Our FIRST EVER Fall Southern Closed

Everyone knows we love Kentucky in December (and we're totally looking forward to our FIFTH STRAIGHT Winter Southern Closed which will be here before we know it). But how would we feel about Kentucky in November? hmm... We just got home last night from our FIRST EVER Fall Southern Closed --- and we really weren't sure what to expect --- but we'll try anything once so we hit the road with fingers crossed. How did it go? Well, you gotta read on...for this exciting tale of our tournament travels! :)

We arrived at the host site (Louisville Indoor Racquet Club) just in time for registration. We considered several locations inside the club before we chose the best spot to set up our home-away-from-home for the next 5 days. So far, so good. But then we identified a few negatives that would make the tournament even more challenging than most...

The first was the alternate sites. With the exception of our favorite club in Kentucky-The Tennis Club at Springhurst-the other sites were not close together AT ALL. No problem-we'll just focus on LIRC and Springhurst and apologize to those at the other sites. Great plan - EXCEPT that 50% of the players who signed up for Day 1 of the tournament were playing at alternate sites. :( We just hate to say "NO" to good customers who are also good friends so we said "YES" - where there's a will, there's a way.

Next, we discovered that the curtains at LIRC were super-tall, meaning I couldn't reach the top of them...which meant that I couldn't lend a hand to help Danny if/when I had a free moment. No worries-we hired a teenager to help Wednesday morning and (tag-team) a local tennis pro to help Wednesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon. Not only could these helpers reach the top of the curtains, they also had cars they could jump into and they live in the area so they had no problem cruising over to the alternate sites. Problem solved!

The final issue was the HUGE fee we had to pay to LIRC for the opportunity to provide video services to our customers. We usually avoid those tournaments that charge a fee (we work to keep our prices low, low so every player can use video to their advantage) and since we're responsible for our expenses (you can imagine that driving all other the southeast and spending so many nights away from home really adds up), well, the margins are just really small---especially since we never really know whether we'll even make 50 cents!

As it turns out, our numbers were

 OFF THE CHARTS!!!

When the folks at LIRC approached us on the last day to find out whether our trip had been worthwhile, I told them we'd done very well. They said that was good for them and good for us...a WIN/WIN.

I said it really wasn't about us...it was about the players.

And it was VERY GOOD for them!!!

One of the many positive things I'll remember from this trip was when I asked 37 players a very serious question: "On a scale of 1-10, how happy is your life?" Most reacted with stunned silence, then comments like "Do you mean now that my match is finished?" or "I never thought about that before!" and I had to clarify that I meant IN GENERAL and I would only accept ONE WHOLE NUMBER (no decimals, no approximate # or #). I think the results were sooo interesting (considering these were junior tennis players, most of whom travel around the south at great expense to play a game): TEN: 9, NINE: 7, EIGHT: 16, SEVEN: 3, SIX: 1, FIVE: 1. I kinda expected the numbers would be higher...and I especially loved the ones who quickly answered "TEN-OF COURSE!" My childhood was very different so I can't really say what my answer would have been...?

How wonderful to receive loads of warm hugs and happy smiles! How about this from a sweet 10-yr-old little sis of a junior player and customer from Cary, NC: "HI, MISS JULIE!!! I'm SOOO glad to see you, I've missed you SOOO much, and can I help decorate your signs like always?"

Another positive: I was soooo touched to receive two gifts from two very thoughtful customers. COFFEEEEE from my favorite mom of two sweet girls from Mississippi and home-made cookies from a very special mom of a great girl and recent recruit from Louisville!!!

Finally, I don't think I'll ever forget spending several hours on a Saturday night with a brand new friend: 6-yr-old Ruthie (the sibling of a player in our LAST match of the day). I wish I'd taken a picture of her but I was too busy guessing the name of her sisters, her brothers, her parents, her pets - one dog, two cats, one turtle, one horse - and then guessing her favorite color, and her birthday. SMILE!!!

Not sure if we'll make the trip up next year (NEXT Thanksgiving is a long, looooong time away) but GREAT THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO MADE THIS TRIP UNFORGETTABLE - and a special shoutout to our pal Coach Chris Mather for being such a great friend to HIGH-TECH TENNIS in general (and to Danny & me...XOXO).
Thanks for the great support and we'll SEE YA SOON!

Just Two Words

"Be thankful for what you have;
you'll end up having more.
If you concentrate on what you don't have,
you will never, ever have enough."-Oprah

It's Monday evening at HIGH-TECH TENNIS and it seems like we just got home (cuz we DID-just 24 hours ago) from an amazingly amazing trip to SC. Our heads are spinning with excitement about the unexpected new doors that are opening to unexpected new opportunities and we'll have much, much more to share later -- want two clues?
O.K...LTP Tennis and Wild Dunes Resort. 

But first, we had to deal with a little reality (clothes needed washing and timing belts needed replacing-two crucial items that demanded attention) before we take off again in the morning for KY.

