Following the next generation of tennis industry insiders

Tennis Career Paths: Erin Crandall, Head Tennis Pro at Solaris Sport & Racquet Club

2010-08-30T19:11:00Z

By Andrew Buchholz

Nothing surprises Erin Crandall anymore. As an alum of Ferris State University's Professional Tennis Management program who has taught at more than four facilities from Georgia to Michigan, Crandall says she's taught players of all personality types and used various teaching styles.

The experience contributed to her own teaching philosophy--for each student to have fun.

"Learning is supposed to be fun and, at the same time, purposeful," says Crandall, head pro at Solaris Sport & Racquet Club in Hawthorne, N.Y. "I want each one of my students to walk away with learning something new, or discovering they can do something they never thought possible for their own individual game."

She landed on that philosophy after 14 years of teaching various student personalities and working with many different pros, all who had their own teaching philosophies. Over the years Crandall had used all three teaching teaching styles:

Command Style: The coach makes all the decisions ("The Dictator")
Submissive Style: The coach provides little guidance and makes few decisions ("The Baby-Sitter")
Cooperative Style: The coach gives leadership and works with the student to make decisions ("The Teacher")

The most comfortable and effective style for Crandall has been the cooperative style. "This [style] allows the coach to provide leadership, but the student gains responsibility and decision-making skills."

After interning for Crandall last summer at Solaris, I saw her teaching philosophies come to life. After years of bouncing around and learning from others around her, Crandall had brought her fun and productive style to the tennis court.

"Students all learn differently. As a good coach you have to adapt to your students needs and be able to have variety," she said. "My advice to newcomers to the tennis teaching world would be to find your niche. If you as the teacher are not having fun, chances are your students aren't either. Get out there, teach with lots of different people, and zero in on what works for you."

New York Sportimes hopes to win World TeamTennis title this weekend

2010-07-20T15:28:00Z

By Andrew Buchholz

Being an avid tennis fan, I have always wanted to attend a World TeamTennis (WTT) match. My chance came Thursday night at Randall's Island Tennis Center in Manhattan, where the hometown New York Sportimes played the defending WTT Champions, the Washington Kastles.

With the WTT Championships looming next Sunday, July 25, in Kansas City, New York aimed to keep its position as No. 1 in the Eastern Conference, while Washington hoped to humble the Empire State team. Whichever teams wins a berth in the final is bound to meet a hungry team because there's a tight race for No. 1 in the Western Conference, between the Springfield Lasers and Kansas City Explorers.

The night I attended was low-key compared to Wednesday night, when the Sportimes played the Philadelphia Freedoms. The highlight match was John McEnroe versus Andy Roddick. Wednesday's WTT match capped a full day on Randall's Island as John McEnroe held tryouts for his namesake tennis academy, due to open in September at the year-old $18 million SPORTIME facility. McEnroe awarded a scholarship to one boy prior to taking the court against Roddick. While the younger man emerged with a 5-4 win, the Sportimes bounced back and took the match 20-19.

On Thursday, without those marquee names gone, so were the packed bleachers. The number of spectators who attended on Thursday filled only about half of the stands, but the players competed fiercely, knowing a WTT final berth was at stake.

In a battle for first place, the Sportimes got down early after losing the first two sets in close tiebreaks. After bouncing back with a strong singles win by American Jesse Witten, the stage was set for the matchup of the night. In the mixed doubles set, Washington put out possibly the most formidable team in tennis: Rennae Stubbs and Leander Paes, two of the all-time great doubles players.

Abigail Spears and Robert Kendrick were given the tough task of trying to take down this powerhouse combination. After a back-and-forth set with no breaks of serve, the duo fought through and beat Stubbs and Paes in another tiebreak. This upset put the momentum in the Sportimes' favor going into the final set of the night, women's singles.

Spears took the court against Washington's Angela Haynes, where Spears was able to keep up the energy and take the set easily, 5-1. This rout gave New York a 23-18 win, and put the Sportimes into first place in the Eastern Conference.

World TeamTennis has been put on the map because of high profile players taking the courts in their time off from their ATP and WTA Tournaments. Current players like Andy Roddick, Venus and Serena Williams, and Kim Clijsters, and legends such as Lindsay Davenport, and Pete Sampras have supported the league by playing for teams across the country. [Last summer, PTM graduate Kyle Revall also attended a Sportimes match. To get a refresher on the atmosphere and unique scoring of a WTT match, take a look at his article.]

Tennis fans in New York City seems to be enjoying watching the pros, whether its for WTT's Sportimes, or at the U.S. Open and Bronx Tennis Open. In a few years they might see some home-grown pros competing there who trained at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy.

Tennis Career Paths: Mike Smookler, President of Tennis Management International

2010-07-14T04:00:01Z

This is the first article in a series that explores how leaders in the tennis industry got where they are today, from the paths they took to the philosophies that shape their work.

How did you get here, Mike Smookler?

By Andrew Buchholz

As a Tennis Management graduate of Lyndon State College in Vermont, Mike Smookler had been immersed in the USPTA style of teaching and prepped for the USPTA Certification exam upon his senior year, just as students like me in Ferris State University's Professional Tennis Management program are trained. As the largest tennis teaching organization and most popular certification type, that would seem to cover any teaching pro position out of college. Except for the one Smookler got.

