HIDEAWAY PRESEASON TENNIS UPDATE

Welcome to the start of a new season…well, it isn’t quite the start yet, but it sure feels like it to me as I sit here with a million things already to write about. 

Things continue to fluctuate with new teams and new members coming on board, but an exciting 2013-14 tennis season is shaping up for The Hideaway. I’ll get to the new developments in a minute, but let’s take a look at the good things that have happened this summer.

OFF-SEASON RECAP

First Men's Team Sees Action

Captain Ed Marcelo

Yes, the off-season has been good for Hideaway Tennis. We have had quite a bit of activity both on and off the court. We had our first Men’s team in action, as Ed Marcelo led a USTA Men’s 55-plus 7.5 combo team, featuring several of our new members. 

New Members on Board
Speaking of new members, The Hideaway added 15 new tennis members (9 men, 6 women) in the off-season, which bodes well for our teams and other activities. All of the men carry USTA ratings that are at least 3.5, and we have a few 4.0 players among the new additions (click here for list of new members). 

Paula Barry & Vivian Landis

The six new ladies will certainly enhance our ladies teams, and Vivian Landis, a long-time member, has agreed to join other long-standing Hideaway members, Paula Barry and Lee Cross, on one of our ladies teams. Welcome aboard Viv!

Interclub at Hideaway

The Ladies of Interclub

Hideaway members at Interclub Luncheon

The courts were quite busy this off season, as I had a full complement of lessons and clinics, teams were preparing for for season, and The Hideaway hosted the Annual Summer Interclub Round Robin that takes place each summer. Several of our members participated in the Interclub, a once-per-week round robin event with 16 players on four courts, from four local clubs. This summer, participating clubs included The Hideaway, Gulf Harbor, Lexington and Heritage Cove.

The Interclub culminated with a get together on September 8 at the Lighthouse Restaurant. Twenty-three ladies were in attendance including a large contingent from The Hideaway.

Facility Upgrades
The Hideaway’s administration continued its efforts to upgrade our facility this summer, contracting with Armor Persons of Court Masters Tennis Services to replace the lines on all four courts. With the continued monthly maintenance Armor provides, our courts should be in great shape for the upcoming season.

In line with our efforts to improve communication and to get everyone on the same page, we have created a 

Tennis Member Handbook, that should provide you with just about anything you would want to know about Hideaway Tennis, or at the very least, point you in the right direction if there is something you want to know. Some of you may have already previewed an early draft, but I expect official publication of the Handbook to be circa the end of October.

LOOKING AHEAD

Online Reservation System

Moving forward into the 2013-2014 season, we will have an online reservation system, which should simplify the court reservation process. Don’t panic if you don’t use computers, iPads, smart phones

 or any of the other new-fangled gadgets; you can still reserve a court by calling the pro shop. More details on the reservation system will be provided after the system has been adequately tested. I’m hoping to get a group of volunteers to evaluate two online systems, and we will make a choice after receiving sufficient feedback. 

Teams Ready for Action
Our three Lee County Women’s Tennis League (LCWTL)

Agi Keleman and Paula Barry after big win

teams and our men’s USTA Florida 55-plus 3.5 team start play next month (click here for team schedules). First up on our home courts will be Ed Marcelo’s 3.5 team, which starts play on Tuesday, October 8, at 10am. First up for the women will be the Copper team, led by Bert Ann Haas and Terri Turner. 

Our 3.0 team, co-captained by Lynne Price and Rennie Bassett, take to the home courts on Monday, October 21, at 10:30am, and our Bronze team, with Pearle Warren and Pat Ben-Dov at the helm, will have its home debut on Wednesday, November 20.

Team Pre-Season Luncheon

2012 - 2013 preseason luncheon with Sean

A preseason luncheon on the Hideaway patio will be held on Wednesday, October 9, for members of our ladies teams, right after a fun round robin including members of all three teams. The round robin will be from 9:30 – 11am, with lunch following immediately after. Team members interested in attending should contact Bert Ann Haas at 239-369-7853 or matchscore@aol.com by Monday, October 7, at 12pm . 

