PTMHOFF makes progress towards “virtual museum”

The PTMHOFF established revised goals in 2011 after an arrangement for housing a physical museum fell through. A significant part of 2012 was spent in pursuing Phase 1 of the new plan:

Phase I: Create a “virtual” museum and Hall of Fame with the first step being a dramatic upgrade to original web site. The revised site would have three features – an illustrated history of the game, a completely new look and feel for the Hall of Fame with extensive biographies, and a “Search and Explore” section which would house all of the memorabilia collected in digital formats and allow visitors to browse the artifacts by various search keys (by name, for instance).

This phase which is the foundation and heart of the revised mission, was now about 75% complete with the collection and digitization of artifacts, the development of the illustrated time-line history and the revised and expanded Hall of Fame sections essentially complete.

The collection and digitization of historical artifacts was a much bigger undertaking than originally anticipated and our collection now included almost all APTA newsletters (1969-2012), APTA historical documents (annual meeting minutes, correspondence, etc.) many magazine and newspaper articles, photographs, film footage going back to 1962, and much more. This material has been extensively used to create the illustrated time-line history and upgrade the biographies of Hall of Fame members.

The big remaining step was the complete the Search and Explore segment.

All of this had taken considerable effort and resources and would not have been possible without the support of the “paddle community”

Jerry Wahl – Cincinnati’s volunteer extrordinaire

Cincinnati’s hut commander extraordinaire enjoys all the action

Cincinnati’s hut commander extraordinaire enjoys all the action Jerry Wahl of Cincinnati has found the recipe for a good life. She stays active, playing many sports, including 30 years of platform tennis. She loves the career she established as an event coordinator. She now meshes work and play by volunteering at sporting events, where she often is asked to take on a leadership position. As someone once said, “To work at the things you love, or for those you love, is to turn work into play, and duty into privilege:’ So, while Wahl works at a sports event, she really is also playing, and she feels privileged to be able to do so. “Because this is my profession, it is not a burden to do this stuff,” Wahl explains.

Wahl has been working at the Midwesterns, a three-day tournament with over 150 teams, for so many years, she can’t even count them. She manages the main hut and coordinates the hut commanders at ten other clubs during the tournament. [enlarge image to read full profile]

Senior Profile – Jim Dey

Jim Dey lets it fly

Jim Dey should be called Jim Diehard. The man has been playing paddle since he was 10 years old, for 60 years. He grew up in Short Hills, New Jersey, with platform tennis courts right around the corner. His only time away from the game was during a work stint in the state of Washington, where courts were non-existent. He moved back to the East Coast in his early 20s, and immediately got back into the game. In all those decades, he has basically had two steady partners: Bob Smith in the early years, and John Spears, who he has played with off and on for over 30 years.

“Paddle has gotten me through a lot of winters,” Dey laughed. “I don’t need to get away?’ If you have ever had the pleasure of staying at the Shelter Harbor Inn, you would understand that concept even more so. Dey bought the cozy retreat 36 years ago. Replete with outstanding food, a rooftop hot tub, and beautiful grounds, the Shelter Harbor Inn is a special getaway. Three years after he bought the inn, he had the good business sense to build two platform tennis courts and create a league that plays right under his apple tree. The courts are supported through the membership, 80 people strong.

Six years ago, the courts needed to be replaced and the group raised the money quickly and easily. With that level of support and dedication, Dey has been able to sustain his game and encourage those in his area to play. And the members are treated to a quaint club where the locker rooms are tucked under the eaves of the third floor.

Dey’s major accomplishment in platform tennis was winning the Men’s 65+ Nationals title with Spears. [enlarge image to read full profile]>

Chicago Charities – McNitt and Shipz capture the Women’s and du Randt and Parsons the Men’s

With Hurricane Sandy leaving one of platform tennis’ strongholds reeling, the devastation along the East Coast was more than evident this year at the Women’s 2012 Chicago Charities tournament. Many of the nationally-ranked teams that usually come out of the New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia region were eerily absent this year, virtually allowing Chicago women full reign of the tournament.

