Hinsdale Platform Tennis Association

Membership VP Nancy Ballantine reported today that the HPTA membership grew by 8.5% this season to a record level of 654 members.

Where: KLM Hut
When: 7:30 to 9 PM on Sunday, April 27, 2008

Open to HPTA members

The agenda for the HPTA Board Meeting is:

1. Accounting update

2. Instruction - Academy 2008; programs and fees

3. Tournaments - A third series of tournaments for 2008-09; Additional Mixed Doubles Draw; Juniors

4. KLM Hut - poor lighting on courts 2 and 3; painting courts; hut maintenance plans including display of trophies

5. Village Government - budgeting additional courts

6. Fundraising and donations plans for next season

7. Update on courts at Hinsdale Golf Club and Salt Creek Club

To all HPTA members:

The board will be engaging in discussions soon with the Parks Commission about the platform tennis facilities. Any input you have about maintenance and other projects would be helpful. Please e-mail any of the board members with comments or the entire board through the Vice President, Communications, paulwiggin@yahoo.com .

The HPTA election of 2007 wound up as we rang in the new year on December 31st. Congratulations to:

Mary Doten, reelected as Vice President (term 2007-2009)
Susie Dunphy, elected as Vice President (term 2007-2009)
Ed Usher, reelected as Vice President (term 2007-2009)
Paul Wiggin, reelected as Vice President (term 2007-2009)

The Hinsdale Platform Tennis Association is a volunteer organization created to promote the wonderful game of paddle in Hinsdale and surrounding environs. It is registered as a non-profit organization in the State of Illinois.

Each year a portion of the HPTA board comes up for election by its members. This year four of the nine board members are up for election:

Mary Doten, Vice President (term 2007-2009)
Susie Dunphy, Vice Presidente (term 2007-2009)
Ed Usher, Vice President (term 2007-2009)
Paul Wiggin, Vice President (term 2007-2009)

Please respond to this poll to hinsdale_paddle@yahoo.com by January 7 with one of the following responses:

1. Affirm election of Mary Doten, Susie Dunphy, Ed Usher, and Paul Wiggin.
2. Oppose election of Mary Doten, Susie Dunphy, Ed Usher, and Paul Wiggin.
3. Write-in vote for ______________.

The election results will be posted on http://hinsdalepaddle.com and http://hpta.blogspot.com .

The HPTA has filed to incorporate as a non-profit with the State of Illinois. Many thanks to Ed Usher for doing the heavy lifting.

The first-ever closed-door Board Meeting was held on January 21, 2007.

Members present: Nancy Ballantine, Mary Doten, Margaret Hawn, Bill O'Brien, Jay Pollitt, Charlie Usher, Ed Usher, Paul Wiggin; Absent: Lynn Kuessner.

In that session, the HPTA unanimously approved (8-0) a motion to incorporate as a not-for-profit in the State of Illinois. This step will facilitate the Treasury and Banking operations, as well as establishing the HPTA as a lasting organization in our community.

With all precincts counted, five HPTA board members were elected unanimously in the 2006 election which closed November 7th. The winners were:

President: Bill O'Brien (term 2006-08)
Vice-President, Instruction: Charlie Usher (term 2006-08)
Vice-President, Membership: Nancy Ballantine (term 2006-08)
Vice-President, Treasurer: Jay Pollitt (term 2006-08)
Vice-President, Women's Programs: Margaret Hawn (term 2006-08)

The Hinsdale Platform Tennis Association is a volunteer organization created to promote the wonderful game of paddle in Hinsdale and surrounding environs. Each year a portion of the HPTA board comes up for election by its members. This year five board members are up for election:

President: Bill O'Brien (term 2006-08)
Vice-President, Instruction: Charlie Usher (term 2006-08)
Vice-President, Membership: Nancy Ballantine (term 2006-08)
Vice-President, Treasurer: Jay Pollitt (term 2006-08)
Vice-President, Women's Programs: Margaret Hawn (term 2006-08)

