MagazineIndianapolis TennisFall/Winter 2010

Local wheelchair tennis program keeps rolling along

Boys’ state finals• Carmel ends 6-year drought with team title; doubles team also wins individual championship

• Schneider knocks off defending champ Barnard in 3-setter to take singles crown

News & NotesJack Bradshaw, US place 2nd at ITF Mulloy Cup

Fitness When exercising,

remember your backside

(pro)fileUIndy Tennis

Center’s Jeff Smith

On CourtOvercoming mental

weaknesses in your game

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contentsVOLUME 5, ISSUE 2

On the Cover: Rajeev Ram finally got some hardware in the first event of the US Open Series. Unfortunately, it came in Atlanta and not Indianapolis, as the Carmel native won the doubles title at the Atlanta Tennis Championships, which took over the ATP Tour date from Indy earlier this year. Next month, Ram and Carmel Racquet Club will be hosting the inaugural EntouRaj for Kids fundraiser with special guest Taylor Dent (see Page 5). (Photo by Scott Cooper)

12 Carmel took its sixth overall boys’ state tennis title with a 4-1 win over Brebeuf Jesuit to complete a perfect season.

15 QuickStart movement growingWhile the USTA moves to embrace QuickStart for 10 and under, a new facility opens at the Wynne Tennis Center.

18 Going, going, gone...With the Indianapolis Tennis Center officially closed, little remains of the spot where downtown Indianapolis hosted professional tennis for 30 years.

Plus…

4 Ad In – USTA’s attempt to find ‘Rocky’ needs tweaking

5 News & Notes – US team, with Indy’s Jack Bradshaw, places second in ITF Mulloy Cup competition

6 (pro)file – UIndy’s Jeff Smith

8 On Court – Believe it or not, there is a link between footwork and mental strength

10 Fitness – Be sure to also strengthen your backside to achieve “balance”

16 Making significant gainsLocal wheelchair and adaptive tennis program is quickly building a following.

Fall/Winter 2010

Boys’ title to the Greyhounds

14 Bertolini, O’Neill tops in doubles final Greyhound duo adds individual title to team win. Brebeuf’s Barnard fails to repeat in singles, falling in championship match to Bloomington South’s Schneider.

20 A long, but rewarding roadIt’s slow going, but the revitalized tennis program at Crispus Attucks High School is allowing kids to experience the ‘sport of a lifetime’.

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Publisher’s commentary

MagazineIndianapolis Tennis

PUBLISHERScott D. Cooper

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORSLinda CookScott HudsonTomas JohanssonLinda Schroeder O’Neill

GRAPHIC DESIGNNardi Art, LLCRegina Nardi

Bal-Bow GrafixTerri Balon-Bowden

For advertising information, call (317) 918-0726

Indianapolis Tennis Magazine is published three times a year by Cooper Media Group, LLC Bargersville, Indiana

Contact us at Indianapolis Tennis Magazine P.O. Box 21 Bargersville, IN 46106

(317) 918-0726; (317) 422-4559 fax; or e-mail to scott@indytennismag.com

Material may not be used or reprinted without prior permission from Cooper Media Group, LLC.

Copyright® 2010, Cooper Media Group, LLCwww.indytennismag.com

Indianapolis Tennis Magazine and the Indianapolis Tennis Magazine logo are registered trademarks of Cooper Media Group, LLC.

Indianapolis Tennis Magazine is the winner of Media Awards from the USTA/Midwest Section (2007) and Hamilton County Community Tennis Association (2008).

Still looking for ‘Rocky’ with a racquet…

When the USTA came out with the idea of using a national playoff to offer one man and one woman the chance for

a wild card entry into the U.S. Open qualifying tournament, no doubt there were many who conjured up thoughts of an “everyman” or “everywoman” – a modern-day Rocky (or Rockette) as it were – finally getting their shot at the big time.

The concept sounded romantic and echoed the PGA, which has long used a series of local and sectional playoffs to give golfers the opportunity to qualify for its U.S. Open (think of the Roy McAvoy character in the movie Tin Cup). However, the biggest difference be-tween the two was that golfers must have a handicap index of 1.4 to be eligible. In the tennis version, any old (or young) hacker at least 14 years old with an extra $125 burning a hole in his or her racket bag could have a shot at tennis immortality, regardless of whether he/she had an NTRP rating of 3.0 or an ATP Tour ranking of 500.

Ah, but therein lies the catch, and the flaw in the plan as I see it. The ad campaign said, “Dream Big”. In reality, for 99% or so of the entrants, it may as well have read “Dream On”. Both men’s finalists, Blake Strode and Cecil Mamiit, are regulars on the pro tour – Strode mostly in the Futures and Mamiit in Challengers. In fact, Strode had achieved his career-high ATP ranking of 483 (in the world) just before the finals of the playoffs and Mamiit ended his 1999 season in the top 75 (72).

It was a similar story on the women’s side. Winner Alexandra Mueller actually won an ITF $10K event last May and was ranked in the top 400, while finalist Alina Jidkova won a WTA doubles title in 2004 and ended that year ranked 55th in singles after getting as high as 51.

So, while the USTA may have secretly been hoping for a Roy McAvoy to emerge in a field made up mostly of Carl Spacklers (gra-tuitous Caddyshack reference here), in the end the ones who had the best chances out of the 859 men and 373 women who entered were those touring players whose rankings had fallen to the point where they wouldn’t have earned an automatic berth in the qualies.

For the record, Strode did make it to the second round of qualify-ing at the Open, albeit courtesy of a first-round retirement, before falling 7-5, 7-5. Mueller lost in the first round, 6-4, 6-1.

While I and most others applaud the USTA for finally making the U.S. Open truly “open”, it could go much, much further in making such a national playoff more appealing to the average player, espe-cially given the $125 entry fee (think of how many local tournaments someone could play for $125 if clubs would put the time and effort into promoting them?). For example, close entries to anyone with a current tour ranking in the top 1,000. Or, better yet, eliminate all pros – those who derive the majority of their income through tennis – as well as any highly-ranked juniors or collegiate players.

Sure, anyone surviving a true amateur playoff like this would likely dine on bagels in Flushing Meadows, but if we’re to believe that we should “Dream Big”, the reality needs to be a little closer to our grasp.

ad inPUBLISHER’S COMMENTARY

www.indytennismag.com

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TENNIS HAPPENINGS FROM AROUND THE AREA

Jack Bradshaw’s breakout year includes two titles, Cup spotIndy’s Jack Bradshaw proved this year that tennis truly is the sport of a life-

time, winning two national championships and being chosen to represent the U.S. in international competition.

