Directors Who GET It

After 5 years of attending 25+ junior tennis tournaments each year (WOW - shocking but true), we have met looooooads of tournament directors and we're here to tell you there is HUUUUGE difference between those who GET it - and everybody else. In no particular order, these are the directors who GET it (and we APPRECIATE them because they make our lives wonderful):

- Scott Novak - Mobile Tennis Center, Mobile, AL
- Chris Mather - The Club at Springhurst, Louisville, KY
- Eric Voges - Champions Club, Chattanooga, TN
- Carlos Lozano - Topspin Swim & Racquet Club, Lexington, SC
- Mike Bellagia - Spencer Love Tennis Center, Greensboro, NC
- Don Bryan - Westgate Tennis Center, Dothan, AL
- Jorge Andrews - Lexington Co. Tennis Center, Columbia, SC
- Craig Jones - Idle Hour Country Club, Macon, GA

More later if/when I think of them but big props to these guys - they're smart enough to recognize the extraordinary value AND the extraordinary fun that we bring. These guys GET it because they realize that we're an amenity that makes their great tournament even better...Players love us, parents, love us, coaches love us...and we ask for absolutely nothing but the opportunity to offer our services. Is this a no-brainer or WHAT?!?

Oh how I wish I could name more tournament directors who GET it - but I call 'em like I see 'em. You would not believe some of the experiences we have had. :( Suffice it to say - we have a fun job but that's just it - it's our JOB...it's also the means by which we are (or are not) able to pay our mortgage. So it MATTERS to us - enough said. As always, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

HIGH-TECH TENNIS 'N GOLF

What started out as an April Fool's Day joke (about bringing the video to GOLFERS instead of TENNIS PLAYERS - since everyone knows that golfers spend more $$$ than tennis players, lol) has developed into an exciting new marketing revenue stream...Things have been happening that have gently nudged us toward the golf side (and slightly away from tennis) and we've resisted it because we're sooo loyal to tennis - but when the universe knocks on your door with a golden opportunity, the least we can do is open the door and see what it's all about!!!

Golf is just another sport that's played with a ball - but you'd think it was another language(!) - so there's lots to learn and interesting people to meet as we learn it. One of the many appealing aspects of golf is that we can pursue this aspect of our business IN THE CITY WHERE WE LIVE. What a novel concept! As you may know, we've been 'bringing the video to the players' but it's been five years and unfortunately, some (too many) just don't get it. :(

So stay tuned...Exciting stuff is happening for what might soon become HIGH-TECH TENNIS 'N GOLF - and if you have any thoughts to share, we'd love to hear from you. As always, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

The UGLY Side

As you may know, we are now in our 5th year of participating at 25+ junior tournaments each year and we love it (honest, we really do) but I must now tell you about the UGLY side of our job. While researching "My One Suggestion To Improve Junior Tennis Is...," the #1 response from tennis professionals was regarding bad behavior on the part of tennis parents and, though we don't know precisely why that is, we can probably take an educated guess. We include this information here ONLY to accurately record our observations and please remember that THE LAST THING we want to do is generate any controversy whatsoever. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.


Over these past years, our cameras have seen ugliness we never would have believed possible. Can you imagine that we actually heard a parent repeatedly and loudly yelling this (at the tournament staff): "He may be a cheater but he's MY cheater!!!" Or how about another parent who shouted across two courts to her son to stop playing because the ref didn't understand the rules of tennis. We also stood inches away from another parent who literally chased down a female official and emphatically pointed at that official and screamed 'GET OVER THERE - NOW!" It makes us sick to our stomach when we observe parents who accuse tournament officials of racism and preferential treatment. And we were flabbergasted when we saw an angry parent demand that the tournament director take immediate action to correct the game penalty that cost her child a match. This woman was so clearly out of line and everyone knew it...However, we observed the same identical thing just one week later with a different parent at a different tournament in a different state. To make matters even worse, the player's younger siblings are often standing nearby - watching, listening, and absorbing what they see. How can otherwise rational parents start out with such good intentions - and then those same people lose their perspective...? I am certainly not here to judge anyone but I have to wonder what in the world are they THINKING?!?!?


