WHAT SHOULD BE ON THE AGENDA
FOR THIS YEAR’S MEETING OF THE APTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS?

By Charles E. Vasoll

I have no crystal ball nor do I have an inside spy, so I do not know what items beyond the routine ones that the APTA Board of Directors will discuss at their meeting in Pittsburgh. I expect that they will meet, as has been the custom, on Saturday, May 5th following the Annual Meeting of the membership on Friday, May 4th.

Here are some of my suggestions for topics that the Board should give attention.

• “Term Limits” for Directors – Yes, it is my pet peeve and this year’s “retirees” reinforce my strong feelings about the self-imposed regulation that Directors must leave after six years service. Four Directors with excellent credentials MUST leave the Board. That’s a waste! The elimination of the experience of Tim McAvoy, Taylor Bowen, Bob Callaway and Martin Sturgess is going to be missed.

• “Growth of the Sport” Program – Giving away the member’s dues to a club to build courts is improper and the program should be discontinued. The “grant” to the Chapel Hill Tennis Club last year is not the way in which the Association should work to increase participation in the sport.

• Umpiring – What a difference it makes to have someone “in the chair”. It is such a minimal expense for tournaments that a stronger requirement must be placed on tournaments to employ a qualified person in all sanctioned events. That, in turn, means more emphasis on training and certifying individuals to do the job. Since we have an association for professionals, PPTA, isn’t it time for a Platform Tennis Umpires Association (PTUA)?

• Review the Web Site – The purpose of the APTA web site needs definition. Certainly it is a great source of information. That information, however, is principally static, such as Rules, Tournament Schedules, Membership, Archives, etc. If that is what it is supposed to do, fine. I believe the membership also expects it to carry current tournament results and other news highlights. That has become the province of paddlepro.com. Web sites, in my opinion, are not strong venues for human-interest stories such as those that were attempted this past year. The subject needs enlightened discussion.

To the Directors, my best wishes for a successful meeting. My meeting is adjourned.

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