theFTTC Announces Its Inaugural Local Area Tournament!

theFTTC is proud to embrace the Santa Barbara Tennis Patron's & Beachside Tennis Club Match Point Benefit Family Cup Challenge and build upon such great Local Area family tennis team tournaments, providing registration and information services plus official FTTC logo K3 tennis balls, player t-shirts and marketing support!

Wimbledon For Two Tennis Vacation Of A Lifetime*** raffle tickets and other exciting prizes for multiple match and sportsmanship winner  categories theFTTC creates a unique new platform for you to advance and play in pro-event affiliated Regionals & Championship Finals As Local Area family players you now can become associated with USTA/ATP** affiliated marquee FTTC events where you will enjoy a party atmosphere, a celebration of family tennis plus rubbing elbows with the world of professional tennis and enjoy very special treats from theFTTC and its sponsors.

The Pilot Pen Tennis Family Classic winners are recognized on Stadium Court after the first night match. Connecticut native and fan favorite James Blake, who had just won his match in a tight three-set victory, presented the winners their trophies.    © Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Like our mentors at the New England Pilot Pen Family Classic, where stars like Lindsay Davenport or James Blake have been doing the honors for now several years, theFTTC players will also have a "center court moment" and will be recognized by FTTC sponsors and marquee pro-tennis partners.

The Match Point Program   YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP US REACH OUR FUNDRAISING GOAL TO SUPPORT THE SANTA BARBARA TENNIS PATRON'S MATCH POINT PROGRAM The Santa Barbara Tennis Patron’s Match Point Program has been a highly recognized and honored after school program that reaches out to “at risk & under privileged youth” in the Santa Barbara area by using the great sport of tennis as a model for healthy living Santa Barbara Tennis Professional, Ferenc Hodosy, founded and has directed the Match Point Program for over 14 years. He and his staff of school teachers and other leading local tennis professionals have worked closely with these needy children as tutors, tennis teachers, and mentors. They are cared for in a fun and supportive environment that emphasizes personal responsibility for their daily choices and actions. As a result, hundreds of Match Point students over the years have beat the odds and stayed clear of drugs, gangs, and other social problems by carrying over the increased focus, discipline and determination they learned from being part of this unique program. The Match Point Program relies largely on private contributions. Your support will make a dramatic impact on the lives of our local “at risk youth”. Your support is so needed in helping us reach more needy students with our winning formula.   YOU CAN HELP! If you are interested in volunteering or want more information on making a special donation to this program please contact Ferenc Hodosy at (805) 452-7516 or at beachsidetennis@gmail.com The Santa Barbara Tennis Patrons is a 5013C non-profit organization and your contribution is fully tax deductible. To donate on line to Match Point Program, please click the ball which will take you to a Santa Barbara Tennis Patrons website where you can designate your donation  to got to the Match Point Program.  Thank You! and donate to Match Point!

Sponsorship Partners Information and Opportunities Visit our Sponsors Site and learn about the high ROI opportunities for marketing exposure to our growing community of tennis playing family members.

theFTTC INTRODUCES THE MEDALIST TOURNAMENT PROGRAM. FAMILY TEAMS TO WIN GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE MEDALS IN LOCAL, REGIONAL AND CHAMPIONSHIP FTTC TOURNAMENTS

SANTA BARBARA, CA. January 21, 2008 - "theFTTC is all about inclusion and participation opportunity" said FTTC Director Marco Andrade announcing the program, "we decided to follow the ideals of the Olympic movement that rewards not only the absolute best competitors but expands recognition to include additional winners in their medal program. While fostering a challenging competitive environment, we celebrate and reward player support and participation so we provide the classic sports opportunity to take home the Gold, the Silver or the Bronze medals plus exciting prizes and awards from our sponsors and tennis partners"

theFTTC Tournaments will recognize three medal wining teams for each of the 12 brackets at the Local, Regional and Championship FTTC Tournaments:

• GOLD, the winning finalist team

• SILVER, the runner-up finalist team

• BRONZE, the winner of the other two semi-finalists playoff

Official FTTC designer t-shirts are ordered for delivery to ALL local FTTC Tournament players

theFTTC forms Partnership with premier sports events on-demand registration services activeNetwork

FTTC teams signing up to play in theFTTC tournaments will enjoy easy and efficient online registration and payment services starting February 2008.

SANTA BARBARA, CA. January 15, 2008 - Commenting on the partnership agreement with the San Diego, California based activeNETWORK online registrations services organization, Cesar O. Andrade, theFTTC President and CEO noted that he had "been impressed with the positive comments by several Southern California Community Association tennis leaders who have recently adopted activeNETWORK online registration services and migrated from other methods and systems. They were all pleased with good player reaction and adoption of the service. Plus, given our state-wide player and tournaments activity the online services perform a special role in unifying the process and reducing overall tournament administration costs" Work is currently in progress to complete the website services in time to start local FTTC tournament signups for the 2008-2009 season of Local tournaments from March to July leading to California Regionals and Finals in the July-August timeframe.

* REQUEST PERMISSION FOR REFERENCES AND LINKS IN PROGRESS.

