June 2010 USTA Southwest Staff Directory USTA SOUTHWEST section 7010 E. Acoma Drive, Suite 201 Scottsdale, Arizona 85254 Main: (480) 289-2351 Toll-Free: 1-888-918-3647 Fax: (480) 289-2701 www.southwest.usta.com Executive Director Julie Pek x 102 [email protected] Junior Recreation Coordinator Jessica Adams x 104 [email protected] Executive Assistant/Accounting Brooke Demory x 108 [email protected] Community Tennis Coordinator - Central Arizona/Northern Arizona Darlene Demory x 105 [email protected] southwest Community Program Coordinator - Southern New Mexico/Greater El Paso Patrick Hart (575) 524-6781 [email protected] Community Program Coordinator - Southern Arizona Keeley Hutchinson (520) 877-2586 [email protected] Community Tennis Coordinator - Northern New Mexico Becky Lee (505) 266-7400 [email protected] Adult Competitive Manager Guillermo (Bill) Lucero x 106 [email protected] Junior Player Development Manager Eric Mitchell x 107 [email protected] Community Tennis Manager Michelle Moyer x 103 [email protected] Marketing and Communications Manager Jeff Sikes x 109 [email protected] 18 TennisLife MAGAZINE JUNE 2010 june President’s Message It Must Be Love in the Southwest 20 ummer’s hot on our heels in the Southwest, literally and figuratively. What that typically means to USTA Southwest Section (SWS) players is that it’s time to pack in your tennis bag an extra pair of socks Sand high SPF sunscreen; research and demo the latest racquets; and schedule practice matches in 1 preparation for your season’s league play. 0 Like those scorching summer temperatures in our sunny Southwest, tennis participation in our section is going up, up, up. Recent tennis industry studies have shown that for the first time in more than 25 years, tennis participation in the USA has topped the 30 million mark. This is a 12% increase in total play over 2008 and what is also encouraging is that our player base is becoming more diverse and inclusive. Here in the SWS, that number is even more striking, as we are closing in on the 14,000 member mark for the first time ever! This is great news and credit for our growth is due to our tennis community such as program contractors, staff, volunteers and sponsors. These numbers could not be achieved without all of our tennis partners’ hard field work, and I sincerely thank our USTA members for the support, continued participa- tion, and membership in our programs year after year. ‘More’ is definitely the buzzword for our summer tennis menu, and for youngsters there is a new game in town and it’s appropriately named the Quickstart Tennis Play Format. Because the QuickStart (QST) format uses a short court for teaching a large number of kids, it has grown by leaps and bounds as 1300 tennis facilities across the nation are now offering it. The big focus is to get more 10-and-under aged children to play team tennis and to offer training for parents and volunteers to get involved as potential coaches. As the Vice-Chair of our USTA National NJTL Committee, I am very enthused about yet another sum- mertime opportunity, our upcoming Regional NJTL Leadership Camp scheduled in Albuquerque on July 22-25 at the University of New Mexico campus. This camp offers our 12-14 year old junior players a lasting tennis and educational experience as future ambassadors for our sport. Also, Junior Team Tennis seasons are in full swing and nearing the exciting Section Championship season. For our highly competitive and skilled juniors, USTA national junior development camps are being hosted to train our top young players in preparation for the USTA Southwest Junior Closed and other national junior tournaments. As adults are sharpening their skills for the busy Adult League and summer tournament season, the USTA has launched the first ever national qualifier event for the US Open (see story inside). Our team has been preparing for this unique event that kicks off in June in Surprise, Ariz. Starting in 2010, any person 14 years of age or older has the opportunity to earn a singles wild card entry to compete in the US Open Qualifying Tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, August 24-27, 2010. As a side note on the US Open, the USTA will keep its marketing campaign “It Must Be Love” due to the success from the 2009 US Open bradcast coverage. Even with so much going on, we still use the summer to look ahead and plan how to get tennis into more school districts and college campuses, as well as lay the groundwork for other dates, like our USTA Southwest Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet in Phoenix. This year’s annual meeting - held Oct. 8-10 - will be combined with a Regional Community Tennis Development Workshop, and specifically designed to develop future leadership amongst our school and community coaches, program directors, committee chairs, and tennis volunteers. We are a