As a tennis pro at Longfellow Racquet Club in Wayland, Massachusetts, he was required to use the Oscar Wegner Method when giving lessons. Smookler had to make a change.

This method is based off the principle "teach how the pros play." For example, using a semi-western grip on the forehand side and a full unit turn with the body on all groundstrokes. Some of these concepts are a switch from the more traditional USPTA techniques, so Smookler had to make that adjustment. He was at Longfellow for two years, then workedsummers at Mendham Golf & Tennis Club. During the winters, Smookler was the director at Flanders Valley Tennis Club in his native New Jersey, where he eventually became the full-time director in 2003.

Smookler's coaching philosophy took a shift in 2004 when he met four-time Grand Slam champion Guillermo Vilas. At this point Smookler was the director of tennis at Sugarbush in Vermont, one of the best resorts in the country. He quickly made a name for himself in the Northeast, and built up the tennis programs at Sugarbush. He was able to apply key principles he learned from Vilas.

"Vilas is big on footwork and movement," Smookler says. "He believes that if you are always moving, your racquet will naturally adjust to the ball. Problems occur when the feet stop moving. The one saying that Guillermo used that has stuck with me is this: Do not fight your body; use your body."

Smookler left Sugarbush in 2009 and created Tennis Management International (TMI), which manages various facilities. He is the current director of Richmond County Country Club in Staten Island, New York, and runs Copper Springs Swim & Tennis Club in Gillette, New Jersey.

He was also asked to be involved with the USTA Player Development program in the winter of 2010 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. In the new indoor facility, Smookler, along with coaches such as Tim Mayotte and Patrick McEnroe, taught top-ranked juniors in the USTA Eastern division. Smookler says this experience brought him back to the more traditional concepts of tennis instruction, similar to the USPTA style he learned at school. He says the coaches evaluated the players technically with such concepts as lengthening their arm on the back swing to create more racquet head speed through the ball.

With TMI, Smookler says he wants to spread his passion for tennis. And he's doing just that with his work at the two facilities and running clinics with Vilas.

Smookler's advice to those working toward becoming tennis industry insiders: "Always remember what got you into tennis and why you want to make a career out of tennis." On a practical note, he added, "Never take (negative) things personally."

Murray would like to be the man to keep Federer from a 17th major crown

2010-06-27T17:42:00Z

By Andrew Buchholz

What a wacky Wimbledon it has been. No rain? Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal struggling? An 11-hour match?

With the men's game as tight as ever, things are not going to calm down. Here's a look at my predictions for the second week at The Championships.

The Fourth Round is jam-packed with the top players, setting up for another epic finish. In 2008, we had the longest final in Wimbledon history, seeing Nadal dethrone Federer 9-7 in the fifth set. In 2009, when we thought they could not beat the performance from the previous year, Federer and Andy Roddick outdid themselves. Being called "the greatest match in history," Federer regained the title with a 16-14 win in the fifth set. They can't do it again this year, can they?

Looking at the top half, if Federer is going to repeat, it is not going to be easy. In the quarterfinals he will most likely face Tomas Berdych, a six-foot-five player who was built for grass courts. He likes to give Federer a hard time by trying to overpower the Swiss. Federer is always up for the challenge, however. Getting past Berdych will set up a rematch of last year's final. Roddick is still hurting from that result. His struggles against Federer will continue, giving the 16-time Grand Slam champion an opportunity to defend his title.

In the bottom half, Nadal's bad knees may be the deciding factor in his performance. Coming off of two long five-setters and calling a time-out in his last match to have a trainer look at his ailing knees, things could get tough for the Spaniard. He should get past the Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, but in the quarterfinals could meet the powerful Robin Soderling.

Soderling, who was able to hit winner after winner against Federer on slow clay courts in Paris, is on a mission to break into the Top 5 in the world. Using his commanding groundstrokes, look for Soderling to upset Nadal, ushering the Swede into the semifinals.

Meeting him will be England's potential savior, Andy Murray. Not dropping a set yet this tournament, Murray is quietly making a run for his first Grand Slam title. No player on the tour right now uses angles better than Murray, and in the semifinals, look for him to outlast Soderling and put himself into the finals.

With England eliminated from the World Cup, the entire weight of the country will be dropped upon the Scotman's shoulders. Henman Hill (or for the day, Murray Mound) will be flooded. But on the other side of the net, I predict, will stand the greatest grass-court player of all time, Roger Federer. Although things have been shaky thus far for the defending champ, look for a four-set victory for the Swiss, giving him his seventh Wimbledon title and 17th major victory.

What's your prediction? Please leave a COMMENT below.

Watch Wimbledon ESPN.com and the Tennis Channel.

From Baseball to Tennis: My Journey Thus Far

2010-06-24T04:03:00Z

A decision made in high school has influenced the my choice of college and career.

By Andrew Buchholz

I was always a baseball player. Tennis was an afterthought; something I did when I had the time. But baseball was my life. As high school was drawing near, I had a decision to make: play for the freshman baseball team or for the varsity tennis team. I chose tennis, and I found my passion. Tennis is my life.

As I quickly approach my junior year in Ferris State's Professional Tennis Management Program, I like to look back at what brought me to this point. That one decision I made when I was 14 years old changed my life. And I had an even bigger decision to make as college approached. I knew I wanted to major in business, so I applied and got accepted to strong business schools such as Loyola Chicago and Miami of Ohio. But I knew that those schools would toss me in the same pool with thousands of students across the country with a basic business degree.

