Bradenton’s Maria Sharapova - newactiveadultcommunity.comnewactiveadultcommunity.com/index_htm_files/TTAugust2012-lo res… · Maria Sharapova Page 7. November 11 WORLD CLASS SENIOR

August 2012

America’s #1 Local Tennis Magazine

Bradenton’s Maria Sharapova Page 7

November 11 WORLD CLASS SENIOR DOUBLESDecember 9 SARASOTA’S BATTLE OF THE SEXESJanuary 13 BATTLE OF THE ATP CHAMPIONSFebruary 10 BATTLE OF THE TENNIS DIRECTORSMarch 10 BATTLE OF THE AGESApril 7 NATIONAL SENIOR 70’s CHAMPIONS

All Matches: Sundays 11 a.m. • Payne Park Tennis Center

FREE ADMISSION

Sean Rogers Bob Luxembourg

Tennis Director, Sean Rogers, and Tennis Promoter and

Consultant, Bob Luxembourg, have exciting plans for the future

of Payne Park Tennis Center.

To benefit Meals On WheelsSCHEDULE

Totally Tennis August 2012 3

LIvE CHAMPIONSHIP GREyHOUND RAC-

ING THROUGHMAy 5TH!

A d v e r t i s e r s I n d e x$25,000 Totally Tennis Series Title Sponsorship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Home Loan Solutions from Bank of America . 27Bath & Racquet Fitness Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Bennett Orthopedics & Sports Medicine. . . . . 23 Bradenton Country Club. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Carmen Schettino Photography . . . . . . . . . . . 25C’est La Vie! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Celsius Tennis Academy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Courtside Tennis Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Do You Still Struggle with Your Serve?. . . . . . . 2 Gigi Silverberg, Realtor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Heidi Webber, Realtor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Heron Creek Golf & Country Club . . . . . . . . . 22IMG: Bollettieri Tennis Academy. . . . . . . . . . . . 9Jacaranda West Country Club . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Kelley Sports Photography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Laurel Oak Country Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Longboat Key Club & Resort . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Longwood Athletic Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Lumina Health Products (Cell Foods). . . . . . . . 7Meadows Country Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Meadows Dental Associates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Mona Lisa Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Palm Aire Country Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Plantation Golf & Country Club. . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Pro Tennis Academy at G.T. Bray Park . . . . . . 3 Ray Collins Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 River Strand Golf & Country Club. . . . . . . . . . 21 Sarasota Kennel Club. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Sarasota Sports Medicine: Dr. Ken Kaufman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Stacy Liljeberg, Realtor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Stoneybrook Golf & Country Club of Sarasota 21Sweet Tomatoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Teddy Tennis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Terry Green, Architect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Total Tennis of Siesta Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29University Park Country Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Video Production. Media Training.

Publicity.

RayCollinsMedia.com

August 2012 Totally Tennis4

From My Gut

I think the greatest contribution to tennis in the 21st century is The TennisChannel. See page ? for the story of the amazing and gutsy Ken Solomon, who started it, and his unique relationship with Jimmy Connors.

In early May, I began a series of meetings with the new Tennis Director of the Payne Park Tennis Center, Sean Rogers, and several of his associates. We discussed four ideas that would enhance the image at PPTC and make it a lucrative operation. One of those ideas involves Totally Tennis and they will not only help

Payne Park, but also enhance the sport of tennis in our community.The successful Totally Tennis Exhibition Series has found a permanent home at Payne Park

and we will begin our next season on Sunday, November 11th. All matches will be played on the new Center Court which, when completed, will have 300 covered seats with 150 seats on both sides of the court providing great atmosphere and comfort for spectators. The 2012-2013 season will be our best ever with ATP stars competing, as well as our local pros and world ranked amateurs. See schedule on page 2.

This and several other ideas will mark a new and exciting future for Payne Park. And you can count on the continuation of the friendly reputation that was inspired by the amiable past tennis director Dan Olson.

Even though the osteo-arthritis in my right wrist has ended my playing career, promoting the exciting sport of tennis still pulses through my veins. Nordis keeps telling me to “Think big,” and I’m trying!

I have asked Maria Sharapova’s agent, Max Eisenbud, to find out if Maria would be interested in doing what Chris Evert has done for TENNIS magazine. Chris has invested in TENNIS magazine as a General Partner with her own editorial column. How great would it be to have Maria as our partner with her own column?

Publisher Bob Luxembourg

[email protected] and Art Director

Kathy Whyte941-932-6688

[email protected]. of Communications/

Public RelationsJon Gabrielle941-313-1276

[email protected] Developer

Gary VarnumAccount Executives

Dave Gillum850-508-1157

[email protected] Mark Hollobaugh

941-962-0590 [email protected]

Heidi Webber941-356-6077

[email protected] Advisory Board

Erik Luxembourg, ChairMark Cardon, Dave Johnson

Tom McLaughlin, Randy MoorePaul TradeliusColumnists

Nick Bollettieri, Ray Collins, Tom Cooke, Tiffany Dabek Davis, Brad Hahn, Dean Iorli, Grace Lee,

Allistair McCaw, David Rees, HJ Sauer, Jack Steyn, Eric Tate

PhotographyJohn Kelley, Carmen Schettino

Pro StaffRon Smith, Chair

Ty Braswell, Don Caprio, Eric Davidson

Official UmpireGuy Mileni

Totally Tennis4831 Greywood Lane Sarasota, FL 34235

www.totallytennismag.comTotally Tennis Magazine is published bi-monthly. Address editorial, advertising and cir cula tion correspondence to the above address. Sufficient return postage and self-addressed, stamped envelope must accom-pany all manuscripts, art work and photo-graphs submitted if they are to be returned or acknowledged. Publisher assumes no responsibility for care or return of unsolicited materials. Membership: $30 per year. All con-tents copyrighted. Reproduction without per-mission is prohibited.

America’s #1 Local Tennis Magazine

Publisher

3 Advertisers Index3 Player Profiles: Adam Zastempowski 4 From My Gut Bob Luxembourg5 Player Profiles: Denis Pelegrin6-7 Ten & Under Tennis 8 Sarasota Sports Festival 9 Nick’s Corner: Winning Wimbledon Nick Bollettieri 10-14 Tournament Results15 Gulf Coast Tennis Hall of Fame16 Calendar 17 2012 Cure for the Kids Tennis Festival at Bradenton Country Club

Contents18-19 League Highlights Brad Hahn20-23 Tennis Clubs 23 Thank You, Dr. Bennett!24 Real Estate Pros25 Readers Views; Dean’s Strings26 Food Court 27 Game, Set, Match at VillageWalk MelvinThomas28 Totally Talented Juniors: Andrea Johnson and Antoine Sanchez29 My Partner: Friend or Foe HJ Sauer30 At Home with the Westhoffs 31 Nostalgia

Editor

Dear Readers,It’s nothing short of a miracle that you are even reading this paragraph. My

Apple computer hard drive had a “hard attack” and had to be shipped to California for data recovery. As I write this, I am still waiting for the disc doctors to ship back the data so that all the links in this issue can be updated. You’re probably asking why didn’t I back up my files. As it turns out, my back-up hard drive died also. I have learned the “hard” way that you can’t always trust your back-up technology. I don’t

know how many back-ups one needs to sufficiently feel file-secure, but from now on iCloud will be my file storage cyber savior.

Most of you probably have back-up rackets, back-up doubles partners, and back-up weekend plans. I urge you to save all your photos, music, letters, etc. so that your valuable memories and documents aren’t lost forever. Otherwise it’s a hardcore hard-ache.

Totally Tennis June 2012 5

Player rofiles: Bob ZipayBob Zipay, Tennis Director at

Englewood Tennis Club, was born on Long Island, NY. His

dad, a helicopter pilot in the US Coast Guard, was assigned to Air Sea Rescue. His Mom, Sue, played second base, right field, and pitcher for the Rockford Peaches, a professional ladies baseball team. The family later moved to Massa-chusetts where he and his brother and sister spent most of their child-hood learning and playing tennis. Bob remembers having his first lesson with a cut off Mary Hardwick Wooden Wilson racquet. He even-tually got his degree in mechanical engineering. In 1987 his parents relocated to Florida. At that time he was managing the family tennis shop on Cape Cod and also working as a mechanical engineer near Boston. A leasing agent on Longboat Key wanted a similar tennis business in their complex, so Bob opened a sec-ond location there. This, and the purchase of Englewood Tennis Club, would lead him into a full-time tennis career. Why do you love the game of tennis? Tennis is a game of wits, like a chess match. It is true that the better athlete will often prevail, but as a 4’ 11” high school freshman, I found great success in finding a way to defeat the bigger guy. I once had a pro tell me, “If your opponent leaves the court telling you he played the worst ever, then you did your job.”

Who were your idols growing up? Early on Laver was my idol. Con-nors and Borg hadn’t yet arrived, and the popularity of the two-handed backhand was not there. The only two-handed player at that time was Cliff Drysdale. He also wore a black belt, so I decided I’d better start wearing a black belt! I loved to mimic players. I could do the Tony Roach serve and the Bjorn Borg backhand. Borg was the guy I wanted to be. I think Rod Laver revolutionized the game with his topspin backhand, then Lendl with his approach to fitness.

How do you feel about American college teams being loaded up with international players? Wrong! We should be giving more tennis and edu-cational opportunities to our own kids. You hear so much about what’s wrong with American tennis, but scholarships are given to international college players and our own USTA will sponsor non-tax-paying foreign players before US players. In regards to American tennis, keep in mind, all the top juniors from around the world come to Florida to train.

What’s the craziest thing that ever happened to you on the tennis court? In the middle of a lesson on my birthday I was abducted by one of our ladies’ teams. They dragged me away to a pro tournament and a full day of fun and sun.

What is your best advice for amateurs? If you’re playing a match and things aren’t going well, study and learn from your opponent. For in-stance, if he keeps drop shotting you, and you’re losing the point, try a drop shot yourself and see how your opponent plays it.

