Flexible Tennis Blog

Fall 2011 Playoffs

2011-10-28T06:33:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to all those who participated in the Fall league. After 132 matches being played over the course of last month and a half, the finalists have emerged. The playoffs start today and the draws are below. We would really like to thank you all for participating in the league this fall and we hope that you will join us in the future. Congratulations to those who made it to the playoffs.

Today is the start of the playoffs and the draws are as follows:

Women's Singles

Men's Singles 3.5 and below

Men's Singles 4.0 and above

Doubles

View your opponents home court

2011-10-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

We've just implmented a new feature to locate you opponents home court on a map instead of trying to Google or Bing it. Previously we only displayed Tennis courts on our map page - http://www.flexibletennisleague.com/denver/tenniscourts.aspx, so it always involved multiple steps to locate an opponents Home court on the map.

But now you can click the home court link on a players public profile and view the court's location on a map. Hope that makes it a little faster to set up a match.

Click the name of the home court.

The location of the home court is displayed on a map.

Fall 2011 Mixer

2011-10-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

We had our Fall mixer on Sunday, October 2nd at the Utah Park Tennis courts. 22 members joined us for the mixer, which was our largest turnout ever for a mixer. It was good mix of fun and some Tennis. We kicked things off at 11:30 AM with intro's and divided into doubles teams. For the next 2 hours, the teams played round robin style best of 5 game matches.

Our Summer league winners Hilary, Scott and Young were recognized for their win and were presented with prizes from the league. The winners from our doubles competition during the mixer also got some goodies. You can check out pictures from the event below.

Fall 2011 Mixer

We'd like to thank everyone that made it out to the event. It was a lot of fun getting to know the new members and also catching up with those who have been with the league for a while. We really appreciate all the members that came ahead of the event to help us secure some courts for the event.

Some members stayed back after the event to play doubles and singles matches. On a side note, our Women's champ Hilary challenged the Men's 3.5 and under Champ Scott for a match to decide the unified winner for Under 3.5 and Hilary won the match 6-4, 6-4.

Hilary Dell wins the Women's Singles Division

2011-09-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

Hilary Dell is our first ever Women's singles champion. In our inaugural divisional playoffs for women, Hilary defeated Cody Hudson 6-1, 6-0 to clinch the title. In a series of firsts, this was the first season for Hilary with the league. Hilary ended up with an envious record of 11 wins and 2 loses.

Hilary Dell - Summer 2011 Women's Division Winner

Scott Harwood wins the Men's 3.5 division

2011-09-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

Scott Harwood defeated our Spring champ Michael Minguela 7-5, 6-1 to win the Men's 3.5 and below division for the Summer 2011 season. In his first season with the league Scott won 14 matches, while losing just 3.

Scott Harwood - Summer 2011 Men's 3.5 and under Division Winner

Youg Kim wins the Summer 2011 Men's 4.0+ league

2011-09-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

Young Kim defeated our Spring champ Rob Jaecks 6-1, 6-1 to clinch the Men's 4.0 and above title for the Summer league. This is Young's first season with the league and he ended up with an envious record of 7 wins and no loses.

Young Kim - Summer 2011 4.0+ Division Winner

Summer 2011 Playoffs

2011-09-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

We've had our best season so far this summer. More than 80 players from all over the Denver metro signed up for the league and 105 matches were played over the course of the season. Thank you everyone for signing up and playing some great tennis.

The Fall season starts on 09/15 and we hope you join us for even more fun. Existing members can signup for the fall league by clicking the "Subscribe Me" button on their profile page.

Today is the start of the playoffs and the draws are as follows:

Women's Singles

Men's Singles 3.5 and below

Men's Singles 4.0 and above

Player Videos : Ryan Weaver and Michael Minguela

2011-07-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

Ryan Weaver:

Michael Minguela:

Spring champs receive HEAD racquet bags.

2011-07-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

Our Spring 2011 champs Rob Jaecks and Micheal Minguela received awesome looking HEAD racquet bags courtesy of HEAD Racquet Sports. A big shout out to Allison over at HEAD for sending them to us - Thank you!!

So keep playing your matches and some cool stuff might come your way!!

Rob Jaecks - Singles 4.0+ division winner.

Michael Minguela - Singles 3.5 division winner

Summer 2011 Tennis Mixer - Update

2011-07-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

We had our Summer 2011 season's mixer at Utah Park on Sunday, July 10th. 8 players joined us at the mixer and it was a lot of fun!! We kicked things off aroung 9 AM with some intros and divided ourselves into 4 teams. For the next 2 hours we played round robin style matches. At the end team Rob Jaecks/Kyle Logan and Duane Cagle/Mike Xie ended up with the most wins. Check out pictures from the event below:

Summer 2011 Mixer

For the first time, we also took our video camera and shot a few clips of our players - It was a lot of fun. We apologize for the quality of some videos (they turned out too bright), it was our first time recording video with the camera - it will be better next time. Change the video quality to 720 to view in HD.

Summer 2011 Tennis Mixer

2011-07-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

More than 50 players from all over the Denver metro have registered. To make things more interesting, we will be hosting the Summer mixer on Sunday, July 10th from 9 AM to 11:30 AM at the Utah Park Tennis courts.

We will provide the fun and refreshments. You only need to bring your gear and a can of balls. This is your opportunity to meet other league members, participate in short format games and win prizes! A donation of $5 is requested to cover expenses. Please RSVP by sending an email to the league's admin (admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com) no later than July 9th so that we may make the proper arrangements.

Come and join us - it will be fun!!

Click the picture to see photos from our fall mixer.

Spring 2011 League - Champions

2011-07-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

The Spring 2011 Tennis league has come to a close today with Rob Jaecks and Michael Minguela winning the Singles 4.0+ and Singles 3.5 divisions respectively. We've had more than 80 matches played in the Spring and we appreciate every single member for joining the league and playing some great Tennis.

Rob Jaecks - Singles 4.0+ Champion

In a battle of the league's champions Rob Jaecks defeated Ryan Weaver 6-2, 7-5 to win the 4.0+ division. Rob has previously won the Spring 2010 title. Ryan won the Spring 2011 and Winter 2010 titles before this season. Ryan was undefeated in the season until the final.

Rob ended the season with 4W - 1L and Ryan has 5W - 1L to his credit.

Michael Minguela - Singles 3.5 Champion

Michael Minguela came back from behind to defeat Ronald Stevens 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and clinch the Singles 3.5 division. Michael has been with the league for a couple of seasons and Spring has been the first season with the league for Ron.

Michael finished the season with 8W - 3L and Ron has 5W - 4L.

The winners will be recognized during the Summer Mixer on July 10th at Utah Park and will receive prizes for their acheivement.

Thank you once again to all our members - past and present and we hope you will join us this Summer season for some great Tennis.

