APTA Capitalizes on Junior Growth – Kathy Cramer Named Junior Tour Director

There is an adage, “The time to make hay is when the sun is shining.” Right now, the sun is shining on junior platform tennis, so get out your tractor and baler because the APTA is making some hay.

For starters, in September, the APTA appointed Kathy Cramer of Darien, Connecticut, to the newly created position of APTA Junior Tour Coordinator. Kathy will work closely with the tournament directors, tour sponsor Viking Athletics, and the APTA Board to ensure that the numerous events, Junior Nationals, and the year-end ranking process all run as smoothly as possible. The growth in platform tennis among juniors in recent years, along with the renewed marketing partnership with Viking, makes this an excellent time to bring on an individual with Cramer’s talents, experience, and passion for our game.

A self-described “club player,” who was introduced to the game by her father in the 1970s, Cramer is the mother of three young boys, Tyler, Griffin, and Bennett, who are all avid platform tennis players. Her husband, JJ, is also a nationally-ranked player. With a background in technology and teaching, she brings plenty of energy and creativity to this new position. “I am excited to utilize my strong organizational skills, as well as my enthusiasm for platform tennis, to build upon the tremendous momentum we have seen in the juniors. I can’t wait to get started!” said Cramer….[click to enlarge image to read more]

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 15, Issue 1 Sept./Oct. 2013

Chicago Charities – the stars descend

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was the biggest winner of all. The tournament brought in over $3,000 for the cause.

The stars of the platform tennis world descended into Chicago for the annual Chicago Charities tournament the first weekend of November. This tournament usually boasts one of the strongest men’s and women’s fields of any tournament after the Nationals. Last year, Hurricane Sandy laid waste to that claim, but this year the draw was back to its former stellar status. Many new combos were there to compete and the resurrection of some old partnerships created some pop.

The women began their play on Friday, and finished up just as the men’s round of 16 was shaking out. For the women, it was the story of the inexorable march to victory by National Champions Ana Brzova and Viki Stoklasova. This was their third title in three tournaments this fall and they did not lose a set in doing so. In fact, they won three matches, including the final, by the score of 6-1, 6-1. Finalists six-time National Champion Mary Doten and two-time Charities winner Jane McNitt could not dent the precision of Brzova and Stoklasova.

On the men’s side, the field was so deep that the top-seeded team and current National champs, Johan du Randt and Mark Parsons, lost in the quarter finals to Mike Cochrane and Scott Estes, back together after a hiatus of a few years. The round of 16 had some amazing match ups, including Cochrane and Estes against Alex Bancila and former National Champion Brian Uihlein. There were spins enough to make your head spin. Another super watchable match was du Randt and Parsons against eight-time National Champion Flip Goodspeed and Cincinnati pro Rob Bakker.

Showing their usual unflappable style, winners Drew Broderick and Chris Gambino worked steadily through the draw. They won their second Charities, after three straight years in the finals. Steve DeRose and Jon Lubow, former winners of the Charities, fought the good fight, losing 6-3, 7-5. This match is still available for viewing via the APTA website.

Live Scoring-sponsored by Wilson-and Live Streaming have become part of the fabric of the major APTA tournaments, especially in the Midwest. The Chicago Charities always offers stupendous paddle. This year was deep-dish delicious.

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 15, Issue 1 Sept./Oct. 2013

The Platform Tennis Channel – Live Streaming and Live Scoring

“How cool was that!” Two club players in the Boston area, at different times in one weekend, both used that same expression when they tuned into Live Streaming of the Chicago Charities tournament.

Live Streaming
For some fans, watching video and listening to the commentary offered access to the best players in the nation playing the best paddle. For some viewers, it was the first time they had ever seen the game. For anyone who tuned in, watching the late rounds of one of the top tournaments of the season provided great entertainment and some education.

While this isn’t the first time the APTA has used Live Streaming, the quantity and quality of the production was much better and more comprehensive than ever before. Viking’s Cort fish connected Charities Chairman John Noble with ENetTV, a St. Louis-based company that has expertise in producing other similar-sized sporting events, like racquetball. The production involved five cameras, four on one court and a secondary camera on another court, two cameramen, and one director.

“Platform Tennis Night in America” was an ambitious and successful broadcast. More matches were available to the audience. Men’s quarterfinal, semifinal and final matches were all filmed live this year. The videos are still available online, free of charge, through ENetTV. This is the first time Live Streaming has been accessible via computer after an event. Previously, one had to wait for the Nationals DVD to come out….[click image to read more]

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 15, Issue 1 Sept./Oct. 2013

Bob Brown finally retires from APTA service – this time as Chair of the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee

There are certain names in the platform tennis world that everyone recognizes. Bob Brown is one. His staying power is impressive—the oldest player to win a National title—but it is his ability to foster growth and change in the sport that is just as impressive. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993 but has been accruing so many titles since then he may need to be inducted again. But just as impressive as his 21 gold and 18 silver National Championship medals is his service and commitment to the game.