Hideaway Hosts SWFTT

Another exciting development will be Mike Stern fielding a team that will participate in the Southwest Florida Team Tennis (SWFTT). Outside of the Pro League, SWFTT matches provide some of the most entertaining doubles matches you will find in the area. Several local pros will be on the Hideaway team this coming season, including Armor Persons, Larry Gagnon, and yours truly. We look forward to seeing you out at the courts for these skirmishes.

New Tidbits
For those who are technically inclined, we have created a folder for you to view a variety of documents including team schedules, the Tennis Member Handbook and more. You can click here. Oh, and last but not least, thanks to Nina Carpenter, tennis balls are now available for purchase in the pro shop. We aim to please!

Sayonara

Before I go I would like to thank The Hideaway Administration for its continued support of our fledgling tennis program, and for all of you who are helping this become the best little tennis program in town! A special thanks to our team captains, who have a thankless job. They include Bert Ann Haas, Peale Warren, Lynne Price, Terri Turner, Rennie Bassett, Pat Ben-Dov, Mike Stern, and Ed Marcelo. Don't hesitate to give them a pat on the back when you see them! Until next, game, set, match...T. A.

FORT MYERS RACQUET EDGES PARK MEADOW IN USTA PLAYOFF

Note: You can view additional photos of the event by clicking here.

FMRC team: Barry Speakman, Steve Romaine, 

Wolf Tchaikovsky, E. W. Brockwell, Mike Stern, 

Tim McClary, Jeff Stevenson, Tommy Carlisle, 

Lance Johnson, Jack Dunmead

Well, I suggested in my last blog post that the USTA Men’s 7.5, 50-and-over combo playoff between Fort Myers Racquet Club (FMRC) and Park Meadow Tennis Center (PMTC) would be entertainingly close. On Friday the 13th at The Hideaway Country Club, the match wasn’t decided until 11-9 in the match tiebreak, two and a half hours after the match began.

Lance Johnson & Tommy Carlisle

It was only 89 degrees, but it felt like 90-plus, and it appeared that no one on Court 3 had any interest whatsoever in hanging out for a long drawn out affair. Tommy Carlisle and Lance Johnson took the court for 

John Suydam & Brandon Rose

FMRC against John Suydam and Brandon Rose of Park Meadow, and before the first set was over on either of the other two courts, Tommy and Lance were walking off with a 6-0, 6-2 victory.  

On Court 1, Rankin McGougan and Frank "Crown Royal" Ryan of PMTC faced off against Barry Speakman and E. W. Brockwell.

Frank Ryan & Rankin McGougan

The first set was nip and tuck, back and forth, and with one match in their pockets, it looked pretty good for FMRC when Barry and EW jumped ahead 5-2 in the first set breaker. 

Looks can be deceiving however, as the proverbial “They” say, and Rankin and Frank ran off five consecutive points to take the first set tiebreak. 

Barry Speakman & E. W. Brockwell

Barry and EW never recovered from the first set loss and Rankin and Frank rolled to a 6-2 second set win.

The nail-biter of the match took place on Court 2, with Steve Romaine and Jack Dunmead representing 

Steve Romaine & Jack Dunmead

FMRC and Mike Welter and Dan Campbell taking the court for PMTC. As reminded by FMRC team captain Mike Stern, all four of the players had plenty of playoff experience coming in, all having played in championships in Daytona within the past nine months.

With Jack and Steve, we were looking at two 70-plus-year-olds giving up a couple of decades to former Marine Corps Colonel Welter and whippersnapper Campbell (he’s not even sniffing 60). 

Dan Campbell & Mike Welter

The young guys jumped out to a quick 4-1 start, but the seasoned vets just kept grinding.

Steve and Jack clawed their way back to 5-4 with Jack serving for the first set, but Dan and Mike refused to lose, broke Jack, and the set went to a tiebreak. Again, it was a see-saw battle in the tiebreak and it took a let cord off Dan’s good hands to win the tiebreak 7-5. 

