Fall Update

In the Region

Each fall is a time when all the community tennis clubs wrap up their summer programming and hold their own AGMs to set the stage for organizing business come next spring. Likewise, the OTA regions also hold their AGMs and invite the regional club president's to attend this important meeting to confirm the regional committee volunteers for next year and also get updated on regional budgets, accomplishments and plans for the next year. As President of the OTA, I try to attend as many of these events as possible to thank all the volunteers and reflect on the year that was and the year that will be in 2014.

Annual NYTA Member Appreciation BBQ Oct 25

Two such activities occurred first on Oct 25th with NYTA's second annual president's appreciation social, held at the NYTA South bubble in Bond Park. The theme again was Halloween and even more attendees dressed up (and even played) in their favourite scary costume (see picture below and more on our facebook page). Their AGM will follow shortly.

My second regional AGM just attended happened on Nov 16 for the Scarborough Tennis Federation. STF President Dianne Weatherby and her board presented summaries of all activity over this past year. Of particular interest was the discussion around court resurfacing. There are a handful of resurfacers out there and not all are created equal. STF clubs have had some issues in the past with poor workmanship. Some municipalities share in the cost of this resurfacing with the clubs (as STF does), and others don't. Court resurfacing can cost anywhere from $7,000 for simple crack repairs and colour coating, to $40,000 for a full reconstruction. We provide some contacts on our website, but it's always best to call Jay Neill to get some advice first. We may also put together an education seminar at the OTA's AGM next April 11th that covers the key aspects of resurfacing and what questions to ask.



Dustin Sexton reviews Junior Development at the STF AGM on Nov 16

A new executive was voted in and I'm happy to say that Dianne will again be returning as STF President with some new faces to the mix.



Distinguished Service Awards

The Distinguished Service Award is the Ontario Tennis Association’s highest honour. On October 26th, this honour went out to three very special individuals. All three were being recognized for their contribution to tennis over many, many years: Sheila Hunt and Erica Gilbert from Leaside Tennis Club, and Rob Dawson from North Bay Tennis Club.



DSA Recipients Sheila Hunt, Rob Dawson & Erica Gilbert

It is important to point out that all our DSA recipients are volunteers. Their commitment to tennis and their community is an inspiration to volunteers in clubs throughout the province. Sheila and I met for the first time at the awards ceremony. She spoke so fondly of her time at Leaside and her emotional first meeting with her late husband John. Rob and I had never met in person before but I had spoken to him in the past about how to promote tennis at the club level, what programming is the most effective and what will grow the membership base over time. I've always appreciated his insight. Erica and I first met back in August at the Vancouver Lawn. I was officiating at the senior nationals and she came by to visit some friends and we had a nice chat. What a beautiful lady she is, both inside and out. And if you watch the video of her speech, she has quite a sense of humour to boot!

Gala Dinner Fundraiser



ED Jim Boyce with Team Ontario Gold Medalists KK, Ayan, Marie and Raheel

The OTA had another successful fundraiser on Nov 9th with our Gala Dinner in support of Junior Development. From the amazing balloon tennis players, Ed Morton's piano playing, to the fantastic buffet dining and the draw prizes, those who attended were not disappointed. Our specials guests were Team Ontario who won gold at this year's Canada Summer Games. Managers Tyler Prescott and Kirsten (KK) Magi along with players Maria Patrascu, Ayan Broomfield and Raheel Manji were highlighted for the evening with a short Q&A. Over $14,000 was raised through dinner ticket sales and individual donations. Many thanks to all the volunteers involved in organizing this event, and to the guests who attended the dinner. More pictures of the Gala can be found on our Facebook Page

Concurrent with this fundraiser was the U9 Champions tournament being held at Tennis Canada's Centre of Excellence. This inaugural tournament would not have been possible without the generous donation from Murray Rubin and his wife Roda. Forty boys and thirty-two girls participated in the final weekend showdown, and four young players were honoured at a final award presentation made on the Sunday afternoon. A feature article was published in the Hamilton Scores paper. Full results can be found on the OTA's website, with more pictures posted on our Facebook Page.





