ask Baugh about Cardio Tennis and

he'll be glad to give the statistics: morethan 1.5 million participants. But, he adds,there's plenty of room for more growth."Cardio Tennis brings in a whole newaudience because it has fun and fitness.But it needs to be fueled to explode."As a member of the Tennis Industry

Association and a board member of theUSTA, Baugh strove to unite the industryand to grow tennis on the recreationallevel, which, in turn, resulted in a moreprofitable industry.“Without Jim, the TIA as we know it

wouldn’t exist,” says Kurt Kamperman,the USTA’s chief executive of CommunityTennis, who worked closely with Baugh for10 years. “In the mid-’90s when Jim wasrunning Wilson, industry sales were in

he name is synonymous with apassion for tennis and for grow-ing this sport at the grassroots.

Jim Baugh—a former phys ed teacher,tennis and sports equipment manufac-turing executive, USTA board memberand TIA president—has, for decades,had such an intense feeling for tennisthat many of his ideas and concepts arestill helping to grow this sport.Baugh has always said it’s not about

one brand or organization. "Everyoneneeds to be focused on tennis—thebrand, the concept of T-E-N-N-I-S," hesays. "We have to be thinking of thesport itself." And the closest part of thatfocus, he adds, needs to be where it allbegins—with beginners: people whowant to learn to play for fun and fitness."Trial isn't the issue for this sport;

retention is. It's the retention of those 4to 5 million people who try the sport.You have to engage them, and you haveto find them people to play with. Youhave to be doing things in the trenches."10 and Under Tennis? Baugh is all in

favor of those numbers, but he'd alsolike to see them inch up a bit. Like, oh,maybe 15 years or so. "Having pro-grams for kids is a great idea, but theentire industry needs to come togetherwith a concrete entry-level adult pro-gram, too," he notes. "It’s the low-hang-ing fruit and it's being overlooked."Strong words, but this is a guy who

has a strong history in this industry. Asvice president of sales and marketing,he helped Prince launch and market thefirst oversized racquet. Under his guid-ance, Prince grew from a $6 million to a$60 million company and moved to thetop of the racquet world. Next, as the general manager of Wil-

son Racquet Sports, he was responsiblefor explosive growth—from a racquetshare of 14 percent to more than 50percent. As president of Wilson SportingGoods, he would take that trajectory

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Tennis Leads Traditional Sports In Participation Growth Rate

Tennis Gymnastics Racquetball Any soccer Basketball

Golf (9/18 Hole Course) Fishing (Freshwater/Other)

Ice Hockey Baseball

Badminton Football (Tackle)

37%

Softball (Slow-Pitch) 1-42% __________________ _L ________________ __

Source: 2012 Physical Activity Council

Tennis still holds a commanding lead among traditional sports in the percentage growth in participation since 2000, according to data from the Physical Activity Council. In fact, tennis is the only traditional sport to have a positive growth rate overall from 2000 to 2011 , despite a slight decline last year. The PAC report is at physicalactivitycouncil.com. (The Physical Activity Council is made up of the SGMA, Tennis Industry Association, U.S. Tennis Association, National Golf Foundation, Snowsports Industries America, Outdoor Foundation, and International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association.)

Attention Tennis Providers:

I I I

GrowTennis.com!

2011 State of the Industry Report

The TIA will soon release the second edition of the "State of the Industry" report, designed to analyze industry data from the past year that the TIA has collected through various surveys and research studies. The annual State of the Industry report takes a top-level view of trends and other information to show how interconnected the tennis industry is.

The State of the Industry will analyze four segments: the Economy and Tennis; Demand; Supply; and Competitive Tennis. The report is available to Industry Level members of the TIA and above. If you would like more information on how to obtain a copy of the report when it is released, contact the TIA at [email protected] or 866-686-3036.

..... ,_

. -

With the soft launch of the PlayTennis.com consumer site, all tennis providers-teaching pros, facilities, retailers, tennis organizations and more-should go to GruTI!nl'lis.cnm now to update or add their information, so consumers can find them. It's a free and easy way to help

.................... .. --..--...... --...... --...... t.'ll-....,.._. .... _._.,. ....

drive traffic to your business-and to help consumers get into the game and play more tennis. • Teaching Pros: click the link to update or add your profile, and list your

programs. • Facilities, Club Owners, Tennis Organizations: click the appropriate

buUon to list programs, create or modify your facility profile and more.

.._.._ .... _. _ _.._ .... --~-·-...... - ........ ..... ---~ ......

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• Retailers: Create or update your profile, Including location, store website, brands and products carried and more. When you update your provider information at GrQwi enn s.cJm, that same information will be available to consumers searching on

PlayTennis.com for places to play, retailers, lessons, clinics, programs, etc.

RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2012 Join the TIA .. . Increase Your Profits ... Grow the Game ... www.Tennislndustry.org

Retailers: Stock Up On 10 and Under Tennis Balls Retailers. like coaches and teaching professionals, are important in leading the way in assuring that the "right" balls are being used by the "right" players for 1 0 and Under Tennis. As the spring and summer seasons approach, make sure you stock the right inventory of foam and lower compression felt balls for your customers.

• Red ioam and red felt balls should be UiSed for boy.s and girts 8 and under playing on 36-fBOl oourl,s.

• Orlinge felt b.aUs are tor those 9 lo 10 playlng on 60-loot c:ourls.

• Green-dot felt balls are best for those 1 OU players competing on regulation 78-foot courts.

• Yellow balls are tor players, typically 11 & over, playing on 78·1out courts.

If your shop is affiliated with a tennis facility, chances are you already see first-hand how these foam and lower compression balls are helping youngsters learn tennis in way that's fun and allows for immediate success-in addition to learning proper technique from the start.

'Dashboard' Tracks Progress for 10 and Under Tennis To monitor and report on the progress of 10 and Under Tennis. the USTA has created a dashboard.·· which sets 2012 goals and tracks the initiative in certa1n categories The

dashboard has national goals and metrics that go into detail for each section and each market. National goals for 2012. along w1th year-to-date ligures after the f1rst quarter. 1nclude

Category

Oual1fied reg1stered organizers/facilities on 1 Oandundertennls.com .

Permanent 36' or 60' courts or l1nes Number of USTA Kids Tennis Clubs Number of 1 OU Play Davs ... Unique Participants 1n USTA Tournaments. Un1que Part1C1pants 1n JTT

2012 Goal

2.500 ...... 3,200 .. .

600 . 1.500

13.500 . 21.300 .

1/1/12· 3/31/12

.631 ..... 1,396

514 .999

3.180 3.759

SGJH'A.

Tennis Industry Joins National Health Through Fitness Day 1 NATIONAL HEALTH™

THROUGH FITNESS OAY More than 125 leaders in the sports and fitness industryincluding the TIA and other tennis industry executives- met on Capitol Hill on March 7 to talk with members of Congress and their staffs about physical fitness. The event was the Sporting Goods Manufacturer's Association 13th Annual

.,.,,,

National Health Through Fitness Day. In all, there were more than 130 Congressional

meetings to ask for support of two pieces ;;;::::::.=;;::::~~;Ui~m;;r:,~ of legislation: 1) the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) Bill, which funds a grant program to provide physical education; to date, nearly $800 million in PEP grants have been distributed; 2) the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act, which would encourage health and physical activity by making it more affordable to engage in sports, fitness and recreation through the use of tax incentives.

Join the TIA ... Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.Tennislndustry.org

Tenn:is Retail A, :Key Focus At Industry Meetings During Tennis Night in America and the BNP Pari bas Showdown in New York City on March 5, the TIA held two key meetings organized to update groups on various initiatives, programs and objectives. The fo llowing day, the TIA's retail consulting specialists, the Gluskin Townley Group, met to discuss challenges affecting the retail sector and ways for greater involvement with the industry.

On March 18 in California, the TIA held its board meeting during the USTA Annual Meeting. At both the New York and California meetings, Sports Marketing Surveys presented the latest participation research, reviewed the 10 and Under Tennis marketplace and analyzed tennis consumer trends.