Brown has always been affiliated with the sport and the APTA in one way or another since he started playing over 40 years ago. His time as the Chair of the APTA Hall of Fame Committee and the Platform Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame is worth noting. All told, Brown has been at the helm of the committee for 20 years total. He spent ten years as the Chair of the Honor Award Committee. The Honor Award became the Hall of Fame Award in 1996, at Brown’s suggestion. There was a period when neither award was active, but the Hall of Fame Committee remedied that, by inducting a group of deserving nominees at one time. Brown was a great proponent of this movement. Under his chairmanship, 46 individuals (of a total of 79) have been inducted into the Hall of Fame…..[click image to read more]

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 15, Issue 1 Sept./Oct. 2013

APTA Volunteer of the Month – Robin Cohn

Standing out in a sea of Chicago Volunteers

Volunteering in Chicago is rather easy these days. With the largest platform tennis league in the United State with a great number of tournaments, people are needed! Robyn Cohn loves how many people are willing and able to help. But what makes Cohn such a fabulous Chicago-area volunteer? Because she leads well, she finds the time to be thoroughly involved, and she makes good decisions….[click image to read more]

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 15, Issue 1 Sept./Oct. 2013

APTA Board Member – Tim Mangan

Tim Mangan

Residence: Bayville, New York

Occupation: Director of Racquet Sports at Nassau Country Club, Glen Cove, NY. I’ve been teaching platform tennis, tennis, and squash for 34 years.

Years of Service on the APTA Board: Six years as of 2014; previous term 1999-2004

Family: Wife Tonia Mangan holds a few national titles; children Brooke (20), Jack (16), and Caroline (13) all have played at the junior level. My sister, Bobo Delaney, holds many national titles and my niece, Corey Delaney won Junior Nationals a few times. My mother, Nancy, and my uncle, John, were both inducted into the Platform Tennis Hall of Fame. [A bit of a dynasty.]

Years Playing: 46

How did you get started playing? I was introduced to the game by family friends in Short Hills, New Jersey. And I was taught by the best, Hank Irvine.

Contribution to the APTA Board/Contribution to theplatform tennis community. I started the Husband/Wife Nationals. And the frustrating thing is we have never won it! We’ve been runners-up for five years, but every time one of the great couples retired, another team stepped up, like the Zinks, the Schmitts, the Ohlmullers, and Stulac/Delmonico. I run some tournaments — The New York State Women’s and the New York State Mixed; the APTA Mixed 50s and 60s when they are in town. I was co-chair of the APTA Nationals in Long Island in 2012. And I’ve been the Region I President since 2008.

Weird paddle match. I was playing with Tonia in a mixed MAPTA tournament against Diane Tucker and her partner. It was about 80 degrees out, and the score was 7-6, 6-7, 7-6. Not one person held serve.

Dreams deferred. I wanted to try to get ranked in tennis, squash and paddle all in the same year. There was one weekend where I had to play in a tennis tournament and then play a few paddle matches, then drive to Manhattan to play in a squash tournament, which includes trying to find parking and black-tie only parties. I almost killed myself. So I had to give that dream up.

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 15, Issue 1 Sept./Oct. 2013

Virtual Museum and Hall of Fame Opens – the mission is to capture the history of the game

Technology has been wonderful to our under-known sport. With the advent of the computer, communication has become more cohesive and streamlined. Archived photos reappear for the world to see. And the history of the game, previously existing in just a few books and deep memories, has been given a new place to live. The virtual Platform Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame has breathed new life into the dusty chronicles and is now welcoming visitors.

The backstory of The Platform Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame Foundation sits on a few shoulders. Bob Brown and Chuck Vasoll were important cheerleaders for a Hall of Fame museum. In 2002, under the guidance of then APTA President John Horine, The Platform Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame Foundation finally became a registered 501 (c ) (3) non-profit that has the mission of capturing the history and the great camaraderie of the game and celebrating those players and others who have grown and enhanced the sport.

The next thrust was to create a “bricks and mortar” facility, and efforts continue to locate such a site. In 2005, Bob Brown attempted to get space dedicated at the Fox Meadow Tennis Club, the birthplace of platform tennis, without success. In 2008, the Foundation tried again, and the next “almost” building was at Centercourt in Chatham, New Jersey. Once more, the project didn’t stick. In the meantime, it was widely believed that to significantly enhance how to capture the history of the game, employing digital technology, rather than just limiting it to a physical facility, was the way to go. Many traditional museums have moved in this direction as they see opportunities to deliver content in more visually exciting and interactive ways, with the added benefit of attracting “visitors” without the need to physically visit one location.

