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USPTA Southern Division: Where Excellence is STANDARD
The USPTA Southern Division
Volume 12 Issue 3 : June, 2011
INSIDE:
pg 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Convention Highlights
pg 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011 Hall of Fame & Award Winners
pg 11 . . . . . . . . . . Should You Be Offering a Buying Club?
pg 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Security for Your Facility
pg 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Core Training

Page 2 Volume 12 Issue 3
HANDLING The Situation!
Handling the Situation is YOUR opportunity
to share how you handle various
situations. Everyone that sends in a
response will be entered into a drawing for a
USPTA shirt/T-shirt or other prize.
Situation: You have a player who would like
to play on a league team. This player does not
get picked up by any of your league captains and
comes to you to complain that they cannot get
on a team. What do you do to get this player on
to a team?
As pros, we can only try to help but we really
can’t dictate whether a player is picked up for a
league team or not. We can try to ask a captain
who might be sympathetic to the situation but
there is really nothing we can do to force a team
to take a player. One option might be to help
that player form their own team! This would
offer a great alternative if there are enough
players available at that level. The player would
get the experience of captaining a team and
another team would be added to the league! If
this is not possible perhaps the player could join
a regular game. While this would not be in the
“league” it would still afford the player to play on
a regular basis and perhaps meet more players
and join a league in the future!
Fast Facts
-Ed Gaskell, LA
I would try to identify a team with an easy
going captain and non-cut-throat-competitive
players, and explain the situation to the captain,
asking if the team could do me (not the
player) a favor by taking on the player. In most
cases, teams are more than willing to help out
the teaching pro.
-Neil Witherow, MS
At our club, the policy is a maximum of 2 nonmembers
per team. Most of our teams take
advantage of this. So, I simply tell the captains
that they must take all club members interested
in playing before accepting or asking
non-members. They (the captains) absolutely
cannot have non-members on their team if they
refuse to take another interested member. A
side note...we really haven’t had an issue with
this. I bend over backwards to help our captains
before, during, and after the seasons, so in
turn, they help me when it comes to placing
interested players.
-Jeff Hawes, LA
nEXt Situation: Is it professional to socialize
with clients? At all? How much? Send your solution
to usptasouthern@gmail.com.
Philadelphia Freedom was written by Elton John in the seventies for the
Philadelphia Freedom Tennis Team and Billie Jean King.
Tennis Rackets kept growing in length until the USTA decided to regulate
the length to 29 inches. Before this Dunlop made a racket that was 32
inches long in 1996.
The first tie-break that was used in tournaments was a nine point tiebreak
that had a sudden death point at 4 all.
Pressureless or zero pressure balls can be used in tournaments at high
altitude or 4000 feet above sea level.
Jimmy Connors is and will be the only player to ever win the USOPEN on
three different surfaces.
Southern Officers
The “Standard” is the official newsletter
for the Southern Division of the United States
Professional Tennis Association.
President
Bill Phillips - 337-849-5821
phillips@sta.usta.com
Past President
Pat Whitworth - 678-482-6357
pwhitworth@aol.com
1st Vice President
Todd Upchurch - 704-258-7220
tupchurch1@gmail.com
2nd Vice President
Sophie Woorons-Johnston - 864-202-1917
sophie@brookstonemeadows.com
Secretary-Treasurer
Matt Grayson - 770-475-3802
tennis@ccroswell.com
Executive Director
Fred Burdick - 800-438-7782
usptaexdir@windstream.net
State Presidents
alabama
Kevin Theos - 337-981-0543
theos@sta.usta.com
arkansas
Jimbo Hobson - 501-835-9793
jimbopro@ipa.net
Georgia
Andrew Minnelli - 770-368-7040
ajm@acc1.org
Kentucky
Keith Cecil - 859-608-4640
kcecil@transy.edu
Louisiana
Ed Gaskell - 225-924-6273
edgaskell@bocagerc.org
Mississippi
Kevin Jackson - 662-840-3528
kjackson@tupcc.com
north Carolina
Scott Mitchell - 704-334-7361
nescott10s@yahoo.com
South Carolina
Teodora Doncheva - 803-326-3842
teodoradoncheva@yahoo.com
tennessee
Bill Riddle - 615-824-6642
tennisun@aol.com
Head tester
Tommy Wade - 256-341-4948t
wade@decatur-al.gov

Standard Page 3
Southern Board Steps Up For Justice
STEP 1: Executive Committee takes Stand against
rogue actions (April 9th)
STEP 2: Judge Rules in favor of USPTA in the Randy
Mattingley vs. USPTA case (April 29th)
Recent events at the National Board Meeting (January) have brought
about swift and firm actions by the governing body in our association, the
USPTA Executive Committee (April). This committee is made up of two representatives
from each division in addition to eight National Board members
and three National Past Presidents. Your Southern Executive Committee
members and Board could not consent to 5 National Board members over
ruling the power of the nominating committee and the Executive Committee.
Nine divisions share a similar view on the events that have taken place.
It is not just large divisions that were unhappy with the process, we just felt
too strongly that it is imperative to abide by the democratic process.
14. When Tom Daglis convened the meeting
he shared that he was visited by Mattingley
and several other board members in his hotel
room that morning, and was asked whether
he would accept the nominating committee’s
decision to nominate him for President for a
second term. Tom shared that he had not yet
been informed of any decision of the nominating
committee. The first day of the board of
directors meeting was routine business.
15. The second day of the Board of Directors
meeting (held in January) was like witnessing
bullies in a playground. In what appeared
to be pre-orchestrated, the plaintiff and
four members of the Board made a series of
motions against Tom Daglis, which I recorded
in my notes as follows:
Motion: President Daglis shall not make
any binding commitments with any entity
without prior Board approval.
