Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association
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SUMMARY OF 2008 INDIANA TENNIS CONVENTION

To: All IHSTeCA officers, members, and other interested parties

From: Tim Cleland, IHSTeCA president

The 2008 Indiana Tennis Convention was held Feb. 7-8-9 at the Indianapolis Racquet Club. The convention was well-attended with about 230 registrants, perhaps the highest total ever for a year in which we did not combine with the USPTA Midwest Division.

The following items of business were conducted at the IHSTeCA board meeting:

Approved allocating $5,000 to a project to renovate the Indiana HS Tennis Hall of Fame.
Appointed a three-person ad-hoc committee of Ed Yarbrough, Bill Reed, and Jim Clark to oversee the Hall of Fame renovation project. They announced a plan to generate additional funds from private sources to enhance the Hall of Fame at the Barbara S. Wynne Tennis Center. Plans call for the plaques of all inductees to be displayed in new oak cases, with wall space to be devoted to new displays that feature the history of Indiana HS Tennis.
Approved reducing the annual number of inductees into the Hall of Fame from five to three, effective for the Class of 2009. The number can be increased at the discretion of the Hall of Fame selection committee, based on merit.

The following items of business were conducted at the IHSTeCA general membership meeting:

Approved the election of the 2008 slate of officers:
- Tim Cleland, president
- Bill Reed, first vice president
- Sharon Rosenburgh, second vice president
- Joe Doyle, third vice president
- Mark Reilly, fourth vice president
- Mike Bostic, fifth vice president
- Don Wafer, secretary / treasurer

Announced the formation of a new Indiana Senior All-Star Match for boys’ tennis, effective Fall 2008. The matches will be at DePauw University in Greencastle. IHSTeCA fifth vice president Mike Bostic has been appointed organizer of the event. St. Vincent Sports Performance Center is the primary sponsor. (Indiana senior girls already have an all-star opportunity sponsored by the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association.)

Announced that a Rules Survey will be conducted online in late summer 2008 in preparation for Rules Proposals to the IIAAA and IHSAA in January 2009. Tim Cleland and Sharon Rosenburgh will coordinate the survey and proposals.

The following items of business were conducted at the IHSTeCA district membership meeting:
Discussed the creation of a good-faith IHSTeCA Tennis Sportsmanship Creed to be used as guidance for coaches and players. The creed, which will be available on the association website, is for optional reference only, and carries with it no enforcement provisions. District coaches generally showed support for a creed and provided suggestions for items to be included in the creed. Examples of items that were suggested for the creed include the importance of shaking hands at the end of a match; the importance of calling out score when serving; the importance of educating players and parents about appropriate and inappropriate times to cheer (such as after an opponent’s double-fault or unforced error); the importance of fans, coaches, and players not jeering or heckling an opponent after a close line call; and the importance of players maintaining a reasonable sense of decorum while on the court. Tim Cleland will write the Sportsmanship Creed this spring, then send it to all officers and board members for review, and then will post an edited version online as soon as possible.

OVERVIEW OF EVALUATIONS FROM 2008 CONVENTION

More than 90 percent of the participant evaluation comments were positive. Participants seemed very pleased with the venue at the Indianapolis Racquet Club and with the speaker sessions as well as the organization of this year’s convention.

Here are specific comments (both good and bad) from the evaluations:

QUESTION: Overall, how can this convention be improved?

I like the set-up. You do a better job than any other state!	Great improvement from last year (at the Adam’s Mark hotel)
Please have the vendors stay for Saturday	Provide a printable version of the convention schedule online
Move lunch so that we can all eat together	Sound system is still bad
Lunch is too split up. Move lunch from Joe’s Crab Shack. We need to all meet somewhere – we can drive there.	IRC treats all of us as if we were members! They are very respectful to the guests.
Hire police officers that actually get out of their cars to direct traffic!	Adhere better to printed start/end times
Really a great job. I get a lot of value from this. It is worth the time, effort, and money.	I liked the long-sleeve convention T-shirts
All speakers should have outlines that are available to all	I love this location. There was plenty of useful information for intermediate level players. Very organized. Thanks for all your work putting together this great convention!
Holding the convention at a place with courts is good. The PA system is good but could be better. Speakers need to be told to speak slower. Place all handouts with the initial coaches’ packets.	Too much wasted space/dead time on Friday. Morning sessions were awesome. Do lunch boxes and have District meetings/awards during lunch. IHSAA interpretation meeting after lunch, then Saturday morning sessions on Friday afternoon. No real need to be 3-day event. Big meal and Tennis Hall of Fame on Friday evening. Crab Shack awesome but too much. Organization was very professional. One of the best conventions I’ve been to – great job!
Give directions to this location ahead of time	Have speakers for those of us less fortunate financially and with less talented programs
No more 1 hour, 50 minute sessions! Whew!	Set the Rules Interpretation meeting for 12:00 to 12:50 Saturday or 8:00 to 8:50 Saturday
Would like to see vendors on Saturday also	I think it is good to keep having a variety of topics rather than about drills (don’t stop the drills but keep expanding the topics)
Find a facility more suitable to a conference atmosphere	This was the best ever – outstanding speakers!
Convention was excellent again. Presenters were good. Having tennis courts for demos is important for realism. Sound system was a little shaky but it’s hard to trust it working perfectly.	It is difficult to hear when you are on court #1 and people are talking to the vendors behind you.
Tim always does a great job. I know there are others and I thank them as well.	Keep the same dates for next year. It is the best time.
I had to pay full price at the Marriott even though I booked early. They didn’t hold enough rooms with two beds. They only had one-bed rooms left.	This is always one of the best and most enjoyable seminars I get to attend. Good job!
I thoroughly enjoyed it again this year	Take a lunch break on Saturday
Coaches fun doubles: group by level before starting so skill level is even	Put Rules Interpretation meeting earlier on Friday or Saturday
The Thursday night session was too much information overload. It was a good subject and was presented adequately – but cut back on the content.	Great job all planners, officers, and others. Thank you for all your time. We really appreciate all you do.
It’s awesome! Access to soft drinks and more food would be good.