PGA Tour Superstore, Greenwood Village - Review

2011-06-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

Following some good recommendations from our members Duane and Chai we decided to check out the newly opened PGA Tour Superstore in Greenwood Village at 9451 East Arapahoe Road,Greenwood Village,CO 80112.

It is by far the largest Tennis store in Denver offering a variety of Tennis racquets, shoes, apparel and accessories. They even have a full size Tennis court right in the store where they offer Tennis lessons and you can even pick up one of their several demo racquets and try it out for yourselves. In the few minutes I spent there, I was approached by at least two salesman (who I though were quite knowledgeable about Tennis) offering to help - which I thought was good. You'll be lucky to find some to talk to in the other big box stores, let alone finding someone who knows what they are talking about.

I did think the prices were on the higher side. I was looking for Babolat RPM Blast strings and they were selling them for almost $25. I decided to get mine from Golfsmith where I ended up paying $17. A difference of $8 for strings is a little too high. GameSetMatch charges $36 for both string and labor. Golfsmith also sells a 4 pack of Wilson high altitude balls for under $6, I couldn't find a similar deal in the PGA store. I did not try to find prices for other items, so the strings might have been an exception.

They also have other cool things like the Dartfish technology which can measure your swing and recommend tennis racquets based on that. Check out this page for more details - http://new.pgatss.com/Inside_Stores_Tennis.aspx

Here are some other details:

They do restringing for $12 ($15 at Golfsmith). You can also bring your own string and they'll hook you up. Typical turnaround time of 24 hours.
They also offer Tennis lessons at $35 for a 45 minute class - quite reasonable.
You can demo Tennis racquets for free for 2 days and there is a $2/day charge after that.
They also offer memberships for $45, which includes 3 free restringing jobs and other discounts.

We highly recommend paying them a visit and appreciate the fact that we have more choices when it comes to purchasing Tennis gear.

Spring 2011 Tennis League - Playoffs

2011-06-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to all those who participated in the Spring league. After 80 matches being played over the last 2 and half months , the finalists have emerged. The playoffs start today (06/10/2011) and the draws are as follows:

Summer League Starts 07/01
The Summer league will kickoff on 07/01 and we are really looking forward to see you there. Existing members can sign up for the Summer league starting next week by logging into the site and going to the "My Profile" page. Once there click on the "Subscribe Me" button next to the information about Summer league. New members have already started signing up, so you can play some practice matches before the league begins.

Player Feature : Travis Stahle, Denver, CO

2011-06-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

Name : Travis Stahle

City : Denver, CO

Member since : August, 2010

Originally from : Yuma, AZ

Education : Bachelors Degree in Entrepreneurship and Business Management, University of Arizona

Profession : Owner Epic Autos Colorado

Favorite Band : Metallica

Favorite Movie : The Boondock Saints

Playing Tennis since : Jr Year of High School when I maintained a perfect win-less season

Best result : 2010 Fall Playoffs

I like Flexible Tennis League because : The website is incredibly user friendly and the members are all interested solely in playing enjoyable tennis.

Things you may not know about me : I have experience with a number of different racquets due to my low tolerance for frustration and I only became decent at tennis when my wife kept beating me badly and routinely!!!

We will be featuring a new member each week. Please share your info with us - send an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com. We'd love to hear your feedback. Let us know what you think about this feature.

Player Feature : Duane Cagle, Denver, CO

2011-05-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

Name : Duane Cagle

City : Denver, CO

Member since : August, 2009

Originally from : Centerville, TN

Education : Biology Degrees from University of Memphis and Colorado State University

Profession : Sales

Favorite Band : Radiohead

Favorite Movie : Dumb and Dumber

Playing Tennis since : Childhood

Best result : 2009 Fall Singles Winner

I like Flexible Tennis League because : Meeting new people who are passionate about tennis. FTL gives me the ability to play several matches a week against different people.

Things you may not know about me : I didn't touch a tennis racquet from 1997-2007. Tennis has been even more enjoyable the second time around. My other passion is skiing. A perfect day is skiing in the morning and tennis in the evening.

We will be featuring a new member each week. Please share your info with us - send an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com. We'd love to hear your feedback. Let us know what you think about this feature.

Player Feature : Kim Clinton, Denver, CO

2011-05-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

Name : Kim Clinton

City : Denver, CO.

Member since : April, 2010

Originally from : Norman, OK

Education : College, Senior

Profession : Student

Favorite Band : The Spill Canvas

Favorite Movie : Twilight

Playing Tennis since : 2004, High School Freshmen

Best result : 2010 Fall Doubles Playoffs

I like Flexible Tennis League because : Meeting new people that play tennis

Things you may not know about me : I play volleyball and basketball

We will be featuring a new member each week. Please share your info with us - send an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com. We'd love to hear your feedback. Let us know what you think about this feature.

Head Tennis bags up for grabs this Spring

2011-05-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

Are you planning on buying a racquet bag this Spring, to hold your precious racquets? Wait a little longer, because Flexible Tennis league will be giving away 3 awesome HEAD raquet bags to the winners of the Spring league courtesy of HEAD (Thank you Allison!!)

Playoffs for the Spring season start on 6/3/11. You need to play atleast 4 matches to qualify. The weather has been crappy, but the forecast looks good. So, get on the courts and play some Tennis!! Find out if you are good enough to win one of these bags.

Player Feature : Rob Jaecks, Denver, CO

2011-04-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

Name : Rob Jaecks

City : Denver, CO.

Member since : April, 2010

Originally from : Santa Barbara, CA

Education : Currenly seeking MS in Geology at CU Boulder

Profession : Petroleum Geologist

Favorite Band : The Elected

Favorite Movie : Kung Fu Hustle

Playing Tennis since : The last 15 years or so

Best result : 2010 Spring singles winner

I like Flexible Tennis League because :
It's just the right mix of fun and competition. Everyone has different strengths and playing styles, so the variabililty is fun. The schedule flexibility is definitely great and every single person I've met has been really cool and fun to play with.

Things you may not know about me : I've tried to model my game after Nadal, but it turns out the only part of his game I could replicate was the bad knees. Oh, and GO ROCKIES!

We will be featuring a new member each week. Please share your info with us - send an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com. We'd love to hear your feedback. Let us know what you think about this feature.

Spring 2011 Mixer - Update

2011-04-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

We had our Spring 2011 season's mixer at Utah Park on Sunday, April 17th. 12 players joined us at the mixer and it was a lot of fun!! We kicked things off aroung 9 AM with some intros and divided ourselves into 6 teams. For the next 2 hours we played round robin style best of 5 game matches.

At the end team Scott Hunt/James Jeckoy and Steven Healey/Greg Johnson ended up with the most wins. The two teams played in the final and Scott Hunt/James Jeckoy won the match.

It was great to see some new members participate in the mixer. It was also good to catch up with others who are with league for quite some time now. We thank everyone who made it to the mixer and hope to see you on the courts again soon!!

