Stringing Machine Selector 11 Pacific Offers Stringing Our Exclusive Guide Offers Features, Prices and More for Dozens of String- Stats from Halle Ing Machines
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August 2013 Volume 41 Number 8 $5.00 www.racquetsportsindustry.com HowHow NaturalNatural GutGut StringsStrings AreAre MadeMade Red,Red, Orange,Orange, GreenGreen NewNew ballsballs areare helpinghelping kidskids andand adultsadults enjoyenjoy thethe gamegame GuideGuide toto StringingStringing MachinesMachines ww RepeatRepeat Business—KeyBusiness—Key toto SuccessSuccess ww AnnualAnnual StringingStringing MachineMachine SelectorSelector RAFAEL 'EL UNICO' NADAl (SPA) A£ROPRO DRIVE RACQUET RPM BLAST STRING ~ [ill{ll] BLAST m:m'il DUAL rrmnJ TEAM ca/1111.£ calL I1Ul.. call me, SPIN MASTER LONG LASTING SPIN EASY SPIN ··~- IJ WWW.FACEBOOK.COMIBABOLAT BABOLAT- OFFICIAL BALL, RACQUET AND STRING OFlH EFRENCH OFEN • 16 ~~~-•U.Smm GAUGI: 40fMt (12...2ft'l) RZR ''" Rx 16 f) THERMOPLASTIC 0 ELASTOMER Contents Contents R S I A U G 2 0 1 3 INDUSTRY NEWS FEATURES 7 Two-day conference set 25 New Balls, Please for 10 and Under Tennis Red, orange and green balls are not only helping develop young players, 7 Tennis Show, TTC on they’re also helping players of all ages hiatus for 2013 enjoy the game. 28 Don’t Add, Multiply 7 PTR launches PTRtennis.tv To increase your business, take advan- educational site tage of the social aspect of tennis. 8 2 NY clubs install 32 How Natural Gut Strings Are Made analysis courts From selecting the raw materials, to 8 USPTA board ballots treating them, drying, finishing and packaging, here’s how natural gut due Aug. 14 gets into a racquet. 9 New 10U ‘DeckZone’ at BJK NTC 2013 GUIDE TO 9 Bollettieri, Braden, Wilkinson STRINGING MACHINES into USPTA Hall of Fame 34 Repeat Business— 10 Get kids playing at a Key to Success USTA Free Tennis Play Event Your stringing business depends on convincing more players to restring 10 Penn, Dasani team up their racquet more frequently. on recycling effort 36 Stringing Machine Selector 11 Pacific offers stringing Our exclusive guide offers features, prices and more for dozens of string- stats from Halle ing machines. 12 Dunlop enters racquetball market 12 Head launches new bag collections 12 USTA redesigns, relaunches website DEPARTMENTS 4 Our Serve 20 Executive Points: Dave Haggerty, USTA 7 Industry News 22 Youth Tennis 14 Letters 40 Ask the Experts 16 TIA News 42 String Playtest: Gamma RZR RX 16 18 Retailing Tip 44 Your Serve, by Bruce Knittle 2 2 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY August 2013 www.racquetsportsindustry.com Our Serve Playing Up PlayTennis.com (Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry) Publishers e hope that as a part of the tennis industry, you’ve David Bone Jeff Williams been aware of the site PlayTennis.com. More than that, we hope you’ve listed your business or services Editorial Director Peter Francesconi on the site (it’s free) and that you refer people to the site to help [email protected] them get into the game and become consumers of tennis play, W Associate Editor products and services. Greg Raven Why is PlayTennis.com important? It was created with one simple goal in Design/Art Director mind, to get people to do exactly what it says: Play tennis. Kristine Thom From its beginnings, TIA Executive Director Jolyn de Boer envisioned PlayTen- Contributing Editors nis.com as the simple url that all industry stakeholders can use to get people into Robin Bateman tennis, in all ways—by connecting them to players, courts, facilities, programs, Cynthia Cantrell instruction, teaching pros, retailers, and much more. Kent Oswald Importantly, PlayTennis.com is “unbranded”—visitors aren’t assaulted by Bob Patterson company logos and marketing hype. The site only pushes “tennis,” the one thing Cynthia Sherman that all companies, organizations and people in this industry have in common. Mary Helen Sprecher Tim Strawn Many executives in other sports have remarked at how unique the tennis industry is. Under the TIA umbrella, manufacturers and others put aside the com- Contributing Photographers petition that marks their daily business lives, and they come together to simply Bob Kenas David Kenas grow the game, grow participation, and grow business for everyone. PlayTennis.com does exactly that—and it belongs to this entire industry. RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY And the site is gaining momentum. During Wimbledon, Visa, which has more Corporate Offices PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096 than 7 million “likes” on Facebook, linked to PlayTennis.com on its Facebook Phone: 760-536-1177 Fax: 760-536-1171 page and Twitter feed, after their research showed the site aligns nicely with the Email: [email protected] hundreds of millions of consumers with Visa cards. Website: www.racquetTECH.com In many ways, PlayTennis.com is a social media-based marketing platform for Office Hours: Mon.