Over the course of a season, platform tennis players get an opportunity to eye each other up for strengths and weaknesses and see signs of improvement among their competition.
In 2005, Schmitt and Rothschild ended the season #10 in the country. In 2006, they ended #6 in the country. This year they were seeded 2nd going into the National Championships, but ended the season as #4.
Some teams just keep getting better and it forces the question, "Why?" That's the case with John Schmitt and Dan Rothschild, both of Garden City, New York.
Schmitt said the reason for the team's break-out success this season was their ability to analyze their strengths and weaknesses objectively. [enlarge image to read full profiles]
Gray skies and 30-degree weather opened up the Women's President's Cup Competition but, by mid-afternoon, the skies had cleared to reveal some much needed sun. The three main courts of the New York Athletic Club were surrounded by plywood sheets to protect player's feet from the mud created by the melting snow.
What was perhaps most notable, however, was the way the Region 4 Women's team melted away the competition. Comprised of Heather Prop, Lynne Schneebeck, Jenny Kelly, Sherri Wilson, Nancy Budde, Chris Underwood, Sandra Odenbach, Ann Turner, Karen Henke and Nathalie Lemieux, the team worked hard to win the President's Cup and enjoyed drinks and dinner at the awards ceremony in the New York Athletic Club's main dining hall.
As for the other teams present, all played exceptionally against very evenly-matched competition. Louise Cash of Allendale, New Jersey, played on the Region [...]
Coverage of Mixed Nationals and Husband/Wife Nationals at Glen View Club, Chicago, IL
Back to TopNate Parsons, Mike Marino, Susie Keane, Bobo
Delaney, Jon Milbank, and Matt Garravaglia
The married mix field was a strong draw fielded by 25 Chicago teams and 5 out-of-towner's who got to witness a typical March Chicago snow storm. With all the weather came phenomenal paddle. In through the snow came a local team of Dan and Sarah Williams to win their first national title taking out the 1st seed in a three-set battle in one semi, and then team Odenbach from Rochester N.Y. in another three-setter.
47 teams competed in the Open Mixed. Bobo Delaney and John Milbank defeated Sally Cottingham and Ed Granger, 6-3, 6-3 in one semi. In the other, Susie Keane and Mike Marino defeated Marina Ohimuller and Mike Rahaley 7-6, 6-7, 6-3. The finals saw Delaney and Milbank win 6-3, 6-3 over Keane and Marino.
An expanded version of the 2004 proposal to Fox Meadow was made in July 2010 which contemplated adding a two story wing onto the existing building. In addition another proposal was made to the Village of Scarsdale to renovate their Brite Avenue facility to include a modernize structure to house the Museum and Hall of Fame and act as a "warming hut" and add three new courts.
Fox Meadow terminated the discussions in October citing doubts about the ability of the Platform Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame Foundation (PTMHOFF) to raise the necessary funds and concerns about obtaining all the necessary building and zoning approvals to construct such a facility.
Likewise, the Brite Avenue proposal ran into a number of logistical issues with implementation on Village property.
Source: Robert A. Brown personal communication and Minutes of the PTMHOFF meetings
The National Mens 45's was arguably the strongest ever and players have expressed how exciting all the matches were. In the quarter-finals, Goodspeed/Todd defeated Griffey/Higgins; Mott/Pierce defeated Mangan/Heath; McAvoy/Stefanik defeated Palmer/Harlow; and, Gillespie/Kaufman defeated Hallett/Katz. In the semi-finals, Goodspeed/Todd defeated Mott/Pierce, and McAvoy/Stefanik Defeated Gillespie/Kaufman.
The final was unbelievable. In the first set tie-breaker 9 set points were saved finishing with a 15-13 to Goodspeed/Todd. The final set saw Goodspeed and Todd at their best winning 6-0.
The National Mens 55's had another powerhouse draw. In the semi's, Baird/Irvine defeated Nycum/Estes and Adams/Hayes defeated Brooke/Dyminski.
The final saw four greats with many years history between them. Adams/Hayes had to take an injury time-out during the finals 20 years previous leading wit[...]
Back to TopAnn Sheedy, new APTA Executive Director
To say Ann Sheedy is passionate about platform tennis would be an understatement. By her own admission, Sheedy says her love for the sport is an outright addiction.
Exposed to paddle as a child, playing on her uncle's court in Connecticut, Sheedy's addiction remained dormant until she was invited to a beginner's clinic 20 years ago.
"I said 'yes,' and it was love at first hit," Sheedy said. "I've played in a league since that first year and I would say that my best friends have all come through paddle."
In the early summer of this year, Marjorie Hodson exited the role as APTA Executive Director. Her successor, George Douaire of Chicago, was chosen from a pool of resumes. Douaire resigned in September but is helping the APTA on a volunteer level with long-term strategic planning. [enlarge image to read full report]
The Annual Meeting took place at the Fox Chapel Golf Club, Pittsburgh, PA on May 4-5, 2007.Highlights were:
Financial Report by Sally Cottingham.
• $65,651.00 Income $9,000 over budget
• In 2003, APTA had $85,000 in working capital. $220,000 now.
• Need to put money in marketing.
• No restriction on the amount of reserve for 501 (C)(3)- we are provisional until 2009.
Regional Presidents Reports
Region 1: Mike Cochrane- Events well attended but not from outside the region. Nationals held at NYAC Pelham ran well with a few issues.
Region 2- Won Men's President's Cup
Region 3- Fred Gumbinner/Tim McAvoy. Participation up in all tournaments. Big prize money tourney! Well-attended, well-run- 45, 55, 65, 8145s.
Region 4- Martin Sturgess - Healthy region - more courts coming- Cincinnati is booming - new courts and a waiting list for the Midwesterns tournament. Rochester hos[...]
Bullet and Jacki Brown, owners of BulletWorks Platform Tennis, are pleased to announce the formation of Advantage Paddle Courts. The new entity was created to market ground level courts in Regions VI and VII. The first official Advantage court was installed this spring in Napa Valley, California.
"We see tremendous growth potential for the sport in the Southeast and West," says Bullet Brown. "There are tens of thousands of active seniors in these areas who have never heard of platform tennis. We plan to introduce targeted groups to the sport and position our product as a smart recreational amenity for their home or community."
BulletWorks, Inc. operates out of a 5,000 square foot manufacturing space in Rutland, Vermont. Currently, in response to limited market demand for new courts from the existing platform tennis community, BulletWorks manufactures 10-20 courts a year. "We could[...]
With the lone exception of the National Championships, no other tournament packs the talent like the Chicago Charities. With few exceptions, the best of the best showed up for the 35th annual tournament benefiting the Northwestern Healthcare Kellogg Cancer Care Centers.
Women's: On November 2nd, 52 Women's teams kicked off the 2007 Chicago Charities. Six of the top eight teams from the 2006-07 season competed. Absent was the nation's top team - Lauren Zink/Cindy Prendergast and the nation's #6 team - Bobo Delaney and Tonia Mangan.
Last season's #2 team of Sally Cottingham and Chris Sheldon took the #1 seed spot, while Delmonico/Main, Doten/Keane, Dardis/Shay, Prop/Schneebeck, Ohlmuller/Takach, Flynn/Tarzian and Henke/Lemieux rounded out the 2-8 seed spots. Tournament Director John Noble's draw sheet ran as expected with all seeded teams reaching their anticipated finish with on[...]
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