On March 30th, the growth of Platform Tennis continued its seemingly inexorable journey south. Thanks to the vision and efforts of Joe Russo, The Villages in Florida decided to install six grade-level courts. The Villages, located 60 miles northwest of Orlando, is a retirement community of almost 80,000 people.

Coming on the heels of APTA-assisted projects in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia, The Villages is a privately- funded project masterminded by Joe Russo. Joe previously had been responsible for the installation of four courts in Ocean Pines, Maryland. Preliminary plans for the addition of twelve more courts are being discussed as the initial project is evaluated.

The Grand Opening at The Villages featured an exhibition and clinic hosted by APTA Board member Juan Pablo Arraya Martinez. Juan heads up the APTA Exhibition tour, having succeeded Todd Ward in May of 2010. Joining Juan were Mark Parsons, Anton Mavrin and Mark Fischl. After an initial demonstration of the game, Juan divided the players up into four courts focused on the following skills: One to learn (1) wire play, (2) volleys, (3) lobs and overheads and (4) serve and return of serve.

After completing the clinic, it was time for the spectators to enjoy an excellent exhibition. As the four players were warming up, the crowd continued to build, growing to approximately 350 people by the time play began. Several spectators were leaning on the wires. Mark Parsons quickly provided an education as to why this was a bad idea by knocking down an elderly woman as he slammed into the side wire for his patented two-handed backhand! There were numerous gasps as Juan began to destroy the myth that you can’t spin the ball on concrete surfaces.

Displaying an amazing array of volleys at the net, Juan had both Marks scrambling for his shots.

After the exhibition was done, open play commenced for all the residents. The four pros circulated through the courts playing points and giving advice. Several locals wanted to know how Mark Parsons was able to hit his backhand. Other asked why Juan was always jumping in front of Anton to volley.

Given the success of the day, one can only imagine how many courts The Villages will have in five years. Can the first tournament in the state of Florida be far away? Kudos to Joe Russo, Joe Bouthillette and the rest of the staff at The Villages for all their hard work organizing this spectacular event.

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 12, Issue 1, September, 2010

In an effort to spread an awareness of platform tennis across the country and grow the game, the APTA’s grant program awarded three grants this year totaling $35,000 to projects that otherwise would not have succeeded.

The awardees induded the Creve Coeur Racquet Club in St. Louis, Mo., North Park, a county run facility in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pa., and the YMCA in Wilton, Ct.

The first and largest will assist with the creation of a new platform tennis venue beginning with 2 courts at the Creve Coeur Racquet Club in St. Louis, a large, low cost, semi public indoor/outdoor tennis facility. The growth of Paddle in St. Louis has for years been hampered by a lack affordable access. Two years ago, Rick Randall, Frank Sant, Frank Childress and Bob Curtis formed the STL Platform Tennis Association to address the problem and the APTA is pleased to partner with this group of enthusiastic champions and assist their efforts to grow the game in St. Louis.

In North Park, the North Park Platform Tennis Association in Pittsburgh, needed help with the refurbishment of one of their old wooden courts. Ed Jaicks, NPPTA President and his team of volunteers have worked hard to keep a vibrant/public paddle program growing at North Park, despite a tough economy and funding environment in their county, coupled with some nasty storm damage this past year. The Board of the APTA believes strongly that public access, so common in tennis, is vital to the health and growth of platform tennis.[enlarge image to read more]

Financials:
Aila Main presented an overview of our income statement and balance sheet which showed our financial position as being very strong.

However, given the wide variety of initiatives the APTA is pursuing, it was proposed that we raise the league membership dues. Tim and Ann proactively reached out to many of the APTA league Presidents and the idea was agreed to by all of those people.

It was moved that we raise the APTA league member dues from $25 per year to $30. The motion carried unanimously.

Then, a variety of discretionary spending items were discussed resulting in the following actions:
It was moved that we put $15,000 into the budget for “Grow the Game” grants this year and each succeeding year. The motion carried unanimously.

It was moved that we transfer (one time) $40,000 from our cash on the balance sheet to the fund for grants for this coming year. The motion carried unanimously.

Exhibitions:
Proposed exhibitions for next season include Delaware (Wilmington CC); UNC Chapel Hill; The Villages in Orlando, Montana; the Wilton CT, YMCA; and Boston.

It was moved that we commit $15,000 for exhibitions this year. The motion carried unanimously.

Grow the Game (GtG):
Peter Lauer described the criteria the GtG committee uses to evaluate and score each grant applicant. Currently, there are 40+ grant requests on their list. Peter then reviewed the three grant requests which were selected as prime candidates for a grant.

It was moved that we fund all three recommended projects at the following levels: St Louis – $15,000, Wilton CT YMCA – $10,000, North Park – $10,000. The motion carried unanimously.

APTA Junior Tour:
The goal is to grow participation in Junior events. Tom Safford related some things that haven’t worked so well and some that have worked.

As part of this effort to grow participation we would like to get one or two persons from each Region to work with Tom to more formally organize and administer the Junior Tour.
It was also suggested that, if we had Regional Tournaments, the APTA could help support the top teams from each of those areas to encourage them to participate in the Nationals.