The 80-year-old won the singles at the Men’s 80s Indoor in Vancouver, Wash-ington, in May and then followed that with another singles title in the Na-tional Grass Court Championships in South Orange, New Jersey, in August.

And, to top it off, he was selected as part of a four-man team to travel to Turkey last month to compete in the International Tennis Fed-eration’s Gardnar Mulloy Cup. The Mulloy Cup is an annual team competition for men 80 and over and is part of the ITF’s Super Se-nior World Team Championships.

With Bradshaw playing one of the two singles positions, the top-seeded Americans went undefeated in pool play to qualify for the final round with France and Canada. They had an easy win over the French, but fell to the Canadians, 2-1, as Bradshaw and teammate Joe Russell claimed the team’s only point in doubles.

The individual championships followed, with Bradshaw and Russell teaming to make it to the finals, where they fell to a Canadian team in three sets, 6-4, 6-7, 7-5. Bradshaw also lost in the singles quarterfinal.

news & notes Witsken’s hot summer leads to trip to NZRick Witsken usually doesn’t play this

much tennis during the summer. But, this year he got on a roll that will take him all the way to New Zealand early next year as a member of the U.S. team participating in the Tony Trabert Cup.

The Trabert Cup is the annual men’s team competition sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation. An individual tournament is held a few days later at the same site in Christschurch.

“I didn’t expect to play as much as I did,” confessed Witsken. In Scottsdale, Arizona last April for the USTA National Men’s 35 Hard Courts, Witsken decided to take advantage of the unusually mild weather and play singles as well as doubles. His serve-and-volley game was clicking and took him all the way to the final, which he lost in three sets to the No. 1 seed.

“That got me inspired, and when I heard about the team tournament in New Zealand, I wanted to be one of the top three guys and represent the USA,” he said. “So I thought, lo and behold, I’m going to make that. I played five tournaments, won three of them, and now I’m going to New Zealand!”

By midsummer, Witsken said he felt in as good a shape as he’d ever been.

“A lot of it is how you’re aging and how your body holds up,” he explained. “But, I know that at some point in time something’s going to happen. Right now I’m really blessed to have a healthy body.”

Ram, Dent in spotlight at inaugural fundraiserThe Indianapolis Tennis Championships may be gone, but that doesn’t mean

the end of local professional men’s tennis. Rajeev Ram, Carmel Racquet Club and the Hamilton County Community Tennis Association (HCCTA) are teaming up for the inaugural EntouRaj for Kids, which will be held Saturday, December 4.

Tickets are currently on sale (online only) at www.hccta.org: $20 for adults, and $10 for children 18 and under. The event will feature an exhibition set of singles between Ram and special guest and fellow ATP Tour pro Taylor Dent, as well as doubles competition pairing Ram and Dent with local players.

Food and souvenirs will be available for purchase, and live and silent auctions – featuring tennis memorabilia and racquets signed by Roger Federer and Pete Sampras – will benefit the HCCTA’s “Community Reads” program. Since it began in 2005, the program has donated more than 500 books to schools and libraries, and its goal is to donate 3,000 by 2015.

Ram, who broke into the top 75 in singles last year, won both the singles and doubles at the ATP Tour event in Newport, Rhode Island in 2009 and has won four tour doubles titles, including the inaugural Atlanta Tennis Championships last summer. Dent, a fan favorite whenever he played the Indy tournament, was the runner-up at the 2005 RCA Championships. He returned to the tour last year after a lengthy timeout for back surgery and rehab and has gradually been moving up the rankings.

“EntouRaj” is the nickname of Ram’s local fan club.The event will run from 7:00 – 10:30 p.m. at Carmel Racquet Club.

Jack Bradshaw paired two national singles titles with a spot on the U.S. Mulloy Cup team. (Submitted photo)

Rick Witsken, shown here at the Pearson Ford Open

at the IndianapolisTennis Center,

will represent the USat the Tony Trabert

Cup in Februaryin New Zealand.

Photo by Scott Cooper

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JeffOpportunity has a knack of knocking at the right time

for UIndy’s Jeff SmithBy Linda Cook

A CLOSER LOOK AT METRO INDY TEACHING PROS AND COACHES

It was a sad time for local tennis when the Indianapolis Tennis Center closed in August. Not only did its members have to find a new tennis home, so did the employees. But for one of them, Jeff Smith, it was a case of déjà vu,

as the same thing happened to him about 11 years ago.

Smith never intended to be a tennis instructor. He didn’t even take up the game until he was 17, after realizing baseball wasn’t going to work out for him. He joined his Southport High School team without having had any previous instruction at all.

“High school tennis wasn’t at the level it is now,” he says. “You could become a really, really good high school player without even taking a lesson.” There were no clinics on the south side that he knew of, so the only instruction he received came from his coach.

Jeff went on to receive a B.S. in Business Administration at Ball State University, then started law school at IUPUI. He had married Debbie, a high school classmate, and they had three children. The oldest, Bryan, grew up playing tennis, and Jeff started stringing racquets at the Racquets Four Sports Center in Indianapolis to get access to courts to play with Bryan. There, Jeff started hitting with future pro Kent Kinnear.

“People thought I knew what I was doing and that I was helping him, but it was just the opposite; I was trying to learn from him,” Jeff says.

As other instructors left, Jeff began leading the staff and giving lessons.

“It wasn’t something I meant to do,” he says. “Since I hadn’t played a lot growing up, I had different ideas, and I was fresh. I was trying to teach people to play, but I was also learning myself. I just kind of fell into it; it wasn’t planned or thought out. I ended up meeting with national coaches, and they had such extensive backgrounds, but they were asking me.”

Fortunately, when Racquets Four closed in 1999, Smith’s job search didn’t last long.

“I thought it was the worst thing ever, but it turned out to be the best,” he recalls. Indianapolis Tennis Center director Rick Van Horn called with a job offer. There, he would have access to kids from all over the Indianapolis area, not just the south side.

SMITH

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file(pro)

Jeff Smith works with several of the top

junior players in the area, including North

Central junior Chelsea Carter, who runs

through a drill during a recent practice

session with Smith.

(Photos by Scott Cooper)

Son, Bryan, would win the state singles title twice while at Center Grove High School, and would go on to play No. 1 singles at Ball State. After graduating, he naturally wanted to work with his dad, but a job offer wasn’t automatic. Jeff felt he needed to work with others first and wouldn’t hire him, so Bryan took a position at Carmel Racquet Club. Later when another opening came up at ITC, his dad was more open to bringing him onboard.