What’s the best way for a player to increase his mental toughness? Practice! It’s important to introduce pressure situations. Make these situ-ations more and more difficult, and eventually the match is played as though it’s a practice session, and easier to handle.

Are there any rules of tennis you would like to have changed? Yes. Penalties for cheating. I’ve seen many disgruntled kids quit because of cheating in tournaments. The refs do a great job, but when they leave the court, the chronic cheaters start up again often encouraged by the parents. I would like to see these repeat offenders black-listed and re-quired to pay for their own personal referee as well as the tournament entry fee. The referee would be on court for every match that player played. Hit these people in the pocket book and make the game fair for the honest ones.

Favorite place to travel to? I like to get away to the mountains. My fam-ily and I (wife Rachel and son Ben) have been going to Asheville, NC the

past few years for a get-away. It’s nice to see earth that isn’t flat.

Who are some of the rising stars of American tennis? I’ve been telling our kids to keep an eye on Sarasota’s Sekou Bangoura. He plays chess, he doesn’t get rattled, he was trained by his teaching pro dad. Size and quick-ness are on his side, and I think he has the desire!

What was your most embarrassing moment in tennis? When I was a teen-ager, I was invited to play in a men’s league with some pretty good players.

For some reason I lost the ability to toss the ball for my serve. I always had a good serve, but this was too difficult to overcome because you can’t serve well if your toss is all over the place. The good news is I’m now able to help students that suffer from that problem.

What do you love about your ten-nis facility? It’s a family club. My mom is still involved and helps out on a part time basis. We just do tennis. We have over one hundred juniors in our program including my son, Ben, who is a tournament play-er. I enjoy coming to work everyday and especially the days Ben is with me. You’ll often see three genera-tions of Zipay’s working at the club.

What is your best tennis advice as a coach? Protect your weakness, but more importantly build around your strengths. The ladies get it when I tell them to accessorize . . .

Hitting the backboard at age 10

1979

Bob with son Ben


Which match(es) were you at your very best: I felt my best when I beat Kafelnikov, and also when I beat Guga. I was very nervous going into both those matches, but once I settled down, I knew I wasn’t going to lose.

Favorite court to play on: Red clay court is my favorite court...Phillipe Chartier is an amazing court, hands down the best court in the world for me.

Favorite players to watch: I love to watch Federer, Rafa, Murray, Nalbandian and Gaudio. From the older guys, I would say Guga, Courier, Muster.

Last book read: Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew… one of the best tennis books I have ever read! Brilliant. And I also read Buddha by Deepak Chopra.

Racquet you play with: Babolat Pure Drive Plus. Love it!

Shoes you play in: Adidas.

Closest friends from tennis: Xavier Malisse (we won Del-ray doubles together in 2007), Tommy Haas, Gaston Gaudio, Mariano Zabaleta.

Funniest player encountered: Monfils can be pretty funny... I’ll have to go with him!

Toughest competitors encountered: Toughest? Everyone is tough as nails on Tour . . . but Rafa, Djokovic, Ferrer are definitely at the top.”

Strangest match: Watching Corretja fold (break) three racquets after winning a semifinals of doubles in Kitzbuhel (smiles). I had no idea what was going on. Also a match in Bournemouth, England between Mariano Zabaleta and Ste-fan Koubek. The wind was so bad. They start the third set breaker and Zabaleta has this huge wind at his back and goes up 6-0. They switch sides and now Koubek has the wind in his favor and gets it to 6-6. The wind was a joke. As they switch sides, Zabaleta has this huge smile on his face and wins it 8-6. No one won a point against the wind!

Funny tennis memory: “I was playing against Carlos Berloq in Buenos Aires. And when I broke his serve to go up a set and a break in the second set, he went back to the fence and punched the fence....I hear this loud DONG! There was a metal lightpost behind the fence that he didn’t see and he crushed his hand. I won the next two games without losing a point. Poor guy could barely hold the racquet! I thought that was funny. I’m sure he didn’t (smiles).

Player rofiles:

By Scoop Malinowski

Status: Former ATP player. Winner of one ATP doubles title (Delray Beach). Reached a career high ranking of #100 in 2001. Operates the Armando Tennis Academy with his fa-ther, Hugo Sr. in Bradenton.

DOB: May 27, 1978 in Miami, FL

First tennis memory: Watching my sister (Romina) play and playing with the wall at our club in Argentina.

Tennis inspirations: Wow, so many...my sister, Jim Courier, Alberto Mancini, Pete Sampras, Pat Cash, Ivan Lendl, I could go on and on.

First famous tennis player you ever met: Andre Agassi at the Bollettieri Academy. I was 12 and we hit some balls for the Donnay people.

Greatest sports moment: Beating Yevgeny Kafelnikov (#6 ATP at the time) 6-1, 6-1 in Kitzbuhel, Austria and then hug-ging my dad (Hugo Sr.) in the locker room. And beating Gus-tavo Kuerten in Stuttgart in 2004 or 2005, he was one of my favorite players ever. He was also an inspiration.

Most painful moment: When I injured my wrist at 22 and I was ranked around 110 and I found out I was going to be out for ten months.

Why do you love playing tennis: I love playing because I love to compete, I love the life lessons I have learned thanks to the game of tennis, and I love that it’s just you out there.

Hugo Armando

Scoop Malinowski is the author of “Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew” and co-founder of www.Tennis-prose.com


“I love competing.There’s nothing in the world that gives me that adrenaline feel. Just being in the moment of a match, nothing else I’ve done in my life has given me that. It’s pressure and excitement and nerve, but that feeling and getting through that and winning, and beating an opponent? It’s a different feeling [than you get] in other careers.”

“I proved that no matter how many punches I took in my career, I’ve always gotten back up,” Sharapova said. “I never made excuses for me, not to myself, not to people. I have a tremendous amount of belief and pride in what I do. I love my work.

“I could have said, ‘I don’t need this. I have money; I have fame; I have victories; I have Grand Slams.’ But when your love for something is bigger than all those things, you continue to keep getting up in the morning when it’s freezing outside, when you know that it can be the most difficult day, when nothing is working, when you feel like the belief sometimes isn’t there from the outside world, and you

seem so small. But you can achieve great things when you don’t listen to all those [negative] things.” ~ Maria Sharapova

Sharapova Triumphs at the French Open

“Maria Sharapova wins the women’s title and the Career Slam. She also becomes the top-ranked female and surpasses $20 million in prize money. She may endorse luxury brands and promote a sort of a breezy glamour. But, truly, she is a tennis Calvinist, whose embrac-ing of hard work is the key to her success. You have to admire any athlete whose motivation doesn’t waver with her net worth.” ~ sportsillustrated/cnn.com

Winning her 4th Grand Slam is more important to her than being ranked #1 in the world.

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June 2012 Totally Tennis8

SARASOTA SPORTS FESTIvAL June 16th • Payne Park

Mayor Suzanne Atwell was pleased to see her vision become reality. Hundreds of families joined in the fun and entertainment

at the first annual Sarasota Sports Festival at Payne Park. Committee chair Joe Duffus lined up activities that included a family fun run, Circus Fit demos, disc golf, a Strider bike parade, BMX demos, skateboard-ing, 10 & Under Tennis, Teddy Tennis, and the amaz-ing new circus-theme playground. “It was a sincere honor to be part of such a passionate team that worked relentlessly to ensure a perfect day,” said Duffus. In honor of Mayor Atwell’s vision, he added: Thank you for believing in us and giving us the tools to be successful, including all of your networking, fund raising and personal appearances to enlighten the community about the Sports Festival.”

David Lloyd, teaching pro and USTA Local League Coordinator, said The Sarasota Sports Fes-tival was definitely a success! “There was a wide va-riety of 10 and under tennis players in attendance. Some were beginners and others were already competing in tournaments. There was a lot of enthu-siasm from all the kids, and the parents were able to get more information about lessons, classes and camps.”

The 3-5 year-olds paraded into the tennis courts to participate in Lark Baxter’s Teddy Tennis program and get hugs from Danny Bear. “I had a great day, met some really great kids and families who were interested in fit-ness, fun, and tennis,” said Lark.

As Payne Park is tucked away behind 301 and Ringling Blvd., many of the attendees had no idea that this jewel of Sarasota even existed. They were pleasantly surprised to see ponds with lilies and ducks, fountains, paved winding paths with plenty of tree-shade, public rest rooms, a huge skate board area, the new colorful circus-theme playground, and 12 tennis courts on the 29-acre facility. Now they know where to return with their families for free fun and relaxation.

Committee Chair Joe Duffus and Mayor Suzanne Atwell

PHOTOS By CARMEN AND JOHN KELLEy


Staying #1No matter what you do in life, whether playing tennis, going to

school or teaching, you always want to do your absolute best. This is what I try to instill in my students at IMG Academy no

matter their age or ability level. This is not always easy for many people and is often a struggle, but once you get to the top, you never want to slide back down. Recently, I had my own struggle and had to fight my way back!

It was the middle week of the French Open and I had just played 27 holes of golf, gone to watch some of the Nick Bollettieri Discovery Open at IMG Academy tennis tournament, and then I went body-surfing for 5 hours in the hot Florida sun with my two young sons, Gio and Giacomo. Needless to say, it was a good day!

The next day, though, I didn’t feel great and eventually I found myself lying in a hospital bed where I was diagnosed with double pneumonia. I was there for four days, but with great care I was able to make a quick recovery. It was the first time I’d ever really spent any significant time in a hospital as a patient, and while I am feeling much better now and I am back on the court, it was an eye-opening experience.

I really did some soul-searching while I lay awake for hours at a time, and it became clear to me why there are people in this world who become number one and others who stay number one! There is a big difference and I feel it is easier to work your way up to the top than it is to stay at the top. We’ve seen this play out in the women’s game recently as many players have reached #1 in the last few years (Azarenka, Wozniacki, Clijsters, Safina, Ivanovic, Jankovic, S. Williams, and Sharapova) but no one has been able to stay there. Why so?

