southwest section USTA Southwest Staff Directory

Transcription

1 December 2010

2 southwest section USTA Southwest Staff Directory USTA SOUTHWEST 7010 E. Acoma Drive, Suite 201 Scottsdale, Arizona Main: (480) Toll-Free: Fax: (480) Executive Director TBA x Executive Assistant/Accounting Brooke Demory x 108 bdemory@southwest.usta.com Community Program Coordinator - Central Arizona Darlene Demory x 105 demory@southwest.usta.com Community Program Coordinator - Southern New Mexico/Greater El Paso Patrick Hart (575) hart@southwest.usta.com Community Program Coordinator - Southern Arizona Keeley Hutchinson (520) hutchinson@southwest.usta.com Community Tennis Coordinator - Northern New Mexico Becky Lee (505) lee@southwest.usta.com Adult Competitive Manager Guillermo (Bill) Lucero x 106 lucero@southwest.usta.com Junior Player Development Manager Eric Mitchell x 107 mitchell@southwest.usta.com Community Tennis Manager Michelle Moyer x 103 mmoyer@southwest.usta.com Marketing and Communications Manager Jeff Sikes x 109 sikes@southwest.usta.com Community Program Coordinator Spencer Wayman x 103 swayman@southwest.usta.com 18 TennisLife magazine december 2010

3 President s Message Southwest Tennis Family Tree With the holiday season upon us, I d like to take this opportunity to wish you a joyous time with your families and friends. Hopefully, this year has been good to you, especially on the tennis courts! As with the holiday season and all it brings, I believe our sport of tennis is first and foremost about family. It s about our USTA League teammates and the social bonding that goes on, it s the camaraderie our juniors build with each other as teammates and Southwest representatives at events like USTA Zonals or Jr. Team Tennis National Championships. It s about volunteers in the trenches logging long hours to run a great tournament, or a teaching pro giving up lesson money to help give a clinic, or our members selflessly raising money for causes like breast cancer through tennis. If those aren t traits characteristic of a strong family I don t know what is. Our family tree here in the Southwest is every member, organization, school, club, park, partner or sponsor we have, and we want to do everything to ensure you ALL feel like a part of our upward direction. We as USTA volunteers and staff members value your contributions to tennis, both financial and through time and effort given. We are very appreciative, and we are trying to be great stewards of the trust and resources given to us. These have been rough economic times for many in our tennis community, and I am here to tell you that we have to act more like a close-knit family now than ever before. It s tough to think about record-setting growth in times when so many of us are tightening our belts, but we do have a great deal to be thankful for and to celebrate. That s why I m only reminding us all to support the sport of tennis in our areas as much as we can by helping our parks, clubs and retail businesses that provide this game to us and all it offers. Getting out and playing and participating in USTA programs or tournaments is essential and need you all to be a part of. To me every lapsed USTA member or member organization, every tennis court taken away by a constricted city budget, or a sponsor no longer able to help us out is a lost member of our family and it s heartbreaking. I know those are unpleasant thoughts, but with that said, we are still doing so much good in our communities with this sport, so much we all can be proud of! We just came off an incredibly successful USTA Southwest Regional Community Tennis Development Workshop in early October that helped educate and train so many of our new and existing volunteers. Our Southwest Tennis Foundation is expanding its efforts to give money out each year for college scholarships or programs that are aligned with our mission. We have thriving USTA Leagues, Jr. Team Tennis and Tennis on Campus programs that are all hitting high marks with each passing year. Our 10-and-Under Tennis initiatives through QuickStart are becoming more entrenched, giving our youth a head start most of us never had in enjoying this lifetime sport. I am encouraging everyone to never forget to renew that USTA membership. It s vital, and hint, it makes a great Christmas gift (log onto to join or renew)! Lastly, and this is my holiday wish for tennis in the Southwest: I d love everyone with the means to send $1 to our Southwest Tennis Foundation. Mail it to the USTA Southwest office (7010 E. Acoma Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85254) care of SWTF, and watch the transforming power of what our family unified can do for this sport. december 2010 Best wishes, Beverly Bourguet 19