The PTM Program offered a unique degree with an unbeatable job placement rate (close to 100 percent!). Eager students get rewarded with incredible internships, lasting connections to the biggest names in the industry, and, most importantly, experiences and classes to build a long-lasting career.

One of those incredible internships came to me this year. I work for Mike Smookler, who runs Tennis Management International. The company owns multiple facilities, two of which I am working at this summer. The first is located on historic Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City. I work at Richmond County Country Club , which dates from 1888 and is just a 20-minute ferry ride away from Lower Manhattan. The second facility is in Gillette, N.J., where I am the Head Pro of Copper Springs Beach & Tennis Club .

I'll share my experiences and lessons learned at these two clubs through this column, which is part of my internship work with the TennisWire Network. I will show how I can apply skills learned in PTM, how life is at a country club, and interview some of the leaders in the industry. New York offers many exciting tennis events throughout the summer, and I will be covering as many as possible. One of which is the Guillermo Vilas Clinic at Richmond County Country Club, a two-day clinic hosted by the four-time Grand Slam champion. These are just a few examples of the angles I will write about. I look forward to sharing these stories on this blog, and showing how PTM shapes my career.

After all, tennis is my life.

The Summer Internship: Getting hands-on career experience

2010-05-01T18:38:00Z

Internships are an integral part of the Ferris State's Professional Tennis Management program. Every student is required to participate in three internships during the course of their studies. This article introduces a few PTM students and their summer plans.

By Ryan Bauman

A PTM internship is a student's first introduction to what's it like to work in the tennis industry. While students do get a feel for it throughout the curriculum--meeting staff who have worked in the industry and meeting with alumni who are active tennis insiders, but the truly hands-on experience comes with a two- to three-month summer internship. Students may get placed with a manufacturer, a resort, a club or another tennis business in a structured internship that requires varied skill-sets and provides development and refinement of such skills.

The first internship for first-year PTM students is working the Ferris State Tennis Camps. Jessica Clark, a transfer student, says she's looking forward to the eight-week assignment--her first go at teaching and working with kids on court. She'll be working alongside fellow students and the two teaching pros at our racquet facility, Amy Nestle and Alex Palladino.

Once students complete their first year of PTM and intern at the Camps, they are free to apply to any internship, which could be located anywhere in the U.S. While there is list of internship opportunities available for students to browse and apply, PTM staff encourages us to find our own internships to help make contacts in the industry.

Natalie Diorio took initiative and made a contact with Steve Green, a pro in Grand Rapids, Mich. She'll be working with country clubs and junior camps. She'll also be officiating USTA tournaments. This kind of experience is great for Natalie because it covers a lot of different areas, a majority being country club tennis with adults and competitive junior camps.

Industry professionals also contact PTM Director Derek Ameel about internship opportunities. This is one of the ways PTM starts long-lasting relationships with clubs around the country. This is how I received my internship for the summer. I'll be participating in a tennis program at a country club in New York. The club requested confidentiality, so I won't name it, but I'm excited to be a part of the team--especially this summer because the club plans to add video analysis to their offerings. I'm looking forward to participating in that and using my multimedia and technical experience to help their computer systems. The tennis is the centerpiece to my internship, but the video and IT work are an added bonus for me. I can't wait to get out there to learn more.

As the year is coming to an end here at Ferris, all you will hear around the club is "Where are you going on internship?" All of the students and all of my peers are ecstatic to be going out this summer and doing what they love.

Editor's Note: Ryan's internship with the TennisWire Network is coming to a close and we wish him the best of luck this summer and beyond. Stay tuned for an introduction to our next intern from Ferris State PTM, who starts in June.

A Weekend with the Masters: PTM alumni, students hang out as "part of the family"

2010-04-26T03:47:00Z

Every year since 1986, the Ferris PTM program hosts a banquet and invites top professionals of the industry to share their knowledge with the students. This year's banquet was themed "A Weekend with the Masters."

By Ryan Bauman

The 24th Annual PTM Banquet was the first banquet I had attended at Ferris State University. It was everything I thought it would be and more. Most of the speakers hold "Master Professional" status, the highest level of certification, with the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA). And the headliner was Nick Saviano, a master professional with both USPTA and the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR). Only eight other teaching pros worldwide hold this accomplishment, including another seminar speaker, Ajay Pant. Our line-up of great speakers also included Steve Smith, Pintu "Bean" Patel, Bob Love, and Jay Hardman were also speakers at the seminar.

Some amazing things really stood out to me during the weekend, but not what I was expecting at all. I expected to get a lot of great information from all of the speakers, and I did. The presentations were outstanding and enjoyable in all regards. But the fact that these professionals, some of the top people in the tennis industry, would come speak to 50 college students about tennis and about our futures, giving career advice and on-court knowledge simply blows my mind. Ferris does not pay their way: the speakers must pay for their transportation themselves. When I learned this fact I felt so much more appreciative and thankful that they would come.

Another thing that stood out and helped me feel more comfortable is how approachable the speakers were. We could simply walk up to them at any given point and they would immediately ask us questions and be genuinely interested in us. There were more than just a few occasions where I would walk away answering more questions than I had asked. I was impressed and flattered that each of the speakers would take as much time as they could to actually learn about us and talk with us one-on-one.

