|
Ladies' Monday Night
Round Robin Tennis - 2008
An evening
Round Robin tennis league for Green Meadow ladies will
begin at
7 pm
on Monday, August 18th and run through
September 29th, 2008. (We
will skip Labor Day) Join us for 5 weeks of
fun with evening tennis at our beautiful tennis
facility, featuring the only clay courts in
Blount
County
. Call the office now to reserve your slot. If you don't
feel you can commit to the 5-week session, sign up to
be a sub. You must pre-register by
August 11th to play in the Round Robin
League. Call the office at 982-8783 Ext. 10 and
we will provide you with additional information
and/or have someone get in contact with you with all
the details.
There are currently several other active summer Tennis
Groups. A Mixed Doubles group on Thursday nite
and a Men's Tennis group on Tuesday evening.
Call the office for information.
Thanks, Bob
Perkinson
**************************************
TENNIS
at GMCC Spring 2007
We are looking to improve the Tennis program this year.
Mike DePalmer
is no longer with us, but we still plan to have a
wonderful tennis league.
If you have any interest in tennis, please give Karen
Rule a call on her cell phone (556-7317). Karen will
have several options available for both Juniors
as well as Adults. We are also still looking into adding
fitness equipment,
and Karen will have some classes
available by Spring.
*********************************************************
Dear Members:
The tennis season has come to an end, and so has my stay
at Green Meadow.
It has been my pleasure to make you the best tennis
players that you can be. I have enjoyed getting to know
many of you and making sure that you get the most out of
this great tennis facility. I am in the process of
arranging a new tennis pro for next year with Cedar
Bluff Racquet Club that will be contracted out on a per
need basis.
I will be moving to Naples, Florida, where I will be
starting a junior tennis academy. Again, it has been a
great 3 years for me, and I hope to come back in the
near future.
Sincerely,
Mike DePalmer
******************************************************
Mike DePalmer, Jr.'s, article in Tennisnews.com.....2006
THE PROBLEM WITH
THE DEVELOPMENT OF JUNIOR
TENNIS IN AMERICA |
by Mike DePalmer, Jr.
I read with fascination
that the USTA is changing their headquarters
from Key Biscayne to the Evert tennis academy.
It amazes me that with all the great players
this country has put out over the years the USTA
had little or anything to do with their
development other than sanction junior tennis
tournaments or provide financial aid for kids to
travel with a coach. Now the USTA thinks that by
changing facilities that now they are going to
develop talent. Oh, and by the way didn’t they
just build a state of the art training facility
in Carson, California?
If the USTA would like
to learn how to run a tennis academy they should
spend time in Bradenton, Florida at the IMG
Sports Academy (formerly known as the Nick
Bollettieri tennis Academy). This is by no means
an endorsement add for Nick Bollettieri.You may
not like his sunglasses, million dollar tan or
his uncanny ability for self- promotion but
there is no denying that there are no tennis
academy in the United States that has developed
more kids into world class tennis players than
Nick i.e. Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Tommy Haas,
Max Mirnyi, Monica Seles, Mary Pierce, Anna
Kournikova, Maria Sherapova and the list goes
on. All from the same facility for the last 26
years.
Many of Nick’s top
staff have never even played college tennis but
have been with him since the academy was first
built in 1980. They have honed a system for as
many as 200 kids that stay 9 months out of the
year, go to school, and work on their tennis.
And
yet year after year they produce players.
So what does it take to
run a successful tennis academy?
1. You need to have a
director who has experience with junior
development not some former world ranked pro
that makes an appearance once a month to give a
motivational speech and then watch the kids hit
balls for a couple of hours. This job is
stressful, demanding and requires a lot of time
on the court.
2. A development
program that teaches coaches how to coach. The
USTA has a lot
of former touring pros working for them but just
because you were a good player
doesn’t make you a good coach. Remember, you
are in the developmental stages with kids that
are living at an academy 9 months out of the
year. You have to have a program that will allow
them to continue to develop throughout the
course of the year without getting injured or
burned out. Also, you have to be very
knowledgeable with stroke development, strategy,
and match play. This is not learned over night,
and it is up to the tennis director to teach the
staff.