4 southwest section Community Tennis SOUTHWEST RCTDW A SMASHING SUCCESS 2010 Hall of Fame Inductees: Robert Goldfarb, Anne Lane and Sally Grabham How to grow the sport, particularly the youth market in USTA Southwest, was the theme of the recent Regional Community Tennis Development Workshop (RCTDW), held Oct at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Ariz. Speakers and panelists from across the nation - including several USTA National staff members and highplaced volunteers as well as renowned guest speakers on youth sports Dr. Bob Pangrazi and Gary Avischious, presented information sessions at the RCTDW on a variety of topics vital to tennis in their local areas. The weekend started off with an opening speech given by noted educator Pangrazi on USTA & Little Kids. Pangrazi, who has worked with children for over 45 years, spoke about how most failed athletic dreams are due to parental notions and perceived confidences (or lack of) in the sport at a young age. Pangrazi also did a fun activity session on how to manage and keep control of large groups of children, something many tennis educators (particularly schools programs) encounter. Other sessions included effective board governance put on by recognized non-profit consultant Linda Searfoss and a two-part Youth Tennis Pathway discussion and on-court presentation was put on by Jason Jamison, National Manager for Schools Tennis. Jamison s presentation touched on how to connect facilities (public and private) with local schools to grow youth tennis programming like Jr. Team Tennis and QuickStart, and also included a no court, no problem presentation conducted in the outdoor patio area of the Hotel Valley Ho. From there the scene shifted to the SoHo Ballroom for the USTA Southwest Annual Meeting and Hall of Fame/Awards Banquet. The Section s top performing volunteers, organizations and players were honored for their achievements in 2010 (see info box for list of winners) Cathy Clifton of Bisbee, Arizona at the Regional Community Tennis Development Workshop. 20 TennisLife magazine december 2010

5 The Hall of Fame Class of 2010 was also inducted, as longtime USTA volunteers Anne Lane (Tucson, Ariz.) and Sally Grabham (Scottsdale, Ariz.) joined El Paso tennis legend Robert Bobby Goldfarb as this year s inductees. The evening HOF/ Awards ceremony was emceed by Scott Hanover, the Tennis in the Parks Committee National chair, from Kansas City, Mo. A Silent Auction for the Southwest Tennis Foundation, which featured more than 50 unique tennis items from a variety of generous donors, was also held during the evening s proceedings. The Auction raised over $6,000 for scholarships and other special programming efforts and grants for tennis in the Southwest. The weekend s presentations finished with an impressive list of USTA National and Section speakers contributing, touching on various topics from building a pathway from school tennis to Jr. Team Tennis (Taylor Cochrane), PR and coordinated media strategies (Rita Garza), volunteer management (Andrew Feldman), the array of grants available (David Slade), an account of ongoing Diversity efforts and strategies (Kevin Clayton) and how public parks can grow tennis for adults USTA National s Jason Jamison shows RCTDW participants the Tennis Skillastics game and children using QuickStart (Karen Ford, Hanover, Meghan Houk). Gary Avisichious of the noted website closed the RCTDW with a talk on how coaches and parents need to operate when looking at the skill development of children. Avischious stated that coaches and parents need to look at coaching as more like gardening, providing fertile soil for kids to strive to their dreams and gave some sobering statistics on dropouts in all youth sports. The RCTDW was put on with the help of a $10,000 grant from USTA National and combined with the Section s regular annual meeting. Sessions were attended by a variety of USTA Southwest Section and district personnel and volunteers, member organizations, city parks department employees, and other interested parties. USTA Southwest would like to extend a special thanks to all those who supported and attended this year s RCTDW, especially our presenters and national guests! The Section also sends a special Thank You to our supporting sponsors Tennis Channel, Head/Penn Racquet Sports, All About Tennis, The Village Tavern, Tennis Life Magazine, NetKnacks Tennis Awards and the Marting Group, Inc. december USTA Southwest Award Winners Community Tennis Volunteer of the Year: Sue Kroeger, Tucson, Ariz. Tournament Enrichment: Josh Bates, Chandler, Ariz. Family of the Year: The Ponwiths (Scottsdale, Ariz.) NJTL Chapter of the Year: Jim Reffkin Tennis Center (Tucson, Ariz.) Junior Player of the Year (Female) Gabrielle Otero (Albquerque, N.M.) Junior Player of the Year (Male): Billy Pecor (Scottsdale, Ariz.) High School Coach of the Year: Scott Spivey (El Paso, Texas) Outstanding Contributor to USTA League Tennis: Meghan Houk (Tucson, Ariz.) Junior Sportsmanship: Emily Harris (Phoenix, Ariz.) Adult Player of the Year: Sherri Bronson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) Member Organization of the Year: Linda Estes UNM Lobo Tennis Complex (Albuquerque, N.M.) Dianne Miller Courage in Tennis: Mel Levine (Sedona, Ariz.) Media Excellence: Susan Bender (Tijeras, N.M.) Nora Quintal of the Lobo Club accepts Member Organization of the Year Award 21

