Why does the fun get pulled out of junior development? Remember that beginner player you had last summer whose parent wanted nothing but games, games, games so her child would like tennis?  Well, that kid got the bug, has played all year, and is competing on your junior teams and in tournaments. So this summer that parent wants you to do nothing but drills, drills, drills because this summer, junior’s got some big tournaments and it’s serious! It’s great that this kid now wants to take two private lessons a week, three clinics, is registered for every one of your camps, and holds a state ranking, but don’t forget why he got the tennis bug in the first place...because it’s fun! The kid loves you, the coach, and the games-based approach you’ve taken. And, it’s worked so far, improving his game. So why the sudden change?  I’ve seen countless pros, myself included, that throw out the fun approach when we get that student with some potential and commitment. We go into drill mode,  changing our personality from Cool Coach Ben to Angry Sergeant Hestley!  So, when you’re out there for hours on end this summer busting your hump developing the next Andre Agassi, remember to keep it fun!  You don’t have to sacrifice fun for high-intensity; the two can go hand in hand. Kids, parents and coaches all need to realize that even though the game gets more competitive, the reason we play stays the same...because it’s fun. If all the practices leading up to competition are dreadful, how do you think that affects a player’s performance in a match?  

With the change in tennis for the 10 and Under kids, I am sure you have come up to some resistance by some people about the change in the sizes of the court, the ball and the racket. Most of the resistance comes from parents who have kids 7-9 years-old who have been playing with the yellow ball for the past few years. I came across an article discussing how parents want their kids to play on the “real” court or the “big” court. In this article, the author put these numbers to a parent comparing what “big” tennis is like in adult measurements. I found this to be fascinating information. So, this is what the scale looks like from the perspective of a kid playing on the “big” court for an adult. Imagine an adult playing tennis with a 36 inch racket. Could you swing a racket that long? Imagine an adult on a tennis court 104 feet long. Could you cover that much territory? Imagine an adult playing on a tennis court with a 4-foot-high net. Could you get a serve over a 4-foot net? Imagine the feel of the ball hitting the tennis racket. The impact would feel like hitting a softball. You can check out the article for yourself at www.acecoach.com. This is how a kid feels on a 76-foot tennis court with a 26-inch racket and the yellow ball. When I read this, I thought, “WOW! This puts “big” tennis in perspective for parents.” Some parents have made up their mind about 10U tennis and “big” tennis. You won’t convince all parents to have their kids do 10U tennis; however, this perspective might help you convince some parents to have their kids do 10U tennis.

GPTA Board of Directors 

The GPTA annual Awards Party is coming up soon...December 13, at The Punchline Comedy Club in Sandy Springs. But we can’t give out the awards and prepare for this event without your nominations! Awards can play such an important role in your career development. Serving as emcee for the Awards Party for the past few years, I have been able to meet so many fantastic pros because they won awards, and I got to spend time with them on stage. It’s nice to put faces with names, and now I know these pros and have logged them into my memory book as “award winners.” When pros step up to the stage to receive an award, they are not only in front of colleagues, but also in front of potential co-workers, employers and business partners in the future. Who knows what next year or the year after that will bring? Every resume line counts. As a person who has administered a few job searches over the past few years I can confidently tell you that the phrase “Pro of the Year” (whether it’s Assistant, Head Professional or Independent) gets a second or third look and could possibly be the deciding factor between two very comparable candidates. Why? First, award winners are usually pretty darn good at what they do. Second, it shows that you respect the industry you work in and care about your career development; otherwise, why take the time to write a nomination or answer questions regarding your nomination? Third, it shows you’re good at “getting the word out.” In this age of business everyone works in the “marketing department.” Winning an award shows that you know how to keep players coming back to your clinics. You have to be able to promote yourself and your programs in a modest but effective way. I encourage all GPTA members to take a few moments, jot down all the accomplishments you have made in your business this year and put your “name in the hat” for a GPTA Award. All you have to do is go to www.gpta.com, then click on “2011 Awards Nominations” on the homepage. Then just click on your desired award and enter your nomination! Nominations will be reviewed by the Awards Committee. Nominees that most accurately fulfill the award’s criteria will be considered finalists and then the committee looks for the “WOW” factor to determine who stands out. Please note, the number of nominations a candidate receives has no bearing on the result. These awards are strictly about who has accomplished the most this year. So what are you waiting for? Make your nomination and get your name out there!

GPTA President

We’re all busy as summer is in full swing...schools are out and the kids are on the courts. It’s important to consider keeping kids hydrated in the hot and humid days of Georgia’s summer. At the May Lunch & Learn with Page Love and Iztok Bombac, there were some great tips on just how to approach nutrition on the courts and even on the road. The GPTA is always working hard to provide you with information that you can use, but we need your help and input. Please take a few minutes to participate in our upcoming poll on the website. And while you are at it, click here to share your tips on working with kids. The GPTA Summer Party is around the corner, and we are narrowing it down to the first week in August. We want all the GPTA members and their families to be a part of this summer party. Please watch for the details soon. We hope you have a great June, stay cool, and we look forward to reading your Tips and Lunch & Learn feedback!

