February 22, 2005
March Pro Shop
MARCH PRO SHOP NEWS
If you haven't seen them yet, We now have Awesome New Travel Team Jackets!
Just $60.00, with name embroiderey available at no extra charge on the front!
Get your jacket now before the next Travel Team Match!
All sizes are in stock, if we don't have it we can order it!
Adutls can order Jackets too, just let Kris know.
New Wilson Demo Racquets containing the ncode technology are now here and available to demo!
The racquets are as follows:
Wilson npro and npro surge:
Both have super strength and power, which has low to medium power and a swing index of Medium and Long
Wilson ntour:
The new htour with ncode technology which provides great control and technology, swing index medium and long, with low to medium power.
Wilson nVision:
Great racquet for recreational and competitve player, moderate power in a 103 inch head size.
Wilson nps 95:Great racquet for the aggressive player, swing index of fast and long, with low power.
See Pro Shop Section for prices
New Clothing from Wilson and Bolle should be arriving this month! Black and Lavendar from Wilson, and
Black and white from Bolle! Be sure to check out the pro shop for any new items. If you can't find what your looking for, we can order what you need!
HeadGame Sneaker Closeout Sale begining March 1st!
I'm sorry to say the Head Game shoes will not be around much longer, so take advantage of the extra savings and stock up on your shoes
Save 25% begining March 1st, sale while quantities last
Also coming from Wilson are new Perfect Pac! For those of you looking for a different type of racquet bag, these are the latest favorites! Coming in lots of new colors, and even a Hope Line of Wilson Bags, in Pink and Grey!
February 20, 2005
Sambursky/Gennett Pro-Am
The 2nd Annual Sambursky/Gennett Men's Pro-Am was held Saturday, Feb 20. was once again a big hit, with 10 "amatuers" and 10 "pros" duking it out on the tennis courts for BTC bragging rights.
With $400 in prize money the tone was set. The amatuers came prepared, ready to knock off their favorite pros and friends to claim 1st place. The pros,vying for the $80 1st place prize, rose to the challenge of the amatuers, bringing out their best shots when needed, aiming at both pro and amatuer without prejiduce.
The format included four sets of no-ad tennis. Players drew numbers out of a hat to determine who they paired with, playing with a different partner against a different team each round. Luck of the draw is a factor, and one must be ready to roll with the punches each round.
All in all, everyone had a great time. The amatuers more than held their own, coming up with some surprising yet well skilled shots. Some of the pros on the other hand exhibited signs of rust and wear, and will be honing their skills in the off season after a less than stellar performance!
L-R Mark Dolan, Parker Gennett, Edwin Gerard & Joe Fanara1st place went to Mark Dolan of Syracuse and our sponsor Parker Gennett, who defeated Edwin Gerard, Binghamton University junior and Joe Fanara 10-7 in a super tiebreak. The point breakdown is listed below:
Pros:
Edwin Gerard 11.. not so nice to coach, played brilliant
Mark Dolan 10.. a great performance from a senior citizen
Jordy Asher 3.. best pro am finish since 84' must be the racquet
Bill Mendler 3.. 1st non final pro-am finish ever...35??
Faisal Mohamed 2.. was nice to coach or could have finished higher
Dan Levene 0.. great to see an old familiar face at BTC
Vladimir Victr -4.. very respectful addition from Hartick College
Michael Starke -7.. will be joining Drill with Bill next week
Shawn James -9.. his 1st place prediction was a bit off
Collin Crawford -10 ..will be joining Michael in Drill with Bill!
Amatuers:
Joe Fanara 10.. the old man still has the magic
Parker Gennett 9.. stick to tennis and forget the Formula 1
Jeff Conklin 8.. couragous effort
Tim Saunders 2.. The "Bite Me " shirt wasn't quite enough
Don Krebbecks 0.. Same score as Dan Levene, a legend
Dan Sambursky -1.. His pros let him down this time
John Thornton -4.. Bragging rights at IBM with victory over Pat
Mike Musok-6..The surprise gift did not leave enough preparation time
Bill Mirch -7.. will be joining Michael & Collin in Drill with Bill
Pat Clas -9..Actually, great effort for a 1st year player. Shoud receive bonus points for hitting a pro (Michael). Way to avoid double digits
Special thanks to our sponsors, Dr Sanbursky & Dr Gennett, who put up the entire prize money. Their support makes this great event possible.
Rumour has it that the women want a pro-am of their own. I thought equal rights was over with. Stay tuned!
February 15, 2005
JCTP results: 2/13
Silver 12-2
Tyler def Angela- 4-1
David def Adam- 4-2
Eric def Chris- 4-3
Zack def Lee- 4-0
Kevin def Kailee- 4-1
Sara def Artem- 4-2
Andrew def Meghan- 4-3
Matt def Alex- 4-2
Dan def Charles- 4-0
Silver 2-4pm
Megan def Kelsey- 4-1
Alexis def Inna- 4-2
Michelle def Julia- 4-1
Caitlin def Ashley- 4-3
Vidya def Ann-Marie- 4-1
Anna def Megan-4-0
Jamie def Gina- 4-0
Brittney def Meera- 4-3
Chrissy def Lisa- 4-1
Neema def Sara- 4-0
Julia def Sara- 4-0
Mackenzie def Kailee- 4-3
David def Eric- 4-1
Tyler def Zack- 4-1
Chris def Kevin- 4-3
Sara def Matt- 4-1
Angela def Adam- 4-2
Artem def Dan- 4-0
February 12, 2005
6.0 Mixed Doubles
Mixed Doubles 6.0 USTA teams battle it out on Friday, February 11, at the Binghamton Tennis Center. Bing Rauber's (home) team are pictured socializing with Gerry West's (visiting) team after a close 2-1 Rauber victory. Rauber team members are, standing, from left: Bing Rauber (captain), John Crosby, Mark Gorgos, seated: Kathy MacClary, Alison Cosham Winchell, Cindy Gorgos. The West team members are, standing from fourth from left: Chris Corbett, Wendy Lounsberry, Gerry West (captain), Gary Williams, Annette Fairlire, Joe Morabito, and Vickie Morabito. Captain West came to cheer on his team.
