APTA awards 7 “Grow The Game” grants to open up the game beyond traditional private clubs

In keeping with the stated mission of the APTA to help grow the great sport of Platform Tennis, the Board of Directors of the APTA has recently approved seven different financial grants / loans to help organizers begin or accelerate their efforts to promote local paddle. Projects approved at the APTA Annual Meeting in May spanned from Kansas to Massachusetts to South Carolina. They will all further a quest of the APTA Growth Committee, to open up paddle beyond the traditional private country club strongholds.

Peter Lauer, Chair of the Growth Committee, remarked of the overall effort and the various projects approved: “We are delighted by the growing interest in the grant program and in particular the enthusiasm, energy and professionalism of the local champions who seek the APTA’s help in their efforts. They are the key to success and, in many ways, we are making a bet on the people who will not only get the courts built, but also follow through with a program for years to come. Kansas City is a great example; Chace Brundige is leading the charge to build two courts and a hut at the Homestead Club, an inexpensive tennis facility that anyone can join. [enlarge image to read more]

Player Profile: Mike Stulac

Mike Stulac

Age: 40
Residence: Manhattan, New York
Family: Kerri Delmonico
Profession: Global Loans Product Controller at JP Morgan Chase
Achievements in tennis/platform tennis: Winner of the Canadian Nationals more than 10 times; Winner US Nationals twice; Winner of the 18-and-under Junior Nationals; Winner Mixed Nationals; Winner of Husband and Wife Nationals two times; Winner in Chicago, numerous regional tournaments
Hobbies off the courts: Golf

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Chicago League – 15 years of solid growth and counting

Platform tennis in Chicago is nothing new. Dating back nearly 40 years, organized platform tennis owes its existence to Dick Hornigold, who brought it to Chicago after he was transfered there. He met up with platform tennis entrepreneur Dick Squires, and the two put on an exhibition at the Exmoor Country Club that launched the sport officially in the Chicago market.

The pair partnered with Jack Watson and Harry Brown to form the Chicago Platform Tennis Charities organization. Today, the organization is run by Alan Graham, who’s been steering the ship for the past 15 years. Under his guidance, the CPTC has grown by leaps and bounds, and that growth is something that has been studied and determined to be sustainable.

“Initially, the region had a lack of resources,” Graham said. “When courts were put in, the very first ones were put in private homes. The next phase were in country clubs, most of which were golf clubs. Many individual tennis and athletic clubs, as well as parks districts studied the growth and success of platform tennis and made a commitment to the sport.” Graham said the ball was mainly carried forward by the private clubs because they could more quickly cater to member demands than the public parks districts.

“It was easier for the clubs to do it than for the parks districts because park districts spread themselves out to a great number of people in multidiscipline and diversified activities,” Graham said. “This is not the largest sport in the country, but on the East Coast and certainly in the Chicago area at this point, it’s quite a popular sport and growing larger each year.”

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Paddle technology keeps improving – Viking promotes lightweight paddles

Viking Athletics is proud to officially announce the arrival of its 2011-2012 product line – complete with 3 new lite weight paddles, the re-introduction of the most popular paddle ever made and yet another addition to Viking’s technology portfolio – all added to the existing line of proven paddles and the Viking ball.

Viking has done it again! Introducing a new paddle technology application called Carbon Mesh. Carbon Mesh material consists of braided graphite strips of material which are bonded together for extra strength and stiffness. This material will be featured at the 12 o’clock position on two new paddles this season adding extra stiffness and strength to the rim area. Viking continues to be clearly focused on raising the bar on platform paddle innovation again this year as Carbon Mesh follows SpinTex and Triple Threat technologies which were both introduced during the past two years. SpinTex adds an extra layer of texture to the paddle surface to significantly improve ball bite and spin for unparalleled control and placement and can be found on the entire line of adult Viking paddles. In addition, Triple Threat technology, a special woven graphite composite material located at 10, 2 and 6 o’clock on the paddle frame provides extra stiffness and perimeter weighting in key locations on the TT Pro Elite paddle series improving power and stability on off center hits. [enlarge image to read full article]

Wilson launches new paddle technology; some even have bottle openers in the butt cap

Wilson has taken the paddle tennis world by storm and introduced a new paddle racquet technology to enhance every player’s game. Wilson understands that in the game of platform tennis achieving maximum spin on the ball is critical to the outcome of the match. With the revolutionary Gator Grit technology, Wilson has tripled the amount of grit on the paddle surface on every racquet for extra bite to provide increased spin and feel of the ball. Gator Grit is now available on all of Wilson’s new paddles.

