It’s May and it’s Tennis Across America month. Are you hosting a free clinic?

Taylor Dent earns USPTA certification
Taylor Dent, ATP touring professional and son of USPTA member Phil Dent, earned his own USPTA certification after a recent exam in Kansas City, Mo.

Dent, who tested at the Homestead Country Club under USPTA testers Kendell Hale, Bunny Bruning and Gary Trost, earned a Professional 1 rating. Although he was given the option to take the shorter executive test offered to touring professionals, Dent insisted on taking the regular exam. The only other touring professional to ever insist on taking the regular USPTA certification exam was Arthur Ashe in 1985.

For more information on Dent’s playing career and certification, click here.

New 2007 USPTA Membership Directory now online
Click here to access the new directory. (You will be prompted to log in to the members-only Web site. The link to the directory is on the home page.)

High School Coaches Resource Center debuts
USPTA launched its newest member benefit and Web site last month with the High School Coaches Resource Center at highschoolcoaches.uspta.com. The site was developed with high school tennis coaches in mind, but it’s a valuable resource to any teaching professional, especially those who work with junior teams or players.

Although the site is free to USPTA members, you must still register by clicking on "Get a username now!" in the green box. You will be asked to create a username and password, after which you’ll be able to log in immediately. The site will be free to nonmembers for 90 days.

One of the most exciting elements of the new site is a practice template with a large library of drills and games that can be copied and pasted into the template to create high school practice sessions.

June ADDvantage helps you plan for 2007 World Conference
Next month’s magazine will feature a special section and a tentative schedule of events that will help you make plans now to attend the 80th anniversary event.

The World Conference will run Sept. 17-22 at the Saddlebrook Resort near Tampa, Fla. Information about the conference may also be found on the USPTA Web site. Click here for more details and check back often for updates.

Competition heats up in USPTA National Surface Championship Series
The USPTA National Surface Championship Series begins this weekend (May 4-7) in West Palm Beach, Fla., with the Clay Court Championships. If you didn’t enter this tournament, try your luck in the next competition - the USPTA Grass Courts, Aug. 24-26, in Philadelphia.

Additional events include the USPTA International Championships (part of the World Conference at Saddlebrook Resort near Tampa, Fla.), another clay court competition, the USPTA Hard Court Championships in Tyler, Texas, and the USPTA Indoor Championships in Big Rapids, Mich. For details about these events, please log in to the members-only area of the USPTA Web site and click on "Tournaments" in the top menu.

Nomination deadline nears for national awards
Nominations for USPTA’s annual international awards program are due to the World Headquarters by July 5. Remember, you can nominate a peer or yourself, and many divisions nominate the winners of division awards. However, it’s important to check with your division to make sure it is submitting a nomination application on your behalf. If not, don’t hesitate to fill out an application and submit it yourself.

Awards are presented in every facet of the tennis business in which USPTA members work. This year, the awards will be presented at the World Conference on Tennis at Saddlebrook Resort on Sept. 20. Award recipients are notified in advance so that they may attend. Click here for details about the nomination process and a list of awards.

Did you know?
HEAD/Penn Racquet Sports produces 340,000 tennis balls a day? This includes the Pro Penn line, which is a premium ball and is endorsed by USPTA. Balls that come off the production line go through 52 quality checks and samples from every lot are tested to measure their rebound and elasticity qualities.

Penn brand balls are also the only ball still made in the United States!