I had often taken the path less traveled early on in my paddle life, helping out here and there, volunteering for the APTA board in 1981, and holding the office of Executive Director. But, I hadn't walked that way in decades. It held fond memories and I had a yearning to visit it again. So, I took that road again one day and, boy, how things have changed in 30 years!
The new-breed of board members are as passionate as ever but have so many more tools at their fingertips. In 1984, the membership records were on index cards. There wasn't a laptop to be found, just an electric typewriter and a word processor, without spell check. The office staff of one could barely type. The newsletter was black and white and we had to cut and paste the entire issue and send it by hand over to the printer, who was a real person.
Ahh, but those were the days. No cell phones. No dot corns. No Facebook.[...]
Steve Cacaam
Residence: Darien, Connecticut
Years of Service on the APTA Board: Three
Family: Wife Ann, and children, Emily, Blair, and Paige
Years Playing: 11
How did you get started playing platform tennis? In many ways, I was very lucky to have platform tennis become a part of my life. Back when I first started playing, we lived in New Canaan, Connecticut, a town with four public courts, which was a stroke of fortune. One cool Saturday in October, I was invited by some tennis friends who needed a fourth for their Saturday morning game……….
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Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 16 Issue 1, 2014
They aren't Doctors but they have brought many tournaments back to life
When the Pinskys moved to West Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1993, from Rochester, New York, one of their first priorities was to find a platform tennis club. Since 1986, platform tennis has been an integral part of their lives, when Ron started playing at Shadow Lake Golf & Racquet Club in Rochester with the support of Fritz Odenbach. Betsy met Ron in 1987 on a tennis court there, and he quickly got her onto a paddle court. After their move, as a couple and as individuals, they have become essential contributors to MAPTA (Metropolitan Area Platform Tennis Association)…………...
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Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 16 Issue 1, 2014
In 2012, Radley Run Country Club in West Chester, Pennsylvania, invested in two paddle courts. An unfortunate "hundred year" flood had washed away the tennis courts, and as the club worked on its reconstruction, it wisely included platform tennis courts. Two short years later, Radley Run has three men's and women's paddle teams each and a junior program bursting at the seams with over 70 active players.
How did our club attract over seventy children each week? Here are a few key components………[Click image to read more]
Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 16 Issue 2, 2014
The men's ranking system has been revised for this season. In addition, the APTA has added Live Scoring to more tournaments, so rankings are now updated more frequently.
Men's Doubles National Rankings will be published online after Chicago, Hinsdale, Cincinnati, Short Hills, and Nationals.
To receive an official end-of-the-year ranking, a team must play 3 events together, with one of those events outside of their home region. Nationals is considered an out-of-region event no matter its location and is the only NRT with this designation.
NRT points for a specific tournament exist for 12 months and are replaced by the following year's event.
Removal of any earned NRT points due to rules infractions or punishment for player behavior will be enforced as instructed by the APTA Players Committee.
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Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 16 [...]
The format for the President's Cup has been in flux ever since it started back in the 1970s (Men) and 1980s (Women). There was yet another tweak to the popular Tournament in 2014.
WOMEN'S RULE CHANGES
Region VIII has been eliminated. This changes the match play format back to a seven-team round robin, where matches are best of two sets to four games.
No one ranked individually in the top 16 may play in the President's Cup.
There are new line-up and points system regulations. Please see below for the full explanation.
MEN'S RULE CHANGES
If a player is invited to play for his home region, he is not eligible to play for Region VIII.
Line-ups and subs will not have to be submitted prior to the event. A list of participants is still required. The designation of players as "subs" or "Court 1" will no longer be necessary in advance of the event.
Captain's will exchange line-[...]
Moving Region VI Onwards and Upwards
Did you know that all of the platform tennis courts in California are in Ross, part of Marin County, about 20 miles from San Francisco? There are three at Lagunitas Country Club, where our volunteer of the month Cam Lanphier plays, as well one public court in town and a couple of private courts. That is it! In the largest state, the other paddle tennis is better known, but our sport is alive and well in Ross and continues to attract high-level players.
Cam Lanphier grew up in Pelham, New York, where she fooled around with platform tennis as a teenager when courts were added at her club. She didn't really start playing seriously until she moved to Ross in 1988………..
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Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 16 issue 2, 2014
Two long-time proponents of the game received the APTA's highest award this year for their impressive involvement in the sport of platform tennis.
Both Duane Hayden and Joe Russo were completely surprised when they were given their awards and were feted in their communities.
They both have been active in the game of platform tennis for decades and have served the sport in very diverse ways. Avid players each, they continue to be ambassadors for the paddle world in different regions.
[Click on images in the sidebar to read full article]
Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 16 Issue 2, 2014
In 1970, with no previous umpiring experience, I climbed into a chair to oversee a club championship match at Fox Meadow Tennis Club. After the first set, I was nearly frozen and climbed down.
In 1971, I secured the services of Jack Stahr, a renowned tennis umpire, to do the APTA Men's Finals at FMTC. He later suggested that I get involved in tennis umpiring, obviously not based on my platform tennis performance.
Experienced Tennis Umpires Wanted
I still remember umpiring a match for Mary Carillo, age 16, at Orienta Beach Club in Mamaroneck, New York. Gradually, I worked myself up to become part of the Men's International Professional Umpires Group and did chairs for John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert, and many others at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, Tokyo, and more……….
[Click on the image below to read more of Molloy's experiences}
Source:Platform Tennis Magazine, [...]
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