From 1980 to 1991, the APTA Board stopped appointing the Honor Award Committee. In 1992, under the leadership of then APTA President Charles Vasoll, and with the urging of Bob Brown, the Board re-activated the program. Historical Factoid: It is a matter of conjecture as to why the APTA suspended the Honor Award which had been a successful program.
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Governor Brendan T. Byrne, a stalwart supporter and player of platform tennis, signed a proclamation on February 28 designating March as “Platform Tennis Month in New Jersey.” Present at the ceremony, which took place at the State House in Trenton, were APTA president Robert Kingsbury and executive director Gloria Dillenbeck. Below is the text of the proclamation. PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, the sport of platform tennis is gaining marked popularity as a source of intense competition, fast action and excitement; and . . WHEREAS, several thousand New Jerseyans are among the thousands across the country being drawn to this new exciting game; and WHEREAS, New Jersey has been selected for the first time as the site of the American Platform Tennis National Men's and Women's Platform Tennis Championships, the 1980 Passport event, to be held at the Montclair Golf Club in West Orange[...]
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Men’s and Women’s singles championships had been held from 1935-1937 but were discontinued in 1938 due to lack of interest. In the mid 1970s when paddle was expanding rapidly singles made a comeback.Doug Russell, then the head paddle professional at the Manhattan Platform Tennis Club was looking for ways to increase participation by players and fans and began experimenting with experimenting with singles play, including varying certain rules to see how they might impact the game. It was concluded that allowing just one serve was too much of an advantage to the receiver, so two serves were allowed. In addition, no-add scoring was adopted. Manhattan Platform Tennis Club began hosting singles tournaments in 1977 and Apple Platform Tennis Club, also in Manhattan followed suit. Doug Russell finally persuaded the APTA Board to reactivate singles and they authorized a National Me[...]
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The team of Hilary Hilton, of Glen Ellyn, IL, and Yvonne Hackenberg, of Kalamazoo, MI, defeated Kit Knight, of Oyster Bay, NY, and Mimi Raney, of New York City, by scores of 6-2, 7-5, to win the Third Annual Manufacturers Hanover Platform Tennis Invitational. The event, organized by Iris Langdon of Promotion Plus Sports and held February 9-10, took place at the Apple Platform Tennis Club in New York City. It offered a $6,000 purse, with Hilton and Hackenberg splitting the $2,000 first-place share. Source: Platform Tennis, March 1980
Read MoreThe regional championship circuit and its prestigious playoff, the President’s Cup, had a new sponsor. It was Carte Blanche, the international credit card for sportsmen, sportswomen, and all people committed to staying fit. For the third year, the top regional players competed within their respective regions for the chance to vie for the President’s Cup. A regional player, by APTA definition, was any player not ranked nationally after the previous season. Source: Platform Tennis, January 1980
Read MoreThe first indoor event was the 64-team New Canaan Men's Invitational on February 2-3. For the first time in APTA history, from the quarterfinals on, the rounds were played indoors, in the New Canaan High School gymnasium. The R.J. Reilly Company installed a temporary Reillx-surfaced court with an aluminum superstructure.
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Following in Hilary Hilton Marold’s footsteps top-ranked player, Linda Wolf, represented platform tennis on ABC TV's “Super Stars”. She finished in sixth place and made more money than she did playing paddle!
Read MoreSome 240 juniors received top-caliber instruction in the fall of 1979 at four New Jersey clinics. Two more junior clinics were scheduled for early 1980 before the paddle season ended.
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A highlight of the Annual Meeting, held in New York City in June, was a special presentation by William Pearce of a platform tennis painting by artist Robert Sticker. Pearce, Vice-President of Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York (CCBNY), explained that in 1976 CCBNY’s President and avid platform tennis enthusiast, Charles Millard had commissioned Sticker to paint a platform tennis scene at Fox Meadow Club. Prints of that oil painting were then given to winners of the tour, which was sponsored by the CCBNY subsidiary Tribuno Wines. Through the generosity of CCBNY, the APTA was able to offer a limited number of these color prints to its members. Source: Platform Tennis, September 1980
Read MoreSponsorship by companies like Tribuno Wine, Passport Scotch, and Vat 69 Gold that fueled more than five years of “money tournaments” began to dry up. Sponsors realized the sport was somewhat limited in its exposure and appeal. Conflict loomed within the small community of platform tennis players about whether to preserve the sport by keeping it amateur, or offering money to attract the highest level of talent. Having just experienced several years of professional tour events, the trend reversed to embrace amateur play.
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