Because, when you reach the top, you are now competing against yourself, and you must be mentally and physically prepared, because everyone wants to beat the best and become famous overnight. This is why players like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are so impressive – they’ve each had long runs of being #1 and this is incredibly difficult to do. You must believe you are number one!

It’s hard for me to think that Nadal and his team feel that he is only the best clay-courter ever. I’m sure they think that he is the best ever! You have to be of this mindset if you want to stay the #1 player in the world.

Let’s take two examples, and I know both of them pretty well:n Andre Agassi goes from #1 to #141 and the back to #1.n Maria Sharapova goes from #1 to #126 and then back to #1.

Both Maria and Andre had a super support team, but even with that it is not enough. They had to believe they could be number one and never ever doubt it.

I watched Maria play every one of her matches at this year’s French Open. From what I saw, never once did she give a single hint that she wasn’t going to win one of her matches.

Being number one and staying number one is a mystery to so many people because they are unaware of what is takes to be the best and stay the best. You must constantly make adjustments, but in the end, your mindset and physical preparation must never falter.

Nick’s CornerWhen playing doubles, if you are playing the net, should you look back at your partner to see how or where he/she is hitting the ball, or should you look straight ahead in anticipation of your opponents’ return?The net person must be aware of the entire court, but can only focus a small fraction of a second to the area of play. It is important to know where your partner is and see what he/she can do with the ball when selecting your position.

If you are a woman ranked somewhere between 100 & 200 in the world, can you have a financially, self-sustaining career in tennis?

To make it in today’s circuit for both the ATP and WTA tennis is not what it used to be because:1. Sponsors only give equipment and money to the exceptional talent—totally different from the past.2. Traveling to tournaments and paying a coach gets expensive.3. It is just about “a must” to be in the top 50 to make a living.How many Grand Slams will Novak Djokovic win this year?No one knows the physical makeup of a player who must maintain his health and mental state to compete at the highest level every single time he plays. I feel very positive that he will continue winning more tournaments and Grand Slams as well.

Nick’s Q & A


Tournament

Laurel Oak Exhibition n May 24, 2012

Former world-ranked No. 6 Jimmy Arias teamed up with Laurel Oak’s Tourna-

ment Director Ty Braswell for a friendly match against two other well-known pros, Dave McPherson and Scott Schurie-man. Ty and Jimmy won, but the bigger win was seeing Ty back in his true championship form after his many surgeries. Ty hopes to compete in the $25,000 Totally Tennis 2012-13 Tournament Series this Fall. Left to right: Scott Schurieman, Dave McPherson, Ty Braswell, and Jimmy Arias.

Juniors Playoffs at Lakewood Ranch n May 5-6, 2012

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Max WeedenAndre Juliao

Andy Kappelman

Alex Dina, Corrin Bresky, Michael Grass, Coach: Bob Zipay, Leo Wiesinger, Nicole Massa, Jaden Wiesinger

Totally Tennis June 2012 11

Taylor Lederman defeated Lauren Proctor, 7-6, 6-2. She trains at Next Generation Tennis Academy at Longwood Athletic Club.

River Strand Adult Prize $ingles Classic n May 18-20, 2012

Assri Merzuki defeated Julian Link 7-6, 6-1. Assri trains at River Strand at the TPFI Academy.

Finalist Julian Link

Finalist Lauren Proctor trains at River Strand with pro Tiffany Davis.

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Left to right: 10-year-old Micah Braswell and 8-year-old Jonah Braswell won their divisions in the Little Mo Florida Sectionals in Port St. Lucie June 10th. Micah won 3 matches to win the Boys 11 division. Jonah won 4 matches to win the Boys 8 division. In front, younger brother Jeremiah (4) proudly supports his bros.

The Serendipity 3.0 Super Seniors at the Daytona Beach State Finals April 12-14 won 2nd place. Left to right: Doris Ross, Becky Pomfret, Maggie Marshall, Elaine Shields (Captain), Cindy Anderson, and Francine Torge

Serendipity Super SeniorsLocal Little Mo Champs


“Big Banger” Super Series (Level 6) n June 2-3, 2012

Not pictured:Boys 18 Doubles: Austin Cruz/Parker Hayslett defeated David Pagliarulo/Zachary BessetteBoys 16 Doubles: Michael Moore/DavidOmsky defeated Michael Raymond/Alejandro Vargas

Finalist David OmskyBoys 16s champion Zachary Bessette

18s champion Liz Norman (13) who trains at NGTA with Travis Eckert, and finalist Jiayu Li

Girls 16s Finalist Thiandiwe Kangwa and champion Rebecca Morse with Tournament Director Holly Holton Moore (center)

Boys 18s champion Stephen Madonia and finalist Jorge Vargas

Girls 18 Doubles winners Cortney Cesarini/Ashley Dean defeated Jiayu Li/Jiawei Li (not pictured)

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Longwood Juniors Open n June 2-3, 2012

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ENRomy Roberts won the Girls 12’s and trains at NGTA

Toby Kodat, 9, Boys 12’s finalist, trains at NGTA

Mason Beiler, Boys 14’s winner Sanyukta Gawande Girls 14’s Finalist

Cassie Webster Girls 14’s winner

Marie Ivantechenko, Girls 12’s Finalist

Anthony Mendez Boys 16’s winner

Anthony Pistella Boys 12’s winner


t e n n i s C A M P S

G.T. Bray Park5502 33rd Ave. Dr. W. • Bradenton, FL

www.protennisacademy.net941-580-7794 • [email protected]

Rodrigo Vallejo & Denis Pelegrin

• High Performance• Competitive• Summer Camp• USTA Quick Start• Adult Clinic

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USTA Laurel Oak Juniors n June30-July 2, 2012

Boys 12’s Finalist Micah Braswell, Ty Brasell, and winner Winegar

Girls 12’s Finalist Dawson and winner Gabrielsen

Boys 14’s Winner Janglin and Neff finalist

Girls 14’s Finalist ?? and winner Echeandia

Boys 16’s winner Gveslo and finalist Rajamanickam Boys 18’s Chaffin defeated El toukhy

Girls16’s Schofield defeatedSmith PHO

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Up until a couple of years ago, the surface of clay was primarily dominated by players hailing from

either Spain or South Ameri-ca, biggest reason being, that when a kid was introduced to the game of tennis, it would be on a clay court.

Because there are more hard courts in the U.S., Aus-tralia and Europe (indoors) than clay, the skill of mastering the movement on this surface seems to fall by the wayside. Even though the Spanish are still producing great results, we now see more and more players of other nationalities being able to com-pete with them.

Here are three of the main differences between a player that can play well on clay and one that can’t:• The upbringing and developmental years of the player.

For example, Spaniards Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer were trained mostly on clay, therefore feel most comfortable on the surface.

• An understanding of how to tactically play on the surface, using tactics and strokes such as heavy top spin, slice, angles and knowing how to build a point.

• A better clay court player will be a better mover. They will know how to slide, when to slide, and when not to.

For those coaches or parents out there who are overlooking the training or coaching of a child, it’s important to have them playing on clay at an early age. If your main training facility only has hard courts, I strongly recommend that you take them to a club or academy that has some clay courts from time to time. If a player wants to compete at the highest level, then he or she needs to be able to play on all surfaces.

Some good examples of players who left their home coun-tries at a young age to learn the art of playing on clay, include Dinara Safina and Andy Murray, as well as former French Open champions Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

When teaching a player how to slide on clay, (let’s say they are right side dominant), I make sure they first learn to lead with their dominant foot (right), letting their body weight go completely in the direction to which they’re running, and dragging their back (left) foot behind.

It’s a lot about having confidence to move well on this sur-face. Any player can learn to slide on the court, and watching the best pros in the world can be a great tool. We all know Rafa Nad-al is one of the greatest clay court players of all time, but besides his heavy ball and spin, I believe that the way he slides on the

dirt has a lot to do with his success. What Nadal and so many other great tour-ing pros execute as well, is knowing when to slide with what foot, and how to slide into certain shots. And with the women’s game raising its standards every year, more and more women on the WTA

Tour are learning to move effectively on clay as well by sliding.

Learning from the Best: How Federer and Nadal Do it

On the forehand, Nadal, because he plays left-handed, slides into most forehands with his left foot, with his left toes pointing parallel with the baseline, and his right toes dragging back behind his torso, thus enabling him to hit an open stance forehand. Federer, of course, does the same thing, but with his right foot since he’s a right-handed player, with his left toes drag-ging behind.

With their front toes parallel to the baseline, each of these guys are able to prepare for their shots while sliding, because the front toes pointed this way allow them to turn their shoulders sideways while taking their racquets back. If the toes were to point forward toward the net, the hips would face square at the net and the players would be able to turn their shoulders through-out the shot. By adding weight to the front toes during the slide, a player can break (stop the slide) at any time smoothly or abruptly by choice, and a little weight added to the back toes dragging can help the braking system be more accurate.

Because Federer plays with a one-handed backhand, it is rare that he will hit an open stance backhand on clay. Therefore, when sliding into his closed stance backhands, he will also slide with his right foot into the shot, where he again leads with the right foot and drags with the left toe behind.

Nadal, of course, with his two-handed backhand, will do the same thing essentially on a closed stance backhand, just the re-verse again because he’s a lefty. By leading with the left foot and dragging behind with the right toe as he slides into the shot, he can execute a closed stance backhand. However, because he possesses a two-handed backhand, he has the option of sliding into an open-stance backhand at any time.

Two-handed players should all learn to slide with both feet on their backhands like Nadal does, because it frees up the abil-ity to hit open stance. If a player only knows how to slide by lead-ing with the dominant foot, mobility becomes limited because the open stance backhand is not possible without being able to slide by leading with the opposite foot.

Sometimes players are forced to slide after the shot when they are rushed, or put in a tough situation, or hitting what they believe will be the last shot of the point (one way or another). Sliding on clay enables players to comfortably track down shots during points far away from them on the court, and also enables quick recovery back to the middle in between shots. If a player slides after hitting a shot, he will often be sliding away from the court, making for a more difficult recovery back to the middle of

“Being able to move is very important for me, and if I can’t move well, I can’t hit the ball well either.” ~ Rafa Nadal (Madrid, May 2012)


the court, and it will often put him out of position to win or stay in the point.

