2009 Summer Newsletter - USPTA divisions - United States ...

The
Texan
The Official Publication of the USPTA Texas Division Summer 2011 Edition
2011 2011 USPT USPTA USPT A T TTexas
T xas Summer Summer R RRetreat
R etreat &
&
Southwest Southwest Buying Buying Show
Show
August ugust 25-27, 25-27, 2011
2011
INSIDE:
2011 Summer Retreat ...........................8-9
Healthy Habits ...................................16-17
USPTA Update ........................................18
Destination Destination Unknown
Unknown

2
Texas Division
President
Charlotte Wylie
7111 N.E. Loop 820
North Richland Hills, Texas 76180
817-427-6680
cwylie@richland-tennis-center.com
Regional Vice President
Jim Sciarro
6700 Hollytree Blvd.
Tyler, Texas 75023
903-581-7788
jim@hollytreeclub.com
1st Vice President
Guillaume Gauthier
320 Shiloh Road
Tyler, Texas 75703
903-561-3014
gauthierguillaume@hotmail.com
2nd Vice President
David Webb
500 Trophy Club
Trophy Club, Texas 76262
817-491-9586
David.D.Webb@ourclub.com
3rd Vice President
Jenny Gray
1200 S. Shary Road
Mission, Texas 78572
956-581-7401
gray.jenny@hotmail.com
Secretary
Nancy Vivero
3911 N. Sandy Ct.
Missouri City, Texas 77459
713-205-1568
NANCYMV243@aol.com
Treasurer
Craig Bell
5201 Westgrove Drive
Dallas, Texas 75248
972-931-7326 ext. 2121
CBell1360@aol.com
Executive Director
Christy Sobey
11203 Andenwood
Austin, Texas 78726
1-888-445-0505 Toll Free
682-365-4325 Cell
christysobey@gmail.com
As I am sure many of you are aware, USPTA as an association is going through trying times. The Executive
Committee meeting held April 8 & 9 was volatile to say the least. The Executive Committee made the resolution
that the “alternate” slate, presented by the recent nominating committee be rescinded and that the “original” slate
of National Board of Directors be accepted for the 2011-2013 term. As a result of this resolution, two of the tennis
industry’s most respected leaders, Jack Groppel and Jim Loehr, resigned their positions on the National Board.
The Executive Committee itself was divided on many of the issues. The published slate of National Board officers
with Tom Daglis as president will have an opposing slate that has yet to be determined as there are a number of
members seeking signatures so they can be placed on the ballot.
Now, more than ever it is the responsibility of each and every USPTA member to exercise your right to vote. Ask
questions and educate yourselves on the issues so you will be informed when the ballots are available. Call or
email any USPTA Texas board member if there are issues you do not understand. Again, I urge you all to get
involved in the upcoming election process as the USPTA as an organization could possibly be changed forever as
a result of this election! This is our trade association; your trade association. Let your voice and opinion be heard
by voting!
Additional resolutions approved by the Executive Committee in April are as follows:
· USPTA nationally endorsed junior tournaments and/or circuits shall follow the rules of tennis established
by the USTA and the ITF.
· USPTA apply within 30 days for a “blended line” grant from the USTA for one of the courts at the USPTA
World Headquarters, and upon acceptance of the grant, proceed with immediate installation of blended
lines.
· From this point forward USPTA will have election procedures handled by an independent accounting firm.
The distribution, collection, counting of signatures and ballots would be counted by the accounting firm. A
committee of elected Executive Committee members would select the accounting firm.
· All contract renewals and/or extensions offered to the CEO must receive the approval of the Executive
Committee prior to execution.
· The National Board may not reverse decisions made by the Executive Committee at this meeting.
Now on the brighter side, we as a division have accomplished a great deal and have many exciting events coming
up. There is still time to register your Tennis Across America events as well as Lessons for Life. Registration is
easily done online at www.uspta.com so please do it now!
Jenny Gray and Ron Woods ran a very successful Champion of Champions tournament in conjunction with the
US Men’s Clay Court Championships. Thanks to both of them for a job well done! A big thank you goes to River
Oaks Director of Tennis and tournament director Van Barry for helping arrange the tennis for the ladies and the
USPTA Executive Committee.
Wow! Davis Cup is coming to Texas! USPTA Texas will have an informational booth at the Penick-Allison Tennis
Center at UT during the USTA Texas Tennis Fest on Tuesday, July 5. If you have a chance please stop by or better
yet let Christy know if you would like to volunteer to help man the booth!
We have a GREAT Summer Retreat and Southwest Buying Show planned for August 25 – 27. The Hyatt Hill
Country is a beautiful resort with a little something for everyone. We are bringing back golf and board member
David Webb is planning a fun event. So round up the family, dust off the golf clubs and join us for education,
networking and some just plain FUN!!
See you in August and hopefully at the upcoming World Conference on Tennis in Saddlebrook, Florida September
19 – 24.