With maximum grit must come maximum protection, so with every Gator Grit paddle the player will receive a free cover. The cover will not only protect the paddle but also a player’s additional belongings carried in the bag from the coarse Gator Grit. [enlarge image to read full article]

Stadium Lighting comes to Platform Tennis

While most technological advances in platform tennis take place on the racquet side, David Dodge, president of Premier Platform Tennis, said that lighting advances are becoming increasingly more affordable and preferable for platform tennis courts nationwide.

“The big thing right now is the new stadium-style lighting,” Dodge said. “Lighting has made a lot of advances. Some places are still using 1,500-watt court lights, and these new lights are
typically 400-watt metal alloys. They reflect light differently, and by reflecting differently, they can put a lot more light on the court.”

Dodge said the lights can be retrofitted and installed into most existing light standards, and average six lights per court. “The cost is right around $4,000 per court for six. If you install eight, it’s $5,200 per court,” Dodge said. “On the East and West coasts, we’ll do six-light installations. In Chicago, we do eight.”

However, Dodge said the prices are still coming down, and the eco-friendly wattage will mean increased savings on the utility bill. And while there are better lights out there that may throw off more light with less energy consumed, the price point is vastly higher, resulting in prohibitive usage in a platform tennis environment.

“No other lighting is there yet,” Dodge said. “But they are making vast improvements. They’re 75 percent more efficient today than with previous standard fixtures.”

APTA Board Member: Courtia Worth

Courtia Worth

Residence: West Hartford, CT.
Occupation: Director of Tennis and Platform Tennis at the Hartford Golf Club.
APTA Board of Directors History: Worth’s tenure on the board began in May of this year.
Family: My sister was Platform Tennis Hall of Famer Winnie Hatch. Everybody knows me as ‘Winnie’s Sister”.

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APTA President Tim McAvoy on the health of the game, and his

There is nothing like having the wind at your back, whether it be in business, competing in sports or with life in general.

As most of you know, I am healthy once again and loving life. I am also more excited than I’ve been in years for the upcoming platform tennis season. Like so many of us, I can’t wait to compete on the court, get a great workout and reconnect with my platform tennis community—I missed you!

As for building momentum, platform tennis is growing nationally by leaps and bounds. Court, racquet and ball manufacturers reported across the board double digit growth this past year.

Through the APTA grant program, we’ve been able to help grow the game in Boston, Stonington (CT), Chicago, Kansas City and hopefully Charleston, SC!

The APTA, working hand-in-hand with the PPTA, has also helped these locations and many more, with exhibitions and clinics throughout last year and again for this coming season.

The APTA Junior Tour continues to provide an exciting schedule of events throughout the country for the next generation of platform tennis players to compete and enjoy the game. [enlarge image to read full letter]

APTA Annual Meeting recap

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

Grow the Game:
Peter Lauer described criteria the Grow the Game (GTG) Committee uses to score each grant applicant. Currently, there are 70+ grant requests on the list. Peter reviewed the six grant requests which were selected as prime candidates for a grant and/or a loan. The Board voted to support the six projects chosen by the Grow The Game Committee.

The planned recipients for these funds are: Stonington, CT, $15K grant; Pine Manor, MA $10K grant; Scituate, MA $10K grant; Kansas City $10K grant plus a $10K loan; Charleston, SC $15K grant: and Northbrook, IL $5K grant plus a $15K loan.

The APTA will put a time limit on these grants where the APTA will commit to pay out the grant during the coming season — by March 31 of that season — and, if not, then the intended recipient would have to reapply. Funds will not be released until construction has begun.

The APTA will offer additional assistance in the form of videos, how-to articles on running programs and tournaments, exhibitions/clinics and other marketing materials to help these new installations succeed.

Changes in Regional Boundaries:
There has been some confusion about the exact boundaries between some Regions. That, along with some ideas like aligning Kentucky with Cincinnati and aligning several southern states with Region 7 instead of with Chicago prompted a new look at the United States and Canada and a new, defined set of Region boundaries. The Board voted to establish the new regional boundaries as follows:

Region 1 will consist of New Jersey and the southern and eastern portions of New York State as delineated by all counties south and east of the western boundaries of Albany County, Greene County, Orange County, Saratoga County, Schenectady County, Ulster County and Warren County.

