STAMFORD TENNIS CLUB NEWSLETTER NO 17 MARCH 2002 THE BUFFET DANCE We had a very successful Annual Buffet Dance on 23 rd February in the Stamford School Hall. Dancing was once again to the versatile Barnaby and the delectable refreshments were provided by a team of ladies of the Club, including Carol Cotton, Hildy Attenborough, Maggie Knight, Janet Aldridge and Jayne Roland. There were fourteen prizes in the Grand Draw. First Prize of 100 was won on a ticket purchased for debutante to this world, one-week-old Claudia Wherry. (She was a tad too young to purchase her own ticket). The Club is very grateful to sponsors who donated prizes for this year s draw: Arts Centre, Broad Street Practice, Colemans, Dorans, Harrison & Dunn, Hoppers the Jewellers, the Icing Centre. Lambs, Mandy s Flowers. Morrisons, Raj of India, Paul Richman, Sporting Image and Ticehurst Healing Clinic. First estimates are that the Club benefited to the tune of over 900 a goodly amount, for which our thanks to everyone concerned. AWARDS FOR ALL GRANT The Club is delighted to have received a grant of 4650 from the Lottery Fund s Awards for All scheme. We have been given the money mainly to help us improve our facilities and coaching for our junior members, but we shall also be able to direct some of the money towards helping beginner adults. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS Members are reminded that the date for renewal of subscriptions was 1 st March. Those who do not renew before mid April will be required to pay the Enrolment Fee of 5 per person in addition. Members are also asked to encourage friends to have a go at tennis. We are very relaxed about subscriptions for those trying tennis for the first time. We let players come to Club sessions a few times before we ask them to make a decision whether they want to join the Club. CLUB OFFICERS In addition to the elected officers of the Club Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and general committee members, there are other members who perform invaluable tasks for the Club, and without whom the Club could not function. They are not required to attend committee meetings, but may do so, particularly if the agenda includes an item under their jurisdiction. Your current Officers are
Membership Secretary: Junior Tennis Co-ordinator: Newsletter Editor: Match Secretary: Catering Manager: Social Secretary: Clubhouse Manager: Carol Cotton Trevor Veitch Mike Chew Graham Winstone Hildy Attenborough Maggie Knight Carol Cotton If you would like to help in any way, talk to either Mike Chew or Carol Cotton. CLUBHOUSE MANAGER VOLUNTEERS? Carol Cotton has been acting as Clubhouse Manager for the past year, but she would now like to pass the job on to someone else. Carol is not only Club Secretary, but also Membership Secretary, and both jobs take up a considerable amount of her time. This makes the additional burden of Clubhouse Manager a bit of a chore. It s not the job that s a chore, but the cumulation of doing three jobs is. The tasks of a Clubhouse Manager are not arduous. Mike Pare already takes care of matters pertaining to the outside fabric of the building, and Gemma Keeling already cleans the clubhouse each week. The main tasks include: 1. Ensuring that the clubhouse is tidy, i.e. that the notice boards are not overloaded with outdated material, that uncollected items of clothing are stored away prior to return to their owners or disposal, that the kitchen is presentable and adequately equipped, that the first-aid kit is replenished, that the wherewithal to make coffee and tea is always there. 2. Keeping an eye on the provision of hot and cold water for the kitchen and changing rooms, and ensure that water is turned off and the system drained in freezing weather (we are looking to improve the system before next winter). 3. Suggesting improvements to the Committee. The Committee would be happy for someone to take on this job on a trial basis, to see if they enjoy it and whether it fits in with their own personal commitments elsewhere. Please contact Carol if you are interested in helping the Club in this way. FROM MIKE CHEW I should like to thank the Club for bestowing Honorary Life Membership of the Club on me upon the occasion of my seventieth birthday. I very much appreciate the honour. If the Club has developed further over the past couple of years, it certainly has not been through my efforts alone. Management of the Club is a team effort, and I should like to pay tribute not only to my colleagues on the committee and the other officers of the Club, but also those who have gone before us, who were founder members and nurtured the Club through the early years.
