Growing the Game: North Carolina Exhibition & Clinic

True to one of its stated goals, the APTA held an exhibition and clinic on October 18, 1998, to promote platform tennis in the North Carolina Piedmont.

The event, co-sponsored by APTA and Old Town Club in Winston-Salem, was a big success. The event was held in Winston-Salem, a city of some 170,000, and was co-sponsored and hosted by the Old Town Club, one of the few clubs in the state with paddle courts. An enthusiastic crowd of more than 50 onlookers witnessed an exciting match, pitting former national senior champion Bill Childs and APTA President John Horine against nationally-ranked Rob Lebuhn and Region III standout Tad Stellman. During changeovers, the players fielded questions from the crowd and discussed the strategies and techniques of the game.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with how things turned out,” exclaimed Horine, in his dual role as APTA President and player. “The people here treated us like royalty, and they really got behind the program. We had people buying rackets for the first time, signing up for the APTA, ordering Platform Tennis News, and generally just enjoying everything about the weekend.”

Source: Platform Tennis News, Fall 1998