201209 racquet sports industry

7/31/2019 201209 Racquet Sports Industry

1/64

September/October 2012

Volume 40 Number 9 $5.00

www.racquetsportsindustry.com

USTAs Top BrassOn Youth Tennis,

Coaching, PlayerDevelopment, NTCAnd More!

New Racquetsand Shoes

How FacebookCan GrowYour Business

USTAs Top BrassOn Youth Tennis,

Coaching, PlayerDevelopment, NTCAnd More!

New Racquetsand Shoes

How FacebookCan GrowYour Business

Special SectionSpecial Section


2/64


3/64


4/64

DEPARTMENTS

R S I S E P T / O C T 2 0 1 2

INDUSTRY NEWS7 FCC rules in favor

of Tennis Channel

7 2013 PTR Symposiummoves to May

7 Judge approves Princesreorganization plan

8 USPTA WorldConference Sept. 16-21

8 Ashaway introducesMonoGut ZX Red

8 PTR offers deal for10U Tennis Month

8 Dunlop, Gosen joinGSS Symposium

10 Peoplewatch

10 Har-Tru hosts Clay CourtWorkout for juniors

11 Fila picks winner indress design contest

12 Short Sets12 GripScholar offers

logoed grips, wraps

13 2nd quarter specialtystore sales data

4 Our Serve7 Industry News15 Letters

17 Retailing Tip

20 Pioneers in Tennis40 Tips and Techniques42 String Playtest: Gosen Sidewinder 17

44 Your Serve, by L. Jon Wertheim

2 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/October 2012 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

SPECIAL SECTION

(APPEARS AFTER PAGE 22)

FEATURES

23 How Facebook Can GrowYour BusinessIf you are not on social media, youremissing a great opportunity.

26 Response TimeThe USTAs top brass answer ourquestions on topics that impact manysegments of the tennis industry.

37 New Racquets and ShoesMany companies are promising newproduct launches in 2013, but we still

found those taking to the court duringthis years US Open.

COURT CONSTRUCTION& MAINTENANCE

32 Image is EverythingYou may not notice things wear outand wearing down, but your playerswill.

34 Test Your Court KnowledgeHeres a pop quiz to see how much youknow about tennis courts.

ContentsContents


5/64


6/64

Our Serve

(Incorporating Racquet Techand Tennis Industry)

PublishersDavid Bone Jeff Williams

Editorial Director

Peter Francesconi

[email protected]

Associate Editor

Greg Raven

Design/Art Director

Kristine Thom

Contributing Editors

Robin Bateman

Cynthia Cantrell

Joe Dinoffer

Kent Oswald

Bob Patterson

Cynthia ShermanMary Helen Sprecher

Tim Strawn

RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY

Corporate Offices

PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096

Phone: 760-536-1177 Fax: 760-536-1171

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.racquetTECH.com

Office Hours: Mon.-Fri.,8 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific Time

Advertising Director

John Hanna

770-650-1102, x.125

[email protected]

Apparel Advertising

Cynthia Sherman

203-263-5243

[email protected]

Racquet Sports Industry is published 10 times per

year: monthly January through August and combined

issues in September/October and November/

December by Tennis Industry and USRSA, PO Box 3392,

Duluth, GA 30096. Periodcal postage paid at

Duluth, GA and at additional mailing offices (USPS

#004-354). Sept/Oct 2012, Volume 40, Number 9

2012 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. All rights

reserved. Racquet Sports Industry, RSI and logo are

trademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A. Phone

advertising: 770-650-1102 x 125. Phone circulation

and editorial: 760-536-1177. Yearly subscriptions

$25 in the U.S., $40 elsewhere. POSTMASTER: Send

address changes to Racquet Sports Industry, PO Box

3392, Duluth, GA 3009.

RSI is the official magazine of the USRSA, TIA,and ASBA


A Celebration of Tennis

4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/October 2012

T

he US Open brings the best tennis playerstogether for what many consider is the

biggest and best tournament in the world.Thats a perfect reason to celebrate this sport.But now, this industry is adding another reason for celebration. The

Tennis Show 2012 is happening in New York City on Friday, Aug. 24, at

the Grand Hyatt. If youll recall, the inaugural Tennis Show had been

scheduled last year, but Hurricane Irene forced cancelation of that and

many other events the weekend before the Open.

This years Tennis Show is a one-day celebration of tennis that

includes an Exhibitor Show (with demo court for trying out racquets), TIA

Tennis Forum, the induction of Nick Bollettieri into the Tennis Industry

Hall of Fame, and a cocktail reception. The Friday time slot (from 3 to 9

p.m.) was picked to lead into the USTAs Tennis Teachers Conference,

which begins the next morning.

Entrance into The Tennis Show is free for all involved in the tennis

industry, so we hope youll be able to make it to help support this indus-

try. The Tennis Show program is inserted into the center of this issue of

RSI, so if you arent able to be in New York at that time, you can still see

what its all about.

Also in this issue is an extensive Q & A with three of the USTAs lead-

ers: Kurt Kamperman, Patrick McEnroe and Gordon Smith. They were

kind enough to answer our questions on a range of important subjects,

from youth tennis, to Player Development, to teaching pro organizations,

to the National Tennis Center, and much more. Were sure, however, that

many of you will have other questions youd like to put to the USTA, and

we encourage you to send them to us (email me at

[email protected]). While I cant guarantee well get answers, we

can certainly try.

We hope to see you at The Tennis Show this year. (If you are going to

be there, Ill probably be spending a lot of time in a TIA-sponsored ten-

nis industry media booth, so please stop and say hello.) If you cantmake it to New York for the show this year, make sure you take time to

celebrate this sport, in your shop, club, public parkwherever your

business is. The US Open season is the perfect reason to boost your

business.

Peter Francesconi

Editorial Director


7/64


8/64


9/64

INDUSTRY NEWSINDUSTRY NEWSI N F O R M A T I O N T O H E L P Y O U R U N Y O U R B U S I N E S S

2013 PTRSymposium Moves

to May on HHIPTR CEO Dan Santorumannounced in late July that the2013 PTR Symposium will beMay 2-5 on Hilton Head Island,instead of the traditional time

around Presidents Day in Febru-ary. The change is due

to an extensiverenovation atthe Sonesta

Resort (theformer

Crowne Plaza) that wont becompleted until the spring.

The PTR Championships willbegin on Tuesday afternoon, April30. The Symposium will begin onThursday morning, May 2, fol-

lowed by the Parade of Nationsat 1 p.m. and the PTR Banquetthat evening. Friday will be theTrade Show. The Symposium con-tinues Saturday and Sunday, end-ing with the Gamma/HeadCasino Night Dinner/Dance Sun-day evening. Professional Devel-opment Courses will be offeredMay 1, 6, and 7. The rate at thenewly renovated Sonesta Resortwill be $139/night with no resortfee.

For those who may have beenplanning on the February dates,the PTR will host its inaugural 10& Under Tennis Conference Feb.14-17 at the Marriott ResortPal-metto Dunes on Hilton HeadIsland. The conference willinclude a PTR Junior Develop-ment (10 & Under) Certificationworkshop and testing. The 10Uconference will end with a YouthTown Hall lunch.

Visit www.ptrtennis.org for more

details.

R S I S E P T / O C T 2 0 1 2

FCC Ruling Favors Tennis Channel Over Comcast

The Federal Communications Commissions 3-2 ruling in July in favor of Tennis Channel over

cable giant Comcast may have come just in time for US Open fans. Although at press time

Comcast said it will appeal, for now it must add Tennis Channel to an addition-

al 18 million Comcast households

"Tennis Channel has demonstrated that Comcast discriminated against Tennis

Channel and in favor of Golf Channel and Versus on the basis of affiliation, and that

this discrimination unreasonably restrained Tennis Channel's ability to compete,

the commissions ruling said. By relegating the Tennis Channel to a more expensivesports tier, which reached only about 3 million Comcast homes, Comcast had effec-

tively limited the channel's reach and crimped its revenue prospects.

Comcast has said it will appeal to the courts, but for now it must add the Tennis

Channel to 18 million households, which also means that it will have to pay the network millions of

dollars more each year for its programming. Tennis Channel is currently available in about 34 million

homes nationwide. The FCC also levied Comcast with a $375,000 fine.

September/October 2012 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 7www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Judge Approves Princes Reorganization Plan

At the end of July, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge approved Princes plan for restructuring,

which allows it to exit court protection in less than three months. Under Princes reorganiza-

tion plan, lender ABG-Prince LLC will get all the reorganized companys equity in exchange

for its $67.2 million secured debt. Unsecured creditors, owed about $13.8 million if all claims areallowed, will get proceeds from lawsuits and $4 million cash in two installments for an estimated

recovery of at least 29 percent.

Prince sought bankruptcy protection May 1 listing about $54.2 million in

assets as of Dec. 31, court filings show. The company owed creditors more

than $75 million.

