Although the platform tennis season is winding down, the full flame is still burning at the Platform Tennis Hall of Fame Museum. Another year has passed, and while progress has been slow, there continues to be good progress toward the realization of the dream of a "bricks and mortar" home for display of the memorabilia of the sport and a place to honor those elected to its Hall of Fame.
The Foundation's Chairman, Bob Brown, and Museum Curator, Jim McCready, have worked with museum consultant Ed Puches to develop a model of a display case featuring the 1970's decade. It is pictured below. Mr. Puches of Irvington, NY has developed projects at Harvard University and IBM. Eight similar display cases will be included in the museum to highlight other decades since the sport's invention in 1928. A great deal of the memorabilia has been collected, but more is still welcomed by the Committee. [...]
Georgetown University - After eight years of playing paddle and three years of passionately promoting college platform tennis I offer some observations, advice, and optimism for the future of the sport at the college level. There has been a lot of talk about college platform tennis and, I'm pleased to say, something to show for it too.
At Yale University, Kate Macauley (Yale '11) and Rob Coster (APTA College Program Chair) have done a great job securing two courts at a nearby country club, getting support from local players and enthusiasts, and holding weekly events for Yalies. After two years in the making, Yale Platform Tennis Club has 30 students of all abilities on the roster, and about ten players who play each week. Kate has been successful by recruiting Yale friends to play and has grown interest through club fair events at school. [enlarge image to read full report]
It seems that Chicago has been getting more and more attention lately in the platform tennis world. No disrespect to the East or West coasts, but I would say this is rightfully so.
Although only 2-3% of the known platform tennis courts are in the Chicago area, their's is the largest organized league in the country with approximately 3,000 players.
Also, over the past seven years, seven Chicago men and women have captured ten of the 14 National Men's and Women's Nationals( Susie Keane, Mary Doten, Scott Mansager, David Keevins, Brian Uihlein, David Ohlmuller and Chris Gambino). [enlarge image to read more]
One of the great highlights during the APTA National Championships in Philadelphia was the party at the Waynesborough Country Club and Cindy Prendergast's induction into the Platform Tennis Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame Committee President Bob Brown and APTA President Tim McAvoy presented the award to this dedicated enthusiast.
These achievements were noted among Cindy's many contributions to the sport:
- Winner of six APTA National events, including three mixed, two women's, and one senior women's titles
- Recognition for her effortless style of play, easygoing manner, and outstanding sportsmanship
- Served on dozens of tournament committees and a force behind Delaware's hosting of the Mixed Nationals
- Led a delegation to Germany to introduce the sport of platform tennis
March 17th was the biggest night of the year for the Chicago league. Teams battled it out in playoff fina[...]
Jerry Albrikes
Age: 40
Hobbies: Fitness, running, tennis and the Minnesota Vikings
Family: Married to Beth; Children: Olivia 15, Liza 14 and William 3
Residence: Mystic, CT
Tennis Highlights: Former #1 in New England in Men's Open, Doubles and Mixed
Occupation: Head Professional at Mystic Indoor Tennis for 10 years to present
Platform Tennis Beginnings: Peter Harvey introduced me to the game six years ago. I played tournaments for four years with Lennart Jonason and this year with Johan. Currently plays out of Essex Platform Tennis Club in Essex, CT, once a week and tournaments on weekends."
Johan du Randt
Age: 32
Hobbies: Golf, Squash,teaching my dog tricks and playing poker
Family: I have a girlfriend named Neely and a Stafforshire Bull Terrier named Bliksem. He was our mascot at the Nationals.
Born: Somerset East, South Africa
Residence: Newton MA
Tennis Highlights: Ra[...]
November 9, 2009 - The platform tennis world lost a great champion. Hall of Fame inductee, Edwina (Winnie) Worth Hatch, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. Winnie, a 14-time National Senior Champion was inducted into the Platform Tennis Hall of Fame in 2008.
Winnie introduced hundreds to the game of platform tennis and ran scores of tournaments, from the Nationals to local events.
Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 11, Issue 2, 2009
Brian O'Connor
Age: 25.75
Hometown: Larchmont, NY
Marital Status/Kids: "I am not sure what marital status means. If that is the same as martial arts status, yes, I have a yellow belt with two black stripes. Kids... no, I do not fight kids, although some in my class are pretty tough”
Hobbies: Tennis, beaches, bodybuilding, and Gossip Girl
Achievements in Tennis:
• Hold record at Binghamton University for most singles victories
• Team advanced to NCAA's 3 times
• Two-Time National Grandfather/ Grandson Champion
How and When You Got Into Platform: " I fell in love with paddle when I was a young bang-baller. I spent most of my childhood following women's paddle, as my mother (Joanmarie) would bring me to all her local events and league matches."
What You Like About the Sport: "The various styles of play provide for interesting matchups. Among the top teams strategies [...]
The 5th Annual Premier Cup took place this year at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Chicago on October 10th & 11th. This year's field featured the strongest veteran teams in the sport as well as many of the top up and coming teams. Sunset Ridge boasts six courts and is under the direction of Peter Berka. This year's field had representation from states of Illinois, Ohio, New York, and New Jersey for the two-day event that had a total purse ofS5,000.
The first day of competition started at 10 a.m. on Saturday and lasted through dark as each team played a round robin competition within their own group (three matches).
Format:
• Two out of three sets; regular scoring
• Super tie-breaker for 3rd set (Sat. only)
• Top two teams from each group advanced to semi-finals on Sunday
Rules for Advancement:
• Best overall record from round robin play
• 1st tie-breaker used i[...]
Melanie Oudin helps inaugurate courts in Atlanta
On Friday, October 9, The Peachtree Paddle League (PPL) kicked off the new season in fine style with its annual gala and exhibition at the newest platform tennis venue in Atlanta, the Racquet Club of the South (RCS).
Made famous recently by the charmed success of US Open quarter finalist, 17-year-old Melanie Oudin, RCS unveiled their brand new courts and viewing deck to a crowd of some 125 people, including many enthusiastic kids.
Topping off the night was an appearance by Melanie in person, who picked up a paddle and played her first set of platform tennis, paired with Philadelphia native and Atlanta transplant, Ali Tross Cole.
Behind the RCS story was a grant from the American Platform Tennis Association to help with the cost of construction of their two courts.
Mark Fischl, then President of the APTA, was instrumental in [...]
Marty Pomerantz, Director, Campus Recreation, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill filed this report with PTM:
It took about five years of cajoling, collaborating, and construction, but this author's vision for a multi-purpose recreational facility finally evolved from a paper napkin at Bruegger's Bagels to a successful grand opening on Saturday, October 17. The new South Campus Recreation Complex (SCRC) sits atop what once was an eight court tennis center and home of the Carolina Varsity Tennis Team. Today, it consists of three sand volleyball courts, three tennis courts, two full length basketball/inline hockey courts, and the piece de resistance, three brand new ground level platform tennis courts.
The grand opening event included sand volleyball and tennis tournaments, which attracted a number of student teams. But the highlights of the day's festivities included a professi[...]
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