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Passing
Shots
The Cupertino Tennis Club Newsletter
Jan/Feb 2009 Volume 3, Issue
1
My Spin On Things - Marilee Adams, President
There
is no date as to when the project will commence, but it is anticipated
that it will be soon. The construction will have an effect on the availability
of the courts for USTA matches and casual evening play as a couple of
courts will be taken off-line at a time.
We ask for your patience during the period of construction.
Secondly,
the CTC Board is wondering if there is any interest in building up the
ladder program. We are looking for suggestions or input as to whether
members would be interested in participating.
If you have any comments, please contact the Ladder Coordinator
at ladders@cupertinotennisclub.org.
Lastly,
CTC has provided grants to local organizations to promote tennis in the
community. If you are involved in an organization
or know of any organizations that need funding to promote tennis in underserved
communities, preferably in Cupertino, please feel free to submit a grant
request to the CTC President at president@cupertinotennisclub.org.
Thanks,
-Marilee
A Lighting Update from Ed Hirshfield
On
Tuesday, 20 January, the Cupertino Council approved a contract to Cupertino
Electric to upgrade the lights on courts 1 – 12 to "very good"
by USTA standards. This is the culmination of more than 15
years of work by members of your Board.
The total cost exceeds $300,000.
The work will be conducted over the next 3 – 4 months but
the exact schedule is yet to be determined.
As soon as it is known, we will disseminate the info and its effect
on court availability. Work
on the upper courts is not yet budgeted but we are working on it.
-Ed
A Membership
Message from
Danny Castellano, Membership
This
is a friendly reminder that it is time to renew your annual
CTC membership. Don't
forget that you must be a current CTC member in order to play on any USTA
league team(s).
We
ended 2008 with a record high of 394 CTC members.
At the January 10th CSC Open House, we had 145 new and
renewing members join, so 2009 is off to a strong start.
The
2009 CTC Membership Roster will be sent out in early March. To make sure
your contact information is listed, if you have not yet renewed, click
here: renew
your membership now.
Tennis Tip of the Month Dana Gill, Exec. Director, Lifetime Tennis
Whether
you play singles or doubles, the drop shot can be a fantastic weapon.
The problem is, for 75% of the players, it is hardly ever used.
That's because most people don't understand how to hit a proper
drop shot. In my opinion, it's the 2nd easiest shot in the
game; just behind the short-range overhead. So what makes for a great
drop shot? UNDERSPIN
and a lot of it! With this spin, the 2nd bounce
of a drop shot tends to land near the 1st bounce location.
That's the whole trick! Poor drop shots carry too far on the second bounce
and opponents can run them down.
Practice
tip! Using
the
continental grip (standard volley
grip), hold your racquet so that a ball can rest on it without falling
onto the ground. Your racquet should be parallel to the ground. The bottom side of the ball that is touching
the strings is the part you are suppose to hit when executing a quality
drop shot. Try tossing the ball up a foot or so and swing your racquet
right to left in a sweeping motion.
This should impart backspin (underspin) on the ball and will serve
as a right-handers forehand drop shot.
If you don't hit the bottom of the ball, it will travel forward. Think of your strings shaving off some of the ball's felt.
Successful
striking of the bottom will also cause the ball to pop straight up and
will lead to heavy underspin.
With
practice, you can even keep the ball bouncing time after time without
your feet moving.
USTA News by Bob Larocca, USTA Coordinator
SENIORS
The
Senior season is wrapping up and several of our teams are advancing to
the local league playoffs.
On
the Ladies' side, our 3.0 teams finished 1-2 during the regular season.
"Nice job" goes to the teams captained by Diane Detig and Debbie
Argabright. Sue Williams' 3.5 team survived
The
Men's teams have done well, too.
Fred Tierney and George Bassi have 3.5 teams that will likely finish
on top. Ron Lee's 4.0 team will play Courtside
for the right to advance to the District Championships.
MIXED
Ten
Mixed Doubles teams kicked off their season earlier this month. Thanks
to all the captains for being willing to take on these jobs.
ADULT & SUPER SENIOR 65
Teams
are being formed now. Play
starts in early April. Members wishing to join a team should contact the
captain before registering to make sure that there is room and to insure
that the team's goals and the player's goals are aligned.
Good
Luck to all the teams as they enter the post-season!
Some Information courtesy of Dana
Gill, Exec. Director: Lifetime Tennis:
Lifetime Tennis Employee of the Month
Juan
Garcia
is unknown to nearly
everyone in the Cupertino Sports Center, including many of the tennis
staff. He begins work before
dawn and finishes before the rush of afternoon tennis players. Juan Garcia is our Maintenance Manager. He quietly and tirelessly maintains the
cleanliness of the tennis courts.
During his 2 years of service, we have had the fewest number of
court complaints ever recorded in the past 15 years! It's time that more
people knew his name.
New Wilson Racquets Arriving Soon!
Stop
by the tennis shop in the coming weeks to check out the latest demo racquets
for 2009. Also check with
Jennie Shem, Shop Manager, regarding restringing and grip specials for
the upcoming tennis season.
USTA League Preparation
Lessons
Winter is the time
to improve your tennis game for USTA league results.
Sign up today for a 3 lesson special preparation lesson series.
Enjoy 3 ninety-minute group lessons for only $299. That's just
$75 per person for a group of 4.
Tom Uyehara, a USPTA Pro (level 1) is available Monday or Wednesday
mornings and Thursday afternoons/evenings.
Call
the Lifetime Tennis Office at 408-777-3169 today!