“The neatest thing is we’re together on a daily basis on the court,” says Jeff. “We don’t always agree, but there’s such a huge amount of trust. We can say anything, and we both want the best for our kids.”

Together, father and son work with juniors. Jeff started a summer program 20 years ago at Center Grove High School, which serves kids from all over the state. He and Bryan lead the program along with long-time Center Grove boys’ coach Ivan Smith. Jeff also coaches the Center Grove North Middle School boys’ and girls’ and sees it as a good way to give back to tennis and get kids started with a positive experience.

Jeff stresses that every player he has worked with is special and unique, but right now most of the talk centers on Brooke Austin.

“She became a much better player than I thought she would,” Jeff says. “We travel together so much, and I spend a tremendous amount of time with her. It’s a process more similar to working with Bryan than with anyone else. You don’t get many players like her in your career.”

The respect his junior programs have gained was recognized when the USTA was looking for sites in 2009 for Regional Training Centers (RTC). After searching throughout the Midwest and interviewing many people, it was decided to award one of the RTCs to the Tennis Center.

The USTA determined the staff was already working with lots of highly-ranked kids, several of whom had won state singles and doubles championships, and had good working relationships with other clubs and pros in Indianapolis and throughout the Midwest and even the country.

“We’re lucky in Indy; we have a real good group of instructors, and we all get along,” he added. “We have fewer problems than most places, and that was looked at when the USTA was choosing a site.”

Once again Jeff thought the worst had happened when ITC closed last August, but, just like before, he got a call. This time it was from John Venter, head coach at UIndy and director of the UIndy Tennis Center. Both Jeff and Bryan are now running a junior program six days a week, with late afternoon and evening clinics and private lessons.

Even though ITC has closed, the RTC designation remained, as it is based primarily on instructors rather than facilities, and the USTA/Midwest Section has stepped in to ensure it is not lost. The first RTC (of six in a year) was held in September at North Central High School, and the second was in October in Chicago.

Although most of the participants are selected by the USTA and Midwest Section, the coaching committee chooses wildcards. Players must have a high national

ranking, and two birth years are represented at each RTC. Jeff said all the coaches conduct the same drills and even use the same wording, and at least one national coach from Florida or California attends each session.

Jeff is also actively involved with Competition Training Centers, which are held five times a year, four in the Indianapolis area and one at another Midwest site. These are for Indiana players 13 and younger who have a high Central Indiana ranking.

Smith has been recognized by the Central Indiana Tennis Association with its Stan Malless Award, and in 2009 he received the Cap Layton Award from the USTA/Midwest Section. Still, he keeps a low profile. He doesn’t have a website because “I don’t try to get any notoriety, and I have enough going on already” with his 10-11 hour days.

Jeff has already been involved with teaching tennis for over 30 years, but he sees himself continuing on for a long time.

“I’m not working, just having fun, and I look forward to going onto the courts and giving a positive experience,” he says. “People who get to teach tennis are really lucky. There are a lot of really good people here and a lot of cooperation among instructors. One player said the tennis court is ‘my happy place,’ and I wish I’d thought of it because that’s how I feel.”

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Making the connection between proper footwork and mental toughness

By Tomas Johansson

on courtTIPS TO HELP IMPROVE YOUR GAME

If there was only one thing you could work on in your tennis game, regardless of your strengths and

weaknesses, my first recommendation would be footwork. The second would be strengthening the mental aspect of your game. But, believe it or not, the two are actually interconnected and rather easy to do.

While we’ve heard and read about different, inefficient, and difficult-to-implement techniques in battling mental weakness, for some reason we rarely hear about easy ones. Instead, we tend to take the inefficient techniques as the “truth”. Too often during a match, we get frustrated and begin to think too much, which in turn leads to even more frustration and negativity and eventually leads us further away from mentally-strong tennis.

We’re told how to spend the time between points wisely, to use positive thinking during matches, how to play points, and how players need to mature to gain mental strength. Although these techniques are important, we seldom hear how never-ending footwork can be the simple fix to the exaggerated notion of mental weakness. Too often it’s swept under the rug.

The main problem is that footwork is still a misunderstood concept by many coaches and players. To clear this up, it’s important to distinguish between movement and footwork. Movement is dictated by your opponent – your reaction to his/her action. Footwork, on the other hand, is a preparatory action on your part to put yourself in the best possible position in anticipation of that next shot. Though many players show great effort in chasing down balls, this could be eliminated up front with good footwork. A player who fails to recognize the importance of footwork, independent from movement and physical effort, will find it difficult to become mentally strong.

This is one reason coaches always stress the importance of the ready position, having a low center of gravity and a wide stance – a little more than shoulder width apart – with your feet. After all this time you’d think this would be second nature – whether you’re a junior or adult recreational player; but it’s still widely ignored or unknown.

The good news is that many things in your game, including mental weakness, can be fixed by first initiating a good athletic ready position. And don’t forget a well-timed split-step or ready hop (right before your opponent contacts the ball) after recovering from a shot, something too many players fail to do. The bad news is that, when they don’t know what to do, many players turn into “trees”, stuck to the floor without any movement and without what I call “good tension” in their legs. What you should do in this instance is bounce back and forth from one foot to the other, kind of like a boxer in the ring.

So, how does all of this translate into mental toughness? I’m guessing many of you have experienced at least one of the following scenarios: • A high and soft ball is coming your way, and you know you have plenty of time to get into position to make a clean putaway. But, while you’re already set and waiting for the ball to arrive, you begin letting your mind wander over what to do with it. Should I

continue to close in and take it out of the air? Or, should I let it bounce and play it as a ground stroke? Do I drive it deep or angle it off? How about a drop shot? It’s at that point when everything goes wrong. Suddenly the ball is there and you realize you’ve misjudged it; all of your positioning is off. Instead of that clean winner you had already pictured in your mind, you hit a less than perfect shot – one that floats out, a weak one your opponent easily puts back in play – perhaps for a winner – or,

worse yet, you net the shot. Your frustration carries on through the next several points, giving your opponent an unnecessary advantage. But this is when mental toughness – and footwork – can carry you through. Instead of setting your feet too early, you should have been moving or shuffling your feet, ready to make any adjustments before the ball crossed the net. Remember the old saying, “Don’t let the ball play you”!

• Being a good volleyer, you move in behind your serve and hit a good deep first shot. When the ball comes back, you reply with a short volley and continue to close in. Your opponent gets to your shot, but while waiting to see what your opponent does next, you plant your feet instead of going into a “fast-feet” footwork pattern. Even though,

A player who fails to recognize the importance of footwork, independent from movement and physical effort, will find it difficult to become mentally strong.