The groups at both meetings also reviewed initiatives under way with 10 and Under Tennis at retail, heard about a planned national consumer promotion that would tie· in with the launch of PlayTennis.com, and explored the concept of a TIA Road Show with advocacy and support for retailers. At the board meeting, TIA President Jon Muir noted that for 10 and Under Tennis there's sti ll a need to "connect the dots" for tennis retailers and create broad-based awareness of the free tools and resources available from the TIA.

For an overview of the TIA's efforts and resources to support retail growth in the industry, visit https://tennisretailers.org or email [email protected].

M ay 201 2 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 17


Retailing 110

This is part of a series ofretail tips presented bythe Tennis IndustryAssociation and writtenby the Gluskin Townley

Group (www.gluskintownleygroup.com).

newsletters and 40 percent fliers, with 28percent e-mailing or mailing reminders forstringing and 28 percent advertising in localpublications. All of these can be convertedto vehicles for Direct Response Marketing.

According to the data, 23 percent of ten-nis retailers report using direct mail, whichcan be as simple as a postcard turned into aDRM tool by including a special offer that acustomer can redeem by bring the postcardinto your store.

This leads to the last big point of differ-ence between Direct Response Marketingand all other forms of marketing: You canmeasure the results. How often have youasked: “Did my investment in this ad actu-ally bring me business?”

But put a coupon, promotional code, oroffer in the ad along with a call to action,and you will be able to find out how effec-tive your DRM effort was by simply collect-ing the responses brought to your store andattaching them to the resulting transac-tion—then adding up the transactions to fig-ure out your ROI on the ad, newsletter orflier. E-mails are a low-cost way of reachingyour consumer base, but the reason youwant to measure the response you get is tofind out what marketing message works,and what marketing message doesn’t work.

If you’re already doing some form ofDirect Response Marketing, then you proba-bly know how effective it can be. If you’renot yet into DRM, take notice of what otherretailers—including big stores and super-markets—are doing in this area. You, too,can reap the benefits—directly!

Coming Up:Special event marketing. w

ly. All of the businesses associated with thesecrossover activities represent potentialsources for your future DRM contact lists.

A Call to ActionBy adding a call to action, like a coupon, pro-motional code or simply bringing the e-mailor ad to your store, you can turn all of yourmarketing into a form of DRM. According tothe latest Tennis Industry Association Cost ofDoing Business Tennis Retailers report, 70percent of tennis retailers prefer to utilize e-mail more than any other marketing mediaor technique. About 50 percent utilize

irect Response Marketing oftenis misunderstood by indepen-dent specialty retailers, and as

a result, this effective marketing tool isunderutilized—or unfortunately notused at all.

There are three distinct and impor-tant differences between DirectResponse Marketing (DRM) and allother forms of marketing.w First, DRM is, for the most part, tar-geted and utilizes your list of existingcustomers, and can be used to actual-ly build your list of potential cus-tomers.

w Second, DRM includes a call toaction, and solicits a response fromthe customers or potential customersreceiving your marketing piece ormessage. They are asked to takesome action to respond to yourstore’s marketing message.

w Third, DRM provides a means ofmeasuring its effectiveness andreturn on your investment.Your list of existing customers, par-

ticularly if it is in electronic form, ismore valuable than you may think. Itrepresents the means for you to con-tinue to build your relationships and tomarket your specialty tennis retailstore and the tennis lifestyle productsto those people who have alreadyspent money with you, and are themost likely group to continue to spendmoney with you.

Acquiring lists of potential cus-tomers can be done by cross-market-ing partnerships with other sportinggoods and outdoor retailers and orga-nizations in your community.Research shows that frequent tennisplayers also snow ski, run/jog, bicycle,golf, hike, fish, walk for health, useequipment to exercise, belong tohealth clubs and boat or sail frequent-

D

Direct Appeal If you haven’t yet used Direct Response Marketingfor your retail business, you’re missing a simpleand effective way to bring in customers.


Making the Sale—DirectlyFor tennis retailers, Direct ResponseMarketing can take many forms. Forexample, in newspapers and maga-zines, the ad itself can be the call toaction—“clip this coupon and receive20% off…”

Direct mail includes coupons, cata-logs, postcards, letters, fliers andnewsletters. Send a postcard to yourlist, for instance, to invite customersto new product or apparel introduc-tions: “RSVP by May 15 and get afree…”

Using the internet for DRM opensup a whole range of opportunities.Click-through banner ads, identifiablediscount codes and downloadablecoupons are just a few measurableways to advertise and to get the wordout about special events you mayhave, such as a pro exhibition ordemo day. For instance, many shopse-mail racquet restringing reminders,and that’s a great opportunity to addsomething like: “Print out and bringthis reminder into the store and get10% off your next restringing…”

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Unique Low Abrasive Texture Novacrylic® Sport Surfaces contain a non-angular rounded silica sand to allow for a low abrasive ITF classified surface. Because the sand has no sharp edges it becomes totally encapsulated in the acrylics. This ensures the surface will maintain a consistent texture for the life of the coating.

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Court Construction

or rebuild courts may still be con-cerned about keeping costs down, butsome consideration most likely will begiven to the impact their project mayhave on the environment, and Sport-Base could be an alternative they maywant to consider.

“The tiles are made of 100 percentrecycled material,” Sponaugle says.“But as a ‘green’ alternative, SportBaseoffers other advantages, too. Forinstance, it reduces the need for heavyequipment to come in, as you’d havewith a concrete installation. We hadSWCA Environmental Consultants, anindependent lab, run tests comparinga SportBase installation to a typicalconcrete installation. The results showthat installing a SportBase sub-floorrequires less energy and water, createsfewer greenhouse gas emissions, andrequires fewer overall materials.”

Another advantage some may findappealing: A full court using SportBasecan be installed in a matter of hours;there’s no additional time needed forany mixing, curing or drying. Thematerial also is suitable for freeze-thaw locations.

In addition, says Sponaugle, Sport-Base has excellent shock absorptionproperties. “It not only provides out-standing ball-bounce, but it’s also avery safe surface and helps protectplayers from injuries,” he says.

Sponaugle also points to ease ofmaintenance. In areas with high sedi-ment buildup, SportBase tiles can beindependently removed for cleaning,then put back in place. Also, if erosionor other factors affect the sub-base,the tile can be easily removed thenreplaced once the sub-base isrepaired.w

ant to put in a tennis court,but don’t have the roomyou may need to install a

concrete base? Or maybe you don’twant the court to be permanent? Ormaybe you’re looking for a “green”alternative? A new product, SportBaseby Connor Sport Court, may be worthconsidering for your court project.

“SportBase is a high-performancesupport base that can take the placeof concrete,” says Lee Sponaugle,director of corporate accounts forConnor Sport Court International,which makes modular sports surfaces.(Sport Court, headquartered in SaltLake City, is the “Official ModularCourt” for the USTA and 10 andUnder Tennis.)

“This is a breakthrough productthat has revolutionized court buildingfor those areas that want to be green,have hardscape restrictions, or wantthe option of moving the court atsome point,” Sponaugle says. “Nation-ally, the cost is similar to that of pervi-ous concrete, but the benefits of usingSportBase go beyond what concretecan provide.”

After the subsurface is leveled,then a compacted sub-base is added,the interlocking SportBase tiles arelaid down, which provides the basefor installing the Sport Court playingsurface. The 18 x 18 x 2-inch, 6.4-pound SportBase squares snap togeth-er and have holes to promotedrainage.

“With proper preparation of thesub-base, SportBase tiles will easilymeet any required drainage specifica-tion,” Sponaugle says. “Water drainsdirectly through them, so there are noenvironmental runoff issues.”

The tiles also are a “green” alterna-tive to concrete, he adds. Facilityowners and managers looking to build

W

New Modular, SustainableCourt Base ProvidesInstallation Flexibility


For more on SportBase, call 800-421-8112 or visitsportcourt.com.

Build tennis in your community through the United States Tennis Association's

Facility Assistance Program

Better Courts are Better for Tennis Whether you're attempting to build a new tennis facility, renovate and upgrade an existing one or get your courts ready for 10 and Under Tennis, the USTA can provide the tools you need to make it happen-from guidance on advocacy efforts to technical and financial assistance.