6 southwest section ADDITIONAL WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITIES USTA National will be hosting a Community Tennis Development Workshop, February 11-13, 2011 in Arlington, Va. Southwest applicants interested in receiving scholarship funding to help attend are encouraged to apply through the USTA Southwest. Contact Michelle Moyer at mmoyer@southwest.usta.com or (480) x. 104 for more details. Sunset Park In Sedona Gets Refurbished Two tennis courts in the City of Sedona s Sunset Park are now re-open after the city s summer reconstruction project that the USTA played a big part in. Replacing the two cracked asphalt courts with post-tension concrete courts (see picture, right) cost approximately $236,000, but a $30,000 grant from the United States Tennis Association (USTA) helped ease the overall cost for the city s project. In addition to this project, one of the tennis courts at Posse Grounds Park in the city was repaired in conjunction with this project, at a cost of $1,150. These courts are now open to the community and should help expand the public play opportunities available in the city of Sedona. The courts also had Quickstart Tennis lines painted on them so junior programming will be a top priority at the location. For more information on the USTA s public facilities initiative - Tennis in the Parks - which is designed to improve and expand opportunities nationwide, please visit and look for the Tennis in the Parks area under the About Us dropdown. 22 TennisLife magazine december 2010 Community Grant Funding Available Apply Now Looking for extra money to help grow your facility or organization s tennis programs? A goal of the USTA Southwest is to offer grants and funding to those committed to growing, initiating and expanding tennis programs in their local communities. The USTA Southwest Community Grant Applications is due Nov. 15 for our second round of grant cycles for the year. The Section welcomes all grant applications for communitybased initiatives, so apply now. Go to the Community Tennis dropdown on the southwest.usta.com website and look for Grants and Scholarships. There you will find the Community Funding Grant Application. Please send the completed form via mail, fax or to USTA Southwest Community Tennis Manager Michelle Moyer at mmoyer@southwest.usta.com. Successful grant applicants are notified and awarded in December (payment is received on or after January 1 in 2011).

7 Junior News A decision that will fundamentally change the future landscape of tennis in the United States has passed governing new rules that will affect competition in 10-and-under USTA tournaments. These new rules will require that 10-and-under sanctioned tournaments be played using slower-moving and lower-bouncing balls. 10-And-Under Tennis Going Green in Southwest The change in tournament format by both the USTA and the International Tennis Federation was reached after weighing the benefits for beginners as well as recurring and high-performing youth players. Studies have found that competition, when conducted in a welcoming environment that allows for multiple play opportunities, enhances kids enjoyment of the game. And for aspiring collegiate and professional players, the QuickStart Tennis play format fosters proper technique and enhances strategy, key components to success in competitive play. How this affects USTA Southwest juniors Starting January 1, 2011, all Southwest sanctioned tournaments with 10-andunder draws must: - Be using the 78-foot court with a low-compression (75%) green ball - Be using short-set scoring (best two-out-of three sets scoring, four game sets) These changes will affect USTA Southwest sanctioned tournaments like the Sweet 16 and Junior Closed. For more information, of for questions, contact USTA Southwest Junior Development Manager Eric Mitchell at Mitchell@southwest.usta.com or (480) x For more information on 10-and-under Tennis in America, please visit december 2010 Ponwith Caps Torrid Summer With Nike Junior Title USTA Southwest junior Nathan Ponwith had a summer to remember in 2010, winning the Southwest Junior Closed, as well as racking up two gold balls in doubles and two silver balls in singles at USTA National Championship Clay Court and Hard Court events. But the 12-year-old Scottsdale native wasn t done there and brought in perhaps his most impressive haul of the summer with a victory at the Nike Junior Tour (NJT) event in Boys 12 singles, claiming the US championships title at the prestigious event, held Sept at the Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Fla. The NJT brought together Section champions from across the USTA in the 14-and-under and 12-and-under categories. Nathan Ponwith with Nike Junior Tour tournament director Phil Cello Ponwith, who is currently ranked No. 1 in nation in Boys 12s, now advances to this December s NJT International Masters, featuring top competitors from across the globe. That event will be held at Club Med Columbus Isle in the Bahamas, Dec