Motion (Bunny Brunning): All written
communications between Pres. Daglis and
the national office shall be copied by the
president to the Board. All written communications
by national to Pres. Daglis shall be
copied by the national office to the Board
Motion (Mark Fairchild): The USPTA
Now It’s Your Turn
national Board of Directors expresses a
vote of “no confidence” in Tom Daglis as
president of the USPTA.
Motion (Randy Mattingley): The Board
requests a special Executive Committee
meeting in Houston for the purpose of
removing Tom Daglis from the office of
president of the USPTA.
Motion (Randy Mattingley): The Board
moves that the USPTA send another representative,
rather than President Daglis, to
the USTA meeting in March.
16. The protests of these board members
were revealing of their true motivation, as
they expressed their sentiment that the
nominating committee had chosen the
wrong person for president, that it was Randy
Mattingley’s turn to be President, that Tom
should resign, that it had only happened
once before that a president was permitted
to serve two consecutive terms, that
the nominating committee didn’t interview
enough people, and so on and so forth. I was
asked by these board members to find some
illegality in the nominating committee’s decision.
I said that the nominating committee’s
decision was legal, explaining that regard-
An unfortunate consequence is that two industry standouts, Jim Loehr
and Jack Groppel tendered their resignation if the original slate was put
forth. By no means was this the intention of any of us, but we still felt
strongly about the entire events that preceded this declaration: and as difficult
as it was, we were not deterred by their actions.
Rather than try to explain the details of these events, we felt it would best
serve our Southern members to utilize excerpts from the affidavit of our
USPTA legal counsel, Paul Waldman, to paint a clear picture. Paul has served
our association for 36 years and authored our national bylaws back in 1974.
EXCERPTS FROM AFFADAVIT OF PAUL WALDMAN (USPTA General Counsel) NATIONAL BOARD MEETING (January 8-9)
PLEASE VOTE: In July you will receive a ballot. You will have an opportunity
to vote on a slate of officers. The President and First Vice President
cannot be run against according to the by-laws. However, every other
office will have two candidates. This is a turning point in the history of our
STEP 3: YOU…vote for Candidates that Support
REAL CHANGE! (July/August)
STEP 4: Go to www.ServetheFacts.com to learn
more and view legal documents
less of what the board members may think
about the nominating committee’s choice,
the nominating committee was duly elected
by the Executive Committee and under the
bylaws you have to live with their decision.
22. The events of the January 8-9 board
meeting were a concern to me because it
was the first instance in thirty-six years that
a board of directors was circumventing the
bylaws and negating the nominating committee’s
choice for president. Regardless of
individual preference one may have for any
particular candidate, in my view this action
threatened the democratic processes set
out in the bylaws and thus the ability of the
USPTA to effectively govern itself. If the board
can use blackmail to cause a nominee to
decline his/trer nomination, then the board
of directors - not the nominating committee
- is effectively choosing the nominees.
This would allow the board of directors in the
future to effectively elect themselves, which
is the opposite of democratic.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING (April 8-9)
32. It was well within the general powers of
the Executive Committee, as set forth in Article
VI, section 1, to reinstate the nominating committee’s
original choice for president.
association. Who will prevail? That is up to you. Ask questions and get
the facts. The entire affidavit of Paul Waldman is something every member
should read and is available on the www.ServetheFacts.com website.
The future is in your hands.
Please know that The Southern Division Board of Directors and these Past Presidents support the actions and motions of the Executive Committee at
the April meeting and will support those candidates that agree…
Past Southern Division Presidents
Bill Phillips, President
Jimbo Hobson, AR President Keith Cecil, KY President Fred Burdick
Randy Stephens
Todd Upchurch, 1st VP Andrew Minelli, GA President Kevin Jackson, MS President Tom Daglis
John Stone
Sophie W. Johnston, 2nd VP Bill Riddle, TN President Kevin Theos, AL President Dave Dvorak
Reedy Toney
Matt Grayson, Sec/Trea. Tedi Doncheva, SC President
Greg Grover
Tommy Wade
Ed Gaskell, LA President Scott Mitchell, NC President
Jeff Hawe
Tom McGraw
Pat Whitworth
www.ServetheFacts.com
Please visit this site for a complete list of information on these events and the importance of this election.

Page 4 Volume 12 Issue 3
Convention Wrap-up
What a great time we had at the
Bocage Racquet Club in Baton
Rouge. The weather was excellent,
the agenda was world class, and the attendees
helped make this an event to remember
by their participation and energy. There was
something for all experience levels with the full
on court tract and full off court tract. Add to
that, where else would we learn to eat crawfish
prepared Cajun style??
Special thanks to Rod Heckelman, Feisal
Hassan, Joe Dinoffer, Ajay Pant, Butch Staples,
John Callen, and Sophie Woorons-Johnston for
their presentation efforts. Scott Mitchell gets
an honorable mention for staying on court for
4 hours as a hitter, and working harder than
he has in years!! Our Pro-Am raised $500 for
Children’s Care. Personal Career Consulting was
a new item this year, and 20 people took advantage
of this opportunity to meet with an expert
in various work related areas. We learned during
Rod Heckelman’s presentation that he indirectly
helped the San Francisco Giants win the
World Series. You will have to hear his reasoning
behind that statement!!
Lastly, a special thanks to convention chair
Todd UpChurch, president Bill Phillips, past president
Pat Whitworth, LTA president Brett Schwartz
for sponsoring the welcome party, and Fred &
Beth Burdick for all their efforts to make every
convention a great memory. This will be their last
since Fred is retiring at the end of this year.