But nothing prepared us for the treatement that we observe after the match is over. We really wish parents would stop and think before they humiliate their children after they lose but we've observed and overheard comments like this way too many times: "We spend too much money on your training for you to play like that." And we just can't avoid the awful topic of players who are physically abused by a parent after the match. We've never witnessed it personally, but we have heard about it more than once. In fact, we were recently informed by the concerned parent of another child that a certain parent had punched his son in the face in the parking lot and the child was now screaming inside a parked car. It was so upsetting...but we couldn't do a single thing about it except mention it to the tournament director. Certainly we'll never look at that father in the same way again and my heart breaks for the unimaginable pressure that child must live with every single day of his life. HOW SAD...


I could go on and on (and ON)...but I think the point is clear: There are sooo many wonderful aspects of junior tennis; unfortunately, there's also an ugly side...A reeeally, reeeeally UGLY side. We see this ugly side ALL THE TIME...And if you've spent any time whatsoever at a junior tennis tournament, I bet you have too. So the question is twofold - What can be done about this and is anybody listening?????

Roger Roger Roger

BY THE FED:

"It's nice to be important
but it's more important to be nice."

"I fear no one but I respect everyone."

"I never lie."

"Your Royal Highness, welcome to the world of tennis."
To Prince William - Wimbledon (2009)

ABOUT THE FED:

"Is it possible that Fed is
the most perfect tennis player
- the most perfect man -
in the history of everything, ever?"
Writer Eleanor Preston

"With all his suave agility, Fed is the most regal player
I have ever witnessed."
Andre Agassi

Disclaimer: My Hero

It is NO secret that Roger Federer is
my favorite tennis player AND my favorite human being.
WHY?
Well, I'm sure it's quite obvious, lol.
He is a beautiful person on the outside and on the inside.

Take a moment and think about all the despicable
behavior we see from people who are
highly paid and PRIVILEGED enough to
play a GAME for a living.
Hello - Tiger Woods, Mark McGuire, Michael Vick...
Sadly, the list goes on and on and on...

BY COMPARISON, Roger is always a CLASS ACT.
What a true pleasure it is to be associated with a sport that
has such a gracious, graceful individual as its ambassador.
 
If Roger's playing, I schedule my life
so I can watch and cheer him on.
That includes staying up all night, if necessary. :)
If anybody else is playing,
I'll watch only if I have nothing better to do...
and I always have something better to do!

I absolutely adore Roger Federer and
he will always be my champion.
Nobody else even comes close...sorry, Rafa.
Roger is a god to me.

The FED is great...Long live the FED.

#1 Response: STOP THE CHEATING!

We can't seriously think about ways to improve junior tennis unless we address a VERY unpleasant aspect: CHEATING. While researching "My One Suggestion To Improve Junior Tennis Is...", this was the #1 response from players/parents (and the #2 response from professionals). Further, a recent article by Vic Braden points out that cheating is at the top of the list of serious issues that must be addressed. We travel to 25+ tournaments each year and we see waaaay tooooo much of it. The specific circumstances change from tournament to tournament, but we see it and we hear about it constantly from players and parents and we think it needs to stop.


We're not talking about close calls that could easily go one way or the other - we're talking about deliberate cheating (the one or two calls that drastically change the outcome of the match). Our cameras have seen the player (the cheater) who changes the score mid-match so he has the lead. But his opponent (the cheatee) knows - and our cameras know - that it's just not true so the cheatee calls for a line judge. Unfortunately, that line judge just doesn't have the authority to do anything about something he or she did not see. After a few minutes, the line judge moves along and the cheater reverts back to his cheating ways. In the end, the cheatee's frustration grows and his spirit diminishes...and then the match ends.


Cheaters never win...except when they do. And we hate it when they do. We really do.


Finally, our cameras have seen sooooo much bad behavior on the court and parents often vent their concern and ask US when they should pull the player (cheater or cheatee) off the court for discipline. That's a good question but it's most certainly outside the scope of our role at any tournament... We simply say that's a tricky area, we see waaaay toooo much of it, and it just makes us SAD.


