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AREA REPORTS
Eastern Washington [Continued]
believe with some additional work we can become
tougher mentally.
One fun thing our team likes to do for conditioning
in preseason is play games like ultimate ball, indoor
soccer, capture the fl ag and other competitive
games. I learned that if you let them “play” they
actually run harder than traditional conditioning.
We keep track of wins and losses and bring in a
prize for the winning team after preseason. It has
become a fun way to return and get physically fi t.
We also like to have team dinners the night before
matches to foster team unity. This allows players
to relax and get to know me and teammates in a
different setting. This year we are planning a team
ski trip also. I hope nobody gets hurt!
TT: How will you develop the team’s top
players this year?
CK: Ho and Juhre both possess an all-court game
that can beat you in many different ways. Because
they are both so well rounded, it makes it hard for
opponents to expose weaknesses. I will be working
more with strategy and point development because
their physical games are more advanced than most
players on our team.
TT: Coach Kreider, thank you for sharing
your time with us. Your dedication to tennis is
appreciated by your players and their parents.
Any parting words of inspiration for current or
future high school tennis players?
CK: If you leave everything on the court you
need not concern yourself with the wins and
losses. If you can do that, the wins will take care
of themselves.
Parks and clubs, the perfect
hybrid for tennis players
Winter is upon us once again. Some areas in
Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho saw snowfall
before Halloween. Brrrrrrr! In spring, summer
and part of fall, we enjoy outdoor tennis. Many of
us count public parks as our home courts. Former
and current tennis pros such as Billie Jean King,
John McEnroe, and Venus and Serena Williams
grew up on public courts. Although I never reached
the Tour, I do have fond memories of “Avenue 43”
in Pasadena, Calif.
While public parks are great, none in our area
offer indoor courts. So what are you going to do
if you want to keep those strokes sharp during the
winter? Consider joining an area tennis club, of
course. If you’re not currently a member of a club,
consider all that they have to offer. In addition to
year-round tennis, clubs offer a sense of belonging.
Members have the opportunity to meet new
friends, join leagues and participate in mixers.
Many clubs also feature a pro shop that features
stringing service and expert advice on tennis shoes,
racquets, attire, accessories, and more. Clubs also
host special events that include equipment demonstrations
by representatives of Babolat, Prince,
Wilson, Head, and other tennis retail specialists.
And to remind you again of the ultimate gain, a
club membership allows you to play tennis indoors
while it’s snowing outside!
In the next issue of Tennis Times, the Eastern
[ Continued from page 13 ]
Washington Area
Report will highlight
The Spokane
Club, a tennis facility
that offers
much of what was described
above as well as many USTA sanctioned
tournaments including major events such as Dual
Level 5 tournaments for juniors who compete
in the USTA Pacific Northwest Championship
division.
In order to better serve their members, The
Spokane Club recently completed a giant renovation
that includes the resurfacing of their indoor
courts along with new nets and backdrops, an
expanded deli, and an improved pro shop. We’ll
talk to Director of Tennis Pat Dreves to learn more
about the motivation and effort behind the major
facelift and to get some insight into the benefi ts
of belonging to a club in your area.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from
Eastern Washington!
Southern Oregon
By Gail Patton
Frank Inn inducted into
USTA/PNW Hall of Fame
Frank Inn, Director of Tennis at Rogue Valley
Swim and Tennis Club in Medford was inducted
into the USTA Pacific Northwest (USTA/PNW)
Hall of Fame at the section’s annual awards and
hall of fame luncheon held at the Bellevue Club
on December 5. Inn was one of three inductees in
this year’s distinguished class. The others include
former WTA Tour professional Trish Bostrom of
Seattle and the late Wayne Sabin.
A nationally recognized coach and United States
Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) certifi ed
professional, Inn has developed players at the
state, section, national and professional levels for
over 25 years including former ATP Tour star Jonathan
Stark and current NCAA Division I standout
Nate Schnugg. Inn has also volunteered countless
hours to the USTA including six years served as the
Southern Oregon Area Vice-President for the USTA/
PNW Board of Directors.
Court light retrofi t saves $$
The Ashland Tennis and Fitness Club (ATFC)
completed a court lighting retrofit in August
that will save approximately $1000 a month in
electric bills. The conversion to a highly effi cient
fl uorescent system, featuring sensors to shut off
lights when courts are not in use, from a 20-yearold
metal halide system was supported by nearly
$16,000 from the Oregon Business Energy Tax
Credit program and $26,000 in utility rebates from
the City of Ashland. Tri-Phase Electric Supply in
Portland guided ATFC management through the
process and completed the project.
With the projected savings in the cost of electricity,
the cost of the retrofi t will be paid off in less
than two years. Further, members are very happy
with the improved quality of vision from the new
direct lighting on court.
Wild West Tennis goes
South
Steve Vaughan, the Head Tennis Professional
for the Sunriver Owners Association during the
summer months and at Deep Canyon Tennis Club
A sport for everyone…even robots
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department attended the “Neighbors
Night Out” celebration this fall at Sprinker Recreation Center in Tacoma.
The Sheriff’s department was well represented as members of the Dive
Squad, Mountain Rescue team and Special Forces turned out for the
event. The Bomb Squad also joined the fun, sending a “bomb robot” on
to the court to participate in QuickStart Tennis with the other beginners.