Standard Page 5
Congratulations to all of our
award winners and Hall of Fame
inductees for 2011
Hall of Fame Inductees
Kurk Kamperman Wade Herren
Pride of the South
Jeff Hawes
Tester of the Year
tommy Wade
Male Player of the Year
45’s - Kevin Gillette
Industry Excellence Award
Brett Schwartz
General Manager of
the Year
Joanne Wallen
Director of Tennis of the Year
Louis (Boo) Mason
Assistant Professional
of the Year
Eric Baumgardner
Rookie of the Year
teodora (tedi) Doncheva
Seminar Contest Winner
Marcus Rutsche
Male Player of the Year 55’s
Randy Stephens
Alan Henry Southern
Professional of the Year
adam thomson
Ed Gaskell
Bocage Senior Invitational,
Tournament of the Year
Matt Grayson
Country Club of Roswell
Charity Event of the Year
award Winners not pictured
Female Player of the Year 45’s
Diane Fishburne
Male Player of the Year 35’s
Jan Deener
Male Open
Rawleigh Martin
Touring Coach of the Year
Brian De Villiers
High School Coach of the Year
Bernie McGuire

Page 6 Volume 12 Issue 3
State News
Alabama
After tornadoes devastated areas of Alabama on April
27th, it didn’t take long for USPTA pros to help families
in need. Tommy Wade immediately volunteered to get food, water and other
essentials to victims. Keith Swindoll saw to it that proceeds totaling $5,000 from
the 24th Annual Keith’s Classic Tennis Tournament went to disaster relief. Meanwhile,
Boo Mason donated proceeds from a mixed doubles round robin to tornado
relief and personally helped cleanup in Pratt City. Tennis pros do a great deal of
good through charity and examples like these make me proud to be a USPTA pro.
On behalf of USTA Alabama, thanks to all those who assisted the Alabama Tennis
Foundation with getting folks to pre-commit to purchase specialty tennis tags. The
state requirement was 250 by May and the official count is 357!! The state will now
start printing tags. Proceeds will support junior tennis in Alabama.
Please mark your calendar as Hoover Country Club will host the USPTA Alabama
Workshop on Saturday, August 20th. We still have speaking slots available and if
there are any particular topics that interest you, please let me know at theos@sta.
usta.com.
The crazy weather has pushed school until the middle
Arkansas of June. Pros are adjusting their schedules after a
winter of snow and a spring of tornados and floods. I guess we should consider
ourselves lucky if we didn’t get hit directly with the tornadoes and our thoughts
go out to those who are struggling to get through these weather catastrophes. We
had a great test in Conway in early May and had seven candidates that did a bang
up job. Special thanks to Harold Henderson who takes the time each year to line
up lessons and furnish the USPTA his indoor courts to host the test. The conference
in Baton Rouge was fantastic. I was saddened that I was the only Arkansas pro that
attended a conference that had some of the best speakers I have ever seen at a
southern conference. Bocage was an incredible facility and had some of the best
convention food I have ever had.
We just had a meeting of the Arkansas pros and only had nine pros attend. It
looked like the numbers were up at our Junior Qualifying which is a good sign that
tennis is healthy and growing. I am starting an Arkansas USPTA facebook page that
should help us communicate better. Please contact me if you can’t get on the site
or if you have any questions involving our association. Congratulations go out to
Bob Wagstaff and his 3.0 senior men’s team that captured a national championship.
That makes three national champions for the state of Arkansas in adult team tennis.
Is that hot or what??
USPTA Georgia had an outstanding time at the Southern
Georgia Convention in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Thank you to
Ed Gaskell and Bocage Racquet Club for hosting an incredible event. Some of us
finally learned how to properly eat a crawfish; however, everyone had the opportunity
to come together and share educational and personal moments with each
other.
What’s more, Georgia certified pros represented the Chapter well at the Southern
Awards Luncheon. Congratulations to following pros who were honored: Marcus
Rutsche – Seminar Speaking Contest; Country Club of Roswell – Charity Event
of the Year; Randy Stephens – Men’s 55’s Player of the Year; Brian de Villiers – Touring
Coach of the Year; Eric Baumgarnder – Assistant Professional of the Year.
Make sure, USPTA pros, that you “Save the Date” for our first annual Summer
Workshop hosted by Reynolds Plantation, August 13th and 14th. National caliber
speakers such as Rod Heckleman, Jorge Capestany, Tim Wilkinson, Kevin Jackson
and Mike Imbornone will be on hand to share their expertise on and off the court.
Don’t miss out on a chance to get away for a weekend and enhance your career
with top notch seminars, relax with a round of golf, and hang with your colleagues
by the pool. We look forward to seeing you this summer.
Hope everyone is off to a great summer! We jump
Kentucky started the summer with a trip down to Baton Rouge
for the USPTA Southern Convention. It was a long trip, but there were several great
presentations, tennis professionals, and, of course, good food! Kentucky was well
represented at the awards lunch with Jan Deener receiving the Female 35’s Player
of the Year, Dennis Emery named College Coach of the Year, and Joanne Moore Wallen
honored as General Manager of the Year.
If you weren’t able to make the trip down to Baton Rouge, the USPTA Kentucky
workshop will be October 21-22 in Lexington. This is going to be a fantastic
workshop, with some great presentations, giveaways, awards, good food, and a
Keeneland trip squeezed in as well! We’ll be getting more details out soon, but
keep those dates open for USPTA in your calendar!
I hope everyone received our first USPTA-KY digital newsletter. If you didn’t get
a copy, email kcecil@transy.edu and we’ll email it to you. Visit our facebook page
“USPTA Kentucky Chapter” that is open to everyone to share ideas/stories/pictures/
news and stay connected with USPTA Kentucky.
