MEMBER PROFILE: Matt Houser Grows His Hometown ......and seven indoor courts to installing new...

MEMBER PROFILE: Matt Houser Grows His HometownJunior Program With Enthusiasm

Lucas Casás, USPTA Communications

att Houser was in the lobby waiting to get on court for his tennis lesson when

suddenly, someone ran in.

“He was screaming, ‘Does anyone know CPR? Call 9-1-1!’” Houser remembered.

Houser followed him to the racquetball courts and found a man laying unconscious. Houser, a USPTA Elite Professional, per-formed CPR for roughly seven minutes be-fore paramedics arrived. The man was saved and made a full recovery.

“It was something that I knew with my ex-perience with the USPTA and with teaching that it was an important thing to have, being CPR certified,” Houser said.

“Now, they have around 100 kids a week,” Houser said.

Houser said that in his time at Club Green Meadows, the club has made more changes “than in the past 30 years.” And he attributes it all to snowballing enthusiasm in his mem-bership.

From adding new lighting on its outdoor and seven indoor courts to installing new carpeting throughout the facility, upgrades are afoot.

His club is among the biggest in the area and boasts a slew of sports and activities. In addition to eight tennis courts, the club has a full golf course, indoor and outdoor pools,

[Continued on page 3]

Houser (right) with Carlos Gomez at the USPTA Pacifi c Northwest Division Conference.

Houser counts that among his most fortunate moments on the court. He also thinks it’s why he was named 2014 USPTA Pacific Northwest Assistant Pro of the Year.

At just 30 years old, he’s since become director of ten-nis at Club Green Meadows in his hometown of Vancouver, Wash. When he arrived at Green Meadows three years ago, the club didn’t have any junior program.

three basketball courts, a bowling alley, a full weight room and 10 racquetball courts. Three times a week, the basket-ball courts are full of pickleball.

Having so many different sports and activities gives Green Meadows members plenty to do, but it also presents Houser and the staff with opportunities to leverage their offerings

M

Member Pro� le: Matt Houser ...................................................................................... 1President’s Message: Matt Iwerson ............................................................................ 2Message from USPTA President Feisal Hassan ........................................................... 2Quick Hits - News From Around the Section ............................................................... 4Meet The 2020 PNW Board of Directors ..................................................................... 5Welcome New PNW Division Certi� ed Members ....................................................... 6Feature: MPRC’s Roger McKee, Mike Kanapeau and Mike Pazourek ....................... 7

SPONSOR ADS:Fromuth/Nike ................................................................................................................ 8Wilson Triniti Balls ........................................................................................................ 9Wilson Pro Sta� ..........................................................................................................10Wilson Tennis Ball Line ...............................................................................................11

INDEX

S p r i n g 2 0 2 0 2 u s p t a p nw. o r g

President’s Message Welcome Letter

By Matt IwersenUSPTA/PNW President

ello Members!

Welcome to the fi rst edition of our revised USPTA/PNW quarterly newsletter. In this, and in future issues, we will bring you stories from our tennis service com-munity through educational articles and links, member and club focused features, as-well-as important activities and events happening throughout the PNW region. Your board believes there is a fountain of interest-ing stories, about our members, who are doing fabulous things, and we want to share them with you. That is why we encourage you to help us bring you those stories by contacting your district representative (see listing and contact info on this page) and give them the information and/or story ideas that you think would be fun and educational for our PNW membership to read.

President - Matt Iwersen Bellingham Training & Tennis [email protected]

Regional Vice President - Bill FletcherSalem Tennis & Swim Club 509-551-4404� [email protected]

Treasurer - Kay [email protected]

NW Washington Rep Position 1Josh BashaForest Crest Athletic [email protected]

NW Washington Rep Position 2Cooper AndersonBellingham Training & Tennis [email protected]

E. Washington District Rep Charl GroblerWenatchee Racquet & Athletic [email protected]

N. Oregon District Rep Position 1Darrell [email protected]

N. Oregon District Rep Position 2Caitlin EberleWest Hills Racquet & Fitness [email protected]

S. Oregon District Rep - Position Open

USPTA/PNW Division Head TesterTed SayrahderForest Crest Tennis Club425-774-0014, [email protected]

Executive Director - Donald Patch503-702-8942, [email protected] AT usptapnw.org

The fi rst quarter of this year has been a disaster, defi ned by the Covid-19 pandem-ic. Your board has met several times and circulated a member survey to help identi-fy and create programs as-well-as activi-ties that would help all of us during and af-ter this catastrophe. You can see the result of the survey by going to: https://www.usptapnw.org/member-survey-2020 and clicking on the survey link.

