USPTA Southern Division: Where Excellence is STANDARD

Page 2 Volume 13 Issue 2
HANDLING The Situation!
Handling the Situation is YOUR opportunity
to share how you handle various
situations.
THE SITUATION: How do you deal with the
one bad egg on a ladies team? Nobody wants
to play with her, yet she does not realize she
should not be on this team.
I have had this situation. I had to sit down with
the player and explain what is expected both
on and off the court. It was very uncomfortable
but necessary. The situation worked itself
out and I did have one lady who stepped up
to play with her and tolerate the situation for a
while. This is definitely a situation that needs
to be handled sooner than later. The longer it
goes on, the harder it is to fix. Both the problem
player and the other ladies were very respectful
of me for handling the situation.
-Lane Evans, Hendersonville, NC
Our club’s rule is that any member in good
standing must be able to be on a team, but we
have captain run teams. The pros can put the
ladies on the team that “are not wanted” but the
captains do not have to play them. The ladies
will usually either change to a team that wants
them so they can play or they start acting nicer
to their teammates. It is not a perfect situation
but it seems to work itself out between
Mike Barrell of Evolve9 fame consults with and sets up
10 and Under programs in several countries. He uses the
terms “Tryers, Buyers, Flyers and High Flyers” to determine
the interest and participation levels of kids participating
in our sport. Let’s define these terms further.
“Tryers” would be those kids who tried tennis in PE
classes, a tennis carnival, SmashZone, or maybe are a
first timer in summer camps. “Buyers” would be kids
that have committed to a weekly program or are
coming to Play Days. “Flyers” would be those who
are coming back to our programs and are getting
more involved in Play Days—perhaps they have
tried a Jr. Team Tennis season for the first time.
“High Flyers” are those really committed kids who
can’t get enough of tennis, who come several times
a week, show up for every Play Day, are on a Jr. Team
Tennis team and are getting into USTA Junior Tournaments.
Question: Are we providing a pathway to get kids
into the sport at whatever level of interest they have; are
we educating and connecting with their parents, and are
we seriously working at retaining as many of these kids
as we can? Not all are going to be competitive “High
Flyers”. Are our programs structured to accommodate the
rest and keep them in tennis?
the members without putting the pros in the
middle of a bad situation.
-Matt Grayson, Atlanta GA
Frankly do not get involved… at the end- whatever
happens – it will be your fault .
-Viola Madej, Alpharetta, GA
I have come across this problem in the past and
there are a few options that have worked for
me. Firstly, as a promoter and teacher of tennis,
preventing someone from playing on a team
is not an option. There is always a solution that
will allow for everyone to play, and most to be
happy. One solution is to see if the “bad egg”
is interested in playing singles. If so, problem
solved. If not, a second solution is to rotate partners
every match so no one person is stuck with
the “bad egg” throughout the whole season. I
have found that when the “bad egg” and their
partner win a match, the whole dynamic of the
relationship changes between those two players
for the better. This will sometimes result in
a permanent partner for your “bad egg” for the
rest of the season!
-Mark Schminke, Myrtle Beach, SC
The Next Situation: How do you convince
your club/boss to reimburse you for education
expenses? How do you market to your superiors?
Reply to usptasouthern@gmail.com
Senior
Sweetspot
Do you want to be able to teach tennis
in your later years and really enjoy the
long hours on the court? Do you want to
have less joint pain, realize more constant
energy levels, have greater mental acuity
and better overall health? Obviously,
all of us want this but are we willing to
do the few simple things regarding our
lifestyle choices to achieve these goals?
There are just a few things that we can do
to enjoy a longer, healthier career. Primarily,
let’s eat better and drop the excess
weight. By that I mean let’s eat whole
foods; fruit, vegetables, whole grains,
nuts and seeds - real food. Let’s cut back
on processed foods, those with empty
calories and those that can, over time,
contribute to cardiovascular disease and
diabetes - white bread, pasta, white rice,
too much dairy, too much meat of any
kind, and of course, the sweets. I›m not
suggesting total abstinence (that would
make me a huge hypocrite) but an overall
diet of the right things and very small
amounts of the things we love but aren›t
really nutrient dense. There is a great book
by Dr. Joel Fuhrman called “Eat to Live”
that is not a diet book but a primer on
common sense dietary habits. Diets don’t
work and few if any, are sustainable for
any length of time. Dr. Fuhrman has been
successful in helping people lose weight
in a healthy way, reverse cardiovascular
disease, reverse diabetes, improve blood
pressure and basically get people off
most medications. Eating better, feeling
more energized, having a better overall
attitude, and finding our ideal weight will
pay dividends for our career longevity and
we’ll also be setting an example for our
customers as healthy and fit ambassadors
of this lifetime sport. For more information,
go to www.drfuhrman.com.