Jack & Steve come back

Mike and Dan appeared to have a bit of a letdown after claiming that first set, and Jack and Steve cruised to a 6-2 second set, with only a minor hiccup when Jack was broken at 5-1.The deceiving looks appeared again in the match tiebreak, and Captain Stern’s prediction that it would go to at least 8-8 in the tiebreak did not look good.

Dan skies for overhead

Jack and Steve seemed to be cruising down EZ Street when they got to 6-1 in the match tiebreak, but suddenly found themselves tiptoeing up Heartbreak Hill. Mike and Dan had reeled off six straight points of their own to take a 7-6 lead, and the FMRC fans were squirming a bit uncomfortably.

Yes, if you were a FMRC fan watching Jack and Steve, both, slowly shuffling to the gazebo during the change of sides, your confidence probably would have been a bit shaken. But the senior shufflers took both points on PMTC’s serve to go up 8-7 and the colonel’s disgust was palpable!  

A Stern spectator & Masa Kumamoto

But consistent with Captain Stern’s prediction, Dan and Mike got a mini-break to even things at 8-8.Stern refused to make any predictions beyond that point however. FMRC went up 9-8, and the mid-day shuffle to the other side was on again. PMTC held their first service point to tie it at 9-9, but Steve and Jack took the second to reach match point at 10-9 with Steve serving.

Welter's down! Welter's down!

It was evident that neither side had intentions of giving up or going down, as that 10-9 point was a back and forth affair with digs, and lobs, and re-lobs, etc. In the end it took a knockdown to end this thing, when Mike Welter hit the deck going back for a final lob. He did all he could while sitting on the ground to return the ball over the net. It wasn’t enough, and the 70-somethings had their moment in the sun…literally!
FMRC will be heading to Daytona as the winners of the playoff, but the true winners were the spectators who witnessed the valiant efforts of the players on both teams. 

PMTC captain Jim Marks may have felt the sting of the loss, but he had to be proud of the fight his team showed. Chances are these two teams will meet again, and I wouldn't be surprised if it comes down to another match tiebreak to settle things.

Thanks to the captains who brought this scintillating playoff match to The Hideaway, and to the spectators who came out to cheer on the teams. It was a moment to remember. Game, set, match…T. A.

SEPTEMBER TENNIS ACTION IN FORT MYERS

Team Tennis for Juniors

Something new is coming to town from USTA Florida and it sure sounds like a good time for junior players. It’s called the Southwest Florida Regional Team Tennis Challenge, and it will be held Saturday, September 28 and Sunday September 29 at the Barbara Manzo Tennis Center at Three Oaks Park and Florida Gulf Coast University. 

The Team Tennis Challenge is a team competition with at least two girls and two boys (maximum of six players) on the team, with each team match consisting of one girls’ singles, one boys’ singles, and one mixed doubles match.  

Age divisions run from 10 and under through 18 and under, and skill levels include beginner, intermediate and advanced. Players do not need to be USTA members.

The registration deadline is Friday, September 13, and teams can register online. Find out all about the event by clicking here, or copying and pasting the following address in your web browser: http://www.florida.usta.com/youth_tennis/team_tennis_challenge_92813/.

USTA League Opportunities

USTA fall league play is revving up, and if you don’t already have enough tennis lined up, here are a few for you to consider…well I guess this is more than a few:

6.0 MD (Saturday); 3.5 55+ Women (afternoon); 4.0 - 55+Men; 3.0 18+ men (night); 6.5 Men’s Combo (night); 6.5 Women’s Combo (night); 3.5 55+ Men (day time); 3.5 18 + Men (night); 7.5 Men’s Combo (day); 3.5 Women 18+ (night); 4.0 55+ Women (day); 4.0 18 + Men (night); 7.5 Women’s Combo (night).

If any of these divisions work for you but you aren’t sure how to get on a team, please contact Local League Coordinator Susie Bessire at bessire@florida.usta.com or 941-629-0209.

