BOB DYLAN HAD IT RIGHT

Sometimes we get consumed with all the changes that have come & continue to come to junior tennis... now it's time to change college tennis. :( Guess that's what happens when your total livelihood & ability to pay or not pay your mortgage depends entirely upon the sport of tennis. Even when we go on vacation, we can't get away from it & we know the self-employed people out there will totally understand what we're saying.

So we're at a lovely bed & breakfast downtown in Amazing Asheville, NC. If you haven't been, we highly recommend you plan a visit - pronto! We're already planning our return visit :)

We had a wonderful anniversary trip <15 years of marriage, 21 years as a couple, in case you're counting!> but one of my least favorite parts of the bed & breakfast experience was that our lovely hostess really put the breakfast in b&b... Not only did she whip up a 2-course gourmet meal, but she was proud to stand beside you & announce what was being served every morning at a mandatory seating for all guests - total strangers, mind you - downstairs in the formal dining room at 9AM sharp. That was a little rough, considering we were trying to visit each & every one of the brewery & winery options that Asheville has to offer, which is a lot, LOL!!

So anyway, we struggled to make polite conversation with mostly retired people even though our heads were pounding. It wasn't easy but we managed. Thinking back, our conversation one morning went from the dramatic changes <shrinking congregations> that have come to church communities all over the country <maybe the world> & then the conversation turned to dramatic changes <extreme head injuries> that are impacting youth football & then inevitably we started talking about the cuts in junior tennis that we fought against & lost 4 years ago, followed by the elimination of college tennis, which happens almost every single day. We'll certainly fight against the changes but I suspect we'll lose again. <sigh>

So that got me thinking... What's going on? What do church & football & tennis have in common? Not much...except one thing & Bob Dylan had it right: For the times they are a-changin'

"Come mothers & fathers 

throughout the land

And don't criticize 

what you can't understand. 

And you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone for

THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'

THANK YOU FOR 10 YEARS OF SUPPORT & PLEASE KEEP IT COMING!

THANKS FOR THANKING US :)

We work HARDER THAN YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE to make it look easy, lol & our goal is to make a difference by helping your junior player achieve his or her recruiting or training goals. Sometimes people are mean to us but mostly they're very, very nice.

During our extraordinarily busy #5TOURNEYSIN5WEEKS <mid-July thru mid-August 2015>, it really meant the world to us when we received these EIGHT precious gifts:

1. "Thank you & much love to you guys from the Pyritz family!!" Mother of 2 juniors from Cary, NC responds to our monthly newsletter

2. "Thanks for coming to PTC and for helping kids! Have a great day." Mother of junior from Peachtree City, GA responds to our academy video session

3. "Thank you, Danny and Julie! We all love the video and Lauren will be sending it out to coaches soon!" Mother of recruit from SC responds to daughter's recruit video

4. "We at Windward just love HIGH-TECH TENNIS!!! You guys are the best & we'd love to have you as the official videographer of Windward Tennis Academy!!!" New Owner/GM of Windward Lake Club

5. "We loved Hannah's recruit video! Thank you again for your investment in my child!" Father of recruit from Ocilla, GA responds to daughter's recruit video

6. "Thanks for all the hard work you guys put in at tournaments. You've been part of our journey in junior tennis from the first video in the 10s to the amazing recruitment video you put together last year. Could not have done it without HIGH-TECH TENNIS!!" Mother of 2 juniors from Ocean Springs, MS responds to fun video on FB

7. "Thanks, guys. The video is terrific & you guys are the best!" Father of recruit from Gastonia, NC responds to son's recruit video

8. "I love how you put this together!! That was SO fast!! I love you guys & all that you do for the kids!!" Mother of recruit from Hilton Head, SC responds to son's recruit video

We couldn't possibly live this dreamy life without you so THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT & please keep it comin'!!

SEPTEMBER'S STAYCATION!!

As you may know, we travel to junior tournaments all over the southeast because our mission is to make a difference by extending the power of video to as many junior tennis players as possible. This keeps us surprisingly busy, sometimes even non-stop, which is usually a good thing. But sometimes it just gets to be tooo much of a good thing, lol!! That's why this rainy Sunday in Georgia seemed like the perfect day to launch an early start to September's Staycation!!!

During some quiet time yesterday, I started thinking about how happy we are to have reconnected with friends old & new @ Windward Lake Club, how our 8th straight G12 National Hardcourt Championship was the very best E-V-E-R & how excited we are about the potential ways we can support the Windward Tennis Academy starting in the fall session!!! 

Then I started thinking about the tremendous success of the Tennis Recruiting Network's inaugural College Recruit Combine & Team Championships, brainstorming several ideas for making this event even BETTER & how much we're looking forward to multiple events being planned for 2016!!! 

Next my mind went to the John Strang McCallie Championships in Chattanooga, TN. This was our 9th straight trip to this excellent tournament & #10 is a given but hope it goes a little more smoothly than it did this year because we had serious challenges in terms of weather & extreme traffic.