It's also customary for alumni to attend the banquet, and while my previous boss and mentor was unable to make it this year, several alums I had met recently showed up. This was another aspect that was important for us current PTMers: networking.

There's a little saying in PTM, and I think I've heard similar things elsewhere, "Once a PTM'er, always a PTM'er." As soon as the alums started to arrive, everyone was socializing and networking, and, more importantly, everyone was comfortable with each other, even if this was their first time meeting. Having the common ground that is PTM, alumni almost automatically consider you "part of the family" and seem to enjoy spending their time hanging out with current students.

Banquet weekend was a great way for me to recharge and make the fire that is tennis burn brighter. Seeing the speakers and talking with them, and seeing the alumni and talking with them, I really learned a lot about tennis and industry, but also about the program. I think I have a much better understanding now of what it really means to be in PTM and what that can mean for my future.

To learn more about Professional Tennis Management at Ferris State University, click here.

Tennis Networking: USPTA Midwest offers top speakers and teaching tips

2010-03-07T03:39:00Z

By Ryan Bauman

During the last weekend of February I had the distinct pleasure of representing both Ferris State University's PTM and the TennisWire Network at the United States Professional Tennis Association Midwest Conference held in Columbus, Ohio. The USPTA had sponsored several speakers for the event including Tom Gullikson, USPTA Master Professional Bob Love, and tennisdrills.tv creator Jorge Capestany. There were booths and representatives for several businesses, ranging from the large sporting goods manufacturers such as Wilson and HEAD to small businesses offering tennis club management solutions.

It was my first USPTA conference and it was a lot of fun. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, though. All of the speakers were more than willing to talk with attendees after presentations, and several of the speakers knew each other and helped each other during presentations. This definitely exceeded my expectations of the conference.

I was really impressed with some of the information we were getting from the presentations. One presentation I really enjoyed was the VOTSA video analysis presentation. Through VOTSA, coaches can record information and upload it to the VOTSA servers and then two to four days later a fully analyzed video package is e-mailed back to the coach and the student. A very interesting idea, and I'd like to see it work out.

The presentation on biomechanics was particularly interesting because this semester I'm enrolled in an anatomy class at Ferris State. I was able to apply a lot of the information from class to the presentation, allowing me to grasp a good understanding of everything discussed.

One presentation that was not well attended yet offered a lot of information and potential for business owners was the social networking and Internet marketing presentation. Advertising and marketing has changed the way businesses communicate with their customers. Tennis and country clubs need to learn and embrace these changes to stay ahead of the game and stay successful. Having a background in digital media and currently getting a business degree, I thought that this presentation was right up my alley, and I learned some new, interesting tips and ideas to try out when I get a full-time job in the tennis industry after I graduate.

Most of the presentations were interesting and useful, but some felt more like a sales pitch than a presentation for knowledge. I went in with the thought that the booths were for sales and the presentations were for ideas, but sometimes the two blended. I felt like the presentations that were more sales-like could be replaced by those that are strictly to share knowledge and new ideas.

The second day of the conference also included high school coaches from Ohio who may not be USPTA-certified. For this mixed crowd, some of the presentations included some of the same info from the day before. I suppose this is to be expected because half of the attendees were not present the day before, and some of them may not continually search for new tennis knowledge if they're coaching high school.

Overall it was a fun, new experience. I learned a lot of new things and other things I already had some knowledge of and were simply reinforced. I'm taking the USPTA P1 certification in April and I'll definitely go to regional and national conferences once my schedule clears up after graduating.

It's Who You Know: Networking in the Tennis Industry

2010-02-19T05:33:00Z

By Ryan Bauman

People want to get jobs based on their credentials and skills, but often it's who you know that lands you the job.

I've been told this for as long as I can remember, and it's reinforced here at Ferris' PTM program more than anywhere else I've heard. Networking is a big part of the tennis industry and it's something that PTM prides itself on. It was one of the benefits that made me decide to attend PTM so when I arrived I said, "Okay, I'm ready to start networking!" But it really takes a lot more effort and a lot more patience than I had anticipated.

I've been in the PTM program for six months now and looking back on it I've been given several opportunities to build my tennis network. In the first semester PTM invited a total of six speakers to come talk to students and interview for internships. This semester PTM has brought in four speakers so far and plans on bringing in several more. (Stay tuned for coverage in April!) These are great opportunities to practice interviews, build networks for post-graduation, and find internships for the summer months.

Our largest annual event, the PTM Banquet, is the best opportunity to network with some of the bigwigs in the industry. It gathers speakers from all over the world and in the highest tiers of the tennis industry. This year's theme is "An Evening with the Masters" and PTM is bringing in five Master Professionals, including two who hold that highest rank from both United States Professional Tennis Association and Professional Tennis Registry. Only six people worldwide hold this title, and we'll meet two of them in April. It's a huge opportunitiy for all of us students to gain knowledge of the industry and to build that network.

This is great for PTM students, but if you're not a PTM student, where do you start networking or continue networking? The best option I've been told is to network at the regional, national, and international tennis conventions, such as the USPTA World Conference. A tip for starting a relationship with some of the tennis greats may be to listen to a speech or presentation, remember some key points that piqued your interest, and approach the speaker after his or her presentation is over. This is a great way to introduce yourself and keep yourself in his or her memory.