2011 USPTA Texas
Committee Chairpersons
Awards Ron Woods
Buying Show Chair Jenny Gray
Division Conference Craig Bell
Education Jack Foster
Ethics/Legal Tommy Connell
Diversity Nancy Vivero
Finance Craig Bell
Jr. Development Charlotte Wylie
USPTA Little Tennis Charlotte Wylie
Lessons For Life Tommy Connell
Long-Range Planning Randy Mattingley
Membership Jory Ereckson
National Convention Jim Sciarro
Nominating Dennis Reblin
Public Relations Van Barry
Regional Directors Jim Sciarro
Scrapbook Ron Woods
Sport Science Bob Haugen
Tennis Across America Karen Crumpton
Testing/Certification Tom Ingram
Tournaments/Division
USPTA Adult Leagues Jim Sciarro
USTA Liaison Ken McAllister
Regional Directors
Austin
Tosha Smith
512-443-1334
Bryan/College Station
Brad Bradham
979-361-7239
Central Texas
Julien Curatella
254-753-7675
East Texas
Karen Crumpton
936-631-1529
Fort Worth
Ernie Abraham
817-473-1311
Dallas
Ray Majors
214-670-6622
North Texas
Bobby Hagerman
940-322-7700
San Antonio
Barry Mills
210-698-2288
South Texas
Gerald Tjon-A-Joe
361-949-8228
Valley
Jenny Gray
956-581-7401
West Texas
David Mendez
432-272-4520
Saturday
12
Alerts
USPTA Events, Education,
Certification & Testing
June
5 Certification and Testing Exam (Austin)
24-25 Certification and Testing Exam (Houston)
July
5 Davis Cup Tennis Fest: USTA Texas (Austin)
8-10 Davis Cup (Austin)
22-23 Certification and Testing Exam (Houston)
August
7 Certification and Testing Exam (Dallas)
13 Texas QuickStart Championship, Kingwood
25-27 USPTA Texas Summer Retreat, San Antonio
September
16-17 USPTA Texas Junior Gran Prix, New Braunfels
19-24 USPTA World Conference on Tennis, Florida
October
9 Certification and Testing Exam (Fort Worth)
14-15 Certification and Testing Exam (Houston)
21-23 USPTA Hard Court Championships, Tyler
November
18-19 Certification and Testing Exam (Houston)
December
11 Certification and Testing Exam (San Antonio)
9-10 Certification and Testing Exam (Houston)
3

4
The 2011 US Men’s Clay Court
Championships was another funfilled
Texas event. The USPTA Texas
Division was on hand to enjoy the
festivities and provide our members
with numerous opportunities. On
Wednesday and Thursday, USPTA
Texas held the third annual Champion
of Champions Tournament,
with eight teams (six returning from
previous years) competing for the
coveted cup. Thursday was a busy day for the Texas Division at the Clay
Courts. In the morning USPTA Texas hosted the USPTA specialty course
Building and Repairing the Fundamentals presented by none other than
Dennis Ralston. Specialty course attendees then enjoyed lunch under
the tent at River Oaks before heading
into the stadium to catch some
great afternoon matches. That afternoon
the Champion of Champions
participants enjoyed a lovely
awards lunch and USPTA Texas
hosted members of the USPTA Executive
Committee at the US Men’s
Clay Court Championships. A VERY
2011 US Men’s Clay Court Championship
USPTA specialty course Class Picture
2011 River Oaks
US Men’s Clay
Court Championships
Dennis Ralston
special THANK YOU to Van Barry,
USPTA Texas member and US Men’s
Clay Court Tournament Director, and his staff for everything!