The USTA is committed to providing access to safe, appealing and functional tennis environments and is deeply invested in loca l communities across the country.

For more information about the USTA Facility Assistance Program visit:

usta.com/facilities or email [email protected] ©2012 USTA.

·~ 10ANb UNDER TEHMS


C O M P E T I T I V E P L A Y E R S


B Y R O B I N B A T E M A N

As tennis teachers, coaches and programmers, not manythings (besides inclement weather postponing our pro-grams) fill us with more dread than a player putting down

his racquet and walking away from the game due to a misunder-standing or incorrect assumption regarding competitive play.

Think about it: You, or a facility employee, recruited a junior,encouraged him to enroll in beginner classes, followed by privatelessons and maybe a season of USTA Jr. Team Tennis, etc. Then,he registers for his first USTA sanctioned event. During the tour-nament, he’s uncertain about how to handle some things: theproper check-in process, incorrect line calls, the length of event,the 15-minute default rule, etc. He ends up forfeiting a match afterarriving 16 minutes late. His score, “Default No Show” was postedon the Internet for everyone to see. How embarrassing is that?

Now, he says, he hates tennis. Tennis competition, especially USTA sanctioned events, come

with a truckload of rules and regs. It’s a lot for a beginner com-petitor to take in. So, who’s responsible for ensuring junior playersare prepared?

Ultimately, the player himself bears the brunt of accountabili-ty. However, as a facility manager, program coordinator, tourna-ment director or teaching professional, you have the power tocultivate the passion for tennis competition in the hearts of yourjunior players—and you can help ensure they’re prepared forcompetition.

After all, moving kids from on-court lessons to competitiveplay benefits you and your facility through increased program par-ticipation, more lessons for your coaches, traffic for recreationalplay and purchases from your pro shop. However, if novice play-ers sign up for events unprepared, all that hard work you spent on

recruiting and retention can go straight out the window. Anunpleasant first tournament experience can result in playerinjury, low self-esteem, or worse, leaving tennis altogether.

So, what can we do to help our junior players? Plenty.

Know your players:Some juniors have tougher skin and can handle the baptism byfire approach when it comes to tournament competition. How-ever, many children may be too sensitive to deal with these sit-uations early on. You need to be able to gauge player toughness.Or better yet, let parents know some of the expected pitfalls.Ask them, “You know your child; how do you anticipate yourchild will react when confronted with these hurdles?”

Get your entire facility involved: Embrace the “it takes a village” philosophy to tournamentpreparation. Each staff member should be familiar with basicquestions that both parents of novice competitors and the kidsthemselves will typically ask. When part-time employees don’tknow an answer, they should (at least) know where to directspecific questions. Recruiting your entire facility to help outmeans you’ll score points for customer service and you’ll hit thejackpot when it comes to retention and referrals.

Encourage your coaches to become more involved:“Parents and players appreciate when I teach more than thestrokes,” says Sarah Witherspoon, a PTR certified teaching pro-fessional at the John Drew Smith Tennis Center in Macon, Ga. “Itell all my students, ‘Stay hydrated, watch what you eat, getplenty of rest.’ I let them know tournament formats may

GET THEM READY TO

PLAYGET THEM READY TO

PLAYProperly preparing juniors forsanctioned tournaments isn’t justabout strokes and strategy. Tostay interested and involved, theyneed to know the rules, regs andprocedures, too.

Properly preparing juniors forsanctioned tournaments isn’t justabout strokes and strategy. Tostay interested and involved, theyneed to know the rules, regs andprocedures, too.B Y R O B I N B A T E M A N

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C O M P E T I T I V E P L A Y E R S

require three matches in one day—more ifthey sign up for doubles. When I warnthem in advance, there are no surprises.”

Post FAQs:For better results, post frequently askedquestions on your website for parents andplayers, behind the front desk for allemployees and on the bulletin board foreveryone. If you provide literature for yourbrand-new players, include a TournamentPreparation sheet along with your welcomepacket.

Talk to the experts: It’s not just novice players who have ques-tions; juniors climbing the ranking ladderneed help, too. For this group, Rick Davi-son, USTA Georgia’s Director of Adult andJunior Competition, says, “Remind parentsto utilize their district offices as resourcecenters for qualifying tournaments andranking points. Many parents receive mis-information through other parents. Neverassume a parent of a competing child hasall the answers.”

Host a forum: Educating new parents and players is onongoing process. Why not hold severalforums on a seasonal basis? Paul Tobin,head men’s and women’s tennis coach forSaint Francis University and ITA northeast-ern rep in Loretto, Pa., says, “Invite a guestspeaker along with local area coaches.”Hosting forums provides parents with anopportunity to become tournament savvy.“Have one for novice players,” suggestsTobin, “and another for advanced playerswhere college coaches are invited. Whobetter than a college tennis coach can painta clear picture of NCAA tennis expecta-tions?”

The competition prep forum not onlyboasts faculty exposure, it gives parents anopportunity to fully understand the tourna-ment structure while providing a chance toask questions pertinent to them and theirsituations.

When you help prepare your newbiesfor tournaments, you not only developstronger loyalties between them and theirfamilies, you keep them in the game andcoming back to your courts for lessons andleagues, and into your pro shop for racquetstringing and tennis apparel. w

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May 2012 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 25 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

TOURNAMENT PREPARATION SHEETTournament directors sanction events through the USTA, so contact your USTA Section or District if you have questions. Thereare tournaments for novice players through experienced, competitive players. Learning the ins and outs of tournament playwill help your junior move from novice to competitive levels.

To cover the rules of competitive tennis, the USTA uses “Friend At Court: The USTA Handbook of Tennis rules and Regula-tions.” (You can find it at usta.com under “Improve Your Game” then “Rules.”) “Friend At Court” also has rules for 10 and UnderTennis sanctioned events.

All players, even beginners, are held to these rules. Learning them takes time. Here are a few key rules, regulations and com-mon practices to help you get started. Make sure your junior players and their parents are familiar with them. (Post or copyand distribute this list.)

Before You Playw Arrive at your match site 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled time.w Once there, ask for the “tournament desk” (often, the tournament operates separately from the host facility; asking for the

“tournament desk” will get you where you need to go.)w Once at the tournament desk, check in for the event. This lets the tournament staff know you have arrived. Depending on

the event, you’ll receive player information and may get a T-shirt, bag tag, or some other player gift. You only check in for thetournament once.

w Match check-in, not to be confused with tournament check-in, is done prior to the start of each of your matches. At matchcheck-in, you are letting the tournament staff know you are ready to play. If you need to get water, use the restroom, stretch,or warm-up, do these things prior to your match check-in.

w Check in for your match 15 to 20 minutes prior to the scheduled match time. w Make sure to ask about the match format: For instance, if you split sets, do you play a full third set, or a match tie-break? Do

you know how to play a match tie-break? If not, make sure it’s clarified now! Most match tie-breaks are the first to 10 pointsby a 2-point margin. But make sure. Note: Before you begin playing a match tie-break, you are allowed to get an official toassist you.

w Once you check in for your match, you must remain within earshot of the tournament desk—your match could be called atany moment.

On the Courtw You are entitled to a five-minute warm up, which includes your serves.w The server calls the score prior to serving the point. Call out your score loud enough so your opponent can hear you. w Change ends after you complete odd games; 1, 3, 5, etc.w If disputes arise, put down your racquet and go get an official.w Never ask a spectator to call lines or settle disputes unless the tournament staff has appointed a designated person. (In 10

and Under Tennis, parents may be allowed on court. Clarify with the desk before entering the court.)w Once the match is over, walk to the net to shake hands with your opponent.w The winner is responsible for reporting the score and turning in the tournament tennis balls.w Both players are responsible for knowing when their next match times are.

Miscellaneousw If the format calls for a third-set tie-break, then the schedule may call for you to play three matches in one day. w If the tournament offers doubles, and if you are winning in singles, be prepared to play three singles matches and one doubles

match in one day.w Never leave your cell phone on. If it goes off during a match, you lose a point.