3. How come no one has
ever asked some of the greatest college coaches
i.e. Dick Gould, Dick Leach, Tom Chivington,
Mike DePalmer Sr., and Allen Fox on how they
recruit talent? These are some of the best minds
in the game that have been instrumental in
developing kids at a young age. The resources
that we have far exceed that of any other
country, and they are not being used.
4. You have got to have
all the kids at one facility. The belief has
been that America
is too big. It would be impossible to have
everyone at one academy. I couldn’t disagree
more. Kids from all over the world come to the
IMG Sports Academy to train. Some as young as 6
years old (Maria Sherapova). By having the best
kids in one place, you can’t have any better
competition than that and competition is one of
the tools that breeds success.
It is a travesty that
the USTA has to go overseas to look at how
France and Spain run their tennis academies when
the most successful tennis academy is in their
own backyard in Bradenton, Florida.
If the USTA doesn’t
get their act together and hire a tennis
director with experience in junior development
and willing to put in countless hours, then the
new tennis academy at Evert’s will be “smoke
and mirrors”
America has put out the
greatest players of all time... both men and women.
It is a great idea to get John McEnroe, Billie
Jean King, Jimmy Connors, and any other of the
greats to donate their time, but it is up to the
day to day operations of an academy that will
make the real difference to the development of
the next generation of stars of America.
P.S. My nephew won the
14 and under Orange Bowl last year under my
father’s tutelage.
But now the USTA has taken over the coaching and
I hold my breath for his tennis future.
Sincerely,
Mike DePalmer Jr.
Former top 30 in the world in singles, and top
20 in the world in doubles
Director of Elite Program NBTA 1993- 94
Coached Boris Becker 1994- 1999
|
*****************************************************************************
Tennis
-- August 2006
We had a fantastic July. Our Women’s Inter-Club is
doing great. We have had 20-24 women come out for the
Monday night Round Robin. My weekly Junior Tennis Camp
has had a great group of 5-8 year olds this summer.
August will continue with the Monday Night Women’s
Clinic (call Linda Spalding for more information). We
will also have our Third Annual Area Novice Junior
Tournament on August 17-19. This tournament is for kids
without a state ranking. Last year we had 60 kids from
around the Knoxville area play and it was a huge
success.
I recently wrote an article about “Summer Tennis in
America.” If you would like to read it, go to tennisnews.com
(archives). I’ve received a great response from
across the country.
The summer will be over soon, so you better hurry and
come play some tennis before it is too late.
Sincerely, Mike
DePalmer, Tennis Director
*************************************************************************
Tennis
-- July 2006
Dear
Members:
Our Monday night Ladies Doubles Round Robin has been a
huge success. Thanks to the great work of Lynda
Spalding, Melony Colquitt, and Debbie Sleweski, we
have had 16 women come out to play. Now, we need to
get the men out to play some doubles. If you are
interested in getting it organized, give me a call.
We will be having a Breakfast at Wimbledon for the
ladies finals SATURDAY, JULY 8. If you are interested
in watching the match and then coming out to play some
tennis, give Debbie Sleweski a call to get on the
list.
I will be having Kids Tennis Camps in July for all
levels. If your child is interested, call me at
982-8783, ext. 16.
Thanks for your support and have a great July of
tennis.
Mike DePalmer, Tennis Pro
*************************************************
Tennis
-- June 2006
Our Women’s
Inter-club will be starting their matches this month,
with the first match being played June 2nd
at home.
I will be
having a weekly Summer Tennis Camp, starting
Monday, June 5th. The camp will start every
Monday and run through Friday. We will play from
11:00-12:30pm. The tennis camp will run through July.
Call to reserve the week that best fits into your
schedule.
