Racquet Selection Map now available on-line

The popular and handy Racquet Selection Map is now available in an enhanced on-line version for USRSA members. With a full, sortable table of available racquets, and a larger, zoomable racquet map, the Racquet Selector Map on-line is definitely easier to use. Plus, both the usable tips and FAQ have been expanded, and there are even links to previous years' Racquet Selection Maps.

USRSA members can check it out in the Tools menu, or at:

usrsa.com/members/tools/racquet_map.html

Updated: String Specs tool

USRSA members will be interested to learn that the String Specs tool has been upgraded. It's still sortable, but now the sort is better at handling columns of numbers. Also, the "Company" and "String" columns have been combined into one for display purposes, although you can still search for company and/or string separately.

Nerds will note that while upgrading the String Specs tool, we also upgraded the menu system, tab system, and data table sorting routines site-wide, but with any luck, non-nerds won't notice a thing.

Revamping our on-line calculators

Along with the general move to freshen up the site, we've redone virtually all of our JavaScript calculators to make use of the object literal format, to avoid namespace collisions with other JavaScript elements on our pages.

This in turn has allowed us more easily to combine related tools so they appear on one page, such as the four tension tools (constant-pull to lockout converter, lockout to constant-pull converter, pounds to kilos converter, and the tension estimator) and the two twist weight tools (the calculator and the estimator). The pages for these tools also have a nice tabbed interface for selecting your calculator of interest.

As always, of course, these on-line calculators are available to USRSA members only. If you're not a member, join today!

2008 Masters Cup stringing log now available

Thanks to the PACIFIC stringing team, we have the stringing log for the 2008 Masters Cup in Shanghai. USRSA members can search our Pro Equipment Log database, and sort the results. The 220 records in this stringing log bring our total entries to 6,562 in our pro log database. If you're not a USRSA member, join now to see this great data. Of course, there are many other reasons to join!

Expanded pro log for the 2007 Acura Classic

A new data management tool (Panorama database program, from Provue) has allowed us to make available the full stringing log from the 2007 Acura Classic, which was handled by our own Dave Bone and our trusty Babolat Star 5. Previously, we'd published an overview of the stringing log, but with our new capabilities we've replaced the summary with the full log. For those interested in such things, Panorama also allowed us to make available the full U.S. Open 2008 stringing log, which arrived in "crosstab" format from Wilson. Using Panorama and some devious data manipulations, we were able to "de-crosstabify" the data to fit our report template.

The bottom line is that there are now 160 more data points in the pro stringing log database for USRSA members to search and sort.

Tennis player birthdays

We've augmented our list of tennis player birthdates significantly, adding 11,143 new tennis player birthdates to our searchable listing. This brings the total to 29,383 tennis players for whom we have birthdate information. Check it out.

U.S. Open 2008 pro equipment listing

Thanks to Ron Rocchi and the Wilson Stringing Team, we have added 2,156 new pro equipment listings to our Pro Equipment Log, which is available to USRSA members. This represents an expansion by 53 percent to our previous -- and already extensive --  pro equipment listings.

This gives us a total of 6,158 player equipment listings, most of which show the racquet make and model, string make(s) and model(s), and tension(s) for each player, as well as the name of the event and the year for that equipment combination.

The listing is searchable, and the results are sortable.

New Star 3, Star 4, and RDC videos

We've taken the 52-minute Babolat video that covers the Star 3, Star 4, and Racquet Diagnostic Center (RDC) and split it up into targeted sections. USRSA members will find these videos on the Machines page (in the members-only section), and on the Calibration page (ditto).

Updated: Racquet Mass Mover calculator

We've updated the Racquet Mass Mover calculator to include First Moment, both for the starting specs and for the racquet with all changes to mass and mass distribution.

We also reformatted the calculator in the hopes of making it easier to use and understand. Check it out!

Crawford Lindsey on strings

We've added a link to the audio of a telephone interview Crawford Lindsey did for the New York Times back in August 2004. Here, Crawford discusses strings and stringbed stiffness.

Here the audio here.

(USRSA members only — membership and site registration required.)

2007 U.S. Open players log additions

Thanks to the Wilson Stringing team, we've added 10 players from the 2007 U.S. Open to the Pro Equipment Log listing. This is in the members-only section, so you must be a USRSA member to view it and the other thousands of pro log listings.

Special stringing instructions for the HEAD CrossBow and Airflow CB racquets

It never fails. No sooner did we publish a blanket statement by HEAD that the crosses on every HEAD performance racquet must be strung from the top down, than we receive word that the new HEAD CrossBow and Airflow CB racquets require a hybrid stringing technique. This technique includes special mounting instructions and a special order of installing the strings to prevent frame distortion, and it keeps the Crossbow from popping out of place.

