AN INTERVIEW WITH MARK FISCHL, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE APTA

By Charles E. Vasoll

On November 20, I interviewed Mark Fischl, Vice President of the APTA, to get a better understanding of what was happening in the administrative office and to get his views on several aspects of our sport. Here are the questions I asked and his replies.

Q. First, a little background. Where, when and how did you get introduced to platform tennis?

A. A friend, Robert Florea, with whom I was engaged in a real estate transaction, called me to play in the Long Island Men’s Championship in January 1993. I had 12 other things to do but for some reason, I said, "Yes". I lost in the first round but got to the finals of the consolation where I lost to Chuck Vasoll and his partner. That was the first time I played and I fell in love.

I grew up at the Shelter Rock Tennis Club in Searingtown where there were courts. My brother played on a team but I was never taken by it. I did play tennis, however, from when I was very young.

Q. You are not a "Pro". What is your occupation?

A. I’m in Real Estate.

Q. Who have been some of your partners and what accomplishment on the courts are you most proud of?

A. I‘ve played with Tim Mangan, Greg Schild and Rob LeBuhn. Clearly my best performance was at the Short Hills Club in 2000 when Rob LeBuhn and I defeated Scott Bondurant / Bill Fiedler, then #3 in the country, in the first round. It was the first time I won a first round match at the Short Hills tournament.

Q. How did you get involved with the APTA?

A. I started by serving on the Players’ Committee. At the National Championship in Rochester in 2000, there were several defaults in the back draw. A similar instance had occurred at the LI Invitational several years earlier when there were defaults and teams that did not try which caused the back draw of the tournament to fall apart. I wrote an article on the back draw problems for Wayne Dollard for Platform Tennis Magazine about it. Fritz Odenbach, with whom I had become friendly, asked me to serve on a "Players’ Committee" he was forming. At some point Fritz asked me to serve as Chairman.

Q. In this, your first year on the Board, you were elected Vice President. How have you found the responsibilities of your office?

A. I’ve enjoyed it and it has become a passion. I’ve been particularly involved with the changes in the web site.

Q. I have heard that John Horine is planning to retire at the end of this season and you have indicated a willingness to move up to the Presidency. Is this correct?

A. Yes.

Q. What do you see as the most important task that you will have as the APTA leader?

A. Growing the game is my number one priority. I want to see more courts in public areas and find ways to encourage more people to play the game.

Q. Do you have any special item on your agenda that the membership should be prepared for?

A. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Q. How do you feel about some of the innovations to the game that are being tried, such as the red zone target?

A. I’m not a big fan of this change. I love the game the way that it is.

Q. Are there any changes in the Official Rules that you plan to pursue?

A. No.

Q. How about the finances of the organization. It was published that the Association lost $10,000.00 last year and spent almost $100,000.00 on the "Platform Tennis Magazine". Do you expect to make any changes in this area?

A. We are consolidating the positions of Executive Director and Treasurer to reduce expenses. We are also aiming to eliminate costs for office administration. The goal is to save $15,000 to $20,000 by these changes. I’m not as much involved with the magazine as with the web site. I do think most of our members like the magazine. Personally I’m a big fan of it.

Q. The APTA has a new web master this year, Terri Gollinger. There seems to be a lot of new material on the site. What do you see as the role of the APTA web site in the future?

A. The web site is creating an on-line community. The database will be on the internet so that members can change their address, phone number and e-mail information in the APTA file. Entering tournaments on-line with entry fee paid by credit card is now available. I’m looking to get the results of tournaments up as quickly as possible. We want to increase communication with the membership but reduce expensive mailings.

Q. We just lost Dick Squires after inducting him into the Hall of Fame last March. The Platform Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame Foundation has been in existence for three years with John Horine as its President. A permanent, bricks and mortar home for the Museum and Hall has been talked about for a long time. What is your view of this project?

A. I think it is a great concept. I am not up-to-date on the fund raising activities but I fully support a Museum and Hall of Fame.

Q. Is there anything else that you think would be interesting to the APTA membership?

A. I would like to see more female members on the Board of Directors. Presently there are only three and that is not enough. We also need representatives from some of the mid-western cities. We need to find ways to tap into the passion that we have about the game to move it forward. The APTA must add value for the non-tournament player. I am a big believer in "value-added". One project being worked on is a nationwide League Championship playoff in March in New Jersey. Also continued upgrading of the web site as I’ve already spoken about is important.

We need a formal Umpire Association. The APTA should supply umpires starting with the National Championships and then begin taking on ranking tournaments.

I want to bring the game to the public by having more public facilities. We should use the Winnetka, IL facility as a case study. Get courts where they are under utilized and bring them to areas where they will be used.

I look for growth in the PPTA, the Platform Tennis Professional Association. The PPTA and the APTA working together should really be a factor in our sport. It should be a positive force under the leadership of Patti Hogan. In the first half of this year the PPTA has more than doubled its membership. I was recently in Cleveland where there are no pros and there are only 400 APTA members whereas in Pittsburgh there are six or seven full time professionals and some part timers and 1300 to 1400 APTA members. With the help of the PPTA I think we can change that. One of the critical components of our game is our teaching pros. The areas that have lots of teaching Pros and public courts are the one that are flourishing, the ones without are the ones that aren’t. Pittsburgh and Cleveland are a perfect example.

I really want to be interactive and responsive to the membership and their ideas and suggestions. The game belongs to the people that play it. I want to involve more people in the entire process. If you’ve got something to say we want to hear it. Get involved.

Thank you Mark for granting this exclusive interview to platformtennisnews.com.

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