In addition, the HPTA Board unanimously has voted to create a new board position -- Vice-President, Youth Programs --which will be filled by Lynn Kuessner (term 2005-07). Paul Wiggin (term 2005-07) will move into the role of Vice-President, Communications, which had been filled by Keith Medick, but who is stepping down from the board to spend more time with his family. Lynn and Paul are two of the four board members will continue to serve out their terms for another year. The other two board members are Vice-President, Events: Mary Doten (term 2005-07) and Vice-President, Men's Programs: Ed Usher (term 2005-07)

Please respond to this poll to hinsdale_paddle@yahoo.com by November 7 with one of the following responses:

1. Affirm election of Bill O'Brien, Charlie Usher, Nancy Ballantine, Jay Pollitt, and Margaret Hawn.
2. Oppose election of Bill O'Brien, Charlie Usher, Nancy Ballantine, Jay Pollitt, and Margaret Hawn.
3. Write-in vote for ______________.

The election results will be posted on http://hinsdalepaddle.blogspot.com and http://hpta.blogspot.com .

Topics for the meeting will include:

1. Updates from Board members

2. Board Development
- Consideration of structural changes to board roles
- Election procedures

3. Event planning
- Schedule for Red Zone and Year-End Tournaments
- Location of after-tournament party

The terms of service are expiring in November for four of the eight HPTA Board members:

President: Bill O’Brien
Vice-President, Communications: Keith Medick
Vice-President, Instructional Programs: Charlie Usher
Vice-President, Membership: Nancy Ballantine

Contact paulwiggin@yahoo.com if you would like to learn more about a role with the HPTA. I would love to add some of your names to the ballot.

The board is also considering adding a ninth role to oversee programs for Juniors. The CPTC has announced a significant initiative of its own to promote paddle with school children, so this may be the right time to expand programs further for kids.

The Hinsdale Platform Tennis Association board would like to hear about your experiences this season and your opinions about next. Please take ten minutes to answer the survey. Copy this URL into your web browser: http://express.perseus.com/perseus/surveys/1734848031/1b366616.htm

The HPTA Board will convene at the KLM hut on Sunday, 2/26/06, for a 7:30 PM meeting. Members and interested parties are welcome. The tentative agenda for this meeting is as follows:

1. Update about the February 13 Parks Commission meeting from Nancy, Lynn, and Ed

2. Update on preparations for the March 10-12 tournaments and party from Mary and Charlie

3. Plans for next season

4. Maintenance tasks for KLM and Burns

With the polls closing today, the election judges report a unanimous mandate (86 affirm, 0 against) for the four HPTA board members on the ballot:

Vice-President, Event Planning: Mary Doten (term 2005-07)
Representative, Traveling Teams: Ed Usher (term 2005-07)
Secretary: Paul Wiggin (term 2005-07)
Vice-President, Women's Programs: Lynn Kuessner (term 2005-07)

Congrats to our new board member, Lynn Kuessner, and the three board members beginning their second terms of office.

The HPTA Board will meet on Tuesday, November 22, at 7:30 PM in the KLM hut to discuss the long-term requirements for Hinsdale paddle. Visitors are welcome.

1. Jay Pollitt reported that 89 people have registered for the September 22-24, 2005 Paddle Academy. Several sessions are completely full. Openings remain in the Intermediate Women's Clinic on Thursday morning and the Beginner's Clinic on Saturday afternoon.

2. Mary Doten reported that work is proceeding on a new way to reserve a spot for in-house leagues, mixed doubles socials, and other special events. Once an event has been scheduled, paddlers will be able to sign up individually.

3. Ed Usher reported that the league intendes to fulfill Hinsdale Park Districts requests for adding two men's teams for this season, bringing the total number to eleven. Ed will be working with the team captains during September to set up rosters for returning players and additions.

4. The HPTA will be taking several steps in the fall to invite new players into programs:

(a) Andy Bizub's article in The Doings last week described the Paddle Academy and other ways to get players started.

(b) Keith Medick will be hanging posters in area supermarkets, Village parks, the train station, and tennis clubs.

(c) Bill O'Brien and Ed Usher will send out a series of e-mail messages asking the returning list of (263) families to identify neighbors and friends to invite to HPTA programs.

(d) Charlie Usher will work with the three pros to set up free clinics in the fall to encourage curious residents to come out and try paddle.

