A CONVERSATION WITH MARK FISCHL, PRESIDENT
OF THE
AMERICAN PLATFORM TENNIS ASSOCIATION

By Charles E. Vasoll

After several attempts that caused planned meetings to be postponed, Mark Fischl and I did, finally, have a bite to eat together this summer. Even on the day that we did meet, a last minute change in venue had to be arranged. I had invited him to my home club, Cherry Valley Club in Garden City, Long Island but when I arrived I found that the club was closed for the day to do some construction work in the kitchen. Fortunately the manager was on hand and he arranged for us to visit our neighboring club, the Garden City Country Club. We had an excellent meal in their new casual dining area and a lively back and forth discussion between bites of food.

I opened the conversation by asking Mark about any “key” decisions at the first Board meeting following the Annual Meeting last May. He replied that there were four items that he was pleased to relate.

First he stated that the Board had approved a “mission statement”. He did not have the wording with him but indicated that it would be published in the first issue of “Platform Tennis” magazine. I responded that I thought it was a good idea and it seems that every organization and business entity now composes one so that they know in what direction they should be headed.

Next he was happy to report that the treasury of the APTA was solvent. He reported that, in the last fiscal year, there was a surplus of $49,000.00 of income over expense. The cost cutting that he embarked upon two years ago was bearing fruit.

A grant of $12,500 was the third item he brought out. The APTA awarded the Chapel Hill Tennis Club in North Carolina this sum as “seed money” to establish a platform tennis program and construct two courts. One of the leaders in this program is Rich Green. He is a former teammate of Mark at the Huntington YMCA on Long Island. He has relocated to Chapel Hill. He is working with Chris Casiraghi of Reilly Green Mountain Platform Tennis on an effort to grow the sport in the new Region VII that covers the Southeast of the United States.

The final item was a contribution from the Chicago Platform Tennis Association of $8,000.00. Local associations are relatively independent and do not receive financial support from the APTA. The group in Chicago (and its suburbs) conducted the National Championships last year and obviously had a successful financial result. They requested the funds be used in junior development. It was very thoughtful of the Chicago association to make a contribution to the National governing body. Other associations should follow this lead.

I inquired about regulations governing the courts and Mark answered by noting that the Board approved a “gap” in the side service line of a maximum of 6”. Some of the court builders were already painting the lines in this manner to assist the players in making correct calls on serves. This procedure is now officially recognized.

Mark also mentioned a drive to emphasize the use of wearing eye protection. He indicated that signs were being given by the APTA to member clubs and organizations to make players aware of this concern. The signs, which are weatherproof metal, can also be purchased through the APTA.

I inquired about the possibility of a 125+ National Championship for Men. He answered that none was planned for this season but there was one other development for the senior males. A 95+ tour is in the works. However, no National Championship with this age requirement yet. I asked whether there would be a minimum age and he stated that none was considered. I immediately explained that I would start looking for the best 20 year-old around.

We spoke of many other administrative matters including fund raising, membership numbers, umpires and tournament schedules. I offered some of my experiences from sixteen years ago and he said he looked forward to applying them in the new circumstances. He also is excited about new possibilities for raising funds as a result of contributions to the Association now being tax exempt. It was a very pleasant “back and forth” and, hopefully, we will get together again during the season.

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