For the first time in 5 years, we'll miss our home-away-from-home: Thanksgiving at the Mobile Tennis Center was special in lots of ways. First, it was the holiday banquet that every single parent, player, and video person :) was invited to at the Mobile Marriott; then it was a few years of Johnny's home-cooked meal (with all the fixins) prepared onsite-right at the tennis center! Then the USTA cut the draw in half but combined the BG14s and the BG18s...Then they moved the entire event to Pensacola. JOY!!! If you think it's hard to plan your tennis calendars, just try to imagine the stress of paying your mortgage-YIKES!!! 

Oh well...We were thankful for a rare holiday of NOT working. Maybe we (or should I say DANNY, lol) would prepare a special dinner for ourselves. I have trouble boiling water - but Danny's a great cook (out of necessity, he says)! But then the tournament referree for the Fall Southern Closed contacted us and invited us to participate (for a fee, mind you). Only a few, great tournament directors are smart enough to recognize that we're an amenity and we make tournaments better. Alas, too many see only the opportunity to make a few extra bucks...sigh. This might be the first and the last year but we're off to Louisville and we're hoping for the best. Then, about four weeks later, we'll be back in Louisville for the Winter Southern Closed.
See why we can't afford to neglect our car?!?!?

Meantime---While we try to figure this stuff out, we know that we couldn't possibly do what we do without the wonderful customer friends who do what they do and we think it's important to thank all the really wonderful people who make our really wonderful lives possible.

So to all those special people, we have just TWO WORDS to say:

Here comes YEAR 8

Everyone knows it's tough for ANY business to succeed...Not to mention a business that's based on a brand new concept that's never been tried before!

We realized almost right off the bat that we weren't going to receive the support we naively expected would be automatic from tennis coaches and academies and tournament directors...Actually, we've had basically ZERO support whatsoever and every single bit of success we've had has been 1000% due to the hard work and sheer determination of DANNY AND ME.
NOBODY ELSE.

Wow, I don't have to tell you it's been tough and it's been challenging and it's been INCREDIBLY $TRE$$FUL (considering we have NO other source of income)...but we knew we were on to something and we're determined to make a difference. Fast forward to today...

Our College Recruit Videos have become so incredibly popular and I clearly remember the very first one we did...A father from Duluth contacted us in May of 2006...then a mother from Duluth...then a mother from Maitland, FL...and on and on it went. Just as we never expected to prepare Match Play Videos, we never, ever expected to prepare College Recruit Videos either.
We didn't expect to, that is,
UNTIL A PARENT ASKED US TO!

"Our college video had a tremendous impact on the college recruiting process for our daughter. One college coach even used her video to show other college recruits the type of high-level player they  were recruiting! Thanks, HIGH-TECH TENNIS!"

Father of High School Senior in Duluth, GA

"After all the time and money you've invested on behalf of your child, this is the BEST money you'll ever spend to get them well-deserved exposure!! This is truly a great product and your satisfaction is guaranteed! We highly recommend HIGH-TECH TENNIS!"

Very Satisfied Parents of Junior in Duluth, GA

"Great, great, GREAT...Awesome, awesome, AWESOME!!!
The online college you prepared for my daughter is WONDERFUL, Danny! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!"

Mother of High School Senior in Maitland, FL

It's fun to revisit some of the many wonderful moments we've experienced over the past seven years... I included three positive testimonials but I probably could have included three dozen or more. Just today I received two wonderful, supportive comments from two wonderful, supportive customers who have been "with" us since 2007 and 2008:

"The college video you did for me a few years ago really helped me a lot and I'm so glad you're helping my brother too!"(from older brother) ... "THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE FOR MY SONS! WE LOVE HIGH-TECH TENNIS!"

Father of Two Juniors in Canton, GA

"Thanks so much for your assistance with my daughter's video and now with all that you've done to help my son. We've recommended you guys many, many times and we'll continue to do so. In fact, we just sent you another client. I really admire you guys for having the guts to step out ther and pursue something on your own and stick with it to make it work. I saw that you are branching out...
WOW-Awesome!"

Mother of Two Juniors in Goodlettville, TN

IMAGINE MY SURPRISE

to glance up and look at the very first dollar bill we ever made (framed & hanging on the wall above my desk) and realize something quite remarkable:

THIS IS YEAR #8

We've been inspired by Arthur Ashe to "start where we are, use what we have, and do what we can" ... by Elizabeth Edwards, who put forth a "daily effort to have a positive impact in the world"... and by Andre Agassi, who understands that "life is messy and unpredictable but our choices define our future."
Simply stated, our goal is to make a difference!

We always said that our goal was to make a difference...
and I think we're doing just that!

Our future looks bright and it certainly looks busy!

HIGH-TECH TENNIS & SPORTS VIDEO = WOWOWOW

"Often when you think you're at the end of something,
you're at the beginning of something else."~Mr. Rogers

We know that couldn't possibly do what we do without the great support of so many great people...you know who you are...
THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!