They came to the Four Bridges Country Club in Cincinnati from all over: Chicago, Toledo, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, Boston and Cincinnati. Sponsored by Premier Platform Tennis, Wilson Sporting Goods and Michelob Ultra, David Dodge (Premier) and promoter Jason Gray invited the top 16 men's players to compete for a $5,500 purse at the 2006 Premier Cup.
"The best tournament of the year!"
"The highest level of play in the game today"
"I'm here to take home the cash."
These were a few of the quotes offered by the players. An overwhelmed and enthusiastic Cincinnati audience had similar comments not suitable for printing.
After a Saturday round-robin featuring two four-team brackets, the top two teams in each paired off against the top two in the opposing bracket on Sunday morning semi-final play. Sunday saw David Keevins and Chris Gambino play aga[...]
Springfield, IL demonstrated yet again why it is the oasis of right-minded paddlers, opting to join its brethren from the east in embracing Premier Purple courts during resurfacing in September.
Prior to the resurfacing, Premier's Dave Dodge, with assistance from friend and competitor Bullet Brown, re-welded two of Springfield's courts. This eliminated dead spots that some locals referred to as a "Clark Spot," or a "Bean There."
"Premier and Bulletworks work together on a number of each other's bigger projects," said site impresario, Dan Kepner. "It's nice to see that kind of cooperation amongst rivals in a sport so small that clashing personalities and interests could bring it down."
The decision to go purple was difficult. Local players were evenly divided between "traditionalists" and "innovators."...........(cont.)
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Jean Kempner reported for PTM:
As the first "major" of the year, the Chicago Charities tournament picked up where last year's Nationals left off. Story lines were continued, rivalries were resumed and new partnerships featured exciting and fresh dynamics.
The Women's tournament showcased all of last season's top teams and, though the pairings hadn't changed, the results were clearly different. Mary Doten and Susie Keane came in as defending National Champions and made it to the final without dropping a set to stage a rematch of last season's National final against Kerry Delmonico and Aila Main. Delmonico and Main had a tougher road and won a three-set semi against Cynthia Dardis and Amy Shea 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Doten and Keane had beaten Sally Cottingham and Chris Sheldon in their semi in a 6-3, 6-3 slugfest. Cottingham and Sheldon had broken through to their first Chicago semi by defea[...]
More than 80 juniors from the tri-state area gathered at Fox Meadow Tennis Club to open the 2006-07 Viking Junior Tour. Participants in Viking Junior Tour events earned points toward an end-of-season ranking - but most importantly, they had a great day of platform tennis!
On Saturday, December 16, 2006, the Long Island Platform Tennis Association ("LIPTA") hosted its 4th Annual Viking Junior Tour tournament at the Garden City Country Club, the Cherry Valley Club and the Garden City Community Park. With Christmas only a week away, the children received a surprise early morning visit from that jolly old Nordic man with rosy cheeks and a little round belly - that's right, David Kjeldsen, founder and chairman of Viking Athletics, was there to provide his support, wearing his trademark "horns." LIPTA is grateful to Viking Athletics for its sponsorship of the Viking Junior Tour, and for providing the children with a memorable platform tennis experience (and great favors).
Among the four age divisions, we had thirty-nine teams participating (78 kids), and countless parents and grandparents cheering. The level of paddle was extraordinary, the good sportsmansh[...]
Brad Kelly
Age: 38
Married: Jenny
Children: Lauren (11), Anna (9) and Ben (6)
Born: Charleston, WV
Resides: Pittsburgh, PA
Education: BA Business Marketing WVU (1991)
Occupation: Director of Brokerage Services ECHO Real Estate
Like many of the top platform tennis players, Brad Kelly was a full-scholarship, Division 1 college tennis player. At WVU (Top 20 national college tennis team), Brad captained his team to nine conference championships in singles and doubles. He was one of three Division 1 All-Americans in WVU tennis history and he also earned a USTA National Indoor Doubles Championship title.
Brad moved back to Pittsburgh in 1995. He recalled, "I knew a lot of guys that played platform tennis at The Pittsburgh Field Club and they got me out there to give platform a try." He added, "At first, I relied on the similarities with tennis - really the basics such as strokes[...]
A few years back, David Dodge of Premier Platform Tennis built two concrete grade-level courts at Ocean Pines, Maryland. The warmer climate sees little snow and therefore the necessity of a conventional deck was absent.
A few months ago, Dodge and Bullet Brown (Bulletworks Platform Tennis) completed two more courts at Ocean Pines.
The courts - not yet approved by the APTA - were not painted, except for the red lines. A broom finish was applied to the court for better footing. So what is the post installation verdict?
Resident players claim:
• The broom-finish provides very good footing and is considerably easier on the knees and ankles.
• The non-painted court is much brighter under the lights.
• The non-painted surface initially saves $3,000 per court and $2,500 every few years thereafter.
• Pitching the courts just two inches from the net to either end work[...]
Patty Hogan reported on the event for PTM
For the 10th year in a row, Patty Hogan and the Beacon Hill Club hosted the APTA Junior Nationals. The growth of junior programs throughout the country is evident with a record 244 junior participants this year! Although half of the players came from New Jersey, the total represented six states and four different APTA Regions.
The event was sponsorship by Marsh, Viking Athletics, the APTA Junior Development Fund, the New Jersey Men's Platform Tennis Association, and the New Jersey Women's Platform Tennis League. Bulletworks also sponsored the event by providing fun favors for all players.
It would be impossible to stage a tournament this size without a dedicated corps of volunteers. Thanks go out to: Patty Hogan, Marjorie Hodson, Sheryl Barcic, Bob Considine, Susan Penney, Terry Doran, Steve Bromley, Scott Slobin, Kent Chalmers, Drew[...]
On January 27, David Caldwell, Todd Ward, Mike Rahaley and I headed to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to put on an exhibition and clinic at the Chapel Hill Tennis Club (CHTC). I have been involved in many exhibitions, but this one was the first one I have ever participated in where the APTA has played a large role in the creation of a platform tennis program.
Together, with some creative work by Reilly Green Mountain and Rich Green, the APTA is pleased to have been a partner to help CHTC install two courts, the first in the Raleigh-Durham area.
When I first became involved with the APTA, my main goal was to be able to help with the installation of public courts around the country. The Board has worked hard to create a mission statement (see above) and to improve our finances to put us in position to help strong local leaders with the financial burden that goes with purchasing court[...]
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