‘On Court with USPTA’ receives Award of Distinction
May 15, 2007
“On Court with USPTA,” the cable TV show produced by the United States Professional Tennis Association, received the Award of Distinction in the Videographer Awards 2007 competition. The award-winning episode “Tennis – In the Balance,” which aired on The Tennis Channel, won in the category of TV programs/sports.
“On Court” is a 20-minute instructional show featuring USPTA-certified professionals as guest instructors. The USPTA became the first tennis-teaching organization ever to produce and air an educational television series on playing and teaching tennis on The Tennis Channel in 2003. Since then, more than 42 shows have been produced that provide instruction about technique, strategy and other facets of the game, such as fun and fitness.
“Tennis – In the Balance” focuses on what players should do in different balance situations: off balance, in balance and ideal balance. The episode features guest professional, Lorenzo Beltrame, USPTA member and director of tennis at the Human Performance Institute, who demonstrates how balance affects a player’s strategy. He demonstrates many patterns and drills that will help players understand the balance part of the game and help them to improve their games much faster.
The Award of Distinction is presented to entries judged to exceed industry standards. About 17 percent of the entries received this honor.
Joe Birkmire is the show’s director and editor, Brad Wadsworth is video editor/animator/graphic designer, and H.R. Topham is video editor/videographer. Other production team members are Rick Bostrom, Scott Bucic, Julie Myers, Shawna Riley, Fred Viancos and executive producer Tim Heckler.
Check local listings for The Tennis Channel availability and visit www.uspta.com for show times for “On Court with USPTA.” DVDs of “Tennis – In the Balance” and all other “On Court” episodes are also available for purchase online at www.usprotennisshop.com.
The Videographer Awards is an international awards competition that recognizes excellence in video production by marketing and communication professionals. This year over 2,000 entries were submitted. Entries are judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals who set the standards for excellence and look for those in the industry who exceed those standards.