These meetings and survey responses have resulted in: The cancellation of our face-to-face 2020 Division Convention; The creation of an online educational program extending into the foresee-able future; And a series of online mem-ber meetings scheduled around building

H

A message from President Feisal Hassan

Dear Members:During this time of unprecedented uncertainty, the

USPTA Board of Directors is concerned about the safety and well-being of your families, colleagues, customers, partners, and the many friends who make up the USPTA family. Our hearts are with those who have been affect-ed personally by the outbreak of coronavirus.

stronger member-to-member and member-to-student bonds, and better business prac-tices. We are interested in hearing your on-line meeting topic ideas so please, feel free to email them to your district representative.

Then last but certainly not least let’s make sure we all stay connected during these un-certain times. If you are able and can help anyone suff ering in any way let’s all try and get through this once in a lifetime occurrence together. We are stronger when we all help each other.

Thank you for the opportunity to work on your behalf to making the USPTA an impor-tant part of your professional development. I wish you all a healthy, happy, and productive 2020. P

Please see this statement by the USTA on the safety of playing tennis released on April 3.As each day goes by dealing with COVID-19, more and more facilities are being closed, tennis departments are shutting down or your income is being cut. If that is happen-ing, please check with your employer regarding their human resources policies.

[Continued on page 3]


[Continued from page 1]

into cross-sport activity nights and other special events to galvanize enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm, after all, is infectious. And Houser is full of it.

Teaching runs in the family. His mother has taught ele-mentary school for over 25 years. Two of his cousins, two of his aunts and an uncle are schoolteachers. He was an accom-plished player – he played NCAA DIII at Willamette University – and he coached a little in high school but didn’t consider making a career of it until his senior year.

“There were definitely opportunities in coaching tennis, es-pecially for a new grad right out of college. I guess that was the driving factor,” he said. “I had some previous mentors in the profession, and they kept providing me with opportu-nities in tennis. Even though it wasn’t the first thing on my radar, it kept pulling me back to the point where I decided to dive into it.”

Houser got certified by the USTA to coach high-perfor-mance tennis. He has a degree in exercise science, so he fo-cuses not just on their technique and strategy, but also on his players’ flexibility, strength and conditioning and mental toughness.

“I’ll make it mandatory when the kids play that they have to say something positive after every single point,” he said. “They think it’s kind of funny, but they still do it and it actu-ally does show results.”

Houser has organized and coached four Junior Team Ten-

nis teams from around the Vancouver area that qualified for JTT Nationals in each of the last four years. Most recently, they finished 10th in the nation.

“My goal isn’t to have the biggest program,” he said. “My goal is to have a good amount of kids and provide a quality tennis education for those kids.

“That’s why I’m passionate about the kids and developing the kids in the area. It’s because I was one of those kids.” P

MEMBER PROFILE: Matt Houser

Houser played No. 1 singles and was a three-year captain at Willamette University. Houser with fi ancé, Hien, at a fundraiser

for Portland Tennis and Education

As an Association, we will be doing the following:

First, we temporarily removed the paywall on www.TennisResources.com until April 30. Members in good standing can access the following courses at no charge here. In addition, on Wednesdays, we will highlight a video for education credits on social media. Just a re-minder: each course is only eligible for credits one time.Second, we have created a closed Facebook group for members to discuss best practices, share innovative ideas and offer support to each other. Additionally, at the right are some links with helpful information about protecting your health and safety.

I know that most of our members of the USPTA fam-ily have never experienced this level of uncertainty in our businesses and our way of life. We have been through tur-

[Continued from page 2]A message from President Feisal Hassan

bulent times before, and what has always carried us through has been our commitment to our values, our culture and most of all, to each other.

As the President of our organization, I am confident that we will emerge from this crisis as a strong, trusted Associa-tion that truly connects tennis professionals like no other and we will be become stronger for having gone through this experience together.

I continue to be honored and humbled to lead our Associa-tion. I plan on giving updates if and when it is appropriate. Thank you for all that you are doing and most of all stay safe.