Louisiana
Contact info for all officers at www.usptasouthern.com/contact.php
Louisiana is warming up and league play is in full
swing! Players are hitting the lesson courts getting
ready for league matches and tournament play. Juniors are taking to the new
QuickStart format and having a blast! Did anyone see the QuickStart lines on the
court during the Sampras/Agassi and McEnroe/Lendl exhibition at Madison Square
Garden in New York? We are showcasing the 36 foot courts and equipment at our
USTA National Level II $15,000 Bocage Senior Invitational Tournament April 13-17 in
a fun event on Friday night during the tournament with prizes! Click the link to the
tournament to see the event: http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=96099
This is a great way to get the kids and parents, parents and pros together with
some hands on fun with the Quickstart format. Try doing this with a mixer or other
fun event at your club!
Louisiana was proud to host the USPTA Southern Convention at the Bocage
Racquet Club in Baton Rouge May 12 – 15. There were great seminars with nationally
renowned speakers, a great Pro-Am Friday night that raised $500 for St. Jude’s
Children Hospital and 500lbs of boiled crawfish! Many of the attendees I spoke
with enjoyed the venue and the educational opportunities. Personally I had a
blast participating on the winning team of “knockout” played with the orange 10
& under balls. Two of my own staff took the certification test and even thought
they could not take as many of the seminars as they would have liked to, they felt
reenergized from the ones they did take as did my other pros! I would encourage
everyone to attend state or division conventions and workshops as much as your
time allows as the camaraderie and education that are available at these events are
beneficial in so many ways to your professional career and positive outlook to the
industry!
Mississippi
I would like to thank the USPTA Southern board
for all their hard work with the 2011 Southern
Convention. In all my years of being a part of the USPTA, this was the strongest and
most rewarding convention I have ever attended. The dual track of both on court
and off court presenters was perfect. Having served on so many boards the past
10 years, I get to see all the hard work put into these types of events. A thank you
goes out to Ed Gaskell and Bocage Racquet Club for hosting this year’s convention.
I would also like to thank the Mississippi professionals that attended. It is these
types of educational events that will help take your career to the next level. We all
need to do our part and encourage as many of our fellow professionals to make
attending educational opportunities a necessity. Mississippi is working on partnering
with Alabama for a joint dual state convention in August. We want to offer more
chances for our professionals to continue their education. Our state workshop will
be in conjunction with USTA Mississippi’s annual meeting which is in January 2012.
Knowing that we would move our workshop to January of next year, the Alabama/
Mississippi workshop will be a great way to have 2 workshops for our state in less
than 6 months! Last but not least, I would like to give big congratulations to Kevin
Gillette in winning Southern 35’s Player of the year.
N. Carolina
What a great USPTA Southern Convention in
Baton Rouge in May. Bocage Racquet Club
provided a great facility for one of the best conventions USPTA Southern has put
together in recent memory. The food was amazing, the speaker presentations were
top notch and you combine that with great weather and it was just a great experience
for all that attended.
We want to invite all USPTA southern professionals to our summer workshop
August 21-22 in Winston-Salem, NC in conjunction with the new ATP Winston-
Salem Open. We will be spending some time at the beautiful Forsyth Country Club
as well as the brand new Winston-Salem Tennis Center. We have put together some
great presentations and will be hosting a kids day on Monday morning for all the
pros to attend. We have worked out a discount package for those USPTA pros that
buy one of the tournament packages. Bring your players along to enjoy the great
tournament as you get to see and hear some of our industry’s best, share their
secrets with you.
S. Carolina
South Carolina USPTA is excited to present Tedi Doncheva
as Southern Rookie of the Year! Also, South
Carolina’s Sophie Woorons-Johnston is our State Liaison on the Southern Board as she
is 2nd Vice-President for USPTA Southern so don’t hesitate to contact her at Sophie@
brookstonemeadows.com. The Southern Convention in Baton Rouge Louisiana was
terrific! Our SC workshop will be help on August 22nd at the Spartanburg Westside
Club. Applications for the convention will be sent by email, email tedi at teodoradoncheva@yahoo.com
for more information. We will discuss new ways to implement
Quick Start at your Club. The 1 day tournament is a new format for Sanctioned tournaments
in South Carolina. Fitness for your game. Mental training for your members. I
look forward to seeing you all at our SC workshop.
Tennessee No report submitted

Standard Page 7
DRILL DETAILS
type: Singles
time & Players: 15 min. [1, 4]
Prepared by: Kevin Jackson
DRILL DETAILS
type: Singles
time & Players: 15 min. [1, 4]
Prepared by: Kevin Jackson
DRILL DESCRIPTION & GOALS
Games Galore
Category: Other
Level: Intermediate
tennis organization: USPTA Southern
DRILL DESCRIPTION & GOALS
• Players play singles points out on half of the court.
• Players start the point by feeding down the line to their opponent.
• Both Player 1 and Player 2 must feed the ball at the same time.
• Once one team finishes playing the point the other team can then finish their point
anywhere in the court.
• The 1st point won is worth 1 point. The “Dingles” point is worth 2 points
DRILL ORGANIZATION
When one team finished the half court point they yell “Dingles” to alert the other 2 players
that they can use the entire court to play. For large groups playing on 3-4 courts. Let each
court play to 21 and winning team moves up a court and losing team moves down a court
DRILL KEY POINTS
Category: Other
Level: Advanced, Competitive, Intermediate
tennis organization: InterTennis
• This drill is a fun way to get your junior players to exercise while in clinic.
• This is a competitive drill for intermediate to advance players.
• 4 players start playing a doubles point.
• When a point is lost, the player that lost the point drops out and begins to jog around
the outside of the court.
• Players that are jogging around the court race to any open spots to play.
• First player that wins 20 points wins the drill!
DRILL ORGANIZATION
There are lots of fun variations to throw into this type of drill.
Variations:
1. If you hit a ball into the net at anytime you lose all your points
2. If you hit a volley or overhead winner you win 5 points
3. All 4 players must use slice while playing the point
DRILL KEY POINTS
Consistency, Cardio and fun.
