YAHOO for National Showcase Series!

We've been keeping a gigantic secret since at least last August (& I'm not good at keeping secrets so that's saying something!!)---At last, we can speak openly about the exciting National Showcase Series for 2013!!! We got the heads-up earlier this week from our friend Julie (love her name) Wrege at Tennis Recruiting Network that the announcement would FINALLY be made so YAY for that.

You can find answers to your ranking and all other questions at the TennisRecruiting.net site (we just want you to be aware of the showcase & to let you where we'll be!) but suffice it to say that we FULLY SUPPORT this brilliant solution for two very good reasons:
 

1) They recognized that players would be left behind as a result of the USTA changes; and

2) They stepped UP on behalf of those players by offering them a CHOICE: Let the PLAYERS PLAY and let the parents decide WHERE THE PLAYERS PLAY!!!

We've already added FOUR events to our 2013 calendar---hoping to add more--but we'll be offering our popular video services at THREE out of the first FIVE events!!! The showcase kicks off very soon with the Costa Mesa Open Classic in Costa Mesa, CA for BG18s (which starts on 12/26). That's great for players on the west coast -- but it's also waaay too far awaaay for your HIGH-TECH friends who <HEART> the Southern Section.

Fortunately, the very next event is the Georgia/Alabama Open in Dothan, AL for BG18-186s (which starts on 3/30). We're EXTRA excited to return to the Westgate Tennis Center for the first time in at least 3-4 years..since the demise of the National Open for BG14s that was always so much fun in February. TD Don Bryan is one of the good guys who gets it - check out his response when I contacted him via email to ask permission to offer video services during the tournament:

"Of course. If there's anything you need, just let us know.
See you soon!"

What about the very next showcase event? The Bluegrass Spring Junior Open in Louisville, KY for BG18-12s (which starts on 4/6). If you know us, you know how much we LOVE our home-away-from-home at The Tennis Club at Springhurst. TD (& tennis father) Chris Mather is absolutely one of the best - he TOTALLY gets it - check out his response a few years ago after we offered video services during his tournament:
 

"What an awesome video service for tournament players!!
If you have YET to get a video of your match, you should know that HIGH-TECH TENNIS is the BEST!! Video is such a great learning tool --- so look them up at your next Southern tournament!!"

We'll have to skip the next showcase event, which is the Ojai Junior Tennis Tournament in Ojai, CA for G18s & BG16-14s (which starts on 4/26). Again, great for players on the west coast but not so much for HIGH-TECH friends...but the North Georgia Open in Rome, GA for BG18-12s (which starts on 5/25) is right up the road!! We haven't been to Rome in YEARS but when I contacted TD Robert Sasseville for permission?

"I don't anticipate a problem with your filming at that event."

Our schedule is jam-packed during the summer but we'll revisit the showcase for the Bluegrass Fall Junior Open in Louisville, KY for BG18-12s (which starts on 9/21).
 

Let the PLAYERS PLAY and let the parents decide WHERE THE PLAYERS PLAY? This brilliant solution has our FULL support & we'll do whatever we can to make it successful!

You can believe me when I say WE KNOW crappy tournaments...
If we're going, it ain't crappy (been there, done that)!!! Just as in all walks of life, ALL TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL---enough said.

 Meantime, we're spending a few quiet weeks in paradise... We're doing loads of planning for our 2013 calendar which includes several USTA events (mostly in Mobile & Louisville), several National Showcase Series events, several weekends at the National High School Tennis Team Championships, several Experience Tennis Technology events, several HIGH-TECH SPORTS VIDEO events...
We can't wait to see YOU on video in 2013!

On a personal note....

Hearing the news about little kids being murdered in their elementary school classrooms felt a little like hearing about 9/11..
Shock, disbelief, anger & extreme sadness..
Then we went to war to get revenge..
So I guess we'll be going to war soon..?
So many are dealing with such unimaginable pain today..
Moving forward with mundane tasks seems trivial & insensitive..
Wish we could find a way to live in the world without senselessly killing each other.. :( Sending much love to comfort those affected by recent tragedy in CT...
May the sweet victims rest in peace with the angels forever.

The Doctor is IN :)

"HIGH-TECH TENNIS is about so much more than just pressing the RECORD button!"