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Tomas Johansson is a teaching pro at the Westview

Healthplex Sports Club.

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supposedly, you’re controlling the point since you’re at the net, suddenly your opponent is in control because you’re not in position to make good contact. Again, your frustration and negativity carries over to the next point. After all, you’re supposed to be a good volleyer, right? Once again, this could have been avoided if, instead of setting your feet too early, you had been moving your feet in place in a “fast-feet” action. And, if it sounds easy, it’s because it is.

• You’ve worked hard on your strokes and strategies and a coach has shown you how to use your weapons against your opponents’ weaknesses. But, still there you are on the court, missing shot after shot despite your seemingly flawless execution. You can’t seem to figure it out, and neither can your coach. What you don’t realize is that, after each one of your shots, your feet are glued to the floor. Instead of flowing smoothly to the ball, you dart to the ball, which often puts you too close, and your balance is completely thrown off. And while this may feel comfortable to you, you can do better. Using the strategies I’ve mentioned earlier – moving your feet in place in a good athletic position, even if you don’t have anywhere to go or simply bouncing from side to side – you’ll stay ready to move again.

Too many players become upset when they make mistakes that could easily have been avoided. They blame their strokes and try to work on things they really don’t need to. Maybe they’re told they’re mentally weak and need to work on how to play points better. Instead, it’s probably a simpler fix.

Even though you can learn how to play points by paying attention when you play, you can never become mentally strong without working on your footwork. Very rarely will you come across a tennis player who is mentally strong but who lacks good footwork, nor will you come across a player who is mentally weak but possesses good footwork. They go hand in hand.

You’re going to miss your fair share of shots – it’s inevitable. But some of those mistakes can be avoided by giving yourself a chance to not only understand good footwork, but also apply it to your game. And the fewer mistakes you make, the happier you’ll be, and you’ll have fewer mental strength issues.

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Local players make college choicesSeveral local high school seniors took advantage of the fall

signing period to disclose their college choices for next year.

Heading the list were former North Central High School standouts Emina Bektas and Nick Chappell, both of whom are considered blue-chip prospects and are ranked in the top 10 (Bektas sixth and Chappell seventh) by TennisRecruiting.net. Bektas, who signed her letter of intent to attend the University of Michigan, currently trains and attends classes at the John Newcombe Tennis Academy in New Braunfels, Texas.

Chappell, a former IHSAA state singles champion, will play alongside older brother Paul next season at Texas Christian University. Chappell is finishing up his online studies through Indiana University High School.

Brebeuf Jesuit’s Dougie Barnard, also a former state singles champ who finished runner-up in this year’s tournament, will play tennis next fall at Notre Dame. Ironically, during his state finals match against Bloomington South’s Ronnie Schneider, Barnard started to pull on a University of Michigan t-shirt during a changeover before being told by IHSAA officials that it violated the uniform requirements.

Other local players ranked by the website making their college choices included Hamilton Southeastern’s Austin Woldmoe (Butler); Jake Bradley of Plainfield (IUPUI); and Brownsburg’s Mitchell Trammell (Marian University).

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Scott Hudson, MS, ATC, CSCA, is an athletic trainer at the St. Vincent Sports Performance Center in Indianapolis specializing in training techniques and rehabilitation services for tennis players. An athletic trainer at selected USTA pro events, Scott works with ATP Tour pro Rajeev Ram, as well as several of the top juniors in the Indianapolis area.

In today’s society, in regards to strength and conditioning, much attention is given to front side musculature. As a result, we have become a quadriceps (front part of the thigh) dominant people.

Recently, though, there has been a shift in having balance between the front and backside muscles. The primary movers of the backside are the gluteus maximus and hamstring group.

The following exercises will help strengthen the backside and ensure that you are in better balance front to back when you are moving around on the court. The plank exercise is an oldie, but a much-needed one to make sure you have good core strength from the ground up.

And, always be sure to consult with your doctor, certified athletic trainer or certified personal trainer prior to incorporating these movements into your exercise routine.

Glute bridgeHow it’s done: Activate abs and then bend your knees to 90 degrees. Push through your heels and hips, lifting your glutes up from floor.

How many: 3 sets of 10 repetitions

Keep your body in balance when conditioning – don’t forget the backside!

By Scott Hudson

focus on fitnessOFF-COURT STRATEGIES TO HELP YOUR GAME ON THE COURT

Hamstring ball curlHow it’s done: Activate abs, then start with your legs straight out and

dig your heels into ball. Bend your knees and bring your heels in as you lift your glutes.

How many: 3 sets of 10 repetitions

Front plankHow it’s done: Place feet together and knees together. Be sure not to let your back sag or push your glutes into the air.

How many: Hold for 3 sets of 30 seconds

Triple extension bridge on ballHow it’s done: Activate abs and then start with your glutes on the ground.

Dig your heels into the ball and bridge up to parallel.

How many: 3 sets of 10 repetitions

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IHSTeCA names players for all-state, all-academic boys’ teamsThe Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association (IHSTeCA) has announced the players who have been chosen as all-state, as well as all-academic. The all-state teams were chosen by a statewide panel of coaches, while the all-academic team is composed of seniors who played in at least 50% of their team’s varsity matches and met standards for grade-point average and SAT or ACT scores. The following are Indianapolis-area players who were named.

First-team singles: Dougie Barnard (Brebeuf Jesuit); Jake Bradley (Plainfield); Mihir Kumar and Elliott Yee (Carmel); Michael Moe (Guerin Catholic); Brendan Tannebaum (Park Tudor); Alex Toliver (Cathedral); Joe Van Meter (University); and Austin Woldmoe (Hamilton Southeastern).

Second-team singles: Luke Andersen (Center Grove); Zac Defonce (Hamilton Southeastern); Chris Essick (Fishers); Scott Ramey (Westfield); Riley Reist (North Central); Nick Strange (Roncalli); and Mitch Trammel (Brownsburg).

First-team doubles: Rico Lumanlan/Seth Gochnauer (Brebeuf Jesuit); Patrick O’Neill/Chris Bertolini (Carmel); Sam Price/Cam Hardin (Center Grove); Max Crouse/Alex Woldmoe (Hamilton Southeastern); Jake Minner/Luke Lohrstorfer (North Central); Jack Miles/Sam Geier (Park Tudor); and Adam Mandel/John Sides (Zionsville).

