INSIDE - USTA.com

Wayne Bryan visits Boeing
Employees Tennis Club
By Allan Overland
This fall, the Boeing Employees Tennis Club in
Kent, Wash., was treated to a very special series of
tennis clinics with world-renowned coach Wayne
Bryan, a three-time World Team Tennis Coach of the
Year as well as father and coach of the No. 1 ranked
doubles team in the world, Mike and Bob Bryan.
Over the course of three days, Bryan put his
on-court magic to work for two junior groups that
featured several of the section’s top-ranked junior
players and two adult groups that ranged from the
3.0 to the 5.0 NTRP level. All participants enjoyed
themselves and improved their games in the process.
SW Washington
By Barbara Wyatt
2009 USTA/PNW Senior
Men’s 35+ Grand Prix
The 2009 USTA Pacifi c Northwest (USTA/PNW)
Senior Men’s Grand Prix was held in October at the
Lakewood Racquet Club in Tacoma. This invitationonly
event draws the top tournament players from
Washington, Oregon, BC, Alaska, and Idaho. The
best of the best in the men’s 35 and over divisions
battled on the tennis court stroke for stroke.
Southwest Washington was well represented
by Vern Ball (Lakewood), Larry Butterfi eld (Gig
Harbor), Hyn Jin Chong (Olympia), Ed Ford (Olympia),
Tom Geisness (Bainbridge), John Hanson
(Olympia), James Irvine (Sequim), Keith Johnson
(Poulsbo), Darrel Leimback (Yelm), Rocky Phelps
(Lakewood), Mike Richer (Bainbridge), and Greg
Stapp (Olympia) who played against other topranked
Pacifi c Northwest players.
“The Grand Prix began over twenty years ago,”
says Gary Case, Director of the Senior Men’s Grand
Prix, “and opened the opportunity for top-ranked
players from other states to play one another in
head-to-head competition.” Prior to the Grand Prix’s
founding, players from one state infrequently played
against top players from other states. This event
makes it possible to bring all of them together for
an annual grand fi nale.
“Matches are hard fought, often last hours and
result in very close scores,” Case explains. Proving his
point at the 2009 event was the match between two
great veterans, Ball and Geisness. These two seniors
competed in a 70s singles match that lasted over
two-and-half hours and resulted in Ball’s win
at 6-3, 4-6, 7-6. The viewing area was fi lled with
players, guests and club members remarking on
the intensity of the match, and the speed and
agility of the men on court.
Southwest men played strong throughout
the Grand Prix. In the 70s singles fi nal, Ball
beat John Curran of Seattle, Wash., 6-2, 6-1.
In 40s doubles, David Baska of Mercer Island,
Wash., teamed with Stapp to defeat Oregonians
Jeffery Cook and Dwayne Tyner 6-1, 6-4. In
50s doubles, Leimback and Doug Ruffi n of
� Vern Ball (left)
and Tom Geisness
PHOTOS BY BARBARA WYATT
Rocky Phelps �
Olympia, Wash., defeated Bill Brooks and George
Kraft of Seattle 6-3, 7-5. In 60s doubles, Ball
and Phelps posted a win over Hanson and Keith
Johnson of Olympia, Wash., via a default due to a
family emergency. In the 65s singles, Hanson made
it to the fi nals, losing to Art Roper of Vancouver,
Wash., 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
This year’s event was sponsored by USTA/PNW
with giveaways from Avanti Sports of Seattle, David
Ranney, author of Tennis: Play the Mental Game,
The Ram Restaurant, and Carr’s Restaurant.
To play in the Grand Prix, a player must compete
in USTA/PNW tournaments during the year.
Players are awarded points based upon the round
they reach within a tournament and the designated
level of the tournament. The USTA/PNW Standings
and Year-End Rankings represent a player’s best
results in the four or fi ve tournaments that lead
up to the Grand Prix. More information on USTA/
PNW Open and Senior Ranking Rules are available
at www.pnw.usta.com.
