USTA Middle States Quarterly • Winter 2006 • Volume I • Issue 4 Movin’ on up Juniors, adults and pros in Middle States record a remarkable season. USTA Middle States Quarterly • Winter 2006 • Volume I • Issue IV 2007 Middle Middle States 4 Hit Like a Girl Middle States Rocks the Nation N’etiquette Tennis Shorts States Tennis Middle States Member to Head USTA Three Times a Charm Jr. Team Tennis Takes off What’s Your Net Worth? Conference Middle States Honors Its Own, Juniors Benefit Tournament Schedule, Juniors 9 Tournament Schedule, Adults 12 AMD - Allegheny Mountain 16 March 2-3 A Successful League Season Shady Side Wins WPIAL Crown PNC Wrap-up Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis CPD - Central Penn 18 Jonestown Park Courts and Education Center CPD’s Newest TSR Second in Nation Team Hempfield Heads to San Diego Philadelphia, Pa. Local Wheelchair Athlete Excels Super Senior Sectionals middlestates.usta.com DD - Delaware 20 Hall of Fame Delaware Jr. Team Tennis a Hit Tour des Courts Drop-in Doubles There’s something for everyone After-School Tennis EPD - Eastern Penn 22 Informative speakers Smash for Cancer Innovative workshops Alzheimer Patients Love Tennis Jr. Team Tennis Championships Vendor exhibits EPD Wins a Berth at Nationals Lehigh Valley Classic EPD Junior Featured in SI Networking opportunities for NJD - New Jersey 23 Teachers New Clubs Springing Up NDJ Men Finish Second in Nation Coaches Super Seniors Head to Nationals PATD - Philadelphia 24 Professionals Philadelphia Boy Honored Players Downingtown Teams Rally against Teen Suicide Home-Style Tennis Club owners PATD Groups Receive Grants and managers Tennis Ball Raises Money and Awareness Quake Shakes Team Published by USTA Middle States USTA Middle States President Volume 1 • Issue 4 • Winter 2006 Jay Witmer Lisa D. Williamson, Editor Design/Production, Marge McGann Advertising Valentine Design, Inc. 800 591 6644 Contributors: Tom Benic, Jim Block, Loretta DeWalt, Amanda Faris-Denis, USTA Middle States USTA Middle States Seeks New Executive Director Nathaniel Harrison, Karen Jennings, 1288 Valley Forge Road Ann LoPrinzi, Marge McGann, Licky Suite 74, P.O. Box 987 Middle States is seeking an executive director/chief operating officer who is a highly Randolph, Ruth Roulston and Valley Forge, PA 19482-0987 motivated strategist, a creative leader, professionally active, and possesses significant Cathy Shaak. 610-935-5000 experience in resource development, volunteer communications and staff management. The [email protected] www.middlestates.usta.com ED/COO of Middle States provides direction, support and supervision for staff in order to execute the policies established by the board of directors. For more information or questions Cover photos: USTA League players: 5.0 men champions (top) and (bottom, left to about this position, visit middlestates.usta.com. right) 3.5 senior women finalists, 3.5 men finalists and 5.0 women finalists. Photos by Tammye Canada Photo and Cynthia Lum. 3 NetPlay • Spring • 2007 • [email protected] • 610 935 5000 Middle States Greetings Middle States, Tennis has been an important part of my life and my family’s. Now it is my pleasure to give back to the sport for a lifetime that has given so much to us. For the next two years, I will be serving as your president. Leading this association is a big job. Thankfully, we have lots of talented and experienced people working to deliver a great tennis experience to our members and customers. Marlynn Orlando has joined us as the new Executive Director of Middle States. We also have a new board of directors and new committee leadership and members. You can review details about these dedicated people on our < middlestates.usta.com> website, under the “About Us” link. With the support of our staff and volunteer leadership team, I want to build upon the successes of the past that have made Middle States one of the best sections in the USTA. “Serving Tennis to All" is the vision statement of USTA Middle States, and that will be my focus for the next two years. Our vision statement supports our level 1 strategic priorities of community development, diversity, membership and customer service. Three reasons this is so appropriate for our section at this time: 1. We are “All” connected by our love of the game. Whether as an adult or junior recreational player, a league player, tournament player, coach, official, volunteer or fan, you wouldn't be reading this unless you cared about tennis. 2. “Serving Tennis” reminds us that providing service and support to our customers, members and partners is a key part of delivering a great tennis experience. We build more customers when we fulfill our mission “to promote and develop the growth of tennis”. 