Sincerely,

Feisal Hassan

USPTA President


2020 Spokane Invitational a Success!

By Jeff Urie

The Spokane Club hosted the 2020 Spokane Invitational Tennis Tournament Jan 17-19. There was over 120 competitors from all over the PNW playing in men’s and women’s NTRP and open events! The tournament was sponsored by South Perry Pizza. Great competition and fun was had by all to the extent newly appointed Whitworth Men’s coach Cameron Williams will make this a mandatory event for his players next year. Former Gonzaga University player Ronzai Saurombe walked away with Men’s Open Singles then teamed with an old Towson guy to win the Doubles! Our next adult tourney will be the Eastern Washington Championships, June 5-7! Come out and play and see the world…or Spokane at least!

Chilly Dog Tournament

By Charl Grobler

Our new format for the Chilly Dog Tennis Tournament in February turned out to be very successful. We played each event in three-hour segments. Friday Night was a Mixed Doubles Potluck. Saturday morning was singles and doubles was played in the afternoon. Sunday afternoon was Mixed Doubles. The players preferred getting all their matches played in less time.

New USPTA PNW Social Media Efforts

By Cooper Anderson

Your USPTA PNW board has created a subcommittee to continue to share and grow our social media presence primarily on Facebook. Board members are actively sharing information both entertaining and educational, and engaging with Pacific Northwest USPTA members. If you haven’t already, follow the “Official USPTA Pacific Northwest” Facebook page.

Another tennis technology that we are taking advantage of is the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) system. Your universal rating is a real-time evaluation of your skill based on your actual performance. It is used in the club level to create level-based match play opportunities and at the high school and college level to scout and recruit talent. The USPTA PNW board has created a group titled “USPTA PNW’ on the UTR website that any active member can join. There you will be able to create and share UTR tour-naments and play dates with all members of the PNW. Go www.utr.com and search “USPTA PNW.” If you have questions on how you can join the USTPA/PNW UTR site and take advantage of the free listings, give Don Patch a call at 503-702-8942. P

Quick Hits News From Around the Section


[Continued on next page]

PRESIDENT: Matt IwersenMy name is Matt Iwersen and I’m the

USPTA/PNW President.After 19 years working, raising my fam-

ily, and working at the always improving Bellingham Training & Tennis Club, I can officially call myself a proud PNW resident. The journey I have had through tennis is one that I consider charmed. I have had opportunities to experience life in Califor-nia, NYC, Antigua, Wisconsin, Montana, and now Bellingham, WA – all through tennis connections. These life experiences have helped me settle here in the PNW, with the opportunity to meet and work with so many enthusiastic, intelligent, and genuine people in the industry.

It has been through the USPTA/PNW that I have been able to continue to grow as a tennis professional and find new enthu-siasm in the occupation that I have been so lucky to be part of since 1987. I have been a Division 1 player, an assistant tennis pro, a middle school teacher, a Parks & Rec Programs Director, and now a Director of Tennis and Manger of a great club. I know that, through all these experiences, I still have much to learn. I am both humbled and thrilled to work with the whole USPTA/PNW membership as your president. I hope, through working with the national office and listening to all of you, we will grow stronger as an organization. I believe through collaboration, we can continue growing the game that provides so much to our lives.

REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT: Bill Fletcher

My name is Bill Fletcher, I’m the USPTA/PNW’s Regional Vice President.

I have spent the past 30 years cre-ating comprehensive and competitive tennis programming for all ages. From nationally competitive juniors through adult USTA national champions. This year past year I had two teams play at nationals along with several teams at regional sectionals. I have worked on the USPTA/PNW board since 2006, serving as its Eastern Wash-ington, and Southern Oregon representative, as-well-as Re-gional Vice President and President. I have also served on the USPTA’s national Nominating Committee as its Chair.

For three consecutive years, my program was named one of the Top 50 tennis programs in the nation by the Tennis Industry Association. In 2010, I was named Facility Manger of the Year by USPTA/PNW. For the second time, in 2012, I was named Coach of the Year; I have shared my passion

and knowledge of coaching as a head coach at several high schools for over 15 years.

I’m currently the Director of Tennis for Salem Tennis and Swim Club, along with Illahe Country Club, and owner of Serve it Up which provides a spectrum of tennis services.

