Gay community targets old Australian former tennis champion

Pastor and former Australian tennis champion Margaret Court says she has been the target of a hate campaign since publicly speaking out against gay marriage.

Margaret Court - Australian tennis champ in the 60's

The 70-year-old made headlines around the world in December after saying marriage should be between a man and woman, and was criticised by openly gay tennis stars including Rennae Stubbs and Billie Jean King.

Gay activists launched a Facebook campaign asking Australian Open spectators to wear rainbow colours and wave flags at the show court named after the former player on Friday.

Golf and tennis just go together

If you play tennis, I’m sure you’ve got some friends playing golf too.  Many of my golfers have been talking about how good Srixon has been at improving their balls over the years.

Many golf companies make golf balls, but many cannot match the quality of Srixon golf balls. Srixon does not just list their golf balls as “premium,” they actually are. The company offers three different families of balls – Tour, Premium Distance, and All-Ability. Each family of golf balls is meant to perform a separate task. The Tour balls are designed to have the best spin and acceleration. Premium Distance are best for using on the first shot to gain the most distance.

After experimenting with different types of golf balls, Srixon was definitely a quality ball, and they lived up to the expectations. The ZSTAR XV Tour series in the Tour family impressed me most. At only $44.99, these balls blew me away. On Srixon’s website, they said that the ZSTAR XV Tour can be compared with the Titleist Pro V1X, Nike One Tour D, Callaway HX Tour, Bridgestone Tour B330, and TaylorMade TP Black. I found that the ZSTAR XV Tour adequately compared with all of those models. Besides the premium selection of balls, Srixon also offers cheaper models. In the All-Ability category, Srixon offers the AD333 balls for $24.99 for two dozen. The premium golf balls, the AD333, are the number one balls in the United Kingdom. It has a high launch angle and penetrating trajectory for greater distance.

All in all, I really enjoy Srixon’s golf balls. They compare to all of the top brands and the prices are quite fair. I definitely suggest one of the three tour yellow golf balls or the All-Ability at the very least. The prices beat some other manufacturers $70+ range and definitely match the quality.

Hubby’s Gift?

Guest post of the week by Quincy Rowe

I had the hardest time thinking of what to get my husband for Christmas this year and part of it is because he already has everything he could ever want. He as the hardest time telling me what he wants which mean I just have to guess. This year was different though because for the last three months he’s spent just about every waking moment at his friend Benny’s house and now I know why – Benny’s got Directv packages that get all the games! So for the holidays I’ve gotten my hubby the best package I could find and I know he’s going to be OVERJOYED. He’s really into basketball and with the strike just about over I know he’s going to love it when he opens up the picture of the satellite dish I wrapped up for him to open on Christmas morning! I can’t believe we haven’t thought of this before now but I guess it’s better late than never, you know what I mean?hubby gift

Setting the stage for scary Halloween decorations

Guest post written by Bill Roades

One of my favorite things about fall is that you can really spend a whole lot of time just decorating with a whole bunch of scary decorations. It really is a great thing and I love seeing other people’s reactions to it. My family would never really decorate our house for Halloween besides a simple little jack o lantern and I always wished that they hung up some really scary decorations like some of our neighbors.

Will tennis get better at the University of Alabama?

University of Alabama Director of Athletics Mal Moore announced today that Shane Lyons, Associate Commissioner at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), has been hired as Deputy Director of Athletics at the Capstone wearing full Alabama apparel to show his support.

University of Alabama Tennis Shirts worn by their own players

Shane Lyons will work hand in hand with Billy Pate, head coach of the Alabama tennis team. In fact, the men’s tennis team enjoyed a successful day one at the 2011 USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships, which are being held at the Yarborough Tennis Center at Auburn University. The Crimson Tide collected a combined seven wins on Thursday at the four-day tournament.

“I was very pleased with the results today and was especially pleased with the effort and energy,” said Alabama head coach Billy Pate. “Each guy played hard and with good focus.” Of course they looked good sporting their University of Alabama shirts.

Of course, let’s focus on this new athletic director shall we. “Shane Lyons accepted our offer early last week and we have finalized an agreement to add him to our athletic staff,” Moore said. “Shane brings to our department impressive administrative experience, having served at the ACC for more than 10 years while just completing his term as Chairman of the NCAA’s Division I Legislative Council. I am delighted to welcome him to our staff.”