Hollytree Country Club
Second Place
2011 USPTA Texas Champion of Champions
High Point Tennis Center
The Club at Cimmarron
Third Place
USPTA Texas hosted the third annual Champion of Champions Tournament April 6-7 at the
Memorial Park Tennis Center in Houston, Texas. Eight teams competed in the two day tournament,
with six of the eight returning from previous years and four of the eight have attended
all three years. For the second year in a row the High Point Tennis Center from Plano,
Texas earned the title Champion of Champions. Congratulations to High
Point and their coach Dencil Johnson! All the team members and coaches
enjoyed competitive play, camaraderie and tickets to the US Men’s Clay
Court Championships. A special THANK YOU to Jenny Gray and Ron
Woods, tournament directors, for organizing and running a fabulous
event.
5

6
What does Summer Retreat mean to you?
Education? Tennis Across America? Pool Party? Golf? Lazy River? All of the Above??
Take your pick this year at the 2011 USPTA Texas Summer Retreat & Southwest Buying Show,
August 25-27, 2011 outside of San Antonio at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa.
Make your hotel reservations by August 10, 2011 to receive the $109 USPTA Texas rate.
Please call the hotel at 1-888-421-1442 or https://resweb.passkey.com/
Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=2637054 to make your reservation.

got golf?
we do!
2011 USPTA Texas Summer Retreat
August 25-27, 2011
Friday, August 26: Individual
Saturday, August 27: Scramble
$75 per person per day
To sign up or for more information please contact
David Webb at David.D.Webb@ourclub.com
7

10
Here is what we know ...
USPTA Timeline of Events:
• September 2010 – The USPTA Nominating Committee interviewed candidates for the 2011-2013 USPTA National
Board of Directors.
• September 27, 2010 – USPTA National Board of Directors meeting: Tom Daglis presented his plan to form a CEO
Exploratory Committee consisting of Tommy Wade as chairman (close personal friend of Tom Daglis), a former
student of Tom’s at Farris State University and Angel Lopez. The board voted not to approve this committee (5-2).
The vote was removed from the minutes to avoid reflecting poorly on the CEO whose contract continues through
the end of 2012.
• November 23, 2010 – Tom sends an email to the national board asking for input to an attached letter he planned
to send to Kurt Kamperman, USTA. A majority of the board expressed concerns about the many issues addressed
in the letter and several board members requested that this letter be addressed in the upcoming January board
meeting. Tom replied saying, “As president, he was going to send the letter and he didn’t ask for input on the
timeline.”
• December 2010 – Speculation began to grow that the nominating committee was considering nominating Tom
Daglis as president for a second term.
• December 2010 - A small group of national board members and past presidents called members of the nominating
committee to ask them to re-interview the board and to ask more questions. Consistently in the past, the nominating
committees had formally interviewed the entire Executive Committee including the three past presidents. This
nominating committee had not followed a policy that was intended to help to gather more information and make
a good decision in choosing the upcoming slate of officers.
• Saturday, January 8, 2011 - Tom Daglis passed out a letter that he solicited from Kurt Kamperman, USTA. This letter
was a direct attack on our CEO and the board. The letter did not have dates or details of its origin. The letter
infuriated several of the board members. It was highly unprofessional and insulting. Some board members suggested
that Tom’s lack of leadership and poor judgment was creating a major divide between the two organizations.
• Sunday, January 9 – Board meeting
Many of the board members were very upset with many events leading up to the board meeting. The
board began to point out to Tom some of the egregious issues they had with his conduct and performance
as president pointing out that he was not communicating with the board and was operating without their
knowledge.
Tom was not being transparent in his negotiations and dealings with Kurt. The board never received the
original email or letter sent to Kurt referenced in the November 24, 2010 email and were insulted by his
response to his request for input.
Tom had not consulted the board when going against a resolution passed by the USPTA National Board and
the USPTA Executive Committee that prohibited putting the USPTA logo next to the PTR logo. He explained
it was a great opportunity and he didn’t have time to get board approval due to print deadlines.
Several resolutions were passed requiring Tom to cc the board on all communications with the national
office and not to negotiate with any other organization without board approval.