 

It's all Greek to Me

My wife and I were fortunate enough to have spent some time in September traveling the Mediterranean, including the town of Cofu, Greece. Besides the beautiful palaces and picturesque West Coast, Corfu as a four court tennis club smack in the centre of town (apparently part of a large network of courts here)! This particular one has a carpet-like surface similar to artificial turf, something I haven't seen before. They hold a number of junior ITF tournaments and have a large spectator area. Mornings are reserved for public rental and this particular afternoon, the courts were empty but inside their clubhouse an elderly gentlemen was watching the US Open final on TV. I met the Club Manager, who couldn't speak any English, but he was kind enough to show us around the property. What a beautiful setting in a beautiful town. Next time you're visiting Corfu, check out this historical gem!






Outside the entrance to Corfu T.C., established 1896

Scott with Corfu's Club Manager

OTA Gala Dinner Nov 9, 2013
There has already been a fair bit of communication on this Gala Dinner being held at the Cricket Club in Toronto, so I won't repeat all the information here. At $200 per plate, I know many look at this as simply a very expensive night they can't justify. I get it. Under normal circumstances I would not pay that kind of money for a dinner out. But remember, this is much more than a dinner. If you believe in growing tennis in Ontario and you believe the juniors of today deserve our support, then please reconsider attending. Will the honouring some of the many juniors who have worked hard and are making an impact on the tennis scene. And who knows, there may be the next Milos or Genie in the making in the near future! If you can't attend, then please consider donating directly to our junior program through OTA's Tennis Matters initiative. You get a tax receipt for $125 on every dinner ticket purchased, and a receipt on the full amount donated directly to tennis matters. Either way, you can't lose!

The pictures below illustrate a great example of a junior who started playing at the early age of seven. I met Victor Krustev when I was running several regional tournaments for North Central in the summer of 2006 at Markham Tennis Club. His coach at the time, Marina, brought him and his brother Christian to these and many other tournaments to give them practice and to get exposure to competitive play. This is one of the key foundations of the OTA system - the more play and competitive exposure they have at an early age, the more they will improve. No one can predict if a player will have that "magic" something necessary to make it to the big times, but if there are enough "Victors" in Ontario who play often and are given many playing opportunities with a variety of competitors, hopefully we'll see more going pro in the future. Simply put, dollars raised through OTA's fundraising efforts help Victor and other young kids like him achieve their dreams.

In the case of Victor, he has now been invited by Tennis Canada to attend the National Training Centre in Montreal full time! I saw that spark in Victor when he was seven, and now he has the opportunity to go to the next level in this great sport. What an accomplishment. Congratulations to Victor and all the aspiring young players.








Victor Krustev with Jet Lee-Bent at OTA's 2010 Fundraiser
Victor will be attending the Montreal NTC full time in fall 2013!



Victor playing an U12 event in 2006!

Rogers Cup and More Regional News

Where do I start. July and August have been crazy months for tennis in this province and I've tried to touch as many events as possible. I think I'll start with the latest events, that of both Rogers Cup (WTA) in Toronto, and Coupe Rogers (ATP) in Montreal, and then discuss Ontario Open/Roman Cup, COP activity and some regional news.

Aug 4-8, 2013 - Rogers Cup WTA


Genie Bouchard being Interviewed

On Sunday, Aug 4, I spent the day as line umpire finishing up the qualifying rounds for the women in Toronto. I then hit the courts again Aug 6-8 calling lines for the main draw matches. This year was especially exciting as I was assigned to cover both the grandstand and centre court for Wed and Thurs matches. What a thrill that was! Being that close to the likes of Li, Bartoli, Fichman, Jankovic, Ivanovic, Wozniacki, Kvitova, Stephens, Radwanska and Bouchard was pretty special. I felt pretty good as I was only over-ruled once during my time on court and I had one very close call that was confirmed correct by the hawk-eye. I know tickets sales tend to be lower when women are in town, but by all accounts, I thought the draw was pretty exceptional and our own Canadian women generated some pretty exciting momentum going into the tournament. Tennis Canada provided for the first time some special player access for Premium ticket holders. This included Q&A sessions and photo ops with players like Serena Williams and legends Billy Jean King and Monica Seles (who played an exhibition doubles match on the Monday night). TC even brought in Pete Sampras and Johnny Mac for some additional exhibition matches over the finals weekend.