Check out some pictures from the mixer below

Spring 2010 Mixer

Player Feature : James Jeckoy, Denver, CO

2011-04-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

Name : James Jeckoy

City : Denver, CO.

Member since : Aprilil, 2010

Originally from : Iligan, Philippines

Education : B.S. Biology, UC Denver

Profession : I'll be a grad student for the next 5-6 years

Favorite Band : Coldplay and the Beatles

Favorite Movie : Indiana Jones - Raiders of the Lost Ark

Playing Tennis since : I was 10

Best result : 2010 Summer singles winner

I like Flexible Tennis League because :
the flexibility works perfectly with my crazy schedule. Plus, I've met a lot of great people from the league.

Things you may not know about me : I'm a big science nerd. I've also started to dabble into a little bit of philosophy. However, nothing beats the thrill of being outside either running or playing tennis, especially when it gets to a 3rd set tiebreaker!

We will be featuring a new member each week. Please share your info with us - send an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com. We'd love to hear your feedback. Let us know what you think about this feature.

Spring Tennis Mixer

2011-04-08T05:37:00.000-07:00

More than 60 players from all over the Denver metro have registered. To make things more interesting, we will be hosting the Spring mixer on Sunday, April 17th from 9 AM to 11:30 AM at the Utah Park Tennis courts.

We will provide the fun and refreshments. You only need to bring your gear and a can of balls. This is your opportunity to meet other league members, participate in short format games and win prizes! A donation of $5 is requested to cover expenses. Please RSVP by sending an email to the league's admin (admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com) no later than April 15th so that we may make the proper arrangements.

Come and join us - it will be fun!!

Click the picture to see photos from our fall mixer.

McAree/McAree win the Winter doubles title.

2011-04-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

Andrew and Chris McAree have defeated Ben Schuman and Joe Kopper 7-5, 6-1 to win the Winter doubles title. Congratulations to the McArees and a big thank you to all those who participated in the doubles league over the winter.

Andrew and Chris were also the runner-ups for the Fall 2010 doubles league.

Andrew and Chris McAree on their way to the doubles title.

Ryan Weaver wins the Winter Singles Championship

2011-04-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

Ryan Weaver is our Singles Champion for the Winter league. Ryan successfully defended his singles title by defeating David Smith 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5) in a closely contested match. Congratulations Ryan!! Ryan has previously won the Fall 2010 singles title.

Inspite of starting late in the season, Ryan ran past the competition with 7 Wins and 1 Loss. David had a pretty enviable season himself, with 12 Wins and 1 Loss. Infact, David did not lose a match until the final.

Can anyone challenge Ryan for the title in the Spring season? Time will tell.

Ryan Weaver - Singles Champion

Winter League Playoffs

2011-03-11T06:37:00.000-08:00

A big thank you to all those who participated in our first ever winter tennis league. After 40 matches being played over the last 5 months , the final 8 have emerged. The playoffs start today and the draws are as follows:

You can also view the schedule by logging into FlexibleTennisLeague.com and clicking on the "Singles League" and "Doubles League" pages. Please try to complete your matches in the alloted time frame. Please post your scores as you normally do. Updates will be posted to the website as the matches will be completed. In case any of the players is unable to compete in the playoffs the player next in standings will take his spot.

Player Feature : Scott Hunt, Denver, CO

2011-01-12T07:46:00.000-08:00

Name : Scott Hunt.

City : Denver, CO.

Member since : August, 2009.

Originally from : Borger, Texas in the Texas Panhandle.

Education : MBA from Baylor Univ and BBA from Texas Tech Univ.

Profession : Corporate Finance – Finance Director for Gates Corporation.

Favorite Band : 30 Seconds to Mars.

Favorite Movie : Life is Beautiful.

Playing Tennis since : Childhood.

Best result : 2010 Summer doubles playoffs.

I like Flexible Tennis League because :

Somebody is always available to play so I get all the tennis I want.
I get to meet and play new people that have turned into friendships.
The website is an effective tool to help me contact other players so scheduling a match is easy to do.
The quality of tennis is the right balance of competition and fun.
The mixers are fun and another great way to meet other players.
I get to play all over the city at different court locations.

Things you may not know about me : I am a Christian and value the purpose that others play in our life and I love to travel and experience other cultures for the perspective it offers.

We will be featuring a new member each week. Please share your info with us - send an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com. We love hearing you feedback. Let us know what you think about this feature.

Player Feature : Steven Healey, Denver, CO

2010-12-29T11:34:00.000-08:00

Name : Steven Healey.

City : Denver, CO.

Member since : August, 2009.

Originally from : Texas.

Education : M.A., Political Science.

Profession : Graduate student.

Favorite Band : Radiohead.

Favorite Movie : Goodfellas.

Playing Tennis since : 1990.

Best result : 2010 Summer singles playoffs.

I like Flexible Tennis League because : I can schedule matches at my convenience.

Things you may not know about me : Steffi Graf is a distant cousin of mine.

We will be featuring a new member each week. Please share your info with us - send an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com. We love hearing you feedback. Let us know what you think about this feature.

Player Feature : Sridhar Ponnapalli, Denver, CO

2010-12-15T08:41:00.000-08:00

Name : Sridhar Ponnapalli.

City : Denver, CO.

Member since : August, 2009.

Originally from : Hyderabad, India.

Education : Master in Computer Applications.

Profession : Software Architect/Engineer.

Favorite Band : N/A.

Favorite Movie : Jurassic Park.

Playing Tennis since : 2007.

Best result : 2010 singles playoffs.

I like Flexible Tennis League because : It is flexible (like the name:-). I also like the programs that the league offers like hit with a pro, and the fact that it provides opportunity to play with a wide variety of players, not just a few.

Things you may not know about me : I'm a sports lover, and grew up playing a lot of sports, except tennis :).

We will be featuring a new member each week. Please share your info with us - send an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com. We love hearing you feedback. Let us know what you think about this feature.

Winter League Mixer - Update

2010-12-13T07:57:00.000-08:00

10 players joined us for our Winter league's mixer on Sunday, December 12th at Utah park. The weather was gorgeous with bright sun and the temperature in the 50's. We kicked things off at 12 PM with round-robin style doubles matches consisting of 1 set each. The team with the most wins would be the winner for the event.

We had some great Tennis through out. At the end Team Antonio Vigil/Vamsee Konda ended up with most wins followed by Ben Schuman/Scott Hunt. It was a lot of fun to meet some new members and catch with others who were with the league for quite some time. A big thank you for all those who participated. We will try to host another event in the new year!!

View more pictures from the event here :

Winter League Mixer

2010-12-02T15:23:00.000-08:00

Weather permitting, we will be getting together at Utah Park on Sunday (12/12) at 12 PM to play short format Tennis games - singles or doubles depending on the participation. We will have a round-robin style format eventually leading upto a finals and then a winner. This will be a great opportunity to meet other players in the league and have some fun!!

