November 2009

November 2009
GE
TA
Greater Elmira Tennis Association
Phone (607) 737-4674
Chemung Canal Tennis Challenger…
a BIG HIT!
Again in 2009, the Greater Elmira
Tennis Association partnered
with the Chemung Canal Trust
Company to promote tennis
to local youth through the
annual Chemung Canal Tennis
Challenger. With the cooperation
of the weather, over 20 children
from the YWCA were provided
an opportunity to learn some of
the basics of tennis from GETA
instructors. Josh Perry, Sean
Marshall, Jonathan LeSuer, Rich
Rollins, and Phil Levkanich using
Quick Start tennis concepts,
demonstrated and taught
groundstrokes and volleys in the
parking lot of the Chemung Canal
Trust Company’s main office in
Elmira.
GETA would like to thank Ron
Allison, of Chemung Canal, and
his staff for providing the area
used to set up mini tennis nets
and for tracking down foam
tennis balls from the occasional
errant shot! We would also like to
thank the YWCA for providing the
opportunity of exposure to tennis
to their children.
Table of
Contents
Kids Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Camp ACE . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Summer Lessons . . . . . . 4
Doubles League . . . . . . . 5
Geta Open . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Doubles Only . . . . . . . . . 7
Cardio Tennis . . . . . . . . . 8
Board of Directors . . . . . 9
Coaching Corner . . . . . . 9
page 2
GETA
- Court Gazette
The Greater Elmira Tennis Association was proud to sponsor,
for the first time, a field trip to the US Open Arthur Ashe Kid’s
Day event. This was GETA’s first time managing an event of
this type. A bus was chartered and 39 tennis enthusiasts
made the trip to New York City. Thirty “kids” (many who
participated in the GETA Ernie Davis Center tennis program)
and 9 adult chaperones worked very well together to make
sure the event was as much fun as possible. The 2009 Arthur
Ashe Kid’s day program included comedian Will Ferrell and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. Pop Rock stars Honor
Society and Usher protégé Justin Bieber also performed. There were tennis contests with former US Open Champions
Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters (this years’ winner), along with Andy
Murray, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and James Blake. Not only was this the first time for some of the local up and
coming tennis players to see first hand professional tennis, up close and personal, for many of the participants, it was
their first trip to NYC.
Now in its 14th year, Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day honors tennis legend Arthur Ashe
and continues his mission of using tennis as a means to instill in kids the
values of humanitarianism, leadership
and academic excellence. Through
participating in Kids’ Day, children of
all ages are introduced to the great
sport of tennis, and it allows families
to come together for a fun, interactive
experience.
A brief history: Presented by Hess and produced by the USTA, Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day benefits the National Junior
Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network. Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell, and Sheridan Snyder established the NJTL in 1969
with the mission of developing the character of young people through tennis and education. Since then, the
NJTL network has grown to include over 550 chapters, which serve over 220,000 youth annually. NJTL
chapters, which vary in size and scope, can be found in 46 of the top 50 U.S. markets, making
NJTL one of the USTA’s largest community-based initiatives.
November 2009
page 3
Camp ACE
2009 marked the first summer G.E.T.A. provided
a tennis scholarship to the Achieving through
Coaching and Education (A.C.E.) Project, which is a
program partnering tennis and college. Sonia Yu a
senior at Horseheads High School was awarded our
first scholarship.
The program, jointly constructed by USTA Eastern
and Reach for College! Provides opportunities for
high school students by combining academics with
tennis. The A.C.E. project is dedicated to promoting
equity by increasing and supporting the number
of traditionally diverse students who pursue and
complete post secondary education. Students
participate in weekly after school college-prep
courses and four hours of tennis per week.
GETA
page 4
- Court Gazette
What Goes Around - Comes Around
This was Josh
Perry’s first year as
Coordinator for GETA
summer lessons.
The GETA Board was
overwhelmingly
pleased with the
dedication and
superb performance
that Josh gave to
his job! Josh Perry
developed a solid
team of tennis
assistants including;
Jonathan LeSuer,
Meghan Lenhardt
and Sean Marshall.