This year’s Charities benefitted Family Matters, a group located in Chicago’s North of Howard neighborhood that offers children and families individualized personal development experiences that provide opportunities to find their place in the world and to be a force for positive change.

The 48-team women’s event kicked off on Friday, November 2 at 8 a.m., with overcast skies and mid-50s temperatures that were sustained throughout the weekend.

The opening day matches extended women’s play through the quarter-finals, which saw top-seeded Mary Doten and Chelsea Nusslock against fifth-seeded Lynn Schneebeck and Shannon Vinson. Doten and Nusslock cruised through with a score of 6-1, 6-1.

The second quarter featured the third-seeded Hallie Bodman and Sally Jones as they defeated seventh-seeded Janet Mazzola and Ann Turner in a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 marathon.

The newly-formed team of Wendy Shpiz and Jane McNitt was unseeded due to not having any team ranking points. Despite that fact, they triumphed over Holly Tritt and Shawna Zuccarini, 6-1, 6-1.

Suzanne Lemery and Kelly Rohrback were seeded eighth and defeated second seeds Ania Kazakevich and Marina Ohlmuller, 6-2, 6-1.

The all-Chicago semi-finals took place at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning with Doten and Nusslock advancing past Bodman and Jones while, on the neighboring court, McNitt and Shpiz defeated Lemery and Rohrbach. After the semis, both advancing teams were given an hour to reenergize in preparation for the finals.

The finals showed powerful ground strokes from Nusslock and Shpiz, mixed with finesse and more selective power from Doten and McNitt.

Playing their first tournament together, McNitt and Shpiz triumphed over the top-seeds, delivering McNitt’s third Charities championship (`02, ’05, ’12) and Shpiz’s first.

By Saturday morning it was apparent that Hurricane Sandy’s impact on air travel had waned. East Coast teams were in full force for the 64-team Men’s 2012 Charities.

Like the women’s schedule, the men played through their first day to the quarter-finals. Drew Broderick and Chris Gambino, last season’s National Champions, teamed up again and rolled through to the semi-finals by defeating eighth-seeded David Caldwell and Blake Cordish, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Scott Bondurant and Mark Johnson came into the Charities unseeded and knocked off fourth-seeded Mike Marino and Dane Schmidgall, 6-2, 6-1.

In the third quarter match-up, third-seeded Juan Arraya and LennartJonason defeated sixth-seeded Scott Estes and Mike Stulac, 6-4, 6-4. And rounding off the day’s events, second-seeded Johan du Randt and Mark Parsons defeated the unseeded team of Ben McKnight and Pete Rose, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5.

Like the quarter-finals, the semi-finals were played at the hosting Glen View Club in Glen View, Illinois. Broderick and Gambino edged out Bondurant and Johnson, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. With action
tense and each point being played as if it was match point, the battle raged for nearly three hours and included one point that lasted over ten minutes. Broderick said, “Our style is to slow play and then pick up the pace again.” He added, “Even if we lose a long point, we feel that we really win out if the point is’a good one:’

On the other side of the draw, du Randt and Parsons won a see-saw battle over Martinez-Arraya and Jonason, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to advance to the finals.

The finals came down to long points highlighted with bursts of speed and power. But in the end, it was du Randt and Parsons who defeated Gambino and Broderick for the title of Chicago Charities Champions.

Player Profiles – Jane McNitt and Wendy Shpiz

Jane McNitt

Residence: Winnetka, IL
Family: Husband, Peter; children: Peter Jr. (19), Johnny (17), Megan (15)
Profession: Part-time platform tennis professional
Hobbies off the courts: Swimming, biking, rollerblading and skiing
Awards/Accolades within the sport: Winner of Chicago Charities (‘05, ’10, ’12) Illinois State, Midwesterns, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Kalamazoo, and Illinois State Mixed tournaments

Wendy Shpiz

Residence: Winnetka, IL
Family: Husband, Dave; children: Jack (4), Charlie (3), Mollie (1)
Profession: Marketing Director – Nike Tennis Camps
Hobbies off the courts: Spend as much time with my family as possible, skiing and running
Awards/Accolades: 1992 Illinois State Tennis Champion. All-American at Duke University. On the pro tennis tour for three years and made Top 250 in the world.