Good clay court players slide on almost every shot during a hard fought point when forced to move a great deal around the court, and without sliding into their shots before hitting them, their balance and ability to make quick stops and starts in different directions would be unstable at best.

Generally speaking, if a player can move well on red clay, he can move well on green clay, and vice versa. By using the concepts outlined above, players won’t only learn to move well on the dirt, but they can learn to enjoy it.

DrillsAs a coach, the best way to initially teach a player to slide,

is without a racquet in hand. By doing drills like simple ball feeds (by hand), have the player move in left, right, and forward direc-tions (chasing down a drop shot). It will enable the player to focus on balance and coordinating the distance of slide.

Second progression will be with racquet in hand (but no ball feed) and the coach pointing to a place on the court. Player will

then run and slide making the ap-propriate stroke.

Third progression will be with the player sliding and hitting. Here the coach will feed balls (either by hand or racquet).

Another drill that I like to do with my players is the ‘slide and ball pick up drill’. As seen in this photo, French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova performs the drill, per-fecting her slide distance and bal-ance perfectly.

Strength and FlexibilityWith all the sliding movements and the heavier ball that the

clay surface brings, it’s important for the player to properly pre-pare the body. The main areas to focus on with my players are the hips, adductors (inner thighs), core, ankles and shoulders.

I like to use stability equipment like BOSU’s and stability pads to challenge the players’ balance and core strength while perform-ing exercises for the ankle and hips. This is a great exercise that strengthens the hips and ankles, while improving balance.

A strong core will enable the player to move laterally more efficiently, as well as maintain better balance. Flexibility is also important for the player and needs to be performed before and after playing.

I have always believed in preparing a player specific to the surface they will be playing on, so for clay, dynamic flexibility exercises are best before playing. For example: leg swings, kickbacks, and side lunge movements. After playing, perform static stretches and try to pay extra attention to the hips, adductors and groin areas, as these are the areas that have been put under the most stress from all the sliding, pushing and stopping.

Slide BoardsBesides the on-court work, I

like to include training exercises and

drills on a slideboard. Better known in the ice hockey and speed skating worlds, these slideboards come in various lengths (8 ft. and 10 ft.) and are excellent training tools to build players’ con-fidence and improve their sliding skills. It gives the player the freedom to experiment and not be afraid to fall or make a mis-take. Working on a slide board improves a player’s balance and stability, as well as teach-ing the player to load with the legs and push off more powerfully. Last but not least, what I really like about it is that it develops players’ lateral movement power, teaching them to use their legs more.

I’m extremely confident that these tips and drills will help you or your players become better movers on the clay. Happy sliding!

Abductor on Stability pad with mini band

Svetlana Kuznetsova

Allistair McCaw is the Performance Spe-cialist to Grand Slam Champions and some of the world’s best athletes. Among his clients have been the former world number 1 in tennis, Dinara Safina, Squash world number 1 Nicol David, and two-time grand slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. Visit his face-book page: McCawMethod


!

C A L E N D A R2012

June 16 Sarasota Sports Festival Payne Park Lark Baxter, Pro 405-204-5637 30 Longwood Open (Men’s S/Dbls) Longwood AC Travis Eckert, T.D. 351-1750 30-July 2 USTA Laurel Oak Local Juniors 10’s-18’s Laurel Oak Ty Braswell, T.D. 377-6161

July 28-29 USTA Jr Local Tournament 10’s-18’s Bath & Racquet Holly Moore, T.D. 737-2635

August 3-5 Junior Championship, Boys & Girls Payne Park Sean Rogers, T.D. 861-8193 25-26 USTA Jr Super Series Tournament 10’s-18’s Bath & Racquet Holly Moore T.D. 737-2635

September 7-9 USTA Junior Super Series Tournament Serendipity T.D. TBA 922-1591 29-30 USTA Jr Local Tournament 10’s-18’s Bath & Racquet Holly Moore, T.D. 737-2635

October 7-14 Men’s 50’s USTA National Clay Court Championships Bath & Racquet Penny Wagstaff 921-6675 23-24 Women’s Doubles “Rally for the Cure” Boca Royale Pancho Williams, T.D. 475-9537 30-31 Battle of the Club Champions, Men & Women The Meadows Don Caprio, T.D. 378-5265

November 3-4 Brandi’s Wish Doubles Tournament Bath & Racquet Eric Davidson, T.D. 921-6675 3-4 Battle of the Club Champions The Meadows Don Caprio, T.D. 378-5265 10 Longwood Cup (Juniors) Longwood AC Travis Eckert, T.D. 351-1750 10 USTA Jr. Rookie 10’s-16’s Bath & Racquet Holly Moore, T.D. 921-6675 10-11 Courtside Fall Classic / Senior Men & Women Courtside Jim Dempsey, T.D. 485-2000 11 World Class Senior Doubles Palm Aire Bob Luxembourg, T.D. 371-0162 17-21 $2,000 USTA Senior & Super Sr Father & Son The Landings Joe Venezia, T.D. 923-3886 18-21 Doubles for Diabetes and Pro Exhibition Serendipity T.D. TBA 922-1591

December 1 Lessons for Life Landings Joe Venezia, T.D. 923-3886 1-6 $4,000 Sr Men & Women/Singles & Doubles Longboat Key Ctr Kay Thayer, T.D. 316-8367 1-2 USTA Junior Santa’s Showdown Bradenton CC Laurie Tinnell, T.D. 792-2933 7-9 Longboat Observer Challenge Longboat Key Ctr Kay Thayer, T.D. 316-8367 8 Ultimate Tennis Championships Longwood AC Travis Eckert, T.D. 351-0162 9 Battle of the Sexes Palm Aire RC Bob Luxembourg, T.D. 371-0162 14-17 $10,000 Men’s Open Championship Longwood AC Travis Eckert, T.D. 351-1750 15-16 Junior Futures Laurel Oak Ty Braswell, T.D. 377-6161 22-23 USTA Laurel Oak Local Juniors 10’s-18’s Laurel Oak Ty Braswell, T.D. 377-6161

[email protected]


KEN SOLOMON!

As a youngster, Tennis Channel chairman and CEO Ken Solomon worked as a ball boy at the men’s pro tournament in Palm Springs,

California, chasing down the errant serves and forehands of many of the top pros in the sport. But the one player whose match-es the 12-year-old Solomon most enjoyed working was Jimmy Connors, a champion he admired for his talent, grit and work eth-ic. Connors will be working for that ball boy who once idolized him, as the five-time US Open champion makes his debut as a Ten-nis Channel commentator.

“Jimmy was a champion who never gave up and never let you down,” Solomon says. “He is a singular icon, synonymous with the US Open itself and with winning tennis. His perspective, personality and analysis of the game are unique attributes that haven’t been enjoyed by U.S. audi-ences, so for me to actually have some part in making this happen is an enormous thrill. Who could have dreamed 30 years ago that my hero, someone I was a ball boy for, would be involved in a tennis ca-pacity with me again decades later, on the biggest stage in American tennis?”

It may well be that Solomon sees some of himself in Connors. He, too, has made a habit out of winning, moving seamlessly from one successful venture to another. Over the years, Solomon has served at the highest levels at Universal Television, DreamWorks Television, News Corp. and Scripps. He founded Fine Living Network, and was president of Universal Studios Television. Currently, this multi-faceted fellow is chairman of Ovation T.V. Solomon, 46, has been a central figure in the television industry for a long while.

That’s why it was such good news for the sport of tennis when the former ball boy stepped into the role of chairman and CEO of Tennis Channel in 2005. His is a position that requires supreme people skills and authentic business acumen, and Solomon has both those attributes and then some. Asked why he wanted to take on the lead-ership role at Tennis Channel, Solomon re-sponds, “Once I got under the fingernails of what this opportunity was, I realized that tennis—certainly as it pertains to televi-sion—had fallen in some ways to an unfor-

tunate place that was out of balance with the sport’s real importance and value. Tennis is not just a game, it’s a lifestyle. I thought through Tennis Channel we could have immense positive consequences on the people who enjoy the sport.”

It seems to be working. Just as ten-nis has grown in popularity as a sport throughout the last few years, Tennis Channel’s numbers are likewise surging. At the end of 2005, Tennis Channel had 5 million subscribing households. That number jumped to 10 million by the end of 2006, to 20 million a year later, and the current number of subscribers is approxi-mately 26 million.

Solomon, who was a magician in his youth and early adulthood, is not creating these numbers with any sleight of hand, but rather with a thoughtful, creative ap-proach to presenting the sport in an ap-pealing and exciting format to an ever-widening audience. He has displayed an indefatigable spirit in his post at Tennis Channel, and his skills and determina-tion have enabled him to strike broadcast deals during his tenure with all four Grand Slam events, which is no mean feat. Don-ald Dell, one of the game’s prime contribu-tors for decades and a 2009 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee, has nego-tiated many of those deals for Solomon.

As Dell asserts, “Two things are re-ally distinctive about Ken. One is his en-ergy—he is absolutely tireless—and the second is his optimism and enthusiasm, which is very contagious. He bubbles with talent but underneath that bubble is a very smart guy. Most importantly, Ken understands the business of cable televi-sion and sports as well as anybody in the industry. By selling Tennis Channel as a lifestyle network, he has broadened the base of its audience tremendously.”

The skill and diplomacy he has dis-played in giving Tennis Channel a sub-stantial presence at all four Grand Slam events has surely boosted the popularity of the sport. As Solomon proudly points out: “Today we have all four majors. We have the Davis Cup exclusively. We have the top 60 tournaments in the world broadcast on our air, and the most impor-tant thing about that is that it gives tennis

fans the thing that they had always lacked more than anything else, which is knowing where the tennis is and how to find it. It’s as basic as that.”