* USTA CTA application in process

theFTTC selects K3 as the official tennis-ball sponsor partners...

Play tests completed and the theFTTC-logo balls agreement is signed with K3

SANTA BARBARA, CA. March 15, 2008 - theFTTC and K3 have reached a three-year partnership commitment to support provisioning of tennis balls for every local, regional and championship tournaments. "all in all theFTTC will be operating a low-to-high estimate of 17,300 to 25,700 family doubles team matches during its 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons; we selected K3 to join us for that entire ride and not only support the premier family team tennis program in the west coast but benefit from the extra-special good will and product adoption our program is expected to instill in our players for the chosen tennis balls..." said Cesar Andrade, theFTTC President in making the announcement today. K3 tennis balls are also to be made available to theFTTC members at special prices through theFTTC eProShop™ in the Members tab on this website.

USTA Tennis on Campus for:

  USTA Florida Section

  USTA Southern Section

  USTA Midwest Section

  USTA Middle States Section

  Adidas Tennis

  South Carolina High School Association and

Middle States & Freedom Collegiate Conference.

theFTTC World

A FAMILY TEAM WINS the Countrywide US Open Series...

It all started with mom and dad hitting some tennis ball with the kids! Representing the pinnacle of family team tennis, the children of tennis parents Wayne and Kathy Bryan, local Southern California doubles FAMILY TEAM stars Bob and Mike Bryan, the No. 1 men's tennis doubles team in the world, win the Countrywide Classic Doubles launching a great start in their US Open Series at UCLA in Los Angeles.

Related Story...

All in the family for Wayne Bryan and sons By Paula Vergara www.newengland.usta.com/news

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Where does Wayne Bryan get his energy? He says it’s from Diet Coke, but after the caffeine wears off, it’s his passion for tennis that keeps him motivated.

As tournament emcee for the ATP Tour and the Outback Champion Series, Bryan is a natural when it comes to getting the crowd pumped up. He’s been called everything from the ambassador of tennis to a pied piper. When he’s not emceeing a match, you can find Bryan teaching a tennis clinic at just about every pro tournament around the country, including the Pilot Pen in New Haven and the Outback Champions Series event in Boston. He spends an average of 180 days a year on the road with racquet in tow, doing what he does best: Teaching, coaching and entertaining.

Bryan began playing tennis as a kid with his dad "as a way to avoid going to church," he said with a laugh. "If I could keep my dad out there on the court in a long three-setter, we’d play through church."

Bryan’s devilish avoidance of church in favor of more court time helped to set the stage for his lifelong love of tennis.

He recalls "that moment" as a kid, when he began to see tennis as more than just a game. His dad took him to a pro tournament at the LA Tennis Club.

"I sat in the front row, about 15 feet from the player, and I saw him hit a powerful forehand volley. The player was an Inca god named Alejandro Olmedo, a Wimbledon and Davis Cup champ. Since watching that match, I’ve been on a tennis court every day in one way or another," he said.

Bryan was never one to sit on the sidelines in any activity. Growing up in Miami (he later moved to Southern California around age 10), he played multiple sports, including tennis and football. He was an Eagle Scout, class president all four years of high school and was the No.1 player and captain of his University of California-Santa Barbara tennis team. After college, he went on to law school, and later somehow found time to briefly join the pro tennis tour. Wanting to stay involved in the game, he became tennis director and club pro at a new club in Camarillo, Calif., where he worked for 26 years before branching out into his current role.

He calls himself "a student of teaching, learning, motivation, leadership and parenting." Being a parent may just be one of Bryan’s greatest accomplishments. As the proud father of Bob and Mike Bryan, the No.1- ranked doubles team in the world, he has plenty to be proud of. Very few doubles teams have achieved the level of success in tennis the Bryan brothers have. They were two-time All-Americans at Stanford, have won

41 doubles titles, including all four Grand Slam events and have been key members of the US Davis Cup team since 2003. His sons will be finishing out 2007 as the No. 1 doubles team in the world for the third year in a row and for the fourth time in the past five years.

Being genetically gifted may help Mike and Bob’s success on court, but their focus and discipline is the result of many years of hard work. Coach Bryan says that he and his wife Kathy (a former pro player) ran a tight ship when their twin boys were young. He believes that "kids like to have boundaries. It’s only when you have boundaries that greatness, fun and creativity can occur." And fun was always on the agenda in the Bryan household, regardless of the activity.

That’s not to say that Mike and Bob didn’t try to step over their father’s boundaries on occasion. "There were lots of midnight meetings," says Bryan, but it was those long talks and structured boundaries that made a difference. Nowadays, Coach Bryan’s twin boys are no longer boys.

At 29, Mike and Bob are calling the shots, but still check in with Dad on a regular basis... read complete story

Held in conjunction with the Countrywide Classic US Open Series Tournament in Los Angeles. theFTTC was introduced to a very receptive group of Southern California USTA CTA leadership members in attendance.