Indeed, WHAT GOES
AROUND - COMES
AROUND and
assistant instructor,
Jonathan LeSuer, is
a great example of
GETA’s work in the
community. LeSuer,
a senior and tennis
player at Notre Dame
High School, began
taking GETA summer
lessons when he was
10 years old. “Tennis
is the one thing
that I felt at home
with at an early age,”
said Jonathan. He
continued, “I always
thought that being
an instructor would
be so cool. At first,
it was intimidating
because of the
responsibilities
involved. However,
when I was
offered the
job, I was
ecstatic. I
learned so
much this
past summer
and now
teaching is
a part of my
life!”
Josh Perry
expressed
similar
views about
his Lesson
Coordinator
experience.
Josh told the
GETA Board
members that
he learned
many life skills
and thanked
all for the
opportunity
to serve.
With the great
work of Josh
and his team,
the number of
GETA lesson
participants
remained
strong this
year. At Town
of Elmira
courts, there
were 47
participants in
Camp I and 33
participants
in Camp II. In
addition, Southside
High site had 8
attending the junior
level lessons on
Monday evening.
Josh Perry, Taryn
Lindquist and Tim
Klee teamed up for
adult lessons that
numbered 19 people
each Wednesday
evening. Throughout
the summer, GETA
filled the local courts
with people of all
ages, abilities and
interests. The game
of tennis brought
people together for
healthful recreation
and laughter.
November 2009
page 5
2009 GETA D oubles L eague
First Time Winners and 5 th Year in a Row for Another
Another successful summer for
the GETA Doubles League is now
in the books. We experienced
our highest participation in
the league with 170 players,
comprising 43 teams in two
divisions. All matches were
played either at the Town of
Elmira, Horseheads High School,
or the Elmira Free Academy tennis
courts. Fifteen teams played in
the “A” division with another 28 in
the “B” division. All totaled, 462
matches were scheduled with
873 sets and 6,397 games played
during the regular season!
Both divisions were very competitive and the top four playoff teams were not decided until the last league
matches were completed. The top four regular season teams, in order of finish were:
A Division:
No Net, No Glory, All Guts, No Glory, The Thrashers, and Net Rush
B Division:
WIN Tennis, The Alley Cats, Old-Lympians, and Ad In
The championship of each division was then determined by a playoff. The semi-final results were:
A Division
Net Rush (4)
defeated
No Net, No Glory (1) 6-2, 6-3
All Guts, No Glory (2)
defeated
The Thrashers (2) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
Inquiries For...
Greater Elmira Tennis Association
B Division
WIN Tennis (1)
defeated
Ad In by default
The Alley Cats (2)
defeated
Old-Lympians 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
email: [email protected]
Website:
http://getatennis.com
C ha m pi o n s h i p
A Division
All Guts, No Glory
defeated
Net Rush 7-5, 6-2
B Division
The Alley Cats
defeated
WIN Tennis 3-6, 6-4, 7-5
Address: 88 Bennett Road
Pine City, NY 14871
Phone: (607) 737-4674
Newsletter and Website Design
Kathy Holton
Congratulations to MaryEllen Halm, Joe Condame, Tim Klee, and Steve Forrest of Guts & Glory (their fifth
consecutive league championship) and to Chad Cumming, Maria Parabella, Marcus Schimert, and Nick
Parabella of The Alley Cats for pulling out hard fought wins.
It is great to see the large amount of activity on the tennis courts during the summer months. We look
forward to seeing you all again next year!
GETA
page 6
- Court Gazette
2009 GETA OP E N T OUR N AMEN T
Rain on Friday – 120 Players
First Time Champions – New Rules – Upsets
These all marked the 13th annual
GETA Open Tennis Tournament
held July 17 – 19. Tournament
volunteers scrambled Friday,
when rains force rescheduling
14 matches from our outdoor
courts to the Elmira College
Murray Athletic Center. Saturday
and Sunday had our usual great
weather for players and viewers.
The event is the major fundraiser
for GETA’s mission and activities,
such as free introductory tennis
programs at local schools for
kids, youth and adult lessons at
low prices, and Saturday evening
indoor tennis in the cold months
at low prices.
We thank our sponsors
and donors who make the
tournament a financial success:
Chemung Canal Trust Company,
New York Barbell, Minier’s
Grocery, Gino’s, and Seneca
Beverage. We also thank our
many volunteers who make
the tournament a success and
described by many as “the best
tournament in Central Upstate
New York.
Below are the winners and runners-up are shown below.
These include two players who winners who were unseeded !
