USPTA INTERMOUNTAIN July 13, 2020

President’s Message - Andy Zodin

Dear USPTA Intermountain Pros- I hope your summers are going well, and that you are staying healthy. I hope the same for your staff and your clients. It has been a challenging year on so many levels. It seems everyone is doing things just a little differently from facility to facility, as we all have to assess our own situations using our best judgement on protocols, programming, etc. 2020 will obviously not go down as a great year for professional tennis. Is it on? Is it off? Fans? No fans? Travel concerns, travel bans, all have made for some frustrating, confusing, and scary times for all of us in the sport. My feeling is that we have to do some pretty creative thinking, to make sure we work together to maintain what we can, and re-ignite momentum based on the new normal.

That said, has the new normal even been clearly defined yet? Probably not. So it's hard to give definitive advice, even though some people are pretty sure they are experts - though they have never done a day of medical school! I know you all have plenty of these folks at your clubs. So what advice I can give as we move toward (hopefully) better times, is to keep playing it safe. Conduct business, but conduct it with the big picture in mind. We all have lots of people who are "under our care", and that's a responsibility that we must take very seriously. I've said before, and I'll say it again, let's be a part of the solution. Tennis is a safe sport, I agree. It's especially safe if we adhere to the basic protocols of avoiding big groups of people in the same area, or on the same court! In a nutshell, do your thing, do it responsibly and be creative. Best to all of you. Have a great rest of summer!

Andy Zodin Director of Tennis, Columbine Country Club President, USPTA Intermountain Division Show Host, Mile High Sports Radio 303 520 7676 (cell)

Do your thing, but BE SMART! Big groups in one area may not qualify as intelligent or safe programming!

USPTA Intermountain Summer 4 USPTA INTERMOUNTAIN July 13, 2020

Hello Tennis Pros,

I wanted to let you know about a Tennis Ball Decontamination device that I have been using for the last 6 weeks to disinfect my lesson balls of any covid19 virus.

The ThermalStrike Decontamination System is simple, easy to use, doesn’t involve chemicals and uses science that is backed by clinical research from Stanford University and the World Health Organization. Virus’ aren’t going away. These devices should be a part of every clubs’ teaching equipment along with ball hoppers and ball machines.

Putting our lesson balls in the ThermalStrike (holds 230 balls) each day allows us to start the next day’s lessons with virus free balls. It is a great comfort to our teaching New Wyoming pros and to our students. It has become part of my marketing for our tennis programs to demonstrate to students that we are doing everything we can to keep USPTA Professionals their tennis experience safe.

Congratulations to Kyle Maines, Seth You can check out a video that shows how it works https://www.youtube.com/ Davidson, and Brendan Lock on testing watch?v=ZM3Q3aeKyf8 up in Cheyenne Wyoming. Ginger Phillips continues to do an amazing job testing We are discounting the ThermalStrike Pro from $299 to $249 for Intermountain throughout the region for us. USPTA Pros. Congratulations to all and welcome to USPTA Intermountain. Thank you and please let me know if you have any questions. Larry Lewis USPTA [email protected] 970-988-6624

USPTA Intermountain Summer 4 USPTA INTERMOUNTAIN July 13, 2020

USPTA/USTA Dues Subsidy Requirements Get FREE 2021 Dues!

Dear Certified Teaching Professional,

As part of the COVID-19 industry relief program, the USPTA and the USTA have partnered to offer FREE 2021 USPTA membership dues to certified teaching professionals that meet the following requirements by October 1, 2020:

1. Reside and teach in the United States.

2. Be a USPTA certified teaching professional in good standing. 3. Complete USPTA Continuing Education requirements (details below).

4. Complete USTA Safe Play and background screening.

5. Make a "good faith" effort and introduce 50 new people to tennis.

While the dues subsidy is available to all USPTA certified teaching professionals, requirements vary slightly based on your continuing education cycle. Those requirements are shown in the table below. In all cases, USTA Safe Play, including a background screening, is required.

To get started, visit USPTA.com and log in to your account. Check your education status to determine your education cycle and the number of education credits that you have already earned towards that total. The table below specifies the requirements for each education cycle to qualify for the 2021 dues subsidy.