Some 55 million homes are expected to be tuned into Tennis Channel’s coverage of the US Open this year. Asked if airing the US Open along with ESPN and CBS is par-ticularly significant since Tennis Channel is American-based, Solomon says, “As any good parent will say, we love all of our chil-dren equally. But the US Open and Olym-pus US Open Series are, for this network, unquestionably the crown jewel.”

Solomon takes particular pride in the fact that his network will carry live matches from over Labor Day weekend on Saturday and Sunday. “All over the country, when people are barbecuing and watching tennis, they will only be able to see live matches on those nights on Tennis Channel,” he says. “That is something I never thought we would be able to say.”

So how does Solomon envision Ten-nis Channel a decade from now? “I think and hope that what Tennis Channel will be in the future is really a community where all of the stakeholders in the game—be it major right’s holders, players, fans and the people who participate in tennis on a life-style basis—all come to find their commu-nity,” he says. “I see Tennis Channel helping to power a very robust international tennis community, as I see the game continuing to grow stronger and stronger.”

~Reprinted from USTA Magazine

Steve Flink has been following the game of tennis since 1965. He is a Senior Correspondent for Tennis Week Magazine. From 1974-91, he worked at World Tennis Magazine as a writer, columnist and editor.

A True Tennis HeroKen Solomon

by Steve Flink


90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99The only thing harder than playing mixed doubles is writing

about. Invariably, in the course of this article, in the age of political correctness, I will upset someone.

But in actual mixed doubles, the only person I upset is myself. That’s because I go out of my way not to be a bully, and I lose a lot of matches because of it.

NBC sportscaster Bob Costas once compared the sport of ‘race-walking’ to ‘who can whisper the loudest.’ I’d like to throw mixed doubles in that comparison. As a man, I know full-well I could usually win a point a lot easier by hitting hard at the woman standing at the net. But there’s something in my wiring that won’t allow me to do that.

I’m sick of it. When I start a mixed-doubles match, I wait to see the

tone the other guy sets. Usually you can tell in the first few points if he’s going to be a gentleman or go for winners at all costs. I know several local players—who I’d like to name, but I won’t—who hit hard at the women and then daintily raise their hand and says, ‘OH, sorry, I didn’t mean to.” They lose their credibility after about the fifth time they beg forgiveness.

My brother and I used to have a deal years ago when we were playing mixed doubles with our respective 3.0 girlfriends. He and I would keep it in play as best we could and let the women sink or swim on their shots. It was less stressful and relatively fun.

But are we out there for fun anymore? n I was in a fundraiser at The Meadows in May when minutes

after my opponent said he loved coming out for the fun, hit a forehand at point blank range at my partner’s head ten feet away at the net. His hollow apology followed. When I talked to him about it later he said, “I didn’t hit her, did I?” No, luckily she deflected it.

n I was in a social round-robin at Lakewood Ranch a few months ago when the other guy hit every ball at my partner. When I finally joined him on the low-road, they reminded me it was social tennis. I wanted to whine, “He started it!”

n There’s a player in a mixed doubles league at Serendipity who hits hard and often at the women, and always follows it with the “Gee, I’m not good enough to control my shots, I’m sorry.” His act has worn thin.

So, the answer may be—stop playing mixed doubles? Well, have you seen men’s doubles? Not a lot of fun either. Accusations of cheating on line calls, fudging on USTA ranking—and points often so short you can keep your street clothes on.

Anyone for singles?

All Mixed Up

Ray Collins is a Sarasota-based freelance writer and a burned out competitive player.

Details at

RayCollinsMedia.com

Do You Still Struggle with Your Serve?Finally, turn your liability to a strength or increase your power and placement as hundreds already have. Totally Tennis Magazine has scholarship funds to work with any age or budget. Immediately improve your serve no matter your level. It’s time you stepped up to the service line with the confidence the pros have!

Email: [email protected]


90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99Mission Valley member Angie

yeomans started playing tennis in 1934 during the Depression.

There were two private tennis courts in the area, and the owners didn’t mind sharing them with eager-to-learn kids. And so it became the teen hang out.

Her family moved often, but thankfully, tennis was a way to meet new friends and stay in touch with the old.

“I still make friends through tennis and it has been a fun and rewarding part of my long life. I am now almost 91 years old. Tennis keeps me young and in good shape. My long-time friends are tennis players and there are more of us out there than meets the eye. Keep your game on and you will have a strong, healthy heart for a long time. If anyone is up for a game, just give me a call. Hope to see you on the courts.” Doug Hood, 93, plays tennis 3 days

a week at Universty Park, and rides his bike 6 miles every morn-

ing. He was a family physican for 52 years in St. Petersburg, flying his Cessna plane back and forth to Hidden River (where he and his wife Ruth had their own tennis court) everyday until he retired at age 75.

You would think flying a plane back and forth to work every day might have its scary moments. There were many, but one close encounter involved a very windy day on December 23, 1986. “The Cessna hit a wind sheer which dropped the plane like a rock and slammed it into a large oak tree. This tore the plane apart and, fortunately, the bolts anchoring the seat belt pulled out of the door frame al-lowing me to eject into a smaller oak, cov-ered with wild grapevines that grabbed me and let me down gently, and ultimately saved my life.”

He walked two miles to the nearest phone with both ankles fractured, crushed ribs, a skull fracture, and a broken jaw. The strong body he nurtured by playing tennis may have saved his life that day.

Besides keeping up with their 30 grandkids and 16 great grandkids, he and Ruth (a water colorist) stay busy with a multitude of fun things to do in Sarasota and Bradenton while enjoying their home on Braden River.

We salute our nonogenarians of “The Greatest Generation,” whose life experi-ences increased their determination and discipline on the tennis court . . . and that’s no back-handed compliment!

Ahealthy heart and soul also de-scribes Jim Searns, 95, who has been playing tennis for 83 years.

(Bob Luxembourg wasn’t even born yet!) Jim and his wife, Bernice, moved here in 1984, though they had been coming here since the 60’s. They often played doubles until Bernice died six years ago.

Jim was a high school cross-country runner and a college tennis player and fencing athlete. Before he retired and moved to Sarasota, he managed Federal Stores in Buffalo for many years, and later was the general manager of Fantasy Island in Grand Island, NY.

Jim still travels every summer to Denver and Buffalo to visit family. He enjoys playing ping pong with his great grandkids and has a busy daily schedule at the Desoto Beach Club where he

resides. Jim was playing tennis five days a week until recently when he underwent chemotherapy and radiation for cancer. He is waiting to get permission from his doctor to get back on the courts, but truth be told, he couldn’t wait. He’s back.We hope to again feature Jim in 5 more years on our “centegenarian” page.

Louise Greenfield, also 95, has been playing tennis for 85 years. She’s in good health and still loves

to play. Her many years of playing the cello, piano, and flute (and teaching pia-no and flute at the Germantown Friends School), have kept her grip strong and her game rhythmic. The word around town is that she is a fierce competitor and mem-bers fear her drop shot. “I have a regular Monday game with a female partner and male opponents. The men hate it when we win a set.”

Hailing from Philadelphia, she’s been here 25 years and lives at The Langings where she plays chamber music with friends in her home almost every day. Rob-ert and Louise launched the Greenfield Foundation, which has supported educa-

Angie Yeomans

Jim Searns

Doug Hood

tion, the arts and human services over its 19-year existence. The family continues to grow, with 14 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. Louise and Bob recently celebrated their 75th Anniversary.

Louise Greenfield

Nothing Stops These Nonogenarians


With the addition of 4 new teams in the 75’s and 80’s, we now have a total of 138 teams in all divisions. Longboat Public has most teams

(14) followed by Serendipity (10) and Jacaranda and Plantation (9). Four clubs have only one team. These teams represent 30 different clubs in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

The new 50’s League we started in season 2011-12 has been a success, and the Board is interested in

adding more teams in the 50’s League to be able to set up two 50’s division. So far we have a commitment from two clubs to add new teams and a possible addition of a new team from a new club. 50’s league play is on Saturday mornings and we encourage all clubs to form new teams.

We have not had any teams from last season drop as of June 15, which is a first.

October 1 is the deadline for new team entries. The Fall Captains Meeting will take place on October 22 at the auditorium at the Sarasota Selby Library. League play begins on October 29.

Please email Dave at: [email protected]

Brad HahnCoordinator

Wanted: 50s

Each year a few hundred Florida Tennis Pro-fessionals representing sixteen Florida Dis-tricts head to the USPTA Florida State Con-

ference in June. This year the conference was hosted by the Sandpiper Club Med in Port St. Lucie, FL. The week culminates with a hotly con-tested USPTA Fast Dry 10S Supply Tennis Tour-nament, continuing teaching education, numer-ous fun events and the USPTA Florida Awards.

The most prestigious award goes to the Florida Ten-nis Professional of the year. This year the award was pre-sented to Sarasota’s own Don Caprio from the Meadows Country Club.

Don is highly regarded by his peers and Meadows members alike. Don has been in the tennis business for many years. His experience, management skills, foresight, event planning and personality make Don an ideal candidate for the Florida Professional of the Year award.

Sarasota District 8, which includes Venice, Englewood, Bradenton and Sarasota area were

Sarasota District Shines at USPTA Florida Conferencealso awarded the Florida District Award. This is the first time that District 8 has received this accolade, so congratulations to our local USPTA Pros.

The third award received by the Sarasota and surrounding area District went to District 8 Presi-dent, Jack Steyn. Jack was awarded the District 8 Tennis Professional of the year.

Highlights of the USPTA Fast Dry 10S Tennis Tournament were:

Finalists Men’s Open: Nate Griffin (River-strand Country Club) & Jack Steyn (Bradenton Country Club). Great win in the third set tie break (10-8) over former #5 player in Great Britain, Gary Henderson and his partner. Gary was a former #237 on the ATP Men’s Tour.

Finalist Men’s 45’s Singles: Jack Steyn (Bradenton Country Club).

Finalist Men’s 40’s Doubles: Jack Steyn (Bradenton CC) Dave Frieman (Tampa).