Unfortunately our own  Genie Bouchard didn't make it far into the tournament, winning her first match against Alisa Kleybanova and then falling to sixth ranked Petra Kvitova. Also unfortunate was the fate of France's Marion Bartoli playing against Magdalena Rybarikova on the grandstand. I had just started my shift at the start of the second set, when Marion quickly retired during her service game with an abdominal injury. No sooner did she move on to the Cincinnati tournament when
she announced her retirement from tennis due to ongoing physical pain and injuries.



Monica Seles with OTA Past President Michel Lecavalier

OTA Presidents' Day (Aug 5)
This is the 8th year the OTA has been holding this event and we always get great attendance, especially since it is held on the holiday Monday. Club executives from about 90 member clubs attended this year (200+ participants) and it is our way of recognizing the hard work of all the volunteers in the province. A continental breakfast was served, followed by some short updates from myself and ED Jim Boyce. In particular, we are proud to say that due to the strong support by the NYTA and Ottawa regions, our club membership grew by about 10%, to 240 clubs (from 220). That represents over 36,000 adult players and 14,000 junior players. A full 70% of our member clubs are seasonal community clubs which are run by a strong volunteer base. Photos from the day can be found on our Facebook Page.


Aug 9-11 - Coupe Rogers ATP

I was off to Montreal over the weekend to not only attend meetings with Tennis Canada and the Council of Provinces (COP), but to witness history in the making. Who could have planned a better outcome than to have two Canadians play in the semis, and have a Canadian play in the finals! Check out the OTA's Youtube channel to view three videos taken showing all the Milos, Vasek and Rafa fans in Montreal.



Tennis Alberta President Glen Scott and I toast Milos for making Canadian's proud

Alas I think nerves got to both Vasek and Milos as they weren't playing up to their usual high standards during this event. Regardless, we are proud of all our Canadian players and know they will continue to improve with each new tournament.

On a lighter note, one incident sticks out in my mind - it was when Rafa exited the stadium after winning the final against Milos. As he started signing autographs, a star-struck young lady wanted to get a picture with him but kept fumbling with her iphone camera. Rafa began to laugh, ran out of patience and simply took the phone from her hands, set it into camera mode and took the picture for her! Priceless.


Council of Provinces (COP) Meets during Coupe Rogers

The COP meet about four times a year to discuss business of mutual interest between the provinces and Tennis Canada. Meeting in person during Coupe Rogers gives all of us a chance to interact and share issues and concerns. Two particular items I'd like to share because they came as a direct result of the province's good working relationship with Tennis Canada and our desire to encourage better communication and transparency.

 

The first is the publication of a new High Performance Handbook on Tennis Canada's website (look under Programs ... High Performance, Resources and Policies). The handbook has had extensive input from the COP and from various coaches and includes sections on key HP programs, policies and support available. The handbook is not a static document and will be updated as changes and enhancements to programs and policies are made. Thanks to Hatem McDadi, Debbie Kirkwood and the entire HP team for spearheading this.

 

The second is a new US College Recruiting Guide to supplement information on the TC website (under Programs ... US College Tennis). Tennis Canada’s College Program helps Canadian players obtain university scholarships that fit their academic, athletic, social and environmental goals and needs. The handbook brings together all the important information for parents and players to better plan their pathway for future athletic and educational opportunities.