USTA League Playoff at The Hideaway

Speaking of USTA league play, The Hideaway will host a Men’s 7.5 50 & Over Combo playoff between Fort Myers Racquet Club (FMRC) and Park Meadow (PM) this coming Friday the 13th at 11am. The teams will vie for the privilege of representing our area in Daytona. The Fort Myers team is captained by Mike Stern, the local tennis iron man, known for his 7-hour-6-venue tennis days and nights, and Jim Marks captains the Park Meadow team. According to Stern, they chose The Hideaway as the neutral site since Switzerland was unavailable as a result of the mourning of Roger Federer. 

The FMRC team won the summer season with an 8-1 record, edging second-place PM, which went 6-3. The only loss for FMRC was a 1-2 loss to PM on PM’s home turf. PM won the spring season, posting a 7-1 record, which was two wins and losses better than, you guessed it, FMRC…although that one loss was to Ed Marcelo’s FMRC team. Not Stern’s.

Given that there is almost always at least one deciding set tiebreak when these two teams meet, it should be an exciting playoff at The Hideaway on Friday the 13th. Someone will have good luck, and I think I’ll be there to find out who. 


USTA Mother-Son National at Dunes

We don’t have many national level events in the area, but there is one on the horizon at Dunes Golf and Tennis Club on Sanibel. The USTA National Mother-Son Clay Court Championships will be held there September 27 – 29. Thus far there are only two teams entered in the event: one from Arizona, the other from Texas. John Ramsey, Kelly Greens’ Director of Tennis, is the tournament director and you can contact John at 239-229-7556 or jramsey.ilc@gmail.com for more info. The entry deadline is Friday September 20.

Tennis Pros Looking for Work

We have at least a couple of new tennis professionals in town looking for a club to call home. Greg Hiers is the Tennis Director at the St. Paul Tennis Club in St. Paul, Minnesota and will continue in that role during the summer, but has moved his family to the area and wants to join the local tennis professional community. 

Jonathan Andrews is a young USPTA certified professional who taught locally from 2003 through 2008 before spending five years in the army. He returned to the area this year and resumed teaching at Cape Coral Racquet Club. Jonathan is currently enrolled at Florida Gulf Coast University and is looking to continue teaching locally.

Southwest Florida Ritzman Tennis Pro League

Your local pros are beginning to get geared up for the 2013-14 Pro League. Team captains will meet on Friday September 20th to conduct the draft for the upcoming season. Opening Day of the season will be October 18th and Kenny Gibson and Palmira Golf and Country Club will be the host. 


Early scouting suggests that there will be some new faces on court, Pat Glaunert and Angie Guillette of Three Oaks Tennis Center are projected to be among the newcomers. Stay tuned for more details after the 20th. 

Miscellaneous

Here’s a heads up for those who have been kind enough to take the time to follow the blog over the past couple of seasons, and intend to do so again this season. The blog will be moving from blogspot.com to a new location and I’m pretty excited about the move. Details will be coming as soon as the new site is ready to go live. 

Now that my big golf event is over (click here if interested in how that went), and season is on the horizon, I’ll be back to blogging on a more regular basis. As always, if you have info to share, send it over and I’ll do what I can to share it. Until next, game, set, match…T. A.

HIDEAWAY TENNIS UPDATE

Welcome New Members

The Hideaway continues to add quality players to its membership rolls. Our three ladies teams will add a few new players that are welcome additions to those who played last season. 

Among our new players are Dolly Moore, who is likely to be

one of the stronger players on our Copper and 3.0 teams, Pat Ben-Dov and Barbara Morgan who we believe will be standouts on our Bronze team, and Diane Russ, tabbed to be another stellar performer on our 3.0 team.We have recently added some dynamic players on the men’s 

side of things as well, bringing Tim McClary, Barry Speakman, and Rob Hartman, all strong 3.5 players, as well as Masa Kumamoto, our first 4.0 player, on board. 

If you would like to get an idea of how strong our men’s teams are likely to be this fall, Captain Ed Marcelo’s Men’s 7.5 USTA team is currently competing, and will be playing its next home match at 10am on August 2. Come on out and check out the action!

