This year's Chicago Platform Tennis Charities Tournament featured the launch of the APTA's new live tournament scoring system, a joint venture between the APTA and the CPTC. The system is designed to enhance the tournament experience for players and fans using the internet and social networking.
The initiative began last spring when John Noble, tournament director for the 2011 APTA Men's and Women's Nationals in Chicago, approached the APTA with an idea to use the internet and social networking to make news and scores available real-time for the 2011 Nationals. It was a two-pronged approach.
One: develop a truly interactive draw that could be updated real-time by tournament volunteers at any location.
Two: use social networking to report news that could be displayed within the system and also accessed directly through the social networking site. The system would also include direc[...]
Every year, normally around the second week of August, the buzz around the Cincinnati area is about the upcoming ATP Masters Series, showcasing the best tennis professionals in the world. This year there was a special event that made the week even more unique: Jason Gray and Four Bridges Country Club organized a charity event that benefitted the Bryan Brothers Foundation and included a performance by the Bryans' band.
The event took place on Monday, August 16th, in conjunction with the opening night of the tennis tournament. The Bryans, the top seed, had a bye in the first round and did not have to play. Through the efforts of Four Bridges members Pierre Dommestrup, Phil Huff, and others, support was obtained from presenting sponsor Beacon Orthopedic and contributing sponsors Ciney Tech, Katz, Tener, Brant, & Hild, Bethart Printing, and Ace Authentic.
Leading up to this event, the [...]
Tina Kelly
Residence: Savannah, GA (since Dec. 2010), previously Sleepy Hollow, New York
APTA Board of Directors: May 2006 - present
Family: Husband, Bill, two stepdaughters, six grandchildren, and one Boston Terrier.
How long have you been playing platform tennis? I started playing when I was about 10. My father, Art Houlihan, was very active in platform tennis and on the APTA board during the 1970s, so paddle has always been a big part of my family. My older brother, Tom, played as a junior (and continues to play in Boulder, Colorado), and won three junior nationals, so I was always trying to keep up with him.
Have you ever won any major tournaments? I hate to admit it, but I think I hit my peak when I was 18. My partner and I won the 15-and-Under and 18-and-Under Nationals. Of course my husband might argue that our recent husband-wife club title is the most important tourna[...]
The Women's Players Committee... What is that you ask? I didn't know we had one of those, you say. Well, you do. The Women's Players Committee is comprised of several female representatives from around the country. Currently serving are yours truly, Ma Main, along with Sally Cottingham, Charlotte Gilet, Christi Hays, Sandra Odenbach, and Cindy Prendergast. The Committee has a few purposes.
One of the Committee's goals is to pass along any observations, ideas and, recognizing our sport can always improve, criticisms players may have. Another is to give recommendations on how to handle any issues that may come up during the course of the year. While most issues that arise are tournament related, they can also be about etiquette, rules or protocol.
It is also the Players Committee's role to present any suggested material changes of the status quo to the APTA Board. For example, should[...]
Courtia is currently the Director of Tennis and Platform Tennis at the Hartford Golf Club where she has grown the platform tennis programs in particular over the past six years. She is partial to her Senior Racquets group of over a dozen men who show up with paddle or tennis racquet in hand three times a week throughout the year ready to play either sport! With an average age of 79, how great is that? She was pleased to be tapped to go The Villages and work with over 100 seniors in that stellar Orlando community.
Courtia learned how to be a teaching pro from some of the best. Bob Callaway gave her guidance at the Reilly Platform camps in Jackson Hole, Patty Hogan was her PPTA Coach and she started her teaching career teaching juniors with Marie Minnick. Her sister, the one and only Hall of Famer
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It was almost as if God smiled on New Canaan, Ct., for the 2011 APTA Junior National Tournament. Falling between record-breaking snowfall leading up to the event, and the threat of severe winter storms immediately following the day's play, it would seem that a window of clear skies and cleared roads would be unlikely for the weekend.
But, as cars pulled in, bumper to snow bank, to Waveny Lodge, to unload young players from as far away as Chicago and Pittsburgh, it became as clear as the skies above that some serious platform tennis was about to be played.
The Junior Nationals, organized by Steve Caccam, Hooey Wilks, Tish Tregellas, Amy Burger, and Thea Ross took among others, took place in one day at 12 locations around New Canaan, all within a 15-mile radius of Waveny, and included 224 players. Finals were brought back to central Waveny Lodge to play i[...]
Tim Mangan
Residence: 112 Bayville Ave. Bayville, New York 11709
Years of Service: APTA Board of Directors - 2nd term, LIPTA VP - 6 years, Director of Racquet Sports at Nassau Country Club - 31 years
Family: Wife - Tonia, 3 children Brooke 17 years old, Jack 14 years old, Caroline 10. Wife Tonia plays with my sister, BoBo Mangan Delaney, my mother Nancy Mangan a Hall of Fame inductee, and my uncle John Mangan who is also in Hall of Fame.
How long have you been playing platform tennis? I've been playing for 40 years. I started playing competitive paddle at the age of 16, and I am now 56.
Have you ever won any major tournaments? No, I have not, but I've been nationally ranked for 25 years in the Open, Ranked top 10 in 45+,50+,55+, Husband/Wife top 4, Mixed 50+ ranked 2, and was a 5-time runner up in Husband/Wife.
What do you feel is your contribution to the APTA Board? Creati[...]
"The 2010-11 season has quickly come upon us. This year the PPTA will continue to offer top level instruction videos, clinics and platform tips. The organization this past year added many new PPTA instructors. If you are looking to improve your game there are local PPTA pros in your area. To find your local Professional go to
Residence: Northfield, Illinois
Years of Service on the APTA Board: 2
Family: Three adult children: Amanda (27, married), Megan (26), and George (23)
Years Playing: 15 years
Have you ever won any major tournaments? Only in my mind. I'm there to be first-round cannon fodder and get the pullovers. I did win a first round match in the Nationals once and a back, backdraw in the Mixed Nationals several years ago.
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Being charged with putting on the biggest tournament of the season is no small thing, and, in the case of the 2011 Chicago Nationals it was an outright miracle of organization and coordination.
John Noble, Matt Garavaglia and Shannon Vinson, coordinators of the event, had to arrange for 84 courts of play at 22 sites all within a 25-minute radius of Chicago's North Shore Corridor for 452 competitors.
The trio had to coordinate everything from ensuring the bleachers were delivered and installed on time, to putting together the program and merchandising for the event. Thankfully, there were 175 volunteers who were organized by Walter and Ann Fyk.
"They are a wonderful couple and they organized it by day, by club, by time slot. They ran with it," Vinson said. "We needed many volunteers to execute the weekend. The level of excitement for the event to return to Chicago was high[...]
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