Thanks to the generosity of supporters, the Platform Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame has made significant progress towards realizing this dream……[click on images to read more]

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 15, Issue 1 Sept./Oct. 2013

APTA Volunteer of the Month – Joan O’Connor

How do you get platform tennis going in an area where there is so little opportunity? You make the most of every opportunity! The Albany, New York, area is not quite known as a platform tennis hot spot. But since Joan O’Connor entered the game there, things have at least gotten warmer.

If you play in Region I or Region II, you probably have met Joan O’Connor by now. She has been “bitten by the bug” and has a blast traveling from tournament to tournament with a band of like-minded women—to name a few, Kathy Kulig, Tracy Welling, Sharon Edwards and Leslie Haskins. The group is somewhat geographically challenged. They hail from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the Albany area, so obviously league partnerships are out of the question. But they meet up at events as often as possible and have attended some of the renowned platform tennis camps in Nantucket and Telluride together.

One of their “must do” tournaments is the Schuyler Meadows Women’s B Tournament, in Loudonville, outside of Albany. This is O’Connor’s tournament, the one she has been running for six years now. The opportunity presented itself to her, and she made the most of it….[click image to read more]

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 15, Issue 1 Sept./Oct. 2013

Don Godshaw Gets Wheelchair Platform Tennis Moving

>APTA Approved Rules of Wheelchair Platform Tennis (TRIAL PERIOD)

1. RULES OF PLAY
The game of wheelchair platform tennis follows the Official Rules of Platform Tennis with the following exceptions:

a) The Two Bounce Rule The wheelchair platform tennis player is allowed two bounces of the ball. The player must return the ball before it bounces a third time. The second bounce can be either in or out of the court boundaries and can be after the ball hits the screen.

b) The Wheelchair The wheelchair is considered part of the body and all applicable rules, which apply to a player’s body, shall apply to the wheelchair.

c) The Service The service shall be delivered in the following manner:

i. Immediately before commencing the service, the server shall be in a stationary position. The server shall then be allowed one push before striking the ball.
ii. The server shall throughout the delivery of the service not touch with any wheel, any area other than that behind the baseline within the imaginary extension of the center mark and sideline.
iii. If conventional methods for the service are physically impossible for a player, then the player or another individual may drop the ball for such a player and allow it to bounce before it is struck. If this is the case, the same method of serving must be used for the entire match.

d) Player Loses Point A player loses a point if:
i. The player fails to return the ball before it has bounced three times; or
ii. Subject to rule e) below the player uses any part of his feet or lower extremities against the ground or against any wheel while delivering service, striking a ball, turning or stopping while the ball is in play; or
iii. The player fails to keep one buttock in contact with his wheelchair seat when contacting the ball.

e) Propelling the Chair with the Foot
i. If due to lack of capacity a player is unable to propel the wheelchair via the wheel then he may propel the wheelchair using one foot.
ii. Even if in accordance with rule e) i. above a player is permitted to propel the chair using one foot, no part of the player’s foot may be in contact with the ground:
a) during the forward motion of the swing, including when the racket strikes the ball;
b) from the initiation of the service motion until the racket strikes the ball.
iii. A player in breach of this rule shall lose the point.

f) Wheelchair/Able-bodied Platform Tennis Where a wheelchair tennis player is playing with or against an able-bodied person in singles or doubles, the Rules of Wheelchair Platform Tennis shall apply for the wheelchair player while the Rules of Platform Tennis shall apply for the able-bodied player. In this instance, the wheelchair player is allowed two bounces while the able-bodied player is allowed only one bounce.

Of all the tournaments that were played last year, with all the heartache and pain of losing or the joy and ebullience of winning, the most inspiring and motivating tournament turned out to be one of those “round robin deals” in Winnetka, Illinois. The players were a mix of levels, with beginners and veterans alike on each court. But this little tournament turned paddle on its head. Or tails, it could be said. Because some players were seated. This was the first wheelchair/able-bodied tournament played in the United States. And if Don Godshaw has his way, it will be the first of many more.

Godshaw was one of those able-bodied players until about seven years ago. A fluke ski accident left him with a spinal cord injury that changed his life but not his lifestyle. His profession is high energy. He is the President of Travelon, which designs and manufactures travel bags and accessories. He travels often for business, to Southeast Asia, South and Central America, and extensively in North America.

As a former ski instructor, Godshaw never lost his love of sports and adventure. He recently got back on skis, ripping up Aspen Mountain in Colorado—no green circles there—and has been active in wheelchair tennis for a five years.

[click on images to read more]

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 15, Issue 1 Sept./Oct. 2013

Growing the Game – No Small Potatoes

The APTA’s “Grow the Game” program, now in its seventh year, has offered assistance to thirty facilities so far. This year over forty inquiries were sent in, and eight formal proposals were received. Each proposal is measured on seven criteria and then scaled. The proposals are carefully considered by the Growth Committee and then are approved by the APTA Board. For the 2013-2014 season, the APTA has allocated over $150,000 in grants and loans to eleven facilities…..[Click on image to read more]

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 15, Issue 1 Sept./Oct. 2013