I remember the first time I said those words to Danny. He focuses so completely on cameras, court numbers & a million little technical details (especially at tournaments) so that we can deliver a complete, high quality video to each customer and I'm not sure he paid much attention to me (grrr). But since I'm the one who interacts with people (which I really do like!), I'm the one who gets to know the players & the parents...& I get involved in lots of little dramas that take place during & after tournaments. I'm certainly not a coach (not even a player!) - but sometimes I feel like I'm a counselor!!! WHY WOULD I SAY THAT?? Well, consider just a few of the recent tennis academy questions that have come my way:

• "After talking to you for the past 10 minutes, I really feel like you understand what's important & you share my values. We're considering a move in the next six months. Which academy in the Southern Section would YOU recommend?"
• "We're considering sending my 14-year-old daughter to stay with this coach and attend his academy. Since you live in the state where this academy is located (& we live in a different state), what do you think about this idea?"
• "I've been checking into various academies for my son but they're all so expensive! Do you think $3200 per month is reasonable?"
• "Why does it seem like everyone belongs to an academy these days?? My daughter doesn't - and she doesn't WANT to - but now I'm wondering if there something wrong with her (and us) because we have no interest in her playing tennis for 5-6 hours every day!"
• "Tennis is a big part of my daughter's life - but tennis is NOT her life! I want her to be more than just a tennis kid. We want her to be a good person who's also a good tennis player. Are we crazy?"

Or how about these random questions:

• "Could you give me some advice regarding my son's recruit video? I trust you and I'd really appreciate your guidance here."
• "Why is my daughter playing like crap??? I did NOT get up at 4AM and drive 6 hours for this!!" Note that her daughter was competing in a third-set tiebreaker in the Round of 16 at a recent tournament (she did win the match but lost in the quarterfinals of the main draw).
• "What should I do about my mom getting so mad when I lose?? I'm trying my best but I know she doesn't believe that!! I feel really bad about myself when I lose..and she just makes me feel so much worse!!"

And please do not get me started on the abusive father at the Orange Bowl. Notice the lack of outrage - it's kinda like "ho-hum...what else is new...nothing to see here...let's move on." Danny and I decided long ago that if we had to operate our business in Florida, we could not be in this business. Florida is TOXIC & we refuse to even put ourselves in that atmosphere. But we're adults & we make our own choices...the young players don't have those luxuries. :(

On a related subject, it was last March when we first learned about the massive changes that are coming to junior tennis. We fought back, we watched parents, coaches & others fight back, we've followed the fights, the exploding blogs, the name-calling & on & on. Our position is & has always been: We don't have to like the changes (& we sure don't--we think they'll be bad for junior tennis & we KNOW they'll be bad for HIGH-TECH TENNIS) but we do have to accept them. So we'll move forward with HIGH-TECH TENNIS & SPORTS VIDEO... Basically we'll keep using video to help junior athletes improve their skills & stay focused on something positive - like a sport - so they can avoid dead-end choices & other bad decisions that will limit their chance to have a successful life.
We'd love to help them ALL get to college because we feel a college degree means a BRIGHTER future...but we certainly know that college isn't for everyone. At the end of the day, we're determined to make a difference.

Many of you know that I've been inspired by my friend Elizabeth Edwards, who died two years ago today: 

"I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious.
And for that I am grateful." 

May you rest in peace forever, EE. 

Thank you for supporting & caring about what happens to HIGH-TECH TENNIS! Remember that our video cameras will be looking for YOU!

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!

Racism In Junior Tennis? Sadly, YES.

 

When it comes to tennis in general (not to mention junior tennis, specifically), it seems there's an endless list of problems that must be solved. It's kind of like my TO DO LIST - I may cross off an item here or there but mostly I just add to it! We are not listing the problems here because #1 - we are not experts and #2 - we may run out of ink, LOL but what we are doing is sharing our observations from 7+ years in the trenches with competitive junior tennis players.

By reflecting on what we see, we are shining a light of awareness on areas that may not get the attention they deserve. Sometimes things need to be said so that positive change can occur...at least that's our hope. Please remember the very last thing we want to do is generate any controversy whatsoever...
After all, if junior tennis players win, we ALL win!

As you may have guessed, first I gotta SHOUT OUT some great news about our friend Miss Taylor Townsend and her most recent opportunity-of-a-lifetime: She was invited to participate on Team Elton John for the WTT Smash Hit event in Pittsburgh, which meant that Taylor got to team up and play doubles with one of her IDOLS: fellow-lefty Martina Navratilova!!! What an amazing experience for an amazing kid!!! You will surely remember that I was and still am OUTRAGED at the treatment of this CHILD by Patrick McEnroe and the USTA. This is my opinion and my blog so I'm entitled to write whatever I want to write but if you don't think racism had anything to do with that horrible situation, I think it's time for you to wake up...

