The Complete Book of Platform Tennis published
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Edited by Dick Squires, this was one of a number of books he edited or wrote. Squires was a great promoter of the game. Squires was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.
Read More- The Early Years1928-1949
- The Evolution1950-1969
- The Rise1970-1979
- The Growth1980-1999
- Today's Game2000 and Beyond
The first platform tennis tournament for cash – Mercedes-Benz Platform Tennis Classic
Back to TopHeld in Mid-November at Amelia Island Plantation, FL, the tournament consisted of eight of the top nine nationally-ranked teams. The winning team of Mangan and Kingsbury received $2,000, while the runners-up, Steele and Jennings, earned $500. Highlights of the tournament were shown on the CBS show Sports Spectacular on Sunday February 23, 1975 Even though most of the players on the tour had full-time jobs outside of platform tennis, with the majority of them working in the finance industry, the prize money added another enticement to the game.
Read MoreCleveland Masters – They thought this was going to be the first money tournament
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Welcome to the best location in the nation - Cleveland, of course. To all our old friends its super to see you again, and to you new faces, its great to see you guys as well. For the men it is a historical occasion! Who would believe we would be pounding the pill for the long hard green. For the first time in the history of our favorite sport, dollars are replacing the firm handshake and the clasp on the back
Read MoreAPTA changes to a twelve-point tie breaker
Back to TopIt didn't take long before a committee consisting of tournament level players and headed by APTA President Bob Brown re-visited the nine-point tie-breaker adopted in early 1974. The nine-point tie-breaker rule stated that if two teams reached 4-all the next point decided the set. This was considered unfair. The APTA subsequently adopted a 12-point tie-breaker of its own, one in which the first team winning 7 points takes the set. If the teams reach 6-all then it takes a margin of two points to win (e.g. 8-6 or 12-10) The sequence in the APTA 12-point tiebreaker is as follows: Assume the last point of the set has ended, and the game score is 6-all. The players stay on the same side of the net and the next player in the regular service rotation serves once from the ad court. When that point is over, the players change sides and the normal serving rotation continues with ea[...]
Read MoreJack Davis cartoons
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Born in 1924, Jack Davis is one of the best-known American illustrators of the past fifty years. During his illustrious career, he created art for magazine covers, film posters, record jackets, advertisements, and books. Perhaps he is most admired for his work in MAD Magazine. In the platform tennis world, he is famous for his zany drawings that feature outlandish characters on the court. During the 1970’s, he created twelve widely distributed platform tennis prints. A former Scarsdale resident, Davis played platform tennis socially at the Scarsdale Golf Club. Although he claims that he didn’t base his characters on anyone specific, it is hard not to identify with each of them. The Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame inducted Davis in 2003. Interesting factoid: Jack Davis had Fox Meadow Tennis Club member Karen Reuter (1943-2008) do quite a bit of coloring for his cart[...]
Read MoreMen’s Nationals go under the Big Top
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Handling the crowds at the Men’s Nationals created some challenges. With the growing popularity and spectator appeal of the game, the APTA decided to limit the crowds and defray tournament expenses by charging admission into the Fox Meadow grounds. Also, for the 1975 event, Fox Meadow Tennis Club planned to install a large tent in the parking lot, in order to provide creature comforts and food for spectators at the semis and finals. There would be a general admission charge of $2 for adults and $1 for children. Super-fans could purchase a clubhouse pass, entitling them to lunch for $10. Under this new format only pass-holders, officials, semi-finalists and their wives would be permitted access to the clubhouse. Source: Off The Wire, Vol. 6 No. 3
Read MoreVittert Hi-Bounce (yellow) official ball of the Men’s Nationals
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Mike O'Hearn, National Tournament Director, made the call. Source: Off The Wire Vol. 6 No. 3
Read MoreNational Championships – Men’s finals were filmed
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In the Men’s, the previous year’s finalists Jennings and Steele, emerged as the champions over two-time winners Kingsbury and Mangan. In the Women’s, the California duo of Hilary Hilton and Annabel Lang, who excelled in paddle tennis, were imported to break the dominance of the East Coast and did just that. In the Senior events, Chuck Baird and Ned Swanberg won their fourth straight 50+ title, establishing an unrivaled record. Baird and Lankenau won their second straight 45+ and Do Deland, daughter of the co-founder of the game Jimmy Cogswell, won the Women’s 50+ with Deborah McIlwaine.
Read MoreAPTA initiates Life Membership
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The APTA initiated a Life Membership for a fee of $100. Buffy Briggs became the first Life Member by putting up her money on the very night the APTA created the new membership category.
Read MoreAPTA moves election of Officers and Directors from fall to spring
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APTA President Robert Brown explained the reasoning behind the change: “The reason for this change is to place the officers who will be responsible for the affairs of the Association during the next season in their functions at an earlier date than in the past. This new management team will then have the spring, summer, and early fall to prepare for the coming season, and we feel that this will have real management benefits.” Source: Off The Wire, Vol. 6 No. 3
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