Winnipeg, MB (TM) – In an effort to provide additional support for Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Tennis Canada has announced that it will hire a Senior Director for the Prairie Tennis Alliance by March of 2007. This individual will work with the Executive Directors of each provincial tennis association on a daily basis to deliver mutually agreed regional objectives to grow the game and develop young talent.

This model has proven to be successful in the Atlantic provinces, with the creation of the Atlantic Tennis Alliance (ATA) several years ago. The four Atlantic provinces have been able to work closely with the Senior Director of ATA to strengthen their programs at all levels of the game, from grassroots to high performance.

Tennis Manitoba is excited about the opportunities that will be created as a result of having an additional staff person in the Prairie Region. The Senior Director will strive to create a training environment that is capable of developing national champions. This individual will also help to develop vibrant tennis communities and seek to create active and positive interactions between the community clubs, parks and recreation departments, schools, and the tennis governing bodies. There will also be a focus on developing a strong competitive structure that accommodates players of all levels.

Stay tuned for further information in the New Year!

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Winnipeg, MB (TM) – Progressive Tennis is a program for 5-9 year olds which allows young players to learn and play the game more quickly, efficiently and successfully, using a systematic progression of court sizes, balls, and racquets, to scale the game down to an appropriate level.

In 2007, Tennis Manitoba will be working with member clubs to introduce the Progressive Tennis program, which will include junior tournaments that offer Progressive Tennis events.

The concept has been imported from European countries such as France and Belgium where it was used to successfully develop players like Justine Henin-Hardenne and Olivier Rochus.

Please advise Tennis Manitoba if you would like to be contacted in the future once Progressive Tennis programs and/or tournaments are announced for Manitoba.
Contact Tennis Manitoba

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Winnipeg, MB (TM) – Anyone interested in teaching tennis will want to register for the next Instructor Course at Taylor Tennis. This course is the first level of Tennis Canada’s coaching certification program.

Individuals must be 15 years of age to take the Instructor Course, which includes 35 hours of instruction over two weekends. Course participants are given both a practical and playing/demonstration evaluation.

More info on coaching

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Winnipeg, MB (TM) – Tennis Manitoba is pleased to announce that Arby’s has renewed its title sponsorship for the Manitoba Open. With the tremendous support from Arby’s in 2006 Tennis Manitoba was able to increase the prize money to $12,500, the largest sum in the 101 year history of the tournament. Grant Tymchuk, Arby’s Franchisee, is to be commended for his desire to contribute to the growth of the tournament and to the sport in general.

“We are thrilled with the partnership that has been developed with Arby’s over the last few years. Grant has demonstrated tremendous support for the Rossbrook House program, the Tennis Futures clinics and now the Manitoba Open”, exclaimed Rick Bochinski, Executive Director of Tennis Manitoba. “We are in a position to attract a very strong field to the Manitoba Open next summer and this tournament will help showcase our sport in the province. This is due in large part to the Arby’s sponsorship.”

The 2006 Men’s Singles Champion, Alessandro Gravina of Toronto, and 2006 Women’s Singles Champion, Kyla McNicol of Winnipeg, have both indicated that they plan to defend their titles next July. That will not be an easy task in 2007, as the Arby’s Manitoba Open is likely to attract many more top players from across Canada to Winnipeg next summer.

The dates of the Arby’s Manitoba Open are July 6-15, 2007.

Arby’s Manitoba Open Tennis Championships

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Winnipeg, MB (TM) – The top 4 boys and top 4 girls in each age group (U12, U14, U16 and U18) in the point standings after the qualifying tournaments will represent Manitoba at the Prairie Regional Qualifier. Results from the following tournaments will be used to determine the final point standings:

• World of Water Junior Open
  August 24-27, 2006

• Wheat City Junior Open
  September 9-10, 2006

• Auto Haus Volkswagen Fall Classic
  September 13-24, 2006

• Winnipeg Winter Club Junior Open
  February 5-11, 2007

Each player will count their best 3 results from the 4 tournaments to determine their final point total. To review the current point standings click here.

The 4 boys and 4 girls in each age group that represent Manitoba will compete against the top 4 boys and 4 girls from Saskatchewan at the Prairie Regionals for the right to represent the Prairie Region at the 2007 Indoor Junior Nationals. The Prairie Regionals will be held as follows:

• Indoor Prairie Regionals
  Saskatoon, March 9-11, 2007

Tennis Canada allocates 4 spots to the Prairie Region in each age group of each gender for the Indoor Junior Nationals.

The Indoor Junior Nationals dates are as follows:

• Under 12: March 31- April 6
  The Tennis Academy Calgary

• Under 16: March 31- April 7
  Uniprix Stadium Montreal

• Under 14: April 8 -15
  Saville Centre Edmonton

• Under 18: April 9 -14
  Mayfair Parkway Toronto

For more information regarding the selection process for the 2007 Indoor Junior Nationals contact Rick at Tennis Manitoba.

Contact Tennis Manitoba
More info on Junior Indoor National Qualification

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Winnipeg, MB (TM) – Tennis Manitoba has received a considerable amount of feedback about tournaments as a result of the feedback form that is available on the website. The tennis community is asking for a greater number of senior tournaments and more events that cater to those junior players that are currently not at a Provincial or National level, but are looking for match experience in a tournament format.

There were also many comments about the overlapping of tournament dates and many people commented that the tournaments should be more spread out throughout the year.