This topic is too big to tackle in just one post so we'll be posting again, unfortunately. What do YOU think about this? We welcome your thoughts but if you include any names whatsoever, your post will be promptly deleted. THE LAST THING we want to do is generate any controversy whatsoever. Remember - if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. HIGH-TECH TENNIS chooses to be part of the solution. We hope you'll join us!

Coaches Who GET IT

As you may know, this is our FIFTH year of bringing the video to the players...Wherever and whenever those players are playing! :) We knew before and we absolutely KNOW now that video works for ALL players of all ages, genders, skill levels. We work best when we work in conjunction with coaches who GET IT.

Now I'm here to tell you that there are coaches who GET IT - and then there are the rest of them. It goes without saying (but of course I'll say it anyway so it's clear): the info I'm about to post is strictly MY OPINION and you may agree with me or you may disagree with me - which is FINE. But since we've met a TON of coaches over the years, I feel like I'm somewhat of an expert (lol) and I think it's important to give special recognition to a few who GET what we're doing and why we're doing it:

LUKE JENSEN - He was the very first coach to recognize the value in what we're doing - and we'll always appreciate him for that (if you haven't seen the commercial he recorded to promote HIGH-TECH TENNIS, be sure to ask me and I'll proudly share it with you right away). Great thanks to Luke for believing in us before we even knew who we were, lol.

TORREY HAWKINS - When Danny met Torrey (lol), Torrey quickly grasped what we were all about - and said 'I need your services - my players need your services - and we're gonna make it happen...watch and see!!!' Before long, Danny and Torrey developed a super-strong connection (almost like they read each other's minds) because Torrey GETS it. He understands that smart players don't just record a video here or there...They actually use video to their advantage because they TRAIN WITH VIDEO. Torrey knows that the video (powered by Dartfish) shows aspects that CANNOT be seen with the naked eye. HIGH-TECH TENNIS makes good coaches BETTER and thank goodness that Torrey Hawkins is smart enough (and secure enough as a coach) to know that. I've said it before and I'll say it always: Torrey is AWESOME...I may not know all that much about tennis but I know about good people - Torrey's a good person. He just joined Windward Academy and I couldn't be happier about it - I think it's a great fit for ALL.

CRAIG JONES - It's funny that there are two tennis coaches named Craig Jones in the Atlanta area and I definitely don't mean to offend anyone, but I want to give a special SHOUTOUT to the Craig Jones in Macon, GA. We've known Craig almost since the beginning of our existence and he's always let us know how much he values the video and, even more importantly, how much he values US. Craig goes above and beyond for the lucky players at his academy (Idle Hour) and we're always proud to return to his Summer Tennis Camp, which is among THE BEST in Georgia. Craig is a special coach, we're glad to know him, and we think the players who train with Craig are lucky players, for sure.

UPDATE - As promised, I'm back cuz I just gotta tell you about one more coach who GETS it:

JOHN IRVIN - Way back when we were first starting, Danny was a sometime rep for K3 balls and one of the first people he contacted to try to sell some K3 balls was John Irvin. Can't remember if he bought any balls but who really cares, lol...When Danny told John about his plans to use video as a tool to help teaching pros promote the game of tennis, John Irvin was ALL OVER IT. He used to teach out of his neighborhood in Acworth and he recently stepped UP to a large neighborhood association with several hundred homes (Legacy Park in Kennesaw). No matter how large or how small the group, though, John has always found creative ways to help his players use video to their advantage...and that makes John Irvin a coach who GETS it!

I think that's the ENTIRE group of coaches who GET it - according to me, anyway...lol. It's a pretty small but elite group - I wish there were more but I call them like I see them, o.k. Please don't be offended if I didn't mention your name and remember that THE LAST THING we want to do is generate any controversy whatsoever. If you want to tell me about a coach who GETS it (in your opinion), I would love to hear from you. :)

"My One Suggestion To Improve Junior Tennis Is..."

We've been collecting your responses for over a year - and we're just getting started! We can't wait to hear from YOU. :)

PLEASE share your thoughts with us here. THE VERY LAST thing we want to do is generate any controversy whatsoever... Please do NOT include any names or your post will be promptly deleted.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!