Second-team doubles: Patrick Clark/Daniel Heinekamp (Brownsburg); Connor Dunn/Alex McMahan (Carmel); Ryan Hammer/Landon Fink (Greenwood); and Ron Snyder/Dan Myers (Heritage Christian).

Academic all-state: Sam Clark (Park Tudor); Ben Kahn (Zionsville); Cody Roberts (Franklin Community); Scott Ramey and Taylor Thurlow (Westfield); Prathik Kini (Fishers); Thomas Freije, Nicholas Dailey and Corbin Thoe (Lawrence Central); Nick Strange (Roncalli); Andrew Scanlon (Cardinal Ritter); Mark Slater, Patrick Fiddler and Bryan Fouty (Ben Davis); Chandler Coons and Ethan Gilmer (Franklin Central); Max Crouse and Ashley Peck (Hamilton Southeastern); Nicholas Horn (Lawrence North); Ethan Raker and Brandt Smith (Center Grove); Daniel Myers (Heritage Christian); Kyle Spratt (Indian Creek); Matthew Hodge (Highland); Tanner Watson (Noblesville); Jake Bouvy and Jonah Barretto (Plainfield); and Dougie Barnard (Brebeuf Jesuit).

news & notesCONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Another busy summer for AustinIt’s getting harder to keep up with Brooke Austin. This year

alone there have been return trips to England, France and the Czech Republic, not to mention her first appearance in the main draw of the US Open Juniors and two International Tennis Federation (ITF) titles so far this fall.

Some of her accomplishments have included:• Being chosen again to represent the US in the

ITF Junior World Team Championships and, for a record fourth year in a row, Team USA captured the title. The Americans won all three of their pool play matches in Group A by 3-0 scores to advance to the semifinals, where it defeated China. The top-seeded Americans had its toughest match against Ukraine in the championship, winning by a 2-1 count with Austin providing a key three-set win in singles.

• Teaming with Gabrielle Andrews to win the dou-bles at both Teen Tennis in England and Les Petits As in France.

• Making it through qualifying at the U.S. Open Juniors and went into the second round of the main draw before losing to fellow American Saschia Vickery in three sets.

• Winning the singles at the Kentucky Derby ITF, but losing in the finals at the Atlanta ITF.

• Winning doubles in Atlanta with Hannah King, but losing in Kentucky with Josie Kuhlman.

Like Nick Chappell, Brooke has chosen online studies in order to better fit with her busy tennis schedule, and says she’s getting more comfortable with her new educational routine.

Austin intends to begin scaling back her participation in some USTA events in order to concentrate on selected ITF events in hopes of strengthening her world ranking and gaining direct entries into the junior grand slams. Her ITF world ranking as of the first of November was already up to 267.

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A ‘sweet’ turnaround

Carmel boys complete dominating season by winning state title

At some point during the high school boys’ season, it probably became apparent to many that the idea of holding a state tournament was only delaying the inevitable. And, with a 4-1 win over Brebeuf Jesuit in the title match, Carmel High School rightly proved that point.

Still, the Braves were able to accomplish something only one other team (Park Tudor) had done all season – win a point off the Greyhounds, who wound up winning all but two dual matches by 5-0 scores.

The way this season ended was a huge contrast to last year, when Carmel was eliminated in the opening round of its own sectional by county rival Hamilton Southeastern.

“You have to go through tough times and experience a loss to show how badly you want it,” said Coach Mike Bostic. “And as painful as that loss was in the sectional, it motivated us. They just wanted it so badly there was no stopping them. I just needed to get out of the way and let them do their business.”

The championship was the sixth for the Greyhound boys and the third under Bos-tic, who guided the team into the finals for the first time in six seasons. This marked the first finals appearance for Brebeuf since 1973, when it defeated Terre Haute Schulte for the title.

“It’s so special,” said Bostic in comparing his third state title to the previous two. “The road we have to take from the sec-tional to the state finals is so difficult, that it’s just so sweet.”

By SCOTT COOPER

Elliott Yee celebrates his win

at No. 2 singles, which gave the

Greyhounds their first team point

in the final.

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Photos by Scott Cooper

Connor Dunn (left) and Alex McMahan were 6-3, 6-2 winners at No. 2 doubles.

Mihir Kumar’s loss at No. 1 singles to Dougie Barnard

was the only blemish on Carmel’s nearly-perfect

state title run.

With a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 1 doubles, Carmel’s Chris Bertolini (front) and Pat O’Neill secured the third team point – and the title – for the Greyhounds.

Conor Cunningham won his No. 3 singles match, but

his was the first match to start – and the last to finish some two and a half hours later.

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Just one week removed from the tremendous high of winning the team title, Carmel’s Patrick O’Neill and Chris Bertolini added another reason to

celebrate by taking the doubles championship of the IHSAA boys’ individual tournament at Park Tudor School.

With a 6-4, 7-5 win over Columbus North’s Adam Davis and Chase Harris, the Greyhound pair capped a 25-1 season with the school’s third overall doubles title.

“We felt last week was emotional because we’d never gone through that before,” said Bertolini, who provided the exclamation mark with an overhead winner on their third match point opportunity. “This week was a bit of a repeat, so it feels amazing.”

Zionsville had won the two previous years, and again put a team in the semi-finals, but Adam Mandel and John Sides had to settle for third place in the consolation match, going three sets to beat Sean Anderson and Brad Walter from Penn, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4. North Central juniors Luke Lohrstorfer and Jake Minner also qualified for the state finals round, but lost a quarterfinal three-setter to Penn.

The question in singles was whether or not Brebeuf Jesuit’s Dougie Barnard could become the first player in 22 years to win back-to-back titles. He swept into the finals with wins over Greensburg’s Collin Rigney and close friend and frequent hitting partner Michael Moe of Guerin Catholic.

But Bloomington South’s Ronnie Schneider had other ideas. The hard-hitting sophomore jumped on Barnard early and cruised to a 6-1 first-set win. Undeterred, Barnard came back equally as strong in the second, 6-2, to even the match.

The third set seemed destined for a tiebreak as both held serve through the first six games before Barnard came down from an overhead and felt a strain in his left quadriceps and a cramp in his calf. He was able to continue after receiving treatment, but Schneider won the next three games to take the championship.

In the consolation match, Moe blanked Delta’s Ben Bryan, 6-0, 6-0.

Photos by Scott Cooper

Doubles title to Carmel duo; Barnard sees repeat chances slip away By Scott Cooper

Chris Bertolini reaches for a high shot in front of partner Patrick O’Neill during the state doubles team final. The Carmel pair won, 6-4, 7-5, over Columbus North.

