APTA approves new Marox ball Vittert, Marcraft and Marox are now main suppliers

The APTA granted approval to a new platform tennis ball developed by Marox, Inc. of Carteret, New Jersey. The new ball debuted in the 1994-1995 season.

Under the auspices of the Rules and Equipment Committee, a sample supply of the new ball was tested in February. When all APTA specifications were met, the Board of Directors gave its approval to this new product in March. Random testing of balls taken from production was planned to assure that the specifications approved for the sample would be met.

Source: Platform Tennis News, Spring 1994 and APTA May 1994 BOD Minutes

Sports Illustrated recognizes Bill and Dave Childs

It is rare that platform tennis, no less its players, find their way into a national sports magazine, but the “Faces In The Crowd” section in the April issue of Sports Illustrated featured two outstanding champions, the Childs brothers, Bill and Dave.

The article documented that they had just successfully defended their 55+ National Championship for the fourth consecutive year. It further noted that they had won the 50+ crown three times in a row. It also recorded Bill’s triumph with Birgit Maio in the Mixed Masters Championship, and indicated that he defeated his brother and Alice Duff in a semifinal match in that tournament.

The game in Poland

The U.S. Embassy had a paddle court on the grounds and the new ambassador Nick Rey and his wife Lisa were avid players, and members of Larchmont Yacht Club in Westchester, NY.

Lisa wrote back to her Larchmont friends:

“Paddle is terrific and a great release of energy and frustrations. I’ve got a regular Monday morning game, and we’ve had one round-robin tournament. People don’t play a lot, and it’s mostly teachers at the American school, Embassy types, and a few Brits. All are tennis players and basically play it as tennis. I’ve convinced at least my Monday group to play it as paddle, and the level of play has taken a huge leap……..”

Source: Platform Tennis News, Spring 1994

Equipment manufacturers start to struggle

Traditional equipment manufacturers, like Marcraft, Marox, and Vittert,struggled in the early 1990s and started to leave the game.

Kaufman and Staniar cop Lineal Group Tour finale

The big winners at the season-ending Lineal Group Grand Prix tournament at the Brookside Racquet & Swim Club in Allendale, NJ, turned out to be men’s champs Scott Staniar and Jim Kaufman, women’s titleists Robin Fulton and Diane Tucker, and most of all, the Special Olympics of North Bergen County, NJ.

In a departure from previous practices at the grand finale, where 32 of the country’s top platform tennis teams battled for a piece of the $10,000 in prize money, a raffle was conducted that featured almost $4,000 in furniture and athletic equipment donated by Lineal and Hedstrom Corp. All proceeds went to the Special Olympics.

Source: Platform Tennis News, Spring 1994

Fox Meadow Hosts Men’s and Women’s Nationals, and President’s Cup

This was the last Men’s and Women’s Nationals hosted by the club. The Men’s was chaired by Jo Rogers and the Women’s by Roger Lankenau. The game had grown and now hosting the Nationals required access to facilities beyond the club’s capabilities.

Source: Platform Tennis News, Winter 1994, and Nationals Program

Besides the cheering for the participants, plaudits were heaped on those individuals who never took a paddle in hand all weekend, but without whom there would have been no tournament. Jo and Sally Rogers, in particular, were stalwarts in bringing off the event, ably assisted by a topnotch committee that included Bob and Ann Brown, Roger and Marilyn Lankenau, Jim and Brenda Borho, Joan Marie O’Connor, and literally dozens of other high-effort contributors. From the ladies who so graciously served up the food and spirits, to people like Brook Kindred who could be observed slicing turkey one minute and umpiring a semi-finals the next, to individuals like Fox Meadow president John Miller, who wielded a mean broom in sweeping the courts of water and snow so play could go on. It’s a true measure of the game of platform and the APTA National Championships that so many individuals contributed so much volunteer effort to make sure it was an exceptional and memorable experience for everyone

Source: Platform Tennis News, Spring 2004

Letter from Dick, Jim,and Kathy Reilly to FMTC Board

The Board of Directors
Fox Meadow Tennis Club
P.O. Box 219
Scarsdale, NY 10583

To all the wonderful people at Fox Meadow:

After basking in Sunday’s beautiful sun, Jim, Kathy and I would like to extend our warm, sunburned, and most happy feelings of gratitude to you for doing such a wonderful job of hosting this year’s Nationals.

Many of you contributed much talent and effort in preparing the food, the draw, housing, court usage, awards, and on and on. A few most unselfish individuals contributed a huge amount of time to make this such a successful and desirable major event.

It was encouraging to see such a relatively large and especially enthusiastic crowd. The play was outstanding. And the women had the biggest crowd ever for an excellent match. Even the rounds of 32, 16 and quarters on Saturday were well attended, as they much deserved to be.

You performed many firsts which is so healthy and appropriate for Fox Meadow, the “grand-daddy” of platform tennis.

Thanks so much.

Dick, Jim, and Kathy Reilly
Brewster, New York

Source: Platform Tennis News, Spring 1994

Tenth year of competition for Manhold Cup held In Chicago

The Exmoor Country Club on the North Shore of Chicago was the site of the tenth renewal of the battle for the Manhold Cup, representing supremacy among the six APTA regions in Senior platform tennis.

Region V was the winner, with each member receiving a trophy.

Jerry Manhold, “The Legend,” was also presented with an award in appreciation of his efforts for Senior platform tennis.

This special event is played as a prelude to the 50+ and 60+ National Championships. Each region sends a team of ten players: four representing the 50+ group, and another representing the 55+ category, with the other two in the 60+ category.

National Championships – The Men’s return “home”

Reflecting the nature of the game of platform itself, the 1994 National Championships were a study in contrasts, a series of highs and lows that left everyone with vivid memories of on- and off-court occurrences. While all the champions deservedly celebrated their winning efforts, a shadow was cast over the entire event by the untimely death, during the warm-up for the first round match, of one of the Men’s participants, longtime paddle player and former National Champion Mike Wachob.

In a reversal of fortunes, last year’s men’s finalists, Peter Gruenberg and Art Williams, shook off the memories of their three-set defeat in Cleveland to knock off Ron Erskine and Mike Gillespie in the finals. On the other hand, the dominant women’s team and defending champions, Robin Fulton and Diane Tucker, stumbled in the semis and opened the door for new champions Sue Aery and Gerri Viant to display their formidable wares and run the table for the championship in a tight three-setter with Cindy Prendergast and Connie Jones.

Source: Platform Tennis News, Winter & Spring 1994, PTN Nationals Program

President’s Cups go down to the wire

In some of the closest President’s Cup play in recent memory, Region III snagged both the men’s and women’s PC crowns for the second time in three years in a prelude to the National Championships, played entirely at Fox Meadow’s nine-court facility.

The women took advantage of perfect weather to cruise through a smooth all-day event the Thursday before the Nationals. Region III eked out a one-point triumph over Region I.

The men, on the other hand, had batten-down-the-hatches weather on the following day during the afternoon that tested the mettle of both participants and administrators. Brushing aside sleet and drizzle and smoky courts, Region III managed to post a two-point win, 40-38, over Region I.

Source: Platform Tennis News, Spring 1994