November 2006 Monthly Archive

A Local Tie

The Davis Cup Cares Initiative, designed to promote tennis at the local level, can be a blueprint for success with smaller events, too. (Click here to read more...)

2006 USTA Section of the Year: Texas

No one will ever claim that USTA Texas is the Little Section That Could. They're the third largest of the 17 sections and enjoy a climate that's mostly tennis-friendly all year. That's not to say the section faces no... (Click here to read more...)

2006 Pro/specialty retailer of the year: Swetka's Tennis Shop

Most specialty shops stand out for one or two things. Maybe it's the wide selection of products available. Or it could be the knowledgeable and helpful staff. Or possibly frequent sales, which keep customers coming back. But when you... (Click here to read more...)

Open Champions

Every year, the players bring their best games to Flushing Meadows, and so do tennis manufacturers. (Click here to read more...)

Klip Detonator 16

Klip Detonator is another of Klip's many Pro Doubles hybrid string offerings, this one combining Klip's K-Boom poly with its Excellerator nylon. Klip recommends using K-Boom in the mains, and the Excellerator in the crosses. We've published playtest reports... (Click here to read more...)

2006 Chain retailer/mass merchant of the year: PGA Tour Superstores

When the first PGA Tour Superstore opened, in Roswell, Ga., just outside of Atlanta in March 2005, CFO Jorge Cora was disappointed. Never mind that the place offered a huge selection of tennis gear — racquets, shoes, and accessories... (Click here to read more...)

True Champions of Tennis

This issue marks our 6th Annual Champions of Tennis Awards. We're thrilled that every year, the awards that we started in 2001 to honor those often "unsung" heroes of the sport have gained more and more notice within the... (Click here to read more...)

2006 Community Tennis Association of the year: Montgomery County

When it comes to developing tennis at the grassroots level for all players, you want to copy the best. And in terms of community tennis, the best is the Montgomery County Tennis Association in Silver Spring, Md. The MCTA... (Click here to read more...)

2006 Private facility of the year: Midtown Tennis Center

Home to 37 tennis professionals, 18 tennis courts, three platform tennis courts, an extensive pro shop, a nursery, café, fitness center, and Pilates studio, the Midtown Tennis Club was the first of the 13 Tennis Corporation of America clubs... (Click here to read more...)

2006 Person of the year: Kirk Anderson

On the one hand, had Kirk Anderson not taught at a park and rec tennis program one summer before college and been paid for his efforts, there's a good chance his life could have turned out vastly different from... (Click here to read more...)

2006 Sales rep of the year: Jim Willwerth

It wasn't so long ago when a sales representative's job typically involved selling a company's products to a store whose customers had limited alternative methods of buying those goods. Exceptional customer service included returning phone calls and following up... (Click here to read more...)

RSI Industry Resource Guide 2006

Listing by Company 10-S Tennis Supply 1820 7th Avenue North Lake Worth, FL 33461 P 800-247-3907 561-547-1772 F 561-547-3371 Email: sales@10-s.com Web: www.10-s.com/ Agile Courts Construction Co. Inc. 7335 SW 104th Street Miami, FL 33156 P 305-667-1228 F 305-667-6959 Email:... (Click here to read more...)

Industry News

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

2006 Stringer of the year: Grant Morgan

Grant Morgan says his introduction to tennis "was about as low-end as you can get." He started by playing what he calls "apartment-complex tennis" with friends. From there, though, Morgan took lessons and became a fairly decent player. When... (Click here to read more...)

2006 High school coach of the year: David Steinbach

Quality plus quantity equals success. That's the equation by which David Steinbach of Brookfield, Wis., has led his high school tennis teams for 25 years. And the results have been impressive in more ways than one. As a pioneer... (Click here to read more...)

2006 Builder/contractor of the year: Courtsmiths

It seems that when it comes to court builders, the best ones frequently have a strong family presence in the business. And so it is with RSI's 2006 Builder/Contractor of the Year winner — the Courtsmiths of Toledo, Ohio.... (Click here to read more...)