CLUB COACHES David Keeling (01780 752160) is mainly responsible for the junior coaching within the Club, and is assisted by Peter Lock. Peter Lock (07802 242838) is mainly responsible for adult coaching, and David also does some adult coaching. John Rudd is an outside coach from Peterborough, with much experience, who helps the Club with the coaching of the better junior players. COACHING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADULTS Contact Peter Lock (07802 242838) initially There is a group coaching session for beginners and near-beginners each Wednesday at 7.15 from April onwards. Cost is 2.50 per session. From May onwards coaching is available for individuals and/or groups on Thursdays from 7.00. Cost is 15 per hour ( 7.50 per half-hour) divisible by the number of participants. Having coaching in pairs is an effective way of obtaining almost individual coaching and halving the cost. There are team-coaching sessions between 6.00 and 7.00 on a number of Thursdays and Fridays from May onwards. The coaching is free, as the cost is collected via the match fees. Details nearer to May. Both Peter Lock and David Keeling are available for coaching at other mutually convenient times. Please contact them directly. SIMPLE ADVICE When playing your ground shots, even if you intend to return the ball cross-court, position yourself so that you can hit down the line. This will in all probability make you address the ball better and it will keep your opponent guessing until the last moment. PLAYING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADULTS Club members can play privately arranged games at almost any time, apart from early afternoons during term-time. On weekday evenings and all day during weekends and holidays, the astroturf courts are generally available. The nets are put up sometime in April and taken down sometime in August. No league matches are played on the astroturf courts. The bounce on the astroturf courts is lower than on the tarmacadam courts more like a grass court. If the evening sun is strong, players at the east end can suffer from the glare off the court surface, but last year the court lines were painted red, and this made quite a difference. The surface is kinder to the feet, but is quite abrasive if you fall. General allocation of the seven tarmacadam courts for the season and specific allocations for each week are posted in the clubhouse window. There is currently no booking system for privately arranged games, as court space is rarely a problem. On Monday evenings at least two tarmacadam courts will be free most of the season, and about every second week all seven will be available. On Tuesdays four will be available; on Wednesdays space will be limited on the tarmacadam courts because of coaching and
matches until after 8.15; on Thursdays all available courts (upwards of two) are reserved for Club Social Tennis but the astroturf courts will usually be available for private games: Fridays are reserved for team practices on the tarmacadam courts, but there are likely to be some free courts certainly after about 7.30. On Saturdays some tarmacadam courts are likely to be free, depending on the numbers of juniors turning up for their social tennis, coaching, leagues and tournaments. On Sundays the adult club sessions take precedence in the mornings on the tarmacadam courts, and in the afternoons, apart from a few junior tournaments, all courts will be available. There are two morning adult club sessions each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10.00 to 11.30. Numbers are usually small, so it may be wise over the first few weeks to contact Carol Cotton (765603) beforehand to see how many are likely to turn up. CLUB ADULT SOCIAL TENNIS SESSIONS Tuesday morning; Thursday morning; Thursday evening; Sunday morning. All are welcome, provided they can sustain a rally. THE AGASSI FOREHAND On the American website www.tennisone.com there is a good section on the various strokes. One stroke, for example, that is studied is the Agassi forehand, where the racquet head moves in a figure of eight. Not only does the writer, Jack Broudy, explain in words what happens, but there is also an endless loop which shows the stroke in slow motion. A website worth looking at. JUNIOR TENNIS ARRANGEMENTS FOR 2002 Contact David Keeling in the first instance Junior group coaching for the 7 to 13 year olds takes place on Wednesdays from 5.15 to 8.15. There are also two six-week beginners courses on Saturdays between April and June. Individual or pairs coaching is available at times mutually convenient to players and coach. For Young Learners (generally under 9 yrs old) there are mini tennis sessions at Stamford College on Tuesdays from 6.00 to 7.00 and on the Club courts on Saturdays from 8.40 to 9.10. JUNIOR TENNIS ARRANGEMENTS Starting 1 st April Coaches or senior supervisors are present at all organised junior sessions. Mondays Junior Squad Under 12.5 4.30 to 5.30 Over 11.5 5.00 to 6.00/6.15 (with David Keeling & John Rudd)
Tuesdays Junior Aces Club 4.30 to 5.45 Mini Tennis at Stamford College (5-9 yr olds) 6.00 to 7.00 Wednesdays Junior coaching 7-9 yr olds 5.15 to 6.10 10-12 yr olds 6.15 to 7.10 13+ 7.15 to 8.15 (Members 2.50 Non-members 3.50) Saturday Junior Social Mini Tennis 6-8 yr olds 8.40 to 9.10 Junior Social Tennis 9+ 9.15/9.30 to 10.30 6-week Beginner courses (7 12 years) 20 April to 25 May 10.30 to 11.30 27 April to 16 June 11.30 to 12.30 Junior Rating Tournaments 2.30 to 5.30 Junior Ratings Leagues Sunday Occasional Junior Open Tournaments 2.30 to 5.30 Coaches David Keeling (01780-752160) Peter Lock John Rudd HOLIDAY TENNIS FOR JUNIORS Easter: Monday 8 April to Friday 12 April Summer: Week 1 22 July to 26 July Week 2 29 July to 2 August Week 3 5 August to 9 August 4 & 5 yr olds 9.15 to 9.50 1.50 (Non-Member 2.00) 6,7 & 8 yr olds 10.00 to 10.55 2.50 (Non-Member 3.00) 9,10 & 11 yr olds 11.00 to 11.55 2.50 (Non-Member 3.00) 11+ yr olds 12.00 to 1 pm 2.50 (Non-Member 3.00) Contact David Keeling (01780 752160) TEAM CAPTAINS & MANAGERS FOR 2002 Match Secretary: Graham Winstone (01780 751950) Peterborough & District Tennis League Team Captain Division Mens A Nick Crowson 1 Mens B Mike Paulson 2 Mens C Graham Winstone 3 Mens D James Everitt 3 Mens E Mike Chew 4 Ladies may also play in these teams