Once the conference is over be sure to send the speaker an e-mail and a written thank-you letter or card. Something I learned very quickly at PTM was the importance of a thank-you letter. It can make or break a good-standing relationship with someone you may want to network with in the future.

Some dates for upcoming conferences and events include:

Midwest USPTA Conference, February 27 - March 1 2010
Ferris PTM Banquet, April 9 - 11 2010

Ferris PTM in the Classroom, Part 3: Running an Event

2010-02-08T05:24:00Z

This is Part Three of a three-part series, Ferris PTM in the Classroom. Part One focused on the first half of the freshman curriculum, and Part Two focused on the second half of the freshman curriculum as well as the senior classes.

By Ryan Bauman

The final entry in this series on the Ferris State University Professional Tennis Management curriculum is about the final classes I'll have to take in order to graduate. Since I haven't taken them yet, I talked to my peers about what these required classes entail.

As the name suggests, Advanced Teaching Techniques provides sophomores with more sophisticated tools to provide excellent instruction overall, as well as abilities needed on the court. This class builds on the teaching foundation built in the last class, Beginning Teaching Techniques. A major part of teaching tennis is being able to diagnose problems in strokes, which is a major part of this course. Students also learn different teaching styles for different levels of players, such as ways to teach advanced juniors and beginning adults, instead of learning just basic teaching techniques. After finishing this course, students are prepared to participate in internships for any skill level of teaching, whether it's at a top junior academy or a prestigious country club.

The junior curriculum is focused on the management and marketing side of the tennis industry. Tournament Administration presents different aspects a Director of Tennis has to deal with on a daily or weekly basis. All students are assigned events to coordinate and administer, such as a tennis or racquetball tournament. Another interesting project involves advertising the Ferris State racquet club. Students must develop videos and online publications that showcase the facility, lessons, racquetball courts, as well as the variety of fitness classes offered. The students are basically in charge of running the facility during this time. This kind of hands-on experience prepares us for internships and our first jobs after graduation. It's good preparation because most students will be running events and be in charge of bringing new members into their facilities.

The following video is a quick tip by Ferris PTM student Bobby Brown done for his Advanced Teaching Techniques class. (0:56s)

The following video is a FSU Racquet and Fitness Center spot for Wallyball created by Tiffany Rheynard for the Tournament Administration class. (1:22s)

For more information on the Ferris Professional Tennis Management degree, click here.

Ferris PTM in the Classroom, Part 2: Developing your own coaching philosophy

2010-01-29T16:33:00Z

This is Part Two of a three-part series, Ferris PTM in the Classroom. Part One focused on the first half of the freshman curriculum, and Part Three will introduce the sophomore and junior level portions of the program.

By Ryan Bauman

I am a transfer student in the Professional Tennis Management (PTM) program at Ferris State University. Because of this, I will be graduating in the middle of the standard college year. So this semester I have to take the freshmen spring class and senior spring class and next fall I'll take the sophomore and junior fall classes to round out the PTM curriculum. Here's a look at a couple of mandatory classes in the PTM program.

Beginning Teaching Techniques is the second semester class for all freshman and first-year transfers. What do you expect this class will be about? I expected exactly what it is called; the basics of teaching tennis: Feeding balls, setting up basic drill progressions, teaching basic stroke progressions, and similar fundamentals. This class went beyond my expectations.

Having already coached teams and taught tennis before coming to Ferris, I had already started to develop a coaching philosophy. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I had an idea of how I wanted to coach players and what values I wanted to instill in them through the game of tennis. This would have been one of the last things I thought would be an assignment for my first teaching techniques class. Sure enough this was our first assignment of the class and we are expected to continuously revise it as we see fit.

The importance of the coaching philosophy not only provides a fundamental to the structure of lessons, but also the structure for the learning process that continues through the time that the coach and student interact. Life lessons can be, and are, learned through sports and from the coaches who teach them. This is why it is important to develop the coaching philosophy and stick to it; providing good life lessons for juniors is essential for making them into good players on the court and good people off the court.

I'm also taking USPTA Certification. This course is for graduating seniors to get certified by the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), which is the oldest organization for teaching professionals in the game of tennis. All students must pass the exam at the Professional-1 or Professional-2 level in order to receive a degree. So far this class has strictly been about passing the exams, however the last class sessions of the semester are dedicated to business ethics, networking, and general ideas and planning for the post-graduation life of a tennis professional.

To learn more about Ferris State University's Professional Tennis Management program, click here.
To learn more about the United States Professional Tennis Association and certification as a professional, click here.

Saddlebrook internship offers glimpse of resort life

2010-01-18T05:11:00Z

By Ryan Bauman

With the beginning of a new year an old year comes to an end. To finish off last year, myself and two peers from Professional Tennis Management spent two weeks in sunny Florida to accomplish an annual winter break tradition here at Ferris State: the Saddlebrook internship.

The Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, Fla., is world-renowned for its tennis and golf programs as well as its five-star restaurants. The experience was definitely an interesting one and has helped to shape my future in the tennis industry. Myself and my peers spent most of our time on court, teaching lessons and helping with some of the academy and camp students staying at the resort. We were able to hit with some great young players as well as see some of the tour players out and about on the courts.