 

Ontario Open & Roman Cup

Once again the Ontario Open and Roman Cup took place July 31 to August 5 in Ottawa at the Rideau Club and the Ottawa Athletic Club (OAC). This year the junior Roman Cup event grew to 190 unique entrants (well above 2012 numbers) because this is the first year it became a Rogers National Qualifier event. Thursday evening was a fundraiser Pro-Am event followed by dinner and silent auction. On Wednesday night, Jim Boyce (OTA's Executive Director) and I attended a meeting with a number of new OTA-member club presidents to gather feedback on services being provided. We also had the Ottawa Parks and Rec manager Ward Cosman there as well as NCTA president Sean Sweeney. A special visit by Peter Bedard from Tennis Canada provided the group an update on the Little Aces program which will be launched in 2014 in a number of Ottawa communities. Thanks to all the staff at Rideau and OAC as well as the OTA staff and officials for making this event another tremendous success!



Mike Cowpland, Dale Power, Marlen Cowpland, Jim Boyce & Anke Magnus at Roman Cup Pro-Am



Charlottetown Tennis Club Celebrates 40 Years

 

Charlottetown Tennis Club in Scarborough celebrated their 40th anniversary on Sunday, July 14th with some tennis, a potluck and visit from councillor Ron Moeser. The club was founded in 1973 and is a member of the STF and OTA. They have three outdoor, lit tennis courts. Shown below is STF president Dianne Weatherby (sitting) with Ron Moeser on the left.

 

 

 





Rainy Days of Summer

No summer is the same, and this year we are being teased with hot, humid weather interspersed with downright heavy rainfall and monsoon flooding. My lawn and garden still look great, especially for this time of year, but the interruptions on the court have been frustrating at times, yet did not put a damper on some of this summer's highlights so far:

Cleves
Let's start with my trip to one of my favourite summer vacation spots, Clevelands House. Every year at the end of June they hold a special "Super Camp Tennis Week" for anyone interested in polishing their game and getting a great workout. This year, new tennis director Gary Ingram, did not disappoint the 12-16 who attended the week. My wife and I love to go because we see many of the same faces year after year and it gives us a chance to catch up and enjoy the social time, the tennis time and the great food. From the Monday to the Sunday we had about 26 hours of instruction and doubles round-robin time on the court. Every aspect of our game was covered, from doubles strategy to volleys, overheads, forehands, backhands and serves. Many thanks go out to Gary and his guest pros Mark, Eric, Maddy and Milena for putting together such a great combination of exercises and drills and fun round robins over the week. Luckily the rain didn't cause too much of a problem.



Cleves Tennis Bootcamp Group


Junior Provincials at Kew
Another successful close to the annual Junior Outdoor Provincials held across various sites from Jun 24 to July 6. I was one of four officials roving the courts for the U12 and U16 age groups at Kew Gardens for the second week of matches, and I always enjoy seeing the new up-and-coming faces of tennis at the U12 level and of course all the familiar players in the U16 category. This tournament is one of the toughest to officiate because the days are typically long (8am start, 5-6pm finish) and the temperatures are very hot. Standing on court for 8 hours a day in 30C+ weather is no picnic, and if you're one of the players, a two-hour match can be brutal. We did get some reprieve on Thursday and Friday, as the rain set in and we headed for Veneto an Mayfair Parkway to complete many of the matches. Congratulations to all the players for participating and being so well behaved!

Cooper Challenge
If you've never been to the Waterloo Tennis Club, I highly recommend a visit in the near future. My wife and I ventured out that way on July 7 to see some of the final round action on centre court. The club is beautiful, with 6 Har-Tru clay courts and a permanent bubble housing another 6 hardcourts, with a quaint balcony overlooking centre court. It was our first time there, having been invited by our new friends Ken and Norah Rae, who are one of a number of Gold sponsors for the event. It has grown over the years to a $50K ITF Pro Circuit event, thanks to the support of all the sponsors. The rain threatened to delay the match that morning, so the final was started earlier at 11am, but once finished, the sun came out for the early afternoon and then heavy storms came in later that afternoon. Unfortunately, Sharon Fichman, who has won the last two years, lost in the semis to fellow Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski. Gabriela gave it her all in the finals but was no match for #2 seed Julia Glushko of Israel.

