As HIGH-TECH TENNIS Turns - August 23

THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THAN TENNIS---
JUST ASK THIS BUTTERFLY BOY (LOL)

HI and thanks for reading!!! Another month has passed - bet you thought we melted - and you'd be ALMOST right. :-) WOWOW! This summer has been the hottest in recorded history...and it has reinforced something I already knew: We simply MUST find a way to work smarter, not harder. I don't know about you (LOL) but we are not getting any younger. And 12+ hour days with triple-digit temps and/or extreme triple-digit heat-index with NO break? They are NO JOKE.

Sorry about that :( but no more whining...Time to get a grip and tell you all about the exciting details of our exciting lives, LOL!!! This month is AWESOME because YAY-we're on BREAK!!! This is not the kind of break where we're just kicking back, eating bon-bons (have never even seen a bon-bon, have you?), but we're on a FIVE-WEEK BREAK from the constant tournament trail and oh, how sweet it is!!!! Still, we know how important it is to recognize the people who help to make our lives to wonderful so we're ready for some SHOUTOUTS! Ready? :)

We kicked off the month with a trip to - where else - NORTH CAROLINA. It seems like we spent practically the entire summer in North Carolina (first Cary, then Winston-Salem, and this time Charlotte) but there are worse places to go, right? :) Besides, there were a few extra-special things about this trip: 1) we were invited to be there (ahem---so much more than I could say about most tournaments in Georgia), 2) we got to see/spend time with Danny's sister in the Charlotte area, and 3) we got to meet lots of nice people at the beautiful Olde Providence Racquet Club. GREAT THANKS to TD Randy Chamberlain and everyone at OPRC for being so nice to us but this tournament fell between two supernational tournaments and we were quite exhausted before the fun even began in Charlotte. Not sure we'll do it again next year, but we'll see how things go...
  
The more things change at the G12 National Hard Court Championships at the wonderful Windward Lake Club, the more they stay the same---which is to say YAY-THEY ARE ALWAYS AWESOME!!! This was our 4th consecutive year there and each year has been better than the previous...We miss Cannon, and we miss Patrick, but the one and only Greg Grover did a perfectly FINE job as tournament director this year. There is a reason why Windward Lake Club is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL tennis facility with THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS tennis academy in Atlanta. So GREAT THANKS to TD Greg Grover and Club Manager Amy Riley, as well as the whole cast of characters at Windward! We are very proud to be part of all the cool stuff that goes on out there and we LOVE being treated like part of the family. They recognize that we are an AMENITY to make their great tournaments BETTER...It means more than we can say.

While reading the bathroom wall (more accurately, while reading an announcement that was posted on the bathroom wall, LOL), I saw that HIGH-TECH TENNIS was offering video services at the 18 & Under tournament at Windward within hours after the G12 Hard Court tournament finished. WHAT?!?!?!?!? OH NOOOOOOO. But soon after I read it, I took a call from a father who was thrilled at the opportunity to purchase a video for his son---WOW. So after all Windward does for us, how could we possibly say no?!? GREAT THANKS to our great friend and one of our all-time, all-time favorite coaches: TD Torrey Hawkins for supporting HIGH-TECH TENNIS in every way on every day.

Wow - for a short month, this was a long list of thanks...and we're very thankful to one more person who recently brought us a GRRRRRRREAT new opportunity that we think the junior tennis community is gonna LOVE but we can't reveal it just yet. STAY TUNED-it's gonna be good! 

SORRY THIS WAS SO LONG, but as always, the greatest GREAT THANKS goes to YOU, our wonderful customer friends. We couldn't possibly do what we do without your ongoing kindness and we always appreciate your amazing support. We recognize that is a real privilege to be involved in the development of your junior tennis player --- and living this dreamy life ain't so bad either! :) For example, for the 2nd year in a row, I'M GOING TO NYC TO SEE ROGER!!! YAHOOOOOOO for that!!! Oh and after that, our video cameras will be looking for YOU on the tournament trail! :)

"Three Things I Learned This Summer"

While reflecting on the last 8 weeks in the lives of competitive junior tennis players (coincidentally the same as the last 8 weeks in the lives of HIGH-TECH TENNIS, lol), I realized that I learned three unrelated but important things. I think these are worth thinking about and wanted to share them with you:

1. Show Respect for Your Parent's Money - Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard that the economy is in a very bad place and no one can say when things will improve... Clearly, it's worse for some than it is for others, but it's not great for ANY of us. The biggest problem is J-O-B-S...Far too many parents are losing theirs (or they're worried that they might) and far too many don't even have one at all, but they're doing their best to keep their juniors involved in tennis. However, equipment, lessons, academy, travel, and tournaments are EXPEN$IVE...

The least expensive (but most valuable!?!) component of junior tennis is a Match Play Video from HIGH-TECH TENNIS! :) In the words of a recent customer: "My son learned more about his tennis game from watching just ONE of your videos than he's learned in TEN private lessons!" Truer words were never spoken! But if the player refuses to watch the video, they learn NADA and it's a W-A-S-T-E of everyone's time (and money). So players, if your parent purchases a video from HIGH-TECH TENNIS, the very least you can (and should) do is WATCH IT WITH AN OPEN MIND. You will be AMAZED at how much you can (and will) learn...You can study your footwork, shot selection, court positioning, body language...and then you can study the same aspects of your OPPONENT'S game. Be smart, use video to your advantage, but please show respect for your parent's money! :-)

2. "We Don't Even Get a Break At All!" - This summer has been brutally hot, with many big tournaments scheduled practically backtoback. That may be unavoidable, but it's worth nothing that I asked two 12 year old players separately and privately whether they were sick of tennis this summer. They both dropped their heads and quietly admitted "YES". In the words of another player, "First we played our Qualifier and then Closed and then Clay Courts and then Zonals and then State Championships and then Hard Courts and then school starts---we don't even get a break AT ALL!!!" How sad...I reminded him that summertime IS the break!!! I told him I hope he gets to float down a river on an inner tube or something FUN and non-tennis-related before school starts---he said "ME TOO!" They may be tennis players but they're also KIDS---and kids should enjoy lots of things besides tennis in the summertime. Ever wonder why so many tennis players burn out? hmmm. As for us, we are beyond exhausted...and we haven't played a single set. :(

3. Some Things are NEVER O.K. - It is never, under any circumstances, acceptable for an adult to raise his voice, exchange harsh words, and almost fisticuffs with a junior player during or after a tennis match. NEVER. I witnessed this exact thing and the adult I am speaking of should be ashamed of himself.

As always, the very last thing we want to do is generate any controversy whatsoever.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!We may not have kids of our own
but we're watching these kids grow up before our eyes!
Juniors just don't stay juniors forever-they grow into adults.

Junior tennis is a journey, not a destination…
You might as well enjoy it!