How long have you two been playing as a team and how did your team come to be?

Shpiz: This was our first tournament playing as a team. We have practiced many times together over the last year and simply thought it would be fun to partner up for a tournament!
McNitt: As Wendy said, we have been playing together in practice matches for the past year and just thought it would be fun to try a tournament together

What strengths have you found that you each have that make the team stronger?

Shpiz: Jane may be better at answering this, but I would say our games complement and feed each other’s strength For example, her aggressive net play, quick hands and overall court sense takes pressure off and allows me to be more aggressive both when serving and returning.
McNitt: Wendy has tremendous racquet skills and is an exceptional athlete. I try to be aggressive and capitalize on all the opportunities that her strong serve and “big” forehand bring our way. And we both love to compete!

How did you feel about going into the Charities as an unseeded team?

McNitt: It’s always great to be the underdog. There are no expectations.

How long have you two been playing as a team and how did your team come to be?

Shpiz: This was our first tournament playing as a team. We have practiced many times together over the last year and simply thought it would be fun to partner up for a tournament!
McNitt: As Wendy said, we have been playing together in practice matches for the past year and just thought it would be fun to try a tournament together

What strengths have you found that you each have that make the team stronger?

Shpiz: Jane may be better at answering this, but I would say our games complement and feed each other’s strength For example, her aggressive net play, quick hands and overall court sense takes pressure off and allows me to be more aggressive both when serving and returning.
McNitt: Wendy has tremendous racquet skills and is an exceptional athlete. I try to be aggressive and capitalize on all the opportunities that her strong serve and “big” forehand bring our way. And we both love to compete!

How did you feel about going into the Charities as an unseeded team?

McNitt: It’s always great to be the underdog. There are no expectations.

What is your practice routine — are you both out aggressively training for tournament play or are you more casual about your approach to the sport?

McNitt: Definitely a casual approach! We play together once a week if we are lucky!
Shpiz: Ha! I’m just happy to get out on the court whenever possible these days! When I play, it’s a bonus.

Who were your toughest competitors for the Chicago Charities Tournament and were they the team that you initially thought going in would give you the most challenge?

Shpiz: I found all the teams to be challenging and enjoyed playing a variety of styles. We competed well all weekend and dug deep to win some key points.
McNitt: Each team we faced presented different challenges and opportunities. The competition was great!

Do you have plans to play more tournaments together this year? Perhaps the Nationals?

Shpiz: We haven’t thought that far out. If someone will take my kids for the weekend, then maybe.

Brad Easterbrook takes the reins at PPTA

Brad Easterbrook started his two-year reign as President of the PPTA (Professional Platform Tennis Association) this September. Easterbrook welcomes the challenge of his new position and the gratification of working with more than 300 top-notch professionals.

A player and pro for over 25 years, Easterbrook currently is the Director of Platform Tennis at the New Canaan Field Club in Connecticut. He has worked as a director of racquets at various clubs in the tri-state area, many of which had platform tennis courts. In 1994, he started playing platform tennis. He credits Steve O’Connell with introducing him to the game and, as with most tennis pros, he picked it up quickly. By 1998, he was playing and teaching as much paddle as tennis. He was drawn to the camaraderie and atmosphere surrounding the game. “The game is tremendous fun. Win or lose, it’s always a great time

Easterbrook was one of the first pros certified when the PPTA was in its infancy. “The PPTA originated from the hard work of dedicated and passionate individuals who desired to strengthen the standards of teaching platform tennis as a profession. The PPTA has rigorous standards for its pros,” Easterbrook said. Certification requires a four-hour written test, as well as demonstration of teaching skills for both group and private lessons. There are four levels of certification and pros are encouraged to upgrade their certification regularly. This fall the PPTA certified over 20 new members. [enlarge image to read full article]

APTA 2012 Service Award goes to Anne Fleming

Serves Her Right! Anne Flemming Wins the 2012 APTA Service Award

The APTA created the APTA Service Award in 2009 to recognize people who have made invaluable contributions to platform tennis. This year, out of ten deserving nominees, Anne Flemming from California was chosen by the board for her truly remarkable service.

