Reservations are now being accepted for the Oct. 23 Middle States Hall of Fame, hosted for the first time in eight years by AMD.  Four individuals with outstanding tennis credentials and strong ties to Western Pennsylvania will be inducted at a dinner at the LeMont Restaurant in Pittsburgh.

All USTA members in the district are cordially invited.  Nina Hughes and Chris Compton are the event co-chairs.

Complete information on the banquet and a downloadable ticket reservation form is available here.

The 2009 induction class includes:

• Brian Earley, a suburban Pittsburgh native, who is head of the USTA Pro Circuits and Tournament Referee at the U.S. Open.
• Don Johnson, an outstanding high school tennis player in both Mt. Lebanon and Erie, who went on to win 23 doubles titles on the pro tour, including Wimbledon, reached the No. 1 world ranking in men’s doubles and played for the U.S. Davis Cup team.
• 
  Peggy Michel, a Wimbledon and Australian Open Doubles Champion with Evonne Goolagong, who came to Pittsburgh as part of the Pittsburgh Triangles of the original World Team Tennis League -- and then stayed in Western Pennsylvania for a decade as a teaching pro, volunteer and graduate student.
• Whitney Snyder, a long time teaching pro at Butler Country Club, and successful coach at both Sewickley Academy and Duquesne University.

Reservation deadline is October 15.

It’s on to the USTA national championships in Alabama Oct. 22-25 for AMD’s 14-and- Under Advanced Junior Team Tennis squad, which won the JTT sectional championship in dramatic fashion in Princeton, N.J.  Aug. 8.  The AMD “Headhunters” needed to win 11 of its final 12 games in doubles to edge the defending 2008 champions from Philadelphia.

The sectional championship came down to a single game-tiebreaker point. With Kylie Isaacs serving, Peter Hazlett at the net, and players, parents and officials watching their every movement, the pair won the point, the set, the match and the championship for their most appreciative teammates. If they had lost that single point, AMD would have had to settle for silver.

Isaacs and Hazlett will be joined at the USTA National Championships by teammates Megan Adamo, Adam Blasinsky, Abby Cummings, Nicole Cyterski, Callie Frey, David Mewkalo, Jonathan Perkins, and Caleb Troy.

The USTA at the national, sectional and district level would like to know what you think about USTA League Tennis. It’s one of the most popular adult tennis programs in the nation but all programs can be improved.  All players with e-mail addresses were to be sent brief survey forms. 

If you did not receive your e-mailed questionnaire or if you have additional comments about ratings, district competition, sectional championships or any other aspect of the program, feel free to share it with us. Please e-mail your comments to the District President at tom@benic.net.

Bjorn Fratangelo, a Pittsburgh native who now trains much of the year in Florida, won the 16-and-under title at the USTA Boys National Clay Court Championships in July, earned a wildcard entry into the U.S. Open Boys’ Championships in September, and is now in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, representing the United States in the Junior Davis Cup Finals through Oct. 4.

Here's more info and his blog!

Gerrod Travis, 13, of Pittsburgh was one of 10 national winners of the 2009 Arthur Ashe Essay Contest, sponsored by the USTA and was treated to an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City in August. He attended the U.S. Open, saw a Broadway show and was a guest of honor at the Arthur Ashe Kids' Day at the Open.

AMD junior and adult players, who have distinguished themselves in national or international tennis events sanctioned by the USTA, may receive up to $1,000 under an AMD’s grant program designed to partially offset the cost of travel and participation. Entry forms can be found here and on the AMD website: www.amd.usta.com. Applicants should mail the applications to Colleen Geyer, Chair of the AMD Grants & Scholarships Committee, at:

1806 Grall Ave. Ext.,
Pittsburgh, PA 15209
or e-mail her at colgeyer@earthlink.net     

Deadline is Nov. 1, 2009.

The AMD Grants and Scholarships Committee will base its decisions primarily on need, and the success achieved in high-level competition.

Nominations are now open through Oct. 15, 2009 for the district’s 2009 Annual Awards. Winning district entries will be recommended for Middle States award consideration.  The categories are:

• Coach of the Year
• Family of the Year
• Media Excellence Award
• Organization of Year - Noncommercial
• Organization of Year- Commercial
• Tennis Professional of the Year
• Tournament Director of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year

Nominations should include contact information on the nominee and nominator and a short written description of the reasons for the nominations. You may use this form.

Nominations should be submitted to Bob Ruzanic, chair of the AMD Awards Committee, at ruzanic@USTA.ms.com or by mail at 1925 Dubonnet Court, Allison Park, PA 15101.

New player-friendly Mandates will be in effect for all 2010 District Ranking (DR) junior tournaments in the Allegheny Mountain District.  They were approved by the AMD Junior Activities Committee and apply to all DR tournaments that are to be held in the district beginning next year.

The Mandates strengthen AMD’s commitment to a full first-match-losers backdraw, not just a single consolation match. They set a maximum singles entry fee for outdoor tournaments of $25 – which can be raised to $30 only if a first-match-losers consolation was used in 2009.

The new mandates also limit players to only one singles division and require the following:

• At least a 10-game pro set to decide doubles matches
• Next-day starting times be posted on line to avoid miscommunication
• AMD Seeding Coordinator be given 48 hours to recommend seeds for all DR tournaments in the district. 

The mandates also recommend that tournament directors strive to schedule at least two matches a day to shorten the tournament for most players and to reduce travel time and costs.

Some 50 junior players aged 13 to 17, from Pittsburgh, Erie, Wheeling and throughout the district, attended a pilot Advanced Competition Training Center (ACTC) program this summer.

The Advanced CTC program is an outgrowth of the USTA-sponsored Competition Training Centers for juniors ages 10-13 that have been part of the USTA Player Development program since 1988.  CTCs were established for competitive players to offer low-cost, high-level training. 

 

The first-ever ACTC program was held this summer at Oxford Athletic Club in Wexford , the Mt. Lebanon Tennis Center and Oglebay Tennis Center in Wheeling.   Mark Phillips, head pro at Glen Creek Tennis Club and Andy Findlay, USTA Tennis Service Representative, were head coaches for the ACTC coaching staff.

Hank Hughes, Head Pro and Director of the Mt. Lebanon Tennis Center, led several ACTC sessions.  Teaching professionals who participated from the host tennis facilities were: Marc White, Brandon Stewart, Raul Raymundo, Kristy Borza, Scott Kahler, Jackie Hughes, Adam Shosky, and Sam DeSimone. Debbie Hazlett served as Administrator.