Active Brands Co., which was formed in the spring by the principals of two Omaha-based com-

panies, acquired exclusive rights to the Prince, Ektelon and Viking brands in North America, forming

a wholly owned subsidiary, Prince Americas. Prince Americas will exclusively operate and manage

the production and distribution of all products and services associated with Prince, Ektelon and

Viking in North America, Latin America and South America. The CEO of Active Brands is Chris Circo.

USTA Promotes Free Tennis Play Days

On Sept. 1, the USTA, with the help of a celebrity spokesperson, will kick off National Child-

hood Obesity Awareness Month by encouraging parents and kids to attend one of more than

a thousand USTA Free Tennis Play Days, held over the next month.

Childhood obesity has become the No. 1 health concern among parents, as this epidemic has

tripled in the last three decades, said USTA President Jon Vegosen. With our new rules for young

kids and the overall safety of the sport, tennis can be the perfect prescription for a lifetime of fun

and healthy activity. The USTA is looking for tennis providers to register their Free Tennis Play Days

at YouthTennis.com. The first 2,000 events to register will receive:

* 50 copies of a special edition of Bounce, the USTAs youth publication.

* 50 photo frame magnets with USTA Free Tennis Play Day in celebration of Nickelodeons World-

wide Day of Play branding.

* Exposure in the searchable database on YouthTennis.com that will be promoted on Nickelodeon.


10/64

PTR Offers Deal for 10U Tennis MonthThe PTRs Junior Development (10 & Under) Workshops have certified more than1,000 tennis coaches since February 2011, and to honor that milestone, the PTR hasannounced that August is PTR 10 & Under Tennis Month.

During August, anyone who joins PTR as a full member can take advantage of two

special offers that will save them a total of $220: 1) PTR will waive the $100 member-

ship initiation fee, and 2) Free registration for a PTR Junior Development (10 and Under

Tennis) Workshop, a $120 savings, provided you attend the workshop in 2012.

The USTA is providing grant funds to assist with delivering these 10 and Under edu-

cational workshops, says PTR CEO Dan Santorum. This is a great deal for people who

have been thinking about joining PTR and getting their tennis teaching certification.

PTR membership has always been a terrific value, but this August, its even better.

The USTA is excited that PTR is helping build a larger pool of well-trained teachersand coaches for this very important age group, adds USTA Chief Executive of Commu-

nity Tennis Kurt Kamperman. To take advantage of this offer, call the PTR at 843-785-

7244.

S E P T / O C T 2 0 1 2

IN

DUSTRYNEW

S


Dunlop, GosenJoin Sponsors atGSS Symposium

Dunlop is the latest company thatwill take part in the 2012 GSSSymposium at Saddlebrook Resort

in Tampa, Sept. 22-26, joiningBabolat, Gamma,

Wilson and Yonex.

Were happy to be

part of the 2012

Symposium, says

Hunter Hines of Dun-

lop.

Over the past 18

months weve built

some strong momentum with

strings like Silk and Black Widow,

adds Hines, and we hope being apart of the Symposium will serve to

build our brand and grow our pres-

ence in the string segment.

This will be Dunlops first time at

the GSS Symposium, which is now

in its sixth year. Were pleased to

add Dunlop to the list of industry

leaders that help make this event

possible each year, says GSS Sym-

posium founder Tim Strawn.

These five companies will con-

tribute to our major gift bag thatwill see each attendee walk away

with a triple racquet thermal bag,

12 sets of premium string, and a

premium racquet. This, along with

gifts from other sponsors, will more

than offset the cost of registration

to attend the event.

Also participating in the Sympo-

sium will be string company Gosen.

Gosen is recognized as a world

leader in the manufacture of rac-

quet strings, so theyre a perfect fitfor this group, Strawn says. Our

attendees love the opportunity to

test new strings as soon as theyre

released. In 2011 Gosen provided

free sets of their new Sidewinder

polyester, and I still hear from last

years attendees who continue to

have great success with that string.

For more info on the GSS sym-

posium, visit www.grandslam-

stringers.com and click on the

Symposium link. For questions,

contact Strawn at 540-632-1148.

USPTA World Conference Sept. 16-21 in CA

The USPTAs World Conference on Tennis will be Sept. 16-21 at the Hyatt Regency Mon-terey Hotel & Spa in Monterey, Calif. More than 1,500 tennis-teach-ing professionals, industry leaders and representatives, media

and manufacturer representatives are expected to attend, par-

ticipating in educational sessions both on- and off-court, net-

working, and more.

The seminars address current issues and future challenges facingall tennis teachers. Attendees also can participate in morning Car-

dio Tennis sessions. Also, USPTA players can compete for prize money and ranking points,

and players who would like to represent their divisions may also compete in the USPTA

Team Championships.

On Sept. 19, USPTA will hold its Tennis Buying Show. Exhibitors include equipment,

apparel and footwear companies, video analysis, teaching aids, court surfacing and more.

In addition, the USPTA Silent Auction will be held during the buying show, which benefits

the USPTA foundation.

For more information, visit www.usptaworldconference.com.

Ashaway Introduces MonoGut ZX Red for Tennis

Ashaway Racket Strings has added a new member to its growing line of Zyex-based ten-nis strings. Colored bright red, MonoGut ZX Red is made from the same non-polyester100% Zyex material as its sister product, MonoGut ZX, and plays more like natural gut,

says Ashaway.

In recent blind playtests conducted by both the US and European Racquet Stringers

Associations (USRSA and ERSA), Ashaway's

MonoGut strings were found to have much

reduced stiffness and improved elongation, pro-

viding more power and control, and a softer feel,

than leading polyester brands.

Ashaway says MonoGut ZX Red is designed

for players seeking both gut-like playability and

superior durability in a solid monofilament

string, as well as those using monofilament

strings in hybrid stringing patterns. The 1.27

mm (16 gauge) MonoGut ZX Red is available in

40-foot sets and in both 360- and 720-foot reels.

Recommended stringing tension is up to 60 lbs.

Visit www.ashawayusa.com.


11/64

sdfsdf

The 2012 USPTA Worsdfsdf

Sep/Oct 2012 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 9www.racquetsportsindustry.com

I N D U S T R Y N E W S

sdfsdf

Twelve tennis playesdfsdf

sdfsdf

PTR and sdfsdf


12/64

Har-Tru Sports, USTA Northern CaliforniaHost Clay Court Workout for Juniors

Har-Tru Sports teamed up with the USTA Northern California Section inJuly to provide some of Californias top juniors the unique opportunityto train on clay courts. Har-Trus NorCal Clay Court Workout events wereopen to players who had qualified for the Clay Court Nationals, and North-

ern California players who ranked in the top 20 of each age division.

The two-day event took place at two facilities: Napa Valley Country

Club and the Flora Vista Inn. About 20 young players ranging from ages

12 to 16 attended, where they learned clay-court strategy, tactics and foot-

work. Topics included movement and balance, learning to slide, using

depth and spin versus power, controlling the point, playing offense versus

defense, how to get your opponent out of position, and shot selection.

"The level of talent in Northern California is tremendous," said Pat

Hanssen, Director of Sales & Marketing for Har-Tru Sports and a former

player and coach. "These kids are extremely intelligent and have access

to some of the best coaches I have

seen. Our goal was to provide young

players with clay-specific training and

coachingsomething they sorely lack

out Westthat will have a positive

impact on their game, and give them

experience to draw on as they head

East for the biggest tournaments of the

year.

Har-Tru says providing juniors with

more training opportunities and com-

petition on clay will lead to more well-rounded players. The company says

clay courts have served as a training surface to 88 percent of male players

who have reached the top 10 in the world since rankings were kept.

10RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/October 2012

S E P T / O C T 2 0 1 2

IN

DUSTRYNEW

S


Babolat recently presented its top retailer and sales rep awards. TennisStation of Burlingame, Calif., was named the retailer of the year. Allan Iver-

son has been named Babolats National Sales Representative of the Year.

Andy Wild has been named the North Sales Representative of the Year. Mike

Moor and Mike Sprengelmeyer are the South Sales Reps of the Year. The

Tennis Runs In Our Blood Award goes to National Sales Manager Mickey

Maule and Director of Marketing Susan DiBiase.

Asics America has signed two-time NCAA singles champion Steve John-son. Johnson played four years at University of Southern California before

leaving this past May as one of the most decorated tennis players in college

history.

HEAD stars Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic were each honoredwith a 2012 ESPY trophy at the 20th Annual ESPY Awards in July. Sharpova

was named Best Female Tennis Player and Djokovic Best Male Tennis Player.

The USTA has named F. Skip Gilbert as Managing Director, Professional

Tennis Operations & US Open Tournament Manager. In his new role, Gilbertwill be responsible for the USTAs professional tournaments including Cincin-

nati, New Haven and Atlanta; oversee all aspects of the USTA Pro Circuit

department including its interaction with Player Development; oversee the

USTAs officiating department and the USTAs USOC relationship; as well as

serve as Tournament Manager at the US Open.