Ronnie Schneider needed to go three sets in winning the first individual title for Bloomington South.

Brebeuf Jesuit’s Dougie Barnard came into the finals gunning for his

second straight singles title.

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15This page is compliments of the Indianapolis Junior Tennis Development Fund

QuickStart courts developed as new USTA plan embracedThe United States Tennis

Association announced during the U.S Open that tournaments for players 10 and under would begin using the QuickStart format as the official pathway for junior development beginning in 2012. However, the Washington Township Schools Tennis Program and Indianapolis Junior Tennis Development Fund were already ahead of the curve.

The program at the Barbara S. Wynne Tennis Center on the campus of North Central High School not only had held a QuickStart Festival in August, which was played on 36- and 60-foot courts and attracted forty 10-and-under juniors, but had already begun construction on four new 36-foot QuickStart-specific courts complete with a double-sided hitting backboard.

Another QuickStart tournament was held in September, and the new permanent courts were dedicated earlier this month.

Add to those the existing full-sized courts that have been adapted with permanent striping to accommodate QuickStart, and the tennis complex now boasts twelve 36-foot courts and ten 60-foot courts. Approximately 100 donors helped the IJTDF provide 100% of the funding for the project.

The USTA’s announcement followed a decision by the International Tennis Federation to amend its rules to follow the QuickStart template.

Photos by Scott Cooper

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Rolling right along…

Such patronization may be common for wheelchair-bound

players, but, just like any able-bodied player, they’d rather you bring your ‘A’ game when you meet them on the court.

And, if Julie Fritz has her way, that will be a point well taken. Fritz hopes to have more wheelchair players at local clubs, in local tournaments, and at mixers paired with able-bodied players in what are called “up/down” or “run-and-roll” matches.

Fritz is program coordinator for the Indianapolis Community Tennis Association (ICTA). Serving about 300 junior players, Fritz coordinates junior team tennis as well as service projects for the players. Her foray into coaching wheelchair tennis started about eight years ago when she attended a workshop presented by a Paralympics coach. After the workshop, she looked around Indianapolis to see what was being offered for wheelchair players. There was a small program at North Central High School, but everyone seemed to confuse wheelchair tennis with the Special Olympics.

Later, Fritz met the coordinator of the Adaptive Sports Program at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana (RHI), but things moved along slowly at first.

“RHI already had the chairs; we offered some clinics and got more players from RHI and things slowly developed,” she remembers.

Central Indiana wheelchair tennis program continues to expand By LINDA SCHROEDER O’NEILL

These days part of her work with ICTA involves working with wheelchair players on a regular basis as the director of the RHI/ICTA Wheelchair Team. Fritz volunteers her personal time as well and regularly travels with the players to tournaments in Fort Wayne and Michigan. She’s even had her van adapted for travel with wheelchairs and installed a ramp at her house.

“I’ve always been sen-sitive to the needs of those with disabilities,” notes Fritz. Fritz majored in special education in college with a focus on those with physical impairments, but she had never worked in this area before.

“My mother gets a kick out of this as supposedly I’ve finally put my college degree to use!”

Wheelchair tennis is still a young sport, born in California in the late 1970s when Brad Parks and Jeff Minnenbraker began promoting wheelchair tennis matches featuring a simple rule change – the ball could bounce two times and still be played, so long as the first bounce is inbounds.

The players use the same balls and rackets as traditional players, but their wheelchairs are modified. Professional wheelchairs for tennis

have wheels that are angled about 60 degrees, giving players greater ability to change direction. In addition to two traditional side wheels and two small wheels in the front for stability, the chairs have a small wheel in the back to prevent players from losing their balance when they toss the ball to serve. Most pro tennis tour chairs are made of titanium to make them lighter and have highly pressurized wheels to provide a smoother ride.

In the fall and spring, Fritz leads clinics for kids twice a month with a longer session in the summer. Most of the kids come through RHI, and

The server knows he has to get his first serve in. “Do I try to jam ‘em or hit it out wide? He’s had trouble all night with his backhand.” The serve goes in and the strategy works; the return sails wide and it’s 3-all.

“Alright,” the server says, “who wants it?”

It’s the opponents’ choice, but one of them asks, “Who would you rather serve to?”

Are they serious? Would this even be a question if the server wasn’t in a wheelchair?

Julie Leimgruber returns a forehand during a clinic at Tarkington Park.

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playing tennis is an extension of their physical therapy. Fritz has five adult players that come once a week for recreational clinics and competitive play. Most of the adult players also come to her through RHI and while they welcome the therapeutic aspect of playing, it’s not their main reason for being on the court. Just like an “up” player, they’re there for fun and competition.

Butler University or the Indianapolis Racquet Club (IRC) donates courts for the team, and she has two assistants in addition to student volunteers.

Fritz likes to have the ICTA junior players interact with her wheelchair players. This summer her juniors sponsored a run-and-roll tourney with 11 teams, including 11 wheelchair players. The event raised $5,000 for the RHI/ICTA Wheelchair Team.

Her goals include having an adult team with 10 players, having more of her players reach the open level – the highest level of wheelchair competition – and having more wheelchair players incorporated into local clubs.

Her enthusiasm is spreading, and word is getting out. In August, the Butler University men’s and women’s tennis teams hosted a two-hour clinic for Fritz’s players. Six kids and six adults from as far away as Chicago and Fort Wayne participated. The Butler teams ran the clinic and the adults played up/down sets for the final half-hour.

In September, Fritz met Dawn Crawford, a wheelchair player from Northern Indiana, who is interested in joining the RHI team for some hitting practice. They met halfway by working out a deal with Purdue

University’s Joe Braden, who runs the school’s Schwartz Tennis Center. The two ended up with an audience of coaches from the Purdue men’s and women’s tennis teams as well as a few players. They asked Fritz to organize a group of players for a public clinic and workshop with the Purdue tennis players. They also extended an invitation to use their courts anytime so Fritz and Crawford will travel to meet each other two times a month at Purdue.

IRC is helping the cause by including wheelchair players in their weekend mixers. Thirty-seven-year-old Tony Rivera

participated on an up/down team at a mixer in September. Rivera was shot in the back during a gang incident 13 years ago and has been in a wheelchair ever since. Tennis helps fight his depression and reassures him that life can go on.

“I live life,” he said. “I don’t let life live me.” And just like any other tennis player, being on the court and staying active also helps Rivera clear his head after a particularly challenging day.

A veteran “up” player, Fritz is now in a chair most times she is on the court.