Professionals that attended the USPTA Flor-ida State Conference were: Nate Griffin (River-strand CC); Bob Zipay (Englewood Tennis Club); Jim Dempsey (Courside tennis Club); Don Caprio via video feed (Meadows Country Club) & Jack Steyn (Bradenton CC).

Don Caprio

Florida Division President Jeff Cohen, and Sarasota District 8 President Jack Steyn


Senior Women’s LeagueApril 11th • Stoneybrook Country Club

Over 150 women attended the USTA Senior Women’s League Awards Luncheon at Stoneybrook Country Club in Sarasota hosted by League Coordinator Ginger Ayres.

Seated at this table are the original league members from 1992. Left to right: Millie Riley, Sandy Marshall (USTA Section League Coordinator), Eleanor Neel, Sally Deyo, Barbel Wilkins, Marge Miller, Susie Bessire (Tennis Program Chairman), Jo Thomas, and Peg Combs

At the Stoneybrook table are left to right: Barb Flory, Marsha Clark, Stoneybrook Tournament Director Ron Smith, Marsha Grosky, and Jan Gilbert

Ginger Ayres, Local League Coordinator, and Susie Bessire

2 0 1 1 A N N U A L A w A R d S L U N c h E O N


Plantation Golf & Country Club500 Rockley Blvd • Venice, FL 34293941-493-0047 • [email protected]

The Plantation Racquet Club features: n 13 Har-Tru tennis courts with weekly leagues, junior tennis

programs and other member activities, including night play n On-site USTPA instructors provide lessons for all levels, while

tournaments and exhibitions at Plantation provide fun and competition for more advanced players. Pairings can be arranged.

n 13 teams involved in league playn Evening and weekend socials n Fully-stocked pro shop offers the latest equipment and apparel,

stringing services and practice equipment n Promotional summer family membershipsn Children’s Tennis Clinics available through our Tennis Pro Shop

For more information, please contact Elaine Dexter, Membership Director at 941-497-1479 or

[email protected]

Dave Siddons

Plantation Golf & Country Club

NEW INTERMEDIATE TENNIS MEMBERSHIP

3100 Longmeadow Dr • Sarasota, FL 34235941-378-5265 • meadowscc.org

[email protected]

• No initiation fees • Unlimited Tennis Full Fitness Privileges • Junior Olympic Pool & Spa • No Food & Beverage minimum • Year round dining privileges

With single and family memberships available, come see why The Meadows Country Club is “The place to play” in Sarasota/Bradenton.

Don Caprio USPTA Director of Tennis

n 17 championship Har-Tru courts

n 15 courts lighted for night play

n Weekly Round Robinsn Monthly Theme Mixers n 3 USPTA/USPTR

Tennis Professionalsn Private/Group Lessonsn Racquet Customization

& Restringingn Inter/Intra Club

Leaguesn Adult/Junior Team

Tennisn Cardio Tennisn Junior Programn Summer Camps

Monthly Dues & Fees*Family SingleUnder 45 $99.40 Under 45 $79.8545-49 $123.53 45-49 $99.2650-54 $147.66 50-54 $118.6855-58 $207.99 55-58 $167.23*plus sales tax

Please contact the Membership Sales Department at 378-5957 or [email protected] for more information.


Congratulations to our Stoneybrook men’s 70.3 ten-nis team for winning their division in the SCSMCTL. The other six teams we fielded this season all worked

hard and deserve recognition.During the summer, Stoneybrook tennis will offer

private lessons and clinics to non-residents. Stoneybrook does not offer summer programs for children, but does give private lessons. Stoneybrook is a private tennis club and golf is semi-private. Golf is now offering reciprocals from

other clubs through the summer months.If you’re looking for a great place to have dinner, our dining room is

open to the public. Bring family and friends to our Sunday brunch. The chef is great. The food is excellent! If you’re looking for a new home, Stoneybrook is a wonderful place to live, with beautiful homes and condos, 4 Har-tru lighted tennis courts, a fitness center, and 18-hole golf course.

Ron Smith, PTR has 28 years of teaching experience, including Marriott tennis pro for 10 years, Bollettieri alumnus, and currently Chair of Pro Staff for Totally Tennis magazine. Call 941-487-7023 for information or visit our web site.

Key to Better Play: Your first serve is only as good as your second! How often have you witnessed a good first serve and a wimpy second? Usually this is the case when someone only practices his first serve. When practicing your serve, spend at least half of your time working on second serve. Whether it is a slice or kick, it must be higher over the net and delivered with almost the same racket head speed!

Ron Smith

8801 Stoneybrook Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34238(941) 966-2711 • www.stoneybrook.net

River Strand Golf and Country Club is the perfect luxury-living community in the greater Sarasota area for tennis and golf. You will be struck by the awesome sight of our fountains, clubhouse and pool, situated between the 18th and 27th greens of the Arthur Hills designed course.

With 8 lighted Har-Tru tennis courts and a fully-stocked pro shop, even the most serious of tennis players will love living in River Strand. Join

Nate Griffin, Director of Tennis, and the entire River Strand commu-nity for an exciting season of tennis and all the amenities that River Strand has to offer, including seasonal and monthly memberships.

Nate Griffin

• 2 on-site tennis pros• Private lessons• Junior and adult clinics• Game-matching services• Round robins• Pro exhibitions• Ball machine • CARDIO TENNIS• Onsite racquet restringing

Our most popular program is organized morning doubles, 6 days a week

River Strand Golf & Country Club

7155 Grand Estuary Trail, Bradenton, FL 34212941-932-8680 • www.riverstrandgolf.com

• USTA adult teams and Ladies Tri City teams

• Margarita mixers & ladders• Mixed doubles night, ladies’

night, and men’s nights

The $4.5 million Tennis Gardens offers the finest in tennis facilities and recently received a Facility of the year award from the USTA’s Technical Committee. Set amidst the Harbourside section of Longboat Key Club & Resort, this spectacular complex offers members and resort guests 20 Har-Tru courts, including one stadium court.

Longboat Key Club & ResortHome of the 2012 Men’s $100,000 Sarasota Open

John Woods

Tennis Facilities:• 20 Har-Tru tennis courts• HydroGrid irrigation system• Five lighted courts• Fully-stocked pro shop and

racquet repair/restringing• Locker rooms• Players Patio overlooking Stadium

Court• Court 21 Cafe & Lounge with

terrace seating• Beautifully landscaped grounds• Tennis Concierge for game

arrangement• Monthly tennis mixers

• Clinics and private lessons• Club Championships• The Court room — mtg. space• USTA Certified Stadium Court• USPTA Professional StaffOther Recreation Offerings:• 45 holes of golf• Island House Spa• Fitness Centre• Six restaurants• Four-Diamond resort• Pool and beach• Mind & Motion work-out studio• Full-service marina

Longboat Key Club & Resort301 Gulf of Mexico DriveLongboat Key, FL 34228941-383-8821www.longboatkeyclub.com

2700 Gary Player Blvd.Sarasota, FL 34240Tel: 941-377-6161www.laureloak.com

When you are a tennis member at Laurel Oak Country Club, it’s more than just the excellent courts and the great tennis programs. It’s about having access to all the amenities and social activities of one of the most active clubs in the Sarasota area.

Tennis Facility and Programs• 12 Har-Tru Tennis Courts (8 lighted)• Courts open 7 days 8:00 to 10:00• Pro shop – stringing service• Locker rooms/showers• Ball machine and practice wall at no charge• 3 full-time professionals• Women’s teams from 3.0 to 4.5• Men’s county teams• Junior Tennis Teams• Men’s and junior’s singles ladder• Bi-weekly Mixed Tennis under the lights• Cardio tennis 4 times per week• Monthly & Holiday tennis mixers• Organized men’s play 4 times per week• Private and group lessons• Team and group clinics• Club championships (men’s, women’s, mixed)• Monthly exhibitions featuring local & nat’l pros• Junior program from 4 to 18 years• Two daily summer camps (5 to 7, 8 to 14)

Other Country Club Amenities• 45,000 sq ft Clubhouse• Open for lunch 7 days a wk./dinner 4 days a wk.• Complete Country Club Social Calendar• Junior Olympic Heated Pool• Social & tennis reciprocal at Bird Key Yacht Club• Summer Golf Privileges – 36 holes

Laurel Oak Country Club

Ty Braswell


Jim Dempsey

Courtside Tennis Club512 Auburn Rd., venice, FL [email protected]

Courtside Tennis Club is proud of its over thirty years of continuous tennis in the Venice area. You’ll find that “old Florida” charm along with a great tennis facility and congenial members. Come join the fun!

• Tri Cities, USTA & JEBCO Leagues

• Mixed Doubles• Evening Play• Saturday Round Robins• Junior Programs• Social Events• Locker Room & Showers

Available• Backboard/Ball Machine

• USPTA/PTR Professionals• Players of All Levels• Variety of Memberships• 9 Har-Tru & 2 Hard Courts• 5 Lighted Courts• Courts open 7 days 8:00 am to 9:30 pm

Courtside Tennis ClubA t the Jacaranda Tennis Center, there’s

tennis for everyone. If you’re the compet- i-tive type, we have teams that compete in

men’s and women’s leagues in Sarasota, Venice, and Port Charlotte.

For men, we have teams in Sarasota leagues for 60-and-over, 70-and-over, and 75-and-over. There’s also a 55-and-over league that competes within Venice.

For women, we have a Charlotte County league, level 3.5; Sarasota Tri-Cities, levels 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0. Then there are two USTA league 3.5’s, one for 50-and-over, and another for 70-and-over.

If you want to play just for fun and exercise, you can reserve a court or come down for Open Tennis. Jacaranda is one of the few clubs in the area that offers Open Tennis for anyone who shows up on Monday, Wednesday, and/or Friday between 8 and 11 a.m.

Jacaranda prides itself on its eight knee-saving Har-Tru courts. They’re avail-able seven days a week. Two are lighted.

For players looking to improve their game, Adam Zastempowski offers group clinics as well as private lessons. His Pro Shop offers racquet restringing, and sells an assortment of racquets, balls, and other on-court necessities.