Back to the positive: I could go on and on about the reasons I'm crazy about this girl but let me just share a comment that she made at the event: "If it weren't for my sister, I may not be here today!" I'm telling you - this Taylor T is something special...and I'm not just talking tennis. She has a very special soul and we saw it when she was just 9 YEARS OLD! :) So hats off to you, Taylor T and to you too, Big Sister Symone---another very special person! But the BIGGEST shout out goes to Momma Townsend---Shelia, your daughters are beautiful girls AND the world certainly needs more of the beautiful people they are becoming! :)

We recently went to the Raleigh Bullfrog and, as you may have heard, it was a really, really rainy experience :( which meant hours and hours of waiting for dry courts on Sunday-the one and only day that wasn't 100% washed out. This left me with a ton of time to talk with customers (big surprise-that's one of my specialties-and I love talking to people) but I didn't love what I heard that day. In fact, it was very disturbing to me and I just haven't had a chance to share it until now. I'd share observations in this blog pretty much every day if I could - but there's this little thing called the mortgage, LOL. Anyway, without revealing any names (which I never have and will never do), I'll repeat the story as I understood it and please keep in mind that I wasn't there to witness or hear any of this personally:

This happened at the airlines on the way home after a BullFrog Southern Designated tournament in the Southern Section. When our customer attempted to board the plane with her tennis bag, she was prevented from doing so and told that she had to check the bag and pay a fee for doing so. When she (and her parents) pointed out that there were several other players who had boarded the plane ahead of her with the same bag, she was told that those were not tennis bags - they were car seats. What??? Car seats??? You cannot be serious!!! She told the airline personnel that those were not car seats - they were tennis bags - and she had the SAME EXACT ONE!!! Faced with such an obvious mistake, you'd think the airline personnel would have backed down and apologized for their error...

but you'd be WRONG.

Our customer was the ONLY ONE on that plane who had to check her tennis bag (AND PAY A FEE) to do so and hope you're ready for the big shockeroo: she was also the ONLY ONE on that plane who was African-American.

Her parents (particularly her father) were understandably LIVID and they demanded a refund and a letter of apology from the airline personnel when they arrived at their destination... I'm happy to say that their demands were met but of course THE DAMAGE HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE.

Try to imagine how YOU'd have felt if you'd been treated the way this young lady was treated!!! THIS HAPPENED IN 2012!!! Yes, racism is alive & well in junior tennis today. This is just one of many examples out there and we really hate that...We really, really do. :(

"Be kinder than necessary because
everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

What Are They Being Taught?

"Unless you are the 1/10^th of 1% who actually earn a living from playing tennis, remember that tennis is a game, a game that you can play your entire life." SC Tennis Pro Jerry Albrikes

Clearly, Coach Jerry sees the big picture and we totally agree with him - guess it's no coincidence that he's a good friend and supporter of HIGH-TECH TENNIS! This might be familiar to you since we post it all the time:

Tennis is a GAME, not brain surgery,
and junior players are CHILDREN, not mini-professionals.
Junior tennis is a JOURNEY, not a DESTINATION...
YOU MIGHT AS WELL ENJOY IT!

Tennis is certainly a game, but to us, it's also our J-O-B because we've been supporting tennis players with video services and virtually living, sleeping, and breathing tennis for the past 7 years. For a variety of reasons, we've now changed our primary focus to include other sports (via our new "division" HIGH-TECH SPORTS VIDEO) and we'll only pursue HIGH-TECH TENNIS activities when and where it makes sense. It'll be interesting to see how similar or different those other worlds might be. So far, the differences seem to be significant...we shall see.

During the month of June, we're always excited to visit several terrific SUMMER CAMPS and I've been noticing that the campers learn a LOT more than just how to play tennis. So, aside from just having someone to basically "babysit" your kids while they're on summer vacation, I started thinking about what the kids are actually being taught. Tennis is such a great disguise for learning life lessons (kind of like adding sugar to medicine to make it easier to swallow).

For instance, we recently observed a coach who was still very, very unhappy with a player because that player had thrown her racquet the previous day. He talked about how much money her parents had paid for that racquet and she definitely got the message that racquet abuse just would not be tolerated in any way, shape, or form. That lesson was much more important than which grip to use.

That same coach also couldn't believe that so many players withdraw from tournaments after losing in the main draw. He felt it was important to always finish something once you start it and when you don't get your way, you cannot be permitted to just quit and walk away. Again, what a lesson for those players to learn.