There is more than enough time to meet your requirements, so don’t wait until the last minute. The USPTA conducts live weekly webinars and offers a library of recorded webinars for members to earn education credits. Additionally, the upcoming 2020 World Conference Virtual Event is another opportunity to earn education credits. For information on USTA’s Safe Play training and background screening, visit USTA.com.

Should you have any questions or require any additional information on the 2021 Dues Relief Subsidy, please contact the USPTA Membership Department by email at [email protected] or by calling (800) 877-8248.

Take advantage of this incredible offer and get your 2021 USPTA membership for FREE!

USPTA Intermountain Summer 4 USPTA INTERMOUNTAIN July 13, 2020

IDAHO NEWS - Bill Gray - Idaho District President

Idaho is welcoming the summer of 2020 in a much different way than in years’ past. The Coronavirus/ Covid 19 virus has definitely impacted the sport of tennis in this state along with just about every other aspect of the state. Idaho’s first confirmed case of novel coronavirus was reported on 3/13/20 in Ada County. On March 25, 2020, Idaho Governor Brad Little issued a statewide stay-at-home order and signed an extreme emergency declaration to last at least 21 days, effectively shutting down all tennis facilities and courts. Even most of the school tennis courts were padlocked and unavailable to tennis players. Needless to say, most tennis professionals and coaches were unable to work for several weeks this spring.

On April 15, 2020 Governor Little extended that order through April 30th. He, along with the help of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and guidance from President Donald Trump and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, later announced an Idaho Rebounds Plan to reopen the state in 4 distinct stages.

Gyms and tennis facilities were allowed to reopen with restrictions during the Stage 2 on May 16th as long as they had operational plans in place and were able to adhere to guidance to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19. Most clubs were allowed to reopen and adhered to the 6 foot social distancing guidelines, regular disinfecting of the business and the wearing of face mask/coverings. On May 28th, Idaho moved onto Stage 3 which allowed for increased gatherings of up to 50 people. Finally, on June 13th, Idaho moved onto the final stage, Stage 4, although just barely.

Unfortunately, since reopening at Stage 4, Idaho has seen a sharp resurgence of cases and we regressed to Stage 3 on June 24th. This past week has seen daily cases of confirmed positive cases surpass 100 daily, with 310 newly confirmed and probable cases announced on June 26th.

So what does all this mean for tennis in Idaho? Well, most tennis clubs in Idaho are open with restrictions to attempt to reduce the transmission of the virus. Face masks and social distancing are strongly encouraged along with such things as limited availability of chances of contamination with touching of tennis balls, water jugs, benches. Etc. Many clubs are conducting routine hourly disinfecting schedules and limiting places where people would normally gather. Tennis professionals are being responsible to make sure everyone they work with do not touch tennis balls without gloves, sanitizing often and not being able to touch ball hoppers or other equipment. Social distancing of 6 feet is strongly monitored. Staff and members are strongly encouraged to wear masks. Many clubs are allowing small group classes and activities with a strong emphasis on social distancing and disinfecting. Junior and Adult tournaments have restarted but with noticeably lower participants and increased restrictions.

Idaho is in a position to see even more restrictions if the Covid-19 cases continue to escalate. As the graph below illustrates, the cases are escalating quickly since we entered Stage 4 although the majority of cases appear to be affecting the younger age groups so the hospitals are not being taxed too significantly yet.

Unfortunately, this virus will affect tennis in many realms including rankings, tennis tournaments offered, decreased socialization, decreased revenues for clubs and professionals’ salaries, and overall participation. It is too early to determine how severely our sport will be affected but as tennis advocates, we will all cross our fingers and hope that this virus can be controlled sometime hopefully in the near future so that we can all get back to playing and enjoying all this wonderful sport. Please stay well during these unprecedented times!