Tennis really is a sport for all.
in Palm Springs during the winter, is offering a
second Wild West Adult Tennis Camp at the Desert
Princess Resort during the 2010 BNP Paribas Open.
The camp will run March 12-14, the middle
weekend of the professional tournament. The camp
will expand to include March 15-18 if space fi lls.
For more information or camp registration, please
contact Vaughn at (541) 350-1379.
RVST mixed doubles team
competes at nationals
Congratulations to the USTA League 8.0 Adult
Mixed Doubles team from Rogue Valley Swim and
Tennis Club (RVSTC). After winning their Southern
Oregon local league in November 2008 and a January
2009 round-robin playoff tournament, they advanced
to the 2009 USTA/PNW League Adult Mixed
Doubles Section Championships held this summer
in Sunriver, Ore., and won their division’s title.
As the section champions, the RVSTC team traveled
to the Jim Reffkin Tennis Center in Tucson,
Ariz., to represent the USTA/PNW in the 2009
USTA League 8.0 Adult Mixed Doubles National
Championships held November 20-22.
Representing the RVSTC team at the national
championships were captains Bill and Martha
Kelly, Teresa Longmire, Sue McCandless, Dan
Perone and Don Zizic. Throughout the rest of the
season, Yvonne Endrikat, Bob Mengis and Ellie
Miller also participated on the team.
Northern Oregon
Sweet Home’s new courts
By Scott Swanson
Courtesy of The New Era
www.sweethomenews.com
It was a moment of personal satisfaction for
Sweet Home School District Superintendent Larry
Horton and a lot of other people when the red ribbon
was cut to open the district’s four new tennis
courts to the public this fall.
Horton, who noted how he took some grousing
from tennis enthusiasts in the community when
the district decided to remove the old courts two
years ago, was clearly enjoying himself at the grand
opening. The four new courts are located between
the varsity baseball fi eld and the bus barn, along
18th Avenue.
A crowd of about 50 people turned out for the
dedication including physical education teacher
Kate Buehler and about a dozen youngsters whom
Buehler has been teaching to play a beginner’s
variety of the game, QuickStart Tennis. Buehler
and the children put on a demonstration of the
QuickStart Tennis format and it didn’t take long
for the adults to get on the courts and try them out.
The tennis courts were removed in 2008 after the
Sweet Home School Board accepted an offer from the
Sweet Home Economic Development Group (SHEDG)
to pay $25,000 for the removal of the old courts along
the back driveway from 18th Avenue into Sweet Home
High School. The existing courts were cracked and
in such poor condition that the district’s insurance
company had forced the district to padlock some of
them, Horton said.
SHEDG also offered $75,000 in a matching grant
if the district could come up with the match from
funds outside of state and federal sources.
The district received a $20,000 grant from the
Charlotte Martin Foundation and $38,200 in two
grants from the USTA. Mike Naumes, Southern
Oregon Area Vice President on the USTA Pacifi c
Northwest (USTA/PNW) Board of Directors told the
crowd that the money from the USTA represented the
only grant given by the USTA/PNW Section this year
and nearly 15 percent of the total grants awarded by
USTA National. “Obviously, you had a project that
caught everyone’s eye,” Naumes said.
He and Bill Leong, USTA/PNW Executive Director,
said they were impressed by the completed project.
Leong acknowledged the effort that went into the
courts especially the paperwork necessary to get the
grants from USTA.
“A project like this takes a lot of work to make
it happen,” he said. “You should be proud of this.
Larry’s been a true champion in getting these funds
for the community.”
In addition to the grants, Horton and School Board
Chairman Mike Reynolds thanked the contributors
to the courts project including Diane and Gus
Gerson, Lisa and Scott Weld, John and Melanie
Fassler, Jim Cota and Timber Harvest Inc. who donated
all of the labor to create a base for the courts,
and Eric Sheeks of Atwater Homes who donated a
“tremendous amount of dirt to fi ll in the holes for
old tennis courts,” Horton said. “They were able to
provide enough dirt that we were able to plant grass.
They helped with the reconditioning of the soccer
and football fi elds.”
SHEDG President Ron Moore, who fi rst proposed
the tennis court removal and grant, said the opening
marked “another one of the exciting things we can
be proud of in Sweet Home.”
He said the deal provided more space for the
Jamboree on the high school athletic fi elds, and
better facilities for soccer, softball and baseball. “The
partnership between the school district and SHEDG
is phenomenal,” Moore said. “SHEDG is committed
to making a better community in Sweet Home. This
is what Sweet Home does. We rally around and make
things happen.”
Horton told the crowd that tennis is being introduced
to children throughout the district. He said that
in February 2008, 14 school district staff members
showed up on a Saturday, on their own time, to learn
how to teach the game. Also, Horton said each of the
schools will get $800 worth of tennis equipment. He
said he is working to get lines for QuickStart courts
painted on the playground at each school. “When I
learned how to play tennis, it was technical,” Horton
said. “QuickStart is fun.”
For more on Larry Horton and tennis in Sweet
Home, Ore., please turn to page 16. �
www.pnw.usta.com � WINTER 2009/10 TENNIS TIMES
From left, Sweet Home
School Board Chairman
Mike Reynolds, Sweet
Home School District
Superintendent Larry
Horton, USTA/PNW
Board Member Mike
Naumes and USTA/PNW
Executive Director Bill
Leong commemorate
the completion of
Sweet Home’s new
tennis courts.
15