San Diego to Host Paddle World Series – $25,000 purse. First of a kind for the West Coast

The Baird “Boys” – compared to the other top player they were, and they were contenders

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Tribuno Men’s & Women’s Tour schedule announced – $75,000 in prize money

New York University builds six courts

The courts overlooked New York University and Washington Square and was probably the best university platform tennis facility in the world, and certainly its most dynamic setting. Reilly erected the courts in two weeks in May and they sat 115 feet above ground, atop the Bobst Library. The total cost of the courts was $118,000. The facility was open to students and faculty—173 students signed up for the first season—but not to the public. Mike Muzio, Chairman of Recreation and Intramural activities had plans for a series of clinics to teach the players and stimulate further interest. A keen supporter of the project was Professor Charles Bucher, Professor of Education. He had been an avid paddler for 25 years and had won the Senior Veterans Championship in 1976. Source: Paddle Talk, Vol. 2 No. 3 (February)

International activities (IPTA)

Art Houlihan reported in the February edition of the APTA newsletter Paddle Talk: The pied pipers of paddle have wandered to at least twelve countries outside of the U.S. Canada is, of course, the mainspring of non-U.S. activities with hundreds of players and a full spectrum of tournaments and activities centered around Toronto. Hopefully this year we will be able to provide a better opportunity for Canadian players to participate in U.S. events including our championships. Ambassador Walter Stoessel brought paddle to Poland and Russia with courts at both embassies. The ever-present Reilly's sent courts to France, which are now in Switzerland. Without being able to give proper credit, there are also courts in Austria, Bahamas, Bermuda, Germany, Great Britain, Indonesia and Italy. The courts in Japan atop the American Club deserve some special recognition for ingenuity. The club[...]

Inaugural Hudson River Invitational

The First Annual Hudson River Invitational, held in March, was an example of a new concept in club paddle competition, one that served as a model for other clubs interested in promoting tournament play. The Sleepy Hollow Country Club hosted eight men's teams from each of eight neighboring clubs. Utilizing over 20 courts in the Hudson River Valley, the 64-team draw played main draw, consolation, consolation reprieve and championship reprieve matches. This enabled each team to play a minimum of three matches. Each team got a single point for each match won in any of the four tournaments. The dinner dance that followed the tournament featured the Dixie-land music of APTA Board member Bob Kingsbury and his band. The day's events were an enormous success and, according to Chairman Richard Lombard, helped a great deal to promote tournament play in the Hudson River Valley. Source: [...]

Tribuno Tribuno World Paddle Championships – It’s Irvine and Fitz Gibbon again in the Men’s; Hilton and Gengler again in the Women’s

Forest Hills held the event on April 1-2 in heavy rain. Maintenance men brushed puddles off the decks between games. The Women’s Final was a soaking wet scene on Saturday, April 2nd. The winning team was Hilary Hilton and Louise Gengler (6-2, 7-6, 7-6), title-holders for every Tribuno event of the year. The women contestants had made headlines by playing three out of five sets in the semis and finals: "Equal prize money, equal play," stated the women. The heavy rain necessitated postponement of the Men's Final until Sunday. Herb Fitz Gibbon and Hank Irvine ran through Doug Russell and Gordon Gray, after a tight first set, with the loss of only four more games, ending their season with four straight Tribuno victories. Media Guide and Program Booklet Source: Paddle Talk, Vol. 2 No 5 (July-August) During one of the Tribuno Tour events, Hank Irvine hits a service volley while[...]

Singles back in town

On May 10 and 11, the Manhattan Platform Tennis Club hosted the Doug Russell Invitational Singles Championships. Doug Russell and Linda Wolf captured the titles. APTA Singles would not restart until 1980, but this event put singles back on the map for the first time since 1937. See also: Singles grows up

A good year for junior play

Eleven different cities hosted open tournaments in the 18 and 15 and under categories for boys and girls, including the Nationals. A sizeable increase in the number of teams over last year was evident in all age groups. Source: Paddle Talk, Vol. 2 No. 5 (July-August)

Passport Scotch sponsorship

Philip E. Beekman, President of Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc., announced that Calvert Distillers Co. & Passport Scotch would be the sponsors of a tour for men and women during the 1977-78 season, offering prize money of over $140,000. In October, the Seagram Building on Park Avenue in New York City held two days of matches. Platform tennis enthusiasts in the New York metropolitan area were encouraged to stop by and watch the top teams in action. Source: Paddle Talk, Vol. 3 No. 1 (September-October)