USPTA Intermountain Summer 4 USPTA INTERMOUNTAIN July 13, 2020

Matt Helm - USPTA Intermountain Board - Vice President

Covid-19 has certainly impacted all of us in the tennis industry in a lot of different ways. The unknown brought a lot of us closer together and increased communication between a group of professionals that are usually extremely busy within our own workplaces. I enjoyed the camaraderie and joking that went along with all of the questions we shared with one another while we were going through the many phases related to Covid-19. I appreciate all of the collaboration and sharing of ideas, especially when it came to how each club planned on re-opening to its tennis community.

I definitely had concerns how everyone was going to fare from a financial and health standpoint. Many of us took it lightly in the beginning and didn’t understand what was about to happen to all of us for almost three months. I spent time at home with my kids going through fourth and seventh grade all over again. I grilled out a number of meals, more so than I had in the last three years combined. I realized how much I work and how big of a role it plays in my everyday life. Spending extra time with my kids made me think a little bit about the commitment that I have made to my career in tennis.

At the same time, I also missed hitting that yellow tennis ball every day and conversing with the many members that participate in tennis at my club. Upon my return to work, it felt good to get back to spreading the joy of tennis with others. Things will probably never go completely back to normal after this fades away, but I know I love what I do and appreciate the opportunity I have managing a racquets department and team of tennis enthusiasts like myself. I can only hope that all the phone calls, text chains and other forms of communication between others in our industry continue despite how busy we have all found ourselves more recently. We have observed a tennis population that missed their sport and could not wait to get back to the court.

I also feel that I have benefitted by having to make changes with protocols and how we operate at the club. My staff has strengthened and some really good ideas have been implemented in just a few weeks’ time. I think the biggest challenge is keeping up with the communication. The more demand there is for us on the court, the less time we have to keep up with our administrative responsibilities. All in all I can only hope that we all continue to do what we love to do and to stay healthy while doing so.

IMPACT ON THE CLUB Benefits: · Members are having to strictly follow our online registration requirements for classes and programs. Before it was definitely a little loose and overly accommodating to members (late registrations, we made room for members, etc). · Gave everyone a break from the grind of teaching and programming. · Tennis players definitely realized the value of playing and/or teaching tennis when not able to do so. Negatives: · Financially, the club suffered losses as well as employees (especially employees that are commissioned). · Some members have gone elsewhere to play to avoid our Covid-19 protocols. · Some members have gone elsewhere to play leagues since we aren’t allowing non-members.

USPTA Intermountain Summer 5 USPTA INTERMOUNTAIN July 13, 2020

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USPTA Intermountain Summer 6 USPTA INTERMOUNTAIN July 13, 2020

Glen Alex - USPTA Intermountain Board - Secretary

World Interrupted. Never in my lifetime did I think the world would stop. Sure, I’ve experienced moments when time stood still—the deaths of my twins, my mother, my father and two brothers. But that was just my personal world. Then came Rona. And the global shutdown.

Rona imposed death, destruction, and massive uncertainty. Lives were upended. Normalcy dismantled. Couple that with the worldwide social discord over the murder of unarmed and handcuffed George Floyd, captured on video by bystanders. Several earthquakes felt in Las Vegas. “What is happening?”

About four weeks into the shutdown, I had an epiphany. The introvert in me loved being at home when not working as an “essential”. I caught up on rest, reorganized my garage, got creative with The Glen Alex Show, and wrote more. While the accomplishments were time well spent, I still did not like my choices being taken away, or did I enjoy the inconsistent mandates based seemingly on political interests rather than science. Plus no tennis!?!?!? Frustration was my quarantine companion.

Then I saw the light. I am a thinker who is always in pursuit of a higher purpose for everything I do. So as I performed those rewarding tasks in my space, it opened my mind to see possibilities. For the past two years or so, I seriously reflected on my life and working 7 days per week, knowing I couldn’t keep up that pace, or did I want to. In December 2019, my cousin asked on Facebook for a one-word intention for 2020.

Clarity. My intention for this year was to become clear about my goals and choices and results. While I don’t recall the exact moment of my breakthrough, I recognized it immediately. In order to achieve the balance I want in my life, something really important to me had to give. “Yes, this is what I need to do”.