Memberships are available for a family or an indi-vidual. For information call 941-493-5128.

Adam Zastempowski

Jacaranda

Jacaranda West Country Club1901 Jacaranda Blvd., venice, FL 34223941-493-5128 • www.jacwestcc.com


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Full-Service Pro Shop

2300 Bee Ridge Rd, Sarasota(941) 349-7742Mon.-Sat. 8-6 • Sun. 9-2

n 24 hr. restringing and gripping n Pros available 7 days a week—

your court or ours

Top lines of apparel, shoes and racquets for adults and kids

The South’s Premier Tennis Shop!

TOTAL TENNIS New Convenient Location

Bigger and Better than Ever!2300 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota

Teddy Tennis is a FUN way to encourage children aged 3, 4 and 5 years to get active and learn to play tennis. It works by combining music, pictures and

teddy bear stories into an interactive learning adventure that children love.Want to get the program running in your club or school?

Call us at 405-204-5636

or visit our websitewww.teddytennis.com


Temperatures will be over 90 degrees. Humidity levels above 80 percent. You have a match at 12 noon. How in the world are you going to survive?

As a WTA touring pro for 10 years, I played through all kinds of weather: the humidity in Australia, summers in the Nevada desert. . . and I can tell you, Florida summers hit you with some of the most challenging weather out there. And it’s easier than you may think to lose a step on the court because of dehydration.

We have all heard the old standby: Drink eight glasses of water a day. But that’s just for the average person. As a tennis player, you need more. And if you wait until you’re thirsty, it’s too late.

Approximately 60 percent of our body weight is water. If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. And it doesn’t take much to dig yourself into a significant hole against your opponent.

At just 2 percent dehydration, your body’s work capacity has dropped 12 to 15 percent. As you’re setting up to serve, your body temperature and your heart rate is now higher than your opponent’s.

Unless you’re cruising to victory, that difference can be enough to cost you in a close match.

My rule: Never step onto the court unprepared. And that means hydrating the right way before you ever pick up your racquet. Here’s how to hydrate like the pros:

Drink the Night BeforeTo prep for a match where you ex-

pect to sweat a lot, start drinking water mixed with electrolytes the night before.

How much? With dinner, try 16 ounces of water mixed with 16 ounces of a sports drink that has potassium, magnesium, calcium, manganese, chromium, and fructose. Make enough to keep sipping until you go to bed at night. I prefer Emergen-C and Recharge sports drinks that have fructose and less refined sugars than Gatorade.*

Start Drinking 2 Hours Before Nerves plagued me before my matches, so I could never get a full

meal in prior to playing. But I made sure to keep drinking cold water and electrolytes starting 2 hours before my match. If you’re expecting a physical match, give yourself a boost by drinking something with sugar in it. Read the label and look for glucose, sucrose, and fructose. They are the sugars your body absorbs fastest.

Chill OutYour small intestine can absorb about 8 ounces of water every

20 minutes. You can speed that up a little by drinking it cold. So put the water you’re drinking just before and during your match on ice.

In addition, keep sipping on high glucose, sucrose, or fructose electrolyte drinks during the match, at least every 15 minutes to keep energy levels high.

Rehydrate Immediately AfterIn order to replenish your muscles for optimum recovery, drink

a sports drink that contains simple sugars within 45 minutes of your match. I prefer Emergen-C electrolyte packets. For every pound of body weight lost during the match, drink 16 ounces of water, because most of the weight lost is water weight.

So be careful in the heat of the summer, remember to listen to your body and know the signs of dehydration.*The American diet is very high in sodium so I did not find it necessary to add sodium to my sports drinks (which already contain it).

HYDRATE

SUCCESS

THIS SUMMERFOR

Tiffany Dabek Davis was ranked 170 WTA, and played on the WTA tour from 1998-2007. She is currently a tennis professional at RIverstrand Country Club, a NFPT personal trainer, and NFPT fitness nutrition specialist. She is also currently attending university to become a registered dietitian.


Totally Talented Teens

I f you’re wondering who that attractive young athlete is on the Celsius

ad in the last issue, you’re about to find out. Chanel Glasper tells us all about her love of tennis and her college plans:

How did you decide that tennis is your fa-vorite sport? When I was younger I was involved in different activities and sports, such as soccer, basketball, Taekwondo, and I also played the clar-inet, but I enjoyed tennis the most. I liked the sense of control I had in deter-mining the outcome of the match.

What qualities make a good tennis coach? Good tennis coaches are encourag-ing and are interested in their players’ tennis game, but also care about their overall well-being. I like coaches to be a little hard on me, but also positive. A coach being tough helps me practice mental toughness, but the positive reinforcement helps keep me motivated and to not get discouraged.

What techniques have you learned recently that have made you a better player? Since tennis is such a mental sport, some of the most useful techniques that I have learned are related to developing my mental state on the court. For example, making sure I take my time in between points and taking deep breaths so that I am able to stay focused.

You’ve seen so much tennis at your young age. What places have you traveled to for tennis? I have traveled to about 25 different states and spent three months abroad in the Ukraine training and playing tournaments.

What are your college plans? Your major? After com-pleting my Undergrad I plan to pursue a Master’s Degree. I am currently double-majoring in Political Science and Pre-Law and pursuing a certificate in International Relations at the University of Massachusetts—Amherst.

Who are your favorite tennis idols? The Williams sis-ters (who are so intense and fierce on the court), John Isner, Roger Federer, and Andre Agassi (I named my dog after him).

What advice can you give young tennis players who are having a tough time reaching the level that you have reached? Keep working hard and just know that your time will come where everything will come together. Hard work always pays off, so try not to get discouraged and stay positive!

Chanel GlasperH

There never seems to be a lack of tennis talent from the juniors in the Sarasota/Bradenton area. Once again the Florida State Closed Junior tournament was recently

played in Daytona Beach, and Altamonte Springs Florida. Two juniors from this area walked away with winner’s trophy: Dominic Cotrone and Sophia Edwards. Cotrone just won the boys 18-and-under, and Edwards won the girls 12-and-under. Cotrone just finished his freshman year at Florida State University, but is still 18 so he can play junior tennis. Cotrone had a good first year and noticed big differences between college and juniors. “I would describe my first year at college as exciting and different than what I was used to. There was the whole team to think about, lots of nerves because every match is hard and important. It was very exciting,” said Cotrone. When asked about the difference between college and junior tennis, Cotrone answered, “Playing as a team and the amount of fitness required to play college tennis. There is never an easy match because all the players are playing college tennis too. You have to be ready and prepared for each match.”

Cotrone is training hard this summer at Start to Finish Tennis Accademy at Lakewood Ranch Country Club, and plans to play the National 18-and-under Clay Courts. He will then continue to train hard for the All American College tournament in the fall. Cotrone considers his determination and motivation along with speed and athleticism to be his strengths. When asked about his favorite player Cotrone said,” Marat Safin . . .because he never had the best attitude, but he had amazing natural talent. If he had worked on motivation, he could have been the best player ever.”

Sophia Edwards had a fantastic State Closed as well. She won the girls 12-and-under as an 11-year-old. Sophia said,” Winning the State Closed was a real honor. I was nervous, but I tried my hardest to win. I also knew that if I didn’t win, that was O.K. too.” Edwards has a busy schedule for the summer. She is training at the United Tennis Academy, then on to the National Clay Courts and the Nationals. Edwards considers her strengths to be her forehand and swinging volleys. She considers herself to be

an aggressive player that plays to win. Her favorite player is Maria Sharapova. One fun answer from Edwards when asked about her favorite food she answered, “My Dad’s homemade pizza.” Congratulations to Dominic and Sophia on their outstanding accomplishments!

Congratulations to all the 48 area players that played State Closed. Grayson Goldin finished runner-up in boys 18’s, Andre Johnson fifth in boys 14’s.

Dominic Cotrone and Sophia Edwards

Sophia Edwards

by Kathy Rosenberg


cOURTNordis and Bob’s Favorite RestaurantsNordis was a hotel manager and master chef, trained at Maxim’s in Paris

BJ’s: Best bakery in townBogey’s Sports Bar: Baby Back Ribs & TVs GaloreBroken Egg: Colossal Cakes and OmelettesCafe Americano: Great Atmosphere for outdoor diners C’est La vie: The French Touch Dutch valley: Great Greek Omelette with Hash BrownsHeinrich’s German Grill: Great Schnitzel and Potato Pancakes Mona Lisa: Veal Marsala and Angel HairMorton’s Gourmet Market: Quality Market, Fully-Prepared EntréesSarasota Kennel Club: Good food is no gamble here!Super Buffet at Sarasota Crossing: 300 choices, all goodSweet Tomatoes: Best Salad Bar in TownThe Old Salty Dog: Deep Fried Mushrooms and Dog BitesTroyer’s Dutch Heritage: Great dessertsWalt’s Fish Mkt & Restaurant: Whole Grilled Snapper w/ New PotatoesWaterfront: Chopped Steak with Steak Fries

FOOd


The former Director of Tennis at Serendipity is now helping run his parents’ restaurant “Heinrich’s

German Grill” near Lockwood Ridge Road and University Parkway.

Bubik, 31, grew up in Hamburg, Germany and met Boris Becker when Andreas was just six years old. He went to school with the Williams sisters in Bradenton. He was Monica Seles’ hitting partner. He traveled with several players including Xavier Malisse. One of his best friends growing up was Tommy Haas. He traveled the world playing pro tennis—thanks in part to his booming serve (clocked at 147 mph). Now he’s serving up meals. Three of the most

popular are: Sauerbraten, Jägerschnitzel, and Schweinshaxe (Andreas likes the Schweinshaxe so much, his license plate reads “HAXE”). For a lighter fare, Gravlax (salmon) is available, or you might like

Hamburg shrimp. These culinary delights marinate for days in eight different ingredients before they are brought to your table for the utmost in dining pleasure.