Flexible Tennis League will provide refreshments for all players and prizes for the winners. Just get your gear and a can of balls. We do request a donation of $5 to cover the costs of the event. Please send an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com if you are interested in participating.

Player Feature : Ryan Weaver, Denver, CO

2010-12-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

Name : Ryan Weaver.

City : Denver, CO.

Member since : August, 2010.

Originally from : New Jersey.

Education : B.A History.

Profession : Profession is in progress (Teaching eventually).

Favorite Band : Bruce Springsteen & The E. Street Band.

Favorite Movie : Braveheart.

Playing Tennis since : I was about 11.

Best result : Winner - Fall 2010 singles league.

I like Flexible Tennis League because : It brings players of different levels together and a great way to meet new people.

Things you may not know about me : Love to cook, Big NY Giant Fan, I have been known to chuck a racquet or two.

We will be featuring a new member each week. Please share your info with us - send an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com. We love hearing you feedback. Let us know what you think about this feature.

Player Feature : Chris McAree, Denver, CO

2010-11-16T11:33:00.000-08:00

Name : Chris McAree.

City : Denver, CO.

Member since : August, 2010.

Originally from : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Education : Graduated from the University of Western Ontario with 4 year Computer Science degree (2001).

Profession : Own an IT consulting firm - LeafTech Consulting (I’m always looking for referrals – and we pay for them!).

Favorite Band : Lenny Kravitz.

Favorite Movie : Pulp Fiction.

Playing Tennis since : On and off since I was a little kid – but nothing organized until I joined this league this past summer

Best result : Runner-Up - Fall 2010 doubles league.

I like Flexible Tennis League because : It gives me the chance to meet some great people in the Denver area with a similar interest and allows me to get my competitive juices flowing playing a sport that hopefully we all can play for a long, long time.

Things you may not know about me : I've lived in 4 countries (Canada, US, England and Saudi Arabia). I've been married since 2002 to a wonderful wife from Texas, Rachel, and I have 2 children, Claudia (14) and Henry (4). I love to vacation in San Diego – I try to go once a year.

We will be featuring a new member each week. Please share your info with us - send an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com. We love hearing you feedback. Let us know what you think about this feature.

Player Feature : Michael Xie, Denver, CO

2010-11-03T07:49:00.000-07:00

Name : Michael Xie.

City : Denver, CO.

Member since : August, 2010.

Originally from : Tianjin, China and I moved here when i was 20 months old.

Education : Med student at UCHSC.

Profession : Medical Student.

Favorite Band : The White Tie Affair.

Favorite Movie : Catch Me If You Can.

Playing Tennis since :

Best result : Winner - Fall 2010 doubles league.

I like Flexible Tennis League because : I can fit every match into my schedule without having to reschedule my life around tennis. Also I've met a lot of interesting new people around Denver who share a love for tennis.

Things you may not know about me : I used to play baseball as a pitcher and at one point could throw a 90 mph fastball.

We will be featuring a new member each week. Please share your info with us - send an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com. We love hearing you feedback. Let us know what you think about this feature.

Fall Singles Playoffs

2010-11-01T06:10:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Ryan Weaver for winning our Singles division. The singles playoffs for the Fall 2010 season were played on Sunday, October 31st at Utah Park.

We used a 10 game pro-set format to play all the matches where the first player to win 10 games with a difference of 2 takes the match. The scores for the matches are as follows:

Prizes for the event were sponsored by Epic Autos Colorado. Thank you Epic Autos!!

The championship match was played between Ryan Weaver and Ken Moyer. The match started out with both players going volley to volley. Ryan was able to break Ken's serve in the 4th game of the match, but Ken broke back immediately to level the score. Ryan started playing more attacking Tennis by hitting the ball hard from the baseline and rushing the net. Soon, Ryan was up a break and then there was no stopping him. He took the match 10-5.

Ryan Weaver - Fall 2010 Singles Champion.

Ken Moyer - Fall 2010 Singles Runner-Up.

We thank every one who participated in the Fall league. We've had more than 60 people sign up and over 120 matches played. Thank you for making it our most successful season yet. We look forward to the Winter league. View more pictures from the playoffs below:

Fall Singles Playoffs

Player Feature : Greg Johnson, Denver, CO

2010-10-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

Name : Greg Johnson.

City : Denver, CO.

Member since : August, 2010.

Originally from : Philadelphia, PA.

Education : BS, Computer Science, Univ. of DE.

Profession : Database Architect.

Favorite Band : Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Inventions

Favorite Movie : Goodfellas

Playing Tennis since : 20 years... but not with regularity.

Best result : Winner - Fall 2010 doubles league.

I like Flexible Tennis League because : Flexible Tennis League gave me a way to fill my calendar with matches around Denver, and meet some colorful people. Plus, I lost 20 pounds in 2 months!

Things you may not know about me : I can juggle. My left leg is 1" longer than my right. I have a severe underbite which is unsightly, but allows me to whistle louder than anyone you've ever heard.

We will be featuring a new member each week. Please share your info with us - send an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com. We love hearing you feedback. Let us know what you think about this feature.

Fall 2010 Doubles Playoffs

2010-10-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

Flexible Tennis League's Fall 2010 doubles playoffs were held at Utah Park on Sunday, October 25th. A total of 5 teams were in contention for the playoffs. Due to the odd number of teams Clinton/Jenkins had to play a qualifying match against Stahle/Stahle which they won 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

Thank you Epic Autos for sponsoring the prizes!!

We used the Pro-Set format for the playoff matches, where the first team that wins 10 games with a difference of 2 takes the match. The first match of the day saw Clinton/Jenkins take on the top seeds McAree/McAree. After a tough contest McAree/McAree took the match 10 - 5.

In the second match of the day, team Xie/Johnson battled past Cagle/Hunt 10-7. Xie/Johnson were up 7-3 at one point but Cagle/Hunt fought back hard but fell short.

The final match between Xie/Johnson and McAree/McAree was a closely contested one, with both teams holding serve until the 14th game of the match. Xie/Johnson broke serve to go up 8-6 and eventually serve out the match.

Epic Autos Colorado sponsored Tennis gift baskets for both the winners and the runner ups. Thank you Epic Autos.

Greg Johnson and Michael Xie - The Winners!!

Chris and Andrew McAree - the runner ups!!

Thank you every one for signing up and playing actively in the league. Singles playoffs are scheduled for Sunday, October 31st. View more pictures from the Doubles playoffs below:

Fall Doubles Playoffs

Fall league Playoffs

2010-10-23T06:24:00.000-07:00

We've had a great Fall season so far. More than 100 matches have been played by over 60 members all across the Denver Metro - our best ever. Thank you for making it such a successfull season!!