Nuts & Bolts/Policies & Procedures

As you can imagine, the influx of new members results in the need for continued refining of our policies and procedures. We hope to have everything in smooth functioning order by the time season arrives. 

Sign-in for Play
We have tried using a sign-in sheet to keep track of court usage but we believe a cleaner, more effective method would be the following: When making a court reservation for open play, the member making the reservation should provide the names of all players who are a part of the reservation. Prior to play, the member who made the reservation should check in for the group at the pro shop.

All of the names will then be listed on the court sheet that will be in the pro shop, on the clipboard under the covered area at the courts, and in the guard house. Players not listed on the court sheet may be denied access to the Club, unless the pro shop calls them in after the fact.

Guest FeesA member who makes a reservation can choose to handle guest fees in three ways:

• Have guests submit their guest fees in the pro shop before or after play, 
• Collect guest fees from guests and submit them in the pro shop before or after play, or 
• Have their accounts charged for guest fees. 

Hopefully this will allow us to keep track of things with minimal issues. 

Closed on Monday

Along similar lines, we have been wrestling with our Monday closure. The club is closed on Monday during the off-season, but we have been trying to allow access to the courts despite the Club being closed. 

It was a gesture of goodwill by management, but having open play while no Club representative is on site poses a liability and is a logistics problem. As such, the Club will no longer accept court reservations on Mondays when the Club is closed, and the gate to the courts will be locked I am onsite for lessons or clinics. 

Developing a Culture of Consideration & Cooperation
I’d like to commend our new members and our long-standing members on how well they have managed to make the transition from a closed environment to an open one work. Such transitions are seldom easy, but the quality of individuals we have at the Hideaway, both long-standing and new, have made it seem relatively easy. 

As we continue to grow, I think it will be essential that we continue to develop a “culture of consideration and cooperation.” What do I mean by that? Well, in short, by “culture” I mean a relatively coherent collection of attitudes, values, and behaviors that are or become common practice in our environment. 

By “consideration,” I mean keeping in mind, or actively thinking about how we can enhance the experience of all who share our environment. By “cooperation,” I mean working together, each of us sharing the responsibility of keeping our environment pleasant, attractive and enhancing for all. 

Whew! That was a mouthful/eyeful huh :)? Seriously though, given what I have seen of the character of our membership, I do believe that we can create and maintain such an environment at The Hideaway. 

So what does that culture look like? I believe when we are being considerate:

• We don’t put our clay-filled tennis shoes on the bench or table, but if we do, we certainly brush the clay off so that others don’t have to;
• We pick up water cups if we miss the trash bin and we dispose of our water bottles and other disposable containers after we have used them, rather than leave them for someone else to handle;
• We hang our tennis bags on the hooks provided so that that the seating area remains as clutter free as possible;
• If we reserve a court and we realize that we don’t need it, we call to cancel the reservation so that someone else may reserve the court;
• When we finish using a court, we brush and line the court so that the next party to play will have a court as well or better conditioned than the court we played on; and
• We do not leave balls (or anything else that was not there prior to our arrival) on the court when we are finished playing.

When we exercise cooperation:

• We park in the designated parking area, regardless of whether there are apparent open slots elsewhere;
• We ensure that we provide the names of the players in our party, and how long we intend to play when we request a reservation by email or phone call;
• We use the rest room in the dining room as opposed to the administration area; and 
• We let management know when we observe something that may not be in the best interest of the Club and its members, or when we observe or think of something that may be added to enhance the Club environment and member experience.

Well, what do you think (you can always comment)? it’s getting late and I’m losing steam. If you can think of other things that would be consistent with developing a culture of consideration and cooperation, please don’t hesitate to send them my way. 

Tennis Member Handbook

Be on the lookout for our Tennis Member Handbook. It is nearing completion. Those of you who have not received a copy (digital or otherwise), please be patient as we want you to have the most updated version. 

I’m looking forward to a tremendous second season of tennis at The Hideaway and I hope you are too. Game, set, match! T. A.

USTA FLORIDA IN OUR TENNIS COMMUNITY

LCCTA Takes You to the US Open?