“I drill in the chair and then hop out and walk around – it’s fun to see people’s reaction,” said Fritz. “The other day, a bunch of older guys were in the lobby watching and we came off court and they were like, wow! And, I said, ‘in 10 years, you’re going to wish you knew how to play in a chair – it may be your only option!’”

Anyone interested in learning more about the programs can contact Fritz at jlfritz58@sbcglobal.net.

Emily Shryock was one of those featured in the USTA/Midwest Section’s Play It Forward campaign.

Lucas Strohmenger had to go wide to return a ball during one of Julie Fritz’ one-on-one drills.

Strohmenger has even designed a

racquet stencil for wheelchair players.

Photos by Scott Cooper

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They paved paradise…

The Indianapolis Tennis Center officially closed for business on August 6, and it certainly didn’t

take long for IUPUI to live up to its new marketing slogan: “Where Impact is Made”.

The seven-court “upper deck” had already been paved over for parking, and it took little time for the remaining six outer courts to be repurposed. Within a month, NCAA-funded demolition work began on the six-court indoor facility, and the outdoor Stadium Court came down in October.

Except for two empty, net-less clay courts, little is left of what had been one of the premier tennis facilities in the country.

To the end, the IUPUI administration insisted the decision to close the center was a “difficult one”, citing several factors, including the loss of the Indianapolis Tennis Championships, lack of sufficient revenue, and the fact the facility wasn’t “student-centric”.

“While it was true that the Center generated revenue equal to or slightly more than its operating expenses, it was contributing nothing to long term renewal, renovation, or replacement of the facilities,” explained

Tennis Center only a memory now as IUPUI, NCAA quickly bring down former world-class facility

Tom Morrison, Vice President for Capital Projects for Indiana University in an email. “Thus, as renovations became necessary, that significant expense would have been assessed indirectly to the tuition-paying students of IUPUI. It was this situation that was of primary financial concern. Without a revenue source to maintain, and given the current economic struggles of public higher education in Indiana, the institution opted to focus on only mission-central operations and to avoid the long-term liability of the tennis operation.”

The long-term plan for the site continues to be centered on student parking, with a multi-story garage set to go up in the space between the National Institute of Fitness and Sport (NIFS) and an existing parking structure. Eventually, the parking lot covering the former six outer courts will be torn up and replaced by green space.

“We are sympathetic to the view that the tennis facilities were an important legacy of the tennis community in Indianapolis,” Morrison noted in the same message. “However, the facilities were developed without a long-term plan for their renewal/renovation. Without that continuing source of revenue for re-investment, the University was forced to make

decisions in the long-term interest of its students, who are our primary mission.”

Part of the area that was formerly home to the indoor facility will form part of an entryway to the expansion of the NCAA’s headquarters.

In the meantime, the university’s athletic department says both the men’s and women’s tennis teams are still in business, with practices being held at the Riviera Club. As the weather turns, the women will move their practices to Five Seasons Sports Club, while the men will go indoors to the West Indy Racquet Club. Interestingly enough, all of the matches scheduled for the fall season have been out-of-town tournaments and invitationals.

By SCOTT COOPER

One of the first orders of business after the official closing of the Indianapolis Tennis Center was to pave over the remaining six outdoor courts for parking.

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Photos by Scott Cooper

In mid-September, demolition crews were making quick work of the former indoor facility.

By the end of September, a pile of debris was all that was left of the indoor facility.

Hard to believe that just 16 months ago, the finals of the Indianapolis Tennis Championships were being held here.

Now, all that remains of the former Stadium Court are a pile of paving bricks…and a large hole.

New group looking to ‘save’ downtown tennis

No sooner had the announcement been made of the official closing of the Indianapolis Tennis Center than a group of former

ITC members and other interested parties began discussing ways to either save parts of the center or explore opportunities to relocate it.

Several meetings have been held over the last few months and the group, officially known as “Save Downtown Tennis”, feels as if significant progress is being made toward the latter.

Attorney and former ITC member Mark Shublak is president of the group.

“I think we’ve been moving forward,” he said. “We have media outreach and land evaluation committees in place, and the land evaluation committee has actually produced its first report. We’re hoping to have the final report in November, and we’ve been conducting outreach with city leaders, corporate sponsors and other neighborhood associations.”

In fact, one of the first orders of business for the group is to seek an audience with Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard to see how much assistance the city could bring to the table. The second is to begin narrowing down a list of potential sites with a goal of keeping the new facility within the downtown area.

The ideal facility would have at least eight indoor and at least six outdoor courts with amenities similar to what players enjoyed at ITC. Preliminary cost projections have ranged from $3 million to $5 million.

The group is operating on a very fast track. Shublak said the “optimistic” goal was to be “up and running” – location acquired and funding in place – within 12 months.

“We have nine more months to hit that goal, and we’re going to stick to it,” he noted. “Maybe we come up a little short, but we want to be sure we have a solid plan before we go and start raising funds.”

Other local tennis groups and organizations are invited to become involved in the process since, as Shublak points out, the new facility will not just be a home for former ITC members.

“This will be for all of Central Indiana and the Indianapolis community,” he emphasized. “We’d like to have an educational program, where kids could come to the facility, do their homework, and then go onto the court. And we want to emphasize healthy living and a healthy active lifestyle for our kids.”

Anyone who is interested in learning more or becoming a member of the group is encouraged to check the group’s website – www.savedowntowntennis.com.

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Looking to restore the roar

BY CHOICE, many schools have implemented a “no-cut” policy when it comes to their athletic teams, including tennis. However, for Crispus Attucks boys’ and girls’ coach James Garner, that has yet to be an option.

With only six players available for their opening-round boys’ sectional match against Ritter, the Tigers were forced to forfeit the No. 3 singles position. But even that setback couldn’t diminish the accomplishment of the program that, just this year, finally graduated from a club sport to varsity.

Far beyond the wins and (mostly) losses, the Attucks grad and former number one singles player for the Tigers is looking to provide the kids at the Indianapolis Public School the same opportunity he had.

“I graduated in 1977; it was the 50th graduating class, and I played number one on the tennis team,” Garner said. “Tennis has been a great sport in my lifetime, so I wanted to try to give that joy to somebody else.”

Tennis at the school went away in the mid-1980s when Attucks was threatened with closure. The school survived, transformed into a junior high, but the tennis program wasn’t as fortunate; that is, until four years ago when Garner returned to his alma mater, racquet in hand.