Former world No. 1 Martina Hingis of the New York Sportimes and theWashington Kastles' Bobby Reynolds were named as MVPs for the World

TeamTennis Pro League. John-Patrick Smith of the Orange County Breakers

and Kristyna Pliskova of the Philadelphia Freedoms were named as WTT

Rookies of the Year, while Murphy Jensen of the Washington Kastles was

named WTT Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Stanford junior Nicole Gibbs and USC senior Steve Johnson were honoredas the 2012 Campbell/ITA National College Players of the Year as part of

induction weekend in July at the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Muse-

um in Newport, R.I.

Rob DeMartini, New Balance President & CEO, joined several members ofCongress and the RFPMA (Rubber and Plastic Footwear Manufacturers Asso-

ciation) on Capitol Hill recently to highlight the importance of supporting

domestic footwear manufacturing. Martini said, "New Balance is proud to

make shoes in the U.S. despite the inherent challenges that caused the rest

of the athletic footwear industry to move all of their production offshore."

Wilson tour player and 17-time Grand Slam record holder Roger Federerset a record in mid-July by becoming the first male tennis player to hold the

world no. 1 ranking for 287 weeks total.

PEOPLEWATCH

PTR Holds Wimbledon Symposium

TThe Professional Tennis Registry hosted its inau-gural PTR Wimbledon Symposium, June 28-29,in London. Presenters included Judy Murray, LTA

Fed Cup captain; Roger Draper, LTA chief execu-tive; Anne Pankhurst, world renowned coach edu-

cational expert; Jez Green, fitness coach of Andy

Murray; and Claire Pollard, head women's tennis

coach for Northwestern University.

PTR President Jorge Andrew and PTR CEO Dan

Santorum told the mostly British audience that

PTR is dedicated to revitalizing PTR membership

in Great Britain. Holding the Wimbledon Sympo-

sium was the first step in that direction, Santorum

said. The PTR says the two-day Wimbledon Sym-

posium will be an annual event that hopes to

attract an international audience.


13/64September/October 2012 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY11



Fila Picks Winner in TennisDress Design Contest

Fila announced that Samantha Swank, arecent fashion design graduate from ArtInstitute of Philadelphia, has won its tennis

dress design contest, which was held via

the brands Facebook page, Facebook.com/FilaAmerica. The contest was a twist on

the designer/celebrity collaboration trend,

says Fila, which gave real

people the opportunity to

become a star in the spe-

cialized world of perform-

ance tennis fashion.

The final round,

between Swank and co-

finalist Annabelle

McDonald, a film and

television producer liv-ing in Brooklyn, N.Y., was held in

Filas New York office, where they present-

ed their ideas and inspiration to a panel of

judges.

Swank remained in New York to begin

the product development process for her

design and oversee production alongside

Fila Vice President of Apparel Danny

Lieberman. She will return to New York the

first week of September for a fitting of the

dress on a professional tennis player. Then

in March 2013, Swank will watch courtside

as her dress debuts in a tournament match

by a Fila-sponsored WTA Tour tennis play-

er at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

PTR to Host TennisDirectors Conference

The PTRs inaugural Directors of TennisConference will be Oct. 16-18 onHilton Head Island, S.C. The inaugural

conference will be limited to 75 atten-

dees and will be on a first-come first-served basis.

A variety of topics relevant to directors

(indoor, resort, country club and private

facility) will be addressed by the faculty,

which includes directors of tennis and

consultants Doug Cash, Jorge Andrew,

Roy Barth, David Brouwer, Michael

Mahoney, Mark McMahon and others.

The conference also will feature vendor

displays to showcase products and servic-

es. To register, call the PTR at 843-785-

7244.

ASBA Leaders Visit atWimbledon, Meet With ITF

ASBA Executive Director Fred Stringfel-low (left) and Tennis Division PresidentPete Smith represented the Association in

June in London during the Championships

at Wimbledon. Stringfellow and Smith par-ticipated in the ITF Foundations Court

Surface Technical Meeting at ITFs head-

quarters in

London on

June 28. Par-

ticipants dis-

cussed such

initiatives as

ITF Recogni-

tion, ITFs

Court Pace

ClassificationProgram,

Shoe Surface

Interaction

research and

Net Tension considerations. The ITF Foun-

dation includes corporate and non-profit

association sponsors.


14/64

GripScholar Offers Logoed Grips, Wraps

GripScholar specializes in custom sports grips, wraps, and tapes, working withindividual tournaments, charities, athletic departments, bookstores, individualsports teams, and a variety of retailers and corporate partners.

Our tennis grips are comprised of our own custom material, providing the

perfect combination of feel and durability, the company says. Images on the

grips do not run, wear, or degrade when introduced to sweat, water, and com-

petitive/repetitive use. The company can

place almost any logo or image on thegrips. Some of their clients include Harvard,

Yale, MIT, Northeastern, Boston College and

the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Two of the most popular products are GS

Premiere and GS Performance Grips. The

company says GS Premiere is a super tacky,

sweat absorptive, soft yet durable overgrip

most often used for tennis, squash, bad-

minton, cycling, golf, and baseball/softball.

GS Performance is a thinner, tougher, stock-

ier material most often used for hockey, field hockey, and lacrosse. For more

information, visit www.gripscholar.com.

S E P T / O C T 2 0 1 2

INDUSTRYNEW

S

12RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/October 2012 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

> Starting Jan. 1, 2013, and for a period offive years, Babolat will become the official

shoe brand of The Championships, Wimble-

don. As part of the deal, Babolat will equip the

ball boys and girls during The Championships.

> Donnay officials say their best customer sofar is Andre Agassi, who bought six of our XP

Dual models and will order an additional 40

for the rest of the year. A company source

said Agassi recently playtested about 25

frames from four manufacturers. Agassi does

not have an endorsement deal with Donnay

and wont be doing any promotional appear-

ances for the brand, the source said.

> 10-S Tennis Supply is the new official ten-nis court equipment supplier of the USPTA. As

part of the partnership agreement, 10-S TennisSupplys Six Star II tennis net will become the

official tennis net of the USPTA.

> The USTA has created a US Open Sports-manship Award, which will be presented to

one male and one female professional tennis

player who best demonstrates excellence in

sportsmanship throughout the Emirates Air-

line US Open Series and the US Open. The

award will be presented to each winner dur-

ing the 2012 US Open.

> The PTRs TennisPro Magazine received

SHORT SETSthree 2012 APEX Awards for Publishing Excel-

lence. The awards were for the January/Febru-

ary 2011 issue in the category of Education &

Training Writing, the September/October 2011

issue for Sports Writing, and the January/Feb-

ruary 2012 issue in the category of Magazine

& Journal Writing. PTR Director of Communi-

cations Peggy Edwards is the editor of Tennis-

Pro.

> The World TeamTennis Pro League finalswill be Sept. 14-16 at the Family Circle Tennis

Center in Charleston, S.C.

> Consider hosting a Tennis Play Day, inconjunction with the USTAs military outreach

initiative. The USTAs Tennis in the Parks Com-

mittee, working with other USTA committees

and departments, is urging park & rec agen-

cies, CTAs and other tennis providers to host aPlay Day on or near Veterans Day, which this

year falls on Sunday, Nov. 11. For more infor-

mation and to register your Veterans Day Play

Day event, visit www.usta.com/veteransday.

> Junior tennis players from across USTAEastern had a chance to improve their games

and learn about careers in tennis at the sec-

tions 14th Annual Camp A.C.E. (Achieving

through Coaching and Education) in July. For-

mer pros Rodney Harmon and Leslie Allen

coached the juniors, and USTA and other exec-utives offered sessions on playing tennis in

college, career choices in tennis, team build-

ing, and leadership skills. Camp A.C.E. is an

NJTL Regional Leadership camp.

> Looking to hire, or be hired? CareersIn-Tennis.com has more than 1,300 registered

job-seekers, and more than 1,000 job list-

ings, and its free for employers and job-

seekers.

> Andre Agassi, Stefanie Graf, and AndyRoddick will join other top players for the

Mylan World TeamTennis Smash Hits, pre-

sented by Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King,

on Oct. 16 at the Petersen Events Center.

> Match Mate Tennis's new "Quickstart"ball machine is designed for 10 and Under

Tennis. The machine can throw all three types

of transition ballsred, orange and greenin addition to the standard yellow ball. Top

speed has been tweaked down to 30 mph

maximum for safety. Instructors also can

stand behind the player and have a more

hands-on lesson. Visit www.matchmateten-

nis.com or call 800-837-1002.

> ATP Tour Player Ivo Karlovic has signedwith Genesis Tennis, as has ATP pro Teymuraz

Gabashvili. Also Genesis has launched its

newly redesigned website, which includes

integration with various social media sites.Visit www.genesis-tennis.com.