Free Tennis Balls
and$1000 in Prize Giveaways
To
commemorate our 10th year supporting the SAP Open (professional
men's tournament), Lifetime Tennis is giving away over $1000 in free prizes.
Simply buy 1 or more SAP OPEN tickets through the tennis office
by Sunday, February 1st and be entered into the giveaway.
See flyer in the tennis shop for details.
World's #1 Doubles
Team Vs Lifetime Tennis #1 Junior Team
The
Bryan Brothers are returning to the Cupertino Sports Center on Wednesday,
February 11th, from 4:00 – 4:45 pm.
They are fulfilling a promise they made to play the winner of our
Bryan Brothers Cup Junior Doubles Tournament.
Come join us in court 1 for the fun!
2009 SAP Open
February 9 – 15th
HP Pavilion, San Jose.
Find
schedule info at the Lifetime Tennis Pro Shop or on-line at www.sapopentennis.com
Come
see Sampras, Blake, Roddick, Del Potro, the Bryan Brothers and more!
Ball
Machine & Private Lesson Pass Reservation Call (408) 777-3169
Cupertino Summer Classic
in August – OR NOT
The
Cupertino Summer Classic is scheduled for August 15-16 and 22-23. You long term planners should put it on your calendar now.
Or, maybe we shouldn't have it. Each year we get only about 35 players from the Cupertino Tennis Club. This is a small fraction of the almost 400 total members. In addition, we need to do considerable friendly arm-twisting to get a similar number of volunteers to staff the event. Is it worth the effort? What do you think? Let me know. I'd like to hear from you, especially if you are a dedicated tournament player.
-
John Sperinde, Tournament Director
Contact
me at tournaments@cupertinotennisclub.org.
CORE
Muscle Training
The
CORE muscles include those in the abdomen, pelvis, sides of the trunk,
back, buttocks and hips. Twenty nine muscles attach to the CORE,
so a stable midsection is vital to all movements and body positions, These
muscles support your spine when hitting every stroke in tennis, absorbing
the force from the legs and transferring it to the arms. Strong CORE muscles make movements more forceful and help prevent
back pain. When specific
core muscles are weak or tired, your body will compensate using other
muscles. This substitution will lead to muscle imbalances and instability,
which causes undue stress to joints, decreases power and increases the
risk of injury. By watching the top pros play, you will
see how stable they are due to their strong and efficient CORE.
If
you've never trained your core muscles, CSC is now offering CORE training
classes on Monday evenings from 5:45 – 6:45 PM in the multi-purpose
room. The classes are taught by NASM certified personal trainer Cosie
Sasaki. She will lead you
through a variety of whole body core exercises that will build stability
and reduce injury. Take advantage
of this new opportunity to improve your CORE muscle fitness and take your
tennis to the next level.
-Cosie
Sasaki
What ever happened to .......................?
A
few members have asked me why there are no more recipes published in the
newsletter. If you would like to revive the Cook's
Corner, please send me a recipe (or two) and I will be happy to bring
the Cook's Corner back.
-Dotti
FLEX LEAGUES
– designed for busy people!
Flex Leagues group players of similar ability together in a local, organized 9 week season that allows players to arrange matches when it best fits their schedules at a convenient location. Players register, contact opponents, report scores, track standings and scout opponents ON-LINE!
Go to www.norcalflexleagues.com
for info
THE RULES CORNER By Jean Hassoun
QUESTION
#1: My
partner was not ready when I received a serve. Could I request a let and
replay the point?
RESPONSE: No.
The server is only required to check that the receiver is ready. The status of readiness of the receiver's partner or the server's
partner cannot be used to request a let. A receiver cannot become "unready"
after being ready, unless an external event comes up, like a ball from
another court rolling into your court.
WHAT
TO DO: If
you are receiving serve, check that your partner is ready.
If not, raise your hand to signal to the server that you (as a
team) are not ready yet. If you are serving, first check on your
partner's readiness, then check on your opponent, and serve.
*************************************************
Question
#2: My
opponent came to a match 4 minutes late.
Shouldn't that player get a 1 game penalty?
RESPONSE:
It
depends. For a league match, the response is NO. The players have a maximum
of fifteen minutes to arrive and be ready to play.
A default cannot be claimed after the start of the match.
WHAT TO DO: For
a league match, you should always keep an open mind and ask why a player
was late. He or she could
have a very valid reason and you can choose to waive your right to a default
and agree to play the match. Use
good sense and demonstrate good sportsmanship.
For
a tournament match, the response is YES.
As soon as a player is late, that player loses the toss and a game. After 5 minutes, the player loses a second
game and after ten minutes loses yet another game. After fifteen minutes, the player is defaulted.
*************************************************
QUESTION
#3: My
opponent was late. Can I request that the match start right
away?
RESPONSE:
NO.
This is a safety issue. For any match, league or tournament level, a player
is always entitled to a proper warm-up.
The time allowed is specific to each tournament or event.
WHAT
TO DO: Be
sure to check the rule for the warm-up time allotted. For example, USTA
matches (usually) set a 5 minute warm-up time, while at Senior tournaments
a ten minute warm-up is allowed.
Wishing
you all a great New Year,
Jean
Hassoun
USTA
NorCal 2008 Referee of the Year
About
this column: This
is your opportunity to ask questions about rules and/or court situations
and get reliable, up-to-date answers. Please send your questions to Rules@Cupertinotennisclub.org.
Send us your suggestions and feedback if you see any opportunities for improvement.