TREASURER: Kay Lorrain My name is Kay Lorrain and I am the

current USPTA/PNW’s Board Treasur-er. I work the front desk at the Boeing Employees Tennis Club part time, and also fill in as a substitute Teaching Pro. I have taught High School PE in the Au-burn School District for 40 years and I have coached both boys’ and girls’ ten-nis for the past 26 years. I joined the USPTA in 2004 when I was going to be a full-time teaching pro, but the school district needed me. I have remained a member through the years because of the amazing people I have met and the opportunity to learn new ideas.

I grew up in Wenatchee, WA, playing tennis at the local parks with my Dad. My favorite memory was the year I played sin-gles at the Washington State Open tournament at the Seattle Tennis Club. On finals day, I walked onto the court as former Seahawk Steve Largent, walked off and wished me good luck. These days coaching high school girls is the best part of my day. They are so eager to learn the game and they have fun in every aspect of practice and matches.

NORTHERN OREGON Darrell Hawkins

My name is Darrell Hawkins and I am a USPTA/PNW board representative from Northern Oregon. I have played tennis for more than 37 years. I earned a B.S. in Finance from OSU and a MS in Man-agement in Information Systems from CWRU, and I am currently employed as an Executive Consultant Program Director for IBM. I became a member of the USPTA because I am motivated by a desire to help beginning juniors and adults learn tennis.

As a player I was a high school and college varsity letterman. My introduction to organizing tennis teams came when I was President of the Oregon State University Club tennis teams from 1988-9. Then I started coaching the Corvallis High School boys’ tennis team (1998-2000), winning the Valley League Championship in 1999. I continue to support the tennis com-munity through the Portland Tennis and Education Foundation as well as local tennis academies and high school programs.

Meet Your PNW Board Members2020 PNW BOARD


[Continued from previous page]

NORTHERN OREGONCaitlin Eberle

My name is Caitlin Eberle and I serve the board as a Northern Oregon area rep.

I grew up in Bountiful, UT playing tennis. After I accepted a scholarship to play tennis at Portland State Uni-versity - I moved to the PNW and have been here ever since. I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences.

I currently work at West Hills Racquet and Fitness Club in Beaverton, OR. I have worked there for six years as an as-sistant professional and have loved helping grow the junior program. I especially enjoy developing the U10 youth pro-gressions. I love helping people learn a sport that they can continue to play all their lives.

NW WASHINGTONJosh Basha

My name is Josh Basha and I am a USPTA/PNW board representative for Northwest WA.

I am the Director of Tennis for Forest Crest Athletic Club, and Basha Tennis. I am also a USPTA/PNW tester.

I lived in the Southwest section for 10 years before moving to the PNW in 2013. I specialize in coaching adult tournament players, regularly traveling to local tournaments with players ,and I compete in national tournaments. I am also active in giving back to the commu-nity by regularly hosting food drive tennis events.

NW WASHINGTONCooper Anderson

My name is Cooper Anderson and I serve the board as a Northwest WA area rep. I am a teaching pro at Bell-ingham Tennis and Training Club, in Bellingham, WA. Before that I worked for the USTA managing recreational tennis programs in parks and schools. As a player, I regularly travel the PNW to play tournaments and USTA leagues.

My mission in life is to grow and share the game of tennis, and being on the board allows this opportunity. As the newest member of the board, I hope to network and learn all I can from my fellow board members and all USPTA/PNW members. I will work hard as your representative to make the USPTA a great organization to be part of

EASTERN WASHINGTONCharl Grobler

My name is Charl Grobler and I am a voluntary USPTA/PNW board member representing Eastern WA. My tennis his-tory started as a competitive junior in South Africa, then college tennis in Tulsa and now teaching in Wenatchee, WA, for the past 34 years.

I have been a member of the USPTA since 1982. As a member I have learned a lot and the guidance that I have received from other mentors has paid off in many ways.