5. Paul Wiggin proposed posting signage at KLM and Burns that lays out all of the rules of conduct on one page. The main ideas will be to inform on proper use of the facility (e.g. heaters) and remind players to be respectful of neighbors (e.g. noise).

6. March 11-12 were tentatively chosen as the dates for the annual Hinsdale Tourney. Keith Medick will work with Village staff to reserve KLM Lodge for an social event on the evening of March 11.

7. Terms for three board members expire in November. Elections will be held for these roles and one additional board member role -- Vice President, Women's Programs. Anyone interested in serving on the board should contact paulwiggin@yahoo.com for information and to be included on the ballot.

8. A meeting of the full board will be held in January 2006, or sooner if urgent matters arise.

Thursday, September 1, 2005, beginning at 7:30 PM

KLM Paddle Hut


1) Guests are invited to speak about any issues of interest.

a. Academy (Jay and Bob) – status of registrations


2) Reports from Board Members

a. Events (Mary) – reservations system, events schedule

b. Traveling Teams (Ed) – Wednesday nights at KLM and Burns

c. HPD participation with the Nationals and Other Chicago Charities Tournaments (Bill)

d. Membership (Nancy) – updating the mailing list

e. Communication (Keith) -- marketing HPTA programs

f. Facilities (Paul) – maintenance, improvements, rules of conduct signs

g. Coordination with Village of Hinsdale staff (all)


3) Hinsdale Tournament

a. Coordinating our timing with the Nationals Tournament (Mary, Charlie)

b. Reserving the KLM Lodge for the party (Keith)


4) Administrative Matters

a. Next board meeting

a. Fall elections timetable – Secretary (Paul), Events (Mary), Traveling Teams (Ed), Tournament Directors (Mary, Charlie)

On Monday, July 18, 2005 the Village of Hinsdale Parks Commission meets in the Memorial Building. They've asked the HPTA to present its plans for the 2005-06 season. These notes have been provided:

Highlights of the 2004-05 Season

 The HPTA elected its first slate of officers in November 2004 and built a membership of 500 players for Hinsdale and surrounding communities. Throughout the season, we kept the community informed through two active web sites full of photographs and news stories. To view these, visit http://hinsdalepaddle.blogspot.com and http://hpta.blogspot.com .

 The Village recorded a record number of paddle passholders and a record number of reservations last season. We are thrilled to see activity up about 300% over the past 3 years. A reservations web site donated by one of the lifetime members alleviated much of the burden on Village staff that this increase would otherwise have brought.

 The association’s top priority for the season was to increase use by women of the paddle facilities. The series of instructional programs for women and children offered through the Parks Department were a huge success. Several “in-house leagues” for women also turned out to be very popular and will be expanded.

 A regular schedule of social events brought many residents to the KLM paddle facility for their first experience. The monthly mixed doubles events on Friday evenings and three parent/child events during the season were oversubscribed.

 More than 100 residents participated in the competitive league this season. All ten of Hinsdale’s traveling teams finished near the top of their series, making this the strongest season for competitive paddle ever.

 The March 19-20, 2005 tournament grew to five draws and each of these was nearly full with 32 players. We were fortunate again to have perfect weather all weekend.

 Members of the HPTA worked with the Parks Commission and Burr Ridge residents to implement seven changes aimed at lessening the impact of use of the park. The last of these recommendations was recently completed with the move of mature trees near the property line. In addition, an experiment with the orientation of the light fixtures has helped to reduce the visibility of the park from the adjoining neighborhood.


Plans for the 2005-06 Season

 The offering of instructional programs for platform tennis through the Village should be continued into its second season, with some minor adjustments. The association is recommending changes to the schedule that’s used in the on-line reservation system. One set of changes – allowing reservation blocks in less than 90 minute increments – would make the schedule mesh better with school drop-off and pick-up times. A second set of changes would allow participants in the women’s “in-house” league to reserve time individually.

 The association will continue a long-standing tradition of offering free introductory classes to Hinsdale residents. This program is promoted by placing posters around town, word-of-mouth, and through the Village of Hinsdale’s fall recreation brochure.

