November 2004 Monthly Archive

Become a tennis champion

The USTA president outlines initiatives that will keep this sport a winner in the years to come. (Click here to read more...)

2004 Wheelchair tennis champion of the year: Julie Jilly

While Julie Jilly is proud that the Professional Tennis Registry's annual wheelchair tennis tournament has grown to more than 150 players from around the world, she looks forward to the day when there's no longer a reason for it... (Click here to read more...)

2004 USTA section of the year: Pacific NW

The USTA Pacific Northwest section is the largest section in the country -- geographically. Washington, Oregon, Alaska and northern Idaho all fall within its borders. But in regards to population, the section doesn't have much to work with; as... (Click here to read more...)

Pro Equipment Log: 2004 U.S. Open

A "/ " denotes differing tensions between mains and crosses. A "-" indicates a tension range on multiple racquets. "NA" means player did not play or no information was available. Tensions above 38.5 are in pounds; 38.5 and below... (Click here to read more...)

2004 Stringer of the year: Randy Stephenson

Back in 1996, Randy Stephenson faced a tough choice. His car had just been broken into, and the thief walked away with his car stereo. "I thought, should I buy a new stereo, or should I buy my first... (Click here to read more...)

Sports Tutor Shotmaker Super Deluxe

As the name would suggest, the Shotmaker Super Deluxe is Sports Tutor's flagship machine. It offers more features and settings than any of their other machines and is designed to last a long time. It is great for use... (Click here to read more...)

2004 Sales rep of the year: Dustin Perry

by Mike Ralston Passionate. Team player. Creative thinker. Tireless worker. These are just a few of the phrases that customers and colleagues alike use to describe Prince Sports' Dustin Perry. And those are big reasons why Perry has been... (Click here to read more...)

2004 Pro/specialty retailer of the year: Players Choice Tennis

When it comes to unlikely career paths, it's hard to match Bob Patterson. Ask him how he cultivated his current status as one of Alabama's top specialty retailers -- he and wife Pam have owned Players Choice Tennis in... (Click here to read more...)

2004 Private facility of the year: Indian Creek Racquet Club

Like all highly successful tennis clubs, the amenities at Indian Creek Racquet Club in Overland Park, Kansas -- nine, climate-controlled indoor tennis courts, four racquetball courts, fully appointed locker rooms, lounge, café, pro shop, etc. -- are top-notch. But... (Click here to read more...)

2004 Person of the year: Arlen Kantarian

For a tennis fan, the US Open Series was almost too good to be true. Ten summer tournaments on the WTA and ATP tours, 100 hours of live national television coverage, a player-bonus system to ensure top draws at... (Click here to read more...)

Winning Lessons

Once again, you responded -- with e-mails, faxes, and letters -- to our call to honor the people and organizations that are making a difference in the business of tennis. This issue contains our fourth annual "Champions of Tennis"... (Click here to read more...)

2004 Municipal facility of the year: Lexington County Tennis Complex

When Jorge Andrew (left) signed on to become tennis director of South Carolina's Lexington County Tennis Complex in 2001, he had one mission -- "To have a tennis complex where we could get more people playing tennis, make the... (Click here to read more...)

Playtest: Klip X-Plosive

Klip X-Plosive is one of Klip's "Pro Doubles" -- or hybrid -- strings that contain natural gut. In X-Plosive, the other string is Klip's new K-Boom, a co-polymer polyester. Klip claims the fast response time of K-Boom makes it... (Click here to read more...)

2004 Junior development champion of the year: Emma Hubbs

In the small city of Dixon, Ill. (population 16,000), it's likely anyone involved in tennis is familiar with Emma Hubbs. Aside from teaching at the Dixon Park District for 57 years, her name is stamped on the Emma Hubbs... (Click here to read more...)

Industry News

Information to help you run your business. (Click here to read more...)

2004 Grassroots champion of the year: Gwen and Dan Ramras

There isn't much guesswork involved regarding the whereabouts of Dan and Gwen Ramras when they don't answer the telephone at their home in Fairbanks, Alaska. The answering machine announces, "Hi. You've reached the Ramras home. Hopefully, we are either... (Click here to read more...)

2004 Community tennis association of the year: Pikes Peak CTA

This country is a melting pot of cultures, backgrounds, beliefs, and interests. Finding a way to address that diversity, while bringing people into tennis, can sometimes be a challenge for a Community Tennis Association. But in the Colorado Springs,... (Click here to read more...)

RSi Champions of Tennis 2004

As we present our fourth annual "Champions of Tennis" awards, we find that we have the same problem we've always had -- choosing only one "winner" in each category. While we can only recognize 13 of them on the... (Click here to read more...)

2004 Chain retailer/mass merchant of the year: City Sports

With a goal to "always satisfy the customer and have the right product, at the right place, at the right time," it's no wonder that the City Sports chain can boast a loyal customer base, that keeps coming back... (Click here to read more...)

2004 Builder/contractor of the year: Zaino Tennis Courts

What does a reputation for honesty, quality work, and customer service get you? If you're a court builder, it gets you a lot of business, and in particular a lot of repeat business. And if you're Richard Zaino, along... (Click here to read more...)

Ektelon Clamp Length

Q: I have a 25-year-old Ektelon H stringing machine. When stringing widebody racquets, the clamps are so short that the only way to get them to reach the stringbed is to push down on the string before clamping. Does anyone... (Click here to read more...)

Racquet torque

Q: I was reading your 2004 Study Guide page and I noticed you wrote that longer racquets have less torque. However it should read “increased torque” because the moment arm is increased. Simple physics.... (Click here to read more...)

Differential string tensions

Q: I have a customer who has requested that I string his racquet with the crosses two pounds lower than the mains. He says that he heard that this “locks in” the mains. I’ve never heard of this, have you?... (Click here to read more...)

Swingweight differences

Q: I have a question about swingweight. I understand that two racquets can have different weights and balances while having the same swing weight. My question is if I have two racquets that are the same model, the same weight,... (Click here to read more...)

Major SP-11 Shoulder Supports

If you have a Major SP-11, there is a way to update the mounting system. I made an adapter plate from -inch aluminum plate that bolts into the holes in the uprights. On the SP-11 this plate made the top... (Click here to read more...)

DIY Butt-Saver

I designed my own simple gadget to pull that last string when it’s too short to reach the tension head. Go to a hardware store and purchase one ½-inch by 1½-inch bolt, two ½-inch washers, and two ½-inch nuts. Drill... (Click here to read more...)