Congratulations To the FollowingFor Achieving MRT and CS Status

New MRTs

Ian Campbell Lake Oswego, OR

New CSs

Justin Gallagher Antioch, TNIvo Ljubibratic New London, NH


15/64September/October 2012 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 13www.racquetsportsindustry.com


Top-Selling Tennis Stringsat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date units, January-June 2012

1. Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex

2. Babolat RPM Blast

3. Wilson NXT

4. Wilson Sensation

5. Luxilon Alu Power

Top-Selling Racquetsat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars, January-June 2012

Best Sellers

1. Babolat Aero Pro Drive GT (MP)

2. Babolat Pure Drive GT 2012 (MP)

3. Wilson BLX Juice (MP)

4. Babolat Pure Drive GT (MP)

5. Babolat Pure Drive Lite 2012 (MP)

Hot New Racquets

(introduced in the past 12 months)

1. Babolat Pure Drive GT 2012 (MP)

2. Wilson BLX Juice (MP)

3. Babolat Pure Drive Lite 2012 (MP)

4. Babolat Pure Drive 107 2012 (OS)

5. Wilson BLX Juice (OS)

Tennis Racquet PerformanceSpecialty Stores

January-June, 2012 vs. 2011

Units 2012 336,728

2011 309,667

% change v. 11 9%

Dollars 2012 $47,055,0002011 $44,517,000

% change v. 11 6%

Price 2012 $139.74

2011 $143.76

% change v. 11 -3%

Top-Selling Tennis Shoesat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars, January-June 20122

1. Prince T22

2. Adidas Adipower Barricade 7

3. Asics Gel Resolution 4

4. Babolat Propulse 3

5. Nike Zoom Breathe 2K11

(Source: TIA/Sports Marketing Surveys)


16/6414RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/October 2012 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

S E P T / O C T 2 0 1 2

INDUSTRYNEW

SBJK Supports Juniors at Adopt-A-Unit Packing Party

Billie Jean King was on hand at the World TeamTennis Junior Nationals in San Diego in earlyAugust to help with a packing party the junior players held to collect and send donated sup-plies to an Army unit in Afghanistan, as part of the USTAs Adopt-A-Unit program. Players also

wrote personal notes of appreciation to accompany the six full packages.

The tournament, held at the Barnes Family Junior Tennis Center, also hosted a presentation by

a recovering serviceman from the San Diego Balboa Medical Center and other Armed Forces per-sonnel, who talked to the players about the role tennis has played in military as well as the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers.

The purpose of the presentation was to inform the players of the service and sacrifices made by military families, and

ways the tennis community can support them, says volunteer coordinator Kathy Willette. Willette worked closely with U.S.

Navy Capt. Steve Kappes (ret.), a member of the USTAs Community Tennis Association Committee, to plan the event.

Letters

More on a

Restring CampaignAfter reading the letters in theAugust edition of RSI about a

restringing campaign I do have

one thing that I think needs to be

mentioned. Television announcers

do a disservice when discussing

polyester strings. Yes, for the pros

they do a great job, however the

announcers rarely, if ever, give

the rest of the story. They don't

tell of the quick tension loss, the

reduction of power when switch-ing from a typical synthetic to a

poly, and the biggie, the harsh-

ness due to its inherent stiffness

and the increased potential for

arm problems.

I have customers at the

2.5/3.0 levelwho can only

break a string if they hit a sharp

rock with their racquetwanting

to put a poly into their frame

because of what they heard

watching a televised match. I

have a pretty much canned

speech that I give them, to allow

them to have the other side of

the story so that they can make a

truly educated decision about

their stringing needs.

Will this change the announc-

er's philosophy about strings?

Probably not. But it should, for

the health of our customers.

David Pavlich, MRT

Mandeville, LA



State Sales Tax IssueThe Our Serve in the August

issue (Leveling the Field)

addresses the very complex topic

of state by state sales tax and how

it affects brick-and-mortar special-

ty shops extremely well. I especial-

ly appreciated the research that

put the dilemma in historical and

political perspective. As part of a

company that sells nationwide, this

is also an issue for us with our cus-

tomers in our home state of Texas.

Joe Dinoffer

President, Oncourt Offcourt, Ltd.


Letters

More on aRestring CampaignStrings are vitally important to

player performance and physicalwell-being. For the first time inmany years, we are hearing televi-sion commentators discussing thestrings that the tour players use orthe tensions or the reason forchanging racquets during a matchwhen new balls are introduced.This is a good trend for the recog-nition of the importance of stringsas a key component of equipmentwith regard to performance.

As we all know, not every play-

er can get the same benefit from astring as a tour player, so it doesremain incumbent upon stringers,retailers, facility managers, teach-ing pros, coaches and manufactur-ers to provide education andknowledge about string technolo-gies that will improve a playersperformance and enjoyment of thegame at all levels.

We highly appreciate the effortsof RSI and the USRSA for suggest-ing a campaign that recognizes the

importance of string for perform-ance and the importance ofrestringing a racquet to maintainand enhance performance.

Paul KidTecnifibre USA


18/64


19/64

Retailing 114

The TennisConnect website nicely

illustrates and provides a solution for this

challenge with TennisConnect Mobile-

Builder, a tool that converts a specialty

retailers website into a mobile-compati-

ble site, while not changing normal web-

site functionality. The objective is to

make standard websites, which dont

really work on handheld devices because

of sizing issues, compatible with thesmaller viewing size requirements of digi-

tal, handheld mobile devices, like smart-

phones and the new generation of flat-

screen personal computers.

With the tools available from Tennis-

Connect, specialty tennis retailers of all

sizes now have the help they need to not

only develop competitive commerce-

enabled websites, but also digital, mobile

device compatible websites.

This circles back to allowing specialty

tennis retailers to continue and extend

their email marketing programs from

their customers home computers to

include their customers smart phones

and personal flat-screen handheld com-

puters.

While other small to mid-size special-

ty retailers in the U.S. are going to be

scrambling to find service providers to

help them become multichannel retailers,

and catch up to the rapid pace of

changes in hand-held mobile technology

for consumers, specialty tennis retailers

have a huge advantage in the established

and very affordable source for all their

mobile compatible website needs at Ten-

nisConnect (www.tennisconnect.com).

All they have to do is take full advan-

tage of the opportunity TIA has provided

for them. w

w The best time to send consumer emails

is between 5 and 8 p.m.Tuesday

through Thursday, or between Friday

evening and Sunday afternoon.

w Add a line at the top of your emails,

requesting that your email address be

added to the recipients address book.

w Make the from name on your emails

your store brand, or the name of a per-

son at your store. Once you choose afrom name, keep it consistent. In the

split second before deciding to open or

delete, the most important factor is

whether the recipient recognizes the

name on your email.

w For your newsletter, include both a

plain text and HTML version. If you

dont, about 5 percent or more of your

recipients will see a message with noth-

ing in it.

w Dont use all caps or multiple exclama-

tion marks within your subject line or

body. If you do, you will trigger spam fil-

ters.

w Build your email list at every opportuni-

ty. In addition to your website, a stan-

dard request for an email address and

permission to send your newsletter, spe-

cial events and promotional information

at the time every transaction is complet-

ed, no matter how small, should be part

of your store operations. Add an email

sign-up form to your customer satisfac-

tion survey and as a part of every special

event and promotional activity your

store participates in.

w Maintain your email list and keep it cur-

rent.

The rapid pace of change in digital, hand-

held technology has impacted the process

of email marketing, and today all size

retailers, including specialty tennis stores,

are being challenged to provide web-based

mobile connectivity, including website and

email compatibility.

s the handheld digital devices

revolution has exploded, special-

ty tennis retailers use of email

marketing to reach their customers will

also have to evolve and change.

A new group of service providers

has cropped up, specializing in modify-

ing retailers websites to be more com-

patible with the variety of handheld

digital devices consumers are using.Another group of new service providers

will help retailers modify and craft

email or develop a proprietary applica-

tion to make retailers email marketing

more compatible and effective on hand-

held devices.

The great news for specialty tennis

retailers is TennisConnect (www.tennis-

connect.com) can provide all the sup-

port and information they need to

initiate and update websites, find the

service providers they need and catch

up to the handheld digital devices con-

sumer revolution.

But, before we get too far ahead of our-

selves, lets look at some important best

practices for email marketing, which

apply to both the more traditional as

well as the emerging mobile and digital

forms:

w Only send emails to persons who

have requested to receive them! This

means you need to set up the means

to ask and receive permission before-

hand. A sign-up form on your website

is a great place to do this.

w Use an email servicelike IContact,

ConstantContact, or TennisConnect

to ensure you dont get tagged as a

spammer.

w Be consistent with your sending fre-

quencyparticularly with newslet-

ters. Whether weekly, biweekly or

monthly, pick a schedule and stick with

it.

A

Digital & Email MarketingWith the explosion of handheld digital devices, retailers

need to evolve to best reach their customers.

September/October 2012 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 1www.racquetsportsindustry.com

This is part of a series

of retail tips presented

by the Tennis Industry

Association and written

by the Gluskin Townley Group (www.gluskin-

townleygroup.com).