8 southwest section Southwest Juniors Dominate Dunlop Section juniors put in a strong showing at the level-3 national Dunlop Junior Championships, held Oct at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort in Palm Desert, Calif. The mixed doubles duo of Courtney Amos (Tucson, Ariz.) and Alex Lawson (Tempe, Ariz.) were the only USTA Southwest titlists at the event, but many other juniors reached the latter stages of the tournament. Amos and Lawson swept through four rounds, including a final-round victory over the top seeds Hudson Barnhart (Wenatchee, Wash.) and Sophia Bott (San Clemente, Calif.) 9-7 in the final. Other Section juniors who posted strong results were: - Top-seeded Madison Clarke (Phoenix, Ariz.) won five rounds and reached the Girls 14s finals before falling to Amber Park (La Canada, Calif.) 6-0, 6-7, Maddie Pothoff (Tucson, Ariz.) Won four rounds, taking out three seeded players before losing in an All-Southwest semifinal against the top-seeded Clarke. - Nathan Ponwith (Scottsdale, Ariz.) reached the Boys 14s semifinals as an unseeded player, playing up an age division. Ponwith took out three seeds (the 3, 13 and 9) in succession before falling to top-seeded and eventual winner, Ernesto Escobedo (West Covina, Calif.). - Yash Parikh (Tucson, Ariz.) advanced through four rounds to reach the semifinals of the Boys 12s before falling to topseeded JaeHwan Min (Irvine, Calif.) 6-3, 6-2. Parikh did win the third-place match in a walkover. Section 10 s Represent in Dallas Twelve of the top Section 10-and-under Juniors competed at the Slammin 10s Tournament in Arlington, Texas, October This non-elimination, round robin team competition features competitors from the Intermountain, Texas, Mid-Atlantic and Texas Sections as well as our own USTA Southwest juniors. As of press time, results were not available. USTA Southwest team members competing at the event were: GIRLS Josie Frazier Phoenix, Ariz.; Taylor Johnson, Prescott, Ariz; Emily Akin Phoenix, Ariz.; Carmen Corley, Sandia Park, N.M.; Grace Koester, Paradise Valley, Ariz.; Lauren Fulgenzi, Las Vegas, N.M. BOYS Harsh Parikh, Tucson, Ariz; Maximo Lawlor, Goodyear, Ariz.; Sebastian Herrera, El Paso, Texas; Jordan Aldor, Vail, Ariz.; Luke Bridges, Mesa, Ariz.; Ethan Katz, El Paso, Texas. Albuquerque Team Places Second at JTT Nats The USTA Southwest team from Albuquerque, NM finished second at the 2010 USTA Jr. Team Tennis 14U Advanced National Championships, held at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex in Surprise, Ariz., Oct. 22nd 24th. The Albuquerque team won their pool with three team victories, before ultimately falling to a team from Lino Lakes, MN, in the Championship match. The LTC World Class squad was coached by Becky Lee and the roster included: George Cooper, Paris Corley, Eli Echt-Wilson, Brandelyn Fulgenzi, Warren Fulgenzi, Chloe Lee and Melissa Pick. This was truly a team effort, said Coach Becky Lee. The players worked so hard and we couldn t have made it here without the help of everyone. Advanced - USTA Southwest - 2nd place 24 TennisLife magazine DECEMBER 2010

9 League Wrap ADULTS & SENIOR LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS Oct. 1-3, Adult (Indian Wells, Calif.) Men: Northern New Mexico (Captain Corey Matney) 2.5 Adult (Rancho Mirage, Calif.) Women - Central Arizona (Captain Kristy Stallings) Oct. 8-10, Adult (Tucson, Ariz.) Men: Central Arizona (Mike Flinn) Women: Central Arizona (Tammy Auther) 3.5 Senior (Indian Wells, Calif.) Men: Central Arizona (Michael Coleman) Women: Southern Arizona (Irma Ficzeri) Oct , Adult (Tucson, Ariz.) Men: Central Arizona (Charlie Simmons) Women: Southern Arizona (Anne Graham) 4.5 Senior (Indian Wells, Calif.) Men: Central Arizona (Theo Mandel) Women: Central Arizona (Sheila Johnson) Oct , Adult (Tucson, Ariz.) Men: Central Arizona (Russell Terao) Women: Northern Arizona (Kate Baker) 3.0 Senior (Indian Wells, Calif.) Men: Central Arizona (Richard Schaefer) Women: Northern Arizona (Donna Roberts) Phoenix team finishes 2nd in Nation A women s team from Phoenix, Ariz., representing the USTA Southwest, finished second at the USTA League 4.5 Adult National Championships held at the Jim Reffkin Tennis Center in Tucson, Ariz. from Oct The Phoenix team, which plays out of Arizona Country Club, reached the finals before ultimately falling in a tight 3-2 contest to a team from San Diego, Calif., in the championship match. The team was captained by Tammy Auther and features Leslie Rangel, Yuka Shoji, Robin Parmley, Betsy Owen, Astrid Koh-Stenzer, Cathy Ellington, Loretta Brown, Ellen Baumann, Karen Schaal and Beth Thompson. National Championship Qualifiers The team went 2-1 in pool play, tied with Intermountain (Idaho), but advanced on number of matches won in their pool. Southwest had beaten Intermountain on the first day 3-2, but fell in their second match to Midwest (Bloomfield, Mich.) 3-2. Two 4.0 Adult teams also posted top-four finishes during League Championship events, Oct in Tucson. The men s 4.0 team from Central Arizona captained by Russell Terao reached the semifinals before falling 4-1 to eventual champion USTA Southern. A Northern Arizona women s team captained by Kate Baker also reached the semifinals, before falling 3-2 contest, also to the eventual champion, USTA New England. Twenty three other teams from USTA Southwest headed to USTA League National Championships events over the course of a two-month span in October and November. As of press time, the Phoenix 4.5 women were the only team to place in the top four. But check southwest.usta.com for more updates. For a complete list of teams that qualified for Nationals, see below. Oct , Adult (Tucson, Ariz.) Men: Northern New Mexico (Marvin Jiminez) Women: Southern Arizona (Anne Graham) 4.0 Senior (Rancho Mirage, Calif.) Men: Central Arizona (Jay Hearshmann) Women: Greater El Paso (Belle Middagh) MIXED Nov , , 7.0 & 9.0 Mixed (Tucson, Ariz.) 7.0 Central Arizona (Captain Russell Terao) 9.0 GEPTA (Captain Claudia Calderon) Nov , , 8.0 & 10.0 Mixed (Tucson, Ariz.) 6.0 Southern Arizona (Captain Martin Chavez) 8.0 Central Arizona (Captain Aaron Gomez) SENIOR MIXED AND SUPER SENIOR April 7-10, 2011 Senior Mixed Invitational (Surprise, Ariz.) 7.0 Southern AZ (Captain Jeff Kaumeyer) 8.0 Northern New Mexico (Captain Romela Carman) Apr , & 8.0 Super Senior* Surprise, AZ (*Southwest teams to be decided in December) Apr May 1, & 9.0 Super Senior* Surprise, AZ (*Southwest teams to be decided in December) 25 december 2010