Many of us participate in USTA Leagues, and many of our local teams do quite well (see below). However, at least as important as how well our teams are doing in USTA Florida League competition, are a couple of other opportunities USTA Florida is sending our way. 

First and foremost, courtesy of the Lee County Community Tennis Association (LCCTA), is the HUGE chance to be sitting in the President’s Suite at the US Open on Aug. 29^th! Well that’s not all. Here’s the entire package:

• 2 Tickets to the USTA President’s Suite
• 2 President’s Courtside Box Seat Tickets for Day Session
• Lunch for 2 in the President’s Dining Room
• Behind the scenes tour of Arthur Ashe Stadium
• US Open Bus transportation from Grand Hyatt NY to the US Open site

Only a few of the 100 raffle tickets are available, and the drawing is August 1 at noon, so call the LCCTA at 239-565-5300 for your chance to be wined and dined at the US Open. Tickets are just $20 each, and the experience is valued at $500.

Proceeds will be used to support tennis scholarships for Lee County youth. According to Lyn Bruner, Executive Director of the LCCTA, “in the first 5 months of 2013, LCCTA has awarded almost $4000 in Youth tennis scholarships for local beginning players and Challenger Scholarships to juniors who are engaged in USTA Florida tournament competition.” Thanks for whatever contributions you have made thus far.

USTA Florida Offers Free Training

USTA Florida is also providing opportunities across the State for free training, and as a member of the USTA Florida Community Outreach Committee, I would love to see our area participate in such a training. The training could be about anything that you think would benefit our tennis community, including fundraising, social media, programs for juniors and adults, etc.

I would greatly appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to share your ideas on what types of training sessions might be useful for our community. You can do so by completing this short survey (please click here). I look forward to hearing from you by the weekend if you can get to it, but even if you can’t get to it by the weekend, please get it to me when you can. Thanks in advance!

Local Teams Shine in USTA League Play There has been quite a bit of USTA Florida league team activity this summer, and that follows on the heels of all the success that our local teams had before season ended. Earlier this spring, local teams that represented our area with pizazz include:

A Fort Myers-Cape Coral team out of Park Meadow Tennis Center combined 55 and over, 8.0 mixed doubles team which won the Sectional Championship in Daytona this past April. Members of the team were: Jan Wheeler (captain), Diann Cimring, Keith Stiles, Jane Zito, John Suydam, Barbara Stiles, Mike Stern, Dan Campbell, Karen Orlando, Mike Welter, Rankin McGougan, and Sara Bracamonte.

Also performing well at USTA Sectionals in May was the Men’s 65 and over 7.0 doubles team from Fort Myers Racquet Club. The team lost 1-2 in the finals with Masa Kumamoto and Steve Romaine delivering a double bagel to the competition on Court No.1. Team Members were: Ed Marcelo (captain), E.W. Brockwell, Dave Coppin, Tim McClary, Masa Kumamoto, Jerry Leininger, Richard Fell, Jim Yaeger, Steve Romaine and Wolf Tschaikowsky.
A number of other local teams (see clubs and team captains below) have earned the right to represent our area at Sectionals. The Adult 18 & Over have recently completed play, The Adult 40 & Over will be played in August, and the Adult 18 & Over Mixed Doubles Championships will be played in October. 

Adult 18 & Over Mixed Doubles

6.0 Mixed- Venita Winslett- Cape Coral Yacht Club

7.0 Mixed- Cynthia Dietz- Cape Coral Yacht Club

8.0 Mixed- Bob Foget- Park Meadow

9.0 Mixed- Katrina Ramsey- Kelly Greens

Adult 18 & Over

3.0 Women- Amy Newton-  Paseo

3.5 Women- Joan Lake- Plantation

4.0 Women- Debbie White- Fort Myers Racquet

4.5 Women- Wendy Hechler- Plantation

3.5 Men- Dan Campbell- Fort Myers Racquet

4.0 Men- John Terrell- Cape Coral Racquet Club

Adult 40 & Over

3.0 Women- Terri Brown- Paseo

3.5 Women- Joan Lake- Paseo

4.0 Women- Rena Gezzar- Plantation

3.5 Men- Kevin Gaines- Fort Myers Racquet

4.0 Men- Ken Casola- Cypress Lake

4.5+ Men- Brad Nash- Cypress Lake

Congratulations to all who emerged as leaders of the pack and to those of us who fell short, heck, we'll just keep on trying! Game, set, match...T. A.