-Fri.,8 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific Time the sport, creating awareness and connectivity to tennis. It will provide greater Advertising Director visibility for campaigns to help grow the game, it will engage retailers and con- John Hanna sumers through common promotions, and it will grow the base of players through 770-650-1102, x.125 partnerships and expanded search and player functionality. [email protected] How can you help? Go on PlayTennis.com now and see what’s there, includ- ing marketing materials you can use. Make sure, also, that your information is in Apparel Advertising the database of searches that consumers will use to find you. It’s easy and free, Cynthia Sherman 203-263-5243 just go to the “Get Listed” tab. And make sure consumers you’re in touch with [email protected] also “get listed,” so that when the “Find A Game” player match service goes live in the next month or two, they’ll help populate a nationwide, searchable database Racquet Sports Industry is published 10 times per of thousands, and at some point hopefully millions, of players. year: monthly January through August and combined PlayTennis.com will continue to be enhanced and improved, so it can offer issues in September/October and November/ December by Tennis Industry and USRSA, PO Box 3392, the best experience for providers, consumers and the industry overall. This uni- Duluth, GA 30096. Periodcal postage paid at fied, single-stop gateway to tennis is doing its part to help this industry grow Duluth, GA and at additional mailing offices (USPS because, in the long run, if we’re not growing, we’re hurting—or dying. #004-354). August 2013, Volume 41, Number 8 © Help out your industry and support PlayTennis.com. No matter what you do 2013 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. All rights in this business, it all comes down to one brand: T-E-N-N-I-S. reserved. Racquet Sports Industry, RSI and logo are trademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A. Phone advertising: 770-650-1102 x 125. Phone circulation and editorial: 760-536-1177. Yearly subscriptions $25 in the U.S., $40 elsewhere. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Racquet Sports Industry, PO Box Peter Francesconi, Editorial Director 3392, Duluth, GA 30096. [email protected] RSI is the official magazine of the USRSA, TIA,and ASBA 4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY August 2013 www.racquetsportsindustry.com Simply, The World's Best Qualify for All-Weather Sports Surface LEED Credits •o.u~~~- • (b (@ For more information or to locate a certified installer in your area please contact us at 800-USA-NOVA or [email protected] www. novasports.com J(eePit: ill pla!l· 3 *Penn 1n t ernal core softening data- new Pro p enn Marathon vs· p ro Penn+ pennracquet .com RSI AUGUST 2013 INDUSTRYINDUSTRY NEWSNEWS INFORMATION TO HELP YOU RUN YOUR BUSINESS PTR Launches USTA, PTR, USPTA to Present 10U Conference PTRtennis.tv he USTA, together with the PTR and USPTA, will host a two-day 10 and Under Tennis conference Educational Site that will feature coaching/teaching presentations from world-renowned speakers on topics such Tas how to work with young players, growing your business, and player competencies. Patrick PTR has launched PTRten- McEnroe, general manager of USTA Player Development and nis.tv as an online resource the U.S. Davis Cup captain, will be a featured speaker and to provide members with presenter. educational and continuing The conference, “Developing Your 10 and Under Players education opportunities. and Program,” will be Aug. 12-13 at the Boca Raton Resort & The idea behind PTRtennis.tv Club in Boca Raton, Fla. is to help spread the educa- Tennis industry experts from the U.S. and around the tional content that is being world will be on hand to help educate coaches on how to use presented at PTR events 10 and Under Tennis formats in teaching and training young around the world beyond the players in ways that cultivate a love for the game and maxi- audience in attendance at mize kids’ long -term development. Presenters include the time. With increasing job Wayne Elderton (Canada), Simon Gale (U.S.), Laramie Gavin demands, it can be difficult (U.S.), Rita Gladstone (U.S.), Craig Morris (Australia), Anne for teaching professionals to attend the PTR Symposium, Pankhurst (England), Bernard Pestre (France), and Butch Sta- one of the PTR conferences, ples (U.S.). or PTR Professional Develop- The conference will be held in conjunction with the Amer- ment courses. PTRtennis.tv icas Games, a competition for 10 and under players featuring provides an affordable way teams from the Caribbean and U.S. The players from the to view some of these pre- Americas Games will also be integrated into the on-court pre- sentations. sentations. The conference also is in partnership with USTA Florida and with the Blackman Tennis Acad- Currently, there are 20 pre- emy. sentations available on "Tennis is indeed a sport that grows upward from its grassroots, and by making the sport easier for PTRtennis.tv.