20/6418RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/October 2012

Tennis on Campus

well as in-person events such as open

houses, tennis mixers and more.

One of the newer additions to the TOC

family, the tennis club at the New Mexico

Institute of Mining and Technology, came

together after using a campaign of fliers

and notices around campus. Club presi-

dent Hani Barghout said it took some

time, but the players did come out.

Rebuilding a tennis club, says Stephanie

Dudzinski, women's team president at

Duke University, can be a challenge every

September. I think definitely if you have

new members, creating a team, not just

having players, makes a huge difference.

Duke, she adds, is dedicated to having

those extra practices to bring its team

together.

Team-building can take many forms.

Club members at the College of

Charleston have three-times-a-week prac-

tice, but also make time to just go to the

park together on weekends and hit, some-

thing they say fosters a spirit of unity.

Clemson University's club team has a

unique way of bonding, according to

senior Nathan Wood. The school fields a

very fall, Tennis On Campus

teams hit the baseline, ready to

start over following graduation of

their senior-class players. Returning play-

ers take stock of who's still participating,

and they wonder who will come in to fill

the empty spaces. And many have a

momentary sense of panic: I need to

make sure our team keeps going.

Guaranteeing continuity of a club ten-nis team, say TOC members, involves a

three-part effort: recruitment, rebuilding

and retention. And some of these ideas

can apply beyond a college campus

team, too.

Many colleges use a campus-wide expo

to make students aware of the opportu-

nities for club participation. For instance,

the University of CaliforniaSanta Bar-bara offers its Fun and Fitness Festival.

More than 5,000 students turn out to

learn about the school's clubs, including

its Gauchos Tennis Team.

According to Michael Montgomery,

co-president of the club, the festival

really gives everyone a great opportuni-

ty to learn about things on campus. It's

not just club sports either; the school has

clubs for all kinds of interests, and it

really teaches people what's available to

them."

North Carolina State University offers

clubs a similar opportunity when it pre-

sents its Fall Festival, says tennis club

member Tanya Bator. The University of

Alabama hosts Get On Board Day

through its Division of Student Affairs. At

all events, club representatives are ready

with information on meetings and prac-

tices, and can take down contact infor-

mation for prospective members.

Many Tennis On Campus teams in

smaller schools market themselves to

students using posters and e-mails, as

E

Keep Your Club TeamGoing StrongB Y M A R Y H E L E N S P R E C H E R


competitive team, but is welcoming to

players of all levels, he notes. Anyone

who wants to come out and play can.

We practice four days a week, Monday

through Thursday. Then on Friday, we

book a small gym and play basketball

together. It's bad basketball, but hey,

we're tennis players.

The challenge facing many teams is

assuring continuity following graduation

of strong players who have been active

in recruitment efforts and in team activi-

ties throughout their years as students.

In many cases, keeping a club viable

depends on

keeping up its

visibility in the

eyes of the stu-

dent body.

The Univer-sity of Connecti-

cut, says Sam

Laudati, has

improved con-

tinuously since its formation. Thankfully

every year, we've gotten better and bet-

ter, he says. Players who see them-

selves growing in skill will return each

semester, and will talk up the team to

othersthose who want to improve, and

those who already have years of play

under their belts.

At Ohio University, club president

Jennifer Hoffman was faced with a

somewhat younger team following the

graduation of some longtime members,

but like many teams, recognizes that

underclassmen can be the key to conti-

nuity.

Mark Otten, president of the UCLA

Bruins, who won ToC Nationals in 2011,

would agree with that. The star players

on the Bruins' winning team included

two freshman girls, and two sophomore

guys, so our future looks bright. w

The USTAs Tennis on Cam-

pus program is in nearly

600 colleges and universi-

ties and has 35,000 student-

athlete participants. Formore information, visit

www.TennisOnCampus.com.

Many colleges use

a campus-wide

expo to make

students aware of

the opportunitiesfor tennis club

participation.


21/64


22/6420RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/October 2012

Pioneers In Tennis


"Pioneers in Tennis," an occasional column in RSI, draws attention to trailblazers in the sport. Have someone to suggest?

E-mail [email protected].

Mike Davies:Making Tennis Big Business

to them the business side of tennis, that,

Guys, this is so you can get commer-

cials. The more people watch, the more

the television will be able to charge for

commercials and the more prize money

youre going to get.

We called him the Sarge because

he was always barking orders, says fel-

low former touring pro and Hall of

Famer Buchholz. Mike was the guy who

convinced Lamar that he shouldnt put

up all the money for WCT by himself,

that he was going about it wrong and

should find sponsors, somebody else to

put up the money. Through his passion,

Mike took tennis out of the small office

and the trunk of somebodys car and

made it big business. He was the bridge

that made all that happen.

When asked what he would do to

change the sport today, Davies laughs at

the difficulty of the question, ponders a

moment and then throws out yet anoth-

er business pitch.

I really think the Grand Slams are

going to have to look at five-set match-

es, he says. Im not saying they should

change to three sets, but I think they

need to shorten the mens matches.

Television drives the business train of all

sports. When you have five-set Davis

Cup matches, for example, the network

has to devote, like, nine hours on the

first day of singles play. Thats a tremen-

dous amount of inventory and dedica-

tion. Maybe you play four sets with a

tiebreaker for the fifth, something likethat.

The idea of a super-tiebreaker in lieu

of the fifth set at Roland Garros may

seem radical but, then again, so have

most of Davies other ideas.

So many of the things that were

doing today are because Mike started

them, says Buchholz. He may have

been a rebel but, in the end, hes been a

rebel for the establishment.

Cindy Shmerler

greater lure of names such as two-time

Grand Slam champion Rod Laver and

his fellow Australian Ken Rosewall,

Davies secured the first lucrative televi-

sion deals with NBC. (The caveat was

that Davies had to raise the first $1 mil-

lion in advertising himself, which, of

course, he did.)

He then came up with the idea of

using yellow tennis balls, rather than the

traditional white ones, and colored cloth-

ing, all with the intent of enhancing

viewer pleasure. But there were other

problems as well.

In those days players did not sit

down, did not have chairs on the court,

says Davies, with a bit of a smirk,

acknowledging that todays pros dont

know how good they have it. They

walked basically to the umpires chair,

took a drink of water, wiped down and

went to their place to play. All that took

about 20 seconds. [But] the television

people said to me, What are you doing?

We have to put commercials in. I said,

Were going to have to put chairs on

the court and hold the players.

Rosewall and Laver, the first time

we did this, they looked at me like I was

crazy, adds Davies of the now-90-sec-

ond changeover time. I had to explain

ike Davies is tired of people

mispronouncing his name. It

irks himgood-naturedly

anywaythat even his best buddies

like Butch Buchholz and Stan Smith

refuse to call him Davis, the native

Welsh pronunciation, preferring instead

Davees, as most have referred to him

for most of his 50 years in tennis. Only

now, as a recent inductee into the Inter-

national Tennis Hall of Fame, has

Davies made it clear that he wants hisname spoken correctly.

But perhaps it is fitting that Davies

work in the game has trumped his

name recognition. The 76-year-old

Davies is a behind-the-scenes one-of-a-

kind who, through his tennis creativity,

business acumen and sheer chutzpah,

has literally transformed the way the

professional game is played today.

The year was 1970 and open ten-

nisa.k.a. paid touring proswas still

in its infancy. Davies, once the top-

ranked player in Great Britain, had

been banned by the International Ten-

nis Federation from playing Davis Cup

and the major championships for turn-

ing pro in 1960 at age 24. His playing

days over, Davies was teaching at the

Jack Kramer Club in Los Angeles when

Lamar Hunt and Al Hill Jr. tapped him

and his marketing skills to help lead

World Championship Tennis, the inde-

pendent, renegade league that

promised players big money and even

bigger worldwide exposure.

Lamar taught me many things,

says Davies, who was the last Brit to

reach a Wimbledon final, in doubles in

1960, until Andy Murray lost to Roger

Federer in the singles final this past

July. One was that there are two words

to show business, and most forget the

second word.

So Davies set out to make the game

big business. By using the burgeoning

popularity of the sport and the even

M

Courte

syInternationalTennisHallofFame


23/64


24/64


25/64

G r a n d H y a t t , N Y CF r i d a y , A u g u s t 2 4 , 2 0 1 2


26/64

Welcome to The Tennis Show 2012!

Were thrilled that youvejoined us or thisexciting celebration o tennis

and the tennis industry. We

encourage you to spend time

with all o our exhibitors,

see and try out new products

and services, network with

colleagues, and nd out more about the industry and the

important initiatives and programs in the works.

Also, make sure you attend the TIA Tennis Forum or an

update on the state o the industry, the U.S. tennis market,

current initiatives to support industry growth, and 10 and

Under Tennis. The second hal o the Forum will be the

induction o coaching legend Nick Bollettieri into the TennisIndustry Hall o Fame.