10 southwest section 2011 League Rule Changes USTA League players should be advised of a handful of regulation changes for USTA Leagues, beginning in These are national regulation changes that will go into effect or have already for the 2011 USTA League championship season. MAJOR REGULATION CHANGES FOR If an Adult or Senior League consists of only two teams in a level of play, each team must maintain its roster with at least 60 percent of its players at the designated NTRP level of play. 2. A player may play only one NTRP level above the player s current NTRP level in the Adult and Senior Divisions. 3. Players who play exclusively in the Mixed Doubles Division and choose to participate in the Adult, Senior, and/or Super Senior Divisions the next year must enter those divisions by self-rating with the minimum rating being the higher of the self-rating or mixed exclusive rating. 4. Each Section Association shall designate a committee to handle Self-Rate Appeals for those that appeal their assigned self-rating. 5. Any player who is 70 years of age or older prior to, or during, the calendar year in which such player plays his/her first local league match and has achieved the same rating level or lower for the three prior years, without benefit of appeal, will be granted an appeal if they are promoted at year-end. 6. A Super Senior player is eligible to advance to National Championships competition if that player has played on that same team in at least three (3) matches through Section Championships. No defaults received by the player during all league competition shall count for advancing. A retired match shall count for all players involved. For more information on USTA Leagues in your area, please contact your USTA Local League Coordinator. Trading Bats for Racquets By Kevin Wittner TUCSON, Ariz. When Mike Flinn returned to the University of Arizona s campus in the fall of 1980 for his senior year on the defending NCAA Champion baseball team, he had no idea that he and new teammate Tommy Barrett would be playing at a shot for another national championship 30 years later. In early October of 2010, Flinn and Barrett chased yet another title opportunity together, albeit this time on a tennis court rather than a baseball diamond, at the 4.5 USTA League National Championships held in their alma mater city of Tucson, Ariz. Two years after enrolling at Arizona in 1977 alongside classmate and current Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona, Flinn and the Wildcats reached the NCAA College World Series in 1979 before winning it all in the spring of The following fall, unbeknownst to Flinn, he met his future (tennis) hitting partner. Looking back, Flinn recalls his time as a pitcher for the Wildcats. Tommy came in my senior year as a junior college transfer, so we played together for one year, Flinn recalls. We didn t have a great year (in 81) but we had a lot of fun. Barrett went on to play in parts of three seasons as an infielder with the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox, while Flinn s professional baseball career reached its peak at the Class A level before suffering a torn rotator cuff. Following surgery, Flinn played in Holland and Australia, where he began playing tennis recreationally. Barrett, who had taken up tennis as a youngster his first racquet was a Jimmy Connors T2000 recalls the story of how the former ballplayers were reunited. I saw Mike at a (UA) alumni game many years ago, but we hadn t really kept in touch, Barrett says. Then when my daughter went out for the tennis team at her high school, the coach of that team knew Mike. When the coach found out I, too, was from (UA), I said no way! The two have been regular hitting partners ever since. Looking back at their time in Tucson, both men recall legendary UA baseball coach Jerry Kindall as a major influence on their lives. Coach Kindall was an outstanding mentor, role model and coach, Flinn says. He taught a lot of things from an athletic standpoint in terms of focus and playing within yourself and not trying to do things you can t do. It translates from baseball to a lot of other athletic endeavors, as well as life in general. The lessons have served Flinn well, who now works in the financial services industry and played/captained his team to its third 4.5 national championship appearance in the last five years. When Barrett s professional baseball career ended, he managed in the minor leagues for a few years before developing baseballrelated software for the Boston Red Sox. He has continued to develop software outside of the athletic sphere. Although a championship eluded Flinn and Barrett in 1981 and again in 2010 (the team finished second in their four-team pool at this year s 4.5 National Championships), their championship quest will be renewed again with another upcoming USTA League season. 26 TennisLife magazine DECEMBER 2010