PREPARING MIND, BODY & SPIRIT FOR 2013- 2014 TENNIS SEASON

In addition to searching for new gear to get ready for season (see gear post here), getting the mind, body and spirit up to speed for the season is a good thing to do over the summer as well. I imagine we all have our ways of getting ourselves ready to compete, but I have engaged in a few activities that have been positively impacting my overall state of being.

Since I can’t say how much each is contributing to my well-being, I think I better talk about the different things I have been doing which I know have contributed, even if I can’t say just how much each has. 

Two of the activities that I know have contributed significantly is my Cranio-Sacral Therapy with MaJiC Noone (formerly MJ to those of you familiar with my relational history), and my horseback riding lessons with Wendy Hechler at Greystone Equestrian Center. Steph (for those familiar with my current relational status) has been doing both with me, and she sings the praises of MaJiC and Wendy as well.

You’re probably going, “Cranio WHAT?!!!” and “Horseback riding???” Well, yeah, I have been doing both and I can definitely feel both, and in positive ways.

Oh, and how could I forget; I have been making my way consistently to some very spiritual ground, namely, the golf course…but that’s a different blog altogether.

So what is that Cranio-whatchamacallit all about? Well, I would much rather you talked to MaJiC about that, because if you read about it you’ll see things like, “Craniosacral therapy (CST), or cranial-sacral therapy, is a form of bodywork or alternative therapy focused primarily on the concept of "primary respiration" and regulating the flow of cerebrospinal fluid by using therapeutic touch to manipulate the synarthrodial joints of the cranium”…and that’s just Wikipedia’s version!

I suspect you aren’t too interested in reading that sort of jargon, so I’ll just tell you that I lie on a table, fully 

dressed,while MaJiC uses her natural gift of… I’ll call it “energy frequency divination” along with her training as a nurse, Yoga instructor, and more to help you bring your native energy rhythms back in tune.

Is that any better than Wikipedia? Probably not, but the bottom line is that when I walk out of the session with MaJiC, and after having gone for about a month now, that whole mind-body-spirit thing is much better off than when I walked in…from the first time and each session since.

If you have any interest in alternative healing methods, I think you would truly benefit from a session with MaJiC.
Around about the same time Steph and I started therapy sessions with MaJiC, we also started taking horseback riding lessons with Wendy at Greystone Equestrian.

Horseback riding just sounds like a fun little outing, doesn’t it? Well, fun it is, but it is definitely work and a workout as well. Our last riding experience was two days ago, and my lower body is still feeling a little gelatinous. Steph keeps asking me if I feel it in my abs. I’m not, but she is. 

As much as I enjoy riding, learning about the proper preparation prior to riding and about the proper care of the animal and gear after riding has been a major bonus that I hadn’t gotten in my previous riding experiences. I figure in 

another few lessons we’ll be jumping some fences. We’ve got to get the hang of trotting and cantering first though, and by then, my legs should be in better shape to keep me on those 1200lb animals as they hurdle.

Meanwhile, I’ll continue to enjoy the sense of well-being from our time with MaJiC, Wendy and the equines, and, of course, the golf course. I suspect when it’s time to prepare for competitive tennis again (September), my body, mind, and spirit will be in much better shape than they have been in some time! Game, set, match…T. A.

SEARCHING FOR NEW TENNIS GEAR- PRELIMINARY REPORT

If you use the summer months to prepare for fall and winter play, then this sweltering summer is the perfect time for you to flirt with new equipment. Racquet, strings, shoes, all are prime targets during this time, and I am taking dead aim at all three.