 The association has arranged for a series of clinics to be offered at KLM from September 22-24. The cost for a three-hour clinic will run $100 per person and be collected by the event committee which is chaired by HPTA members, Jay Pollitt and Bob Schultz.

 In cooperation with the Parks Department, the association will be making improvements at the KLM platform tennis facility. For example, we will be staining the pressurized lumber used for the stairs and ramps later this week. The HPTA also offers to place crushed rock between the courts to reduce the muddiness.

 We understand that the Village staff plans to maintain the Burns Field platform tennis courts and correct a problem with the heater on court 1 at KLM this summer. The HPTA will assist in any way we are able.

 We understand that the Parks Commission will be contemplating the Village’s long-term plan for parks this year. To accommodate continued growth for platform tennis, we recommend the purchase of two additional courts in 2008. To minimize the impact of light and sound on neighbors in Burr Ridge, the Parks Commission should consider installing these courts immediately to the north of courts 1 and 4 at KLM.

What: paddle, pizza, & prizes
Where: KLM paddle courts
When: Friday, April 15, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM
Who: Kindergarten through Fifth Graders (and siblings as necessary)
Cost: $5 per child and $5 per adult

Each child must have a parent who is participating in the festivities. (Please, no drop offs).

Wear sneakers. Paddles are available for anyone who needs them. Please e-mail paulwiggin@yahoo.com by April 12 if you plan on attending, so we have enough pizza.

Congratulations to the winners and runners-up in this weekend's tournaments.

Men's tournaments (including several women!):

A
1 Jeff Byrnes & Louis Jacobsohn
2 Ryan Edlefson & Marc Veverka

B
1 Sam Hart & Van Stapleton
2 Dave Leonard & Sam Stout

C
1 Jim Weil & Bob Westrick
2 Andy Bizub & Michael Lee

Women's tournaments:

A
1 Molly Hughes & Sue Sprovieri
2 Betsy Bradley & Missy D’Alise

B
1 Jackie Nelson & Julia Wade
2 Mary Beth Daly & Susan Muir

Thanks to Nancy Ballantine, Mary Doten, and Charlie Usher on putting together the largest and best tournament weekend Hinsdale has ever experienced.

1. Almost everyone is playing 3 matches on Saturday. All finals and backdraw finals are on Sunday.

2. If all parties are agreeable, backdraw finals that are scheduled for Sunday can be played Saturday afternoon, anytime 3:00 or later. The courts should be opening up at this time, everywhere.

3. Tournament headquarters will be at KLM. Be sure and stop by KLM Saturday morning to get your official Hinsdale Platform Tennis shirt.

3. Scoring – regular scoring
- Best of 3 sets, tie-breaker at 6-all.
- Be sure your scores get reported back to KLM immediately upon completion of your match. Gary Doten will be fielding the calls, (708) 473-9132

4. Time is of the essence
- we are trying to get 72 matches played on Saturday.
- We must strive to finish every match in 1 hour or less.
- Limit warm-up to 5 minutes maximum
- Arrive at least15 minutes early to each match and begin a.s.a.p.

5. New balls - we have enough balls for everyone to use 1 new ball for each match, not for each set.

6. The Keller Court is at 1155 35th St., Oak Brook. Take Ogden to Adams south to 35th St. Park in the driveway.

7. Please help keep the tournament running smoothly. Much of the time A & B players will be at the same site as C players. If you have any questions about scoring a tie-breaker, etc., just ask one of the A or B players.

8. Pray for good weather.

9. The finals for all 3 draws is Sunday, 10:45 a.m., at KLM. Let’s all come out and support the finalists.

10. Go to http://hinsdalepaddle.blogspot.com/ for more info about Saturday nights party.

Charlie Usher reports that on February 28:

A Draw is closed with 16 excellent & even teams already signed up.

B Draw has 13 of the 16 spots signed up.

C Draw has 13 of the 16 spots signed up.

If you have signed up but not sent your check in, please do so promptly.

When: February 25, 2005 from 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Where: KLM Paddle Courts

Who: Parent with middle/high school age child

We will begin with a round robin format of play for the first hour. Free play will follow.