While waiting for campers to warm up the other day, I overhead another coach say words to this effect: We're a team and we do everything together so let's GO! Such a great lesson for players to learn, especially in such an individual sport like tennis.

Of course there are many, many coaches out there who provide a variety of lessons for children and the vast majority are doing the very best they can. HOWEVER, recent news concerning religious and educational figures of authority is incredibly upsetting. It's even more startling to realize that one out of every six boys and one out of every four girls will experience some form of sexual abuse before the age of 18.
(Child Sexual Abuse Fact Sheet)

Parents, please don't miss this very clear reminder: You absolutely MUST carefully select the people with whom your children spend their time. Protect your precious children from the creeps out there who look just like someone's grampa or as harmless as you and me while they're destroying human spirits every single day.

When the "Professionals" Are Unprofessional...

I am NOT a tennis player, I am NOT a tennis coach, and I am NOT a tennis parent...but I am someone who cares deeply about junior tennis and I spend the majority of my time surrounded by junior tennis players. As such, I think I've got a unique perspective and I've been sharing "Observations from 5+ Years in the Trenches with Competitive Junior Tennis Players" because I want to do whatever I can to improve junior tennis.

I am not writing this (or anything else) to be mean-spirited or to cause any controversy whatsoever. I can’t possibly solve every issue associated with junior tennis, but what I can do is reflect on what I see and hopefully shine a light of awareness on it so that positive change can occur…or at least that’s my hope. Finally, I am not a tennis historian, LOL, and my daily involvement with tennis goes back just six years. Prior to that, I was a very casual tennis fan and am only vaguely aware of tennis happenings during the days of Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and others in the 70s.

If you know anything about me, you know that I admire (o.k., I adore) the FED. What an amazing athlete but, perhaps even more importantly, what an amazing human being and role model. "It's nice to be important but it's more important to be nice." WOW, I love this guy and it is such a pleasure to be associated with a sport that has such a gracious, graceful individual as its ambassador.

That probably explains why I've been so offended by recent behavior of so-called tennis "professionals" on the tour. I am speaking of three recent examples but (unfortunately) there are many more: David Ferrer (hitting the ball in the direction of the stands because he was frustrated by a noisy child), Donald Young (sending a First Class F-BOMB via Twitter to the USTA), and Andy Roddick (throwing his latest in a too-long series of temper tantrums, complete with expletives and insults).

"Tennis is a classy sport and that’s one of the reasons we all love it so much. Let’s all do everything we can to improve the junior tennis tournament experience!"

 In my opinion, the "professional" tennis players above are behaving like spoiled children (and I'm being kind in case kids are reading)...but in fact they are grown men who are being paid to play a game. Admittedly, that game can be excruciatingly frustrating, but their behavior is unacceptable and if they cannot control it, I think they should find another way to earn a living. Tennis is not for everybody - I know for CERTAIN that I couldn't cope with it - so I wouldn't even dream of trying (nevermind that I have NO TALENT, lol).

"Some people define sportsmanship as the “golden rule” of sports – in other words, treating the people you play with and against as you’d like to be treated yourself. You demonstrate good sportsmanship when you show respect for yourself, your opponent, and all referees and officials."

I certainly can't guide a player on the technicalities of a backhand slice, LOL, but I can and do try to guide them when it comes to "sportsmanship." I recall a time in Chattanooga when a young junior reacted each time he made an error by shouting loudly in agony. His voice could be (and was) heard throughout the entire tennis center that day and I felt embarrassed for him because everyone knew it was him. When he lost the match (which of course he did), I talked with him for quite some time about how he needed to find a way to control his frustration and what it would be like if every tennis player behaved that way during moments of extreme frustration. I am no miracle worker, LOL, and I'm not saying I could or did solve his tendency to have multiple meltdowns during a match, but I could and I did let him know that I care and I hope my message got through on some level. That was several years ago and he has matured quite a lot...but we still talk about it whenever I see him.

"A big part of good sportsmanship is having a good reputation. So why not strive for the reputation of a gracious player who is always pleasant and always fair. Our cameras have seen this player and he is admired by fans and opponents alike."

Another player that I care a lot about is well known on the junior circuit because, according to his reputation, he's a cheater. I don't know whether he deserves that reputation or not but there was always extreme controversy on his court. It hurt me to hear so many people (players and parents) complaining about him and I felt it was my obligation as a friend to talk with this player and his parent to try to help. Again, I don't know that I helped but I did let him know I care and though he's also matured over the years, the first thing I ask when I see him is "how's your sportsmanship?"