The Tennis Industry Association has been very active in

helping to lay the groundwork or creating a more sustainable

uture or all involved in tennis. As the not-or-prot trade

association supporting the growth and economic vitality

o tennis, the TIA remains ocused on our key strategic

platorms: 1) Growth o Tennis & the Tennis Economy,

2) remaining the #1 Source or Tennis Research, 3) increasing

Awareness & Advocacy or our sport through communications

and positioning, and 4) Uniying the Industry Under OneBrand TENNIS.

Among the strategies to grow tennis and the tennis

economy is increasing the number o requent tennis players

the key drivers o revenue and o long-term sustainability.

Our goal is to reach 10 million requent players by 2020, and

weve been working closely with industry partners to develop

grassroots and technology programs and initiatives, including

the recently re-launched playtennis.coma central portal to

get consumers on the pathway to more requent play. The

site will be supported with messaging on 30 million ball cans,1.5 million racquets, and other product packaging.

We continue to work closely with the USTA and industry

partners to support eorts to bring more youth into tennis.

The TIA has been coordinating a National Youth Tennis Retail

Promotion to educate the marketplace on the new age-

appropriate equipment standards or tennis. This eort targets

those new to the game by placing over 1 million Youth Tennis

hang-cards on racquets at retail locations across the U.S. In

addition, the TIA is coordinating the USTA Community Tennis

Equipment program, so eligible non-prot organizations can

purchase youth tennis equipment at discounted prices rom

manuacturers.

The TIA is the primary source o tennis research and

market intelligence, conducting more than 70 research reports

and surveys annually. In May 2012, we released our second

edition o the annual State o the Industry report. Theres also

an Industry Dashboard on TennisIndustry.org that includes

key industry perormance indicators.Coordinating The Tennis Show is one way were increasing

advocacy and awareness. We also distribute newsletters and

press releases to 17,000-plus industry providers and contacts,

as well as the general media. And our social media eorts

continue to expand in both scope and response, including key

messaging supporting 10 and Under Tennis. We continue to

manage the successul Cardio Tennis program and message

the health benets o tennis: In just seven years, we now

have more than 1.3 million Cardio Tennis participants at over

1,800 U.S. acilities, plus Cardio Tennis is in 30 countries. Wehave also added enhancements to Cardio Tennis, too.

One o the key actors or long-term success is uniying this

sport under one brandTENNIS. The TIA remains ocused on

bringing together various industry segments to support the

common goal o growing the game. We can achieve a great

deal by working together.

Please enjoy The Tennis Show, TIA Tennis Forum and

Tennis Industry Hall o Fame induction ceremony, and thank

you or your continued support and or all your eorts to grow

the game.

Jon Muir

TIA President


27/64 3

THETENNISSHOW

|201

2

The Tennis Show/TIA Tennis Forum

Its time or The Tennis Show 2012, a one-day celebration othe sport o opportunity.Presented by the Tennis Industry Association, in

conjunction with the USTA Tennis Teachers Conerence, The

Tennis Show 2012 will be a un, inormative time, in addition

to a great networking opportunity.

The Tennis Show is rom 3 to 9 p.m. on the ballroom

level o the Grand Hyatt. It starts with an Exhibitor Show in

Salons I & II, as a variety o tennis industry businesses and

organizations display their latest products and services.

A ull-size Demo Court will be open rom 3 to 5 p.m. next

door, in Salons III & IV, so you can try out the newest gear rom

Babolat, Dunlop, Gamma, HEAD/Penn, Prince and Wilson.

Check the demo court schedule or specic times. (Some o

the demo times will include Cardio Tennis, too.)

The TIA Tennis Forum will start at 6 p.m. on the demo court.

USTA Chairman o the Board and President Jon Vegosen will

welcome attendees, then TIA President Jon Muir will present

the state o the tennis industry, including updates on the U.S.

tennis market and current initiatives. USTA Chie Executive o

Community Tennis Kurt Kamperman will ollow with a report

on 10 and Under Tennis.

Next is the induction o coaching legend Nick Bollettieri into

the Tennis Industry Hall o Fame. ESPN tennis commentator

Brad Gilbert will introduce his ormer coach.

The Tennis Show exhibitor area will remain open

rom 7 to 9 p.m. and will include a cocktail andhors doeuvres reception, DJ, and drawings for

prizes totaling nearly $20,000 donated by exhibitors.

(Make sure you ll out the prize drawing orm and

hand it in at the registration desk or TIA booth.)

Thank you or attending The Tennis Show. We hope

you nd it entertaining, inormative and inspiring.

TIA Board Members

Stacey AllasterWomens Tennis Association

(WTA)

Eric BabolatBabolat VS SA

Gordon BoggisPrince Sports Inc.

David BoneU.S. Racquet Stringers Association

(USRSA)

Kevin CallananInternational Management Group

(IMG)

Linda J. ClarkATP World Tour

Tom CoveSporting Goods Manuacturers

Association (SGMA)

David EgdesTennis Channel

Tim HecklerU.S. Proessional Tennis Association

(USPTA)

Kurt KampermanU.S. Tennis Association (USTA)

Ilana KlossWorld TeamTennis (WTT)

David Malinowskiadidas

Greg MasonHEAD Penn Racquet Sports

Dave MileyInternational Tennis Federation (ITF)

Jon MuirWilson Racquet Sports

Kai NitscheDunlop Sports Group

Meredith PopplerInternational Health, Racquet &

Sportsclub Association (IHRSA)

Dan SantorumProessional Tennis Registry (PTR)

Mark L. StenningInternational Tennis Hall o FameFred StringfellowAmerican Sports Builders

Association (ASBA)

Jeff WilliamsThe Tennis Media Company

TIA PRESIDENT

Jon Muir

TIA EXECUTIVE DIRECTORJolyn de Boer

TIA /TENNIS SHOW STAFF

Matt AllenIT Manager

Brian ODonnellBusiness Manager

Michele KrauseCardio Tennis Program

Manager

Ryan MeltonOperations Manager

Marty MoharRetail Development Manager

TIA SUPPORT STAFF

Peter FrancesconiPR & Communications

Charlie RuddyTennisConnect

Keith StoreyResearch, SMS

3 PM - 9 PM

6 PM - 7 PM

7 PM - 9 PM TENNISSHOW

EXHIBITOR AREA OPENSalons I & II

TIA FORUMSalons III & IV

TENNIS SHOW RECEPTIONSalons I & II

Exhibitor Area Open(cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, prize drawings)

The Tennis Show 2012Schedule of Events


28/64

Babolat732-406-4957babolat.com

BOLT Sports LLC877-430-2658bolt-sports.com

Cardio Tennis843-686-3036CardioTennis.com

Club Automation847-597-1757clubautomation.com

Connor Sport Court800-421-8112connorsportcourt.com

Curveball Inc. (SpeedFeed)800-980-0959myspeedeed.com

Dartsh USA678-679-8491

dartsh.com

Tennis Show ExhibitorsDecoTur800-332-6178decotur.com

Dunlop Sports Group718-966-1056dunlopsports.com

EyePromise866-833-2800zeavision.com

Fast-Dry Courts/10-S Tennis Supply800-247-390710-s.com

Gamma Racquet Sports412-343-2827gammasports.com

HEAD/Penn602-315-7181us.head.com

Human Perormance Institute407-722-7225

hpinstitute.com

INTENNIS707-888-3714intennis.com

Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA)609-497-6920itatennis.com

Love Tennis by Hazel914-469-9564lovetennis.com

MindBody Inc.888-212-0024mindbodyonline.com

Perect Pickup/Tenn Tube646-354-3391tenntube.com

PowerAngle914-472-7271powerangle.net

Prince Sports800-2-tennis

princesports.com


29/64


30/64


31/64 7

THETENNISSHOW

|201

2

With the consumer launch o playtennis.com, the TIA has set up

TennisIndustry.org/playtennis specically or tennis providers

to download ree marketing material to use to help support the

industry-wide eort and stimulate growth or their businesses.

The web page has playtennis.com logos, banner ads and

videos, a TV commercial, hang tags, FAQs, a checklist with

ideas on how to spread the playtennis.com message, and

other resources tennis providers can use.

Playtennis.com allows players o any skill level to nd

programs, courts, partners, teaching pros, retailers, gear and

more. The ree site was developed through a cooperative

industry eort and will be accessible on all digital platorms.

Teaching pros, acilities, retailers, and other tennis

organizations should make sure theyre listed in the ree

industry databases so consumers can nd their businesses.

To quickly and easily sign up their business and programs

or update their inormation, tennis providers should visit

GrowTennis.com.

More than 1 million racquet hang-cards displaying youthtennis equipment educational messaging will hit theshelves o mass merchants, chain sporting goods stores,

and pro/specialty tennis retailers starting later this year and

into 2013. These racquet hang-cards, which clearly dene

age-appropriate equipment, are a part o the National Youth

Tennis Retail Promotion currently being coordinated by the

TIA, in conjunction with the USTA.