The bar area is very busy Thursday through Saturday with beer lovers enjoying the Spaten Lager or Spaten Oktoberfest. The customers like the open kitchen area behind the bar where they can watch Brian put the final touches on the orders for the finest presentation.

TT: Is this something you ever pictured yourself doing?Yes, I was always wanting to continue my parents business another generation. My parents have owned restaurants their entire lives and have always been successful. Now I’d like to step in and take it further. TT: How did you wind up in Sarasota—and when did you get here?My family vacationed here in 1993 and I had a chance to play with Nick Bollettieri. I wound up getting a scholarship at the IMG Academy. TT: Why do you like Sarasota?I like Sarasota because it is quiet, but for a more exciting night out, I like to go to St. Pete or Tampa. I really enjoyed attending each day of the Sarasota Open and seeing all my tennis friends. I also love having my friends come by the restaurant after a game of tennis for camaraderie and a hearty meal.

TT: Is there anything you miss about teaching tennis?I’ve been extremely fortunate in the past to train and coach professional players plus gather lots of amazing experience and knowledge. It felt great taking that experience and knowledge and

passing it on to my students. Few coaches in this area could provide what I could. This is what I’ll miss the most.

TT: Is there anything you don’t miss?Getting told what to do by people who don’t know what they’re talking about. Also, I will definitely NOT miss the summer heat.

TT: Where do you see yourself in 20 years?I see myself continuing this business as long as I hold up physically and mentally. This shouldn’t be a problem since tennis was a lot tougher on my

body and gave me a good disciplinary foundation. I love what I do now—and that’s what matters the most. Guten Appetit!

Is There Life after Tennis? Andreas Bubik says there is.

Ray Collins is a former country club tennis pro and TV newscaster. He now owns a communications company. Details at www.RayCollinsMedia.com.

Owner Dad “Heinrich” and son Andreas Bubik

Open 7 days a week: 4:30 – closing

941-355-54538420 Lockwood Ridge Rd. • Sarasota, FL 34243

Guten Appetit


When Gene Levin and his wife Carol started spend-ing their winters

at Cascades of Sarasota seven years ago, Gene never dreamed he would resume playing tennis—a sport that he embraced after col-

rological diseases; little victories are a BIG thing to me,” explains Gene. “I also do tai chi two times a week and line dancing once weekly when at Cascades.”

As Gene bops around on his scooter, his physical disability does not impair his career goals. In fact, his professional and philanthropic contributions are too numerous to list here. At the moment he is still developing employee benefit plans for busi-nesses, financial planning for executives and professionals, and he is working to create a website for the physically challenged community.

Jon Bloom had his own serious challenge to overcome in the recent past. He was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and had to endure radical chemotherapy and radiation. Jon still showed up every morning at The Cascades for tennis coach-ing and court maintenance. He was also instrumental in helping Totally Tennis magazine get launched by sharing his ideas and experiences of owning a tennis club in Connecticut.

Those of us in the tennis community thank Jon and Gene for providing us with this inspirational story. We hope the little fuzzy yellow ball continues to inspire Gene, and the athletic determina-tion in all of us!

And a Little Fuzzy yellow Ball

A Cascade of Courage...

lege, but was forced to abandon 35 years ago when he was mistak-enly diagnosed with MS. His disease turned out to be PLS (Primary Lateral Sclerosis) which has a similar effect on muscles and nerves.

Gene is fortunate to live in a community where Jon Bloom is the resident tennis director, and who had a long history of bringing the joy of tennis to children and adults with disabilities. Not only did he direct a Special Olympics tennis program started by Eunice Shriver in the early 70’s at an indoor tennis club in Connecticut where he was a teaching pro, but later when he owned his own club, he provided lessons and free indoor tennis time for 12 years to Special Olympians, many of whom competed in regional games at Yale University and the World Games in Atlanta, Georgia and London, England. When Jon moved to Sarasota 12 years ago, he continued his interest in bringing tennis to children with disabilities while working as a substitute teacher for severely handicapped children and through special summer programs.

When Jon learned from friends about Gene’s high school and college athletic accomplishments, he realized Gene should have the opportunity to be active in a sports again. At Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, Gene was an All-Public Baseball Player invited to a tryout with the Phillies, and member of the City Championship basketball team that included future NBA players Walt Hazzard and Wally Jones. At West Chester State Teachers College, Gene majored in Phys. Ed., and was a member of the MAC State championship swimming and track teams.

Jon and Gene practice once a week at the Cascades courts. “I thoroughly enjoy the mental and physical challenge that little fuzzy yellow ball presents. Although extremely spastic, I have seen improvements in all aspects of what I work on with Jon: muscle and nerve transmissions can still improve in spite of neu-

Gene Levin practices at the net for better muscle control and coordination.

Jon Bloom and Gene Levin get geared up for “those little BIG victories.”


N O S T A L G I A

Slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865. Nearly 15 years later, in 1880, the United States Lawn Tennis

Association (USLTA) was founded (The name was later changed to USTA). Tennis was the dominion of the white, upper class and Blacks were neither interested, nor in-vited to participate. Segregation was ram-pant throughout America and an attitude of exclusion was pervasive in most areas of American society.

Blacks began to surface on tennis courts in about 1890 at Tuskegee Insti-tute. Booker T. Washington, one of Amer-ica’s great, black visionaries and leaders, founded Tuskegee. In his famous Atlanta Address of 1895, Booker T. Washing-ton set forth the motivating spirit behind Tuskegee Institute. In a post Reconstruc-tion era marked by growing segregation and disfranchisement of blacks, this spirit was based on what realistically might be achieved in that time and place. “The op-portunity to earn a dollar in a factory just now,” he observed, “is worth infinitely more than the opportunity to spend a dollar in an opera house.” Because of Washington’s extraordinary ability to work within the sys-tem and to maximize the possible, Tuske-gee flourished to the extent only dreamed about when he met his first students on July 4, 1881.

By 1898, Blacks began to have inter-club matches with rival black clubs in New York, Philadelphia and a variety of other eastern seaboard cities. These inter-club rivalries were primarily networking oppor-tunities; occasions for the black, college-graduated elite to commune with their colleagues from other cities. This group of clubs eventually grew in number until an organizational structure was needed. In 1916, the American Tennis Association (ATA) was created as the governing body of Black tennis in America. In the fifty years since slavery was abolished, 80% of the Black population became educated. Near-ly 4 million people came out of slavery as legislated illiterates and by 1915; an elite middle-class had been formed. By today’s

standards, this is a phenomenal ac-complishment. When one considers the growing rate of illiteracy across America, illiteracy that transcends racial lines, we should look at this statistic with awe and wonder!

In any event, it was this con-tinuing attitude of separation that caused a group of black professionals to form the American Tennis Association (ATA) in 1916. The primary mission of the ATA was the formation of a circuit of black clubs and tournaments across the country. This new organization permitted the black elite to travel from city to city, network amongst their peers and enjoy the game of tennis. These separate but unequal ten-nis societies continued without conflict for nearly 25 years. While blacks enjoyed the social and the networking opportunities provided by the ATA, the USLTA enjoyed the pristine, private, country club environ-ment that offered the same opportunities to its constituency.

In many ways, this elite Black society was born of necessity. Blacks were deter-mined to do for themselves what the seg-regated governing society refused to do for them. Significantly, these elite middle-class Blacks were graduates of Black col-leges and universities and were educated in the Arts and Sciences. They became doctors, lawyers, and educators and, because there was no access to profes-

sional sports at that time, went to college to develop the foun-dations for lifetime careers.

And so, Black b u s i n e s s — a n d Black tennis flour-ished during the first quarter of the twentieth century. The ATA held its first national champion-ship in 1917 in Bal-timore, MD. Tally Holmes and Lucy Slowe emerged as the winners of that historic event. It was obvious that the ATA

had gotten off to a resounding start and now emphasis was being placed on increasing the number of new clubs and the creation of junior develop-ment programs. By the mid-1930’s there were more than 100 member-clubs, many of

them private, black-owned tennis and golf country clubs. This idyllic seren-ity was about to undergo a change as players began to improve and the desire to compete at the highest levels of the sport took on greater importance. The very first confrontation came in 1929 when Reginald Weir and Gerald Nor-man were denied entry into the National Indoors in New York City. Both paid their entry fees, but upon presenting them-selves to play in the event, were denied the opportunity to participate. Formal complaints were filed by the National Association for the Advancement of Col-ored People (NAACP) and the following response was received from the USLTA: “….the policy of the USLTA has been to decline the entry of colored players in our championships…In pursuing this policy we make no reflection upon the colored race, but we believe that as a practical matter, the present methods of separate associations should be contin-ued.” Neither Weir nor Norman was per-mitted to play, but it was now clear that the cauldron was being stirred.

Dont miss “Part 2: The Emergence of a Black Champion,” in the next issue.

Bob Davis ran the largest tennis club in New York State and had his own sleep-over tennis academy in the 80’s. He was the CEO of the Arthur Ashe Safe Passage Foundation, CEO of

Black Dynamics, Inc., and is currently President of the Panda Foundation, a local organization that uses tennis as the hook to teach the importance of proper nutrition, fitness and remaining in school, in the Manatee County School System and other youth serving agencies.

Symbols of Change: MINORITY TENNIS – A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVEPart 1: The Beginning

Lucy Slowe

Tally Holmes

Reginald Weir

AT PAYNE PARK TENNIS CENTER SUNDAY AUGUST 19TH • 10 A.M.

CENTER COURT DEDICATION

(Three 8 Game Pro Sets)10 am: Caroline Dailey & Erik Luxembourg vs Tina Von Kessel & Dave Siddons11 am: Ty Braswell & Dave Siddons vs Hugo Armando & Erik Luxembourg12 noon: TY BRASWELL vs HUGO ARMANDO

FREE ADMISSIONMaster of Ceremonies: Ray Collins

For more information: [email protected]

Bradenton’s Maria Sharapova - newactiveadultcommunity.comnewactiveadultcommunity.com/index_htm_files/TTAugust2012-lo res… · Maria Sharapova Page 7. November 11 WORLD CLASS SENIOR

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