"We all know that tennis is about so much more than just a series of backhands and forehands, with the occasional serve mixed in for good measure.  It’s about valuable life lessons and the game of tennis is really just a disguise.  It’s kind of like mixing a little sugar with medicine to make it easier for kids to swallow."

Just this weekend, I gave a pep talk (about how he must stay positive, always give his very best, and never get down on himself during or after a match) to a sweet player I met almost 2 years ago (he was just 8). His spirits were very low but he's now just 10 and I told him I was so proud of him for making it to Monday at a BullFrog Southern Designated tournament for 12 year olds. I reminded him that mental toughness is just as important as a big serve and that he should never, never, never quit. I asked about his footwork and gave him my H-TT MOVE YOUR FEET wristband and a big hug. With tears in his eyes, he hugged me back and said he didn't know where or when his next tournament was but he hoped I'm there too. awwwwww. ♥

In conclusion, I don't know what can be done about it but I am just so offended by the behavior of Roddick and others and I wanted to express it. He is being paid well to play a game but he's behaving like a spoiled punk. He should realize that part of being a "professional" is accepting the fact that so many kids look up to him and try to be like him. He is sending the exact opposite message that I and so many others are trying to convey. We're trying to make a difference - one player at a time - and when the "professionals" are so unprofessional, something is just not right.

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!

Bad Characters Are Bad News

DID YOU KNOW:  John McEnroe (famously dubbed “Superbrat” by the British tabloid press) was thrown out of an elite tennis academy for bad behavior at a young age. IMAGINE THAT!

We hope you know that we care about junior tennis and we especially love good players with good behavior and good reputations! However, our cameras have seen way too many of the opposite. We see so many players who deserve their bad reputations as cocky, arrogant, disrespectful, and unpleasant. These players are “hot heads” and they are admired by few (besides themselves).

A bad reputation can follow the player and damage any future opportunities he might have with college coaches and others. In the words of an accomplished coach we know, “don’t be negative during your career on or off the court-word will get out and coaches won’t be interested in you.” 

On a related note, I overhead a radio interview with Tony Dungy (who coaches football, not tennis, but the point is a good one). Tony Dungy often had to choose between two players who were athletic equals and to help with this decision, he looked into the player’s character. One good way that he found to do just that was to speak with the staff members who were responsible for equipment and uniforms. Those staff members had frequent interaction with each and every player and, most important of all, they had it when no one else was looking. This gave them a unique glimpse into the player’s character and Tony Dungy said that, when choosing between a player with a great attitude and one who was just so-so, he chose the player with the great attitude every single time. He was proud of those choices and said he’d make the same choices again today.

So reputation and character really are important points…not just to the outcome of a specific tennis match, but to the player’s future. Think about what it means to be a good sport and what it means to keep your composure on the court. I think Pete Sampras had the right idea when he said “Be quiet and let your racquet do the talking.”

By contrast, our cameras have seen the player who shouts, complains, uses bad language, and even abuses the racquet or the ball. Is it really necessary to scream COME ON!!!!! after every single point???? This player is anything but a good sport. This player is embarrassing himself and others.

This player is a BRAT!!!

Finally, the bad behavior is frequently observed by other spectators and parents express how shocked they are that this kind of thing is almost to be expected at tournaments. How unfortunate that it’s COMMONPLACE, particularly at the higher levels.

One thought about sportsmanship (good and bad) comes to mind from a very recent tournament. As in all matches, both players clearly wanted to win but, of course, only one CAN win. I didn’t see the match but simply overheard the most astonishing remark to an official: “Thank you for watching my match.” Now I’m not sure that I’ve EVER heard a player say that – so I looked up to see who it was. I was so impressed with this GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP that I found that player’s mother and told her she should be proud of her child. I later learned (from other spectators) that there was some horrendously BAD SPORTSMANSHIP during that match from that player’s opponent. So….the beat goes on!

This article focused on bad sportsmanship, but the next article will share observations regarding our least favorite but unbelievably prevalent aspect of junior tennis: CHEATING.

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

Cheaters Never Win...Except When They Do



When we submitted previous blog posts like Practice Being a Good Sport or Bad Characters Are Bad News, we deliberately avoided one of the most troublesome but also the most prevalent aspects of junior tennis: CHEATING.
:(

We may not have kids of our own, but we’re watching these kids grow up before our very eyes. Also, it must be said---We know this negative behavior is not limited to tennis (it appears in all sports) but tennis is what we see and we can only comment on what we see. So here goes!