When we first arrived, we were given a tour of the resort, which is huge. A large lake in the middle of the resort is the divider between "Lakeside" and the "Walking Village." Both areas have courts. The walking village has 24 courts including green clay, red clay, and grass courts. Lakeside has 14 courts, six green clay and eight U.S. Open hard court surface. Lakeside is also home to the gym, a volleyball court, and one of the swimming pools. The "pros only" gym is located on this side of the resort, and it is not uncommon to see tour players practicing on court. John Isner's last day there training was our first day on the job so we missed seeing him practice, but Victoria Azarenka came to hit during our time there. The Walking Village is home to the main courts as well as the golf and tennis pro shops and four restaurants. I highly recommend the filet from the Tropics. I'm not a big golfer, but the golf courses were simply amazing. The landscapes and scenery flowed nicely, and the grass was well maintained.

My experience in the industry so far has been with country clubs. I've worked with small numbers of members who are regulars. There's almost a routine to it. Not so in a resort setting: The guests and our assigned courts would change almost every day, sometimes even shift-to-shift. Now that I've experienced the difference, I think I prefer the country club atmosphere where things are a little less different day-to-day.

All of the guests and employees were wonderful. Someone was always there to help us whenever we needed it. I can easily say that Howard Moore, the director of tennis at Saddlebrook, is one of the hardest working people I've ever seen. He was always there wide awake and ready to go. He was always there hours before any lessons started and always there well after the lessons ended. We got to work on court with Howard, Larry Peterson, Alvaro Betancur, and Nona Wagh. These pros, as well as the rest of the teaching staff at Saddlebrook, were very knowledgeable and helpful. We took lots of notes, learned lots of new drills, and got an overall tennis experience that cannot be beat.

Winter break for some means an internship at Saddlebrook

2009-12-16T13:13:00Z

By Ryan Bauman

Finals are on this week at Ferris State University, which means that winter break is right around the corner. Most students spend the next three weeks taking a break from school and work and spending time with family and friends. That's not the case for some students in Professional Tennis Management, though.

A group from PTM is select for a mini-internship in sunny Florida right as winter gets started in Michigan. I am lucky enough to be one of those students.

Five of us are leaving on Dec. 22 to start a 10-day internship at Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, Fla., where players such as James Blake, Mardy Fish, John Isner and the Bryan Brothers have trained. We will be working under tennis director Howard Moore, who was trained by Australia's former Davis Cup coach Harry Hopman. He is a P-1 certified professional from the United States Professional Tennis Association and earned a B.A. in Hotel Management from Florida International University. Saddlebrook has 45 courts that include all Grand Slam surfaces--grass, red clay and hard courts. Saddlebrook is home to adult and junior programs as well as a tennis academy and prep school.

The internship includes both on-court and off-court time. As business students, it is important to learn both aspects of the job. We have to be professionals in both tennis and management, hence the name of the degree (B.S. Business in Professional Tennis Management). We'll run courts and lessons at the facility and take part in managing daily activities around the tennis facility.

Stay tuned for more coverage of this PTM internship.

Ferris PTM In the Classroom, Part I: Mastering the daily planner

2009-11-30T18:49:00Z

This is Part One of three-part series on Ferris' PTM classes, Ferris PTM in the Classroom. Part Two will focus on the rest of the freshmen curriculum as well as the sophomore curriculum, and Part Three will introduce the junior and senior level portions of the program.

By Ryan Bauman

When I first heard about Ferris State University’s Professional Tennis Management program (PTM), I wasn’t exactly sure what to think. A degree in tennis? I was skeptical. I was given some more information and was told it was a bachelor’s degree in business from an accredited school. Then where does the tennis come in?

PTM’s curriculum includes Ferris State University’s bachelor's degree program with concentrations in either marketing or management. It also takes some of the basic electives and higher-level business choices and replaces them with tennis-based classes designed to train the next top-notch industry professionals. This series will cover the curriculum that develops The Next Generation of Tennis Industry Insiders and begins with a look at my first semester’s tennis-based PTM classes.

First on the list is PTMG 101, Orientation of PTM. Program director Derek Ameel teaches this class that gives freshmen and first-year transfer students an overview of what PTM is all about. It also gives some great tips and training to use throughout a student’s college career as well as in the professional environment after graduation. Several class periods were devoted toward long-term and backwards goal-planning, plus ways to organize and track progress.

Starting in this class and continuing through the program, every student is required to maintain a daily planner for activities as well as goals and projects. Not exactly the standard expectation of a “tennis-based” class, but PTM builds tennis professionals. Professionalism is one of the things this program prides itself on, so it is important that students learn responsibility and punctuality through the daily use of these tools.

PTMG172, Racquet Repair, is the first workshop that PTM students get to attend.This is definitely a class you'd expect in a tennis program. David Bone, executive director of the United States Racquet Stringer’s Association and PTM alumnus, came to Ferris State University to teach the workshop. He went over details of racquet repair including stringing, grommet replacement, and grip replacement. Students got hands-on training and learned the theory and math behind different types and builds of racquets. All students are required to string 15 tennis racquets and five racquetball racquets by the end of the semester to earn credit for this class.

Check out more on Ferris State University's Professional Tennis Management program here.
Visit the United States Racquet Stringer's Association's website for more information on racquet repair.

Video: A quick introduction to Professional Tennis Management

2009-11-24T18:00:00Z

By Ryan Bauman

I've produced a short video blog to introduce you to the Professional Tennis Management program at Ferris State University, where I am pursuing my degree. It overviews a day in the life of a PTM student. Expect more episodes and articles about the experience of going "From Player to Teacher."

