For a number of years, the APTA had closed their eyes to the common issue of repeated foot faults, figuring that it might lessen the fun if they kept calling them. However, the Association began cracking down on them in championship tournaments, appointing foot-fault judges for final and semifinal matches. Formal rules were introduced for the Men’s Championships in 1958. Source: Adapted from Fessenden S. Blanchard, Platform Paddle Tennis, 1959
Read MoreAPTA started prescribing rules for use and specification of balls. Ball Specification: The APTA furnished sponge rubber balls, approximately 2.5" in diameter. The Ball Use Rule: In tournaments, only one ball could be used continuously during each set. The server could not substitute another ball during an unfinished set without the permission of the tournament officials, nor could the server hold another ball when serving.
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There was no standard or official uniform for paddle players, except maybe in overcoats. Coonskin coats seemed to be the mark of the well-dressed player, except when he was actually playing. A few of the younger players began turning up with coonskin coats, for which they paid $25 to downtown furriers. When Blanchard went to one of the furriers to get a coat for himself, he was greeted with these remarks: "I have been storing these coonskin coats for years but never had a nibble. But now I am almost sold out. Some people out in Westchester have a game that they play outdoors all winter. They've been coming in here and have gobbled up almost all I have” Source: Fessenden S. Blanchard, Platform Paddle Tennis, 1959
Read MoreThere had been several suggestions that the length of the court (not the platform) should be increased in order to make it possible to lob more effectively over the heads of opponents and introduce a greater variety of offensive play. By lengthening the court, possibly two feet at each end, the idea was to make it easier to break up long rallies, where poor overheads and short lobs off the backstop were used. The APTA asked Fox Meadow Tennis Club and Orange Lawn Tennis Club to conduct some experiments. Temporary lines were drawn on one court at each club, making the length of he court 48 feet instead of 44 feet, leaving 6 feet at each end past the backline. With reliable backstops, returning deep drives would not be extremely difficult. A number of matches used the longer courts. The majority of the players preferred to leave the measurements as they were. Players felt that the lon[...]
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In the Men's Harrison and Pardoe won their first of their two titles. Sally Childress Auxford teamed up with Barbara Koegel and got the best of her sister, Madge Beck, and her partner, Blanchard's daughter, Ruth Walker. The Mixed was a repeat of the 1955 final but this time Hebard and Madge Beck won. Source: Fessenden S. Blanchard, Platform Paddle Tennis, 1959
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Carlisle had served as APTA Secretary the previous two years. He was a multiple Nationals winner and the only one to use an underhand serve. Carlisle received the APTA Honor Award in 1966.
Read MoreDon McNeill and Rob Carlisle taped an on-the-spot Men's Nationals commentary from Fox Meadow Tennis Club which was later broadcast over NBC's "Monitor" program The Nationals now included a Men’s senior event, the 45 or over (this was changed to 50+ in 1965 as too many 45+ players were still very competitive in the Men's). Fittingly the new APTA President James Carlisle won the inaugural Men's Senior with partner Berkeley Johnson, and was a finalist in the Mixed. The Women’s final pitted two-time champion Louise Ganzenmueller against her sister-in-law Louise Raymond. The sister-in-law won. Source: Fessenden S. Blanchard, Platform Paddle Tennis, 1959, and Paddle World Feb/Mar 1979
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Clifford (Kip) Couch was one of the best players in the early APTA championships and was among the first group of individuals inducted into the Platform Tennis Hall of Fame in 1965. The sports writer George Trevor of The Sun (New York) called him the “stylist of the paddle tennis realm.”
Read MoreHelen Couch readies the candles for the Club's festive seventy-fifth anniversary tea The Governors, Tea is an annual event that takes place in April. Tradition dictates that no recipe be printed for the punch served at the event and instructions for the punch are handed down from president to president; and theoretically, therefore, the only way to get the recipe is to work one's way up through the Board of Governors. However, presidents have been noted to be using bottles of champagne, Cointreau, and brandy in concocting the mixture. There is suspicion, too, that liberties are taken from time to time with the formula. Ollie Kingsbury says every president uses what he wants in the recipe, but that his was the best, attributable to the classical caloric count of imported champagne.
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The 1958 Men’s Championships saw the introduction of the formal Foot Fault Rules. The server shall throughout his delivery (moment of impact of paddle and ball) of his service: A. Not change his position by walking or running (1) The server shall not by the following movements of his feet be deemed "to change his position by walking or running" (a) Slight movements of the feet that do not materially affect the location originally taken by him (b) An unrestricted movement of one foot so long as the other foot maintains continuously its original contact with the ground. The moving foot cannot touch the baseline or touch inside the court. B. Maintain contact with the ground (platform) C. Keep both feet in such a manner so as not to touch the baseline nor touch inside the court. Source: Fessenden S. Blanchard, Platform Paddle Tennis, 1959
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