There was a vote of No Confidence of Tom Daglis as president.
A motion was passed by the board to call a special meeting of the Executive Committee for the purpose of
removing Tom Daglis as President of the USPTA. In the discussion, Tom continued to suggest that he knew
nothing of his nomination. Finally, Harry Gilbert stated that the nominating committee was slating Tom as
president for a second term.
• Wednesday, January 12, 2011 – Harry Gilbert spoke to Jim Loehr and negotiated a deal on behalf of Tom Daglis; if
Tom turned down the nomination of president the board would rescind the resolutions and strike the reference to
these resolutions in the minutes of the board meeting and he could serve out his term as president (which would
end at the 2011 World Conference in September).
• Friday, January 14, 2011 – Tom Daglis started the conference call meeting by indicating he would not accept a
nomination to serve as president for a second term. The board voted to rescind all the motions and have them
removed from the minutes.
• Friday, April 8 - Saturday, April 9, 2011 - The USPTA Executive Committee met in Houston. During this meeting it
became evident that USPTA President Tom Daglis had been acting on his own and without the full consent of the
USPTA National Board. Case in point: during the meeting Tom Daglis distributed information about a “USPTA CEO
Exploratory Committee” he told the group that he had already contacted the three (3) members listed on the
committee to see if they would serve on such a committee and if the USPTA Executive Committee approved the
formation of the committee they were ready to go. In September 2010, the USPTA National Board reviewed the
formation of this committee and voted (5-2) against it. When asked by a USPTA Executive Committee member why
Tom was distributing this information after the board decided not to go forward, he could not explain his actions.
This was an exact example of Tom once again proceeding on his own without the USPTA National Board’s consent
or approval.
• Saturday, April 9, 2011
Pat Whitworth, Southern Division, made a motion to install a slate other than the one that had been
delivered by the Nominating Committee Chair to the CEO and published in a number of national publications.
During discussion on Pat’s motion and prior to the vote, Jim Loehr stood and addressed the USPTA Executive
Committee. He informed them that if the decision was made to slate Tom Daglis for another 2 year term as
USPTA President both he and Jack Groppel would resign their positions on the USPTA National Board.
Further discussion ensued about whether there was either outstanding performance displayed or stellar
leadership ability by Tom Daglis that would warrant a second term. No valid reason was given to justify
this decision to re-slate Tom Daglis as USPTA President.
Leaders from several of the divisions walked out of the USPTA Executive Committee meeting in protest of
Pat’s motion, which they felt violated the USPTA Bylaws. Legal counsel changed his earlier statement from
indicating that a quorum was a majority of the weighted vote instead of a majority of the USPTA Executive
Committee.
The three (3) largest divisions (Southern, Midwest and Florida) joined together in a weighted vote to
overthrow the only slate of officers presented by the Nominating Committee to USPTA CEO Tim Heckler
for the USPTA National Board of Directors and slate Tom Daglis as USPTA President for another two (2)
years.
Continued on next page
11

12
More of what we know
• Tuesday, April 12, 2011 - Jim Loehr and Jack Groppel tendered their resignations as USPTA National Board Members.
• Thursday, April 14, 2011 – A temporary restraining order was issued to the USPTA National Office preventing any
further discussion or actions regarding the April slate. This restraining order was the result of a lawsuit filed by
USPTA National Board First Vice President, Randy Mattingley, acting in the interest and with the support of many
of the Executive Committee members and current and past USPTA Board Members vehemently against allowing
the USPTA Executive Committee to violate the USPTA Bylaws. As an arm of the USPTA, a division cannot file a
lawsuit against itself. However a member can file a lawsuit to correct a breach of the bylaws as an individual.
Therefore Randy Mattingley, a member, filed the lawsuit as an individual.
• Wednesday, April 20, 2011 - President Tom Daglis instructed USPTA CEO Tim Heckler to make $25,000 of USPTA
funds available to retain a Houston law firm of USPTA Legal Counsel Paul Waldman’s choosing. There was no prior
discussion with or approval from the USPTA National Board regarding the lawsuit or the funds.
• Friday, April 29, 2011 - A hearing was held before a judge in Houston where both sides of the case were heard. At
4:55 p.m. Friday, the judge made the decision not to grant the temporary injunction which would have allowed the
case to be heard in its entirety.
• Tom Daglis reconvened the Nominating Committee which had already been disbanded according to the USPTA
Bylaws.
Questions we would like answered ...
1. The USPTA Nominating Committee is made up of five members: the chairperson, three members elected by
the Executive Committee and the USPTA Past President (a sitting Board Member). Members of the 2010 Nominating
Commitee were Mike Andrews, Chairperson; Pat Hanssen; Hunter Lipscomb; Sara Stablein; Harry Gilbert,
USPTA Past President. Four of the five committee members were asked to give sworn statements regarding
nominating committee events as evidence during the court case. Sara Stablein was the only member not
asked to give a sworn statement (she was also the only opposing vote to slate Tom Daglis as president for a
second term).
Typically the sitting president is interviewed by the Nominating Committee to give input and feedback on the
candidates. In their sworn affidavits, Mike Andrews, Pat Hanssen and Hunter Lipscomb all alluded that Tom was
not originally being considered for president, had not considered the option (of Tom serving a second term)
prior to someone asking Tom the question and no preconceived notions about which candidate would be the
best choice.
Why then was the FIRST question Tom Daglis was asked during his interview with the Nominating
Committee per his sworn affidavit ... “would you consider serving another term as
president?”
2. In Mike Andrew’s sworn affidavit, he stated that the Nominating Committee voted on a slate (4-1 vote)
November 30, 2010.
Why did the Nominating Committee wait until January 6, 2011 to begin notifying the candidates
of their positions?