Tennis Pro’s work really hard and need like-minded fellow pro’s to help support them by understanding their needs. I embrace the opportunity as a board member to help fulfill those needs. P

Meet Your PNW Board Members

FIND US ON FACEBOOKhttp://www.facebook.com/

USPTAPacifi cNorthwest

Welcome to these new PNW Division Certifi ed Members[as of 2019]

Scott Allen Beaverton ORAnnElise Anderson Spokane WANicholas Berni Edmonds WAAaron Cheung Eugene ORKevin Chung Seattle WABen Doan Portland ORCarlos Gomez Vancouver WATeri Hartshorn Beaverton ORLuong Hau Everett WAJason Ibrao Springfi eld ORSamir Iftikhar Tacoma WAChristian Israel Vancouver ORDaniel James Seattle WAZachary Juhre Seattle WAVincent Lopes Snohoimish WA

Grant Maddox Manson WAMary McCombs Bainbridge Isl WADaniel Mitha Phoenix AZDavid Nguyen Portland ORColton Reed Vancouver WADaniel Schwartz Corvallis ORDea Sumantri Seattle WAKayleigh Tanca Vancouver WAMichi VanGrunsven Battle Ground WAStacy Vogwell Portland OR

Jaimie Waltz Issaquah WAWendell Watanabe Seattle WACameron Williams Spokane WA

Recreational Coach

Benjamin DeVries Bainbridge Isl WA


25 Years with Roger, Mike K, and Mike P

he was one of the top juniors in the Pacific Northwest. Upon receiving an athletic scholarship to St. Mary’s in Moraga, CA, Mike played division 1 tennis and competed against some of the nation’s top collegiate players.

Mike received his undergraduate degree in Political Sci-ence from St. Mary’s and soon after began a very active life on and off the court at MPRC, where his satisfaction comes from helping adults and juniors attain their best. Mike re-sides with his wife and two children.

MICHAEL PAZOUREK was born in Prague, Czech Repub-lic and grew up playing tennis in Tacoma, Washington. He had an outstanding junior career and was ranked fourth in the nation in the boys sixteen and under category. At age eighteen Mike turned pro and attained a top 500 world ranking in both singles and doubles. Mike achieved a PNW singles ranking of #1 in 1981 and the #1 doubles ranking in 1984. Prior to MPRC, Michael was the Associate Pro at the Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club in Jackson Hole, Wyo-ming and the Head Tennis Pro at the Tacoma Lawn Ten-nis Club in Tacoma, Washington. An Oregon resident since 1989, he lives with his wife.

n the transient world of tennis pros, it is most unusual to have longevity with one club. We have not one, not two,

but three who have planted roots in Lake Oswego, grown and remained with the same club for 25 years!

It was a serendipitous alignment of the stars that brought these three men to MPRC at the same time, and we are the lucky ones to have had the opportunity to de-velop our tennis games and lasting friendships with these three tennis professionals. Their dedication and talents have produced many fine players and raised the level of club players in our area.

They truly have helped make MPRC the respected club that it is.

They enjoy “serving” our members and say “THANK YOU” for the privilege.

We say THANK YOU for staying and CONGRATULATIONS on this milestone, MPRC gentlemen of the courts!

ROGER McKEE, the fearless leader, Director of Tennis, the one who sets the standard in excellence, mans the helm.

A native Oregonian, Roger grew up and played high school tennis in Roseburg and was a two-time state high school tennis champion in 1968 and 1969. He played collegiate tennis at Oregon State, where he is the winningest player in OSU Men’s tennis history and was named one of Oregon State’s top 100 athletes in the 20th century.

As a touring pro, Roger competed on circuits in the U.S, Europe, and South Africa. He also was a USTA 35 and Over National Champion in singles (hard-court) and doubles (grass courts) in 1987. In 1988, Roger represented the USA on the 35 and over team in the Italia Cup, held in Bol,Yugoslavia.

Roger enjoys teaching all levels of players. His protégés include numerous Oregon high school state champions, and his recognized as a master in teaching tennis technique. He has been a pro at Willow Creek Racquet Club in Eugene and at the late Eastmoreland Racquet Club.

Roger has a degree in architecture from the University of Oregon and lives with his wife Jane and daughter Marcella.

MIKE KANAPEAUX grew up in sunny Santa Barbara, Cali-fornia, competing regionally in the boys 10’s through the 16’s. During that time, he was ranked as high as #19 nation-ally with one hard-court national tournament victory. In his last two years of juniors, he relocated to Salem, OR where

I

The MPRC Three celebrate a 25 year association. (From left) Mike Kanapeau, Roger McKee, and Michael Pazourek

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USPTAPacifi cNorthwest


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MEMBER PROFILE: Matt Houser Grows His Hometown ......and seven indoor courts to installing new...

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