An overwhelming peace settled throughout my being. I won’t say what I chose to give up because that is the most irrelevant part of my epiphany. The importance is the clarity I gained about the opportunity to make a change. Rona caused so much pain and provided opportunity, as do all challenges. Rona provided the best time to step away, because I was already away for a month at that point. “Now is the time.”

Conditions are favorable for positive, lasting changes for us all. Order is always preceded by chaos. Recession gives rise to upturn. Thus collectively we can create a new world, one full of purpose and camaraderie and mutual respect of each other’s humanity.

Tennis may be the most appropriate blueprint for this shift. It is the love of my life because tennis always shows me what I do well, how good I can be, and what skills I need to develop to be better. Tennis presents challenges along with the provisions to grow through them. The best results on court come from intention (visualization), practice (preparation), learning (skill development), and most importantly problem solving. Transfer the beauty of tennis to daily life. Set your intention. Prepare to actualize it. Learn coping skills to effectively deal with challenges. And make adjustments as needed.

It is my hope for all of us that we awaken to opportunity, be ready to act upon it, and have the drive to see it through. Even when life is hard. Even when your world is interrupted.

Glen Alex, Author, LCSW, USPTA

USPTA Intermountain Summer 7 USPTA INTERMOUNTAIN July 13, 2020

Error Correction and How to Provide Feedback in Tennis

BO GARD - USPTA Guest Contributor - Gulfport, Mississippi

Practice alone is not enough to learn techniques correctly. For your practice to be successful you must provide your athlete with the following information:

1. How the player’s performance is compared to the desired performance 2. How to change an incorrect performance, bringing it to where it is close to the desired performance. This information is called “feedback”.

The feedback process always starts with the observation, then the evaluation. In my opinion, this is the biggest challenge in tennis: misdiagnosing the cause of an error. In numerous cases, I’ve seen coaches rushing to fix or correct what they first see. I have done it myself during my first teaching years as well. I see it when I test new pros to become USPTA certified. The new pros are diving directly into instruction, bypassing the observation aspect. My philosophy is, “if we don’t observe, we don’t know where to start”. Some players may have a tennis background, some may not, and some may be very new. Therefore, the initial information we gather from them is not always accurate. It is crucial to take time and watch the player before we start correcting or instructing. Remember that in the learning process, the wrong feedback will hurt you more than no feedback at all. If we are not sure on what the cause of an error is, just give it more time and observe more. If you still have an issue determining what is going on, you can ask for guidance from your head coach. Overall, we are a team and it is better to get everyone involved, because the athlete comes first and we want the best for him/her. Your student will also respect your honesty and your true effort to helping them.

Below are a few rules of thumb in relation to feedback:

1. During practice, give advice to your students right there on the spot. Some pros wait until the end of the practice to do so. 2. The more feedback, the better. If it is useful feedback… Some players just absorb everything and do a great job at applying everything we say. Some players are receptive to only a little bit at a time, so get to know your player by asking a lot of questions. It is also our responsibility to teach our students how to rely more and more on their own assessment with less from the coach as they develop. 3. When correcting multiple technical errors, give one bit of feedback at a time. We as coaches must decide which one is the most important one. Sometimes, correcting the right error will eliminate or correct other errors. 4. When providing feedback, we can first compliment the player and then fix. Another approach would be to tell exactly what was done incorrectly at first, and then secondly, explain how to correct it. It comes down to knowing your player and figuring out how they respond the best. 5. Give simple and concise information on how to improve. Use the “KISS” abbreviation to help you with this: “Keep It Simple Stupid”. 6. When giving feedback be specific rather than using the term “good job” which is too general. 7. Use visual and auditory demonstrations incorporated together when giving feedback. That will lead to an accelerated learning result. Players learn differently, some of them are visual learners so we have to demonstrate by showing them how to execute. Some are auditory learners so we have to talk to them about “how it is done”. Finally, a small percentage are kinesthetic learners which means they have to feel how its done.

Good luck with everything and have fun with it.

USPTA Intermountain Summer 8 USPTA INTERMOUNTAIN July 13, 2020

KickServeRadio.com was started by Andy Zodin, in 2016, featuring interviews with the likes of Rod Laver, Ivan Lendl, Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Brian Gottfried, Gil Reyes, John Isner, Jim Courier, and many more.