Created using the iTennisSystem - www.interTennis.com
Dingles
Musical Chairs

Page 8 Volume 12 Issue 3
Southern
Spotlight
Francis ali - Sun City Peachtree, Griffin, Ga
Brief description of your tennis career: Started playing at 14 in Fiji. There
was an opportunity to come to Atlanta to play college tennis when I was
19. About 2yrs later returned to Fiji to play for Fiji in Davis Cup competition.
Teaching career started with a stint working as a National Coach
for another Pacific island country- Tonga. My teaching career included
working for two 5 star resorts in Fiji as a Tennis Director, working for the
International Tennis Federation as a Pacific Development Officer and then
finally returning to the United States where I have worked at various clubs.
I have been teaching for 19 yrs now!
What other sports did you play? Soccer, rugby, track sprint
Who were mentors that helped you develop as a professional? Dan
O’Connell (ITF Development Officer in the Pacific) Paul Albares (PBI pro)
What is your favorite shot to teach? Drop shot
What are you teaching right now? Strokes & strategies!
What advice do you have for someone starting in the tennis profession?
You have to love this game to enjoy doing this!
Which personality traits are most important for tennis professionals to
master? -Friendly, patient, outgoing, some humor and FUN!
What are your hobbies? Love meeting new people, music, travelling
What is your favorite movie? I have quite
a few of them…all action movies like
“The Expendables”.
Are you reading anything right now?
“The 21 Indispensable qualities of a
leader” by John C Maxwell.
What is your favorite sports team? Manchester
United (English Premier League
soccer)
Favorite player of all time? Pete Sampras
Person you would most like to have lunch
with: My wife!
Tennis player you would like to play a set
with: Nadal!
First thing you would purchase if you won
the lottery: My own tennis club!!
Do you have other ambitions in your
career? To help develop tennis in my
Francis Ali
home island of fiji!
What would you be doing if you were not in tennis? Be an attorney
What was your most inspirational moment? Meeting a tennis legend in
Fiji…Evonne Cawley Goolagong!
tom McGraw - Louisville Country Club, KY
Brief description of your tennis
career: I played high school
tennis my sophomore through
senior years and continued
to play tournaments while
teaching part time shortly after
graduation. I accepted a full time
position at Louisville Tennis Club
in 1979 and became a USPTA
certified professional in 1980. I
was the Director at Big Spring CC
in the summers of 1983-87 while
continuing at LTC during the
winters. I will celebrate my 32nd
year at Louisville Tennis Club this
year and my 16th year as Tennis
Director at the Louisville Country
Club.
What other sports did you play?
Basketball, track, cross country
and tournament softball in the
Tom McGraw
summer.
What moved you to teach tennis? I loved being around people, teaching
outside and it was exciting to help my students improve their tennis
game.
Who were mentors that helped you develop as a professional? Chuck
Cooper and Chuck Saacke
What are you teaching right now? Beginners to tournament juniors and
all ages. I recently taught two brothers, who are 7 & 8 yrs. old and then
taught their 84 year old aunt.
What advice do you have for someone starting in the tennis profession?
Search for a quality director that will serve as your mentor. Place as much
emphasis on learning the off court aspects of our job
as the on court. Place a priority on attending education
opportunities and getting involved in the USPTA.
What are your hobbies? Cooking, golf and biking.
What is your favorite movie? The Grinch that Stole
Christmas with my children and grandchildren during
the holidays
What is your favorite book? All the David Baldacci books
What is your favorite sports team? University of Louisville
Basketball
Favorite magazine? Food and Wine
Favorite player of all time? Roger Federer
Person you would most like to have lunch with: Any
President of the United States
Tennis player you would like to play a set with: Agassi
Do you have other ambitions in your career? Serve on
the USPTA National Board and help move the association
on a positive path for the future
What was your most inspirational moment? Very early in my career I
taught a young girl that was physically handicapped and it opened my
eyes to being creative in how I taught and what a person can achieve with
desire and determination.

Standard Page 9
“Success Secrets”
The Keys to Building a Successful 10 and
Under Program
By Butch Staples, Head Tennis Professional – Midtown Tennis Club
Five years ago when we set sail on the journey known as our
“Junior Development Pathway”, it was impossible to have created
an image of our current success. Midtown Tennis Club in Chicago
is proud of the 581 participants a week who are involved in the
10 and Under Program using appropriate courts, balls and racquets. To
embellish this statistic, this past Saturday evening we had 141 juniors
competing in a play night at the club. To give a relative sense to the
growth of our program, note that in 2006 we had 391 participants in the
program and we averaged 28 kids playing in our monthly Saturday Rallyball
evenings. What caused this incredible growth? To put it simply; we
have stayed focused, consistent, and we recruited and trained the right
people. At the heart of everything is a vision that includes a long-term
development belief.
10 keys to our success!
1. Commitment from the top! – We are fortunate to have our company
(TCA) and the club General Manager as passionate supporters of the
Junior Development Pathway.
2. Relentless leadership – The individual(s) driving the program have
been courageous and resilient (thick skinned).
3. Recruit apostles – you cannot do it alone! Don’t forget to include
some parents in this group.
4. Pros must support the program through their privates – consistent
courts, balls and racquets.
5. Parental support – This is a process and requires a lot of educating
and nurturing.
6. Use a planned, well thought out curriculum that is growth and
development based – We hired a consultant Mike Barrell (Evolve 9) to
design our Junior Development Pathway curriculum.
7. Provide competitive opportunities and make competition a part
of the pathway – Practicing without a competitive structure is practicing
without a purpose!
8. Patience – The learning occurs over time through a process we call
shaping. Allow the kids to learn. It is a progressive journey!