Tennis Manitoba is listening to all of the feedback that we have received. Recently, at a meeting of the Tournament Directors from the various member clubs, many of these issues were raised. A draft of the 2007 Tournament Schedule has been prepared and a final version of the schedule will be released later this month.

If you would still like to submit feedback about any aspect of tournament play in Manitoba do not hesitate to send us an e-mail via the tournament feedback form. We welcome your comments!

Tournament feedback form

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Winnipeg, MB (TM) – The Tuxedo Tennis Club held its Annual General Meeting recently and appointed the following individuals:

President: Brian Wilding
Vice-President: Tom Neufeld
Secretary: Lana Abbott
Treasurer: Mohamed Ismath
Member at Large: Stephanie Dubuc
House and Grounds: Hugh Malcolmson

The club also announced that Roland Burrell will be returning as the club pro for the 2007 season.

The membership is looking forward to the repair of the lights on courts 1-4, as well as the installation of new lights on courts 5-6. In addition, court conditions will be assessed in the spring and repairs will be completed as needed.

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Winnipeg, MB (TM) – At its Annual General Meeting the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club approved a new Executive as follows:

President: Bill Rannard
Vice President: Joseph Langan
Secretary: Leslie Later
Treasurer: Barry Ursell
Wildewood Club Liaison: Jana Lee Callis
Member at Large: Don Bushuk

The club also reported that they will be looking for a new Club Pro in 2007 as Chris Yard will not be returning.

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Winnipeg, MB (TM) – Taylor Tennis has been named a "High Performance Tennis Development Centre” by Tennis Canada. This prestigious designation recognizes and ranks the junior programs at Taylor Tennis as among the best in Canada. Taylor joins the Winter Club as Manitoba’s only two clubs that have qualified for the high performance certification.

“This is definitely great news for Taylor Tennis,” said Mario Trstenjak, majority owner. “There are thirty five Tennis Development Centres across the country that have qualified based on the commitment that each club is making to bringing new players into the game as well as developing competitive young tennis players across Canada.”

Taylor Tennis has ten indoor courts and six outdoor clay courts and a staff of Tennis Professionals who offer private lessons, conduct group clinics for all ages and organize league and tournament play. Taylor’s amenities include a fitness room, licensed lounge, pro shop, tanning beds and locker rooms with whirlpools and saunas.

“We want to make Taylor the No. 1 competitive tennis club in town again and this is a very positive step in the right direction. With the recent addition of Jared Connell, a top-notch level 3 coach, to our teaching staff we feel the building blocks are in place to develop a high quality junior tennis academy at Taylor Tennis. Jared has a great rapport with the junior players and I will be looking to him to lead the way in developing the juniors that have a desire to excel at the national level or beyond.”

As a result of the Tennis Development Centre designation, Taylor Tennis receives some financial support from Tennis Canada and guidance in establishing and maintaining state-of-the-sport tennis training and court fitness programs. More important, according to Rick Bochinski, Executive Director of Tennis Manitoba, is the benefit of receiving visits from Tennis Canada’s distinguished international level coaches.

“Tennis Canada’s coaches are recognized at the highest level of the professional game,” Bochinski said. “Having them on court with our elite program kids to run a camp, conduct training sessions and monitor the progress of our top players is tremendously important. It exposes players in Manitoba to the same level of coaching as the very best junior and professional players in the country and its proving to be a great motivational tool for our junior players.”

While every Tennis Development Centre has a distinct high performance component, many of the criteria that Taylor Tennis had to meet were based on the grassroots and entry level camps and programs and competitive play at the recreational level that Taylor offers for junior players. Tennis Canada ranks community and recreational tennis facilities as the first link along the path to success at the highest international levels like The Davis Cup and The Olympics – and higher rankings for more of Canada’s professional tennis players.

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Winnipeg, MB (Sport Manitoba, Nov. 30) – Manitoba today became the first province in Canada to implement the Respect in Sport program to help ensure a safe and positive sport environment for all participants. Coaches across the province who are identified with a Provincial Sport Organization are the first to be introduced to the mandatory initiative.

“As leaders, coaches have a tremendous amount of influence over our athletes, especially youth and children,” said Sport Manitoba President & CEO Jeff Hnatiuk. “Respect in Sport provides them with an important educational tool that helps them contribute to a positive sport experience.”

Respect in Sport is an on-line training course to assist coaches, regardless of their sport, in identifying and dealing with issues of abuse, neglect, harassment, and bullying. It is designed to complement current coaching certification requirements. This season Hockey Manitoba has made the program a requirement by replacing Hockey Canada’s Speak Out Program with Respect in Sport.

Former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy is championing Respect in Sport as its spokesperson. The initiative is fully endorsed by the Province of Manitoba.

“Sheldon is an active crusader in raising awareness of abuse and the negatives that can occur and we are pleased to support his efforts,” said Eric Robinson, Minister responsible for Sport. “We are being proactive in ensuring that a safe haven exists for sport participants and Manitoba is proud to be a leader in this respect.”

The three-hour course can be taken at the coach’s leisure, in its entirety or in separate half-hour modules. Coaches will be required to complete the course by December 2007. There is no cost to the coach and the program will provide for recertification after the third and fifth year. Sport Manitoba and Provincial Sport Organizations will monitor the participation of coaches.

Respect in Sport is available in both English and French and can be accessed through the Sport Manitoba website at www.sportmanitoba.ca/respectinsport.

Future plans include development and implementation of a Respect in Sport program geared toward parents.

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