What to Bring on Courtw A tennis bag with at least one or more tennis racquets.w A cooler with ice, sports drinks and water.w A small first aid kit, allowable medications, adhesive bandages.w A spare pair of shoes, socks, hat or visor, T-shirt.w Individually wrapped power or granola bars—only food you know won’t upset your stomach. Don’t eat if you aren’t hungry.w Individually wrapped skittles or soft mints or some type of candy that won’t melt. Some players find this helpful when playing

long matches.

A C C E S S O R I E S

Tennis bags and sports bags, like tennis apparel, con-tinue to evolve. Tennis bags have gone from simplyholding racquets to carry-alls that have insulated cli-

mate-control compartments, storage areas and multi-usesthat cross over from court to life around town or on theroad. Bags have become a symbol of preferred racquetbrand, identity and personal style.

Racquet manufacturers, of course, continue to producetheir own bags of various sizes, and with increasingly morefeatures and improvements. Meanwhile, other, smallercompanies also are finding a nice niche in producing stylishbags for the fashion-conscious or for players who just prefera unique look.

26 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2012 www.racquetsportsindustry.com www.racquetsportsindustry.com

IN THE BAGB Y C Y N T H I A S H E R M A N

Court CoutureIt’s no wonder that more and more companies are devoting designs to the majority oftennis shoppers: women. Stephanie Sumarsono, owner of Court Couture, designsunique bags in polyurethane or synthetic leather, which are substantially padded tohold two racquets, and have multi-pockets of varying sizes, including one for water.They also can be used for laptops, shopping and travel. Styles include Cassanova,Barcelona and the latest line, Karisa, based on the vintage styles of 1950s, ’60s and’70s. 408-621-5073; www.courtcouturetennis.com

Cinda BCinda B is another fashionable bag choice for women. American-made by oneof the most experienced quilted bag manufacturers, Cinda B bags and acces-sories are made of highly durable poly/nylon, are water- and stain-resistant andare machine washable. The tennis tote shown here retails for $153. 877-692-4632; www.cindab.com.

BabolatBabolat’s Aero, Club and Team lines cover every needfor every range of player—from a one-racquet back-pack to a wheeled Team travel bag with an adjustablehandle that can serve as a practical piece of luggage ifyou’re a tennis road warrior. Smack in the middle isthe Team Line Racquet Bag X6 (suggested retail$59.95). Two main compartments, one of which isthermal-lined, hold up to six racquets. A small windowon the bag allows a player to insert a name tag, and adetachable shoe bag, accessory pockets and adjustablestraps convert the bag to a backpack, making it a ver-satile accessory for any competitor. 877-316-9435;www.babolat.com

INTHE BAG

May 2012 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 27www.racquetsportsindustry.com www.racquetsportsindustry.com

DunlopDunlop’s Biomimetic Bags come in sizes suited for three racquets (shown;retail $60), six racquets and 10 racquets, plus a backpack ($40) and WheelieHoldall ($100). The bags, available in green or red, have three separate com-partments and the middle compartment is lined with a thermal insulationto protect racquets in all kinds of climates. Rip-stop nylon material is notonly stylish, but long-wearing, and the bags have been ergonomicallydesigned for added comfort. 888-215-1530; www.dunlopsport.com

PrincePrince’s popular Tour Team Bags are joined by the new Rebel andCarbon line. The Rebel sports the bold black and yellow of thenew Rebel racquets and come in a triple, six-pack, 12-pack withadjustable, removable, padded backpack straps (shown; $69) andbackpack styles; the Carbon line boasts a triple, six-pack andbackpack. Each has areas for accessories, footwear and waterbottles. The Rebel 12-pack also has thermal lining to keep rac-quets safe during extreme temperatures. 800-283-6647;www.princetennis.com

GammaAmong the bags Gamma features, a Pro Team six-racquet bag($74.99) and Tour Team 12-racquet bag ($89.99) offer lots of roomfor the serious player. Thermal and moisture protection ensure rac-quets are protected from extreme climate changes. Accessory pock-ets, lined compartments for shoes and clothing, and padded andadjustable backpack straps make these bags serious contenders. 800-333-0337; www.gammasports.com

HeadIn addition to its Tour, Elite and ATP bags, Head has teamed withMaria Sharapova to create a new line for women. These black bagsare more fashion-forward, but the overall feel is practical and func-tional. The “Maria Sharapova Tennis Racquet Bag–Court” ($115) hasmore of a luggage look, made of Oxford Nylon with blue printed inte-rior. A back compartment and separate thermal compartment holdssix racquets. Leather tassel details, gold zippers and Head nameplate,detachable and adjustable padded shoulder straps, front and sidepockets, and detachable toiletry and extra shoe sack takes thisbeyond the court. While the Sharapova “Combi” ($100) looks like amore traditional bag, it offers the same type of detail, climate protec-tion compartment and storage for eight racquets. 800-289-7366;www.head.com


Life is TennisOne of the first non-racquet companies to make bags designed for a woman’s busy lifestyle wasJetpac under Life is Tennis. Coming up on 13 years, its extensive line includes totes, large and smallsling bags, large double-strapped backpacks and a new series—the Cooljet, which accommodatestwo racquets, has a thermal pocket to keep your beverage cool, and is armed with a ton of storageand accessory pockets. As with all its bags, Cooljet ($75-$77) comes in a variety of smart patternsand colors. Strategically placed zippers allow it to be worn as a sling or backpack. 877-682-7888;www.lifeistennis.com

Maggie MatherMost of Maggie Mather’s stylish totes and racquets bags are made of tough ballistic fabric, withthe exception of one, Poly 600. There are two styles: the traditional two-strap racquet bag($129), which holds three racquets and is great for traveling since it offers total coverage andprotection of your sticks; and the adjustable-strap two-racquet tote ($96), where the tennis divacan go from the court to a weekend getaway. Each type has a variety of pockets, with two sidepockets on the tote for a water bottle or can of balls. The colorful zebra-print linings are waterrepellent. 206-940-4055; www.maggiemather.com

WilsonIn addition to its full line of bags and backpacks for their racquet lines, Wilson has comeout with two new “designer” bags glammed out in luxe materials that are functional aswell as stylish. Each can hold two racquets, has accompanying cosmetic bag, additionalstorage pockets, and is available in backpack or tote style. The Milan and Trento bagsretail for $95 for both backpack and tote. 800-272-6060; www.wilson.com w

40 Love CoutureAnother “couture” choice among tennis bags is 40 Love Couture, made in Colorado. Styledalong the lines of designer handbags, cross-over multi-function designs include small (ChloeHobo, which retails for $250) and large totes with adjustable shoulder straps and embellishedwith Swarovski crystals. These hold two racquets and a slew of personal belongings. Slimsacks (Paris Sack, $225) allow room for one racquet and pockets for clothing and acces-sories. And there also are carry-alls (Ellie Carry-All, $149). The bags are available in a widearray of fabrics and faux leathers. 719-930-8150; www.40lovecourture.com

D I S T I N G U I S H E D F A C I L I T Y - O F - T H E - Y E A R A W A R D S

The nine outdoor hard-court winners of the 2011 Rac-quet Sports Industry/American Sports Builders Asso-ciation Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards

range in size from the three courts at a public park in Mass-achusetts to a huge 24-court complex in South Carolina.Five of these projects—mostly the larger ones—were newconstruction; the others were upgrades, but in many casestotal rebuilds. And many had to overcome some challeng-ing situations during construction to reach an excellent con-clusion.At the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass., a soccer practice

field was converted into a 12-court asphalt tennis facilityand included drainage, sidewalks, sitting areas and storm-water retention areas. The site was extremely rocky and dif-ficult to work with, and all fence posts, net posts and centeranchor footings—more than 250 in all—used Bigfoot Sys-tems concrete footing forms.

The Blackhawk School District in Beaver Falls, Pa., demol-ished its existing three courts and built five courts—in atwo-court battery and three-court battery. The projectrequired cutting and filling, installing an undergroundstorm-water detention system, and installing trench drains.The underground detention system called for removing alarge amount of soil to install 480 linear feet of 60-inchdiameter pipe. During construction, an old building founda-tion and abandoned well were uncovered and had to bedealt with.