QUESTION: Ideas for topics / speakers for the 2009 Convention?

TOPICS	SPEAKERS
Basics for new coaches	Spencer Fields
How to best use the 20-30 minutes right before a match.	Rodney Harmon – more from him
Organizing parent support or booster clubs	Tim Cleland
The serve basics – how to teach a beginner to serve and progression as they age and develop	Bob Bayliss
Partner drills for large groups
How and when to use slice, flat and kick serves
How to fix bad grips. How to teach grips to younger players
Teaching Tennis to First-Timers (freshmen boys and girls who have never played – they have too many problems and we need a place to start)
No middle school program and no assistant coaches – HELP!
Fitness, mental toughness, nutrition
How a coach developed a player
How to string racquets
How to teach girls to serve
How high school coaches can held middle school coaches
More beginner and intermediate ideas. Bring in those level players and give drill ideas.
Off-court training. How much is too much?
Teaching the mental game
Strategies
More about game patterns
Pre-practice, pre-match warm-up routines that kids will do every day

COMMENTS ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS:

Ed Yarbrough	Ball Machine Drills
“While not everyone can have a ball machine, his attitude and enthusiasm is vital to the success of the players.”
“High octane – you must pay attention. Great!”
“I was very pleased to see new adaptations to old drills. I just wish our school could afford those machines.”

Craig Jones	Quick Start Tennis
“Awesome! He needs a video. This would be a great schools program.”
“Quick Start Tennis is going to be revolutionary!”
“Great job showing how to develop beginners. High school coaches need to remember that it starts with the young kids.”

Mike Bostic	Drills for Advanced Players
“Good flow throughout the presentation. Concise advice on how to alter basic drill patterns.”
“Very good to hear what the high school coaches do. The coaches are always the best speakers.”
“Handout for each drill was very detailed in its explanation.”
“Very specific instructions and great drills that all coaches can use.”

Steve Contardi	Maximizing Practice Teaching Effective Strokes
“Best ever – teaches, but keeps it simple.”
“I wish I could sit down with this guy for a few hours and learn more.”
“Great hands-on examples. He kept our attention.”
“Dynamic, exciting, full of energy!”

Mike O’Connell	Quick Fixes
“He was very well spoken and brought energy along with very useful and easily applied tips.”
“He never talks over your head. He has something for everyone.”
“He made a relatively difficult subject easier.”

Rodney Harmon	Creative Uses of Targets
“Good content – not nearly long enough.”
“Extremely approachable – especially considering his stature in the USTA. He showed great enthusiasm and a perspective that only a world-class player has.”
“He stayed after for at least an hour to talk with us. I appreciated his enthusiasm and passion for tennis.”
“Great job, very informative, energetic, loved it. Best! Wish he had more time.”
“You can tell he really loves the game.”

Tim Cleland	Doubles the Delta Way
“Great job! Tim always has good practical coaching drills for all levels of players.”
“The most useful presentation of the day’”
“Great speaker. I love the drills and his relationship with his players. And it’s great to have a written copy of the drills.”
“Great speaker and good demonstrations but didn’t do well with his time.”
“Thanks for bringing your players. It was very helpful to see the drills.”

Mark Reilly	Drills for Intermediate and Beginner
“Very realistic for the majority of girls’ programs.”
“He was like a tennis magician.”
“I liked having help for my beginning junior high boys and girls. He was good!”

Robb Rogers / Scott Hudson	Strength and conditioning
“Very insightful. However, an overwhelming amount of information in a short time.”
“I have been waiting to hear speakers of this type since I first starting coming to these conventions four years ago.”
“Every coach needs to hear these two presenters.”
“A great presentation … and the best example to achieve better performance for all athletes.”
“Excellent but overwhelming. Loved the visuals! Will implement the information into my conditioning.”

Spencer Fields	Big-Match Preparation
“Helpful, useful information. Appreciated the drills being played out by the boys. Appreciated the excellent use-of-the-mind tactics.”
“Excellent in all aspects for demonstrations and improving the player on all levels.”
“Great drills to get kids to learn patterns they are successful with.”

Shawn Flanary	Character Development
“Coaches have to have a forum to encourage each other and discuss ways to lead and coach ‘I’s’ in a team sport. Great presentation – needed more time.”
“Every high school coach should be required to attend this seminar every year as a requirement to coach.”

Randy Bloemendaal	Developing a Weapon
“Randy and his assistant covered good match tips. Could have been explained more thoroughly, but I liked it anyway!”
“I think it was good to have someone who is the coach of a big university talk. I would like to hear more on how the coaches are running their program and what they do with their players.”

Bob Love / Guy Parks	Specialty Course / Footwork-Movement
“Great humor and ideas. A reason behind everything. A joy to hear every time. Gets the audience involved.”

Suggestions for 2009