David Caldwell & Blake Cordish had thoughts on the subject:
Over the last five to seven years a fresh crop of experienced tennis players has dramatically influenced the way the modern game of paddle is being played. Tennis players have helped to make paddle a faster, more aggressive game characterized by new shots, spins and strategies.
New Shots
Tennis players have brought their ground strokes to paddle and the effect has been increased pace, spins and additional offensive firepower off both sides from the baseline and the net.
On the forehand side, many tennis players utilize a semi-western grip that allows for more topspin so the ball can be struck harder and still come down in the court. This has also allowed for new offensive strategies such as using an off-pace, topspin groundstroke to dip the ball to a net person's feet so the player can then "blitz" and volley the next [...]
Mark Holtschneider opined.
At this year's National 45s/55s/65s Championship, a tape of the 1976 Men's Nationals was playing in the paddle hut. The play was dominated by lobs and soft overheads to the corners. There was an occasional flat forehand drive. There were no Mansager-like crushing forehands, no Goodspeed-like two-handed backhand drives, and no Uihlein super cut overheads. Contemporary players look much quicker and more athletic. A few players in the hut said that today's top players are definitely better than the best players of the '70s. Others agreed that athletes in all sports are better today than they were 30 years ago - track times are faster, pole vaults are higher, basketball players are taller, and football players are bigger.
I disagree. I think the late 1970s champs could compete with the best of today's players.
First, the rackets and balls in the '70s wer[...]
The Fonthill Platform Tennis Club, just 25 minutes north of Niagara Falls, offers two platform tennis courts, a comfortable warming hut, players that welcome you with open arms, and a fridge full of beer. Basically a platform tennis player's dream!
James Aldred, President of the club and event organizer, along with long-time friend and club member, Rich Humphries, put together the winter's most anticipated event.
On March 28th 2009, the top Canadian platform tennis players came out to compete for the first prize money tournament ever in Canada. Club members all pitched in with home made food and baked goods, Lorenzo's Fine Foods was on the grill, and Embroidery Plus donated jackets. The local Tribune newspaper touted articles and camera crews showed up to give the event television coverage.
David Dodge of Premier Platform tennis put up the prize money which was divided between w[...]
Hall of Fame inductee, Margaret G. ("Peggy") Stanton, died peacefully in her home in Quogue, New York, on June 17, 2009, at the age of 85.
Peggy was a major contributor to the advancement of women's platform tennis and was also a distinguished player. She won the Women's Nationals in 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1970, and was a finalist in 1971. She was also a finalist in the Mixed Nationals in 1969, and went on to win two Senior Women's Nationals in 1974 and 1977 and was a finalist in 1976.
Peggy was an active promoter of platform tennis, an enthusiastic worker for the advancement of women's platform tennis, a well known instructor, and played in many exhibitions. She was the first female Director on the APTA Board, in 1971, and served for three years as the women's tournament director.
In recognition of her achievements, Peggy Stanton was inducted into the Platform Tennis Hall of Fa[...]
Platform tennis legend and Hall of Fame inductee, Dick Reilly has been a staple of the game for more than four decades. Growing up with the sport in Scarsdale, New York, Reilly remembers his father playing recreational platform tennis. Reilly took up the sport in college. After college, he entered the world of academia as a teacher, but worked on a construction crew, building houses in the off-months to supplement his income. It was during these summer vacations that Reilly got the idea that building platform tennis courts to a higher standard could do both him and the sport a service.
How did the idea to build platform tennis courts come to you?
"While playing on some courts in Scarsdale, I was shocked at how poorly the courts were made. In 1961, the wooden joints and butts of the platform were raised, causing many bad bounces. I thought that if I built a court, I would make the jo[...]
Platform tennis technology continues to evolve, making the sport more enjoyable and easier to play. The key components to determine a paddle's playability are: weight, density and composite materials, surface area, grit, hole sharpness, rim style and grip length.
Most of today's paddles come standard with grit and sharp holes. It is the other things that will ultimately define an end-user's preference in equipment.
With the introduction of EVA Foam paddles and the record sales of the Viking OZ back in the 90's, manufacturers have committed to altering foam paddle core densities for new paddles.
Eleven of the 17 paddles comprising the 2009 lines are 2008 remakes. Three more are remakes with minor alterations.
While Viking comes out with major innovations every few years, Wilson's new [K] line is the year's greatest innovative change in 2009. Not necessarily better or worse tha[...]
Last season was a nightmare for the platform tennis ball industry. Wilson was criticized for two reasons: their balls came out late and the ball wasn't as bright as their Viking competition. On the other hand, the Wilson ball's flocking held up much better in competition than Viking's and it seemed that there were fewer Wilson "wobblers" (balls that were not properly balanced) than Viking wobblers.
Players will also notice changes to both the Viking and Wilson balls this season.
Orlando Retirement Community to Build Six Platform Tennis Courts
The inaugural meeting for a Paddle Instructor Committee, or PIC, was held at the Villages in Orlando on Friday, Jan. 15, 2010. Anderson DaSilva, Manager of the Truman Recreation Center, hosted the meeting.
Village of Bonita resident, Joe Russo, Sr., volunteered to be the instructor. At the meeting, he discussed the following:
A. The new ground-level paddle court design used here
B. Demo of current play equipment
C. Sources of equipment
D. Membership in the APTA
E. Update of APTA Rules
F. A flyer on paddle in The Villages to be given to newcomers
Other discussions and activities included:
1. Outline of free teaching clinics, court play regulations and court times by Anderson
2. A 33 minute DVD on paddle (and ask for comments)
3. Question and answer period
4. Discuss next PIC meeting time and date
5. Enjoy[...]
Uihlein and Marino Team Up to Take Men's Title.....Delmonico and Main Win Women's Charities.........
It was a beautiful platform tennis day and the play was outstanding when the women took to the courts at the Chicago Charities.
The 2009 women's draw was missing many of the big-name players such as Lauren Zink, Cindy Prendergast, Laura Parsons and Susie Keane; however, the talent level was still exceptional compared to most other ranking tournaments.
Kerri Delmonico and Aila Main worked their way through the draw defeating Sally Cottingham and Liz Hayward in the quarter-finals and then Bobo Delaney and Tonia Mangan in the semi-finals on their way to the final.
http://youtu.be/HiPJbZWsHUA
Quarter Final Prop-Schneebeck & Doten-Schwartz.3rd set tie break - Prop-Schneebeck are up in the breaker 6-1. Ad-hoc commentary provided by energized viewers in the hut
Heather Prop and L[...]
John Embree has had a long and storied history in the world of racquet sports. Growing up in Chicago, he moved back to his home town in the Windy City to take a position with Wilson Sporting Goods. He remained there for 17 years, rising to the title of Vice President and General Manager of Wilson's global racquet sports. He subsequently left Wilson to become part owner of tennis apparel manufacturer Balle de Match.
"I went to Balle de Match because the owner needed marketing and sales help," Embree said. "I thought I could use my tennis connections to grow the business. Wended up tripling sales in three years." That firestorm of sales helped Embree get his next position, as he was tapped by Prince CEO George Napier in March of 2009.
"When I started with Prince, the economy was in a trend heading south and consumers stopped their spending," Embree said "Consumers are now changing th[...]
© 2025 Platform Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame Foundation, All Rights Reserved.