A Big Welcome To Our New TIA Members
(As of August 1, 2008)
Affiliate Member:
Ontario Tennis Association- Toronto, Canada
TennisConnect Members:
Giammalva Racquet Club-
Spring, TX
Golfsmith Pleasanton-
Pleasanton, CA
Hampton Roads Tennis-
Norfolk, VA
Memorial Park Tennis Center- Colorado Springs, CO
Tennis Association of Greer-
Greer, SC
The Tennis Center of Black Hills- Rapid City, SD
Lakeshore Tennis Club- Hoover, AL
Simsmore Tennis- Simsbury, CT

TennisConnect For The Community

Sterling on the Lake, a community about 50 miles outside of Atlanta, used to run their tennis center just like every other community. Residents would have to go to the courts to write their name on a sign-up sheet for court time and a teaching professional would come a couple times a week to give lessons. But as tennis became more popular at Sterling on the Lake, court times became more demanding, and there were just not enough lessons and clinics to go around.

The Tennis Committee knew they needed to make a change in their system so after interviewing several different tennis management companies, they decided to hire Magnolia Tennis Management, not only for their top of the line reputation but they were also willing to set-up a website for the tennis community that included an on-line court reservation system.

Jeff Dudacek, head of Magnolia Tennis Management, had already been using TennisConnect at his other facilities so bringing it into Sterling on the Lake was an easy transition. The residents of the community started using it almost right away and haven’t looked back since.

To read the full story click here.
To Get a Free TennisConnect Demo Contact Lindsey at Lindsey@TennisIndustry.org

New Member Spotlight:
The Racket Bracket

Joe Cohen, an engineer at a bio-tech company in San Diego, used to struggle with the game of tennis. Although he picked up other sports naturally, it amazed him at how difficult this sport was to learn. One evening, while playing with his colleague, Vince Darmohusodo who also teaches tennis on the side, Cohen became so frustrated that he almost threw in his tennis towel and gave up. But Cohen had never been a quitter, so the two engineers put their heads together to try and figure out why many beginners and natural athletes have a hard time learning the sport.

As the two men began analyzing the sport they realized that the wrist is one of the reasons that it is so difficult to achieve accuracy when hitting a tennis ball. The main reason is the way people's brains use the wrist. According to the men’s studies they found that “the wrist was built to make highly variable adjustments when handling objects like a fork or for power to throw a rock. When a tennis ball approaches a first time player, their natural response is to use their wrist to hit the ball at whatever height it arrives. Why should they adjust their feet when the wrist is perfectly suited to make contact with the ball at almost any height and with considerable power? The problem is that the player then has an infinite number of contact points to choose from when using the wrist and none can be optimized for accuracy and consistency.”

Cohen and Darmohusodo decided in order to overcome this problem a beginner tennis player needs to immobilize the wrist. So they started thinking about how they could actually force this immobilization on a player. They experimented with many different prototypes and designs and finally came out with an end result which they call The Racket Bracket.

Click Here To Read More
Visit Their Web site at:
www.tennisracketbracket.com

Dennis Van Der Meer and Howard Head Inducted Into Inaugural Class of Tennis Industry Hall of Fame

Dennis Van Der Meer accepts award from TIA President, Dave Haggerty

Dennis and Pat Van Der Meer Pose With Award

Howard Head 1914-1991

Dennis Van der Meer and Howard Head are the first two inductees into the new “Tennis Industry Hall of Fame.” The announcement, by the Tennis Industry Association, was made in New York City just before the US Open at a special reception honoring the two men and their contributions to the sport of tennis.

“We’ve set the bar very high with our inaugural inductees into the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame,” said Dave Haggerty, president of the Tennis Industry Association (TIA), at the reception at the Grand Hyatt in New York on Aug. 24. “Dennis Van der Meer and Howard Head are two titans of tennis, well-deserving of this honor. Dennis’s life work has contributed to the betterment of tennis for those in the industry as well as players worldwide, and Howard was a true visionary who revolutionized both the tennis and ski industries.”

Van der Meer, born in 1933 in what is now Namibia in southern Africa, founded the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), based in Hilton Head Island, S.C., in 1976 to certify tennis teaching professionals. Often lauded as “the greatest tennis teacher in the world,” having personally taught tens of thousands of recreational players and thousands of tennis teachers, Van der Meer’s influence in the game has touched millions of players. He also has coached world-class players on both the women’s and men’s professional tours.

Cited by the U.S. State Department for furthering international relations through sports education, Van der Meer also is a recipient of the Tennis Educational Merit Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In 2004, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Greenwich, England, for his contribution to Sport Sciences in tennis education.

Howard Head, who was born in 1914 and died in 1991, first transformed the ski industry in the late 1940s when he designed a new type of ski that combined metal, plastic and plywood that was more durable, lighter and easier to turn. His new ski made it possible for almost anyone to enjoy the sport.

He founded the Head Ski Co., which later became Head Sports and diversified into tennis, producing a metal racquet in 1969. He then joined Prince Manufacturing, where he first helped to redesign and improve a tennis ball machine, then later designed and patented a racquet with a 20 percent larger head, which enlarged the sweetspot and made the game easier for millions of players. The new frame also was quickly adopted by players on the pro tours.

“At this inaugural event, we’re starting at the top,” said former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, speaking on behalf of Van der Meer, who was present at the reception to accept his award. Dinkins, an avid tennis player and fan, is a member of the board of directors for both the U.S. Tennis Association and the PTR.

Ray Benton, the president of KSB Ventures and the co-founder of the senior tour for men’s professional tennis—and a longtime friend of Head and his wife, Marty—accepted the award on behalf of Head. “You couldn’t have picked two more deserving people,” said Benton.

The Tennis Industry Hall of Fame recognizes those individuals who have made a significant impact to the sport, from the 1960s to the present. Nominations are made in four categories: inventors, founders, innovators and contributors. For more information, or to submit nominations, visit www.tennisindustry.org/hof. 

Special Member Offers
(For details on how to take advantage of these special offers, click here)
• Save up to 25% on the full suite of DHL, Yellow, and Roadway shipping services
• Travel discounts on hotel, air, car rental and event
• Media Services through Blue Plate Media
• Free subscription to IN●TENN Online Magazine subscription
• Receive 25% off the published rate cart for advertisements in RSI
• Bob Larson's Daily Tennis News for half the regular price
• 10% discount off of subscriptions to MyTennisGroup.com
• 33% discount to www.JobEasier.com to find diagrammed drills and lesson plans

Online Enrollment
Options available to help grow your business. Players can register for your programs online -- No more calling and leaving message because they can sign up at their convenience! Click Here to Learn More

Discount Merchant Card: Save More on Your Credit Card Processing
What One User Says:
"We’ve been saving about 10-12% compared to the credit card processing we had before this. We investigated it and it was better than the market rates." - Dallas Aleman: Owner of Towpath Tennis Center
For  information on this member saving program contact Jim at
1-800-656-0077 or e-mail a request for proposal to tia@preferredcard.net

Check Out TennisInsure
TennisInsure™, the new comprehensive insurance program developed for the tennis industry, is designed for industry specific business insurance needs. Retailers, facilities, manufacturers, organizations, court contractors – anyone in the tennis industry as well as their employees can receive great rates and coverage.
For More Information Visit http://tennisinsure.com/

Contact the TIA:
117 Executive Center
Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
P: 843.686.3036
Toll-Free: 866.686.3036
F: 843.686.3078
E: Info@TennisIndustry.org