Pizza will be delivered at 8:30 pm


Space will be limited to the first 12 families who sign up

Send response to Nancy Ballantine nwbal@msn.com

Event open to all HPTA members and their teenagers.

Event coordinators: Adrienne Renwick 321-1335 and Nancy Ballantine 655-2153
Call us if you have questions

We will be collecting $10 / family at the door, to cover pizza, gatorade, and balls.

Hope to see you there!!

The full letter is available here: Letter.doc
Recommendations

In consideration for the Village’s support for platform tennis programs, the HPTA asks for an opportunity to address the complaints about both lighting and noise. Our initial recommendations are as follows:

1. The HPTA has encouraged late-starting matches to be played on the western courts #1 and #2.

2. The HPTA has encouraged players to turn off lights as early as possible, particularly on the eastern courts #3 and #4.

3. The HPTA has created a policy that shouting is unwelcome conduct. As necessary, the HPTA will recommend to the Village Parks Manager that a passholder’s privileges be revoked for repeated offenses.

4. The HPTA has communicated its policy about shouting in a series of meetings, e-mail messages, and web site postings.

5. The HPTA has informed and reminded visiting players that shouting is not permitted at Hinsdale’s facilities.

6. The HPTA will welcome feedback from neighbors and from other observers regarding noise levels.

7. The HPTA will encourage its members to vacate the warming house promptly at 10:30 PM.

8. The HPTA will help to fund the purchase of windscreens for the eastern courts #3 and #4 in order to reduce the neighbors’ views of play. It is important to note that to avoid damage to the court structure, the windscreens will have to be erected on an independent structure.

9. The HPTA recommends that the Village add landscaping near the eastern property line, which in time, will provide additional screening from the adjacent neighborhood.

10. The HPTA would suggest returning to a Parks Commission meeting after these recommendations have been implemented to discuss whether issues with light and sound have been adequately addressed.

We welcome the opportunity to work through these issues with the Parks Commission, Village Board, and our neighbors in Burr Ridge. We look forward to resolving the issues about lights and sounds without stifling the growth of Hinsdale’s platform tennis programs.

Sunday, February 13, 2005

7:30 PM

KLM Paddle Hut



1) Approval of minutes from December 5, 2004 HPTA Board Meeting.

2) Guests are invited to speak about any issues of interest.

3) Reports from Board Members

a. Communication (Keith) -- plans for marketing HPTA programs

b. Events (Mary) -- reservations, schedule, turnout

c. Facilities (Paul) -- cleaning, electrical faults, heaters, maintenance, supplies

d. Instruction (Charlie) -- court reservations, turnout

e. Membership (Nancy) -- sharing lists of new players

f. Traveling Teams (Ed)

4) Follow-up discussion about initiatives to encourage participation by women.

5) Discussion about February 21 Parks Commission Meeting to address concerns of several Burr Ridge residents.

6) Discussion about the Hinsdale Tournament to be held March 19-20.

7) Plans for 2005-06 season

a. Would there be interest in having the Viking Academy return for a 2-day camp next season?

b. Should we create By-Laws for the HPTA?

In attendance: Nancy Ballantine, Mary Doten, Keith Medick, Bill O’Brien, Andy Usher, Charlie Usher, Ed Usher, Paul Wiggin

Just prior to the HPTA board meeting, Nancy, Mary, and Bill met with several women to discuss concepts to increase play among women that are new to paddle.

The Minutes of the November 7, 2004 meeting were approved.

Board members reported on their respective responsibilities and discussed some new business. The following is a synopsis of those discussions:

1. The monthly mixed doubles night has been drawing 32 to 40 people. There was discussion about holding this event twice per month, but that change was not voted upon.

2. Approximately 30 people participated in the Thanksgiving round robins. Holiday travel and a cancellation due to rain kept these events from reaching our expectations.

3. A parent/teenager outing will be held on December 10, 2004. The ages of the children participating range from 6th to 8th grade. Approximately 12 families will participate.

4. Lesson plans for the two winter ’05 sessions have been submitted to the Village. Copies of the schedule will be posted on the web site.

5. There was discussion about helping people new to paddle to others interested in meeting players at similar levels. We tentatively concluded that publishing e-mail addresses without phone numbers would be acceptable. There was some discussion about how to organize the list of names to indicate level of play that was not concluded.