The Fall Playoffs start on Sunday October 23rd. We will be using the USTA Pro-Set format where the first team to win 10 games with a difference of 2 (ex: 10-8) takes the match. In case of a tie the winner will be decided by a conventional Tie-breaker.

Epic Autos Colorado will be sponsoring prizes for this season's winner. Thank you Epic Autos.

Doubles Playoffs will be held at Utah Park on Sunday October 23rd starting at 9:30 AM. The doubles draws are as follows:

The Singles Playoffs will be held at Utah Park on Sunday, October 31st starting at 9:30 AM. The Singles draws are as follows:

Congratulations to all those who made it to the Playoffs. A BIG THANK YOU to all those who participated in the Fall league.

Winter League Survey

2010-10-07T06:31:00.000-07:00

Thank you for taking the time to fill out our Winter League survey and sharing your opinion and expressing an interest in having a league during the Winter. An overwhelming majority indicated that they would like to play actively during the winter using a combination of public outdoor and private indoor facilities.

The next step for us it to find a facility that will let our members play indoors for a reasonable price. We will keep you posted on our progress. Here are the results of the survey:

Here are some comments we received about suggestions for the Winter league:

I don't drive (I take light rail), so it would kind of depend on where the indoor facilities are. I'm definitely interest though.
Greenwood Athletic Club, South Suburban Bubble
My suggestion would be to approach an indoor facitily and find out when their off-times are (when they have the least amount of play) and how many courts they would be willing to offer us to play and for how long for how much...Then we contract to purchase those times and dates and have a process for people to schedule when they will play there matches...or have the matches assigned...show up and play when your scheduled date/time is...like a round robin tournament style so courts have assigned players to ensure use of the courts. Then everyone can know how much the cost of the league will be by person (cost of courts per day times number of dedicated days divided by number of players in the winter league). Play most likely available on weekend nights or weekday nights like 8PM to 10PM.
Personally I don't think that an indoor facility is 100% necessary. During the winter in Colorado there are many days when the weather permits for outdoor tennis, it might be a little chillier than usual but players would just have to find the right days to play.
It would be great to see more women get involved but I am at a loss as to how to get more women players. I will keep you posted if I can think of anything. For now it will probably have to be word of mouth or CL (that's were I found the FTL). I think it would be great to be able to play mixed singles too if no women are available. It's not really clear if that is acceptable for the FTL or not. :-)
Winter League! Do it!
It needs to be a longer season to better facilitate the limited playing opportunities. Maybe Nov-March.
Do it, it would be a blast.

Thank you once again!!

Fall mixer update

2010-09-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Flexible Tennis League's Fall mixer got under way at 9 AM on 09/19 at the Utah Park Tennis courts. We had an impressive turn out, our biggest so far. After the initial intro's and a bit of socializing, the players picked out numbers randomly and split into 6 doubles teams. Each team played round-robin style 10 point tie-breakers against the others, leading up to semi-finals and then a final.

Hilaria Davis and Vamsee Konda won the competition. All the players that were present received prizes/discount cards from GolfSmith Tennis. Please checkout photos from the event below.

Fall 2010 Mixer

It was great to meet the new members and catch up with others who have been with the league for a while. Hopefully this will make it easier for our players to schedule and play matches, now that they are familiar with some of the players in the league. We thank all those who participated in the event - it was a lot of fun !! We will try to do another one before the Winter sets in :-(

Denver Fall Mixer

2010-09-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hope you are making full use of the last few weeks of the warm weather. We've had more than 10 matches played in the last week alone and more are along the way in the following weeks. To make things more interesting, we will be hosting the Fall mixer on Sunday, September 19th from 9 AM to 12 PM at the Utah Park Tennis courts.

We will provide the fun and refreshments. You only need to bring your gear and a can of balls. This is your opportunity to meet other league members, participate in short format games and win prizes! A donation of $5 is requested to cover expenses. Please RSVP by sending an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com no later than September 17th so that we may make the proper arrangements.

Fall League Survey

2010-09-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

In our constant quest to make the Flexible Tennis League - the best flexible league ever, we asked our members to take a survey. A big thank you to all those who responded and provided some valuable comments. Here are the responses we received.

4 people said that they might be interested in contirbuting to our blog and facebook page. Please send us an email so that we can set you up with proper access to our blog and Facebook pages.

We received some other interesting reponses on how to improve the league and the website:

"maybe be connected w/meetup.com in some way."
"Include an availability matrix so that we can see who has open time that matches our own. Would make practice and matches easier to coordinate."
"The Website is very good the way it is. I see nothing wrong with it."
"FTL is working great so far! Got regular matches 2x/week since signing up, and playing a one-off tonight with a new partner!"

James Jeckoy is the Summer league Champ

2010-09-03T07:29:00.000-07:00

James Jeckoy defeated Duane Cagle 7-5, 6-2 at Utah Park on 08/02 to win the Summer 2010 singles league. James started the match cautiously watching his opponent's moves and getting the ball back in consistently. Duane broke James' serve in the first set and was threatening to take it away - he actually was serving for it. But James broke back when it mattered and went on to win the first set.

James had seen enough of Duane's game by then and he started playing his more flashier style of Tennis which many admire in the league. It was all James in the second set - serving hard and punishing short balls. He took the second set 6-2.

At the end of the season James' enviable record stands at 10W - 1L. Duane had a pretty good season too until the final - he ended the season with 16W - 6L.

James Jeckoy - Summer 2010 Champ.

We had a great Summer season with over 100 matches played by more than 35 players from all over the Denver metro area. Thank you to all those who participated in the league and we look forward to an even better Fall season.

Fall Tennis League starts today

2010-09-01T05:31:00.000-07:00

The Fall league starts today. It's time to get on the Tennis courts and play some serious Tennis. 49 players from all over the Denver metro have signed up so far. For the first time ever we are also starting a doubles league this season.

Doubles League

We have a full fledged doubles league this Fall with the top 8 teams going through to the playoffs. If you wish, you can play in both singles and doubles league at the same time - trying to make it as flexible as we can. If you are interested in the doubles league - login to the site, set your play preference to "Both" under your profile page and find a partner under the "Doubles League" page. Just send us an email with your partner's name and we'll do the rest.

Players from all over the Denver metro are signing up.

Click here to Sign up for our Fall league.

Member Appreciation Night Update

2010-08-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

GolfSmith Tennis @ ParkMeadows hosted Flexible Tennis League's first ever "Member Appreciation Night" on Wednesday August 25th. Some cool Tennis gear was up for grabs and the players also participated in some trivia and games. Our players gleefully took advantage of some great deals on Tennis apparel.

Bala Srinivasan was lucky enough to win the brand new Babolat Aero Pro Drive GT.

Sridhar Ponnapalli won a Wilson racquet backpack.

All the players that were present received free restringing coupons.