The full Results are available on our Website: http://www.getatennis.com/tournament.html
Girl’s 18 and under:
Meredith Haggerty d.
(2) Melinda Haggerty 6-4; 4-6; 6-1
Boy’s 18 and under:
Jordan Niver-Johnson d.
(2) Jonathan LeSuer 7-5; 7-6
Women’s Open Singles:
Brittany Filip d.
Nina Pikula 6-2; 6-1
Men’s Doubles:
(5) O’Connor/Schiefer d.
(1) Klee/Sherman 6-1; 6-4
Men’s Open Singles:
(1) Shawn James d.
(2) Jordy Asher 6-4; 7-5
Men’s 35 + Singles:
(2) Dan Wilkens d.
(1) Hossein Eshraghi 6-3; 6-2
Women’s Doubles:
(1) Lindquist/Lindquist d.
Coates/Prabhakar 6-2; 7-5
Men’s 55 + Singles:
(1) Gary Marshall d.
(4) Brian Friedland 6-4; 6-3
Mixed Doubles:
(2) Wright/Wright d.
(1) Asher/Vail 6-2; 6-2
November 2009
page 7
2009 GETA DOUBLES ONLY TOURNAMENT
Superb Weather – 80 players – Come from behind
Wins – 3-set Battles – 10 winners of Raffles – New
technology – Local TV – “International” players
These all marked the 7th Annual GETA Strictly
Doubles Tennis Tournament held September 1920. It was a weekend of weather that was picture
perfect: pleasant temperatures and no rain. GETA
offered each player a raffle ticket with their entree
fee and all could purchase more tickets at $1 each,
for 10 different prizes ranging from a basket with a
novel and a bottle of wine to large framed posters
from the US Open. New technology including using
GETA’s website to inform players of the time of their
match. We introduced the use of videotaping of
local players from Russia, Iran, Germany and Sweden
and a “bagcheck” (a feature on the tennis channel)
that we plan to include in the next major update
to our website. Local television sports covered the
tournament again and mentioned the international
participation in the event.
The Event is the second major fund raiser for GETA’s
mission and activities, such as free introductory
tennis programs at local schools for kids, youth and
adult lessons at low prices and Saturday evening
indoor tennis in the cold months at low prices.
We thank our sponsors and donors who make the
tournament a financial success: Chemung Canal
Trust Company, New York Barbell, Minier’s Grocery,
Gino’s Pizza, and Seneca Beverage.
We also thank our many volunteers who make the
tournament a success and described by many as “the
best tournament in central upstate New York.
Below are the winners and runners-up are shown
below. The full Results are available on our Website:
http://www.getatennis.com/doublesonly.html
Mixed Doubles :
Adult/Youth (18 and under) :
(2) Wright/Wright
d.
(4) Khrapko/Lindquist 6-3; 6-3
(1) Makos/Makos
d.
(2) Condame/Condame6-3; 6-3
Men’s Doubles :
(4) Khrapko/Schirmer
d.
(1) Ianovici/Ten 6-3; 6-1
Women’s Doubles :
Coates/Keel
d.
(2) Hanzes/Karst 2-6; 6-1; 6-2
Century Doubles :
(1) James/Rollins
d.
(3) Gordon/Renz 6-1; 6-2
GETA
page 8
- Court Gazette
Come to one session or come to them all!
Are you looking for a new fitness routine?
Are you looking for a new way to improve your skills?
You have to try Cardio Tennis. Cardio Tennis is a new, fun group activity featuring drills
to give players of all abilities an ultimate, high-energy workout. Taught by a teaching
professional, Cardio Tennis includes a warm up, cardio workout, and cool down phases.
If you are looking for a great way to get in shape and to burn calories, you must try
Cardio Tennis!
There are programs and drills geared for existing and beginning players to get a
great cardio workout while improving skills.
GETA is one of 1000 “authorized” Cardio Tennis sites
throughout
Heart Pumping Fitness
Benefits of Playing Cardio Tennis
•
•
•
•
Check out the 30 second spot below:
http://cardiotennis.com/Videos/CardioTennis_30sec_F_Medium.mov
•
Heart Pumping Fitness starts with a
GETA Sponsored Cardio Tennis Class
•
Just look at what two top experts are saying about
Cardio Tennis.
Dr. Gordon Blackburn from the Cleveland Clinic.