11 Philippoussis a Surprise Winner Top legends of the game, including Grand Slam champions John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Michael Chang, and Anna Kournikova were in Surprise, Ariz., for the 2010 Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championships, Oct Australian Mark Philippoussis was a surprise winner of the event, which featured former world No. 1 s Jim Courier, John McEnroe and Michael Chang. Mark Philippoussis Philippoussis ran through Aaron Krickstein, Jimmy Arias, Michael Chang and then Courier in the final, all without dropping a set in any of his four matches. The event also featured an appearance by tennis glamour girl Anna Kournikova, who played two mixed doubles pro-set sessions at the tournament. For his four matches, Philippoussis made a cool $54,000, and Courier earned $32,000 for his runner-up finish. Philippoussis, who turned 34 in early November, said his results on the Champions Series (the global tour for 30-plus year old former ATP professionals) has him thinking about potentially returning to the ATP Tour. The Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championships was Philippoussis third final of the year. I ve just fallen back in love with the sport on the Champions Series, said Philippoussis, who will turn 34 on November 7. It s just great and since I ve gotten that love back, my body has been getting stronger. I feel I can hit the ball just as hard as the guys on the tour, so why not give it a go if I m having this much fun? The five-day event was part of the Champions Series Tour, and was held for the third consecutive year at the award-winning Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex. Activities at the tournament included a special Pro/Amateur Tournament, Ladies Night and a Kids Day Clinic. USTA Southwest held a special Member Appreciation party on the opening night of the tournament, with special priced tickets for the first night as well as snacks and drinks provided to all who stopped by. USTA Southwest staff members also conducted a special Knockout Tournament to promote QuickStart Tennis. Competitors at the Knockout Tournament played with QuickStart equipment on short courts in a non-elimination, first-to-two points competition. The winner and finalist of the Knockout Tournament were Tom McGrain of Ahwatukee, Ariz., and Max Geiger of Scottsdale, Ariz. Winners received two tickets to the Saturday session and got to flip the pre-match coin for Kournikova s mixed doubles match. ColemanVision Championships Former Wimbledon semifinalist Mirjana Lucic capped a grand week in Albuquerque, winning the $75K ColemanVision Tennis Championships presented by Corley s Lincoln/Mercury/Volvo at the Tanoan Country Club with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over American Lindsay Lee-Waters. Lucic, of Croatia, ripped through all five matches she played with just the loss of one set, to top-seeded Varvara Lepchenko in the semifinals, 1-6, 7-5, 6-1. Lucic, who has fought the injury bug and motivation issues over the last few years, is closing in on the Top 100 for the first time in nearly a decade after the victory. The ColemanVision Championships is one of the longest-running events on the USTA Pro Circuit, and has been held every year since 1999 in Albuquerque. Proceeds from the annual tournament go directly to support the New Mexico Youth Tennis Foundation s efforts with school and youth programs. This year s ColemanVision Championships also featured a Rally For the Cure event held by former USTA Northern New Mexico president Wendy Thomas which also raised over $4,000 for breast cancer research. Goldwater Women s Classic Features Oudin American teenage sensation Melanie Oudin was part of the field at the 2nd Annual Goldwater Women s Tennis Classic, a $75,000 stop on the USTA Pro Circuit. Oudin, who had her breakout professional experience at the Fed Cup tie in Surprise in 2009, was among the top-ranked players participating at the tournament, which was held Nov at the Phoenix Country Club. The tournament included appearances by fellow American Fed Cup team member Jill Craybas, and other American teenagers Coco Vandeweghe and rising star Christina McHale. The proceeds for the event will benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of the East Valley (Phoenix) in order to grow and sustain their after school programs. Other activities during the event included a Community Outreach Day, a Pro/Celebrity/Amateur Tournament, a Military Troops and Veterans Day and a Ladies Fashion Show. december