View from the Balcony

Strat Plan Part 3

OTA Strategic Plan Part 3

Last month I covered the second goal of the OTA's strategic plan, covering the competitive structure and all the activity around offering a robust and active tournament environment for players of all levels.

This month, I'd like to cover the last two goals of the plan:

GOAL #3: Encourage and support volunteerism at the provincial, regional and local levels

 

GOAL #4: Ensure accountability and relevancy of OTA programs and services

 

 

Summary of Strategies

 

• Support the recruitment and retention of volunteers
• Adequately recognize and retain volunteers for their strong contributions
• Practice sound fiscal management and governance
• Assess effectiveness of programs, services, board and staff
• Monitor and promote OTA insurance program
• Maintain effective partnership with Tennis Canada

Examples

• OTA has over 1800 volunteers in Ontario
• Three honourees received the OTA’s Distinguished Service Award (DSA) in 2012 (Betty Webster, Jimmy Wong, Meg Fletcher)
• Networking opportunities (Presidents’ Day during Rogers Cup, attending OTA AGM and breakout sessions, attend regional meetings & volunteer on regional committee to improve programming)
• Contact OTA office for information, club certificates
• Enhance recognition and awards programs (to be developed)
• The OTA provides youth employment and routinely takes in 1-2 interns every year as part of the HR government grants received
• Tennis Clubs are responsible for their own hiring and are encouraged to employ youth – eg: Many clubs hire monitors every year (aged 14-16) and pay them minimum wage for the summer months. The club pro also hires youth to assist with tennis camps
• Clubs are encouraged to provide volunteer hours for youth looking to meet their minimum 40 hr requirement for graduating high school in Ontario. These youth may end up coming back to the club as future volunteers on the executive if they have a positive experience
• Industry-leading, competitively priced Club Property & Liability Insurance, Directors’ & Officers’ Insurance and Abuse Insurance (Marsh) – 132 clubs obtain general liability insurance, 95 obtain D&O
• Support member club applications for grants (letter of support)
• Continue to solicit member input via online survey
• Strong fiscal management combined with effective and efficient allocation of resources to the right programming         
• Governance priorities for 2013: volunteer policy, player development policies for player disciplinary action and rankings

I hope this series of summaries provides you a reasonable understanding of what the OTA is all about and where it provides benefit to clubs and players across Ontario. Please feel free to send your feedback to the OTA office at ota@tennisontario.com, or complete our online survey any time: OTA online survey.

Strat Plan Part 2, AGM, Sport Awards

2012 AGM Comes to a Close

Many thanks goes out to all those member clubs who attended the 2012 Annual General Meeting on Saturday, April 13, 2013 at the Rexall Centre Player's Lounge. We had one of our highest attendances in years, with 117 people representing 49 clubs. The full business conducted was videotaped and posted on the OTA's YouTube Channel OTATV1 in case you missed it. In addition, you'll find the most popular seminar, "How to attract and retain new members at your club", on our YouTube channel, and all the seminar presentations posted on the OTA Resource Centre on google drive (check with Jay Neill at the office if you don't already have your link). Also posted there is the 2012 Annual Report.

I'll be looking over the AGM survey forms shortly and report back on some of the feedback in May, especially on recommendations for future seminars.

2012 AGM

Pictures from the day can be viewed on our Facebook page.

2012 Ontario Sport Awards Held April 18, 2013

Another exciting evening for coaches, athletes, volunteers and sponsors at the 2012 Ontario Sport Awards held at the Marriott Airport hotel. I counted 40 tables so there were likely between 350-400 in attendance. The OTA nominated Sharon Arnold for a Syl Apps volunteer award for tennis and was honoured along with 29 other volunteers at this event last night. For a full list of all the winners, visit http://www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/sport/sport/awards_winners_2012.shtml.