More Questions we would like answered ...
3. Why did Tom Daglis tell other USPTA Board Members on January 8, 2011 he had not
received his nomination e-mail from the Nominating Committee? Why did Tom again repeat
to the Executive Committee in April that he was unaware of his nomination prior to
the USPTA Board Meeting on January 8?
Please note the date of Mike Andrews’s e-mail (January 6, 2010) to Tom Daglis.
4. Harry Gilbert, USPTA Past President and a sitting member of the USPTA National Nominating Committee
was privy to the issues that led to Tom Daglis asking the nominating committee to remove him from consideration
as president. It is incumbent on the members of the nominating committee to share any information
regarding the candidates. Harry should have told the nominating committee what was going on with the
board being unhappy with Tom Daglis leadership and this is why Tom removed his name from consideration.
Why didn't Harry Gilbert, Nominating Committee member and National Board Member, tell
the nominating committee the reason that Tom Daglis decided to remove himself from consideration
for president?
5. Why didn’t Tom Daglis tell the Nominating Committee the reason he was turning down
the nomination of president in January and why didn’t the Nominating Committee ask Tom
his reason for turning down the nomination?
6. What has Tom Daglis achieved in his two years as USPTA President to warrant the USPTA
Nominating Committee slating him for an unprecedented second term as president?
www.saveuspta.com
13

USPTA Texas Pro, Bob McKinley, Named ITA
National Assistant Coach of the Year
STANFORD, CA - Texas A&M men’s assistant tennis
coach Bob McKinley was named the ITA National
Assistant Coach of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis
Association (ITA) at a ceremony on the campus of
Stanford University during the NCAA Tennis Championships.
Member Memos
Texas Talk
“I am so proud of Bob and he is very deserving of this award,” Aggie men’s head tennis coach
Steve Denton said. “Bob is a living legend in our sport and he is respected by all who come into
contact with him. He is in the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. Bob is a major reason
why Texas A&M tennis has ascended to national prominence. His work ethic, passion and his
high standards both on, and off of the court for all of his players, really sets him apart.”
McKinley, a member of the ITA Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach, is in his fifth season
as an assistant coach to Steve Denton at Texas A&M. The coaching duo helped the Aggies
finish the 2011 season with a 29-6 dual record, the most wins in school history, as well as
winning the Big 12 Championship Tournament. The team was ranked No. 9 entering the NCAA
Championships and reached the Round of 16 before falling to host and No. 8 seed Stanford.
Each season, the Aggies have improved in the rankings under Denton and McKinley.
McKinley played at Trinity University where he was a four-time All-American and was the team captain for the 1972 NCAA
Championship squad. A 1972 cum laude graduate, McKinley went on to reach the Round of 16 in the 1973 Wimbledon
Championship and reached the doubles semifinals at the U.S. Open in 1972.
McKinley would return to San Antonio to lead the Trinity tennis program from 1974-84 and reached the NCAA Finals in both
1977 and 1979. He coached an individual NCAA Champion as well as an NCAA doubles champion tandem. He has served as
the Director of the John Newcombe Tennis Academy in New Braunfels, Texas, before joining Steve Denton’s staff.
More Aggies in the News
Led by senior Jeff Dadamo, named the Most Outstanding Player in
the Big 12 Championships, the ninth-ranked Texas A&M men’s tennis
team defeated No. 25ranked
Oklahoma, 4-0,
to win the 2011 Big 12
Championships held at
the Baylor Tennis
Center in Waco, Texas.
CONGRATULATIONS to
the Aggies and USPTA
Texas Members Steve
Denton, Head Coach;
Bob McKinley,
Assistant Coach and Kevin O’Shea, Director of Tennis Operations.
Jory Ereckson
USPTA Texas Membership Chair
jereckson@berrycreekcc.com
Bob McKinley
SIGN SIGN UP UP UP TODAY
TODAY
$10,000 USPTA Hard Court Championships
October 21-23, 2011
Tyler, Texas
Transportation from the airport and housing
available to those who notify the tournament
director before the entry deadline.
A Big Texas Welcome to the new
USPTA Texas members!
Jonathan Becker, William Bishop, John-Paul Connell,
Emily Dumelle, Kami Fountain, Graham Haug,
Stephen McKibbin, Matt Moreman, Zack Rogers &
James Stewart
15