The new 12-court facility at Colorado State Universityincludes lights on eight courts, with provisions for futurelighting on the remaining four. Each court was designed tobe accessible to players without impacting other courts. Thebiggest issue was the facility had to be sloped to avoiddraining into an adjacent irrigation canal, so water has todrain across three courts and the 24-foot-wide central walk-way.

Rebuilding the municipal complex in Elkin, N.C., meantremoving the fencing and pulverizing the old asphalt to re-use as a base for the eight new courts. The contractor hadto deal with poor soil conditions (requiring a 12-inch full-depth reclamation with lime stabilization) and poordrainage from a hillside and parking lot (building newboxes, re-grading swales, and installing about 450 linearfeet of French drain between the courts and a hillside andparking lot). Record rainfall and wet conditions made the construction

of the new 24-court Florence Tennis Center a challenge. Thecontractor had to bring in several tons of stone to createtemporary roads to help the heavy equipment get around inthe soft areas of the construction site, a former cotton fielddonated by a local businessman. But once the rain sub-sided, the project proceeded smoothly. There are 10 two-court batteries, a three-court battery, and a single court,which eventually will be surrounded by stadium seating.Also under construction is a multi-million-dollar building toinclude locker rooms, a pro shop, eating areas and a deck.

To build the eight new post-tensioned concrete courts inGoddard, Kan., in four pairs, the contractor had to contendwith windy conditions that blew around a lot of dust. Afterthe concrete was poured, some areas required grinding toeven off the high spots.

Redoing the three tennis courts in West Boylston, Mass.,was part of a major park renovation project that had over-whelming public support and involvement. The existingcourts, on a sloping site, had major erosion problems andbecame unsafe to use. To fix the problem, the contractorbuilt two terraces using retaining walls to maximize courtspace and protect existing amenities.

We honored the New Orleans City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center inour April issue for its 10 clay courts; now we’re honoringthe facility for the 17 post-tensioned concrete courts, whichinclude a practice court and a stadium court. The practicecourt has backboards on bothends, including a 12-foot concavebackboard. The site chosen forthe facility had a history of flood-ing, poor drainage and soil stabil-ity issues; construction involvedinstalling drainage and sub-drainage systems and adding corrugated drainpipe andconcrete catch basins to direct water to the city stormsewer system.

The four courts at Polo Park in Miami Beach had prob-lems—they had been sloped incorrectly (from the net lineto the ends) and had severe cracking below grade and onthe surface. Due to budget constraints, the old courts werenot demolished and removed, but the new courts were builton top, first installing a reinforced rebar curb around theexisting fencing, then patching all the structural cracks andinstalling various layers and systems over that to reduce thepossibility of future cracks. —Peter Francesconi w

These outdoor winners are excellentexamples of hard-court construction—and in overcoming obstacles.

For details on the 2012 Outstand-ing Facility-of-the-Year Awards,contact the ASBA at 866-501-ASBA or [email protected],or visit www.sportsbuilders.org.

NIFTY NINENIFTY NINE


May 2012 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 31 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Blackhawk School DistrictBeaver Falls, Pa.(Nominated by Vasco Sports Contractors, Massillon, Ohio)General Contractor: Vasco Sports ContractorsNo. of Courts: 5Surface: Deco Color–California ProductsNet Posts, Nets, Tie Downs: J.A. CisselDrain: ACO Polymer Products trench drain

New Orleans City Park/Pepsi Tennis CenterNew Orleans, La.(Nominated by American Tennis Courts Inc., Mobile, Ala.)Specialty Contractor: American Tennis Courts Inc.No. of Courts: 17 hard (10 clay)SurfaceS: World Class Athletic Surfaces (hard); Har-Tru Sports HydroBlend (soft) Net Posts: Edwards Classic RoundCenter Straps: EdwardsBackboards: Bakko Backboards

Colorado State UniversityFort Collins, Colo.(Nominated by Renner Sports Surfaces, Denver)Specialty Contractor: Renner Sports SurfacesNo. of Courts: 12Lighting: LSI Courtsider XL Sports LightingAcrylic Resurfacer, Color and Line Paint: World Class Athletic SurfacesNet Posts, Nets, Windscreens: Douglas Industries

Elkin Municipal “Tom Gwyn Tennis Complex”Elkin, N.C.(Nominated by Court One–Div. of Recreational Ventures, GraniteQuarry, N.C.)General Contractor: Court OneNo. of Courts: 8Surface: LaykoldNet Posts: J.A. CisselNets: Pro-1 Sports

Florence Tennis CenterFlorence, S.C.(Nominated by Talbot Tennis, Marietta, Ga.)Specialty Contractor: Talbot Tennis, MuscoNo. of Courts: 24Surface: LaykoldNet Posts, Nets, Windscreens: J.A. CissellLighting: Musco


Berkshire SchoolSheffield, Mass.(Nominated by Cape & Island Tennis & Track, Pocasset, Mass.)Specialty Contractor: Cape & Island Tennis & TrackNo. of Courts: 12Surface: DecoTurfNet Posts, Sleeves: Douglas Sports Nets & EquipmentSubsurface Irrigation: Welch Tennis HydroGridNet, Windscreen: J.A. CisselCenter Straps, Anchors: J.A. Cissel

Goddard USD 265 Sports ComplexGoddard, Kan.(Nominated by Mid-American Courtworks, Wichita, Kan.)Specialty Contractor: Mid-American CourtworksNo. of Courts: 8Color Surface System: Advantage Sports Surface Systems (Vance Bros.)Net Posts, Nets: Douglas industries

Goodale ParkWest Boylston, Mass.(Nominated by Warner Larson Inc., Boston)Architect/Engineer: Warner Larson Inc.No. of Courts: 3

Tennis Facility at Polo ParkMiami Beach, Fla.(Nominated by Fast-Dry Courts, Pompano Beach, Fla.)Architect/Engineer/Contractor: Fast-Dry CourtsNo. of Courts: 4Surface: Nova SportsNets, Accessories: Fast-Dry Courts

GENERAL TIPSw Keep in contact with your sales rep and ask for specific product, pro-

grams or line support. Don’t assume the answer is “no” or thatcompanies know what your needs are.

w Keep up-to-date on internet and local competitor pricing, aswell as when a product has been taken off MAP (minimumadvertised price), and price accordingly, particularly with slow-moving or soon-to-be-outdated inventory that you are betteroff selling for less profit than tying up money and shelf space.

w Allocate display space based on a category’s contribution to netprofit, not on its physical size or impact on gross sales.

w Use track lighting to highlight a particular item; neon or other special lighting will draw attention to an area.

w Compete on service, knowledge and in your areas of strength. In other words, don’t try to out-inventory a big-box store or undersell fly-by-night websites.

w Enhance, or immediately start to build, your customer database—the more detailed, the better. With a soliddatabase, you can contact a specific customer when a new version of their racquet or shoes comes in, or youcan let a spouse know when someone with a birthday coming up has spent a lot of time recently looking at aparticular outfit or racquet.

w Build tennis community relationships by participating in and supporting local events. Find room in your store todisplay information of interest to your customers and offer special deals to specific groups, such as senior play-ers, high school teams or teaching pros.

R E T A I L T I P S

For most tennis retailers, it’s devotion to the sportthat drives them. They put in untold hours, and whatlittle time they may have left over is spent with fam-

ily, friends or possibly squeezing in a quick set or two—notstudying retail theories or reading consultant reports onbest practices.

But even the most experienced tennis retailer can stillbenefit from a few tips now and then on how to squeezesales from customers and provide top-notch service. And

learning from the experience of others is more efficientthan fighting through one’s own experiments gone wrong.

Consider the ideas below a sort of “SparkNotes” of bestpractices for selling racquets, shoes, string, apparel andaccessories, having been gathered from years of RSI inter-views and stories. Not every idea is guaranteed to work forevery store, but each has proved valuable more than onceas a way to get the most money out of retail squarefootage.


B Y K E N T O S W A L D

SELLINGPOINTSSELLINGPOINTSThese ideas can help boost your sales and provide your customerswith excellent service.