6. The association will ask the Village staff to enforce the rule that paddle passes are required for participants in lessons when they have completed two sessions.

7. The association will suggest to Bob Kotula that no more than one waiver per season is required of participants in lessons. Village staff has been asking for a new waiver every five weeks and that seems to be an excessive amount of paperwork.

8. The Hinsdale Invitational Tournament will be held over the weekend of March 19 and 20, 2005. There has been discussion about whether to break the men’s tournament into two or three brackets.

9. A party will be held following the tournament. We will look into reserving the Lodge at KLM for this event in order to accommodate the large increase in players. To simplify administration, we discussed setting a combined fee for the tournament and party.

10. The paddle hut should be made available for private events. After checking with several other clubs about the rental fees for their huts, the HPTA officers voted to recommend use of the existing passholder fee structure for events held at KLM. Therefore, annual passholders would be entitled to use the courts and hut with no charge. New paddlers would pay the appropriate one-time fees.

11. The Village is considering the use of windscreens to reduce the amount of light visible to the nearby houses in Burr Ridge. The HPTA voted to recommend the purchase of two windscreens for the eastern side of the eastern courts.

12. President Bill O’Brien will attend the December Parks & Recreation Commission meeting to talk about HPTA goals and activities.

13. The HPTA Board discussed and approved a plan to schedule blocks of time weekly for women’s play on a drop-in basis. An instructor will not be present, but volunteers will help to get play going and to fill the courts.

Next Meeting
Sunday, February 6, at 7:30 PM at the KLM Warming Hut

Agenda for HPTA Board Meeting
7:30 PM Sunday, December 5, 2004
KLM Warming Hut

1. Approval of Minutes from Meeting of November 7, 2004 (see attached)

2. Reports from board members about events, instruction, membership, leagues, and tournaments

3. Requests and Issues from the Village of Hinsdale

a. Rental of warming hut for private events
(See KLM Lodge rental fees here: http://www.villageofhinsdale.org/klm/rental.asp )

b. Policies about court reservations

4. Discussion of Plans to Increase Play among Women

5. Upcoming Events

Ever overeat at the big Thanksgiving family meal? Well, it shouldn't be too tough to shed the extra pounds!

Round robins are a nice way to get out and play with 15+ others who are at a similar level of play. You are assigned to a court, play one set, and then move on to the next assignment (changing partners and opponents).

We'll have four round robins at KLM during Thanksgiving weekend:

Friday, 11/26, 9:30 AM-12:30 PM -- Adv Beg Women + Men series 9-14 +recreational

Saturday, 11/27, 8:00 AM-11:00 PM -- Adv Women + Men series 1-5

Saturday, 11/27, 1:00 PM-4:00 PM -- Int Women

Sunday, 11/28, 1:00 PM-4:00 PM -- Int Women + Men series 5-9

Sign up in the warming hut or by sending an e-mail to Keith.Medick@ryersontull.com .

Congrats to the new officers of the HPTA.

President: Bill O’Brien
Secretary: Paul Wiggin
Vice-President, Communications: Keith Medick
Vice-President, Event Planning: Mary Doten
Vice-President, Instructional Programs: Charlie Usher
Vice-President, Membership: Nancy Ballantine
Representative, Traveling Teams: Ed Usher

The attendees nominated the following slate of officers for the Hinsdale Platform Tennis Association:

President: Bill O’Brien
Secretary: Paul Wiggin
Vice-President, Communications: Keith Medick
Vice-President, Event Planning: Mary Doten
Vice-President, Instructional Programs: Charlie Usher
Vice-President, Membership: Nancy Ballantine
Representative, Traveling Teams: Ed Usher

Non-voting roles in the association were assigned as follows:
Tournament Director, Men’s Charlie Usher
Tournament Director, Women’s Mary Doten

The complete set of minutes can be found here: HPTA Inaugural Meeting Minutes November 7, 2004.doc

Hinsdale Platform Tennis Association
Inaugural Meeting
Sunday, November 7, 7:30 PM
Platform tennis warming hut at Katherine Legge Memorial Park

All HPTA members and anyone interested in this association are encouraged to attend.