16
HEALTHY HABITS
On Your Marks, Get Set, Measure Heart Health
By TARA PARKER-POPE
How fast can you run a mile?
For people in midlife, this simple measure of fitness may help predict their risk of heart problems as they age. In two separate studies,
researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and the Cooper Institute in Dallas analyzed fitness levels for more
than 66,000 people. Over all, the research showed that a person’s fitness level at midlife is a strong predictor of long-term heart health,
proving just as reliable as traditional risk factors like cholesterol level or high blood pressure. The two reports were published last month
in Circulation and The Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
In the studies, fitness was measured using carefully monitored treadmill testing to gauge cardiovascular endurance and muscle fatigue.
But in analyzing the data, the researchers suggested that the treadmill results could be translated to average mile times, offering a simple
formula for doctors and individuals to rate their fitness level at midlife and predict long-term heart risk. “When you try to boil down fitness,
what does fitness mean?” said Dr. Jarett D. Berry, assistant professor of internal medicine and cardiology at Southwestern Medical
School and a co-author of both papers. “In both these studies, how fast you can run in midlife is very strongly associated with heart
disease risk when you’re old. The exercise you do in your 40s is highly relevant to your heart disease risk in your 80s.”
Dr. Berry cautioned that more study is needed before mile times could be used as an accepted benchmark of cardiovascular risk. Still, he
noted that the pace at which a person runs is a measure of fitness to which people can easily relate, and a good starting point for
measuring overall fitness. From the study data, Dr. Berry calculated that a man in his 50s who can run a mile in 8 minutes or less, or a
woman who can do it in 9 minutes or less, shows a high level of fitness. A 9-minute mile for a man and 10:30 for a woman are signs of
moderate fitness; men who can’t run better than a 10-minute mile, and women slower than 12 minutes, fall into the low-fitness category.
The categories make a big difference in risk for heart problems, the study found: Subjects in the high-fitness group had a 10 percent
lifetime risk, compared with 30 percent for those in the low-fitness group.
Dr. Berry notes that fitness varies greatly with age and sex, and that mile-time estimates are just easy benchmarks for patients and
doctors to begin a discussion about fitness. Over all, he said, a 10-minute mile for a middle-aged man and a 12-minute mile for a woman
suggest a good level of fitness. “The principal finding of these studies is that your fitness level when you’re young is highly predictive of
heart disease risk 30 to 40 years later,” he said. “If we’re trying to boil this down into practical implications, it’s the speed at which you can
run. Heart disease risk increases markedly for every minute longer it takes you to run a mile.”