12 southwest section Everybody Plays, Learns In Mid-School Tennis By Toby Smith, Albuquerque Journal One of the best-kept secrets on the New Mexico sports scene wrapped up its season in October. No, I m not referring to UNM Lobo football. Fifteen years ago, middle school sports in New Mexico were dead as a stump and had been since the term junior high was in use. All by herself, Sue Jollensten gave life to tennis programs in the schools. Want to know how those programs are doing? During their eight-week run this year, a record 645 kids in the state were involved. In mid-october, 54 teams from 35 schools, public and private, descended on Albuquerque to compete in the Governor s Cup Mid-School Tennis Championships. If you think professional athletes have the only stories worth telling, you need to look into middle school tennis. Supported by the ColemanVision Championships USTA Pro Circuit tournament, the New Mexico Youth Tennis Foundation and USTA Northern New Mexico, mid-school school tennis is a no-cut, everybodyplays sport. While that clearly differs it from other, so-called big-time sports, the experiences I found at the event were not so very different. For instance, take the Our Lady of Assumption Angels. Not long ago, Linda Gassaway, 69, who has always liked tennis, wondered how her granddaughter, Rachel Kilman, an eighth grader who barely knew a forehand from a forehead, might take part in the sport. Assumption at the time had no team. Gassaway called one of Jollensten s assistants. They told me to volunteer, which meant I had to coach, Gassaway said laughing. Grandma Gassaway quickly saw that a lot of kids who came out for Assumption s new mid-school team were in the same boat as Rachel. Some had never held a racket and some didn t own a racket. Ultimately, Gassaway had seven players, including her granddaughter. Gassaway got her son-in-law, Paul Kilman, to help her. Another laugh from Grandma. I get along with him great. He s a sweetie. It s with my daughter who I sometimes go at it with. Everything went fine with the Angels until late September when the school declared three players academically ineligible. They didn t do their school work, Gassaway said. We wound up shorthanded and we lost matches. Welcome to big-time sports, Coach. Unlike Assumption, Jackson Middle School has two fine young tennis players in Michael and Carmel Romero, 12 and 13, respectively. The brothers compete in junior tournaments that periodically take them out of the state. Either one of them would probably beat a lot of high school Sue Jollensten and Albuquerque middle school tennis participants kids, Jack Halpin, who helps coach the Jaguars, told me. Trouble is, sometimes the Romero brothers seemed above playing matches with raw beginners, who populate many mid-school squads. This attitude revealed itself last year when the brothers did not appear for the final day of the seasonend tournament, where Jackson was scheduled to play a consolation match. Where are the Romeros? team members asked Halpin. The coach did not know; the brothers hadn t told him. The Jaguars lost the match. It bothered me for a year, Halpin said. When the middle school season started up in August, the returning members of the team, mostly girls, cornered the brothers at the first practice. They called the Romeros out, Halpin said. Sheepishly, the brothers apologized. On Sunday, the entire Jackson team, which this time included the Romeros, placed second in its division, winning a plaque for the Northeast Heights school. Maturity, said Halpin. That s all it sometimes takes. Mary Pat Abruzzo was a tennis rookie when she joined the Albuquerque Academy middle school team. As the weeks went by she improved in the sport until late September when her father, the balloonist Richard Abruzzo, was lost during a race in Europe. In early October, Mary Pat s mother, Nancy Abruzzo, came home from Italy without her husband. Suddenly Mary Pat missed some practices. When Mary Pat finally returned, sorrow filled her face and she played desultorily. We need to do something for her, team members told their coach, Delese Dellios. But what? Dellios had an idea. She went to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and returned with dozens of small, brightly colored balloon patches. She passed out the iron-on patches to her team. From then on, all members wore them on the front of their pink uniform T-shirts, to honor their teammate s dad. Almost overnight, a change came over Mary Pat, Dellios said. I think this team gives her a place where she thinks about something completely different. At school, there s a lot of quiet time. Out here, when she s playing in a match, it s noisy and fun. When she comes out here now, I can see a smile on her face. *This story appeared in the October 18 edition of the Albuquerque Journal. More than 645 participants and over 50 teams competed at this year s New Mexico Governor s Cup Mid-School Tennis Championships. 28 TennisLife magazine DECEMBER 2010