The TIA also will continue to distribute 10 and Under Tennis

Retail Kits to authorized pro/specialty tennis retailers.

The kits include a Parents Guide to Tennis, Growth Chart

Wall Poster, Authorized 10 and

Under Tennis Equipment

Dealer door sticker, and

10 and Under Postcards.

Pro/specialty tennis

retailers who would like to become

authorized dealers and be listed on the 10 and

Under Tennis Retail Locator should visit TennisRetailers.org

and complete the registration orm.

For more on the National Youth Tennis Retail Promotion,

contact the TIA at [email protected].

National Youth Tennis Retail Promotion


32/64


33/64 9

THETENNISSHOW

|201

2

USTA Tennis Teachers Conference

The USTA Tennis Teachers Conerence, which runs through Monday, Aug. 27,at the Grand Hyatt, provides current educational resources and excellentnetworking opportunities to tennis teaching proessionals, organizers and

coaches. Learn, connect with colleagues and attend the greatest sporting and

entertainment event in the world: The 2012 US Open.

At the conclusion o the 2012 Tennis Teachers Conerence on Monday, TTC

attendees are invited to a reception at the Hospitality Pavilion in the Chase Center

located on the grounds o the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.*

* Note: Admission to the reception is or TTC attendees only. Non-transerable. Day Session only on Monday, August 27, 2012 at 11:00 a.m EST. Attendees must purchasea Grounds Pass or a ticket or Arthur Ashe Stadium or entry to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The USTA reserves the right to deny anyone entry to thegrounds o the US Open in its sole and absolute discretion.

Katrina Adams

Kirk Anderson

Lance AndersonMike Barrell

David Benzel

Martin Blackman

Jody Burlinsky

Jorge Capestany

Anne Davis

Wayne Elderton

Andy Fitzell

Dan Gould

Feisal Hassan

Jamea Jackson

Mark Kovacs

Paul Lubbers

Todd MartinPatrick McEnroe

Anne Pankhurst

Vesa Ponnka

Warren Pretorious

David Ramos

Joy Riley

Kathy Rinaldi

Ryan Sachire

Simon Wheatley

Mike Woody

Other sessions throughout the

three days include some of this

sports most acclaimed speakers

and presenters, including:

The TTC OpeningSession, Saturday,Aug. 25, Salons III& IV, 8:30-9:30 a.m.will feature formerchampion LindsayDavenport.

The General Session,Sunday, 9-10 a.m.,will be a paneldiscussion with JodyBurlinsky, Dan Gouldand Paul Lubbers on

the topic Teachingand Coaching: BothScience and Art.

TheClosing Session,Monday, 10:30-11:30a.m., will featureDr. Jim Loehr onThe Only Way to Win.


34/640


35/64 1

THETENNISSHOW

|201

2

Cardio Tennis

During The Tennis Show, members o the Cardio TennisSpeakers Team will help to coordinate activity or someo the Demo Court sessions. Cardio Tennis has become

one o the astest growing tness trends in the U.S., and in

act has been one o the astest growing tennis programs in the

country. Since its creation in 2005, there are now more than 1.3 million

Cardio Tennis participants.

At the show, connect with Cardio Tennis Speakers Team members to

nd out how theyve been able to grow their businesses and revenues,

while providing their players with an activity that keeps them healthy

and playing more tennis.

At the TIA and Cardio Tennis booths, you can nd out more on becoming a Cardio

Tennis Authorized Provider and all the benets it can bring to your business. Among the

opportunities is access to the Cardio Tennis Invitation System, which allows you to create digital

invitations to make it easier to ll classes and generate more revenue.Also nd out about the new TRX Cardio Tennis, which adds strength, power fexibility and

balance to the heart pumping workout. The TIA, which manages Cardio Tennis, has partnered with

TRX Suspension Training to bring this innovative training system to the courts. In

addition, Cardio Tennis has joined orces with Total Health Interactive to create

a new web-based health and tness experience or a complete wellness program.

Visit CardioTennis.com.


36/642


37/64 1

THETENNISSHOW

|201

2


38/644


39/64 1

THETENNISSHOW

|201

2


40/64

3 PM - 5 PM

3 PM - 9 PM

6 PM - 7 PM

7 PM - 9 PM

Exhibitor Area Open Salons III & IV

3:00 3:20 HEAD/Penn

3:20 3:40 Wilson

3:40 4:00 Prince*

4:00 4:20 Dunlop

4:20 4:40 Babolat*

4:40 5:00 Gamma*

* Includes Cardio Tennis

Demo Court Open

TIA Tennis ForumTennis IndustryHall of Fame Induction ofNick Bollettieri

Tennis Show ReceptionExhibitor Area Open(cocktails, hors d'oeuvres,prize drawings)

(see schedule at right)

The Tennis Show 2012Schedule of Events Demo Court Schedule

Salons III & IV

Salons III & IV

Salons I & II

Salons I & II

Exhibitor Map

1. TENNIS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

2. 10 AND UNDER TENNIS

3. THE ACTIVE NETWORK

4. TENNIS ON CAMPUS

5. USTA TRAINING & FACILITIES

6. MINDBODY

7. DARTFISH

8. TENNIS CONCEPTS

9. VOTSA PRO

10. CLUB AUTOMATION

11. CARDIO TENNIS

12. T OTAL HEALTH INTERACTIVE

13. ZUZA

14. SPEEDFEED

15. EYEPROMISE

16. STRING TECH CORP./YTEX

17. LOVE TENNIS

18. BOLT

19. DECOTURF

20. PROFESSIONAL TENNIS REGISTRY

21. POWERANGLE RACKETS

22. INTERCOLLEGIATE TENNIS ASSOCIATION

23. ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPORTS

24. UNITED STATES PROFESSIONAL TENNIS ASSOCIATION

25. SPORTS ESSENTIAL / PLAYMATE

26. PERFECT PICK UP / TENN TUBE

27. HUMAN PERFORMANCE INSTITUTE

28. HEAD PENN

29. FAST DRY COURTS 10STENNIS SUPPLY

30. DUNLOP SPORTS GROUP

31. CONNOR SPORT COURT

32. GAMMA SPORTS

33. SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS

34. TENNIS SOLUTIONS

35. PRINCE SPORTS GROUP

36. BABOLAT

37. TG A PREMIER YOUTH TENNIS

38. WILSON SPORTING GOODS

Salon l Salon ll

1 Corpus Christi, 117 Executive Center,Hilton Head Is., SC 29928Phone: 866-686-3036Fax: 843-686-3078Email: [email protected]: TennisIndustry.org

Support your industryget involved at TennisIndustry.org

EXHIBITOR LIST


41/6423 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/October 2012 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

If your business, club, parks & recreation association or com-munity tennis group is not on Facebook (or Twitter), you aremissing a great opportunity to create a lasting impression onyour customers and grow your business and ultimately the game

of tennis.

The days of being scared about social media are over. You

should be scared if you are not on one, both or many of these

platforms. The reason is simple: People, your current and poten-

tial customers, are onlineand theyre online a lot.

According to Nielsens 3Q 2011 Social Media Report, over 80

percent of all Americans use a social network, and Americansspend more time on Facebook than any other U.S. website.

That same Nielsen report gave two hard stats that are key to

the tennis industry: First, adults who are active on social net-

works are 19 percent more likely to attend a professional sport-

ing event when compared to an average adult internet user. Sec-

ond, those same adults on a social network are 18 percent more

likely to work out at a gym or health club. Both of those statistics

should shock you into logging onto Facebook right now.

The thing about social media is that it represents the greatest

opportunity to engagethats the key word, engageyour fans in

a way the world has never seen.

Build Your Presence

Most everyone has a website now. That is a fact. But hardly any-one goes to your website. In the tennis industry, its news about

players, events and new products that people want and Facebook

and Twitter have the latest news. This is where the opportunity

S O C I A L M E D I A

HOW FACEBOOK

CAN GROW YOURBUSINESS

HOW FACEBOOK

CAN GROW YOURBUSINESSYour current and potential customers are online alot. If youre not there too, youre missing a greatopportunity. B Y R I C H A R D D E D O R


42/6424 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/October 2012 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

sits ready and waiting for you. But to get started you need to be

there. If youre just starting, claim your Facebook page and start

suggesting it to your greatest fans. You can run a few early contests

to get your fans. And as your fan base begins to grow, that is the

moment social media becomes beneficial to your business.

The ATPs Facebook fan page recently went over 1 million fans

and it is pretty clear why: tennis fans are passionate. The ATP

Facebook page has a hybrid style of content distribution: hard

news and soft news, always with a focus on engagement.Just like with Community Tennis Associations or court contrac-

tors, its not like the ATP can sell tickets or memberships. But

sports fans and especially tennis fans are extremely loyal. And it is

that loyalty that drives the ATPs engagement. We want to reach

fans wherever they are, and that is increasingly on Facebook,

says Paul Macpherson, managing editor, ATPWorldTour.com &

ATP digital marketing.