Drinking and tennis don’t mix

Wofford College tennis player Randall Heffron died of inhaling food he had vomited after a heavy night of drinking, the Spartanburg County coroner confirmed on Thursday afternoon.

 

Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger said alcohol did not kill Heffron, 20, who died at 1:11 a.m. Sept. 10 at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.  The nurses were wearing their normal medical scrubs when this happened.

But the coroner confirmed that toxicology revealed Heffron had a .253 blood alcohol level, which is three times the legal definition of intoxication in the state of South Carolina for driving purposes for of-age adults. This would mean he had to have had 10 drinks in the span of 1 hour.

“A large mass of food was removed by Emergency Physicians at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center,” Clevenger said in a release. “At autopsy the following was recorded: ‘Mr. Heffron died as a result of respiratory insufficiency secondary to aspiration of food (so called café coronary).’ The elevated ethanol level may have contributed to the vomiting episode which led to extensive aspiration of food.’”

Heffron’s death has been ruled as accidental.

Heffron collapsed on the bathroom floor at Shipp Residence Hall at Wofford College just after midnight on Sept. 10. Such a sad end to a shining star in the tennis community.  Of course you still will not see nurses playing tennis in the emergency room, http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/.  They keep that to their free time.

This was written in memory of him:
Randall George Heffron, Jr. was born on April 10, 1991 and entered into eternal rest on September 10, 2011. He was the son of Robin Walker Heffron and the late Randall “Randy” George Heffron, DMD. He was the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. W. Howard Walker and the late Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Heffron, Sr. and brother to Walker Heffron, a member of the BEHS Class of 2011 and a member of the freshmen class at Wofford College. Randall attended Mason Preparatory School where he was awarded The Roy Barth Tennis Excellence Award. He was a 2010 graduate of Bishop England High School where he played JV basketball as a freshman and varsity tennis for four years. He served as captain of his tennis team and led them to the state playoffs all four years earning 2010 Player of the Year honors. Randall was the recipient of a 2010 South Carolina Tennis Patrons Foundation Scholarship and The J.C. and Alberta Long and Pinckney Scholarships through the Community Foundation and was entering his sophomore year at Wofford College having earned both Wofford tennis and academic scholarships.

Does surfing and tennis even go together?

Being a tennis player, dating a surf crazy guy like Harry had made me want to start up the sport myself but it seemed easier to just sit and watch from the warmth of the vacations homes nearby. I had to admit I was a wimp when it came to getting in the cold sea which wasn’t a great start to my surf career. So you can imagine my shock when I came home one night and saw Harry grinning and holding up 2 matching body glove wetsuits “Damn it!” I told him that was my only excuse for not getting in the water and letting him teach me this sport I had idly sat back watching for the last few months.

Interestingly enough the first thing I noticed about my new wetsuit was the fact it had handy pockets for keys something that had always worried me about surfing alone. After this discovery Harry asked if I had any intention of trying it on! Of course I was pessimistic about getting most wet suits on as it had always seemed a stressful procedure that certainly did not look flattering on a beach in front of the Harry and his surf friends.

Luckily Body Glove is way ahead of me when they designed wetsuits for women. Conveniently placed zips increase the likelihood I would be able to independently get my wetsuit on without a team of assistants. So here I am on my third surf lesson and strangely enough I haven’t even noticed whether the water was cold or not!

Mom and Dad’s Divorce

This guest post from Werner Rogers

When my mom told me she and my dad were getting divorced
I was pretty shocked. They’d been married over 30 years and I didn’t
really understand now that I’m 25 why they felt like they didn’t want to
be together anymore but I talked to both of them and it seemed to be
really amicable and they’re still great friends so I’m trying to be
supportive. I even went with my mom a few months ago to look for a new
house which was totally weird but we found her one and I even went to www.Allhomesecurity.COM
to see about getting her an alarm for it, too, since she’d be living
alone for the first time in decades. They both seem really okay with
this change and I’m sure I’ll get there eventually, too, but for now I
feel really lost and like my whole childhood was kind of a sham. I’ve
been thinking about joining a kids of divorce support group but I’m
worried I’ll be the youngest one there!

Chris Evert & Greg Norman divorce

Why does Maria Sharapova scream so much?

Maria Sharapova said she was counting on the support and understanding of her basketball player fiancee as she attempts to regain the Wimbledon crown. Of course, will her screams make him run away with his fingers poked in his ears?

