Nacho
Hall of Fame
I was fortunate to have grown up in the 70's and 80's as a Jr. player at Bitsy Grant in Atlanta. It was the epitome of a great, public tennis center, and those who are familiar with Atlanta tennis will know this. There were a group of ex pros, including Bitsy himself almost always playing, sharing stories and having fun talking about the game of tennis. Great collegiate players like Crawford Henry and Bill Shippy, sharing stores with the likes of Bobby Dodd the legendary football coach at Georgia Tech who never missed a day to play tennis. Many of their photos still hang on the walls there. All levels of players enjoyed playing at Bitsy Grant, you could hardly get a court in the afternoons. Of course everyone was always willing to give advice and swap stories while having a beer afterward. Every summer a center adult tournament was held, along with one of the premier adult tournaments of the summer attracting players from all over the South. People were "invited" to play, and honored to do so. Amazingly people came to watch the sr. players! They loved watching some of the old collegiate players playing against each other. Even at age 70, Bitsy Grant was amazing to watch play. As a Jr. Player, it was almost as interesting as watching the pro's. Additionally Jr. tournaments were constantly held, and the Ga Jr Claycourts was one of the tougher events year in and year out in the state. You marked it on your calendar as one to win every year, and the scoring was regular, with you as a player playing two matches a day if you won. You could compete in a tournament on the weekend, maybe on a Friday and weekend and the whole tournament was an event you looked forward to.
There are Bitsy Grant tennis Centers in every city I am sure and I have seen them in the different cities I have lived; Bitsy is a good example for many people who are familiar with tennis in the South so it is my example.
I mentioned this in another thread, and I can't help beating it in because I see it so much in the threads. Questions of changing the scoring, why not enough people play tournaments, why men don't want to play etc etc. I share the Bitsy Grant story because in this day and age we have moved away from the tennis center, game concept, and embraced this league/catering, abbreviated scoring mentality as a solution to tennis participation problems and to drive an inclusive "recreation" sport. But I have a message for all those that believe that abbreviated sets, changing the pointing system, having saturated leagues, and spread out tournaments helps drive tennis. It doesn't! All it does is make the matches unchallenging and saturate the competition and perception that tennis is a recreation sport. Our Jr. and collegiate players are suffering and American tennis is struggling as a result.
The Bitsy Grant tennis center today is nothing like it was for years, its just like every other club, and this is probably the same in other cities with heritage tennis centers like Bitsy. I visited the center recently...The old areas where people congregated to watch tennis and comment are devoid of anyone. The pro shop has been taken over by some offices, and no longer do you see as many people hanging out, talking tennis.
Tennis has oft been criticized as being a wimpy sport, or just for recreation. But, the reality is its a tough competitive sport that requires physical and mental toughness. It is also a sport with a 150 year heritage in the pro and collegiate level. Sr players have been systematically turned off by tennis because of the poor leagues, lack of tournaments and changes in scoring. Changes in scoring might be a solution for a beginner, but the challenge is lost eventually, and the temporary excitement of a no ad point gets old. Its why so many men walk away...much more challenging to play a tough golf course then play a half ass pro set of tennis with no-ad scoring at 9pm at night. Think about it, if abbreviated scoring and one match a day is to make it easier for people why is it necessary in a sport that many consider recreation. Because the scoring is not easy, tennis is tough! And the scoring is one component that contributes to the mental and physical toughness.
Our sport was hijacked years ago by parents interested in just making their kid a winner in a sport where only one person wins.....and making it easy for everyone to participate. Those parents have moved on...And Unfortunately some of that generation of players has now grown up, running the sport with no connection to the traditions of the game but rather to this mentality of inclusive participation by all levels of players. Lets face it, its probably an obvious money maker. I challenge the USTA, ITA, parents, tournament directors, and anyone else involved in tennis to look at the functions of competition, and promote the traditions of the sport. Stop with the abbreviated solutions!
I value the time I had at Bitsy, the connection to the heritage, the relationship I had with older players who could serve as role models. It drove me to participate in the game for years. I just hope there is a decent game to live on and American players to play it.
There are Bitsy Grant tennis Centers in every city I am sure and I have seen them in the different cities I have lived; Bitsy is a good example for many people who are familiar with tennis in the South so it is my example.
I mentioned this in another thread, and I can't help beating it in because I see it so much in the threads. Questions of changing the scoring, why not enough people play tournaments, why men don't want to play etc etc. I share the Bitsy Grant story because in this day and age we have moved away from the tennis center, game concept, and embraced this league/catering, abbreviated scoring mentality as a solution to tennis participation problems and to drive an inclusive "recreation" sport. But I have a message for all those that believe that abbreviated sets, changing the pointing system, having saturated leagues, and spread out tournaments helps drive tennis. It doesn't! All it does is make the matches unchallenging and saturate the competition and perception that tennis is a recreation sport. Our Jr. and collegiate players are suffering and American tennis is struggling as a result.
The Bitsy Grant tennis center today is nothing like it was for years, its just like every other club, and this is probably the same in other cities with heritage tennis centers like Bitsy. I visited the center recently...The old areas where people congregated to watch tennis and comment are devoid of anyone. The pro shop has been taken over by some offices, and no longer do you see as many people hanging out, talking tennis.
Tennis has oft been criticized as being a wimpy sport, or just for recreation. But, the reality is its a tough competitive sport that requires physical and mental toughness. It is also a sport with a 150 year heritage in the pro and collegiate level. Sr players have been systematically turned off by tennis because of the poor leagues, lack of tournaments and changes in scoring. Changes in scoring might be a solution for a beginner, but the challenge is lost eventually, and the temporary excitement of a no ad point gets old. Its why so many men walk away...much more challenging to play a tough golf course then play a half ass pro set of tennis with no-ad scoring at 9pm at night. Think about it, if abbreviated scoring and one match a day is to make it easier for people why is it necessary in a sport that many consider recreation. Because the scoring is not easy, tennis is tough! And the scoring is one component that contributes to the mental and physical toughness.
Our sport was hijacked years ago by parents interested in just making their kid a winner in a sport where only one person wins.....and making it easy for everyone to participate. Those parents have moved on...And Unfortunately some of that generation of players has now grown up, running the sport with no connection to the traditions of the game but rather to this mentality of inclusive participation by all levels of players. Lets face it, its probably an obvious money maker. I challenge the USTA, ITA, parents, tournament directors, and anyone else involved in tennis to look at the functions of competition, and promote the traditions of the sport. Stop with the abbreviated solutions!
I value the time I had at Bitsy, the connection to the heritage, the relationship I had with older players who could serve as role models. It drove me to participate in the game for years. I just hope there is a decent game to live on and American players to play it.