Some of the
other events planned are a Member/Guest Round Robin.
This will take place later in June. Contact Lynda
Spalding or Melony Colquitt for more details.
Also, come
watch the Finals of the French Open Sunday morning,
June 11th. Then come out and play some
tennis with some of our tennis members.
Bring your
kids and enjoy our great summer tennis programs at
Green Meadow Country Club. Mike DePalmer, Tennis Pro
*****************************************************************************************
WOMEN’S JUNE TENNIS EVENTS
AT GMCC
Monday Night
Round Robin begins Monday, June 5th at 6:30
pm. Program runs 4 weeks through Monday, June 26th.
$20.00 plus one can of balls. For more information
call Lynda Spalding at 379-0089 or Melony Colquitt at
681-3292.
Women’s Tennis Clinics –
Tuesday evenings in June with Mike DePalmer. Clinics
run 4 weeks starting June 6th at 6-7:30pm.
Non-members $76.00, GMCC members $60.00. For more
information, call Mike DePalmer 982-8783, ext 16.
***********************************************
Tennis
-- May 2006
In the coming weeks we will begin our sign-up for Junior
Inter-club. Over the past two years, we have had great
success with the participation of our junior members. We
will be playing other area clubs one match per week,
plus one tennis clinic a week the day before our team
match is established.
Junior Inter-club will take place during the months of
June and July. In next month’s newsletter, I should
have the dates and times for the matches. Come on out
and enjoy our world class facility.
Mike DePalmer, Tennis Director
***************************************************************************
Tennis
-- April 2006
Dear Members:
We will be
starting our ladies interclub clinics for the A-3 and
B-2 divisions the first of April. We expect our teams to
do very well this coming season.
Men’s doubles
will begin the second week of April, and will be held
every Tuesday night. Mixed doubles will be on Thursday
night, and will start as soon as we start filling up the
sign-up sheet.
This year we
will be making a change in the Tennis Pro Shop. We have
contracted out Rackets and Jackets to stock the
pro shop. Rackets and Jackets is the largest
tennis store in the Knoxville area, and they run the
tennis pro shops at several other tennis clubs in the
area. This is very exciting because of their variety of
current tennis wear. We should start receiving stock by
April 1st.
The clay courts
won’t be ready for resurfacing until May so please
bear with us. The hard courts are always available so
come on out and take advantage of our great facility.
Hope to see you
soon.
Mike DePalmer,
Tennis Director
********************************
Tennis
Program -- March 2006
Dear Members,
The tennis
season has arrived. I will be at the club fulltime
starting March 1st. The hard courts are open
immediately and the clay courts will be resurfaced in
May.
I will be giving
private lessons and clinics so call to reserve your
time. For the members with court time, I will be giving
a more detailed schedule of Men’s Night, Ladies Night,
and Mixed Doubles in the next newsletter.
Let’s have a
great year of tennis, and see you on the court.
Mike DePalmer
Tennis Director
*****************************
Tennis
Program -- December 2005
Please remember that my contract for the year will end
on November 30, 2005. The Tennis courts will still be
open for play. The golf course crew will be blowing off
the courts during the winter months. So if you need any
additional help, please call the office. See you in the
spring.
Mike DePalmer
Tennis Professional
***************************
Tennis
Program -- October 2005
Dear
Members:
This will be the last tennis newsletter this year, and
what a great season we had! Our A-3 and B-2 Women’s
Interclub
were very successful this fall. Our A-3 team finished 2nd
over all, missing 1st place by one point.
Our Club Championships for Men’s Doubles and Mixed
Doubles were fantastic. The Women’s Doubles will
be
rescheduled for next spring.
I will be at the club until November 30th.
The clay courts will be closed; however, the other
courts will still be
available for member play.
I still have times available for private lessons. Again,
thank for your support this year and we’ll see you
next year.
Sincerely,
Mike DePalmer, Tennis Pro
********************************************
Tennis
Program -- October 2005
|