Maria Sharapova screaming yelling at Wimbledon

The Russian 2004 champion is engaged to New Jersey Nets guard Sasha Vujacic and the Slovenian has been at the courtside throughout Sharapova’s Wimbledon campaign. He also has hearing loss now….. hehe………

“It certainly helps that he understands what I have to go through in preparation and everything for tennis (all of the yelling techniques she practices at home in front of the mirror). It’s quite different than when you don’t have a match day, of course,” Sharapova said on Monday.

It seems Sharapova never has a sore throat, her voice always works.  She could even teach Adele something about keeping her voice healthy. Is it sexy? Or just distracting?

Shaarpova has this to say on why she screams so much, “I am not doing it to piss somebody off, it’s natural. I started doing it when I was a kid. I was very weak and I needed that extra bit of push and power to hit the ball over the net.”

“Your body is like a machine, it makes noises. So for me it’s perfectly natural now.”…. that’s what she said………. (sorry about that)

As I posted back in 2009 on “Screaming & grunting to be banned from tennis, really“:

Here’s a quick list of the 4 worst screamers in tennis:

• Venus and Serena Williams have hit 90 decibels
• Monica Seles’ screech was measured at 93 decibels at Wimbledon in 1992.
• Maria Sharapova occasionally topping 100 decibels.
• Michelle Larcher de Brito – 109 decibels – a level slightly lower than a jet taking off

Eye black on tennis players now?

Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the American who has advanced to the third round of the French Open this week, has taken to playing in eye black. I can understand if you have a sponsor that wants their message imprinted on it but really? Is golf the next sport to embrace eye black?

Got custom eye black with a tennis logo?

The stripes of grease swiped under the eyes are usually the reserve of football and baseball players, but Mattek-Sands is bringing eye black up a notch, with stick-on strips adorned with little silver Bs — for Bethanie.

In the normally conservative world of tennis, Mattek-Sands’ penchant for tattoos, knee-high socks and zany outfits pushes the boundaries. She played the 2007 U.S. Open in a gold lamé number over what looked like a black push-up bra, has been fined for wearing a cowboy hat during a match, and plans to attend the Wimbledon players’ party in a dress crafted entirely from tennis equipment by one of Lady Gaga’s designers, Alex Noble.

She said the eye black helps her game, but she also doesn’t shy away from the extra attention it has gotten her this year.

Bethanie Mattek Sands sports her eye black at her recent tennis match

“I had tried it a while back and the reason I did it again is I found it reduced the glare,” Mattek-Sands, 26, said from Paris. “Besides that, it’s something different, it’s something funky. I think tennis is pretty conservative and I’m just not. I just want to bring a fresh look to tennis.”
According to wikipedia I found this info on eye black.

Traditional grease consists of beeswax, paraffin, and carbon. Anti-glare face stripes that emulate the grease are also commonly used. One of the earliest known instances of a player wearing eye black is baseball legend Babe Ruth, who, in or around the 1930s, used the grease in an attempt to reduce sun glare. According to Paul Lukas of ESPN.com, eye black caught on with football player Andy Farkas. He also states that the original eye black was made from burned cork ashes.

A 2003 study by Brian DeBroff and Patricia Pahk tested whether black eye grease actually had anti-glare properties. The subjects of the study were divided into three groups: wearers of eye black, wearers of anti-glare stickers, and wearers of petroleum jelly. The subjects’ vision was tested using an eye chart while being exposed to natural sunlight. The study concluded that eye black reduced glare of the sun and improved contrast sensitivity

So do you think more tennis players will start sporting eye black?

A Mother’s Day Wish of camping

“I love the slow-cooker. I really do.” If you’re hearing this, then there is very good chance that she in fact does NOT love the slow-cooker.  Your mother is tired of cooking for you. She is tired of cleaning for you. And for goodness sake, she most certainly does not desire another appliance.  Too often, we give our mothers that take care of us, more things to take care of us with. So not only does she not like the slow-cooker, but it’s kind of selfish of you too. And your mother taught you better than that.

My family is planning on camping this Mother’s day week and I was hoping to find a solid campground that had good tennis courts too. My wife, and mother of 4 loves tennis and it seems the best website was http://www.parksandcampgrounds.com/campgrounds/tennis/usa/florida/index.html but then I realezied I also need camping equipment. More than our local Wal-mart has.

