Todd Ward reflects on APTA clinics and exhibitions

The two things I will miss most about leaving the APTA board are the relationships I have bridged through trying to achieve a common goal and the experiences I have shared with the thousands of enthusiasts throughout the country during my time on the board.

It is hard to believe that it has been five years since our first clinic and exhibition took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mark Fischl and I went up to the Woodhill Country Club just off Lake Minnetonka on a beautiful Minnesota fall day. The leaves were in their prime fall colors and the weather was a gorgeous 55 degrees and sunny. We had 35 people come out for what would be the beginning of an 18-city tour during my tenure with the APTA board.

When I first started this initiative, my goal was to bring in some new life and direction to depressed or undeveloped paddle markets. The idea was to bring out new players and help the locals in organizing leagues and programs. Quickly, I realized that after the APTA had left town, there still may not be the tools in place to achieve this goal.

It was at that point Mike Rahaley and I decided to incorporate a pro teaching seminar on the night before these clinics. Our focus was to try to educate the area teaching pros on the finer points of teaching, playing and overall programming. [enlarge image to read full story]