9. Simple set-up! Formal courts are only necessary for competition.
Defining spaces is all that is necessary for the program (practices). We are
able to set-up and take-down very quickly!
10. Many of our coaches have more fun than the kids! Make it contagious!
Here’s how it works:
I want to make $25 I want my players to sign up online Player Registration
$25 + $3 = $28
Cost out of your pocket - $0
Revenue for you - $25/per player
Why pay a monthly fee for your tennis programs?
In fact, why pay anything at all?
To find out more today visit www.courtsideusa.com
E-mail nancybiggs@tenniscores.com or call 704-806-8116

Page 10 Volume 12 Issue 3
USPTA Invited Guest
Ten and Under Tennis
The Proof is in the Specs! By Jason Miller, Ph.D.
a Quality Start
It is hard to argue with the level of positive
energy being generated by 10 and Under Tennis
featuring the QuickStart Tennis Play Format. The
logic of meshing age appropriate equipment
and competition models is sound. Throw in science
driven, play based, coaching methods and
a winning combination is in place. The goals of
building a larger base of tennis players while
developing the next wave of American champions
begin to come into focus. As expected, the
USPTA Southern Division and the USTA Southern
Section are at the forefront of this trailblazing
initiative. Proven leadership is tough to beat
and quality partnerships enable success.
one Challenging Scenario
Despite the positive energy, there is still work
to be done. Coaches and administrators across
the South have undoubtedly observed one con-
cerning trend. At issue are facilities and coaches
claiming to support and use the QuickStart
Tennis Play Format while not embracing or correctly
implementing all six specifications: age,
ball, racquet length, court size, net height, and
scoring format. In most instances it is nothing
more than an easily remedied matter of education.
In other cases it is a matter of personal
preference or convenience. Regardless of the
situation, the overall success of the 10 and
under growth initiative is greatly enhanced by
appropriate use of all six specs. Uniformity is a
cornerstone of successful youth sport organizations
in soccer, baseball, and basketball. Tennis
now has the ability to benefit from the strength
of such uniformity.
Moving the Ball Forward
Whether you are an old school Project 36/60
veteran, a QuickStart Tennis convert, or new to
the 10 and Under Tennis bandwagon, compliance
with the six specifications gives coaches,
administrators, manufacturers, officials, and most
importantly players the best chance is attaining
the lofty goals set forth by the growth initiative.
In short, competing with other youth sports for
players and talent becomes less daunting, while
winning championships on the international
stage becomes the norm. The bottom line: the six
specifications are a winning combination.
For more information on the six specifications
please see the chart below and visit www.southern.usta.com
and www.10andundertennis.com.
Jason Miller is the USTA Southern Section
Tennis Service Representative in Kentucky. He is
also a USPTA P1 Professional, PTR Professional,
and member of the USTA Recreational Coach and
QuickStart Tennis training faculties.

Standard Page 11
Many tennis shops have been using “Buying Clubs” to help maintain a
loyal customer base and avoid price wars with other local retailers. Here
are some pros and cons to think about as you try and determine if this
will work for you.
This type of program will help keep a set customer base. You have
“members” join by paying a set fee for the year and they receive a set discount
on merchandise from your shop. You can have different discount
amounts for different type products in your shop (racquets, apparel,
stringing, etc.) This program will allow you to generate a set amount of
income with the annual membership dues, but your revenue from sales
will be exceptionally low due to all of the deep discounts from the program.
The deeper the discounts for the year, the higher the dues should
be on the front end. This is a price analysis you will have to run to see if
this type of program is needed or beneficial to your situation.
Some of your vendors do have strict policies preventing their products
from being included in these type “clubs”. Make sure that you check with
all your accounts before you include all of your merchandise in the program.
You would not want to lose a vendor over a breech in policy.
Some tennis shops have even paired with the golf shops at their facilities
to give the members of the buying club a wider range of products to
choose from, increasing the number of members who would be willing
to buy into the program. The division of funds between the two shops
will have to be negotiated very clearly to prevent an accounting nightmare,
but with some open communication this should be possible.
This type of strategy needs to be looked into very carefully before it is
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begun because it must be a long term strategy. Once someone pays into
the program, the program needs to be offered long enough for them
to see the perceived value of being in the buying club. At the absolute
least, it would need to be offered for one calendar year. If you are going
to run it as a test for a year, I would make that clear up front with everyone
who joins the program. You want to encourage loyalty, not drive them
away with a program in which they feel like they were not being dealt
with honestly.
If you are hesitant in starting a program like this you may want to look
into a program that is based off participation (string club where a family
receives a set discount after a set number of stringing a year) or activity
(top ten most active players at the club get a set discount in the shop).
The activity level can be measured by assigning points to every activity
or volunteer position someone takes at the club. The winners from 2011
would get the discount program in 2012. These type program lets members
earn their way in, while the other programs are bought into.
Both of these type discount programs can be very effective in driving
business into your shop if you are having customer loyalty issues strictly
motivated by price from competitors. If your customers are looking
elsewhere due to limited selection or lack of customer service, these programs
will not address those issues. Make sure that you understand what
the program you design is addressing and make sure that it matches up
with your problems.
Good luck and make sure to do your research and cost analysis of your
shop before you jump into any program.
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Page 12 Volume 12 Issue 3
Tech Corner
Make Your Facility Secure
Tennis professionals wear lots of hats in our industry.
Over the past few years I have tried to find ways
to save time, increase revenue, and look
more professional. Technology can
be intimidating but once embraced, it
will prove very valuable. In this issue of
Tech Corner, we will be addressing video
surveillance. Most tennis professionals never
utter the words video surveillance until something
bad has happened. Either your tennis shop was
broken into, or someone was injured on the
courts after hours. In an effort to be pro-active,
you should start to look at how it can actually
make your work easier. Let’s first discuss the types
of surveillance that are on the market and which ones are
more important for your business. First you have to decide if you
need it to view the activity on your courts or record activity while
you are closed. If you have a large pro-shop and lots of inventory
you may want to have a video recording of the shop overnight.