We thank Rob and Tony from GolfSmith for hosting the event, we had a wonderful time.

Member Appreciation Night

2010-08-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

We thank you once again for joining the league and playing matches actively. In appreciation of your support we have partnered with GolfSmith Tennis to host our first ever "Member Appreciation Night".

Date : Wednesday, August 25th.
Time : 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM.
Location : GolfSmith ParkMeadows - 9667 East County Line Road, Englewood, CO 80112-3502.
Phone : (303) 708-1858

GolfSmith is giving away the following just for showing up:
- Wilson K Force FX ($ 130 value).
- Babolat Pure Drive GT ($ 190 value).
- Babolat racquet bag.
- Free restringing coupons.
- Everyone gets a $10 off on purchase of $30 (restrictions apply).
- Other Prizes.
- GolfSmith will also provide refreshments, host contests and much more.

Interact with players from the league while GolfSmith pro's answer your questions on Tennis gear. It will be an evening filled with fun and your chance to get some free gear. Please RSVP by sending an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com before Tuesday, 24th August so that we can make necessary arrangements.

A View of GolfSmith's Tennis store.

GolfSmith - Prince Promo Offer

2010-08-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

Buy Prince EXO 3 racquets at GolfSmith and receive Prince racquet bag and Tennis balls for free. GolfSmith is also offering 50% off on a wide selection of Tennis shoes. Check out more details here.

Golfsmith's Semi-Annual Sales and Clearance Event.

2010-08-06T04:47:00.000-07:00

GolfSmith Tennis is offering upto 60% off on its inventory of Tennis racquets, shoes, accesorries and apparel. They also have free shipping for order over $75 from their online store. Stringing is always free for performance frames. Step into their Park Meadows store and save money!!

"Hit With a Pro" Event - Update

2010-08-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

Our "Hit With a Pro" event got underway at 10 AM as planned on Sunday August 1st at City Park. Coach Dan Dicke graciously donated some of his time to interact with the participants and gave us some great tips on improving our Tennis. He focussed on minimizing errors while playing from the baseline. We ran through some drills on getting the elevation above the net and landing the ball in the last quarter of the opponents court.

In summary Dan's message was "Always try to hit the ball to the last quarter of your opponents court even if you cant put enough spin or power on the ball. It is better to hit the ball behind the baseline rather than catching the net". After focussing hard on the drill we played a round robin style, super tie-break games against each other. Check out some pics from the event below.

Hit With a Pro Event

We gave away some goodies courtesy of GolfSmith Tennis at the end of the event. A big thank you to Coach Dan Dicke and all the members who participated in the event. It was a lot of fun!!

Avoiding Fake Tennis Racquets on Ebay

2010-07-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

Another article on avoiding dissapointment from your next Ebay purchase by our Denver player Vamsee Konda.

As a follow up to my recent experience on purchasing, identifying and returning a fake racquet on Ebay, I thought I'll compile a list of steps anyone can take to avoid sour deals.

1. Purchase only from sellers within the US. Chinese sellers usually start their bidding at unbelivably low prices to get you interested. Once you buy their stuff and you decide to return it - you will have to pay a fortune to ship it back. Be sensible!!

2. Pay attention to return policy. Dont get suckered in by low prices, buy items only when the seller accepts returns.

3. Buy only when your purchase is protected by Ebay. Usually displays the badge above.

4. Always ask for more pictures. Although it does not guarantee that your seller is posting pics of the racquet they are selling you. It atleast forces your sellers to find an authentic racquet if he is intentionally selling a fake. You especially need pics of the racquet neck and the handle butt cap. The racquet necks usually have holograms and the butt caps have serial numbers and other info.

5. Take pictures of your fake. If you have already received a fake racquet take pictures comparing your fake to an original. You will need this to make a strong case for getting your money back from Ebay. You can find more info here - http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/replica-counterfeit.html

6. Do not pay outside Ebay or Paypal. Do not under any circumstances agree to a deal outside Ebay. Paying via ebay/paypal/your credit card gives you an added layer of protection for your purchase. If you can prove that your seller duped you - there is a good chance of getting your money back.

7. Avoid the hassle and purchase from an authorized dealer. Most popular manufacturers like Head, Wilson, Babolat dictate the lowest price that their products can be sold for. So if someone is trying to sell a racquet for an unbeleivably low price - something is fishy. If you are patient enough you will find a good deal at an authorized dealer like GolfSmith.

In my instance I tried to purchase a racquet on ebay for $115 and I had to pay for shipping it back to the seller another $12 - so my total = $127. I found a great deal on GolfSmith for $165 + free shipping + free stringing. Yes, I paid about $40 more but I know that its authentic and I can get my money back if something happens to my racquet.

Hope this helps - Vamsee

Fake Head YouTek Radical Pro

2010-07-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

Our Denver League's Vamsee Konda recently purchased a Head YouTek Radical Pro on ebay and it turned out to be a fake. Here are his observations on how to identify a fake Radical Pro:

I purchased a Head YouTek Radical Pro on ebay recently for $115 and was waiting eagerly for it. I thought it was a reasonable price for someone who doesnt understand its value to sell if somehow they got hold of this racquet. Anyway, it got home ok, but it turned out to be a fake. It was so well made that if I didn't already own an original, it would have been really hard to distinguish.

I was able to return it and get my money back - but I feel lucky for not having lost any money. But I did manage to take some pictures with the idea that you can avoid a bad deal. By the way you can click on any of the images below to view them at full resolution.

The original on the left and the impostor on the right.

They look identical at first, they even weight almost the same and surprisingly they are also balanced the same - 2 pts head light.

Original on top, fake below

On closer inspection I noticed that the color is off. The fake has a brighter red shade, while the original is orangish.

Original on top, fake below

The criss cross pattern that runs around the inside of the racquet head is more distinct in the fake. Its not that disctinct in the original - its a litte more blended in.

Orignal on top, fake below

The "HEAD" letters towards the top left and right of the head are in chrome on the original, while they are black and not that distinct in the fake.

Head hologram sticker on the original

Missing sticker on the fake.

The fake racquet does not have a hologram sticker.

Original on the right and fake on the left

The original racquet had clearly marked serial number, grip size on the butt cap. The fake does not have this info and even the head logo is slightly off to the right.

Original on the right and fake on the left.

You can see the cheap workmanship on the fake (left) the leather grip does not wrap around neatly around the handle.

Fake

The cheap construction of the grommet strip is visible here, looks like its about to come off.

Chinese booklet

The booklet that came with the racquet was in Chinese.

There were several other examples of poor workmanship that was hard to capture via my camera. You can actually buy these fakes directly from China using websites like these - http://hemeitrade.en.made-in-china.com/product/ZMwnUBqlwicF/China-Head-YOUTEK-Radical-Pro.html for $50 a piece and make a profit by selling them on ebay. I have heard some horror stories on forums where people broke these racquets in a couple of weeks and lose all the money they paid because you get no warranties.