Not easy to find quality tennis courts at RV campgrounds

This Mother’s Day try giving your spouse the gift of outdoors! More mothers agree that a camping trip is exactly what they would prefer. A hearty hike through the woods would be a far cry from organizing your dirty laundry. Camping under the stars on a moonlit night  would be a welcomed break from washing the dishes after dinner. Exploring a creek or a hidden path would be a delightful diversion from searching for your car keys that you continually misplace. So do something different this year and give her a gift that she would really enjoy. One that would enhance her life, not yours. Get her some camping equipment and a new pair of hiking boots. A nifty backpack and a cool, pink water bottle would go along nicely. You know she loves pink. Give her a gift that will get her out of the house! But don’t let her watch 127 hours before she ventures out into the wilderness, because you know that will freak her out. Happy Mother’s Day!

La Caja Mágica Tennis Stadium is an architectural failure

I recently was reading Pete Bodo’s article at Tennis.com anf realized something. He’s right, when he said, “All that perforated aluminum and stainless-steel and glass…what do they do in the Caja Magica when they’re not playing tennis, assemble Fiat’s line of mini-vans?” I laughed out loud and had to agree.  Is this what tennis architecture is meant to be.

Here’s some background info on the stadium:

Architecturally, the most relevant feature of the centre is its roof system. Each court has its own “lid” that can be lifted open mechanically.

1. Riverside park: A garden that merges with the Manzanares Park.
2. Media Garden: Parking and access area to mobile television units.
3. Tennis Garden: Platform with 16 courts with the possibility of being grouped into 8 or 4 with room for grandstands.
4. Perales Road Park: Ground reserved for possible organisational requirements.
5. Passageway: Connecting gangway axis that passes through the buildings Complex.
6. Indoor Tennis Stadium: Rectangular stadium featuring 11 covered tennis courts and additional areas for sports and administrative use.
7. Madrid Caja Mágica Building:The main building for holding international tennis tournaments and other events. Floor with a surface area of 160 x 167 m and 35 m in height.
   

   An example of horrible tennis architecture - La Caja Mágica

 

This is an example of some of the worst tennis architechure I have ever seen.  It simply looks loike an open coardboard box (painted silver).  How is this creative.  I’m sure the engineering around it is….unique, but they actually spent money on this thing? What do you think are the best and worst stadiums out there?

Decorating your house in a tennis theme?

I love tennis but decorating your bathroom in tennis themed tiles, colors, or rugs seems a little excessive doesn’t it?  We all like our heated tiles in the winter, but I would be afraid to step foot in a bathroom that had this as their decoration…..Who would want this fuzzy tennis ball in their house?

Gaudy tennis bathroom tiles & toilets

Now if New York City wanted to do some custom subway tiles during the US Open this would be more of a lasting tribute to the game we love.  Now if your son was a big tennis player decorating his room like this would be in good taste.

Tennis themed bedroom

Overall, it would be a better idea to bring out the colors found in tennis and use them as a foundation for your decorating in one room.  Yellows and green work together well if tastefully brought together by some small pieces that bring together the tennis theme.

Looking for a tennis bag or backpack that is strange?

Everyone knows what a tennis bag usually looks like.  It either is shaped just like a tennis racket or it looks like a backpack that allows the tennis racquet to stick out of it easily but still stay secure.  Why haven’t tennis vendors thought out of the box to reach new audiences.  What about the nerd/geek that also plays tennis?

Tennis bag for geeks - made from floppy disks

Tennis & Golf in Myrtle Beach, SC

I have good friends that work at Edwin Watts Golf and many have traveled to the beautiful Myrtle Beach, SC and described their experiences on scenic golf courses like Blackmoor, Barefoot Golf Resort, & TPC of Myrtle Beach.  This location is heaven for those that love golf.

But what about tennis? Hilton Head is the better location for tennis resorts than Myrtle beach.  Though South Carolina did score 5 of the top 25 best tennis resorts in America -

• Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
• Wild Dunes, South Carolina
• Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, South Carolina
• The Sea Pines Resort, South Carolina
• Port Royal Racquet Club, South Carolina

But for the sake of my golf buddies I’m going to talk about Myrtle Beach.

Myrtle Beach, NC barefoot golf resort - The Davis Love Course

They also told me the secret of getting the best prices on your tee times or golf packages while in the area. They use a website called http://www.myrtle-beach-tee-times.com/.  I checked it out just to get an idea of what they awere talking about.