APPARELw Make sure fitting rooms are attractive, private, convenient and inviting, with full-length mirrors and enough hangers

and shelves for customers trying on clothes.

w If space permits, put men’s clothing up front (since they don’t generally “shop”);women’s farther back to get them through the store … with a sales rack evenfarther back to “guide“ them through all racks; and kids in their own sec-tion on the side to avoid store disruption.

w Move or re-pair clothing (with new accessories and sometimes inthe same family, sometimes with a different manufacturer’soffering) every couple of weeks for a fresh look.

w Schedule orders so new merchandise is hitting your floor everythree to four weeks

w Stay abreast of manufacturer ads and the outfits star players will be wearingat the Grand Slam events and other televised tournaments. Display according-ly and don’t be afraid to let customers know that you have a particular player’soutfit.

w Offer a custom-embroidery program for individuals and local teams.

w Provide team coaches, local teaching pros and other “influencers” withsamples of clothing and accessories in exchange for recommending yourstore.

RACQUETSw Stock multiple demo models for lines you will support through sales to maximize manufacturer support. Also, offer

different grip sizes, particularly smaller sizes for women and juniors … and keep demos fresh with new strings andgrips. Use a new, premium string on at least one of the most often requested demo models.

w Charge a fee-applied-to-purchase of demo racquets to help with cost of restringing and regrippingyour demos and to encourage customers to not demo with you and then start a pricesearch that might take them elsewhere.

w Restring your most loyal customers’ demos to their preferred tension.

w Maintain contact with customers while they have your demo racquets; don’tlet too many days go by without interaction to avoid their shopping around.

w Create a hitting space in or near your store. There’s a better chance playerswill purchase a racquet after they have actually hit balls with it.

w Consider displaying racquets by player type rather than manufacturer family togive customers a better guide to the racquet for their game.

w Pair a string “upgrade” or discounted first stringing with each new racquet sale.

May 2012 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 35www.racquetsportsindustry.com www.racquetsportsindustry.com


STRINGSw Don’t just copy the tension of previous string jobs; engage customers in a discussion of how their strings played so

you can better fit them.

w Offer to string racquets while the customer waits. It’s a service the internet and big-box stores can’t compete withand it keeps customers in the store and shopping.

w Offer to make changes and adjustments in strings, tensions, lead taping and grip as amateur games improve.

w Show off your stringers and stringing machines on the selling floor rather than hide themin a back room to advertise business and engage customers in the craft of a well-strungracquet.

w Explain to customers how premium strings can help improve their game and why theextra few dollars may be worth it to them.

w Offer to inspect strings and test tension for free when a player drops by on his way to orfrom a court. Strings do not have to break to go bad.

w Use this high-margin product to increase sales of other lines and/or enhance customer relationships. Conversely,give away a commodity (for instance, a free can of balls) with every stringing.

w Volunteer to work with a manufacturer’s string team at tournaments to keep up to date on new techniques andindustry innovations.

w Offer special pricing for teams or on birthdays or through other creative promotions to build business beyond theonce-a-year norm for many customers.

SHOESw Shoes are a repeat-sale business. Even with

completely new customers, consider each(potential) sale a hub for improving customerrelationships and building loyalty.

w Have staff try on every shoe and compare themas part of training in shoe technology (which isoften needed to support questions of price).

w Be strategic in your shoe display. Don’t let thesales floor display spread beyond the catego-ry’s monetary value to the store.

w Display shoes from waist to head height whenpossible, then merchandise around the areawith socks, insoles and hats. Putting them onthe floor actually discourages customers fromtrying them on.

w Promote durabil-ity warranties,particularly toparents, whenselling “high-priced” shoes forjuniors.

ACCESSORIESw Track sales of accessories as aggressively as you do main mer-

chandise—track both how much is sold and with what otherproducts they are sold in order to get ideas about stocking anddisplay, as well as what might work in cross-promotional sales.

w Stock and display your accessory inventory keeping in mindthat women traditionally are drawn to fashion items whilemen have a greater interest in“technological” items promisinggame improvements.

w In addition to having grips, damp-eners, wristbands, coloredshoelaces, visors, etc. in areaswhere they match with main mer-chandise (e.g., dampeners nearracquets, laces by shoes, visorsnear dresses), test different products around the register tosee what works as an impulse buy.

w Accessories have a high margin, so try providing a free “sam-ple” to an opinion shaper, for example, slipping a free set ofwristbands to the league team captain after she checks out.

w Consider adding energy bars, mints, and other sports-themedsnacks to the area around the register. Generally, items under$15 will do best there.


I am really pleased with this modifi-cation, even though sometimes theends of the string get caught betweenthe wheels and the floor.

5 sets of Wilson K-Gut Pro 16 to:Lance Carstensen, Ft. Myers Beach, FL

DETERMINING THE HIDDEN WEAVE

When I get down to the final cross, Ioften tension and clamp off the next-to-the-last cross without pre-weaving thelast cross, and then “loop weave” thelast cross. The only problem is thatwith the clamp holding the previousstring, it can sometimes be difficult tosee the over/under pattern of the cross-es on the mains, and because of skipsat the throat, you can’t simply followthe pattern you’ve been using for therest of the string bed.

To ensure that I don’t misweave thecross in this scenario, I look at theover/under pattern of the cross immedi-ately above the string clamp. Evenwhen I can’t easily see the pattern ofthe previous cross because of the clampteeth, the cross that lies above the pre-vious cross is always clearly visible.

5 sets of Head FXP Control 17 to:L. Hodges, Lucerne Valley, CA

REMEMBERING THEPOWER PADSWhen a racquet comes in with powerpads, they usually fall off as you cut outthe old string bed, so you set themaside. The problem is that it’s then easyto forget to put them back in.

BUMPER GUARD TAPE PREPBefore I place bumper guard tape on aclient's racquet, I first use an old, cleantowel and rubbing alcohol to clean theentire hoop. The removal of dirt, sweat,and other contaminants from the racquetmakes the application of the bumperguard tape last longer, and my clientsnotice. They appreciate the extra care Itake with their racquet.

5 sets of Babolat Revenge 16 to:Eduardo Ramirez, North Halden, NJ

MOUNTING WHEELS ON A STRINGING MACHINEAs a home stringer, I store my stringingmachine out of the way when I am notusing it. Carrying it out and back wasalways a hassle, but I could never figureout a satisfactory way to put my BabolatStar 3 on wheels.

Then I found some three-wheel dolliesat Harbor Freight. They already have ahole on the center, so that all I needed wasfour fender washers and metric bolts.

Tips & Techniques

I solved this problem by applying somedouble-sided tape to the top of mystringing machine. The tape gives me aplace to put the power pads each andevery time, keeps them handy, andmakes them highly visible.

5 sets of Tecnifibre MultiFeel 16 to:Sam Chan, MRT, Berwick VIC Australia

RENEWING USED RACQUETSI like to take a couple of minutes toclean each racquet thoroughly before Irestring it. I use a toothbrush, a smallspray bottle, two clean small rags, rub-bing alcohol, and water (you may wantto substitute glass cleaner, as it is espe-cially good for smudges).

First, cut your strings, but leavethem in to prevent dirt and grit fromentering the grommets. Second, damp-en one of the rags with the spray bottleusing a mixture of 50/50 water andrubbing alcohol (or straight glass clean-er) and clean the entire racquet. It'simportant that you spray the rag withthe mixture, rather than spraying


Readers’ Know-How in Action

Tips and Techniques submitted since 1992by USRSA members and appearing in thiscolumn, have all ben gathered into asearchable database onwww.racquettech.com the official member-only website of the USRSA. Submit tips to:Greg Raven, USRSA, 330 Main Street, Vista,CA 92084; or email [email protected]

directly onto the racquet. Even withbaked on clay, just allow the mixture acouple minutes to loosen the dirt. Third,spray the toothbrush and scrub in-between the grommet holes, with thestrings still intact, to get into all thecrevices. With the other clean rag, cleanand wipe the entire racquet. Finally,remove the old strings and wipe downthe racquet one last time. Then it’s timeto restring the racquet.

I have had clients exclaim that theirtennis buddies asked about their "new"racquet after this treatment.