ALTA season is winding down, and the summer season is fast-approaching.  Education is becoming vital to the ability of gaining higher-end jobs in the market today. The GPTA has a Lunch & Learn on May 6th starting at 12:30PM over at Atlanta Athletic Club. I would recommend attending this great lunch opportunity to network with fellow pros and then learn about nutrition and the training methods of Iztok Bombac and Page Love. Another great opportunity to learn from some of the best in the country is the USPTA Southern Conference in Baton Rouge from May 12-15. The knowledge that a pro can learn and the networking opportunities are worth the trip if at all possible. The GPTA Board of Directors takes pride in attending as many workshops and conferences from the USPTA, PTR, ITF, Argentina Tennis Federation and others to find the best speakers for your benefit. The value of the membership of the GPTA with the workshops, parties and—yes, the awards at the end of the year—make the $75 annual fee look the same as a $1 beer night. I encourage you to take advantage of the educational opportunities that are presented each year;  they have been very beneficial for me. 

I recently took over as the Director of Tennis at Medlock Bridge Tennis Center after seven years at the Atlanta Athletic Club. The best advice that Jeff Chandley gave me while at AAC was to improve my education. I found out that I beat out some very well-known tennis directors in the area with more experience (and many had more education), but because I had accomplished so much in a short period of time, Medlock Bridge wanted to give me a shot.  In the changing world a tennis professional has to be ever-changing to the dynamics of the game and the new innovative strategies that are coming.  Continuing education is a must for those wanting to get ahead.  It is a sacrifice to give up lessons on a Friday for a workshop, but in the long run it is well worth the time and effort.  We all want to be the best pros that we can be, and hopefully attending some GPTA workshops is on your list. For those who will be at the Lunch & Learn and the Southern Conference I look forward to seeing each of you there. Good news...the GPTA is happy to announce the suggestion box is up on the website for those that have suggestions or comments to share.  Do you have a speaker you would like to hear?  Would you like a different time offered? Anything else that you would share you can send in your suggestions to the GPTA Board of Directors by clicking on the Suggestion Box on the GPTA Home Page. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you witness the line-up for each of you.

Happy Spring to everyone! I hope the ALTA season is keeping everyone busy. How nice it is to be teaching in short sleeves again! As the spring ALTA season is in full force, please remember that the deadlines for the summer leagues are rapidly approaching: ALTA Mixed Doubles, April 13th, USTA Adults, Thursday Women, May 5th, Business Women May 7th Men’s May 7th and Junior USTA, April 22nd. The GPTA Board of Directors is working really hard on setting up the best possible events to the membership. Hopefully, you were able to attend the meeting with Patrick McEnroe at the Standard club. Thank you, Kip Layman, for hosting. It was a very informative event and had good member participation. I hope those of you who attended our first Lunch & learn Session with Mike Woody enjoyed his presentation. The feedback has been very positive, and you can now access all his drills and tips on www.gpta.com under the Lunch & Learn tab. Also, we would like to encourage our members to share with the GPTA your favorite drills, pictures of any events you attended or hosted at your club, and to answer the GPTA Tips question each month. We all gain when we share ideas, experience and drills. On behalf of the board, feel free to send us your suggestions. We are always looking for ways to serve our membership better.

Hello my fellow Pros!  I just returned from the PTR annual International Symposium held on Hilton Head Island, S.C.  This was the sixth symposium  for me, and I have to report that they just seem to get better each year.  The lineup of speakers and topics made it hard to decide which workshop to attend. The reason I am writing about this is to encourage all of you to make the extra effort to stay on top of your teaching game by taking advantage of every opportunity for educational workshops; especially the ones that the GPTA offers. GPTA workshops are so convenient, easy and ultimately so affordable. Affordable as in your $75.00 annual membership fee gets you so many excellent opportunities.  Perhaps I am preaching to the choir, because if you are reading this you must have renewed your membership for 2011. Congratulations, you have just made a wise investment!  But this organization needs members to keep it strong...I’m sure that you know at least one teaching pro who is not already a member. Please invite him or her to join. Or better yet, make him or her your guest for our upcoming Patrick McEnroe Special Event. As a member of your Board of Directors, I can tell you that the board puts a great deal of time and thought into securing the best possible slate of workshops possible each year. How many of these opportunities do you take advantage of?  The reason I ask is because I am always surprised by the overall small percentage of you that actually attend some of the excellent workshops available.  Attending ongoing educational workshops can sometimes mean that you miss out on a couple of hours of teaching income, right? So you probably decide that you cannot afford to miss those hours.  I would like to suggest that if you look at the workshop as an investment in your business, you might decide to attend rather than missing out on an opportunity to grow your business.  In the long run I believe you will increase your value to your clients and make even more income as a result.  So I want to share a little “ditty” from my hometown, New Orleans. In New Orleans there is something called “Lagniappe”, pronounced Lan Yap.  Lagniappe is when you give a little something extra to someone that they do not expect.  How about giving yourself and your clients a little Lagniappe by expanding your teaching skills through continued education?  With this in mind, please consider attending one of the great upcoming workshops like the Patrick McEnroe Event on March 12th and the Mike Woody one on April 8th. Hope to see you there!

Bill Osterhold
GPTA Board of Directors