Growing Tennis Newsletter Archives
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Aug 29-Sept 1: USTA Tennis Teachers Conference - New York, NY
Sept 1: TIA Tennis Forum- New York, NY
Sept 1: Marketing and Making Money with Cardio Tennis - TTC
Sept 1: TIA/USTA Technology Workshop
Sept 17-20: PTR Business Development Weekend - Hilton Head Island, SC
Sept 21-26: USPTA World Conference- Marco Island, FL
Oct 13-16: NRPA Expo- Salt Lake City

Check Out the On The Road 2009 Schedule to make sure you don't miss out on other important tennis events.

Official Sites To Date:
Tennis Welcome Centers: 2,641
Cardio Tennis: 1,652
QuickStart Tennis: 1,286

List Your Retail Information on the Web… With this FREE service from the Tennis Industry!
Make sure customers can find you and your retail information—all searchable on consumer websites.
It’s quick and easy. Check out www.TennisIndustry.org/Retailer.

New Facility Manager Section Added To The GrowingTennis™ System
You can now sharpen your tennis facility management skills via www.GrowingTennis.com/Resources
A Facilities Manager’s Manual is now the cornerstone of the new Facility Manager section under Tools & Resources.  It is complete with a searchable table of contents.  The comprehensive manual is a result of the selfless efforts of Rod Heckelman who was interested in sharing his vast knowledge of tennis management experience.  Rod has been a regular guest speaker at several USPTA Conferences and written several tennis management articles for RSI and the USPTA publication, ADDvantage.

Designing Your Website Just Got Much Easier

Chabot Canyon Racquet Club in Oakland, CA, just got a website makeover thanks to TennisConnect and the use of an Authorized Service Provider who helped them personalize their site and give them the image they wanted to portray. Click here to read the full story
Click here to learn more about TennisConnect

Cardio Tennis Player of the Month: James Hootman
Played Cardio Tennis for Almost 67 Days Straight!
“I don’t play Cardio Tennis to lose weight because I don’t really need to lose weight but it has improved my fitness and all-around game,” says Hootman who has risen from a 3.0 to a 4.0 player in his year of playing in the program. “I also like the good music and fun people I’ve met through the program. A lot of times we will all go out to eat together after a Cardio Tennis class.” Click Here to read the whole story.

CT Tips Featuring Cardio Tennis National Speaker David Schwartz, President of scvtennis.net
Q: What is your most helpful tip for conducting a Cardio Tennis class?
A: I love the transition balls. They always work well for games. Also make sure to use the ladder or jumping hurdles for many of the drills since they are challenging to all.
Q: What tip would you give to a club that is struggling to start up a Cardio Tennis program?
A: Try different times and days. Offer it and ask the members when they would like to see it offered.
Q: What has been your biggest challenge with Cardio Tennis and how did you overcome it?
A: IT IS HARD WORK. But it’s nice to have a change up from my regular classes… It can also get the coach fit. I guess it is the set up of new players on court with heart-rate monitors. Once they know and understand how to set them up it is a great benefit to them and then they can play ball!
Click Here to read the rest of the interview with David Schwartz

Please contact Michele Krause at Michele@CardioTennis.com if you are interested in having private Cardio Tennis facility training at your site.

WTA & ATP Tours Push “Racket UP, America!”

Professional players help with the messaging in unique industry-wide campaign. Thousands of consumers have registered for the “Racket UP, America!” sweepstakes through PlayTennis.com/million!

“Racket UP, America!” designed to help drive awareness of the sport and customers into tennis retail stores. And it’s been receiving great industry support, thanks to TIA member companies that have been promoting this campaign, such as:
* The WTA and ATP pro tours, IMG, Tennis Channel and others are getting professional players involved with the messaging and urging consumers to "Racket UP!"
* Racquet manufacturers and their reps, who are helping to spread the word and drive traffic to retailers.
* Media and websites such as Tennis Magazine, Tennis Channel, TennisWeek.com, and USTA.com and others are running articles ads and web banners.

Briefly… customers buy a racket at your store, then register their purchase at
PlayTennis.com/million and they could win a chance to go to NYC and hit a serve in Madison Square Garden (during the BNP Paribas Showdown) that could win them a million bucks! Other prizes include a trip for two to the 2010 US Open finals and twenty $500 tennis merchandise packages. (No purchase necessary; see official rules.)
Suggestions, comments, questions? Email us at RacketUP@TennisIndustry.org.

"Racket Up" at PlayTennis.com/Partner!
To boost retail sales overall, and to boost your business, the “Racket Up, America!” promotion needs your help and support. The TIA has put together promotional, advertising and marketing material that you can use to help promote the contest and your business. All you need to do is go to PlayTennis.com/partner download what you need and find out more information.

The TIA Tennis Forum and USTA Tennis Teachers Conference are just around the corner!
August 29 - September 1, Grand Hyatt, New York, NY

The third annual TIA Tennis Forum, presented by Tennis Magazine, will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 1 from 7:30 - 8:30 am in the Manhattan Ballroom at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. The Forum, held in conjunction with the USTA Tennis Teachers Conference, is free and open to all in the industry.

You’ll hear all the latest news about the state of the industry, including participation growth, equipment sales data, the latest grassroots initiatives and more.

Don’t forget to stop by the TIA booth at the tradeshow, Monday 7 AM - 2 PM and Tuesday 7 – 11:30 AM.  We will have a very special gift for all those who have attended the TIA Forum.