Region 2 will consist of Connecticut (including Fairfield County), Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and the Canadian Province of Quebec plus all provinces to the east and northeast of Quebec.Region 3 will consist of Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Eastern Pennsylvania as delineated by the western boundaries of Centre County, Clinton County, Fulton County, Huntingdon County and Potter County and Northern Virginia as delineated by the southern boundaries of Fauquier County, Frederick County, King George County, Rappahannock County, Stafford County and Warren County.

Region 4 will consist of Western and Northern New York State as delineated by the eastern boundaries of Delaware County, Essex County, Fulton County, Hamilton County, Montgomery County, Schoharie County and Sullivan County plus Western Pennsylvania as delineated by the eastern boundaries of Bedford County, Blair County, Cameron County, Clearfield County and McKean County plus Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and the Canadian Province of Ontario.

Region 5 will consist of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Region 6 will consist of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Region 7 will consist of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Southern Virginia as delineated by the northern boundaries of Caroline County, Culpeper County, Essex County, Madison County, Page County, Shenandoah County, Spotsylvania County and Westmoreland County.

Rules Committee:
Fritz Odenbach reported that the Rules Committee was not proposing any new rules or any significant changes to the existing rules with one exception of a rule clarification. Rule 18j deals with the ball hit so hard that, after bouncing in the opponent’s court and then rebounding off the back screen or corner comes back across the net to the hitter’s side — and where it was not touched by the opponent — results in a loss of point to the hitter regardless of whether the ball lands in or out on the hitter’s side of the net. The Rules Committee recommended that the sentence “This rule does not apply to the serve” be added at the end of Rule 18j as currently written. The Board approved this addition.

Todd Ward will become Chair of the Men’s Players’ Committee and Mike Stulac will become Chair of the Rules Committee.

The Men’s Players’ Committee, chaired by Todd Ward, will include Scott Bondurant, Mark Fischl, Rich Green, Fred Gumbinner, Cary Hodges, Mike Marino, Fritz Odenbach and Mark Parsons.

The Men’s National Ranking Committee, chaired by Ray Crosta, will include Juan Arraya, Peter Berka, Anthony Cosimano, Brian Heil, John Noble, Fritz Odenbach and Mark Ruppert.

Women’s Players’ Committee:
The Board approved awarding national ranking points to women who finish in 34th place or higher in any ranking tournament.

Exhibitions:
Last year the APTA sponsored 10 very successful clinics/exhibitions across the country. This year proposed exhibitions include: Toronto, Canada; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Bozeman, Montana; Columbus, Ohio; Greenwich, Connecticut; Newport, Rhode Island; San Francisco, California; Fairfield, Connecticut; Kansas City, Kansas, and Rochester, New York.

PPTA:
The PPTA grew 20% last season (with 34 new members) and created six videos. Missy D’Alise will be the new Member Services Administrator and the PPTA will consider adding an umpire certification process when PPTA pros get certified. The Board voted to offer PPTA pros a $30 APTA membership that would be included with their annual PPTA dues.

Seniors:
Last year there were 14 senior events, all in Region 1. Courtia Worth and Tim Mangan will put together a Seniors Players’ Committee to continue to identify and reach out to seniors. This committee will focus on growing the senior game, re-evaluating the possibility of relocating some senior events to other regions, and
perhaps create a senior newsletter.

APTA Junior Tour:
Tom Safford and his committee will identify ways to continue to grow the junior game, including organizing clinics (working with the PPTA), producing brochures (How to: run a clinic/practice; build a junior program; and run a junior tournament). Possible equipment and/or rule changes similar to those in tennis will be reviewed by his committee.

Platform Tennis Magazine:
In order to improve the quality of the magazine and increase our input, the Board voted to create a Communications Director position, reporting to the Executive Director.

Website:
The website was redesigned this year to improve navigation and movement to microsites and has received much positive feedback. “Hot off the Wires,” the news email to members, was published 15 times. Videos and rules were the most popular topics. The new Tournament Scoring System was a great success, generating more than 3,800 unique visitors.

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 13, Issue 1, October, 2011