Summary

I am not saying that all racquets on Ebay are fake, but unfortunately its impossible to distinguish when you dont see the racquet with your eyes. How can you be sure that the pictures they post are from the racquet that you will get. If you are patient enough you can get a good deal from an authorized dealer like GolfSmith.

Hope this article provides you with enough things to check for before purchasing you racquet.

- Vamsee Konda

Hit With a Tennis Pro Event on August 1st

2010-07-15T04:51:00.000-07:00

Flexible Tennis League Denver is pleased to announce our “Hit with a Pro” event scheduled for Sunday, August 1st at the City Park tennis courts. The event will begin at 10:00AM.

Dan Dicke of Rocky Mountain Tennis Academy will be present to give his expertise on questions you have regarding technique, strategy, fitness…etc. Dan is a PTR certified instructor with over 20 years of teaching experience and has served as a director and head tennis pro at several tennis clubs in the Chicago area before joining RMTA. This event is a great opportunity to receive valuable input on your strokes and game from a well respected professional in our sport.

Dan will also run through a drill for the most voted stroke category from the following:

1. Ground Stroke – top spin etc.
2. Volleys – under spin, touch etc.
3. Serve/Overhead – placement, spin etc.
4. Specialty Shots – control, touch etc.

Like all Flex Tennis League Denver programs, our Hit with a Pro event is free to all members. In addition to spending time with Dan, we will have a short game format tournament for members that wish to participate. The top finishers will receive rewards sponsored by Golfsmith Tennis.

Refreshments will be provided. Please bring a $5 donation to help cover the costs of the drinks and snacks.

We ask that you RSVP and indicate your preference for the drill before July 28, by sending an email to admin[at]flexibletennisleague[dot]com. We look forward to seeing everyone at the event.

$20 off on Head Youtek

2010-07-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

GolfSmith is offering $20 off on all Head Youtek range of racquets. They are also offering free stringing services on purchase of a performance frame. This amounts to a total of $40 in savings. Great deal if you are in the market for new racquet. Check out their Park Meadows store for more awesome deals!!

Golfsmith's Friends and Family Sales Event.

2010-06-24T05:17:00.000-07:00

Golfsmith is offering upto 35% off on its Tennis gear and apparel from 6/25 - 6/29. They have a huge selection of Tennis racquets, shoes, strings and other accessories. They also offer racquet stringing services by USRSA certified racquet technicians. Please check out their Park Meadows store and see how you can save money on our next Tennis purchase.

If you find a lower price elsewhere, they offer a 115% price match guarantee - so you are always getting the lowest price. Click here to find out more about the sale.

The longest match in Grand Slam's history.....

2010-06-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

American John Isner and France's Nicolas Mahut's match is yet to be decided 10 hours after they took to the courts this morning (06/23/2010). Both players won 2 sets each and the final set's score reads 59 - 59. According to the crazy Wimbledon rule - "In men's tennis, a player must win six games to win a set, three out of five sets to win the match (in women's tennis, the winner must take two out of three sets). The winning player must win the final set by two."

Both players were so tired that they decided to stop play and pick it up the next day while the crowd was chanting for more. Can you beleive playing for 10 hours straight? Wow!!

10 hours and still not done.

ESPN 360

2010-06-22T06:02:00.000-07:00

If you have basic cable like me and if you feel like you are missing out on all the Wimbledon action, check out ESPN 360. Turns out that if you have internet service from Comcast you can get on the ESPN360 site and watch all the sports coverage they have for free. The best part is you can watch streams from all the courts simultaenously - you can switch between matches that are currently happening (not sure if you can do that on TV?). You can also catch FIFA action along with Wimbledon.

If you are at the airport all you need is your comast login and password. Just get on the site and put in your access credentials. The stream quality is awesome and it never buffers.

Check out ESPN360.com

Denver League's Summer Tennis Mixer

2010-06-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

11 players made their way to City Park yesterday and we had a great time at the mixer! After the intro's, all the players played a round-robin style 10 point tie-break games against each other. Duane Cagle and Joe Nunez fought it out in the final, with Joe prevailing in the end. We have some big hitters this time and the Summer season promises to be a lot of fun!! Check out some pics by clicking on the image below.

Denver Summer Mixer

A big thank you to all those who participated in the mixer!!

Head YouTek Pro Racquet

2010-06-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

This weeks Object of Desire is the Head YouTek Pro Tennis Racquet.

Couple of months ago I was looking to change my Head Ti-S6 and get a head light racquet as I play from the baseline a lot. I also wanted more control and top spin. I love head racquets so I decided to give the Head YouTek Radical Pro a try. I instantly fell in love with the look of the racquet and I did some more research about the racquet. Head uses a material called D30 which supposedly gives this racquet unique charecteristics - it can adjust the frame stiffness according to the swing. So if you are playing a drop shot the frame gets soft and when you ripping the ball from the baseline the frame gets stiffer. I loved this concept because as a 3.5 I can't swing hard all the time. At about 11.6 ounces strung (about 3.5 ounces heavier than my previous racquet) and 2/3 inch headlight this racquet felt like a perfect balance of control and power (my old racquet was 8 pts. head heavy).

I paid about $190 for the racquet and included were head strings at mid tension. At first it was having a torrid time getting used to the racquet, because it offers no mercy unlike head heavy racquets - you have to time your shots and hit through the ball. It forced me to make some changes in my game, the best way I got used to it was try and hit the top spin (up and across) as much as you can. Once I started doing this I could see my game improve. Now I absolutely love this racquet and it is totally worth the money I paid. With my old racquet, my arm was taking a lot of shock while playing against big servers and hard hitters. YouTek Pro's also have the MicroGel technology which distributes the schock evenly across the frame and it definetely works - my arm started feeling a lot better after using my YouTek Pro. I also love the thin beam, which offers additional control and stability.

Head also makes YouTek Speed Pro, which is heavier than YouTek Radical Pro at 12.5 ounces and is about 8 points head light. If you are looking to switch to a racquet with lot of control and if you are serious about adding top spin to your game I would highly recommend the Head YouTek Radical Pro.

Weight: 11.1 Ounces (unstrung) / 11.6 Ounces (strung)

Length: 27 Inches

Tension: 52-62 Lbs.

String Pattern: 16M x 19C

Headsize: 100 in.²

Beam Width: 21.5mm, Straight Beam

Balance Point: 32.5cm. / 12.8in.

Balance: Head Light

Flex (RDC): 61

Composition: d3o™

Swing Weight: 338

Power Level: Low

Swing Type: Fast & Long

Grip: Leather

Technology: d3o™, YouTek™, Teflon®

Pro's using this Racquet: Andy Murray

Denver Summer League starts today

2010-06-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

The Summer 2010 season for the Denver Flexible League starts today. We've had more than 40 players from all over signup for the league and this season promises to be even more fun than the Spring league. Sign up now to be a part of the fun.