It was moved that we allocate $2,000 to continue to support the Junior Nationals next year and continue, at a minimum, that financial support in the years to come. The motion was carried unanimously.

Branding:
Hendy Dayton reviewed our efforts to celebrate our 75th anniversary with the poster and calendar, the articles in PTM, etc. Hendy also reviewed other branding efforts including the PPTA videos, the Nationals video, etc.

Going from last year into the new year, the theme will be moving from our history to how our sport results in “building community” — camaraderie, etc.

PPTA:
Action item: Paul will produce a short APTA intro/promo to go at the front end of all the PPTA videos.

It was moved that we allocate $2,000 for the creation of six PPTA videos provided they are in accordance with our agreements regarding branding, etc. The motion carried unanimously.

Executive Director Initiatives:
It was moved that we reduce the number of players required for a “league” designation from 75 players to 40 players. The motion carried unanimously.

It was moved that we give the ’70s men and women players an APTA rate of $25 per year, but then NOT send them the PTM. The motion carried unanimously.

It was moved to give each Regional President a budget of $500 to enable her/him to provide APTA support to various projects in their Region toward bringing in more leagues as APTA league members. The motion carried unanimously.

Platform Tennis Magazine:
Currently, there are 5 issues per year at 32 pages per issue.

It was moved that we spend up to $4,000 to expand two of the five issues of PTM from the usual 32 pages to 40 pages. The other three issues would stay at 32 pages. The motion was approved on a vote of 14 in favor and 1 opposed.

Rules:
It was decided that Rule 18(i) should remain unchanged: When a player is standing close to the net and his opponent hits a ball into the net such that the net then touches his paddle, body or clothing, then the person being touched by the net loses the point.

We want more compliance with or enforcement of Rule 3: We want the Rules Committee to approve any changes that manufacturers make to balls or paddles.

With the growth of the sport in the South, the committee is working to more clearly describe what court surfaces will be considered “official” (including brushed concrete and asphalt). However, snowboards at the bottom of the screens will remain as a design requirement to keep all the other playing surfaces consistent with the official court standards.

Intentional distractions: The more egregious forms of distraction are alluded to in the “Comment” paragraph in Rule 21 — Interference and it was decided that we did not need to expand that section. Therefore, the Rules Committee will add something on intentional distractions to Appendix D — The Etiquette of Platform Tennis.
Regarding Rule 18(j), it was moved that we approve the principle (with the final wording yet to come from the Rules Committee) that the ball having touched the back screen or corner, which then comes back across the net and lands either inside or outside the court, results in a loss of point for the team who hit that ball. The motion passed unanimously.

President’s Cup:
Starting with the 2011 Nationals in Chicago, we will run a two-year pilot where each P-Cup team will play the usual format but can have up to 12 players with the bottom 2 players serving as subs for others on the team so as to reduce the wear and tear on players prior to the Nationals.

Hall of Fame:
The following list of candidates for the Hall of Fame Committee were nominated: Bob Brown, Chair; Steve Baird, VP; Chuck Vasoll, Secretary; Scott Bondurant, Patty Hogan, Walt Peckinpaugh, Deirdre Redden and Tim McAvoy (ex-officio).

It was moved that we select the above proposed slate of candidates for the Hall of Fame Committee. The motion carried unanimously.

Nominations for candidates to be inducted into the Hall of Fame must be received by the Committee by September for a Board vote in January. Nominations must be based on playing accomplishments and/or what the candidate has given back to the game.

The HOF coffee table book will be published in October.

New Business:
We will form a Corporate Sponsorship Committee to begin a corporate fundraising effort at the national level.

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 12, Issue 1, September 2010

Ohlmuller & Johnson Defeat Main & Caldwell in Three-Set Finalin the Mixed

Marina Ohlmuller and Mark Johnson teamed up for their first run at the APTA Mixed Nationals, and after an amazing three-set final against Aila Main and David Caldwell, they emerged victorious, 6-7, 6-0, 7-5. There were big momentum swings in the match, as is often the case with paddle, and in the third set they were at one point down 3-0, 40-love with the other team serving. The match was marked with steady play by Marina and Aila, while dazzling displays of athleticism from Mark and David enthralled the spectators.

This is Marina’s third national title. She and husband David won the Husband/Wife Nationals in 2003 and 2005. Its Johnson’s first.

Props Outlast LeFevres for APTA Husband-Wife Title

The unseeded team of Heather and Vince Prop won the 2010 APTA Husband-Wife National championship, defeating Jessica and Nathan LeFevre. They came back from a first set loss to triumph in an exciting three setter 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.

The Props fittingly won in their home state of Ohio. Heather is ranked 2nd in women’s play with long time partner Lynn Schneebeck, and is now part of the #1 ranked husband and wife team. The Props beat perennial contenders and two time finalists Sandra and Fritz Odenbach in the semis while the LeFevres defeated local Cleveland team Debbie and Marc Duvin.

The rain held out, and the sun peeked through a few times during the day, allowing the competitors to don their tournament favors-Maui Jim sunglasses.

Mike Cochrane and Scott Estes secured the Men’s #1 position while Mary Doten and Susie Keane edged Heather Prop and Lynn Schneebeck for the top Women’s slot.

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]