In April of 2020, TENNIS CHANNEL PODCAST NETWORK picked up the show as part of its menu, and former world #1, Mats Wilander joined forces with me, as did former Texas Longhorn All-American, Jonny Levine. The show is now being promoted internationally by Tennis Channel, and the guest list has become an even more elite group. KickServeRadio.com puts out a new show every two weeks, and you can catch it, by clicking here:

https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/tcpnkickserveradio?selected=ADV2181522816

USPTA Intermountain Summer 9 USPTA INTERMOUNTAIN July 13, 2020

Jeff Salzenstein - USPTA Intermountain Tennis Tip

If you’ve ever struggled with your forehand, and you want more power, spin, control, and confidence there is one thing you’re probably overlooking. This concept begins with the letter “B”. Can you guess what it is?

BALANCE.

A master key for success in tennis that is so underrated is to focus on having impeccable balance after you’ve completed your forehand swing. Here’s a powerful tip to help you feel more balanced if you’re mishitting too many forehands and not getting the depth, power, and spin that you want. Keep your head still and on the hitting side of the body longer after you’ve contacted. Many players pull their head off the ball which significantly impacts the quality of the shot you intend to hit.

One good cue is to keep your chin close to the dominant or hitting side shoulder at the end of the swing. This is challenging for players because they want to look up to see where the ball went. You can’t do this if you want to play your best and crush big forehands.

Roger Federer is the best at this simple yet powerful tip and it would be a good idea to model what he does with his head as he swings. When you get this right, you’ll immediately feel more balanced with a higher follow through and more extension.

Another way to improve the balance on the forehand is to focus on stepping into the shot if the ball is in the strike zone. Once you step in and make contact, you can bring the back leg around to square up into a wide, athletic base. Most players swing the back leg around too early, causing them to rotate too early and too much. Many players also finish in a very narrow stance which causes them to finish with their center of gravity too high.You must have solid leg strength to be able to get into a wide balanced stance when you finish the forehand swing, so make sure you work on your single leg strength to feel more stable and balanced when you play.

Always focus on feeling balanced after hitting the forehand. Once you get the feeling for this, you can put your attention on recovery back towards the middle of the court. Many players make the mistake of recovering too fast as they are hitting the forehand, which causes a lot of mishits and unforced errors.

Remember, to hit your best forehands ever, focus on balance by improving your head position and having a solid wide base after you finish your forehand swing.

Jeff Salzenstein is the founder of Tennis Evolution, one of the leading online tennis instruction websites in the world. He has created several successful online programs that have positively impacted thousands of players of all levels from beginners to top touring pros using his cutting edge teaching methods...

Jeff was a top 100 ATP professional in singles and doubles and was the oldest American to break the top 100 in the world for the first time after the age of 30. During his 11 year pro career filled with injuries and setbacks, Jeff was determined to discover simple methods to make tennis learning easy and fun for himself and for all players committed to improving. Jeff is passionate about peak performance in the areas of nutrition, fitness, injury prevention, and mindset, and much more.

Jeff was also a 2 time All-American, national champion and team captain at Stanford University where he received his BA in Economics.

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Dan Maccanello Nevada District President

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Scott Potter - Montana District President

Covid 19 Effects in Montana

Montana has been one of the least effected states in the nation with Covid 19, although like most of the rest of the country, our cases have been on the increase over the last 5 - 6 weeks with the re-opening of the state. With that being said, several tennis facilities in Montana have reopened, some haven't yet. I think the majority of the clientele that we deal with is less affected by this pandemic than in other businesses

At Peak Health and Wellness we are seeing good lesson activity with our summer programs in the first three weeks of summer. Privately, the four pros at the club are collectively up 15% over the same time last year since we reopened on May 18th. We are however, about to see a slow down in our court usage and lessons as summer really hits here in Montana.