Bainbridge Island: Collapsed
bubble brings good fortune
Bubble domes dot Southwest Washington,
converting outdoor courts into fully functional
indoor courts. Members of the Bainbridge Athletic
Club (BAC) had enjoyed three indoor courts and
two bubble-covered courts until this summer when
the bubble collapsed. “The (weather) elements of
the Pacifi c Northwest got the best of our bubble,”
says Joanne Franklin, BAC Tennis Coordinator.
Now BAC management says, “No more bubbles.
It’s time to erect a new building!” As Franklin
explains, “Our members enjoyed playing on our
outdoor courts over the summer and now we are
looking forward to a beautiful new permanent
structure to cover our courts sometime in January.”
The construction process has begun with an
architect’s drawing of the new building that will
be placed over the two previously bubble-covered
courts. “We have a state-of-the-art tennis facility
and fi tness club and will now offer fi ve indoor
courts,” adds Franklin.
Bainbridge’s Fairbank Construction Company
will oversee the three weeks of demolition and
concrete foundation work followed by six weeks
to erect the exterior of the steel building.
The original Bainbridge Island Racquet Club was
built by local residents in 1978. In 1991, this private
club was purchased by Ted and Kellan Eisenhardt.
Since then they increased fi tness memberships and
provided tennis programs for the community as the
facility morphed into the Bainbridge Athletic Club.
� James
Irvine
� John Hanson
The collapsed bubble
at Bainbridge Athletic
Club.
The club includes 50,000
square feet of weight
training areas, studios,
locker rooms with saunas
and steam, social areas, and a juice bar.
To enhance the tennis program, management
recently went to Tennessee to fi nd new BAC Tennis
Director, Zach Laycock, a certifi ed United States
Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) coach
(P1). He has coached a total of 24 Greater Knoxville
Tennis Association (GKTA) Interclub champion
and fi nalist teams, and a total of 31 USTA
League Local, District and Section Championship
teams. At Austin Peay State University, Laycock
played NCAA Division I tennis and competed in
amateur satellite events. Laycock graduated from
the University of Tennessee in 2002 with a BS
in Sport Management/Business Administration.
“We are looking to create a great tennis environment
by adding experienced USPTA Certifi ed
staff with cutting edge knowledge of the tennis
industry,” Laycock explains as he outlines the new
tennis programs. His to-do list includes launching
Cardio Tennis, sanctioned tournaments, local
tournaments, QuickStart Tennis, and more. With
the new building and the hiring of additional
USPTA certifi ed pros, Laycock promises a great
tennis future for Bainbridge Island.
New tennis facility to open
in University Place
Sweeping, dusting, repairs and more sweeping
are underway to open the new University Place
Tennis Academy (UP Tennis Academy) in University
Place, Wash., this winter. The new facility will
feature three indoor and two outdoor courts, a
separate instruction court and a pro shop. UP Tennis
Academy will be housed in the former Fircrest
Tennis Club (2818 69th Ave. W., University Place,
Wash.) which closed its doors in 2006.
“We will be offering junior and adult programs,
daytime ladies fl ights, men’s night doubles
and mixed doubles night,” says Pat Block, president
of the new UP Tennis Academy. “The Pierce
County CTA will operate out of the UP facility and
will run QuickStart Tennis, after-school tennis and
USTA Jr. Team Tennis.”
Her goals for the new academy include a
thorough cleaning of the existing building,
replacement of missing net posts and repair of
indoor and outdoor courts. The site also includes
two signifi cantly deteriorated clay courts that
demand a complete overhaul and would be
“an expensive proposition,” according to Block.
Strategic improvements such as renovating the
clay courts will depend on how the community
embraces the club.
In addition to her new duties at UP Tennis
Academy, Block will stay on as Tennis Director
at Sprinker Tennis Center. Steve Kubota, will
teach at the new academy in addition to retaining
his current role as Sprinker’s Head Tennis
Professional. For more information about the
University Place Tennis Academy, please visit
www.uptennisacademy.com.
www.pnw.usta.com � WINTER 2009/10 TENNIS TIMES
[ Continued on page 15 ]
7