“Cardio Tennis is
a great idea. We
“Cardio Tennis is a
are excited about great workout. I
what Cardio Tennis love the experience.
You have Fun, Get
is doing to get
America energized, in Shape and improve
your tennis skills.”
fit and healthy.”
Denise Austin
Reserve your spot now!
C a l l 6 0 7-7 37- 4 674 o r
email for more information
Participants consistently elevate their heart rates
into their aerobic training zone.
It is much more fun than working out on a machine or other fitness activities.
You get short cycles of high intensity workouts
and periods of rest, almost like interval training.
It is a fun, group activity where players of all abilities enjoy tennis together.
While you are playing tennis, the focus is primarily
on getting a great workout.
You naturally improve your game because you hit
so many balls and repeat various shots.
Session Dates and Times
October 29, 2009 . . . . . . . 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
through
March 25, 2010 . . . . . . . . . 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Excluding:
. . . . . November 26, 2009
. . . . . December 24, 2009
. . . . . December 31, 2009
Location:
Twin Tier Racquet Club
192 Daniel Zenker Drive
Big Flats, NY
Price: $ 10.00 per 90-minute session
November 2009
page 9
Ar e All Tennis
Ball s Al ik e ?
Question: What’s the difference
between “extra duty” and “regular”
felt?
Answer: Extra duty felt is made for
hard courts, which wear away the felt
quickly. Regular felt is better on clay
courts, which wear the felt less. Extra
duty felt gets too fluffy on clay courts.
Regular felt gets too worn on hard
courts.
Question: Why are tennis balls
greenish-yellow?
Question: Why do
some tennis balls have
red print while others
have black print?
Answer: Red print is
generally used on claycourt balls, black print
on hard-court balls.
CORNER
O
A
C
H
I
N
G
Question: What’s the
tennis ball fuzz made
of?
Answer: The “Optic Yellow” color
is intended to have the best overall
visibility. Some argue that orange
is more visible in certain conditions,
but it doesn’t show up well on TV,
so it won’t be adopted for many pro
events.
Answer: The fuzz, more properly
called felt, is usually made of wool
treated with various additives to
make it last longer and resist staining.
Question: Why are tennis balls
numbered?
dropped from 100 inches. The crude
version of this is to drop the ball
from the top of your forehead, and
if it bounces at least to your belly
button, it’s good, assuming it still has
a decent coat of felt. Experienced
players can often just give a ball a
good squeeze and judge its fitness by
its firmness.
Question: Can you revive old tennis
balls?
Answer: The numbers on the
balls are only there to help people
distinguish their balls from another
can of the same brand on an adjacent
court.
So the next time you are buying
tennis balls, while looking for the
best deal, consider the surface you
will be playing on as part of your
decision on which tennis balls will
work best for you.
Answer: Balls lose bounce when the
air inside them seeps out through
the rubber, reducing the internal
pressure. Old tennis balls can be
repressurized to regain their bounce
and will perform well as long as
they still have most of their fuzz. A
re-pressurizer is a closed chamber
into which you pump air so that its
pressure forces air back into the balls.
Re-pressurizers come in capacities
from three to several dozen balls.
Question: Aren’t all tennis balls
reasonably good?
Answer: All major brands of
standard, pressurized balls play well
when new. Brands do have subtle
differences in the way they feel, and
players who like to hang onto a can
as long as possible will find that
some have better bounce and/or fuzz
durability than others.
Question: Are tennis balls safe
for dogs?
Answer: In the 1980s, the dye in
regular tennis balls was reported
to increase the risk of cancer in
dogs that ingested small amounts of
the dye that dissolved in saliva as the
dog held the ball, and special tennis
balls were made for dogs, using a
safe dye. We have been unable to
find information on whether the
dye currently used in tennis balls is
unsafe for dogs.
Question: How can you tell whether
a tennis ball is still good?
Answer: The rules of tennis say that
a ball must bounce to a height
between 53 and 58 inches when
G E TA
Board of Directors
President . . . . . Vice President . . .
Secretary . . . . . Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
John Renz
Steven McGary
(open)
Dorothy Marshall
MaryEllen Halm
Kathy Holton
Phil Levkanich
Gary Marshall
Ann Motley
Aletha Rollins
Richard Rollins
Sofie Schirmer
Beatrice Stephens
Ted Tuazon