3. “Serving tennis to all” reminds us that tennis is open to anyone who can swing a racquet, have a conversation about or watch tennis. We are a diverse group from all racial, age, gender, cultural, social, economic, adaptive and physical backgrounds. Whether from public courts or private clubs, from inner cities to rural pastures, from top athlete to health aficionado, tennis is for all. We have lived our vision. We have provided a historically significant contribution to the national and sectional leadership team. Jane Brown Grimes, from our section, the current president of the USTA is the second woman to hold this position, (the first woman president Judy Levering, is also from Middle States). Yours truly has the honor of serving as the first African-American president of our association. 22 sectional volunteers currently serve on national committees. If you like to join the team as a volunteer, please visit our website <www.ustamiddlstatess.com> and follow the link named “I'd like to volunteer”.We can always use more hands, more minds and more smiling faces to help us carry out our mission “to promote and develop the growth of tennis”. On behalf of the entire Middle States team, I wish you a great 2007 season. Please join us in “Serving Tennis to All”. Malcolm Riley. President, USTA Middle States NetPlay • Spring • 2007 • [email protected] • 610 935 5000 5 Middle States Invest in the Future Middle States Patrons’ Foundation Helps You Make a Gift and Grow the Game of Tennis One of the best-kept secrets and hidden gems of Middle States is its charitable arm, the Middle States Tennis Patrons’ Foundation, Inc. The Patrons’ Foundation is best known for playing host to the section’s annual hall of fame dinner. But what it should be more widely known for is all of the grants and scholarships it provides to our junior programs and players. As the Patrons’ Foundation board begins a new two-year term, we would like to share the background on the Patrons’ Foundation and how you can help support tennis in our section through charitable giving. The Patrons’ Foundation is no different from other wonderful nonprofits like the United Way, or the American Red Cross, and it is a real asset for our section to have its own charitable foundation. The Middle States Tennis Patrons’ Foundation is the fundraising organization and 501 (c) (3) charitable arm of the Middle States Section. It was incorporated in 1973 as a nonprofit, tax-exempt entity. The Patrons’ Foundation is equipped to accept all forms of charitable gifts – cash, stock, appreciated assets and charitable bequests – and these contributions entitle the donor to tax advantages. The Patrons’ Foundation has a very specific charge: to raise money for grants to tennis programs in the section. Patrons’ targets mainly junior players with need and emerging junior tennis programs across the section that need a little extra nudge to get up and running. Patrons’ is also exploring broadening grant usage to adult programs and court and tennis facility renovation. Grants from the Patrons’ Foundation are made through the Middle States scholarships and grants committee, which reviews grant requests on a quarterly basis. Gifts to the Patrons’ Foundation help make up about 20 percent of these grants. The other 80 percent of the grant money comes from the section budget. Junior players, Community Tennis Associations and others are encouraged to explore the grant opportunities we offer. Please visit ww.middlestates.usta.com and click on the left-hand tool bar under the Patrons’ Foundation for more information about the grants available. John Herbert Williamson (known as Jack to friends and family) was born Jan. 20, 1923, in Belfast, Northern Donors receive a tax deduction and avoid capital gains tax, and the Patrons’ and the section Ireland. His family arrived in the U.S. in 1929, settling in receive a wonderful expression of love for the game of tennis and an enduring fund to help Stamford, Conn. children learn tennis – it’s a win-win for everyone involved. Jack graduated from Stamford High School in 1939 at 16 and By investing in a future Andre Agassi, Serena Williams, James Blake or Lindsay Davenport in went on to New Haven State Teachers College (now Southern our section, we will help to ensure that tennis remains vibrant not only in our section, but Connecticut State University), majoring in special education. across the country. And if these juniors we give grants to do not become the next US Open champions, we have not failed. They will have learned life skills and sportsmanship that will He served in the Army Air Corps in World War II as a bomber serve them well in the class room, the boardroom, and in their communities. A gift to Patrons’ pilot, seeing active service in Italy, Morocco, Czechoslovakia is an investment in the future. and Nepal, among other places. After the war, Jack entered the Air Force reserves, and received his master’s degree in English The Patrons’ is administered and led by a volunteer board of directors, with members serving from Columbia University.