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14 southwest section Directing The Show Josh Bates has become a tournament director extraordinaire in Phoenix When tennis players come to Josh Batesrun tournaments in the metro Phoenix area, they know a few things for certain: They re going to have fun, there will be plenty of food, and they will probably be sore as heck when the weekend s over. The 36-year old Bates has been running tournaments for well over a decade in Phoenix, starting off with just a couple of small locals, and now runs nearly 10 events a year in the city. On average, players play just over two events at a Bates-run tournament, some of the most player-oriented in the Southwest. Bates, who grew up within walking distance of a tennis center in his native Washington D.C., has been around tennis since he was eight, and played in more tournaments than he could count. After growing frustrated with the quality of events falling off in Phoenix, he felt he could do better and put his time and effort where his mouth was. Bates secures his own sponsors, always has slick prizes and trophies, and often times even plays in his own events despite logging long days behind a tournament desk. Draws at Bates-run tournaments are typically among the largest in USTA Southwest, and he has run everything from smaller local events like Summerfest at The Camelback Village Racquet and Health Club to top grade Level 2 and Level 1 events like the Arizona Open and the Southwest Open/30s. We recently caught up with Bates, who is also a certified teaching pro at Wildhorse Pass Resort in Chandler. USTASW: How d you get started in tennis? JB: I ve just been around it so long. I lived within walking distance from a tennis center in Washington D.C. Seeing it so close and being around it so often I developed a real love for it. I started hitting when I was about eight and I was hooked. USTASW: How long have you lived in Phoenix and what got you into running USTA tournaments? JB: I have been in Phoenix for about 20 years. I came out here 30 TennisLife magazine DECEMBER 2010 my junior year of high school, went on to college and played and got injured, which is how I got into teaching. As far as running tournaments, I played a lot of them around here and I had just got to a point where I was unhappy with what I saw. I thought I could do better, so I got a couple when I first started out in Chandler. I ended up getting to do a couple of more, and it s just kept on going. USTASW: Leagues have become the USTA a bread and butter, but when the organization was started it was primarily tournament based. What do you think the USTA can do to get more players into playing tournaments? JB: Everyone has to be on the same page first of all, especially tournament directors. They really need to know each other s schedules. Also, more has to be given to players from tournaments themselves. People want to play a lot, which means you need consolation draws. I have people with me literally for three days and they need something to do. It s not just a match. I try to think of it that way. USTASW: What is the toughest part about managing a large tournament? JB: You need to be able to juggle and not get stressed when change happens. You try your best to work with schedules and just be up front with players. It s hard to create a really fun environment but I like that people stay around and watch a lot of tennis at my events. I have some of the best players from the Southwest playing yes, but it s really about watching tennis and enjoying it. USTASW: You work long weekends, several of the three and fourday variety yet you often times play in your events. It takes a different type of stamina to deal with that, doesn t it? JB: Yeah, those 12 hour days with a couple of matches thrown in can wear you out, especially if you re playing a couple of threesetters out in our heat in Phoenix. You ll get gassed. I ve been

15 exhausted plenty sitting behind that tournament desk. But I like to play, too. USTASW: You always seem to have a great deal of sponsors for your tournaments. How do you keep up the relationships with them and what do can tournament directors do to build relationships like the ones you have? JB: The main thing is you ve got to give back. You cannot just ask for money. You have to give them something. Like with one of our local sponsors. I go down to their store once a week. I don t have my sponsors pay for entries, and I try to get banner and product placements for them. Most of the sponsors will do it because they want to help. Our economy has been brutal of late so it s harder to ask, but the worst that happens is someone says no. USTASW: You recently had a daughter, Riley. When do you plan on playing your first father-daughter tournament together? JB: Hopefully when she is about seven (laughing). I ll have to hold a family tournament. Bring the generation tournament gap back. USTASW: What s been your favorite memory from all the tournaments you ve run? JB: The thing that I enjoy the most is just seeing people actually come for the competition and knowing my tournament is where they will find it. It s having all these young guys that are playing USTA Futures tournaments competing and seeing them go on and travel the circuit and make a name for themselves. That s really cool. december

16 southwest section USTA Southwest Calendar of Events NOVEMBER 4-7 Southwest Senior Closed Championships Level 1 Adult El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort Tucson, Ariz USTA Pro Circuit Goldwater Women s Classic - $75K Phoenix Country Club Phoenix, Ariz Western States Junior Open (Level 5 JR) Tucson, Ariz. DECEMBER 1-5 Val Vista Lakes Senior Open Fall Tennis Classic Val Vista Lakes Tennis Gilbert, Ariz. 3-5 USTA Super Senior League Section Championships Hosted in Albuquerque, N.M. - playing sites to be determined 8-12 Fiesta Bowl Scottsdale Senior Open Scottsdale Athletic Club Scottsdale, Ariz Lobo Tennis Club Winter Junior Open Lobo Tennis Club Albuquerque, N.M. Hilton El Conquistador Junior Holiday Classic Hilton El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort Tucson, Ariz. Si Se Puede Junior Championships Phoenix Tennis Center Phoenix, Ariz $40K Phoenix Motor Company Holiday Tournament Camelback Village Racquet & Health Club Phoenix, Ariz. Dec. 27-January 1, 2011 USTA Junior Winter Nationals Boys/Girls 12s and 14s Various sites, Tucson Boys/Girls 16s and 18s Various sites, Phoenix JANUARY USTA Leadership Meeting Kiawah, South Carolina USTA Southwest Tri-Level Section Championships Tucson Racquet Club Tucson, Ariz Valley of the Sun Championships L5 Junior Gene Autry Tennis Center Mesa, Ariz Copper Bowl L3 Junior Multiple sites Tucson, Ariz University of Arizona Wildcat Classic (Tennis on Campus) Reffkin Tennis Center Tucson, Ariz. 32 TennisLife magazine DECEMBER 2010