Everyone hopes that they are never robbed, but the chance does
exist. Having a video recording of the robbery occurring can help
identify the robber which can lead to an arrest. It might not sound
like that big of a deal, but getting an arrest could lead to getting
your property returned. Having a video system can also lower your
shop insurance. Most insurance companies lower your price for an
alarm and/or surveillance system.
The second way tennis professionals can benefit from a surveillance
system is with live monitoring. Some tennis facilities that
have lots of courts or courts that are not easily seen from one
Ladies Vantage by
During the USPTA Southern Conference
at Bocage Racquet Club in Baton Rouge La,
the women’s committee had a chance to
meet all the ladies that attended the conference.
The ladies were very well represented.
Over lunch, we got to know each other and
shared stories of how we each got started in
this wonderful sport.
After lunch, we had a
round table discussion about
various issues. One issue in
particular dealt with a promotion
to a head pro position
(go girl!). She was dealing with
people who thought she may not have
enough experience
Others discussions were about dealing
with general managers who don’t know
anything about tennis and do not want to
give the pro any authority.
I believe these are not only women pro
By Kevin Jackson
vantage point use live video. Video can also
allow you to check court conditions
during inclement weather as well as
determine if players are still playing on
certain courts. During tournaments you
could send players to the courts sooner rather
than waiting for the players to return to the
desk. Another benefit is the ability to be in
2 places instead of one! When you can look
over your entire facility from one place and
view all the court activity, you can save time and
deliver better service to your membership. Most security
surveillance systems now come with a hard drive, cameras,
and internet connectivity. Having a system with the ability to stream
direct to the internet can be a huge asset. Most systems give you
the flexibility to stream video of your courts or facility to your staff
or even your membership. With today’s technology, video streaming
can be viewed on your smart phone.
In most of my technology articles I do recommend a few products
that I have firsthand experience. Currently Sam’s Club online store
has a very nice 8 camera video surveillance system. It comes with 8
indoor/outdoor night vision cameras, 500 gigabyte hard drive (which
can store over 1 year of video), and a DVR box that connects directly
to your television or computer monitor. For those that are a little savvy
with technology, the system can be installed without the need of a
professional installer. The best thing about this particular system is the
price. The entire system is less than $500 bucks! You may have never
seen the need for a video system, but now is the time to protect your
shop and your members.
Joanne Wallen
issues but issues that all pros
endure from time to time.
Our advice was to stay strong
and show the managers how you can
make their job easier and make them
look good. Always try to put a positive
spin on everything you do.
In our next issue, I would love to hear
from women pros with success stories.
Send in your feedback from people
you are working with, and ideas you have
implemented that are successful. Please
email them to: Joanne@ltctennis.com.

Standard Page 13
One Good Idea!
Doubles Coaching tips Scott Mitchell
When coaching your club doubles teams make sure your players
understand how important communication, positioning, patterns of
play and placement of their shots are and you’ll see their level of awareness
and actual play increase dramatically.
the Value of a tennis Pro Rod Heckelman
What is the value of what you do? What makes you different that the
other pros in your area? What do you do really well? Many pros do not
lock in to a specialized area. We are in an age of specialization. If another
pro in the area is the known expert on movement, then send your
students to that person for their movement work, and you can continue
to work in your best areas. Create a market and get known for your
specialty. This gives you an edge in your marketing.
Stay in Front of Your Leaders Matt Grayson
Stop your club from finding ways to grab portions of your income by
staying in the drivers seat and creating income first. Matt continues to
create income areas for the club that will not impact their tennis lesson
income. By being responsible for multiple departments, he has been able
to make $10,000 and up for the club each year. Not only is this helpful for
All ideas from the 2011 Southern Convention
the club, but it keeps the financial department happy and eliminates the
constant fight to take a percentage of the tennis income. Being proactive
in finding income sources is the key to protecting your income.
Your Club Should Pay Lee Stall
Everyone should have their professional dues and education
expenses paid by your club. HOWEVER: it will take some work on your
part also. You must show your club the value of the conventions and
events you attend. Bring ideas back to your club that either save money,
make money, or produce a big enough hit at your club and create
attention in the area. Lee paid his own dues and education expenses
his first year as a GM. Upon returning from the first CMAA meeting, he
saved the club 10 times the cost of the price of membership. From then
on, the club paid all his dues and education expenses, and Lee continue
to show value to the club each year.
the #1 Complaint about tennis Pros CMaa national Meeting
The #1 complaint about tennis pros is that they are self serving. Pros
do a great job going the extra mile in creating income for themselves,
but they don’t show this same perseverance in creating income and
positive growth for the club.

Page 14 Volume 12 Issue 3
Fit to Hit
Core Training
by Keith Cecil, MS, CSCS
Stability, energy, and balance are some of
the most important aspects of a great tennis
game. One way to help improve these three
key pillars is to increase core strength. When
strengthening the core muscles, (namely in the
abs, back, hips, and pelvis) it helps to remember
a few key things when performing virtually any
exercise: keep your shoulders back, head high
and straight, and squeeze your abs. If you focus
on balance and stability during your workouts,
it will translate to the tennis court, and even
your day-to-day activities. Here are some of the
exercises we do with our athletes to improve
core strength:
• Side Bridges (forearm and side of foot, try
to keep head and body as straight as possible).
• Reverse crunches (lie on a stability ball
with feet spread on ground and heels against a
wall for balance and arms crossed, extend body
until you are just past parallel to the ground and
lower. For a tennis “twist”, rotate to each side
during repetitions!).