A lot of top players seem to have a ‘Win At All Costs” mentality…but WHERE DOES IT COME FROM? Who is teaching these players this tactic? Or the better question: Who is accepting this tactic from these players? And the best question: Will these players go forward into their adult lives with this tendency to cheat?  We believe in the saying that “Cheaters Never Win” but it’s seriously tough to believe that when we see them win almost every day at junior tennis tournaments.

In the 5+ years that we’ve been involved in junior tennis, our cameras have seen that cheating has increased (and continues to increase) to almost unimaginable levels. We see it and we hear about it constantly from players and parents and others. The specific circumstances may change from tournament to tournament but we see it ALL THE TIME 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 and we know that one or two bad calls during a match can drastically change the outcome of that match. Our cameras have seen the player who changes the score mid-match so he has the lead. But his opponent knows (and we know) that the new score is not accurate. We’ve seen the other player call for a line judge and we’ve seen what always happens: the line judge doesn’t have the authority to do anything other than to stay and monitor the match for a period of time and then he or she must move on to other matches. As soon as that line judge steps away, the original player reverts back to his cheating ways and continues to make line calls that are obviously bad. Finally, we’ve seen his opponent as his 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 tennis court and more than one parent has asked us when they should pull the player off the court for discipline. That is a good question but it’s most certainly outside the scope of anything we’re doing at any tournament.

Parents have even observed their child’s poor sportsmanship and asked us what they should do about it. We simply say that it’s a tricky area and we suggest that they consult with a sports psychologist or other specialist who can help with their specific situation.

Sometimes, It's Just UGLY
We think it is nauseating when parents know their children cheat and they do absolutely NOTHING about it. Our cameras have seen DISGUSTING behavior on the part of parents and it is overwhelmingly sad. We actually heard a mother repeatedly yelling “He might be a cheater but he’s MY cheater!” 

Equally ugly is the treatment that some players have to deal with after a tennis match. We really wish parents would stop and think before they berate or belittle or humiliate their children after a loss. The child is devastated enough by the loss and the last thing they need or deserve is to deal with comments such as this one:
“We spend too much !#%@&_#!% money on your training for you to turn around and play like that.”

We hear these comments and we can’t help but wonder:
What are these people thinking?!?

We can’t avoid the awful topic of players being physically abused by a parent after the match. I have never witnessed it personally, but I’ve heard about it more than once. In fact, I was recently informed by the concerned parent of another child that a certain father had punched his son as soon as they got into the parking lot and the child was now screaming inside a parked car. It was so upsetting but we couldn’t do a thing about it. Certainly we have never and will never look at that father in the same way again.

Our cameras have seen ugliness that we wouldn’t have believed possible, like the mother who shouted across two tennis courts to her son and told him to stop playing because the referee did not understand the rules correctly and was treating her son unfairly. Or the mother who chased down a female official and emphatically pointed at the official and then at her daughter’s court, as if to scream
“GET OVER THERE – AND I MEAN NOW!”

It made us just sick to our stomach when our cameras saw the father who got right in the tournament official’s face and accused him of racism (with no regard for young players standing nearby, watching and learning).

One more…We were flabbergasted when we saw an angry mother rudely 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.

What kind of adults will these players grow up to be? How will they conduct themselves when they’re faced with adult-size frustrations and adult-size difficulties?

Those are good questions, aren’t they? Unfortunately, we don’t have good answers. We don’t even have ANY answers. We can’t predict the future but what we can do is reflect on what we see and hopefully shine a light of awareness on this very unfortunate subject.

Sometimes things need to be said so that positive change can occur…or at least that’s our hope. Thank you for your support!

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

Tennis Lessons for Life

We all know that tennis is about so much more than just a series of backhands and forehands, with the occasional serve mixed in for good measure.  It’s about valuable life lessons and the game of tennis is really just a disguise.  It’s kind of like mixing a little sugar with medicine to make it easier for kids to swallow.  

We love tennis for lots of reasons…but a big one is because it’s one of the only sports that offers the opportunity for players to develop strategy, solve problems, and succeed (or fail) with no assistance from a team, coach, or any other source. Even before I understood the game (which I still don’t always do), I knew that I loved the INDIVIDUALNESS of tennis (and I realize that is not a word, btw).

Maybe that’s why a high percentage of CEOs and successful executives were tennis players in their youth. Wish we could cite the source for that info but we definitely read it along the way…and never forgot it.