Players from all over the Denver metro have signed up for our summer league.

Rob Jaecks wins the Denver Spring 2010 Tennis league.

2010-06-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Rob Jaecks won the Flexible Tennis League's Denver Spring 2010 season by defeating Rob Snider 7-6, 6-3 on June 7th 2010. Jaecks had an excellent season all the way through by winning 6 games and losing just one. Rob Snider kept it pretty tight in the first set no giving too much away until the tie-breaker, but Rob Jaecks stormed away in the second set to win it 6-3. Rob Snider had a pretty decent season himself, winning 11 of the 14 games he played in the season.

Interestingly, first match that Rob Jaecks played in the league was against Rob Snider, which Snider won 7-6,1-6,6-3. Jaecks worked hard on his game after that loss and did not lose another match the whole season!!

We had a great Spring season and we thank everyone who participated in the league for making it a lot of fun!! The Summer season starts on 06/18 and we are really looking forward to it.

Rob Jaecks - Our Spring 2010 Season Winner.

Denver Spring 2010 League Playoffs/Mixer

2010-06-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

The 8 players who made it to the playoffs of the Denver Spring 2010 league got together last Sunday to play the quarter final matches and also to have some fun getting to know each other. The event was hosted at the Saddle Creek community Tennis courts. First match saw Jeff DuBois defeating Duane Cagle 6-1, 6-3. The second round of matches got underway at 10:30 AM where Rob Snider overcame Austin Blacker in straight sets 6-2, 6-1. Steven Healey had a tough match, but managed to defeat Andrew McAree 5-7,6-4,6-3. Vamsee Konda was defeated by Rob Jaecks 6-2, 6-3 in the last match of the day. Here are some pictures from the event.

Denver Spring 2010

History of Tennis

2010-05-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

Nice article about the origins of Tennis on CNN. The game has its roots back in 5th century Italy, where people knocked balls around with bare hands. The sport gained popularity in France and England, where it was played by the aristocrats who inturn appealed to the masses by constructing public playing area. Read the complete article, its interesting.

Affordable Tennis Lessons

2010-04-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how some people seem to get better fast? Usually, there's training involved. For about half the price of a private lesson, you get a full month's worth of video training and expert advice not found anywhere else on the web. TennisVictory.com has a huge library of videos that gives you concise video training for Tennis Techniques and Drills, as well as expert information for Strategy, Conditioning, and Gear. They also feature a Coach's Corner with authors and experts.

Flexible Tennis League has worked out a special deal for its members only and we are passing the savings straight to you. Click on this link now to save more than half the price for you subscription at Tennis Victory : http://tennisvictory.com/tennis-lessons/flexible-discount/

12 Days of Christmas from your favorite ATP players

2009-12-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

Check out this video released by ATP featuring 12 Days of Christmas from Novak, Andy Murray, Gilles Simon and co - pretty funny!!

Duane Cagle Wins Flexible Tennis League's Denver Fall 2009 Season

2009-10-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

Duane Cagle won the Denver Fall 2009 inaugural Flexible Tennis League season by beating Vamsee Konda 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Duane receives a $50 gift card and a permanent place in our Page of Fame. Thanks to everyone who participated in the league and played some great Tennis matches. We look forward to more Tennis and loads of fun in the Spring 2010 season.

Duane Cagle - Denver Fall 2009 season winner.

Adidas Barricade

2009-10-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

This week's object of desire is the Adidas Barricade Tennis shoe. The current version is 5, which comes in several color combinations including Black/White or White/Red. Barricade's have been made since quite a few years now and they have gone through a lot of changes. Barricade is one among the premium line of shoes from Adidas and does carry a hefty price tag of $120. This shoe weighs 17.1 ounces for size 10 and contains mesh from heel to toe offering additional ventilation. The patented Adidas Torsion system and claw supports on both sides of the shoe offer excellant lateral support and stability - which is so important when you have to run around the court and make those volleys. Version 5 of this shoe is supposed to be lighter than the previous versions. My personal favorite is still the adidas Barricade 2 (white/Nemesis), which is a slightly older model but looks awesome. It's hard to find it in a store, but its still available online for around $90.

Adidas also lets you customize the colors, fit and other design specs of the shoe at http://www.miadidas.com/ . Tour Pro's currently using Barricade V include Fernando Gonzalez, Marat Safin, Fernando Verdasco, Mikhail Youzhny, Bryan brothers, Sam Querrey and others. Most of the tour pro's use the customized version.

The current model Adidas Barricade V and my personal favorite Barricade II

The "Beleive" shoe sported by US Teen sensation Melanie Oudin at US Open. Tsonga with his own version of Barricades.

How does Hawk-Eye work in Tennis

2009-09-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

We are all aware of the excitement and the drama that surrounds a line call that is challenged by a Tennis player. The results often being show on a huge screen to the disappointment or the excitement of the players on the court. Some players like Federer hate it and some love it. But how does the system work??

The technology behind the challenge system is owned by a UK based company Hawk-Eye Innovations. A series of cameras are placed at strategic locations all around the playing field and they capture the movement of the ball 60 times a second. This information is then used in the following manner:

2D (x,y)
The position of the ball in terms of both the depth and sideways movement on the court is calculated from each frame. Camera movement is compensated for by also tracking the lines of the court.

3D (x,y,z)

Strategically placed cameras also capture the height of the ball from the playing surface, which when coupled with the horizontal displacement enables a 3-dimensional view of the Tennis ball's position.

4D (x,y,z,t)

This process is repeated for each frame so that the 3D positions of the ball can be combined to produce a single trajectory of the flight of the ball.

Bounce Mark

The trajectory is then used to calculate where the ball will land on the court. According to the rules of the game the call is then made.

Hawk-Eye's website claims that during the ITF's evaluation of the system, Hawk-Eye made the right call 100% of the time with an average error of 3.6 mm. These tests were performed in varying wind, light and temperature conditions. So there is a chance for error - however small that chance may be. Hawk-Eye was first used in the 2006 Hopman Cup in Perth, Western Australia, since then all major tournaments except French Open has embraced the use of Hawk-Eye. French Open administrators claim that Hawk-Eye has no place on the Clay Courts as the ball clearly leaves a mark where it lands. Hawk Eye is also very widely used in the game of Cricket, which is where Hawk-Eye was first tested and adopted.

Wilson Players on Tour - String and Grip Info

2009-09-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

Our Denver player Steven Healey sent us another resource on what strings, grips and racquets the top Wilson players are using on the ATP and WTA tours. Click here to download the PDF. Steven also observed that most of players are using Luxilon Big Banger strings, which have a lot of power but they're not durable and they really put a lot of pressure on the arm and shoulder. Thanks again Steven!!