• Push Ups!
• Squats (Technique is very important when
performing this exercise, so be sure to be balanced
when doing squats and keep your feet
flat on the ground with knees over the toes and
maintain fantastic posture!).
• Rotating lunges (hold arms out in front,
use medball for additional resistance, step out
into a lunge keeping knees over toes but not in
front of toes, and rotate at the torso. Perform in
each direction and maintain great balance).
• Rotating stability ball crunches (lie on
stability ball with feet flat on ground. Crunch up
and rotate and touch the outside of the opposite
knee, and repeat to other knee).
• If you only find time to incorporate one exer-
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cise into your day or week, Hip Bridges/Plank
(forearms and toes touch the ground, make sure
hips don’t sink or raise) provide a lot of ‘bang
for your buck’ in terms of time to complete and
benefit to your core muscular strength.
These exercises should be done 3-5 days/
week for 5-10 minutes to help improve core
strength. However, you can increase core
strength by maintaining good posture when
generally exercising and maintaining your balance.
There’s nothing worse than seeing people
in the gym doing biceps curls arching their
backs as far as possible to lift that extra weight.
If these exercises aren’t your favorites, Yoga
and Pilates are also great ways to increase core
strength. Be sure to keep it fresh and challenging
for your muscles by mixing-up your exercise
routine and trying new things. It really helps
strengthen the core and improves your game!
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Standard Page 15
USPTA Certification Tests & Upgrades
JUNE
6/11/11 - Atlanta, GA
Dunwoody Country Club
6/26/11 - Birmingham, AL
Highland Park Racquet Club
JULY
7/10/11 - Myrtle Beach, SC
The Dunes Golf &
Beach Club
7/17/11 - Memphis, TN
Racquet Club of Memphis
7/23/11- Metairie, LA
Metairie Country Club
7/24/11 - Jackson, MS.
Courthouse Health & Fitness
AUGUST
8/13/11-Atlanta, GA
Dunwoody Country Club
8/20/11 – Lafayette, LA
the City Club
C
8/20/11 - Gastonia, NC
Country Club of
the Carolinas
8/28/11 - Nashville, TN
Williamson County Tennis
Complex
SEPTEMBER
9/11/11 – Rome GA
Coosa Country Club
9/11/11 - Lexington, KY
Lexington Tennis Club
9/11/11 - Hilton Head, SC
Haig Point Club
OCTOBER
10/8/11 – Atlanta, GA
Dunwoody Country Club
10/22/11 - Fayetteville, NC
Methodist University
“In the business world, the rearview mirror is
always clearer than the windshield.”
-Warren Buffett
“The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what
is important.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.
“You can’t do today’s lesson with yesterday methods
and be in business tomorrow.”
-Todd Upchurch
“The ideal attitude is to be physically loose and
mentally tight.”
-Arthur Ashe
“I fear no one, but respect everyone.”
-Roger Federer
“Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row.”
- Vitas Gerulaitis, on finally beating
Jimmy Connors
USPTA Welcomes Our New Members
Aybar, Richard Fayetteville, NC
Baldwin, Jessica Birmingham, AL
Berumen, Jeff Canton, GA
Conradi, Janusz Lafayette, LA
Darbar, Kethan Adamsville, TN
El-Kheddiwi, Mehdi Murrelle Inlet, SC
Flowers, Stanfill Charleston, SC
Fly, Robert Memphis, TN
France, Lee Greenville, MS
Harmon, Mitchel Lake Charles, LA
Hutchinson, Cari Matthews, NC
Irvin, David Baton Rouge, LA
Isaccs, Don Prospect, KY
Kahle, Gerald Baton Rouge, LA
Kee, Stephen Madison, AL
Klyuyenko, Oleksandr Adamsville, SC
Lindsay, Clifford Charlotte, NC
McNulty, Lane New Orleans, LA
Moultrie, Julie Arlington, TN
Noblitt, William Raleigh, NC
Osterhold, Bill Alpharetta, GA
Pastorek, Jon New Orleans, LA
Reeves, Samatha Clemmons, NC
Shoptaugh, Matthew Baton Rouge, LA
Simonetti, Alex Charlotte, NC
Stapp, Ben Memphis, TN
White, Michael Charlotte, NC
‘90 percent of kids would rather play on a losing team than sit on
the bench of a winning team.’
‘The more they enjoy it, the more they will do it. The more they do
it, the more they will learn. The more they learn, the better they will
perform.’ Gary Avischious (Youth Sports Advocate and Founder of
www.coachingschool.org)
The QuickStart Tennis play format addresses considerations that
affect young children’s ability to learn and enjoy tennis. These considerations
include, age, court size, ball weight and bounce, racquet
length, net height, and scoring system. There is, however, one more
component to keep in mind, and that is team play. Lessons help kids
improve their skills, but kids enjoy being part of a team. By placing
kids on teams and using a cumulative scoring format, we can make
competition meaningful even for weaker players while providing
them the opportunity to enjoy being part of a team. Through combining
the QuickStart play format with team play, we give ourselves
a greater chance of keeping players in tennis than by emphasizing
lessons alone.

USPTA SOUTHERN DIVISION
N E W S L E T T E R
1327 BOYLES MILL ROAD
DALTON, GA 30721
The Standard is published every 60 days by the
Southern Division of the United States Professional
Tennis Association.
The opinions expressed in The Standard are those of
the authors and not necessarily those of The Standard,
the USPTA or Southern Division.
Copyright© The Standard/United States Professional
Tennis Association, Inc. 2011. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of any portion of the newsletter is not
permitted without the written permission from the
USPTA Southern Division.
Advertising information: All ads must be camera
ready and in color, if possible. Prices are per issue.
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