Tim McAvoy says, “For 33 years, our Service Award winner was the driving force, the official and unofficial ambassador and champion of platform tennis in California and Region VI.”

Tom Mayes says, “Her infectious and enthusiastic nature got me and many, many others involved in our fun sport. Without her, the face of platform tennis in our local community may not even exist.”

Christi Hayes says, “It takes a force of nature to promote paddle and grow it where the climate and attitude is so biased toward other sports. It takes unbridled enthusiasm and single mindedness. That pretty much defines her.”

Anne Flemming says, “It has been very rewarding and gratifying for me to have been involved for so many years in the wonderful world of platform tennis — locally, regionally, and nationally. Most of my favorite people are paddle players!”

Finally, the APTA says, “Congratulations and thank you Anne for your dedication to the game.”

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 14, Issue 1, September, 2012

Rob Coster elected APTA President

Ready or not, here comes the 2012/2013 platform tennis season! I’m very pleased to share with you that, due to the tireless efforts of passionate volunteers around North America, the game we love is thriving more than ever. Platform tennis might be relatively small when compared to the more mainstream games we play, but recent revelations portray our game in a different light.

While working through bankruptcy reorganization this summer, court documents listed the Viking Platform Tennis division of Prince Sports as the crown jewel, representing close to 20% of Prince’s business. At the APTA annual meeting in Boston this past spring, a representative of Wilson Sports stated that platform tennis represented “the single fastest growing segment of their entire company” Many of the platform tennis court manufacturers are using one word to describe their business recently: “crazy!” Maybe our sport isn’t so small after all.

I’m very fortunate and excited to be following in the footsteps of my friend Tim McAvoy as President of the American Platform Tennis Association. I give Tim a lot of credit for strengthening the APTA as an organization and I look forward to seeing it grow even more in the future.

Candidly, it’s because of Tim and the many passionate people like him that our sport is growing like it is. If you’re one of those people, I sincerely thank you. If you’re not, it’s time to get off the bench and get in the game. [enlarge image to read full letter]

APTA Annual Meeting highlights

Weston Golf Club, in Weston, Massachusetts, was the host of the 2012 APTA Board Meeting and Annual Meeting. Despite two warm spring days beckoning, the board was able to tackle its full agenda. As the governing body of platform tennis, the APTA continues to look for ways to improve communication within the sport throughout the country, build the game by making it accessible to all corners, and streamline rules and tournament and Nationals coordination.

Hellos and Goodbyes:
One important order of business was voting in new board members and saying farewell to those who have served their three-year terms. The APTA Board approved three new members—President of the APTA, Rob Coster, of Region II, Steve Caccam, also from Region II, and Sara Lanthier, of Region IV (the Canadian connection). Tim McAvoy chaired the Friday meeting as outgoing President of the APTA. He will be missed. The Board also said goodbye to Tom Safford and Paul Wiggin. Their service has been much appreciated.

Business Financials:
Alia Main reported that the financial position of the APTA is strong. Revenues were up over last year.

Grow the Game:
The “Grow the Game” initiative continues to create a much needed boost for clubs and municipalities aiming to build new courts or rehab older courts. Peter Lauer described the system in place for scoring grant applicants. In the seventh year of the program, over 100 projects have been proposed.

Exhibitions and Clinics:
Last year, the APTA sponsored ten clinics around the country. This year’s clinics and exhibitions will be held in Toronto; Scituate, MA; Denver, CO; Fairfield County and Salisbury, CT; Newport, RI; Rochester, NY; and Chapel Hill, NC.

Hall of Fame Selection Committee:
The Hall of Fame Selection Committee was approved and includes: Bob Brown, Chair; Steve Baird, VP; Scott Bondurant; Patty Hogan; Walt Peckinpaugh; Deirdre Redden; and Tim McAvoy.