Finally, my mind went to our sudden trip to FL on what was originally scheduled to be a family vacation but turned out to be an opportunity to spend time with close family members during a medical crisis. Thankfully, all is well!!!

THEN I REALIZED THIS ALL HAPPENED IN AUGUST,
WHICH IS NOT EVEN OVER YET...

WHEW!!!

No wonder we're both dragging!!! 

Wish we were going to the US Open but the reality is that we need to rest & recharge our batteries so we can come back strong!!

THAT IS WHY we're getting an early start on 
September's Staycation in Paradise!!
We've got several recruit sessions scheduled & loads of recruit videos to produce but our NEXT junior tourney is 9/11-13 <:(> It'll be our 8th straight year @ the Alabama Junior State Open in Mobile, AL.

We know we couldn't possibly live this dreamy life without your support so THANK YOU & PLEASE KEEP IT COMIN'!!!

CHAOTIC CONFUSION or CONFUSED CHAOS?

Math was never my strong suit <understatement of the decade>
so check out this challenging equation:

An extraordinarily popular but challenging brand new format
for distributing match play videos 

+

the busiest 5 week summer schedule in the 10yr history of
HIGH-TECH TENNIS 

=

C-H-A-O-T-I-C  C-O-N-F-U-S-I-O-N

or 

C-O-N-F-U-S-E-D  C-H-A-O-S

Just can't tell you how challenging it is to stay on top of all these moving tennis players <surely you realize that all tennis girls look like tennis girls & tennis boys look like tennis boys>, lol & we're certainly making more errors than we'd like!! 
BOTTOM LINE: We're sooo close but just not perfect yet
so while we work out all the details,

and we really hope this is true:

FIVE FUN FACTS ABOUT HTT

1. Danny played tennis for 40 years & he taught tennis for 12 years. Julie played & taught tennis for a COMBINED total of 0 (ZERO) years, LOL!

2. We are about to start our 11th year of providing video services exclusively tailored to help junior tennis players achieve their recruiting & training goals. We travel to approximately 30 junior tournaments throughout the Southern Section each year & we select our tournaments strictly based on whether the Tournament Director values our services & makes us feel welcome.

3. We agree with President JFK's assessment that "All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talents." For this reason, we work to keep the costs of our videos as LOW-LOW as possible because we want ALL players to have access to the power of video.

4. Contrary to popular belief, HIGH-TECH TENNIS is not a huge corporation somewhere. Quite the contrary. With the exception of a random teenager helping us with the cameras at tourneys, 1000% of the match recording, video production, tournament scheduling, customer service & all other communication duties are performed by DANNY or ME --- that's it. Is it any wonder that practically ALL we do is work??? We did not enter this business to become rich & if we did, we made a GIGANTIC mistake, LOL!!

5. We launched our VIDEO DOES GOOD program almost 4 years ago. We donate $1 for every video order sold & ask our customers to match our donation to The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research. Thanks to your generosity, we have raised over $6000 & this program will continue indefinitely because the need shows no signs of stopping. Visit our website for much more information about our connection to our unforgettable friend. Finally, the spirit of Sean lives on with the HIGH-TECH TENNIS "No Half Steppin' Tour 2016" because "you got to keep on pushing every day." Rest In Peace Forever, Friend... Click the Calendar image below to view our "No Half Steppin' Tour 2016" & our cameras will be looking for YOUUUU :)

HOT DOGS & TENNIS

As you may know, we're on STAYCATION so we didn't travel to Coney Island to take this fun pic. It was taken @ the Atlanta Dogwood Festival! WHO KNEW that we have so much in common with Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs, LOL!?! Consider these similarities:

• Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs was created by Nathan & Ida Handwerker in 1916. HIGH-TECH TENNIS was created by Danny & Julie in 2005.
• Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs obviously bears the name of its co-founder Nathan. Though not quite as obvious, HIGH-TECH TENNIS bears the "name" of Julie <HIGH-TECH> & Danny <TENNIS>.
• Nathan & Ida spent their life savings of $300 to begin their business. Danny & Julie spent quite a bit more than $300 (LOL!!) but you might also say that it was our life savings.
• Nathan was encouraged by several friends to go into business & compete against his former employer by charging less for a hot dog. Danny & Julie were encouraged by family members to go into business, to keep their prices as low-low as possible & until very recently, they've had virtually no competition whatsoever.
• Nathan reassured skeptical customers about the safety of eating hot dogs by requiring his workers to wear surgeon's smocks. Danny & Julie reassure skeptical customers about our purpose by explaining the incredible value that video offers to junior players with recruiting & training goals.

NOW YOU KNOW!!

As you may also know, we eat out - A LOT - but when we do eat at home, we frequently eat easy food, like hot dogs. Doesn't everybody?? Well, take a wild guess what brand we'll buy from now on!! :)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!