Video run-time: 00:01:29

Finding the line between persistence and pestering

2009-08-11T01:08:26Z

By Ryan Borucki

One week from now I will be packing my bags to embark on my next adventure.

After 15 weeks at Royal Melbourne Country Club for my final internship, I am heading to my next destination, Denver. This has been a goal of mine since I enrolled in the Professional Tennis Management program in 2006.

During this summer I have come to understand a great deal about the tennis industry and life in general. I have developed a teaching style of my own and become more confident in my teaching as well as playing. I have learned the importance of budgeting, but still need to put it to use. And I have experienced the benefits of networking.

Now all of these things are wonderful and I will carry them with me into the future, but the most important thing I have learned this summer is that persistence pays off.

Up until this summer I had been too willing to accept rejection, even if it hadn’t happened yet. Whether I’m on the phone, face to face, or writing a letter, I’d rather not “bug” someone than go after what I want. Obviously, there is a point where you need to let off the gas, but I was as close to that point as a shy boy at the 8^th grade dance.

I told my boss at the beginning of the summer this was something I needed to work on. I felt bad asking members if they wanted another lesson. I didn’t want to badger them and figured they would call if they wanted another one. And yes, some of them did, but the ones you called were taking a lesson the next day or even the next hour if you were free.

As I pushed through the summer and my boss pushed me, I began to put myself out there a little bit more. I came to realize that until someone said 'absolutely not' there was always a chance of my persistence paying off.

It wasn’t until this past Saturday that I had this epiphany. During my job search I had called lots of clubs in Denver and had left plenty of messages. Some of these clubs had responded and asked for my resume. I sent them and believed that was sufficient. I didn’t want to pester them. I would come to realize that following up showsm my interest and exhibits a “persistent” attitude.

Following a talk with my boss about continuing to call these places either until they said 'no' or that the positions were filled, I decided to do just that. I even called one of the guys that was supposed to have called me, but since he didn’t I figured I might as well make the effort.

A couple days went by--nothing. Then came Saturday morning and my caller ID displayed a Denver area code. On the other line was one of the head pros from a club I had contacted.

Long story short: I've gotten my foot in the door to ultimately pursue my dream of teaching tennis in Colorado. Now I can’t give all the credit to my encouraged persistence because without help from some great guys in the industry I wouldn't have made these contacts in the first place. But in the end, it was that persistent attitude that got me the eventual call back.

I'm heading to Denver without a full-time job, but my search continues. I'm hopeful that my persistence will pay off.

Creative programming can cure a boring August

2009-08-10T20:47:00Z

By Kyle Revall

As July came to a close and the August air blew in off the coast of Long Island, tennis programming came to a halt. Clinic revenues, private lessons, and stringing dollars simply are hard to come by as people clamor for a few vacation days before returning to school and work. What is a tennis professional to do?

Answer: Develop creative clinics and camps to get members frequenting the club again!

At the Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club (CSHBC) on Long Island, our major summer activity for kids is "Sports Group," which ended on Aug. 7. Director of Tennis Magnus Gustafsson knows that signals the end of summer play at the club. Families frequently leave Cold Spring Harbor looking for their hot vacation spot or a cool place further north to cool down until school starts back up. This year, Magnus' plan was to keep kids coming through the month by creating a new and exciting group called Kids Tennis Camp.

A simple flyer and a few words of encouragment to parents got the ball rolling. The info sheet contained a few lines stating that it is going to be a fun-filled daily camp for juniors, aged five to 10, with activities ranging from tennis to swimming, and that lunch would be served.

A camp like this can roll in some serious revenues--and it will keep your pros off their butts for a couple of weeks.

A great way to keep employees happy is to allow them to participate in the camp fun. At CSHBC the tennis pros can put on their swimsuits to join the kids for a quick swim in the afternoon. It's a win-win: By allowing the pros to join in, get a tan and have a break, they not only get paid, but they have a good last experience before they head off to school or their next teaching job.

These little clinics and lessons are a great way to keep everyone happy. Pros are happy for the perks, the club owner is thrilled to bring in more revenues, parents are happy because they have a way to keep their children busy for three hours in the afternoons, and most importantly, the tennis programmer is happy because all of those people are satisfied with his work.

This is one way to keep your summer from coming to a boring close.

Careful event planning minimizes (but doesn't eliminate) surprises

2009-08-08T03:20:00Z

By Ryan Borucki

From the weekly morning mixer to the monthly twilight night, events play a key role at of country clubs.

I learned this throughout my summer internship at the Royal Melbourne Country Club, I have been part of events once or twice a week. Some are pretty standard and others take on a theme and get talked about for weeks. Either way, it's of the utmost importance that each and every detail is planned out. Luckily I had some preparation as part of the Professional Tennis Management program.

Students are required to take a tournament administration class that covers the components of running an event (before-during-after). At the end of the semester, students are required to run their own event from start to finish. This is wonderful practice and provides great experience, but it’s a different story when it's the real deal .

My co-worker and fellow PTM’er, Kasey Grohs and I were given this opportunity on Aug. 7. Similar to the required PTM class, this was a “final” test for our internships.

As we sat down to begin the event planning process, a million ideas ran through my head. But--first things first--we had to come up with a theme and a format. We came up with a theme, Dirty Doubles, for a daytime doubles mixer. After we picked the theme, we checked with the food and beverage department to arrange beverages and snacks for the event, running 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Then we had to get on the horn.