It's hard to say what the true effect of being closed for two months will be until we hit the fall when the weather starts to turn, and the possible second or possibly third spike in Covid cases. We have been asked to budget for low numbers for the next year at our club to anticipate lower than normal lessons, clinic and usage numbers at the club. Stay safe everyone!

RMTC Announces New Hire - Boulder, Colorado

Rocky Mountain Tennis Center is excited to announce that world class player development coach, Nico Todero, has accepted the position of Director of Player Development and will be starting with us Monday, July 6th! Coach Nico comes to us following 10 years as one of the top USTA National coaches working with the best juniors in the country, many of whom are now the highest ranked U.S. touring pros in the world. This marks a quantum leap forward in player development at RMTC, and all of us are overwhelmed at the possibilities that we see ahead. Coach Nico will be collaborating with Director of Tennis, Kendall Chitambar, and all RMTC coaches in each RMTC program (Adults, Junior Development, and High Performance), working to build on the already solid tradition of player development at Rocky Mountain Tennis Center shaped over the past 10 years creating new pathways moving forward for our players to achieve their potential. We have had a vision of world-class player development at RMTC for years, Coach Nico will take us there!

After playing 10 years on the ATP Tour, Nico retired from professional tennis and transitioned into coaching. He worked as a professional coach in the private sector coaching Jesse Levine among others. In 2010, he started working as a National Coach for the USTA Player Development program, and spent the next 10 years working with many Next Gen players including Frances Tiafoe, Stefan Kozlov, Noah Rubin, Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz, Michael Mmoh, Reilly Opelka and many more. Some of the highlights of Coach Nico's years working with the top Next Gen players include coaching both players of the 2014 Wimbledon Juniors final, coaching the runner-up of the 2015 Australian Open Junior final, coaching Taylor Fritz at his first ATP Tour final, and coaching Frances Tiafoe all the way from juniors to #47 in the ATP Tour rankings. During his years with USTA Player Development, Nicolas also served as the Junior Davis Cup Captain for Team USA in 2012 and 2013.

In his most recent role at the National Training Center in Orlando, Nicolas was running the tennis operations for the Professional Men's department at the USTA Player Development training center located in Orlando, Florida, while also coaching in the junior, collegiate, and professional departments. During his USTA years, Nicolas assisted Player Development with coaching education through the High Performance Coaching Education Program. Additionally, Nicolas represented Player Development at different coaches' symposiums as a speaker and presenter, educating coaches and other industry personnel about the USTA PD philosophy. Nicolas graduated with honors from the University of Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Sports Management and a minor in Business Administration.

Rocky Mountain Tennis Center is honored to welcome Coach Nico Todero to Boulder as our new Director of Player

USPTA Intermountain Summer 12 USPTA INTERMOUNTAIN July 13, 2020

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19-1502_GBL_Clash_Vertical_Bending_TE_Campaign_SPREAD_PrintAd_FNL_ADDvantage_Magazine.indd 1 6/4/20 3:21 PM Intermountain Board of Directors and District Presidents (Positions and Emails)

Andy Zodin – President - [email protected] Dan Gray - Regional Vice-President - [email protected] Laurie Lambert - Treasurer - [email protected] Glen Alex - Secretary - [email protected] Karl Jones - 1st Vice-President - [email protected] Matt Helm - 2nd Vice-President - [email protected] Hassan Humayun - Past President - [email protected] Marshall Carpenter - District President Colorado - [email protected] Jason Weir-Smith - District President Utah - [email protected] Dan Macccanello - District President Nevada - [email protected] Bill Gray - District President Idaho - [email protected] Scott Potter - District President - Montana - [email protected] Josh Cossitt - District President - Wyoming - [email protected] Tom Van De Hey - Executive Director - [email protected]

Please remember that this is your newsletter and voice so you are invited to add any information that you feel would be beneficial to other Intermountain Professionals. The USPTA Intermountain newsletter is on a quarterly schedule and you can send this information to your District President or to [email protected] for approval.

One of our greatest ways to share information is on our USPTA Intermountain page on Facebook. Please “like” us and become part of our informative page. (https://www.facebook.com/Official-USPTA-Intermountain-Division-261338808330/)

USPTA Intermountain Summer 13