Vol. 3 No. 4 Summer 2008 Vodicka Travels the World CrossCourtmissourivalley.usta.com Greensburg A Rural Kansas Town Rebuilds We’re all Tennis Enthusiasts! chool’s out so let the games begin! Hard to tennis player and fan to lead us in our mission to The USTA Missouri Valley publishes Sbelieve we’re already heading into the summer “promote and develop the growth of tennis.” We CrossCourt quarterly, focusing months, and with it comes plenty of time for want our Community Tennis Associations to be specifically on the members and tennis. We’ve certainly had a “QuickStart” to the the leaders in their tennis communities and be the events in the section. year with our new format being introduced across training ground for the district and section leaders Your feedback is welcome. the country and on national television. of the future. We want our parks and recreation May was very successful here in the programs to promote beginner tennis programs Missouri Valley with eight Tennis Block Parties, and work with the local community to keep tennis * Recreational Coaches Workshops and our first relevant. We need our Adult League coordinators USTA Missouri Valley th QuickStart Tennis Workshop in to seek out new players for the 8676 West 96 Street St. Louis. We have even more largest competitive tennis league Suite 100 Overland Park, Kansas 66212 workshops scheduled in June in the country. The USTA has and throughout the summer. many programs to get involved Now is prime time USTA in and our program successes 8 Jr. Team Tennis season. Check directly relate to our enthusiastic missourivalley.usta.com [email protected] out our Website for the latest players and volunteers! information on junior teams This issue of CrossCourt forming in your area. It’s great fun to have boys highlights the enthusiasm surrounding our game. ( and girls playing together and cheering each From St. Louis native Lance Vodicka traveling (913) 322-4800 other on in friendly competition. Jr. Team Tennis the world playing tennis (page 3), to the plight of (888)368-8612 Toll Free provides competition by age and skill level so Greensburg, Kansas, a year after an F5 tornado everyone has a great time, plays hard and enjoys tore through their rural community (page 5). 6 the game right from the start. We need parents Our summer is off to a fantastic start with our (913) 322-4801 Fax and tennis enthusiasts to be the coach or the team Tennis Block Parties and with World TeamTennis organizer and, of course, team cheerleader! beginning July 3. Richard M. Perry President Summertime is also a great opportunity to Here’s to a productive summer of health and a contribute to the success of our many events sport for life. See you at the courts! Mary Buschmann and programs. We rely on YOU, the passionate Executive Director Manon Eilts Marketing/Communications Director Jeff Sikes A St. Louis native travels the world 3 Senior Communications Coordinator on a tennis dream CrossCourt Writer Richard Dedor Communications Coordinator CrossCourt Editor Cover Story - Greensburg, Kansas, is still standing one year after a devastating storm 5 ACTIV A TE YOUR PROFILE 9 Activating and Getting to Know: Steve Gerdes maintaining your own USTA member profile will allow the USTA to communicate more relevant information in a timely manner. We will be able to keep you informed of Also Inside upcoming benefits, events and promotions. Plus, you Preview of 2008 World TeamTennis Season......7 will be able to access all of the new and exciting online Recap of Tennis Month......8 members-only benefits. Call 1-800-990-8782 or go online to usta.com and update your profile today! Photo credit (left): Greg Henshall of FEMA Cover Photos courtesy of Greg Henshal of FEMA and Kim McMurry 1 CrossCourt Summer 2008 missourivalley.usta.com Best Yearbook Yet! Just a note to tell you all at headquarters that this year’s Yearbook is the best ever--great job to all involved! I love my ad in The CrossCourt Section---alongside the Sheryl Crow story---I would think and hope people will see her story and glue their eyes at the adjoining page! Jack Eggmann St. Louis Letters to the Editor Great Job! Nicely done. Lots more to read and the color is great. Kevin Tee, Advantage Sports Coatings Kansas City, Mo. If you missed it... If you joined the USTA after February 29, 2008, and did not receive a Yearbook, send your request to [email protected]. Please note, we mailed one yearbook to every organizational member and one per household, not