Juniors:
Tom Safford and Steve Caccam presented. There were over 600 players on the junior tour and thirteen tournaments were held in seven states. The College program is now part of the Junior tour.

Membership:
Ann Sheedy presented the following information. The APTA added three new leagues: Boston, Western Mass, and the PPTA. Kansas City came back as a league. Baltimore women dropped out. All league numbers increased except for Rochester and Cleveland. A record number of clubs (222) joined this year. The database now lists 470 facilities. The club gifts were chosen and approved and will be sent out to member clubs this fall.

Courts and Building:
Rob Coster reported the court builders’ update, stating that last year saw rapid growth and demand. Some builders saw a three-fold growth in their business. Next season projections are for at least the same level of growth. Wilson reports paddle is the fastest growing segment of its business.

Equipment:
Fritz Odenbach reviewed the equipment rules. The Board voted to require the standard ball (vs. the low bounce ball) be used at all National Championships. When submitting equipment for APTA approval, manufacturers will be requested to submit independent lab reports (similar to Underwriters’ Laboratories) showing that their product falls within the specification established by the APTA. (A full listing of all APTA-approved paddles and balls will be listed
on the website.)

Regional News:
All seven regions reported in at the Annual Meeting on Friday evening. The consensus was that the game is growing in all regions.

Player Rating System /National Ranking System:
John Noble talked about these two systems. The PPTA is working on a Player Rating System to be distributed country-wide. A new NRT tournament weighting system has been created. (Look for the explanation on the APTA website in the future.)

Website / League Dashboard / Social Media:
John Noble discussed the success of the Live Scoring and Live Streaming at major tournaments and Nationals this year. The League Dashboard and MyAPTA are in the works and should be available early this season. Sara Lanthier will be in charge of the APTA Facebook page. Regions have been encouraged to create their own Facebook pages. Region II and IV have already done so.

Seniors:
Courtia Worth talked about all the changes in the Seniors (or 45+). The Women’s 40+ Nationals is now the Women’s 45+ Nationals. Several Senior events are changing locations. The Women’s 45+160+ Nationals are moving to Chicago this year, the Men’s 45+155+165+ are moving to Cincinnati, the Mixed 60+ Nationals are going to the Villages in Florida and the Mixed 50+/H/W 50+ Nationals will be in Allentown, PA.

Platform Tennis Magazine:
The Platform Tennis Magazine Committee (headed by Amy Halstead) met prior to the Annual Meeting to discuss the direction of the magazine. Wayne Dollard joined the group to discuss the issues of timeliness, content and communication between the APTA and Dollard Publishing. New features will include senior news, volunteers, and destination tournaments.

Awards:
The 2012 APTA Service Award was given to Anne Flemming of California. Hendy Dayton received it on her behalf and presented it to Anne in California in June.

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 14, Issue 1, September, 2012

Steaming video captures Nationals action

Live Streaming Video Captivates Audience

There is the Tennis Channel. And then there is the Platform Tennis Channel. For anyone that didn’t have the pleasure of playing or watching the Nationals from Long Island this year, the next best thing was watching it on the home computer.

Ken Packert, a physics teacher and a member of Huntington Country Club, joined the 2012 APTA Nationals Committee to handle all video projects. Fortunately for the Committee and the paddle community at large, he was uniquely qualified to handle the first live streaming ever shown on the APTA website.

To make sure Nationals would run smoothly, the group planned a test run at the Long Island Invitational in December of 2011. By Nationals, he knew what equipment he needed (simple webcams) and which wires to string up.

He also got the best seat in the house. A tiny balcony above the deck at the paddle hut became home base. And possibly because of this great viewing platform, he was able to recruit a few volunteers and a few players at Nationals to work as spotters. With Live Streaming, Packert or one of his helpers had to be available as long as the cameras were running, which was usually from 8 a.m. to as late as 9:30 p.m. [enlarge image to read full article]