Sharon has been involved with tennis for over 55 years. Early in her career she taught tennis at the U of T and was instrumental in the birth of the Doug Philpott inner-city children's foundation and still serves as secretary and chair of the Program Committee. Sharon received the DSA award in 2004 for her work with disadvantaged youth. Congratulations Sharon! Pictures from the evening are also on our Facebook page.

OTA Strategic Plan Part 2

One of the seminars held after the AGM on Apr 13 was a review of the latest OTA Strategic Plan. The full presentation is posted on the OTA Resource Centre. In my March blog post, I outlined examples for our first Goal and I continue this month with our second goal:

GOAL #2: Provide opportunities for players to improve at every level

Summary of Strategies

• Support competitive opportunities for players with an active competitive structure
• Promote player development
• Maintain an effective ranking system
• Assist member clubs in attracting  top tennis pros
• Encourage enthusiasts to become instructors and officials
• Continue with OTA charitable fundraising in support of junior development

Examples

• A strong partnership with OFSAA to deliver province-wide tennis competitions for high schools, culminating in a large playoff event at Rexall Centre in June - 310 players competing in 10 events
• The NEW U9 Champions initiative and tournament. Club events will be held over the summer with a final tournament Nov 8-10, 2013 at Rexall coinciding with a charity/fundraising dinner at the Cricket Club on Nov 9th.
• Maintain an active competitive structure with sanctioned competitions year-round – bonus for clubs and academies to promote tennis, attract players and generate additional revenue – Ontario has 2208 registered players, 360 sites with 841 events
• Promoting online software to streamline club operations and programming (eg: Visual Reality (VR) Tournament Planner for sanctioned tournament management, 3^rd-party offerings)
• Launch of the new rounds-based ranking system in late 2013 using VR system
• Coaching certification through OTA office – 212 new instructors and 40 upgrades in 2012. Is your tennis pro registered with the Tennis Professionals Association (TPA)?
• Tennis Canada provide officials training twice annually – roving, chair umpires, line umpires for Futures events, Rogers Cup, etc. – important to maintain strong pool of officials to promote fair play at tournaments – 24 new umpires certified in 2012
• OTA offers an active Job Line for Club pro hiring and even hiring of club monitors and assistant pros

Strategic Plan PART 1 & OTA AGM

In the Winter 2013 OT Yearbook edition, I briefly talk about importance of a business strategic plan to set the direction of tennis in Ontario. In the next four years, it is the job of the Executive Director, Jim Boyce, and his talented staff to translate that plan into specific programs and steps necessary to meet or exceed those expectations.

Let me give you some examples of how the OTA will achieve those expectations, starting with

GOAL #1: Attract More People to Play and Support Tennis on a Sustained Basis 

Summary of Strategies

• Tennis promotion, raise awareness
• Digital strategy
• Grassroots participation
• Encourage casual play
• Enhance OTA member club structure & value-add proposition

Examples

• Provide a more comprehensive and accessible Resource Centre (new) for member-clubs – requires club input to stay relevant. This will be unveiled at the upcoming AGM (see below)

• Increase readership of OTA publications: OT magazine (online), Club Connection (new), e-news and e-mag – we welcome input / contributions to articles

• The Kids’ Tennis school program will continue to introduce progressive tennis to new schools and connect them with board members and club instructors to help promote the club membership and programs – 34K participants, 23 inner city schools, 402 new teachers for 2012

• Grassroots promotion: New inflatable smash cage at special events (CNE, Ottawa), partnership with Tennis Canada on Little Aces programming in designated regions (STF Scarborough and possibly Ottawa in 2013)

• Enhance and expand the OTA Premium Member Club program. Increase sponsors and expand outside of the GTA

• Improved club communications to maintain brand awareness and OTA member benefit offerings. Encourage clubs to better communicate benefits to their own members via club website  (eg: MTC) – 7 new clubs in 2012, 20+ targeted for 2013

• Take advantage of regional representation and programs/funding they offer. Do you know who your regional chair is or what they offer? eg: North Central and Southwest offer rebates to run tournaments, subsidies for instructor training

• OTA Members’ Day coming up in May – 815 participants in 2012

• Assist clubs and regions in improving relations with municipalities (eg: Ottawa, Mississauga)

• Pilot training programs to regions focused on club operations and enhancing programs – eg:  How the Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD) model and the 8 stages of development can be integrated into club programming

Annual General Meeting - Mark Your Calendars!