Top 5 Life Lessons

Our cameras have seen countless players learn (or re-learn) valuable life lessons on or around the tennis court. Read on for five specific examples…Maybe you can relate to some (or all) of them---and these are just ones that come to mind. There are so many more!

The Tennis Player Who…	Is Learning How To…
Finds his next opponent and scouts out his style.	Assess another person’s strengths and weaknesses.
Demonstrates a calm demeanor, while his opponent pumps himself up by endlessly shouting things like ‘Oh Yeah - Come On!!!’.	Remain composed when another person achieves great success.
Takes the court in full concentration after extensive rain delays have ended, while the light rain continues to drizzle.	Overcome conditions that are beyond his control.
At 6 inches shorter and 50 pounds smaller than his opponent, smiles sheepishly and says ‘I guess all I can do is try my best’ and then steps out onto the court to face the #1 seed.	Accept challenging situations and always give his all.
Repeatedly watches video clips of top pros and carefully studies their techniques. Expressing true shock that his peers seemed to have little interest and immediately turned their attention to something else, this young junior was like a sponge who couldn’t get enough.	Study and learn from successful people.

Food for Thought

He told us he wishes somebody would take a poll of parents to learn what their goals are and what they’re actually trying to accomplish by having their kids compete at junior tournaments.

He shared that when he (and his girls) first got involved, they had no idea what to expect and they’ve learned so much over the years (he was definitely NOT talking about how to actually “play” tennis).

He said that the chance of playing pro tennis is so very remote for most players (we’ve read that an estimated 99% of American tennis players will not make the top 100 in the world professionally) and many will be lucky to play college tennis (even though they spend more trying to obtain a college scholarship than the actual worth of that scholarship).

Rather, he wished that parents would realize what he considered to be the REALLY important reasons to have your kid involved in competitive junior tennis – because it gives young players an opportunity to learn important traits like HARD WORK, COMMITMENT, RESPECT FOR OTHERS, ORGANIZATION, PRIORITIES, TIME MANAGEMENT, and so many others.

He said that being a tennis parent involves big sacrifices (which he was more than willing to make) but he felt it was important for parents to be realistic about what they were doing and why.

He was sharing some priceless wisdom – we couldn’t have said it better! – and we sure hope someone out there is listening. Remember, this comes from someone who has walked the walk (of years in junior tennis with his own daughters) and now he’s talking the talk. We’re including it here as food for thought FOR YOU! J

Paying It Forward

We’ve barely scratched the surface of this topic but you probably get the idea. One last related thing…We were heartened to read comment directors from a tournament at one of our most recent tournaments:

“Some people say that it is easy to be a great sport when you’re winning, but we all know that’s not true. We give special recognition to two players who are great examples for the tennis community because they’re not waiting until they get their millions to give back – they are paying it (forward) as they go through life.”

This article was about the many Tennis Lessons for Life that we’ve observed, but the next article will share our observations about our least favorite but unbelievably prevalent aspect of junior tennis: CHEATING.

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!

32 Draw=No Win for Others

Other notable losers of the 32 draw that did not even swing a racquet:

• The most obvious are kids that did not get in, but what about the officials that did not get hired because they only used 8 courts?
• The t-shirt vendor whose order was cut in half from last year or the racquet stringer who is available onsite at many tournaments (and was nowhere around).
• The tennis ball vendor who sold fewer cases of balls to the tournament because they played only half as many matches and no third set (therefore no new can of balls). BTW, the match tie-break for both main draw and back draw matches was another topic of conversation amongst parents.
• The food vendor who sold fewer lunches to the tournament players.
• The host hotel for the tournament. Consider this possible conversation between TD and Hotel Mgr:

TD: Hello, Hotel Mgr. We're having a Boys' 12 National Tournament at our club next month and we're looking for a host hotel and sponsor.

Hotel Mgr (thinking to himself): A national tournament? People flying in from all over the country and needing a place to stay? We booked so many rooms last year and that tournament lasted 5 days...

Hotel Mgr: GREAT! We'd love to do it again this year!

TD: I was thinking we'd have the check-in there and also hold the mandatory meeting there, followed by a pizza party.

Hotel Mgr: GREAT! I'll bring in extra staff and I'll give you a great tournament rate. About how many players will be arriving on what day and for how long?

TD: Well, the USTA cut the draw to 32 and shortened the tournament to 3 days, so that means that half the field will be out after the first day.