February 08, 2005
Lauren Garbade--February Player of the Month
Lauren Garbade is the player of the month for February. Lauren has really committed herself to tennis by taking extra lessons, competing in the Girls Junior Ladder and playing USTA Level 1 tournaments. Lauren is currently undefeated on the Girls Junior Ladder after 5 weeks. She also recently competed in the Junior Tournament held at BTC and made it to the Quarterfinal round before losing a very tough 3 setter.
Lauren has been playing tennis since she was 7 or 8 years old. She has contributed her recent elevation in her play to all of her instuctors.
Favorite Musical Goup: Dave Matthews Band
Favorite Movie: Miss Congeniatlity
Faviorite Touring Pro: Lindsay Davenport
Favorite Shot: Forehand
Goals/Dreams: I would like to play college tennis and have a family of my own.
Favorite Local Club: BTC
Congratulations Lauren!
February 01, 2005
What is the Split Step and Why is it so Important
The split step is the most important piece to being effective at moving from the baseline to the net. You can have a fantastic approach shot and fabulous volleys and still not succeed when transitioning from the baseline to the net. Usually the overriding answer is you forgot to SPLIT STEP!
What is a Split Step
The split step is utilized while transitioning from the baseline to the net and in between volleys. The split step is a movement with your feet that allows you to equalize your body weight on both legs. This is accomplished with a quick little hop-skip step that allows you to land on the court with your weight evenly distributed on the balls of your feet. This equal distribution allows you to easily and efficiently change directions and move to your next shot.
Why Split Step
When approaching the net we need to stop our forward momentum by utilizing the split step. The split step helps you to balance your body to better react to your opponents next shot. It would be wonderful if our opponents would just hit the ball right back to us so we do not have to split step, but unfortunately they aren’t normally so nice. The split step allows us to move left, right, forward or backward. This is an extremely important point. The split step is giving us time to prepare our body for our next move to the ball. This helps us move in a more controlled manner without any diving or lunging after shots. The split step also helps to keep us from just looking at shots going past us without any chance of making a play on the ball.
The split step is also important in giving us time to read what kind of shot is coming to us. What do I mean by read? I mean to register how fast or slow, high or low, far or close the ball is coming at us. To me this is the overriding factor for utilizing the split step. This allows us to start moving to a ball that is to our left early and help make a more controlled and precise volley.
How many times have opponents lobbed you because you were too busy trying to get to the net that you couldn’t even make a play on a mediocre lob. The problem: No split step. The split step would have allowed you to read and react to the lob earlier. It helps us to determine if we should be backing up for an overhead or chasing down the lob.
Where on the Court should I Split Step
There is no definitive area in which to plan your split step. Usually the split step is used around the service line. However, I do not want to perpetuate just running and stopping at the service line. That could cause you to split too late to be effective in moving to your next shot. The where depends on many factors: how hard and how deep your shot is hit, how quick you make the decision to attack the net and how fast you are moving to the net. This means you may find you split step behind the service line, at the service line or in front of the service line all during the same match. I know this ambiguity makes it sound like the split step is going to cause more problems than it will success, but that is just not the case. Do not get discouraged, the split step will take some practice with trial and error testing to get your timing down, but the benefits will soon appear in more controlled and successful volleys.
When Should I Split Step
The accepted philosophy for when to split step is when your opponent starts their swing. This would allow you to read the ball and determine your best course of action. However, lots of people tell me that they know when to split, but they cannot keep their feet from sneaking in some extra steps, which causes them to be ineffective and unprepared at the net. Therefore, I tell people to say I need to split when my shot bounces on my opponents side of the court. That way if my feet try to sneak those extra steps in, I still am stopped in time to read my opponents shot. This should allow me to feel more controlled, prepared and effective while at the net.
Problems Associated with the Split Step
If you did split step and you still are having trouble with your transition game it can usually be traced back to two reasons.
Reason #1: You ended up waiting where you split to hit your next shot, without ever moving to the ball. Remember the split step is not an opportunity to set up camp. You should not pitch a tent where you split step and plan to play the point from there. The split step is just a pause before you move to your next shot.
Reason #2: Not splitting at the right time, usually splitting too late. Yes, we all know that we should split when our opponent is getting prepared to strike the ball. But if any of you are like me sometimes you feel like your brain knows you are supposed to be stopping, but your feet just keep going. I have found that by telling yourself to split step when your shot bounces on your opponents side of the net your feet end up splitting when your opponent starts their swing. Perfect timing!
Reasons for Not Split-Stepping
Many people tell me that the split step keeps them from getting to the net. The split step may cause you to hit an extra shot or possibly two before reaching your volleying comfort zone, but it is just a pause it is not a stopping point. You should always remember it is more important to be ready for the next shot than it is to be really close to the net!
Hopefully, I will see lots of successful split steps out on the court and improved transition games as a result. Good luck and always remember the party is at the NET!!