TIA/USTA Technology Workshop at Tennis Teachers Conference
Don't miss out on learning how to get listed on the tennis industry’s most complete database so that you will maintain comprehensive marketing exposure for your tennis events. This hands-on session will show you how easy it is to take advantage of the technology assets brought to you by the USTA, TIA and Active Network.
Where: USTA Tennis Teachers Conference - Grand Hyatt, NYC
When: Tuesday, September 1, 1:00 - 4:00 pm
For more information or to register, visit usta.com/ttc or call 914-696-7004

Cardio Tennis News Learn How to Make Money with Cardio Tennis Ever wonder how you can make money with your Cardio Tennis program? Well Michele Krause, National Cardio Tennis Program Manager, will be conducting a presentation at the Tennis Teachers Conference in New York City on just that. Her seminar entitled "Cardio Tennis Marketing and Making Money" will take you through the various ways to make the most out of your Cardio Tennis program. Don't miss this special presentation on September 1st. Cardio Tennis Site Registration Fee All new Cardio Tennis sites will now be required to pay a one-time registration fee when they complete the online application form at www.GrowingTennis.com/Initiatives. For first-time sites there will be a fee of $100 and any additional sites will be $50.  The registration fee will include a one-year TIA Individual membership ($100 value) and many other Official Site benefits. The fee will go toward helping to cover the costs of the marketing kits that are sent to all new Cardio Tennis sites and adding to the many marketing materials that are also available including new materials for Cardio Tennis for Kids. Follow Cardio Tennis on Facebook and Twitter! Cardio Tennis has joined the latest social networking trends and can now be found on both Facebook and Twitter. Keep up to date with all the latest Cardio Tennis news by following the program on these two sites. Tweet about Cardio Tennis on Twitter Tweet about Cardio Tennis from Ontario Facebook Fan

Start Your “CT: Get Fit” Contest Now Looking to jumpstart your Cardio Tennis program? Receive our promotional kit to help you run the innovative and profitable “Cardio Tennis: Get Fit…” contest at your facility and/or against other Cardio Tennis facilities in your area. The kit contains forms, letters, templates, tips and promotional detail to help you start a Cardio Tennis team or teams at your facility, then to track team members’ progress throughout the contest. For details on this fun promotion, contact 843.686.3036 x 223 or Brian@TennisIndustry.org. Cardio Tennis Music Mix of the Month by Lance Anderson Energize your Cardio Tennis Classes with our featured Cardio Tennis Mix of the Month that was created by National Cardio Tennis Speaker Team member and former Club DJ Lance Andersen. This fun mix combines classic dance hits from the seventies, eighties, nineties and today,   featuring songs originally made famous by artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Blondie, Katy Perry, Survivor and many more! This mix, which has something for everyone, creates the ultimate on-court party atmosphere!   To purchase our Cardio Tennis Mix of the Month: Go to our Cardio Tennis Mix of the Month Click on the “Load This Mix In TrackList” button Click on “Create Mix & CHECKOUT” button Select “checkout” and choose your preference for payment Also check out our other exciting mixes created specifically for Cardio Tennis.

TWC of the Month: Hamilton Family YMCA - Chattanooga, TN

The Hamilton Family YMCA in  Chattanooga, TN, is not only a family-friendly center with many sports and activities, but it is also equipped with six hard tennis courts and a full-time PTR pro to run programs for all levels of players. “Everyone is welcome at the Hamilton Family YMCA,” says Murtala Bala Habu, the staff pro at the YMCA. “Tennis here is not just for members but for anyone in the community who wants to come in and play. I will never turn anyone away.”

Habu and the YMCA believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn the sport, even if they cannot afford to take lessons or pay for court time. “If someone comes in and doesn’t have the money to play, I will always find a way to squeeze them into a group lesson or give them free court time when available, because eventually that money will come back to the tennis industry, and in the meantime we are helping to grow the sport,” says Habu. “Whether it is by that person bringing a friend that can afford to play in the clinics, or that person going out and purchasing their own racquet and balls—it’s kind of like a pay-it-forward deal.” Click Here to Read More

Share Your Success Stories on GrowingTennis Initiatives!

The Top 50 Tennis Welcome Centers of 2008 were announced in the spring. Click Here to see the complete list of facilities that made this year's Top 50.

Check Out Your Favorite Tennis Facilities on PublicEarth
The TIA proudly announces a partnership with PublicEarth. PublicEarth.com is a new website
that contains more than 16,000 tennis
facilities across the U.S. that are in the TIA’s national database. (If you’re not in our free database, go to GrowingTennis.com to add your facility now.) From PublicEarth.com, you can easily create, add to and share places, then take them with you on your GPS or mobile phone. (Plus, PublicEarth has more than 4.5 million interesting places to discover in more than 450 categories.) Visit PublicEarth.com to request your special invitation.

Do You Know A
Champion of Tennis?
Nominate for Racquet Sports Industry’s 2009 Champions of Tennis Awards, which recognize the often-unheralded heroes who are making a difference in tennis. Email nominations by Sept. 30 to RSI@racquettech.com
(put “Champions” in the subject line).

All nominations will be confidential, and you may nominate for as many categories (below) as you’d like, or suggest other categories.
·   Person of the Year
·   Pro/Specialty Retailer of the Year
·   Chain Retailer/Mass Merchant of the Year
·   Stringer of the Year
·   Builder/Contractor of the Year
·   Grassroots Champion of the Year
·   Junior Development Champion of the Year
·   Sales Rep of the Year
·   Wheelchair Tennis Champion of the Year
·   Municipal Facility of the Year
·   Private Facility of the Year
·   Public Park of the Year
·   Community Tennis Association of the Year
·   High School Coach of the Year
·   USTA Section of the Year
·   PTR Member of the Year
·   USPTA Member of the Year