2006 Municipal facility of the year: Cary Tennis Park

According to Money magazine, Cary, N.C., is among the top five places to live in the U.S. In this Research Triangle city of 106,000 people, the economy is strong, arts and culture are thriving, and great schools and beautiful... (Click here to read more...)

2006 Junior development champion of the year: Bwana Chakar Simba

In a legendary town, Bwana Chakar Simba is a Los Angeles tennis program legend. For the past 13 years, "Chakar," as he is known in the tennis community, has been at the Rogers Park facility, introducing youngsters to the... (Click here to read more...)

2006 Wheelchair tennis champion of the year: Bruce Karr

Bruce Karr, a wheelchair athlete himself, has dedicated more than two decades to helping others get just what they need to compete at their highest level. To do this nationally, he established the National Wheelchair Sports Fund (nwsf.org) in... (Click here to read more...)

2006 USPTA member of the year: Brett Hobden

During his 30-year teaching career, USPTA member Brett Hobden of Naples, Fla., has worked with Andre Agassi, Tommy Haas, Iva Majoli, Meredith McGrath, and Anne Miller. Now as director of tennis for the Greater Naples YMCA and CEO of... (Click here to read more...)

2006 Public park of the year: Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

How would you like to play your softball championship at Yankee Stadium, or a pickup basketball game in Madison Square Garden? Well that, says Bill Mountford, is exactly what it's like when you play tennis at the USTA Billie... (Click here to read more...)

2006 Grassroots champion of the year: Beverly Bourguet

Success doesn't always come easily, but Beverly Bourguet of Albuquerque, N.M., has proven that persistence, dedication, and passion are key. Bourguet's launch of a National Junior Tennis League program in one of Albuquerque's neighborhoods, and her continued efforts to... (Click here to read more...)

Ferreira Tennis Serves a Growing Market

When No. 1-ranked doubles player Ellis Ferreira left the pro tennis circuit a few years ago, he needed to build another career — something that would be viable and at the same time, keep him close to the tennis... (Click here to read more...)

2006 PTR member of the year: Ajay Pant

If there's one characteristic that Ajay Pant believes is vital for a tennis teaching pro to have, it's consistency in word and action. In his own career, this PTR master pro's focus has not only been on continually helping... (Click here to read more...)

Cleaning textured clamp faces

Q: I have been cleaning the teeth on my machine's string clamps fairly regularly, using alcohol and a toothbrush, but the last time I did it I looked closely and saw that there was some string residue still embedded in... (Click here to read more...)

Setting clamping force

Q: Besides being a new USRSA member, I am also a new stringer. I have strung about 10 racquets so far, and I think my string jobs are starting to look pretty good. The problem comes when I try installing... (Click here to read more...)

Restringing abused racquets

Q: Some of my clay-court customers have the bad habit of hitting the racquet lightly against the court, not enough to crack the frame, but certainly stressing it over time. How can I protect myself against the possibility of one... (Click here to read more...)

Heat-damaged racquets

Q: I tell my customers not to leave racquets in cars because the heat can harm the strings and eventually warp the frame. Nevertheless, some of my customers do just that. What kind of damage should I be looking for,... (Click here to read more...)

Marking Demo Racquets

If you have a racquet demo program, it is important to be able to identify your racquets when they are out on loan. Stickers and tape are removable, so the local Head rep turned me on to his solution. I... (Click here to read more...)

Long-term Racquet Storage

If you have racquets that you're no longer using but wish to hang on to, you don't have to worry about cutting out the strings first (unless you have wooden racquets), because the strings will eventually lose so much tension... (Click here to read more...)

Professional Prince Stencils

After stenciling the strings using the Prince stencil, remove the stencil and fill in the non-inked portions of the "P," where the support bars are for the inside of the "P." Not only does the finished stencil look as if... (Click here to read more...)