Agenda

Call to order of meeting by Chair Bill O’Brien

Announcements and Upcoming Events

Proposed Organizational Structure for the Hinsdale Platform Tennis Association

- Two-year term for President
- One-year term for Secretary
- Two-year term for Vice-President, Communications
- One-year term for Vice-President, Event Planning
- Two -year term for Vice-President, Instructional Programs
- Two -year term for Vice-President, Membership
- One-year term for Representative from the CPTC League Traveling Teams
- One-year term for Tournament Directors (non-voting members)

Proposed Election Procedures
- Ballots sent through e-mail and available on http://hpta.blogspot.com by November 9 to be returned by noon on November 14
- Election results announced November 14 via http://hpta.blogspot.com and e-mail

Nominations of Officers

Bill O'Brien reports that Friday evening's festivities at KLM were enjoyed by 10 couples. The HPTA plans to hold 1 or 2 outings like this each month. Volunteers to organize these events would be welcomed.

Courtsey of Bill O'Brien:
Directions to CPTC League Clubs.doc

Bill O'Brien is getting a weekly practice session starting on Sunday, September 26, from 8:30 to 10 PM at KLM. Players on the new series 14 team should let Bill know if you're able to attend.

To build on the momentum for paddle, the HPTA will offer free one-hour introductions through the fall. Bill O'Brien describes the clinic this way ...

We have nailed down four possible time slots for our first free clinics for beginners. This is a chance to see what paddle is all about, learn a little bit about how to play it, and so on. These clinics will be taught by Mary Doten who is a marvelous teacher as well as a great paddle player -- and if many of you sign up for the same time slot, we will have other people there to help Mary. Actually, the more people we can get to attend the same time slot, the more fun it will be.

So, here are four time slots from which to choose:

Sunday (9/19) 1:30 - 2:30 pm
Sunday (9/19) 4:30 - 5:30 pm
Monday (9/20) 10:00 - 11:00am
Tuesday (9/21) 10:00 - 11:00am

Please let Bill O'Brien know which of those times you could make along with the one you would most prefer. If we find that most of you are unable to attend any of these sessions, we will try to put something together in early October.

This game is just about the most fun you can have and so we are anxious to get you properly introduced to it. And bring a friend along if you wish (just tell Bill so that I make sure we have enough space).

Racquets and balls are available without charge. For information, contact Bill O’Brien at (630) 325-6827 or bill.obrien@worldnet.att.net.

The Village of Hinsdale will celebrate the grand opening of the new platform tennis facility at Katherine Legge Memorial Park on Friday evening, September 24, from 5 to 7 PM.



The Parks Department invites everyone to enjoy a barbecue from Uncle Bub's restaurant, the grand opening ceremony, and an exhibition match from the Viking Academy instructors.

We’re thrilled to announce that three pros will be involved with paddle instruction in Hinsdale this season:

• Mary Doten, two-time state and national paddle champ and a certified platform tennis instructor
• Tom Lockhart, head tennis pro of the Hinsdale Tennis Association
• Marc Veverka, head tennis pro at Salt Creek Club and a member of two league champion paddle teams

Group lessons begin September 27. Download the entire schedule: HPTA Professional Instruction September 2004

The Viking Academy is sure to be the biggest event for Hinsdale platform tennis since Mary Doten and Susie Keane's victory in Cleveland at the Nationals in March. The country's top players and instructors will be in Hinsdale on September 23, 24, and 25. The weekend's events include seven 3-hour clinics and two "play with the pros" sessions. Register with paulwiggin@yahoo.com or for more information about the Viking Academy, visit the web site at: Viking Academy or download the schedule:
Viking Academy in Hinsdale

Hinsdale Park District
Men's Teams for 2004-05

We'll be going from 7 to 9 teams. The league is reorganizing also. The new organization adds two series, bringing the total to 14. Here are HPD's teams and the night they play:

Series 1 Wednesday
Series 2 Tuesday
Series 3 Thursday
Series 5 Tuesday
Series 7 Wednesday
Series 9 Thursday
Series 11 Tuesday
Series 13 Wednesday
Series 14 Tuesday