Huntingdon & Peterborough Tennis League Team Captain Division Mixed A Felicity Chedd 2 Mixed B Mark Collins 5 Mens A Ralph Ticehurst 1 Ladies A Felicity Chedd 3 Ladies B Jayne Roland 4 Ladies C Maggie Knight 5 CLUB SOCIAL EVENTS Sat 13 Apr 12 to 4 Play Tennis Open Day 6 to 8 Junior Games Evening Sun 19 May 10.00 Mixed Doubles Round Robin Tournament Followed by Bangers & Mash Lunch Sat 22 Jun 5.30 American Tournament & Wimbledon Supper Sat 13 Jul 12 to 4 Open Day 6.00 Junior Disco Sun 28 Jul 10.00 Mixed Round Robin Tournament Followed by Bring-a-Buffet Fri 13 Sep 8.00 Buffet Supper at Daniel Lambert Sun 6 Oct 0.00 Mixed Round Robin Tournament Followed by an October Fest Sun 8 Dec 10.00 Christmas American Tournament Followed by Festive Lunch PLAYING CLUB SOCIAL TENNIS A few issues ago we included an article on Adult Club sessions. One of the main points was that the sessions should include mixed, mens and ladies doubles. It is not really a male and female issue, but a question of the relative standards of the four players involved. The second was that a participant should be able to maintain a rally. Club sessions are very enjoyable for many club members, but how do we make them more attractive? There are two groups of players who suffer most at club sessions those whose tennis is relatively weak and those whose game is strong. What the weaker players need to do is to accept their relative weakness, admit it to both partner and opponents, and work to improve their standard. As a rule of thumb, the more often and the better you play, the more you enjoy your games. Sometimes that will mean having some coaching. The Wednesday evening coaching for adults costs only 2.50 for
the hour, and a lot can be learned over a short period, but is clearly better to have one-toone coaching that concentrates on your own strengths and weaknesses. A good compromise is coaching in pairs. Contact one of our coaches for further advice. The stronger players can derive pleasure from a game with weaker opponents by restricting the shots they play. They can play more on the stronger opponent, strongly enough that he/she feels under some pressure to return the shot or play a winner. Against a weaker opponent the idea is to put up a shot that this opponent can return (a shot that a coach might put up). If the forehand is less weak than the backhand, play most of your shots to this side, with the occasional shot to the backhand when you think your opponent can make a reasonable attempt at returning the ball. Better players should also be able to contrive situations where their opponents have an opportunity to attack and they themselves can test their own defensive skills. Big clubs that have a large number turning up to club sessions often operate a system whereby players are graded, and only play with and against those in their own grade or one above or one below. This means that the strongest players do not meet the weakest. We are not in that position at the moment, and even if we were, we might not want to go down this road. THE GENESIS OF TENNIS? The Bible records the first tennis match in history when Moses served in Pharaoh s court. TENNIS ELBOW If you want to know what tennis elbow is, how to cure it, and most importantly, how to prevent it, you would be well advised to have a look at the American website www.nismat.org/ptcor/tennis_elbow/ The site is serviced by the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma at the Lennox Hill Hospital in New York. The text is accompanied by photographs. The last section is quite interesting. Using the wrong racquet may be a contributing factor to a tennis elbow injury. The article suggests that graphite composite racquets are probably the best in terms of torsion and vibration control. A mid-size racquet (95-110 square inches) is preferred; the popular oversized racquets cause problems because they make the arm susceptible to injury due to the increased torque effect of shots hit off-centre. String tension at the lower end of the manufacturer s recommendation is probably best; higher string tension increases torque and vibration experienced by the arm, although it does improve ball control. Synthetic nylon is recommended as the best stringing material, and racquets should be re-strung every six months! Grips that are too large or small lessen control and promote excessive wrist movement; there is a photograph which shows which is the best size grip (from mid palm to tip of the third finger). Look at the photograph and you will understand what that means!
Another good site is www.mysportsguru.com which points out that tennis elbow also affects carpenters, plumbers and electioneering politicians. Both sites insist that the information they provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. No one should act upon any information given in articles like these without first seeking medical advice. THE TENTH COMMANDMENT OF DOUBLES TENNIS Thou shalt praise thy partner after a match and not covet another partner, no matter how badly thy partner hath performed. STAMFORD TENNIS CLUB LTA AFFILIATED PLAY TENNIS SPONSORED AND SUPPORTED BY THE LTA SATURDAY 13 th APRIL 2002 (12 noon 4 p.m.) FREE COACHING (for adults and juniors) With our own Coaches David Keeling & Peter Lock Please bring you own racquet if you have one, but we have quite a number available to borrow. Tennis balls are provided REFRESHMENTS ARE ON SALE IN THE CLUBHOUSE For further details, contact: DAVID KEELING: 01780 752160 or 07909 888856 PETER LOCK: 07802 242838 TREVOR VEITCH: 01780 764802