one to every member whose membership was current as of February 29, 2008. CrossCourt welcomes your comments and suggestions. If you’d like to see your comments in a future issue, e-mail [email protected]. Corrections to the 2008 USTA Missouri Valley Yearbook On page 4, Scott Hanover’s address was listed incorrectly. It should be 8500 N. Winfield Ave., Kansas City, MO, 64153; page 21, Nelson Elliott’s name was misspelled; page 41, the photo in the upper right-hand corner of the page should be attributed to Dean Richardville; page 45, the 9.0 mixed doubles photo should have listed Bryan Dick as the team captain; page 50, the 2.5 women’s league team is from Tulsa. Gr w The Game You Love With The New QuickStart Tennis Format. Go to growingtennis.com to register your program today! Or to find out more, visit quickstarttennis.com missourivalley.usta.com Summer 2008 CrossCourt 2 The Amazing Tennis Race Lance Vodicka File Age: 25 Hometown: St. Louis College: St. Louis University (2004) Career High ATP Tour Ranking: No. 728 (singles) Lance Vodicka is a 25-year old native of St. Louis who has been playing tennis since he was five years old on his family’s backyard court. A former USTA Missouri Valley junior player, Vodicka also attended high school in St. Louis and played tennis at St. Louis University. by Lance Vodicka Guest Writer In May 2007, after playing pro tennis off and on, Vodicka decided to take a all photos courtesy of Lance Vodicka shot at going pro at tennis full-time with the help of his friends, family and other supporters and sponsors. St. Louisan Lance Vodicka has seen the The toughest thing about being sights and sounds of the world in the out here on the Tour is the need to last year, all while giving it a go as a constantly adapt to new surroundings, professional tennis player. food, and atmospheres on a weekly basis. Just as you get used to a place hat a journey this tennis life has and settle in, it is time to uproot and created for me… physically, move on to the next city. Also, the Wmentally, technically, spiritually, importance of dealing with defeat emotionally... you name it. every week in both singles and In May 2007, I shifted my focus from doubles is not teaching tennis easy to take, and in St. Louis after a while it to playing the gets tough. That With my doubles partner Danny sport full-time is where faith, Bryan out in Hawaii after a victory as a professional hard work, player out on and a positive in the featured night doubles match. the ATP Tour, attitude all beginning with come into play. But site the first week as the an event in I wouldn’t trade this conditions were definitely one of a kind in Jacksonville, Fla. experience I’ve gained Chennai. I slid over to the capital city of It was my dream for the world. In fact, Delhi for my next stop, where I got sick at the for many years as I’ll even tell you a few Indian Davis Cup national facility which was a kid to do this and of them. tough to recover from. My last week in India enough things finally In June of last took me to a rural village tennis academy fell into place for it to year, tennis took me in northern India, in the region known as happen. A fundraiser Standing on the very court to Southeast Asia Punjab. India was absolutely amazing. I just held in April 2007, at for three weeks in could’ve done without getting sick! the Frontenac Racquet that my Grandpa grew up on Thailand. What an I stayed on the road in the late summer Club in St. Louis, was as a youngster in Slovakia. experience it was and fall, going to Europe which included a the catalyst for making to play under the Thai Mountains in trip back near my family’s roots in Slovakia. the decision to play full-time. Many Chiang Mai, where I got to the finals of the While there, I played at a place only 25 supporters and sponsors helped raise over doubles event with Ikaika Jobe, a former miles away from where my Grandpa lived $10,000 towards my efforts to start me off. college teammate of mine at St. Louis as a youngster. My travels also took me to In the time since turning pro, tennis has University. Soon after, I went to China for a the western parts of Romania, in the region taken me on a journey across the globe and week to play at a Chinese Olympic training known as Transylvania. I actually had a bat helped me see sights I might never have seen, facility in Shenzhen before returning back fly in my hotel room at three in the morning, all while competing against some of the best home.