By the way, at this year's OTA AGM, set for April 13, we have planned for three (3) breakout sessions for members to attend, one of which will be presented by me and cover detail on the strategic plan with specific examples and time for Q&A, similar to what I've provided with Goal #1 above. I encourage member clubs to attend this AGM and take advantage of the time to network with fellow club executives and attend these seminars. The other two seminars include a discussion on how to attract new members to your club, and a review of a set of generic bylaw templates for both incorporated and unincorporated clubs.

We will also demo our new OTA Resource Centre available exclusively to OTA member clubs and academies. It will contain a growing selection of templates and documents that clubs will find useful. We are hoping many clubs will also be willing to share some of their best programs and articles on the library to make it even more relevant to our members.

An AGM information packet will be mailed to your club mailing address no later than March 22nd. I look forward to seeing you there!



Members at last year's AGM

Strat Plan, Davis Cup and More

Only one month has passed us by and already we have some exciting news to share regarding the Ottawa tennis scene. OTA Executive Director, Jim Boyce and I spent a day in sunny (and relatively warm) Ottawa on Jan 10th to attend a joint NCTA AGM and Presidents' meeting. We had some lively topics for the Presidents’ meeting, with a great turnout of clubs with at least 15 in attendance. We started with City Park & Rec manager Ward Cosman discussing the role the city has in administering insurance, programs and activities on city-owned property, followed by the OTA (Jim and I) presenting and gathering feedback on a value proposition which would see most if not all the Ottawa area clubs (about 26) joining the association, something that has never happened in the history of the OTA. This topic took the bulk of the meeting, and in the end, lead to very positive support for joining the OTA. We will get full confirmation on how many clubs plan on joining by mid March, but we remain optimist that this could be a banner year for tennis in Ottawa with a strong partnership with the OTA. Many thanks to NCTA President Sean Sweeney and the entire NCTA board for supporting this effort; it has been a long time coming but we can see the light now.

 

Ottawa Clubs attend NCTA AGM

 

The OTA Strategic Planning Committee met again on Jan 21 to review all the club input received in December. There were a handfull responses, and those that did respond provided some useful input that we used to tighten up some of the strategy wording and make it a more effective document. I look forward to presenting some of the detail at a seminar at the April 13th AGM, and beginning with my March blog, I will begin outlining some of the initiatives the OTA is taking to achieve the strategies outlined in the plan.

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend some Tennis Canada meetings in Vancouver over the Feb 1-3 weekend and also enjoy some great Davis Cup matches. The results were beyond expectations. Milos did a great job against Spain's #2 Ramos to win the first match, but Frank's match against Spain's #1 Granollers was simply amazing. Canada finally clinched a spot in the quarterfinals with Italy (to be played April 5-7) by winning the 4th rubber: Milos vs Garcia-Lopez in an easy 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win! Check out Milos' winning point below:

 



 

 

 

Business wise, a lot of ground was covered, including a review of TC's strategic results from 2012, their 2013 operational plans, and a number of ongoing project updates. A common theme and priority for most provinces is the implementation of the new ranking system, Visual Reality, improved communications with its members and facilities advocacy. More to come on these topics in future blogs.

 

L-R COP Presidents: Stephen Kimoff (BC), Pawan Chugh (NWT), JF Manibal (QC), Scott Fraser (ON), Bruce Waschuk (MB), Glen Scott (AB), Nancy Taylor (NL), Dana Brown (NB), Craig Bethune (NS), Tim Makahoniuk (SK). Missing is Lorne Acorn (PEI)