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How to Fix Your Game

At the 2006 CTDW, you’ll find people, seminars and ideas that can help your business — and help the game grow.

The 2006 USTA Community Tennis Development Workshop comes to Hollywood, Calif., Feb. 3 to 5 with a full slate of workshops and seminars designed to educate, encourage and inspire tennis leaders and coordinators. For teaching pros, facility and park managers, and anyone else whose mission and livelihood involves getting more people playing the game, if you could go to only one workshop this year, this just may be the one you should attend.

The annual CTDW, in the opinion of many who have attended previous workshops, is one of the most useful events for those who actually deliver tennis at the grassroots level. For those involved in tennis programming — whether at a Community Tennis Association, park and rec program, private facility, school, or more — the opportunity to expand your knowledge, and your business, at the CTDW is a worthwhile investment.

Last year, the event brought nearly 700 people from around the country to Destin, Fla. The USTA has now realized the value of what the CTDW is able to provide, and the impact that it can have on tennis participation, and so the organization has been pumping more resources into the conference.

Workshop sessions address everything from customer relations, to how to teach tennis to various groups, to building positive relationships, to starting a nonprofit organization, how to deal with volunteers, and much more. This year, there also will be “pre-workshop sessions” (at additional cost) that are all-day bonus sessions that go in-depth on various topics, such as proposal writing and developing a fundraising plan.

And again the CTDW will offer “Courtside Consultants,” allowing attendees to sign up for a 25-minute slot to discuss their organization with experienced consultants and featured speakers.

There also will be an exhibit area and a “Great Idea Gallery,” along with an evening Awards Banquet. The theme for this year’s CTDW is “Heroes Among Us,” designed to honor those who have shaped community tennis around the country. This year, the CTDW will feature discounted registration for CTAs and National Junior Tennis League Chapters and Programs.

For more on the CTDW, visit usta.com/communitytennis.

CTDW Registration and Hotel

The USTA has different registration plans for the CTDW. For the full workshop, individual registration is $295 before Jan. 6 and $350 after. For more information on the CTDW, or to register, visit usta.com/communitytennis.

Room rates for workshop registrants at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel are $155 per night and must be booked directly with the hotel by Jan. 2. Contact 800-HOTELS-1, 323-856-1200 or renaissancehollywood.com.

Keynote Speaker Jim MacLaren

Keynote speaker for the 2006 CTDW is the inspirational Jim MacLaren, who received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award during the 2005 ESPYs, given to athletes who embody a toughness of spirit and never-give-up attitude. MacLaren also spoke at the 2005 Tennis Teachers Conference in August in New York to a very enthusiastic audience.

MacLaren was involved in two would-be fatal accidents. The first, at age 22, resulted in the loss of his left leg; the second, 10 years later, left him an incomplete quadriplegic. Each time, Jim has used sheer force of will and awe-inspiring courage to come back — the first time to become the fastest amputee athlete in the world, and now, as an individual with an amazing story to share.

Wanted: Great Ideas Do you have a “great idea” for tennis? At the CTDW, the USTA wants to feature great ideas. To submit one, visit USTA’s Community Tennis on the web.

From the January 2006 issue
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