There's a lengthy checklist for planning and running an event. Between trips to the florist and constant phone calls it was a long week. But that’s not what stuck in my mind after finishing the event that Friday morning.

We arrived at 8:30 a.m. to set up for the 10 a.m. start time. As we walked in, our boss, Mike Lardino, let us know we had a voicemail from a lady wanting late entry for the event. We also had to prepare the vase of flowers we bought for the winners and to complete our board of rules; the latter task was delayed because the copier wasn’t working the night before.

Okay, no big deal, that’s why we came in early. The kicker was that Mike told us we had to sweep and line the courts because the grounds crew had forgotten. As we scrambled to make phone calls and get the courts swept, he stopped us, letting us in on his joke: The courts were fine and "the lady on the answering machine" was him!

It wasn’t that Mike wanted to see our heads explode or to watch us fail miserably. Ultimately, he wanted us to understand that we needed to plan for setbacks or even disasters when planning an event. Had the courts not been swept, or a water pipe had blown, or the flowers had died overnight, we would have been in a tough situation.

And that is the beauty of the internship. Kasey and I aren’t stuck with a tennis director or head pro looking to use us as money-makers. Mike, a PTM graduate himself,gave us daily lessons and experiences to help us improve our skills and further our careers.

Please share any similar experiences you have had, as well as the 'ins and outs' of putting together a tennis event.

Internships provide experience for a lifetime

2009-07-31T17:48:00Z

By Ryan Borucki

Since graduating high school I have attended two universities, endured six years of college, earned a bachelor’s degree and worked three internships. All of this has been exciting, educational and costly. And now all are part of my resume as I apply for jobs this fall as a graduate of Ferris State University's Professional Tennis Management program.

Each class attended (or missed) and workshops completed have helped to prepare me for working in tennis, but classes and on-court simulations can only take you so far.

This is where internships come in.

My three summer internships have put me in everyday professional situations where I have been forced to make real-time decisions. From member relations to event organization, I have been given the opportunity to gain first-hand experience.

This summer, for example, my boss had to make an unexpected trip for two days during the week. On these days we had a ladies' team drill session, junior classes and private lessons. Between another Ferris student and myself we were expected to take care of the club. This is normally a job for three to four people and we often run four courts for the ladies each day. I had regularly looked up to my boss for positive reinforcement on decisions, but for these two days I was forced to trust my skills and decisions.

Although this may seem like a small thing, it gave me the confidence to go with my judgment and rely on the skills I gained through Ferris State PTM--something I could not have experienced through the classroom.

In fact, the summer internships, which run two or three months, pack a lot of valuable experience, including:

· Court maintenance

· Member relations

· Event organization

· Tournament administration

· Ladies/junior practices

· Club management

· Tennis camps

· Paddleball (never played until my internship!)

Internships are an extremely important part of the Ferris State PTM program. I've definitely benefited from my internships working at the Ferris State University Tennis Camps, Greenville Country Club in Wilmington, Del.; and Royal Melbourne Country Club in Long Grove, Ill.

If you are looking to join the tennis industry or need summer help, give internships a shot. The position may be temporary, but the experience gained will last your lifetime.

Not sure about 'what I want to be' (except the tennis part!)

2009-07-29T23:49:00Z

By Kely Revall

When I was a typical “fish out of water” college student, I was at a loss for words when people asked me what I want to be when I grow up. Eventually, I just started making things up. That was until I was introduced to the Professional Tennis Management program at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich. I was playing a tournament at the Ferris State Racquet and Fitness Center when I sat down with then-director, Tom Daglis, to discuss the opportunity of playing tennis for the Ferris State team and beginning my undergraduate degree at the school.

When I had my chat with Mr. Daglis, I wasn't sure of anything I wanted to do with my career and life outside of high school. I knew I wanted to go to college and possibly play tennis. I started my tennis career by playing every year for one week, spring break. I would play only because my parents and grandparents asked. When I finally entered middle school and realized the idea of playing tennis for a team, it struck a chord. I was fascinated and I have played year-round ever since.

Even now that I've graduated college--after attending Ferris State and playing for the team--I’m still not sure what I want to do when I finish school, but the idea behind the PTM program is that there are a lot of options one can pursue, and a B.S. degree in business provides great preparation for anything. I have always been very fond of sales. Some people can’t stand sales. Others enjoy working on court with players and teaching the game that they love to anyone who will listen. Some want to own, operate or direct a club where tennis is the topic of discussion day-in and day-out. There are also "loners" out there who enjoy the sweet solitude of stringing in silence in pro shops, at tournaments, and anywhere else people wear out or break strings. PTM has the curriculum for all of them.

The curriculum, workshops, banquets, and internships set you up with the knowledge and connections to get you jobs in tennis anywhere in the world. There are opportunities with clay-court specialists and racquet stringing competitions as well as your regular tennis facilities or country clubs that need a professional to help teach Championship Carl (if you read my last article you’ll remember him) how to hit a two-handed backhand.

PTM is a great program for anyone who loves the game of tennis. It's at a cozy, Division II school in the midwest that offers a myriad of people and activities to participate in.

I am at the start of my tennis career. Not sure exactly where it will take me, but one thing's for sure: I am proud to be a Professional Tennis Management program at Ferris State University !