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The day served as a kickoff for the brand new "New Jersey Junior Platform Tennis League" modeled after the successful men's and women's leagues around the country. Juniors from nine area clubs would have the opportunity to participate in league play on 16 Friday nights beginning in October and running through February.
Read MoreWayne Dollard, PTM editor in Vol 6, Issue 3 reported: For each of the past six years, ! have spent my birthday weekend at the Chicago Charities tournment. There are few places I'd rather be. Thi Midwest hospitality offered by our Chicago friends is matched only by their enthusiasm for the sport. And there is no other place in the country experiencing the growth rate that we are now seeing in Region V. Six years ago, 90% of the APTA's membership came from the East Coast; today that number is less than 50% The change is not due to an eastern decline, but rather a western expansion. Of the 7,500 APTA members, 30% are from Chicago and 52% overall are from the Midwest. Source: From the Editor, Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 6, Issue, 3, December, 2004
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PTM Editor Wayne Dollard reported: PTM recently had the opportunity to sit down with Baltimore's up-and-coming paddle sensations Blake Cordish (age 33) and David Caldwell (age 30) and asked about their remarkable history with tennis and their seamless transition to platform tennis. Blake Cordish was born in Baltimore and played tennis at an early age. As a junior, he was ranked in the top 100 in the United States in singles and the top ten in doubles before going on to play for the varsity team at Princeton. David Caldwell was raised in Danville, Virginia. As a junior, David was ranked #1 in the country. At the University of North Carolina, he improved and was a three-time All-American. By the late 1990's, David was playing the top pros in the world at the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open. He was ranked in the top 150 on the ATP Tennis Tour. David and Blake have be[...]
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Wayne Dollard reported for PTM from Chicago: A refreshing 2004-05 season was on display in Chicago from November 5-7 for the annual Charities tournament. The best players in the game, including 214 men and women, competed in this season's extravaganza. New pairings, veteran teams, and reunited legends captured off a weekend of unparalled platform tennis. 2004 Chicago Women's Charities: What would you like to see when going to watch a major platform tennis championship? Power, finesse, excitement? You might also like to see new teams rising to greater heights and veteran teams returning to show a younger generation that they're not ready to go away any time soon. This year's Chicago Charities provided all of these things plus much more. The ladies of platform tennis kicked off the weekend on Friday, November 5th. The absences of Lauren Zink, Shelley Morse, Patty Hogan, Sarah Krie[...]
Read MoreOn Saturday, December 11, 2004, the Long Island Platform Tennis Association hosted its 2nd Annual Viking Junior Tour tournament at the Garden City Country Club and Cherry Valley Club. Among the four age divisions, 28 teams participating (56 kids!), with countless parents and grandparents cheering. The level of paddle was extraordinary, the good sportsmanship was commendable and the smiles were constant! John Cerga and Alex Bancila, the Directors of Racquet Sports at the Garden City Country Club and Cherry Valley Club, respectively, volunteered their time and helped make it a memorable day for the players. We expect to have even more teams next year, so sign up early! The Champions and Finalists were as follows: 10 & Under Winners: Jack Stiuso and Dylan Neville Finalists' Hunter Robinson and Timmy Schnier 12 & Under Winners: Liam Neville and Warren Trunz Finalists: Jack Mara [...]
Read MoreThe iconoclastic Platform Tennis News.com was published by 2005 Hall of Fame inductee Charles Vasoll and a former President of the APTA. The first issue was in September 1, 2003 and after a year of publishing hard copies the newsletter was moving online. Vasoll wrote articles that gave his view of happenings in the sport and invited others to submit articles with their views. Vol 1-1 discussed Vasoll's view of the new APTA logo [enlarge pages to read his views]. The APTA had started a search for a new logo in late 2002 and had picked a winner in May 2003. Note: All issues of Platform Tennis News.com are available in Search and Explore Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 6, Issue 1 (mislabeled as Issue 6), September, 2004
Read MoreDuring the summer, Platform Tennis Magazine launched their new web site www.ptmonline.com in partnership with the Pittsburgh-based web design firm Amixa, LLC. A list of core features for the site were: • An on-line store • Tournament dates and information • Rules of platform tennis • History of platform tennis • Featured articles from the most recent issue (summary only) • Platform Tennis Magazine archives (for ordering) • Advertising information for Platform Tennis Magazine • A robust set of links to other platform tennis web sites The website was not affiliated with the APTA Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol.7, Issue 1, September, 2005
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Maura Judkis provided a summary of efforts to grow junior paddle over the past decades One of Whitney Snyder's most poignant memories from his childhood in Sewickley, Penn., is the slow scratch of a shovel being dragged across a snow-covered aluminum floor. While his weeks were filled with middle school, his weekends were devoted to platform tennis. Instead of waking up early on wintry Saturday mornings for cartoons, Snyder would go to the paddle courts at 7 a.m. and hear the scraping shovel that signified the beginning of his early morning group lesson. The 1970s generated junior paddle leagues across the country. Both Snyder and his friend Bill Hallett recalled their junior paddle days as being sponsored by enthusiastic parents who were willing to teach the game and send their children to the Junior Nationals by the bus load. "There really weren't pros teaching the game," said Ha[...]
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PTM Editor Wayne Dollard had the story: On Saturday, October 8th, 16 of the top men in platform tennis competed for $5,000 in prize money at the first-annual Premier Cup. The group included last season's #1, #2, #3, #5, #6, #8 and #11-ranked teams. Nearly one year ago, David Dodge (owner of Premier Platform Tennis Courts) and Jason Gray (head professional at Four Bridges Country Club) were brainstorming on ways to bring improvements to platform tennis. In the spirit of tennis' ATP tour, the two men came up with the "Premier Purple" court color. The demand for the new look has been overwhelming on Dodge. He explained, "Wherever I go, I am being asked to repaint old brown and green courts with the new Premier Purple. The more vibrant color is not only refreshing but it also makes line calls easier because of the ball contrast on the court." At the 2005 National Championships in P[...]
Read MoreRex Savorum, paddle enthusiast, reported from The Paterson Club (Fairfield, CT): If it's true that "necessity is the Mother of invention," then jam-packed weekend calendars for families in Fairfield County, Connecticut, was the catalysis for starting Sunrise Paddle. Beginning the week before Daylight Savings Time, and running through mid-March, a hardy group of passionate paddlers arrive in the paddle hut at 5:30 AM on Saturday mornings for coffee, donuts and stretching. Accompanied by an eclectic mix of Rock, Blues, Punk, Reggae and (very little) Rap music piped out to the platform courts, play starts at 6:00 AM sharp and normally runs to 8:00 AM, or whenever the blinding early morning winter sunrise makes it near impossible to play. This unique "paddle cult," now going into its third year at The Patterson Club (Fairfield, CT), started with a member e-mail blast to over 100 fellow[...]
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