Dr. Timothy Church, a professor at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., said more research was needed to
validate the notion that a person’s mile time correlates with the risk categories in the original study. But he agreed that exercise experts
needed to come up with a better way to communicate exactly what fitness represents. “You can’t look at someone and judge whether or
not they are fit,” said Dr. Church. “What is fitness? From a risk-factor standpoint, it’s about avoiding low fitness.”
And he sounded another note of caution about the mile-time benchmarks. “I’m nervous about people testing fitness on their own,” he said.
“I don’t want a 45-year-old sedentary male to go out and run a mile as fast as he can.” Even so, Dr. Church noted that most of the health
benefits of exercise come with moving from low fitness to moderate fitness, and the challenge is finding a way to communicate with and
motivate people in the low-fitness category. “You know whether you’re in the unfit category,” he said. “If you’re physically inactive, if you
sit 18 hours a day, if you get exhausted walking up a flight of stairs. If you’ve got a choice between walking two blocks or taking a taxi and
you wait 20 minutes to take a taxi, you’re unfit.”
Dr. Berry agreed that mile-time benchmarks might not be good indicators for every individual, given
that some highly fit people have physical limitations that prevent them from running fast. The larger
issue, he said, is that most people don’t have a clear sense of where they fall on the fitness spectrum,
and don’t appreciate the risks that poor fitness poses for overall health. Even people who take regular
walks three times a week may have an inflated sense of their level of fitness, he said, adding, “You’re
meeting the guidelines for physical activity, but you’re not necessarily fit.” While modest levels of exercise are better than nothing, he
went on, “getting off the couch is the first step, but vigorous activity has a much more dramatic effect on fitness level.”
Reference: www.well.blogs.nytimes.com
17

8
USPTA Update
USPTA featured at International Tennis Hall of Fame
The United States Professional Tennis Association is now a permanent fixture on
the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Legends Walk in Newport, Rhode Island. The 17
divisions of the USPTA and national have engraved bricks on the Legends Walk.
Now everyone has a chance to see the bricks when they take a stroll along the walk, which weaves throughout the center
of the property, connecting the historic grass courts that have been the grounds of matches featuring many legends. The
Legends Walk has been designed to complement the Hall of Fame’s mission of preserving the history of tennis, while
looking toward the future. “We feel the bricks featuring the USPTA are a great tribute to our members and divisions who
work so hard to teach and grow tennis, and to be displayed at the prestigious International Tennis Hall of Fame is a real
honor,” said USPTA CEO Tim Heckler.
USPTA and the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation join forces for launch of Together Counts
The United States Professional Tennis Association, in association with its Tennis – for the health of it! initiative and Healthy Weight
Commitment Foundation, is on board for Together Counts, a nationwide program to inspire active and healthy living. The idea is
to get families and community members to take a simple pledge. Eat at least one meal and do at least one activity together every
week. We believe that together we can make a difference – in the country, in our communities and in every family.
The USPTA’s Tennis – for the health of it! initiative, which started in 2008, promotes the great health benefits of playing tennis, and
fits well with the goals of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation to provide resources to encourage energy balance and
reduce obesity, especially childhood obesity, which is carried one step further with Together Counts. The sport of tennis and its
tremendous health benefits (both physical and psychological) make it a key activity to help youth (and all age groups) achieve
energy balance.
The main goals of USPTA’s Tennis – for the health of it! initiative are to make the
general public aware of the tremendous health, fitness and psychological benefits of
tennis and encourage people to get out and play the sport as a part of their regular
fitness regimen. An activity such as tennis that is also social and fun can serve as a
great alternative to gym workouts or as an additional activity in a fitness regimen. In
addition, the USPTA and its members are the delivery force through which the public
can receive these benefits through lessons and other tennis activities. For more
information visit www.tennis-health.com.
The ways to fulfill the Together Counts pledge are endless. They can be as creative as organizing breakfast with neighbors or
family followed by a round robin tennis tournament or as simple as sharing a meal, then going for a walk. The important thing is
that you do them together.
If you take the pledge as a family, involve your kids: Let them choose activities they enjoy and give them a say about what’s on the
menu. This way they will gain a sense of ownership and look forward to together time. The overall goal is to find a balance
between the calories we consume and those we burn, to strike this balance regularly and have some fun. This way, getting more
active and healthy becomes easy.

Need Something? Go to www.uspta.com
USPTA members can find it all at one address. Go to
www.uspta.com for all your
tennis needs. Create a personal
website, check your
educational credits, find lesson
plans, watch USPTA.TV,
register a Tennis Across
America event, research career
center PR tools and
much, much more. Don’t
forget to register for
Courtside USA too.
19

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membership@uspta.org.