PTR Kicks Off Mentor Program; Launches Coach App
Posted: April 30, 2018 in Suppliers
Professional Tennis Registry
HILTON HEAD, S.C. – Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), is pleased to announce PTR has kicked off its new Mentor Program. The program honors the legacy of PTR Founder, Dennis Van der Meer, who recognized the need for industry leaders to help guide, shape and foster earnest professionals in the areas of community, business and athletic development, as well as club management. PTR also announced the launch of the new PTR Coach App, an indispensable tool for tennis coaches. The goal is to provide coaches and athletes with a specific platform that can be used effectively in helping a player transition and achieve positive change.
PTR gathered 50 highly qualified mentors, who were selected from the organization’s top experts and International Master Professionals, based on their expertise and knowledge in specific areas, and their willingness to take part in the program. The first mentor training was conducted earlier this month by the founder of Growing Champions for Life, David Benzel, who was selected for his expertise in leadership, communication and character development.
To find mentees for the inaugural stage of the program, PTR emailed an open application to all certified members in the USA. Fifty were selected and, based on their goals, matched with a mentor.
“A lot went into the pairing process,” said Marc Stingley, PTR Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator and staff liaison for the program. “In addition to matching the specific goals and aspirations of the mentee with the expertise of the mentor, we also tried to ensure they were as close geographically as possible.”
For the first year, the PTR Mentor Program was kept to the 50:50 ratio for manageability. Through quarterly evaluations, surveys and reports, success will be monitored, and if necessary, adjustments made to expand the program in 2019. Currently 27 states are represented by mentees, with 41% coaches of color, and 39% women.
“We recognized a gap in the industry that can make career advancements difficult for someone who doesn’t know the ropes,” explained Stingley. “The PTR Mentor Program is about far more than on court coaching. The program is a two way street; mentees network and learn, while mentors give back by sharing their knowledge.
HILTON HEAD, S.C. – Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) announced the launch of the new PTR Coach App, an indispensable tool for tennis coaches. The goal is to provide coaches and athletes with a specific platform that can be used effectively in helping a player transition and achieve positive change.
Developed by PTR’s Director of Education, Brian Parkkonen, with Oivind Sorvald, Director of High Performance and Coach Education for the Norwegian Tennis Association, and a member of the PTR Board of Directors. The PTR Coach App was built around video analysis aiming to arm coaches with the most effective way to provide the athlete with technological evidence. The goal is to provide coaches with a system that embraces technology and allows the coach to create an environment that will help the players of tomorrow become even more successful than those of today.
The PTR Coach App allows coaches to easily capture technical video, and analyze and annotate the video with the illustrator tools provided. The app not only allows coaches to compare strokes, but also provides easy reference to player strokes collection and technical parameters. Coaches can create video, image and voice reports to share with students. They can track goals and player improvement through the app’s player reports.
“We are excited to make this new technology available. Empowering coaches with an easy to use app that improves their ability to see technique more precisely was a major goal,” explained Brian Parkkonen, PTR Director of Education. “PTR developed a tool that puts technology in the hands of every coach in the form of a one stop shop for player management. We are extremely pleased with the final product, and the PTR Coach App will continue to evolve with additional coach pack releases that will build to the current platform. The PTR Coach App will also be infused into PTR’s education pathway to ensure coaches are prepared to use this tool with confidence.”