Hotel Mgr (thinking to himself): I've had wedding parties book more rooms and everyone stays the whole time. I'm not so sure about this.

• And last but not least: HIGH-TECH TENNIS. For the past 3 years, we've provided video services at the National Open BG14s in Dothan, AL (64 draw, 128 players), which has been a great tournament at a great facility with a great tournament director and great tournament staff.
  
  For whatever the reason, Dothan lost that tournament this year (thanks again) and so we were left with the National Open B12s (32 players). We contacted the TD and she was more than happy to accommodate us. She was glad we were available to enhance their tournament.
  
  We had a good tournament percentage wise (consider it was one age, one gender, 32 draw) but let's face it, percentages don't pay the bills. At national tournaments, we normally add 20-25 new customers, which is always good. We're growing our base and more players are taking advantage of the tools and technology out there to help them improve and to document a small slice of their tennis development.
  
  At this national tournament, we picked up 3 new customers from Florida.

Since they only used 8 courts, we did a HIGH-TECH TENNIS first and recorded every single match of the tournament (thinking no one will buy a match that you don't record).

The only problem was that in last national tournament in 2010 that FELT like a national tournament, we recorded more matches BY REQUEST than were actually played in this entire tournament. 

No big winner here...

When so many lose, WHO WINS?

Who Wins?

You’ve heard about big changes to the format and schedule of junior tennis tournaments…Well, those changes are HERE.

Now we know that nobody likes change – so it’s far too early to predict the answer to this question with any accuracy – and we’re certainly hoping for the best…After all, if junior tennis players win, we ALL win.

But we thought we’d share some early reactions.

Please refer to the postings listed under the Blog Archive section.

If you know ANYTHING about us, you know how much we care about junior tennis.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

10 and Under=No Win for Players or TDs

At our last Southern Level 3 tournament of 2010, we saw 20 players (more girls than boys) compete in the 10 age division. This was before the changes took effect.

We recently went to a Level 4 tournament and saw 9 players in this age division (7 boys and 2 girls). The girls played one match (the finals) – first and last round in one match!

There were a few more 10 and under players in the tournament, but they weren’t playing in that age division. Instead, they were playing “up” in the 12 age division. Check out this conversation:

HTT: How was your match this morning?
PLAYER: I guess it was o.k. I won.
HTT: What was the score?
PLAYER: I won 0 and 0. But the kid I played was only 7.

How much fun was that for the 7 year old? Or for the 12 year old?
No real winners there…

Finally, we’re still trying to figure out how any player on the 60 foot court will be able to compete against the great 12 year old national players we saw this weekend.

The tournament director told us he had to spend money to paint the lines on the courts (and listen to lots of club members complaints)…and it turns out they had far fewer participants in the 10 and Under age division for that tournament compared to the previous year.

Where’s the winner?

32 Draw=No Win for Players or TDs

Who KNOW it's early and these changes just took effect.
Still, everyone has a right to an opinion...and they must all be copying from each other because they're all singing the same tune.

We’ve been going to national tournaments for the past 4+ years. We normally see players coming in from everywhere in the country…and there are always a few that just barely got in to their first national tournament. Wow, those parents and coaches are so proud and so happy for the player – before they’ve even hit a single ball!

And how about the kid who was on the alternate list and then got a last minute call to say that someone had withdrawn…there was a slot for them - could they get there in time? Those are great stories to hear because that kid is a winner at the moment he picks up his first t-shirt that says “NATIONAL TOURNAMENT”.

We saw none of those things. We saw players who had already played in a national tournament, we saw that NO players withdrew. We saw that they all came from Florida and the Southern section (with just a few from the Mid-Atlantic section). We know these same kids played each other in the last national and they'll probably play each other again in the next.

This was good competition right off the bat
(or should we say off the racquet).

But no win for players...

The talk amongst the parents around the tournament site about the 32 draw was one of puzzlement. No one, NO ONE was in favor of the change. One parent said he could understand it somewhat but liked it the way it was. According to another: "If the USTA wants the kids to get more experience by playing more matches, then why did they limit the draw to 32?"

We saw more tournament staff, volunteers, court sweepers, and officials than there were players.

A 32 draw meant the tournament director had to do the same amount of work for 1/2 the entry fee. I'm sure there are many TDs this week who are wondering whether it was really worth it to host a tournament with a 32 draw.

Bottom line: You'd like to think TDs run tournaments for the love of the game and for the good of the kids but as you may well know, many TDs do it just for the money. Some break even, but I can't think of many who will run a tournament and lose money.

No winners here...