Back to TopSue Aery and Gerri Viant accept the trophy for the 2002 Women's Open National
Champions. Moments later, Sue addresses the crowd and announces her
retirement from platform tennis in order to pursue chiropractic school.
On March 17, 2002, Sue Aery (and partner, Gerri Viant) shocked the spectators at the National Championships. No, it wasn't the service let cord that dropped in for a match point ace. Nor was it the tight third set victory After all. Sue and Gerri had won seven of the previous eleven Women's Open National Titles, including three in a row. The surprise came to the crowd when Sue picked up the microphone and announced her retirement from platform tennis.
Sue and Gerri had accomplished more than they ever could have imagined thirteen years earlier. Just when 400 exuberant fans were expecting Sue's modest victory speech, her tearful eyes and trembling voice proclaimed a different message, "As of now, I am announcing my retirement from platform tennis to pursue a career in chiropractic therapy."
Sue's mother. Peg, said, "Sue has had extensive chiropractic therapy over her athletic career[...]
She says that she's 5' tall wearing new shoes on a good day. Stating that "size doesn't always matter," Patty Hogan is a six-time National Champion who has proven year after year that mental prowess is more important in platform tennis than physical size.
Born 42 years ago in New Providence, New Jersey, Patty's early platform tennis mentors included Hank Irvine and Wendy Chase. Today, Patty is the mentor for hundreds of adults and juniors across the country. The achievements I'm most proud of are the 17 Junior National Champions I have taught to play our sport," Patty said. She added, "I am also extremely thankful to the Beacon Hill Club for giving me the freedom and flexibility I need to do my job to the best of my ability."
Over the years, Patty has had record-breaking seasons with many of the best women to play the game. "My best season was the winter of 98'-99' when I played wi[...]
Back to TopDick Reilly, Chris Casiraghi and Jim Reilly
Big news in the platform tennis court industry. R.J. Reilly Jr., Inc. and Green Mountain Platform Tennis have merged to form Reilly Green Mountain Platform Tennis. PTM carried the details:
The merger brings together the industry's most experienced platform tennis court providers. R. J. Reilly Jr., Inc. was started over 40 years ago by Dick Reilly. His daughter Kathy and son Jim joined him full-time in 1985. R.J. Reilly invented the aluminum platform tennis court, which has become the standard court of the industry. They have built over 3,000 courts throughout the U.S. and the world and have long been devoted to contributing to the growth and development of the sport through innovations, educational materials and resources, as well as financial and material contributions.
Chris Casiraghi, owner of Green Mountain Platform Tennis and now the president of Reilly Green Mountain Platform[...]
As the result of a very successful fund raising effort in connection with its conducting of the National Championships of platform tennis for men and women last March, the Long Island Platform Tennis Association was able to distribute $24,000 to three local charities.
The beneficiaries were the Family and Children's Association, the Interfaith Nutrition Network, and Rotacare. Each received an $8,000 share of the contribution.
"A large portion of the contributions came from the individual members of LIPTA who participate in the sport during the fall and winter seasons," indicated General Chairman Charles Vasoll. Several corporate sponsors enlisted by Director of Finance, Duane Hayden, also helped make the event a financial success. Leading that list was the AON Corporation. Other corporate sponsors deserving of mention were The Island Financial Group, First American Title Insurance [...]
Westchester native Bob Considine teamed up with famed Chicago web designer Geoffrey Johnson (Lands End, JCrew) in late 2001 to create what was to become the hottest platform tennis web site of 2002 - paddlepro.com.
Considine originally intended for the web site to simply be a value-added service to the men and women he taught paddle to; however, the Westchester Platform Tennis Association saw the in-progress site and requested to have their league/tournament information included. The Sound Shore Invitational soon after became the first tournament to register 100% of player entries through the web via credit card.
Shortly after the WPTL signed on, members began requests for an online paddle store to purchase items such as balls, paddles, trophies, and team logo-printed clothing. "We will continue to expand the website as long as it is positively adopted by the paddle community and p[...]
Another year for the charities goes off without a hitch thanks to the leadership of John Noble and Company. This November, 296 players competed in four events: The Men's Open, Women's Open, Men's 45+, and Men's 55+.
In the women's open tournament, last season's finalists Aery/Viant and Fulton/Prendergast were no-shows. Therefore, the draw was ripe for the picking. The biggest quarter-final upsets came when 5th seeded Kerri Delmonico and Shelly Morse upset the top-seeded team of Tonia Mangan and Bobo Delaney. They proceeded to defeat Jane McNitt and Leslie Hough (who defeated 3rd seeded Hilary Debbs and Patty Hogan) in a three-set semi-final match. In the other half of the draw, 2nd seeded Mary Doten and Julia Sierks held their ground to reach the finals. Kerri and Shelly won the finals (their first Charities Title) in a hard-fought match.
In the men's draw, the top seeds proceeded [...]
Dick Squires had some thoughts on how court construction should change to grow the game:
The November, 2002 edition of Platform Tennis Magazine was primarily concerned about where our lovely sport is going...or not going. We should all be concerned.
The premier tennis court in America was built less than 50 years before the first
paddle court. Why did that sport experience widespread, meteoric growth not only in this country, but around the world? The tennis court consumes four times the amount of land and it too was initially a recreational activity for the wealthy, yet, it took off like a Southern California forest fire. How come?
It is truly a mystery why a rather boorish game like racquetball could experience astronomical growth during the late 70's. Even though participation eventually leveled off almost as fast as it grew in the ensuing years, there are millions still pla[...]
John Embree has been involved in sports, and more importantly - racquet sports, since he was a child. In college, John was a four-year letterman in both soccer and tennis. He was even voted MVP and senior athlete of the year.
In the early 70s, John went on various professional tennis tours, included in this was his participation in the 1976 Australian Open. John's enthusiasm for tennis was recognized by the USTA when they hired him in 1980. John soon after developed and implemented the new USTA League Program. Today, John's baby has 400,000 annual participants.
Wilson saw John's potential and hired him soon after. He worked his way up to become the V.P. and G.M. for Wilson Racquet Sports. One day in 1994, Wilson's President asked John if he knew of any new business ventures the company could get involved with. Citing service and quality-related problems from platform tennis' prima[...]
On January 5, 2003, a fatal propane gas explosion occurred on a platform tennis court at the Eastham Residential Community in Grantham, New Hampshire.
A suspected gas leak caused the explosion that killed 64- year-old James Owen (husband and father of one) and injured three others.
Source: Platform Tennis Magazine Vol. 4, Issue 4, March 2003
Gary Horvath paid tribute to those that made it happen:
The quiet resurrection of the junior circuit has to be included in this list of events that will shape the game in the years ahead. Junior paddle has seen its rebirth as a result of renewed support for the APTA Junior Nationals, increased programming by teaching professionals, and the creation of the Viking Cup and Viking Junior Tour. This season, over 180 players participated in the Junior Nationals. Patty Hogan, Junior Nationals Tournament Director, was impressed both with the level of enthusiasm and the improvement in the level of play.
This season also marked the first year of the Viking Junior Tour. There have been four junior tournaments held so far this season with over 350 participants. Two more are definitely scheduled and two additional tournaments are tentatively scheduled for this season.
A year after entering t[...]
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