5 sets of Tourna Big Hitter Blue 17 to:Brendon J Travis, MRT, Baltimore, MD

LABELING TIP

Instead of placing the restring label inthe throat of the racquet I like to put itunder the handle’s finishing rubberpiece. It keeps the label from peeling orfalling off and provides a nice clean lookto the racquet.

5 sets of Gosen Nanosilver 17 to:Terry Boyle, Denver, Colorado

—Greg Raven◗


? Ask the Experts

POLY FOR JUNIORS?WHAT'RE YOUR THOUGHTS ONpolyester for juniors? More juniorsand parents are looking to use

what the pros use. My concern is on thestiffness of the string on a young arm.Should age be a factor or just swingspeed? Any thoughts on tension forjuniors (poly and others) would also beappreciated.

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT question,now that most if not all of the

durable 15-gauge nylon strings have virtu-ally disappeared off of the market. Wecontacted several sources of poly strings toget their input. Here are the responses wereceived:From Mike Niksich at Tourna:

“The question of poly and juniors is abit complicated in that there aren't anylong-term scientific studies we can point

to saying that this group of juniors playedpolys for X amount of time and now suffersY amount of damage because of it. Therealso doesn't seem to be much consensus onthe topic with stringing experts or on tennis-related Internet forums.

“First question: Should juniors avoidusing poly until they're breaking strings, tominimize potential damage to young arms?

“As you know poly and co-poly are bynature stiffer than multifilament strings, somore shock is going to be transferredthrough the racquet to young arms. Howev-er, you can mitigate this shock by observinga few guidelines. One is to restring polyoften, as once it loses its elasticity it willtransfer more shock. Of course it dependson the player, but 10 to 15 hours maxseems to be a consensus. Another is not tostring poly at a reference tension of morethan 55 pounds. Even 55 pounds is stiff forany poly, including third-generation soft co-

polys. Another is for the junior to use theheaviest racquet that is comfortable for thejunior who decides to use a poly. Heavierframes will help to absorb the shock. Wewould also recommend that juniors tryhybrids of poly/multi or poly/gut firstbefore going to a full bed of poly.

“Second question: Should the racquetsbe full-size only?

“We don't have any specific recom-mendations on this. However, the mainreason a player should use poly is to gainan increase in control, directional control,spin, and durability. Poly will help a playerwith full swings control the ball while stillproviding enough power, but natural gutand most multifilaments will have a betterenergy return than poly. If the player isusing a junior-size racquet, we doubt themain reason they want to move to a polyis for more control, but if that's the casethen they can certainly try it.

“Third question: Are there any tensionrecommendations?

“We do not recommend stringing anypoly over 55 pounds. Stringing with a con-stant pull machine on its slowest pullingspeed possible is also recommended. Astringer should try and preserve as muchof the elasticity of a poly as possible.”


Your Equipment Hotline

Q

A

From Chuck Vietmeier at Gamma:“Because kids tend to follow what

the pros use, we have found it tough tokeep them from adopting polys, whichare used by the pros. That is why wehave been trying to develop soft polyssuch as Zo Verve and now our newestpoly, Zo Dart.

“In my opinion juniors should waitas long as possible before using a fullpoly stringbed in their racquet. Theycertainly should not put a poly in a rac-quet that is not at least 27 inches long.Not long ago I had a conversation withJay Berger at the USTA Training Center,and he expressed a lot of concern aboutthe effects poly strings are having onthe kids in his program. He reportedseeing lots of sore arms every week.That is what shifted our efforts to thedevelopment of more forgiving polys.

“At the very least we recommendthat the younger kids try to hybrid theirstrings with a poly main and a softcross string.”From Nathan Price at Prince:

“Because of the advancement ofpolyester string technology in recentyears, I believe it is fine for juniors whoare already competing at a higher level(national and sectional tournaments) touse and reap the benefits from polystrings. A general minimum age I wouldrecommend for boys is 11 and for girlsis 13 (very dependent on size, strength,swing speed, playing style), and I wouldhighly encourage them to play with ahybrid at this age for at least 2 yearsbefore switching to all poly.

“I would recommend polys andhybrids only be used for juniors whoare big enough to use full size racquetsand regular full compression balls.

“Also, I would recommend the tran-sition to a hybrid occur after juniors arealready breaking multifilament strings.

“Polys provide maximum benefit tothose players who have fast swingspeeds, hit the ball hard, or who hitwith spin. These benefits are producedwhether a player is a string-breaker ornot. For all players, polys should bestrung 10% looser than multifilamentsto maximize their playability. Forjuniors trying polys for the first time, Iwould recommend a 15% tensionreduction to start.

“I would recommend Prince's newBeast Attack Hybrid as the intermediate

step from a nylon before transitioning to fullpoly set-up though.

“Prince is excited about the future ofpolyester technology as we continue toinnovate to help all players take their gameto the next level.”

GRIP BANDSDO THE BIG MANUFACTURERS sellgrip bands, and if so, where canyou buy them?

THE ONLY RACQUET manufacturergrip bands we’ve ever seen available

separately as an aftermarket item camefrom Gamma. They used to be available

through ATS Sports, although theircurrent catalog does not list them.Of course, it is still possible to pur-chase packaged replacementgrips that include a grip band asa part of the kit that alsoincludes a section of grip tape.

The only separate aftermarket gripband we could find is Tourna Grip Bands,which come two to a package, and are avail-able through Fromuth Tennis, HolabirdSports, Tennis Warehouse, and others.

—Greg Raven w

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


QA


String Playtest

EASE OF STRINGING (compared to other strings) Number of testers who said it was:much easier 1somewhat easier 2about as easy 22not quite as easy 8not nearly as easy 0

OVERALL PLAYABILITY (compared to string played most often)Number of testers who said it was:much better 2somewhat better 4about as playable 12not quite as playable 13not nearly as playable 2

OVERALL DURABILITY (compared to other strings of similar gauge)Number of testers who said it was:much better 1somewhat better 6about as durable 19not quite as durable 6not nearly as durable 1

RATING AVERAGESFrom 1 to 5 (best)Playability 3.6Durability 3.8Power 3.6Control 3.7Comfort 3.2Touch/Feel 3.2Spin Potential (1st place) 4.4Holding Tension 3.5Resistance to Movement 4.0

Tourna Big Hitter Black 7 is a seven-sided geometric monofilamentpolyester (in this case, a co-poly-

ester). According to Tourna, Big HitterBlack 7 is an ultra-playable string thatbridges the gap between co-polys andmulti-filaments. Designed to be extremelyelastic, Big Hitter Black 7’s sharp edgesgrab the ball while the heat-treated hyper-elastic materials hold it until ready forlaunch. The increased dwell time and spinallow advanced players to hit a “heavy”ball with accuracy, without sacrificingcomfort or durability. Tourna rates BigHitter Black 7 as having a midrangepower response. Tourna says that tensionwill remain stable until it’s time torestring, after some initial loss immediate-ly after stringing, a characteristic of its BigHitter line.

Big Hitter Black 7 is aimed atadvanced big hitters looking for a softerpoly that can generate spin and control,yet is durable enough for hard trainingand tournament play.

Big Hitter Black is available in gauges16 (1.25-1.27mm) and 17 (1.20mm-1.22mm) in black only. It is priced from$8.95 for sets of 40 feet, and $84 for 660-foot reels. For more information or toorder, contact Tourna at 800-554-3707, orvisit uniquesports.us. Be certain to readthe conclusion for a special offer on BigHitter Black from Tourna.

IN THE LABWe tested the 17-gauge Big Hitter Black.The coil measured 40 feet. The diametermeasured 1.21-1.24 mm prior to string-ing, and 1.16-1.18 mm after stringing. Werecorded a stringbed stiffness of 74 RDCunits immediately after stringing at 60pounds in a Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95 (16 x18 pattern) on a constant-pull machine.