SANTA BARBARA, CA. July 18, 2007 - As part of its effort to bring awareness for theFTTC program among the tennis leadership of Southern California, theFTTC Leadership Team participated in the meeting organized by Melanie Bischoff, Community Development Coordinator, Southern California Tennis Association and robust attendance from the leadership of the Southern California CTAs and the CS USTA staff led by Executive Director Henry Talbert who was also in attendance. "This was a great opportunity to introduce theFTTC mission and vision to the very folks who serve as the leadership force behind the many wonderful community tennis activities in our region, including an already robust parent-child team tennis activity throughout." Commented Cesar Andrade, President of theFTTC. "We are grateful that Melanie Bischoff shares our vision and invited us to the meeting to introduce our program for California family teams  - parent-child, husband-wife in various brackets – to enjoy the same opportunities and incentives as the families in New England who are having so much fun and success with the  Pilot Pen Family Classic  program."

Like its model the Pilot Pen Family Classic in New England, theFTTC creates a unique new platform for tennis family teams to advance and enjoy tennis in what we plan to be USTA-sanctioned regional, state and -in time- national FTTC championship tournaments.

theFTTC provides an exciting vehicle for local family team players to become associated with major tennis professional events such as the US Open Series tournaments in California. Also, theFTTC program will create and foster new lifetime friendship and support relationships amongst like-minded tennis families.

	Above. theFTTC Directors Philip Friden and Marco Andrade take a moment after the SC USTA CTA Leadership meeting to take in the action at the US Open Series Countrywide UCLA Center Court featuring local Southern California doubles FAMILY TEAM stars Bob and Mike  Bryan, the No. 1 men's tennis doubles team in the world. Below, the brothers thrilled the packed house with their classic bump after a hard won point.

theFTTC also offers to community tennis leaders sponsorship, player rewards and marketing support for their existing or new local family team tournaments

plus opportunity of advancement and involvement with theFTTC US Open Series-event regional championships and US Open-event championship finals in Santa Barbara.

theFTTC community tennis partners will be direct beneficiaries of  sponsorship funding, program staff opportunities; player gifts and rewards, recognition collaterals, event amenities, special vendor considerations, and other benefits.

Abstracts From Downtown LA YMCA Chris Robb's eLetter...

TO: TENNIS TIMES READERS
FROM: YMCA TENNIS PROGRAM
RE: UPCOMING EVENTS/NEWS
11.28.07

Tip of the Week..... How often do we see the pros drill a groundstroke to one corner creating an opening in the opposite corner. These drive groundstrokes are winning points horizontally. Since most of us lack the “big” groundstrokes to to do this, another equally effective way to play is to use the court vertically. Hit the ball a little shorter, force the person up into the court with a low short ball, or angle the ball off the court at the sidelines rather than driving the ball to the baseline. These type of shots create openings in a different but equally effective way......

TENNIS MUSINGS- Davis Cup this weekend....... I’d like to think the United States can pull it out, going in I think we can count on at least one win from Roddick, the doubles point from the Bryans......now that elusive third win, maybe Blake comes up big, or Roddick does yeoman’s work. The potential injury curse could throw the entire thing off with Roddick’s back acting up and Mike Bryan’s arm troubles resurfacing.......am I the only one that that thinks the recent Federer/Sampras exhibition tour though overall good for tennis, serves to take a bit away a little from Club Fed to the marginal tennis fan. His loss to Pete in the third exo only adds to those that say, see Club Fed plays in an era of no competition, he still can’t beat a guy five years out of tennis etc......nonsense I say, if Federer wants to beat him 6-1, 6-1 he would. Not taking anything away from the legacy of Sampras, but this is the same guy who was losing sets in World Team Tennis to guys ranked #300 in the world.......I know they always complain of the tennis season being too long at least for the players, I as one miss seeing tennis results in the paper daily and on-line. Sort of like the day “pitchers and catchers report”, I welcome the day I open the paper and see results from the Hopman Cup and Qatar.....hey only 7 weeks to the Australian Open........as always........”Tennis It’s a Lifestyle!”

theFTTC can be your ticket to the Championships semifinals!

Our members, our players, our volunteers, our tournament directors and tennis pro partners, are entered into theFTTC Wimbledon For Two Tennis Vacation of a Lifetime raffle as part of the benefits of joining, entering and running theFTTC Local Tournaments. Winning players receive additional raffle tickets as prizes! more...

Pilot Pen Family  Classic Celebrated its 6th Year

Tournament Director Anne Worcester and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour star Lindsay Davenport assist in honoring the 2006 Pilot Pen Tennis Family Classic champions and finalists

More Than 2000 Parent/Child And Husband/Wife Teams From Connecticut, New York, Maine, Massachusetts And Rhode Island Competed at Local Tennis Clubs

NEW HAVEN, Conn., August 24, 2006 - The champions of the Pilot Pen Tennis Family Classic, the premier Family Team Tennis Tournament in America, and mentoring model to theFTTC Tennis Program Offering, were crowned today at the Pilot Pen. This year, from January through July, more than 4,400 participants competed in more than 80 local events at tennis facilities throughout the five states in order to reach the finals. The event, now in its sixth year, has seen participation double in the past year as the event expanded into more states and added the husband/wife division. Participating sponsors of the Family Classic are USTA New England and AT&T. more about the Pilot Pen Family Classic...