“Originally I just started working with anyone who wanted to play because they still didn’t have a tennis program,” he said. “IPS at that time said the school

By SCOTT COOPER

Former player resurrects tennis programs at Crispus Attucks

couldn’t have a tennis team, so I just taught anyone who wanted to learn how to play. Eventually I got enough interest for them to let us have a club team. We began playing some of the other IPS schools, and won some of the matches, so last year they let us have a varsity team.”

Garner said the school’s adminis-tration has been very enthusiastic and behind the program all the way, although he adds that being an Attucks grad has been a plus.

He said the hardest part in

starting up the program was getting interest from the kids, but the girls seemed to be more receptive to the sport than boys. And they’ve also added a middle school program.

“Most of the players have been true beginners,” Garner said. “They had never played before until they met me. But, they’ve taken to it quite well, and they enjoy being together. And that’s a big thing for me.”

“Tennis has been a great sport in my lifetime, so I wanted to try to give that joy to somebody else.”

- Coach James Garner

Initially, practices for the club team were held at the two-court facility at Fall Creek Park. But as the programs grew, practices and home matches were moved to Riverside Park. Garner has funded much of the programs himself, but the teams have benefited from donations of racquets and tennis balls.

Darren Oliver has the honor of being the first player to “graduate” from the program, and said Garner was the reason he decided to switch from cross-country to tennis.

“I had just met Coach Garner four years ago, and he said he wanted to start something up,” Oliver said. “I was an okay cross-country runner, but I wanted to try something new. I remember it was just me and Coach Garner for about three weeks until we could get someone else to play with.”

COACH JAMES GARNER, an Attucks graduate,

also played for the Tigers.

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BRAD HUMPHREY, who played No. 1 singles this season, has had an advantage over his teammates through his participation in the Indianapolis NJTL program.

COACH GARNER goes over strategy with his No. 1 doubles team of

Julian Green and Cameron Hooker during a changeover.

Photos by Scott Cooper

SENIOR DARREN OLIVER had the distinction of being

the first player to “graduate” from the new tennis program.

While most of the players began learning the game only after having joined the team, Brad Humphrey, who played No. 1 singles, was the exception. He had the benefit of having participated in the local National Junior Tennis and Learning League (NJTL) since he was seven years old. But, like the other players on the team, he’s able to set aside any thoughts of frustration in being a part of a struggling young program.

“As long as you get to play, it’s fun,” he said.Garner said he has pretty lofty goals for

programs still barely in their infancy.“My long-term goal for both teams is to have

them compete for a state championship,” he said. “Now, that might be off a little bit in the future, and other people might not see it, but I see a lot of potential.”

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Central Indiana had five teams advance all the way through to the National Playoffs for the USTA

League Tennis Championships.

Captained by Bill Bane, 3.5 men’s and 3.5 senior men’s teams from the Indianapolis Racquet Club won the Midwest Section playoff and qualified for the national finals in Tucson, Arizona, and Palm Springs, California, respectively. However, neither was able to bring the hardware home as they failed to advance from their subflight, with the 3.5 men finishing second and the 3.5 senior men finishing fourth.

The mixed doubles national playoffs were held in Tucson in mid-November and included teams from IRC (6.0, captained by Al Gomez) and Anderson Sports Center (8.0, captained by Dennis Poe) competing.

IRC’s women’s 7.0 super senior team, captained by Marilyn Hacker, will participate in its national playoff in late April.

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Local teams advance to USTA National Playoffs

ITM changing publishing scheduleBeginning with this combined fall/winter issue,

Indianapolis Tennis Magazine will be changing its production and publication schedule and reducing the number of annual issues from four to three.

There were a number of considerations that went into this decision, but chief among those were the ability to provide more timely coverage of the boys’ high school state finals, as well as allowing advertisers the opportunity to target their messages toward the upcoming holiday season.

The only other adjustment is that the spring issue, typically published in mid-April, will now be published in mid-March. The summer issue, published in mid-July, remains unchanged.

We’d like to thank our readers - both of the print version and online - as well as our advertisers for their continued support in keeping Indianapolis Tennis Magazine and www.indytennismag.com the best sources of tennis information in the Indianapolis metropolitan area!

Scott Cooper - Publisher

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Ram takes doubles title as Atlanta debuts in US Open SeriesCarmel’s Rajeev Ram had always said one

title he coveted was the Indianapolis Tennis Championships, the leadoff event for the Olympus U.S. Open Series. Well, this year he finally got that title, but unfortunately it was a year too late.

The Tennis Championships announced in late 2009 that it was selling its tournament sanction back to the ATP Tour, which, in turn, sold it to the USTA Southern Section. The setting for the Atlanta Tennis Championships would be the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek. The club had previously hosted a men’s pro event until earlier this decade, but, like Indianapolis, sponsor woes eventually caused its demise.

Ticket sales were initially slow, even with a field that boasted hometown favorite Robby Ginepri, former University of Georgia star John Isner, Lleyton Hewitt and James Blake. It wasn’t until Andy Roddick accepted a wild card one week before the start of play that interest spiked.

Ram lost to Roddick in the second round of singles, but he and Scott Lipsky teamed to take the doubles title in a third-set match tiebreak.

Although it boasted an intimate and picturesque setting, one of the challenges for the Atlanta Tennis Championships was paving over several of the Atlanta Athletic Club’s clay courts and configuring one for use as its main stadium court.

Forum helps juniors navigate college roadmapFive Seasons Family Sports Club hosted its

first-ever “Road to College Tennis” forum in early November with the goal of providing helpful information to those current junior tennis players who are looking down the road to playing at the college level.

Andrea Calvert-Sanders, the Director of Junior Tennis for the USTA/Midwest Section, moderates the Road to College Tennis forum at Five Seasons Family Sports Club.

The event drew players, parents and coaches to the club to hear helpful hints on ways the students should begin formulating their strategies, as well as the specific timelines they need to keep in mind.

Andrea Calvert-Sanders, Director of Junior Tennis for the USTA/Midwest Section, provided information and materials that outlined the procedures for how students should go about making contact with schools they may be interested in attending. Included were the differences between the different levels within collegiate tennis and advice on seeking tennis scholarships.

Calvert-Sanders, who played collegiately at the University of Iowa, also provided lists of various district and section junior tournaments and emphasized that players need to play as many as possible, not only to improve their rankings, but also increase their exposure to coaches, many of whom will often scout at these events.

Those in attendance also had the chance to hear from, and ask questions of, Cassie Mackell and Steve Mackell, head coaches at Marian University; Scott Riggle, head coach at DePauw University; Zach Ervin, a current player at Butler University; and P.A. Nilhagen, Tennis Director at Five Seasons.