In 1993, court builder Dick Reilly (Hall of Fame 1974) moved west to Montana, put up a court, and ran a small tournament. Moving to another Montana location, the town of Eureka, Reilly erected two courts and brought out professional Hank Irvine (Hall of Fame 1995) to run a paddle camp each fall. Partly because there was little else for campers to do in their off hours in Eureka, Reilly moved the camp to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where it continues. Initially, three courts were erected on a tennis court on a dude ranch to house the camp. After a year, the camp was moved to its present location on courts at the Snow King Resort.
At one of the camps, Reilly, Irvine, and Gary Horvath talked about the need to re-institute an organization for teaching professionals. The trio produced the conceptual foundation for establishing the USA Professional Platform Tennis Association (PPTA).
The Exmoor Country Club on the North Shore of Chicago was the site of the tenth renewal of the battle for the Manhold Cup, representing supremacy among the six APTA regions in Senior platform tennis.
Region V was the winner, with each member receiving a trophy.
Jerry Manhold, “The Legend,” was also presented with an award in appreciation of his efforts for Senior platform tennis.
This special event is played as a prelude to the 50+ and 60+ National Championships. Each region sends a team of ten players: four representing the 50+ group, and another representing the 55+ category, with the other two in the 60+ category.
The big winners at the season-ending Lineal Group Grand Prix tournament at the Brookside Racquet & Swim Club in Allendale, NJ, turned out to be men’s champs Scott Staniar and Jim Kaufman, women's titleists Robin Fulton and Diane Tucker, and most of all, the Special Olympics of North Bergen County, NJ.
In a departure from previous practices at the grand finale, where 32 of the country's top platform tennis teams battled for a piece of the $10,000 in prize money, a raffle was conducted that featured almost $4,000 in furniture and athletic equipment donated by Lineal and Hedstrom Corp. All proceeds went to the Special Olympics.
Source: Platform Tennis News, Spring 1994
The U.S. Embassy had a paddle court on the grounds and the new ambassador Nick Rey and his wife Lisa were avid players, and members of Larchmont Yacht Club in Westchester, NY.
Lisa wrote back to her Larchmont friends:
“Paddle is terrific and a great release of energy and frustrations. I've got a regular Monday morning game, and we've had one round-robin tournament. People don't play a lot, and it’s mostly teachers at the American school, Embassy types, and a few Brits. All are tennis players and basically play it as tennis. I've convinced at least my Monday group to play it as paddle, and the level of play has taken a huge leap……..”
Source: Platform Tennis News, Spring 1994
It is rare that platform tennis, no less its players, find their way into a national sports magazine, but the "Faces In The Crowd" section in the April issue of Sports Illustrated featured two outstanding champions, the Childs brothers, Bill and Dave.
The article documented that they had just successfully defended their 55+ National Championship for the fourth consecutive year. It further noted that they had won the 50+ crown three times in a row. It also recorded Bill's triumph with Birgit Maio in the Mixed Masters Championship, and indicated that he defeated his brother and Alice Duff in a semifinal match in that tournament.
The APTA granted approval to a new platform tennis ball developed by Marox, Inc. of Carteret, New Jersey. The new ball debuted in the 1994-1995 season.
Under the auspices of the Rules and Equipment Committee, a sample supply of the new ball was tested in February. When all APTA specifications were met, the Board of Directors gave its approval to this new product in March. Random testing of balls taken from production was planned to assure that the specifications approved for the sample would be met.
Source: Platform Tennis News, Spring 1994 and APTA May 1994 BOD Minutes
The tour was back for a third go-round of the Lineal Group Grand Prix series of national ranking tournaments for men and women. Events would be held in Greenwich, CT; Chicago, lL; Philadelphia, PA; and, Brookside, NJ.
Over a thousand players had enjoyed the prizes, favors, and fun spawned by the prize money series in which competitive play and collaborative camaraderie have been the operative passwords. Several new twists were added to the tour as strengths are played up and weaknesses shored up. Approximately $30,000 in cash prizes would be contested, but a third of that would be won out of a special bonus pool that would emphasize expanded play in the four tour events, as well as the Nationals.
Source: Platform Tennis News, Summer 1994
Gary R. Horvath, a former APTA Director, current tennis and platform tennis teaching professional, and author of many articles and comments about platform tennis, called on his years of experience in the game to write four manuals published by R.J. Reilly. Jr. Platform Tennis Courts. Inc.
The manuals were titled:
• The Fundamentals of Platform Tennis
• Taking Your Game to the Next Level
• A Platform Tennis Chairman’s Guide to Running a Comprehensive Program
• A Curriculum for Conducting a Championship Platform Tennis Instructional Program
Source: Platform Tennis News, Summer 1994
Jay O’Meilia sculpture for the Tribuno World Paddle Championship
Back to TopJay O’Meilia sculpture for the Tribuno World Paddle Championship
The APTA had been given a beautiful sculpture by Jay O'Meilia in the spring and had asked for background information about why the piece was created. Brad Drowne of Short Hills, NJ provided the history.
The “First Tribuno World Paddle Championship” was contested on April 3rd, 1976 at the West Side Tennis Club, better known in the tennis world by its location, Forest Hills. The sculpture was commissioned to be the trophy for the event. However, Jay O'Meilia, a noted sports artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma, did not complete the trophy by the date of the championship final. Instead, he was to send a plaster model to Forest Hills for the presentation. Unfortunately, this was lost by the airline.
The May 1976 issue of Paddle Talk (predecessor to Platform Tennis News) confirms this account when it stated, “Russell and Gray received a check for $4,000.00 and the promise of a trophy for[...]
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