APTA Annual Board Meeting Overview

Hellos and Goodbyes The board welcomed four new members and said farewell to three whose terms expired. The APTA membership elected in David Lee, Region II, Shannon Vinson, Region V, Nathan LeFevre, Region VI, and Freddy Goldenberg, Region VII. Juan Martinez-Arraya, Tina Kelly, and Peter Lauer will be missed. Arraya brought great energy and dedication to the Clinics and Exhibitions Committee. Kelly’s savvy marketing, writing and editing skills were invaluable for all APTA communications. And Lauer, head farmer for six years of the Grow the Game initiative, boosted a good program into a great program.

Financials Alia Main reported that the APTA is in excellent financial health at this time. Revenues continued to increase.[Note: The 2013 990 Form Filing shows that the net assets of the APTA were in excess of $500k, an all-time high]

Sponsorship/Branding Viking has deepened its commitment to the sport. They will now be the title sponsor for Clinics and Exhibitions, the Junior Tour, and the President’s Cup, and will continue to provide the balls for all APTA National Championships.

Grow the Game One of the largest financial commitments of the APTA is the ‘Grow the Game’ initiative. In its seventh season, this program offers grants and loans to new clubs for construction, as well as to established clubs for repairing facilities. Forty inquiries were received this year. (see Grow the Game .)

Gifting Under the leadership of David Lee, this group is searching for ways to create an endowment that would provide the APTA with a long-term source of capital to fund growth initiatives and other capital projects.

Hall of Fame Steve Baird has been elected the new chair of the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. Bob Brown is retiring from the post. On a side note, the Platform Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame website — run independently of the APTA — offers a wonderful pictorial and historical look at the game.

Exhibitions and Clinics Nathan LeFevre, the youngest board member and a nationally-ranked player, is heading up the Exhibition and Clinics Committee. Last year, the APTA sponsored seven clinics around the country. This year’s clinics and exhibitions will be held in Newark, Delaware; Glenview, Illinois; York, Maine; Chevy Chase and Baltimore, Maryland; South Orange, New Jersey; Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; and Charleston, South Carolina. PPTA The professionals in the sport of platform tennis scheduled a conference for early September. The organization plans to organize a junior training camp in the future.

Juniors The Junior Tour/College Development Committee, chaired by Steve Caccam, has approved new age groups for the upcoming season. The new groups are: 10 & Under; 12 & Under; 15 & Under; and 18 & Under. (For more clarification, go to Junior News in in this issue.) Also, the APTA has created the post of Junior Tour Coordinator to assist the various tournament directors around the country to increase junior participation. And, starting this year, the board has approved a budget item that offers the Boys’ and Girls’ 18 & Under Junior Nationals Champions free entry into the Men’s and Women’s Nationals. (Last year, an anonymous donor paid for the teams.)

Membership APTA Membership numbers increased by over 1,000 in 2012-2013. Many leagues, including Chicago and Rochester, increased their memberships. A record number of clubs (230) joined this year. The database now lists 505 platform tennis facilities in North America. The member club gift—Passing Shots: A Pictorial History of Platform Tennis—was approved and will be sent out this fall.

Equipment and Rules Fritz Odenbach introduced two new ball manufacturers, Bounce and Rhino. Both balls have been approved by the APTA. Standards for low bounce balls will be established and posted on the APTA website. Let cord and foot fault rules are being reviewed. The committee approved trial Wheelchair Platform Tennis rules. (See Don Godshaw and wheelchair paddle.)

League Dashboard/Social Media The heavily anticipated My APTA page was demonstrated by John Noble and Isabel Cabanne at the meeting. The software is still under construction but is expected to be completed this fall. The APTA and the Chicago league have invested a great deal of time and money into this venture, which will provide additional benefits to member leagues. Connecting creatively with the APTA membership is one of the key goals of the Social Media group. The APTA Facebook page displays fun and current information. Region II and Region IV have impressive Facebook presence, too.

Courts and Building Rob Coster excitedly discussed how demand is exceeding supply. Many new courts are at public facilities or in areas that didn’t previously have paddle. Texas, Oregon, and Washington are now first-time parents of new courts, much to the delight of Hendy Dayton and Region VI. An estimated 66 requests for new courts have been submitted to the court builders. Hut design has now become a routine part of their service. Every new facility receives an APTA welcome package. Viking provides a case of balls and four paddles to get programs up and moving. On a side note, a new composite surface is being tested that that may help eliminate “footlock.”

Awards The 2013 APTA Service Awards will be announced this fall. Because of the enormous number of deserving candidates, the Service Award will be given to multiple commendable contributors.

Tournament News There is a great deal of moving and shaking in the Nationals Tournament schedule. See below for the updates. A new Tournament Task Force Committee has been formed to provide additional guidance to directors of all levels of tournaments

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 15, Issue 1 Sept./Oct. 2013