After 24 hours (no playing), stringbedstiffness measured 68 RDC units, repre-senting an 8 percent tension loss. Ourcontrol string, Prince Synthetic Gut Origi-nal Gold 16, measured 78 RDC unitsimmediately after stringing and 71 RDCunits after 24 hours, representing a 9 per-cent tension loss. In lab testing, PrinceSynthetic Gut Original has a stiffness of

217 and a tension loss of 11.67 pounds,while Tourna Big Hitter Black 7 has a stiff-ness of 196 and a tension loss of 21.66pounds. Big Hitter Black added 16 gramsto the weight of our unstrung frame.

The string was tested for five weeksby 33 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP rat-ings from 3.5 to 6.0. These are blind tests,with playtesters receiving unmarkedstrings in unmarked packages. Averagenumber of hours playtested was 23.2.

Tourna recommends stringing 5%lower than with nylon, so that’s what werecommended to the members of ourplaytest team.

There is no doubt that Big Hitter Black7 is a geometric string from the moment


you take it out of the package. The edgesfeel to be the sharpest we’ve ever felt.Because of this, your fingers catch on themains when weaving the crosses, andpulling the crosses actually shaves tinyparts of the edges off the mains.

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

ON THE COURTTourna Big Hitter Black 7 certainly looks tobe a “spin” string, considering its edges, itsgauge, and its composition, and its perfor-mance impressed our playtest team. Theyrated Tourna Big Hitter Black 7 the beststring for Spin Potential of the 163 stringswe’ve playtested to date for publication.But that’s just the frosting on the cake: Ourplaytesters also rated Big Hitter Black 7 ashaving excellent Power and Resistance toMovement. Rounding things out, ourplaytest team members rated Big HitterBlack 7 well above average in Durability,Control, Playability, Tension Retention, andTouch/Feel.

Two members of the playtest teambroke the sample during the playtest peri-od, one each at five hours and 12 hours.

CONCLUSIONWith our playtesters rating Big Hitter Black7 well above average or better in eight outof nine categories, it’s fitting that Big HitterBlack 7’s overall average score is the tenthhighest of all time. If you recommend BigHitter Black 7 to customers looking formore spin, the combination of the geomet-ric cross-section and the on-court perfor-mance will convince them that you knowyour stuff.

If you think that Big Hitter Black 7might be for you, don’t miss Tourna’s buy-one-get-one-free offer for USRSA membersin the U.S.

Tourna Big Hitter Black 7

—Greg Raven◗


“ Good feel, outstanding spin. Thiscould be my new string.”4.0 male all-court player using Volkl V1Classic strung at 56 pounds CP (WilsonHyperlast Spin 19)

“ Nasty bite! Hitting heavy spin is effort-less.” 4.5 male all-court player usingWilson BLX Tour strung at 52 pounds CP(Luxilon Alu Power 16L)

“ Great combination of power and dura-bility!” 4.5 male all-court player usingWilson K Blade strung at 57 pounds LO(Luxilon Adrenaline 16L)

“ This poly has a rare blend of spin andcomfort.” 5.0 male serve-and-volleyplayer using Babolat Pure Drive + CortexGT strung at 60 pounds CP (Luxilon Sav-age 17)

“ Great bite! Holds tension well. Defi-

For the rest of the tester comments, visit www.racquet-sportsindustry.com.

TESTERS TALK nitely not as stiff as most polys.”4.0 male serve-and-volley player using WilsonBLX Six One (16x18) strung at 52 pounds LO(Wilson NXT 16)

“ This string makes a sharp knife seem dull.It’s a great baseline tool for heavy spin.” 5.0male all-court player using Head Youtek Pres-tige Pro strung at 57 pounds CP (Luxilon AluPower 16)

“ This is definitely a high-end copoly. It has

tons of control. Power is high, but the feel getsworse after ten hours.” 4.5 male all-courtplayer using Babolat Pure Storm Tour GT strungat 55 pounds CP (Babolat RPM Blast 16)

“ This string has no shortage of bite. It isfriendlier than other polys.” 4.0 male baselin-er with heavy spin using Babolat Pure DriveRoddick strung at 60 pounds LO (Luxilon AluFluoro 17)

Tennis teaching is hard work. Itcan entail long and difficulthours, challenging students and,

many times, a job with limited or nohealth and retirement benefits. Whilethe industry is trying to correct some ofthese shortcomings, those who teachtennis do it more for the love of thegame and the lifelong relationships thatteaching can bring.

The reality is, the average age of atennis professional is 46, and risingeach year. Clearly, there is a need tobring more and younger men andwomen into the tennis teaching proranks.

But, as a facility director or manag-er, you are now faced with a chal-lenge—you need to hire a new teachingpro or tennis director for your facility.What are you going to look for in yourcandidate?

Most club directors or managerswould agree that a candidate only getsone shot at making a first impression,and it’s often that initial meeting that ismost critical. A more traditional facilitydirector might make assumptionsbased on a candidate’s personalappearance, clothing, tattoos or pierc-ings, type of vehicle, etc. A more “up-to-date” manager might tolerate somethings others would not—but in anycase, first impressions play a key role ina candidate’s ultimate viability in fulfill-ing a particular job opening, and asavvy job candidate needs to be con-scious of the impression he or shemakes.

Facility directors should do anextensive background search on thecandidate, noting previous jobs, lengthof service at each, and the reasons forleaving. Is the candidate certified by the


and does he have the ability to relate to stu-dents, parents and families and providelife’s lessons within the club environ-ment?”

I love working with “people” peopleand I think most tennis club members doas well. Folks who can conduct a conversa-tion about other things besides tennis andhave a nice balance between work andpersonal life add to a teaching staff.

A friend mentioned another trait Ifound interesting. “I like employees whoare open to motivation,” he said. I’m surewe’ve all been in staff meetings where aneed occurs, but no one, or only one per-son, volunteers for the task. I realize I justtalked about balance and “well-rounded-ness,” but an employee I want to workwith is someone who does volunteer often,is willing to take the lead and attempt thejob, and is willing to learn a new skill.

One of my favorite questions to askgoes back to my coaching days. Whenrecruiting a prospective student-athlete, Iwould consider, “Is this kid a good team-mate?” Another way to look at a candidateis to ask, “Is this person a ‘me’ person or a‘we’ person?”

I love “we” people. Those folks look ata challenge that a facility may have andthey say, “We can do this.” Too manytimes, the response is, “I don’t think thiswill work,” or, “Count me out.” I say, letthose candidates take a job at the clubdown the road. I don’t want them as partof my staff.w

Your Serve


Hiring a Tennis Pro?An industry veteran who helps matchteaching pros to jobs has some advice onwhat to look for.

We welcome your opinions. Please email comments to [email protected].

B Y D E N N Y S C H A C K T E R

Tennis industry veteran Denny Schackter ownsTennis Priorities (tennispriorities.com), aplacement firm for tennis professionals. Hecan be reached at [email protected].

USPTA or PTR, or both? Has the candi-date taken advantage of educationalopportunities to increase working knowl-edge? Has the candidate been a goodteammate in previous jobs? Does thecandidate have an engaging personality,good communication skills with all agegroups, a good handshake and eye con-tact? Does the on-court lesson encom-pass a private and/or group strength?Does he or she show compassion andempathy? Is he reliable and on time, pas-sionate about tennis and a lifelong learn-er? Does the candidate have a sense ofhumor?

One director I talked to mentionedgood writing skills as an attribute, impor-tant in communicating with parents andmembers, as well as interacting in thecommunity.

As I’ve found in my tennis consultingbusiness and in placing teaching proswith various clubs, I believe one of thesoundest ways to judge a tennis profes-sional is to investigate the candidate’spast. Patterns generally appear at eachstop, and those patterns, good and bad,are the product you are buying.

I asked friends and family who workin a variety of professions, “What do youthink are the ingredients for the perfectemployee?” After all, hiring a tennis prois no different than hiring a sales rep or anurse or any other professional. One ofthe responses I received that intriguedme was someone who said he workswith folks who lack “well-roundedness.”They would rather finish a task at workthan go home to loved ones or attend ascheduled family event.

Now, most managers probably wouldsay, “I love it. What a great work ethic!”Looking further, though, you could ask,“Is this potential employee well-rounded,

, TENNIS BALL AND STRINGER O F THE FRENCH OPEN

201205 Racquet Sports Industry

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