lucky group for sure, as we have “summer-like” weather all year-round. That advantage gives us a multitude of program choices that keep our hearts healthy and spirits competitive. It must be love, Beverly Bourguet , USTA Southwest Section President www.tennislife.com 19 Community Tennis section New Logo For Southwest Tennis Foundation he Southwest Tennis Foundation unveiled a new logo April 14 at the Semi-Annual Meeting held in Phoenix. The Foundation and its Board of Directors opened up the pro- Tcess to find a new image that represented new goals and direction via an online contest held at www.logotournament.com. The tournament drew several creative responses from graphic designers across the country, drawing on the theme of, “Enriching Lives Through Tennis and Education.” In 2010, the Southwest Tennis Foundation has given out a couple of grants already, including to junior player Juliana Guerin of Las Vegas, N.M., and to the Desert Wheelchair Classic, an International Tennis Federation (ITF-Grade) tournament held in February in Tucson, Ariz. The Foundation is the charitable arm of USTA Southwest and provides financial support to a wide range of tennis programs and activities. It is 100% reliant on donations and fundraising efforts to fulfill its charitable good works in our communities. To donate – even a dollar – please visit www.southwest.usta.com and look for the new logo. You can also contribute by sending your tax-deductible donation to the Foundation: Southwest Tennis Foundation, c/o ‘Donation’, 7010 E. Acoma Drive, Suite 201, Scottsdale, Arizona, 85254 southwest USTA Southwest Hall of Fame & USTA National provided a grant to help finance the $8,000 it took for Phoenix Country Club to make the transition to the four down- Annual Awards Nominations scaled courts from the single court’s regulation 78’ x 27’ size. Money also went to put in the net posts and the smaller nets for the courts. The Section is putting out the call from members and member The nets are regulation QuickStart Tennis dimensions – at 18’ long organizations to help nominate for Hall of Fame and Annual Awards. and 2’9” tall. Let your voice be heard, and help us choose deserving organiza- tions, volunteers and players for these prestigious awards. The facility also hosted a USTA Pro Circuit $75,000 event – the Goldwater Women’s Classic, in November of 2009. That event Members are encouraged to send over Hall of Fame nominees by returns to Phoenix Country Club this year on November 8. June 30 and Awards nominees are due in by August 1 to their local District Awards chairperson. For more information on Phoenix Country Club or QuickStart Tennis at PCC, contact Sara Stablein at (602) 636-9840 or sstablein@ For a list of awards and contact chairs as well as awards criteria phoenixcc.org. and nomination forms, visit www.southwest.usta.com and follow the “About Us -> Awards and Hall of Fame” dropdown. Award Winners and the 2010 Hall of Fame class will be recognized BJK To Visit Phoenix in May at the Annual Meeting, October 8-10, with the Awards Banquet held On May 22, 2010, USTA members will have the chance to come to a Saturday, October 9 in Phoenix. private event to hear an inspirational speech from tennis icon, Grand Slam champion and women’s athletics pioneer Billie Jean King! Check online for more details, and don’t forget to nominate a deserving candidate. This unique opportunity will occur prior to the reigning WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury’s basketball game that night against the Seattle Storm. King’s speech will take place as part of a pre-game PCC Adds QuickStart Courts activities, and will take place on the Mercury’s practice court. Phoenix Country Club recently put in four new, permanent 36’ The “Tennis Night Out With Billie Jean King” event includes King’s QuickStart Tennis courts, becoming one of the first facilities in the pre-game speech, a championship Phoenix Mercury bag and spe- metropolitan area with dedicated courts for youth tennis players. cially discounted tickets that night’s game! For more information The private facility, which is one of the oldest tennis and golf facili- and to order tickets, contact David Segal at 602-379-7593 or dsegal@ ties in the United States, did the switchover in late March, turning suns.com. the space on one of its existing 11 courts into four, newly sized - 36’ Don’t miss out on the opportunity to see and hear one of tennis’ x 18’ lined courts. greatest legends. Come out and join the fun! 20 TennisLife MAGAZINE JUNE 2010 june chairs, and other key figures, including national committee mem- Best Tennis Town Competition bers from the USTA family like Tommy Ho and Jill Fonte, reported on events happening in their communities, and gathered to help plan Think your town’s got game? Every town, borough and city across USTA Southwest goals for the rest of the year.