Even before the summer scorched its way into our little southwest Florida paradise, I had been contemplating a switch from the Wilson Blade Team BLX that I had been using for the past few years. Although I have truly bonded with Kirschbaum strings, particularly their Pro Line II which I used for years, and their Evolution, which I have used over the past 18 months or so, I realized that I might have to experiment with new strings as I sought to find a racquet suitable to be my court mate.

For shoes, I have stuck pretty much to Prince, which I have found to be the most comfortable and suitable for my combination of teaching and playing. However, I have encountered a few Nike models that have been really comfortable as well. In any event, the search is on for the gear I’ll be using for the 2013 – 2014 season.

The Racquets

Jan David assists customer at Tennis R Us

I began my racquet search online with tenniswarehouse.com’s demo program, but developed a cordial relationship with Jan (pronounced “Yan”) David of Tennis R Us who allowed me plenty of leeway to do my racquet testing (Thanks a bunch Jan!). With Jan’s help and counsel, I wielded a number of different “sticks” in my search for a racquet that would allow me to generate the kind of power and control that I would need to be competitive when I took to competing again.

Volkl Classic VI

In addition to power and control (i.e., spin), I knew that I needed something that would offer sufficient comfort to compensate for my aging wrist, elbow and shoulder. Although nothing compared to the soft feel of Volkl’s Classic V1, I couldn’t generate the kind of “pop” I wanted with the Volkl, despite trying a variety of strings and tensions. I may just stay with the Volkl for teaching.

Babolat Pure Storm Team GT

Among the racquets I demoed were Dunlop, and Pro Kennex, all with the latest comfort technology, but it wasn’t until I came upon Babolat’s Pure Storm Team GT that I found a stick that felt really good in my hand, and allowed me to generate the levels of spin and power that I was looking for, without causing me discomfort after using it for some time. Unless something wows me between now and the start of season, I believe I’ll be wielding Babolat’s Pure Drive Team GT this coming season.

The Strings

Of course, when you are leaning toward a new racquet, you have to experiment a bit with strings to see just what might be the right combination of racquet and string to give you optimum performance. I have not completed my string research yet, but I do have a few very good candidates, in great part through the generosity and expertise of Mitchell Lvovksy at Genesis.

As I engaged in my search for the right racquet-string combination, I contacted Genesis, because after discussing strategy and technique with Alex Lvovsky at FGCU matches, and watching Lance Lvovsky play on the FGCU Men’s Tennis Team, I realized that the Lvovskys knew tennis from the playing side. As I spoke with Mitchell, I grew confident that they knew tennis from the equipment side as well.

After chatting with Mitchell for some time, we decided that I would try a couple of their more popular strings: Black Magic (17g), and Typhoon (16g), both polyester strings that promise to deliver excellent power and spin. Of the two, I have tried only Black Magic in the Pure Drive Team GT, and of the strings that I have tried (Dunlop Silk 17g; Dunlop Black Widow 17g), Black Magic has delivered the best performance results, along with excellent tension maintenance. The performance testing is not nearly far enough along for me to offer you a definitive review, but it will be in time for season.

At this stage of the game, the multifilament Silk has given me plenty of power and very nice feel, but it hasn’t offered the level of control that I have achieved with the co-poly Black Magic (click here for more on string types). The Genesis Black Magic packs a pretty powerful punch along with great control, but I haven’t found just the right tension that offers the kind of feel I am looking for.  Both strings appear to be arm friendly, but I’ll report more on that when I have put all the strings through their paces.

The Shoes

Prince T9 Roadster

I haven’t found anything I like as much as the Prince T9 Roadster (of course they’re obsolete), but the Nike Zoom series and the inexpensive City Court VII have been very comfortable, good looking shoes. I’m looking for some alternatives for the upcoming season, and with the nice shoe selection at Tennis R Us, I’m confident I’ll find something new for next season. 

My serious gear testing will be on hold until September though. Until then, I’ll be working on my golf game in preparation for the World Amateur Handicap Championship in Myrtle Beach at the end of August. We’ll talk gear in much more detail then. Game, set, match…T. A.