The ATP builds that presence with engaging and highly

sharable content. Tennis fans love the inside scoop on their

favorite players and tournaments. The immediacy of Facebook is

also an attractive proposition, Macpherson says.

And it is not just the major players in the industry who havejumped in with both feet. Some clubs across the country even post

quick updates that they have open courts, because they know their

members are likely on Facebook either at home or on their mobile

devices. Those clubs have figured out what their members want

and need, and so Facebook becomes a simple revenue driver in

that situation.

Interacting With MembersWhat do you know about your members, your fans and your

potential customers? The latest statistics on Facebooks member-

ship is staggering: The average age of a Facebook user is 38, there

are 425 million active mobile users, 250 million photos areuploaded per day and there are 2.7 billion total likes and com-

ments per day. And chances are, those numbers will continue to

grow. How can you be a part of it?

Will Sikes, the marketing director of the Western & Southern

Open, says of the tournaments Facebook presence, We like to

post information on tennis that people may not be seeing that we

find humorous, interesting, off the cuff, and from there we created

a voice on the page.

Sikes last point is important to note: Be who you are. You want

your social presence to feel just like they are at your courts, in your

store and at your event. The overall goal, aside from making a sale,

must be to simply engage with your fans.

In marketing and merchandising, it is all about maximizing

touch points and the experiences therein. They (our fans) trust us

to give them fun, interesting and engaging content, Sikes says.

That is why building a great page and interacting with your fans,

especially those that begin the conversation with you, is vital.

But being on Facebook requires a commitment. Sikes went on

to say that it isnt something you can let your 13-year-old manage

for you. There has to be a strategy behind it. Once you have the

strategy, you have to execute it, religiously.

And that is where the eight-court Shavano Park Tennis Club in

San Antonio, Texas, has the right plan in place. Facebook was

used for brand awareness in the very beginning. But now it is

about getting them engaged in the culture of the club, Soeurette

Shook-Kelly says of the social media efforts of the club.

No matter the size of your business, you can start today. You

just need to log onto Facebook once in the morning, mid-day, and

then at night. If youre going to post something, be sure you have

a few minutes to stay and interact with anyone who comments

back. You can also set up Facebook so you get email notifications

when someone comments on your page.

For many small businesses, hiring someone full-time to man-

age social media is not an option, but thats okay. It should reallyonly take you a half-hour each day to get this initiative going. From

there, you suggest your page to your friends and promote it

through your newsletter, posters and event sign-ups.

Growing Your BusinessOf course social media is just one way to grow your business, and

nothing beats the personal face-to-face connection of a club, the

atmosphere of a professional event and the smile on a childs face

when they hold a racquet for the first time.

And that is the backbone to how using Facebook can grow your

business. It is an engagement platform that can be an extension of

the real-life experience someone would get from you in person.For the ATP it is about an insiders look into the world of pro-

fessional tennis. For any tournament, it is about providing an

inside look that a casual fan cant get anywhere else. For a club,

tennis association, gym, court manufacturer and anyone else

involved in tennis, it is about providing great information,

resources and a link to the experiences you offer.

In some instances, Facebook acts as the virtual suggestion jar.

On E-Marketing Constant Contacts blog, Martin Lieberman wrote

recently, When youre deciding how to reply to a comment on

Facebook, remember: The most important thing to do is show

youre listening.

Even better, when you listen, show you care. Imagine how apotential customer or fan would feel if they came to your Facebook

page, asked a question, and when they came to you in real-life,

you remembered them because of the online interaction!

Facebook is used to announce events at the facility, Shook-

Kelly says of the Shavano Park Tennis Club. And the goal is

always to engage potential members, but we dont scream that

very much.

The same goes for ticket sales for events. The Western & South-

ern Open planned on trying different tactics for social selling for

this years event. It has to be a value-add without becoming adver-

tising.

So, is Facebook or other social media platforms right for you?

Sikes has a simple answer: Facebook is a great customer-ser-

vice mechanism, for better or for worse. You have to be prepared

to answer every single question.

At the end of the match, the tournament, or when they need a

recommendation, your fans go to Facebook and the people they

know. Be one of the people they know and your business will

thrive. w

Richard Dedor, a former Tennis Service Representative for the USTA

Missouri Valley Section, is a social media consultant, speaker and

personal coach. His work has appeared in Sports n Spokes Magazine,

The Community Manager and SocialFresh. You can find him online at

RichardDedor.com and on Twitter @RichardDedor. He has written

one book, Anything is Possible.


43/64


44/64

Q & A

ReSponSe

TIme

ReSponSe

TImeThe USTAs top brass answer our questions on topicsthat impact many segments of the tennis industry.

As the US Open gets under way, we thought it would be

a good time to put some important questions to topUSTA leaders about a range of topics, including 10 and

Under Tennis, the junior tournament structure, tennis participa-

tion, USTA relationships, coaching, teaching pros, college tennis,

Player Development, industry relations, the NTC, perceptions of

the USTA, and plans for the future.

Taking the time to answer our questions were Kurt Kamper-

man, the USTAs chief executive of Community Tennis; Patrick

McEnroe, general manager of USTA Player Development; and

Gordon Smith, executive director and chief operating officer.

Q: What ar ky challgs th USTA ad thidustry fac with 10 ad Udr Tis? Artachig rs ad facilitis adtig th r-gra?Kara: As far as adoption, currently we have over6,000 facilities that have registered on our 10 and Under Tennis

website. Red, orange and green ball sales are booming, so clear-

ly its taking off.

The key challenge, and opportunity, is getting clubs to go all

in and really offer a full complement of 10 and under program-

ming. Unfortunately, the great majority of facilities are just doing

this in a partial way, which is not whats best for the kids or their

business. The facilities that have been really focused on offering

a complete 10 and Under Tennis pathway have seen significant

growth both in participation and the revenue theyve been able

to generate.

Q: Hw ar th USTA Sctis adatig t 10 ad

Udr Tis, icludig th diffrt balls/qui-t/curts ad th rul chags?Kara: All of the USTA Sections have made 10 andUnder Tennis a priority. However, consistency with the specs for

USTA tournaments at the section level is a challenge. Obviously,

wed love to have a more standardized, consistent approach,

and we are recommending that, for most sections, 10% of their

10 and under events should use the green ball for the very top

kids in the section. The rest of the tournaments should be orange

or red, depending on the age.

Q: Thr has b a lt f talk abut bttr kidsbig allwd t lay with th yllw ball. Is thisa ral issu with 10U? Hw ay kids ar wtalkig abut, ad ca thy sily lay u?Kara: When we started this initiative, we had only10,000 unique kids playing in USTA 10-and-under tournaments.

Think about that number for a moment and recognize that most

major cities have more 10-and-under soccer players than we had

tennis players in the entire country. Our numbers were that low

despite having 10-and-under tournaments available for decades

and despite having many kid-focused instructional programs like

Pee Wee Tennis, Munchkin Tennis, Little Tennis, etc. over the

past 20 years.

With several million kids 10-and-under playing the game in

schools, parks, lessons, clinic programs, etc., we had far less

than even 1% of those kids playing in USTA tournaments. Of


The USTAs top brass answer our questions on topicsthat impact many segments of the tennis industry.



that very small percentage playing tournaments, less than 1% of

those kids for their long-term development have any business at all

playing with a yellow ball on a full-size court. So is this a real issue?

Perhaps, but only for a very, very small number of kids, parents and

coaches who believe they might be the next world champion and

need to start training like Federer at age 9. And yes, those players

can play up and they always have.

Q: D yu fl th USTA is frc fdig ruls tlayrs ad arts?Kara: First, keep in mind my answer to the last ques-tion. Second, the rule change was one that the ITF has required

worldwide. I would add that had the USTA not made this rule

change, we would have been neglecting our duties

as the national governing body for the U.S. The fact

that every other sport has kid-sized their competi-

tions and every member country in the ITF has sup-

ported this rule change might also be worth noting.

When you look at the population of the U.S., its

an incredibly small base of players and parents who

even knew what the rules used to be. That said, kids,parents and coaches can train and play any way

they want and with any ball. However, when it

comes to USTA-sanctioned events, yes, they have to

play by the rules of tennis, which are set by the ITF

and in this country, the USTA.

The same thing is true for every age division and

is also true for every other sport. The sanctioning

body sets the rules. Before the rule change, the only

ball that was allowed for USTA-sanctioned events

was the yellow ballonly one choice. Now there are

three choices, and we feel they are much better

choices for the masses.

Q: What kid f icrass d yu xctt s i yuth tis articiati, adwh d yu xct t s th?Kara: : When we started this initiative,we felt that increasing the number of kids in our

competitive system from 10,000 to 100,000 in five

years was an aggressive goal. We may reach that

goal this year.

Ball sales are a great metric for play because they

can be measured accurately. Five or six years ago,

the industry was selling less than 100,000 low-com-

pression balls. Last year, according to TIA census

reports, over 3.2 million red, orange and green balls

were sold to

201209 racquet sports industry

Documents