USRSA members will find a link to the special instructions here.

Pacific Life Open pro equipment log now available

The pro equipment log for the 2008 Pacific Life Open is now available on-line to USRSA members in the Reference section. As with other years, the bulk of the information comes from David Mindell, Casey Maus, and the crew at Star Stringing in Cathedral City. However, this year, we were fortunate to get pro equipment info from off-site stringers Ron Yu (Priority One) and Billy Knight, making this one of the most comprehensive pro logs ever, with information on 307 players, coaches, and even a couple of hitting partners. Thanks to everyone who made this listing possible.

You'll note that because the pro log search results are now sortable, we changed the players' names to "lastname, firstname" so that sorting on the player column makes more sense.

New format for 'Ask the Experts' and 'Tips and Techniques'

Although it always has been possible to search for relevant items in either "Ask the Experts" or "Tips and Techniques," let's face it ... the process was a bit clunky. Whether you used the search form or used your browser to go through the list of all available items, it could have been easier.

Now, it is. With a little help from WordPress, all available "Ask the Experts" and "Tips and Techniques" items that appeared in Stringer's Assistant or RacquetTECH magazines are now readily available. The search function now works better, and there are multiple ways to get to the information. Once the conversion is complete, you'll even be able to see every "Tips and Techniques" post by any given submitter.

This conversion worked so well that we're starting to transfer other back-issue items into this system. Eventually, the goal is to have just about all of the content from back issues of Stringer's Assistant and RacquetTECH magazines available through this new interface.

New sortable columns in pro log tables

Not only are is our new pro player equipment listing searchable, it's also sortable. After you perform a search of our huge database of pro racquets, strings, and tensions, you can click on the column headers to change the sort based on the data in that column. Click once to sort it one way, click again to sort it the other way.

We'll be making other similar tables sortable, too. We've already converted the playtest results table over, so give that one a try next time you're in that area.

On-line stringing machine manuals

We've added a page to our member-only reference section for stringing machine manuals. We have 39 manuals to start, and it's our hope to expand this to include just about every machine out there. These manuals augment our existing Calibration pages.

If you have a manual for a machine we don't list, let us know.

New tool for searching pro equipment logs

USRSA members can now search our pro equipment logs. The individual event files are still available, but now this information is available from an on-line database, which allows you to search by any term in the database. There are currently more than 3,400 entries for more than 1,000 pros, with more on the way.

Check out the pro equipment log database here.

Pulling strings to make players' rackets fresher

Check out this article in the New York Times about Priority One.

RSI Magazine enhances and re-launches RacquetSportsIndustry.com

Racquet Sports Industry, the largest tennis trade magazine in the world, recently re-launched its website, www.racquetsportsindustry.com, to allow access to news from the industry as it happens.

Visitors to the new website will find continually updated information on the business of tennis and other racquet sports. The website will also offer more in-depth and extra coverage of many stories that run in the printed magazine.

"Our new website offers unlimited space for us to bring to those involved in the tennis industry the very latest information, so they can run their businesses as profitably as possible," says David Bone, co-publisher of Racquet Sports Industry. "You'll be getting more news, on a more timely basis."

The new RacquetSportsIndustry.com also offers an RSS feed that allows readers to be notified whenever a new story hits the site.

In addition to breaking news, visitors to the site will also find the greatest archive of racquet sports business related stories anywhere on the web. All the past issues of RSI magazine will be housed on the new site, with improved search capabilities that will allow searches based on text keywords, dates published, categories of information, specific issues of RSI magazine, specific months of RSI.com news, and even by author.

Racquet Sports Industry is the only magazine that exclusively covers the racquet sports business, including unmatched coverage of equipment, apparel, racquet service, racquetball, squash, badminton and more. RSI, which is published 10 times a year, has become an essential tool for those in the racquet sports business.

For more information about RSI, including how to subscribe, visit www.racquetsportsindustry.com.

Wilson World Stringing Championship

By Annette Broersma, WWSC Tournament Director

At mid-day Saturday, on the plaza of the Darling Tennis Center, competitors made their way toward center court. The Tennis Channel Open was on its seventh day, and the place was packed.

Just before reaching the end of the walkway, all six men turned into a roped-off arena containing six hydraulic [sic] stringing machines on individual pedestals. A time clock was prominently displayed, an officious man was in the center of the ring holding a starter pistol, and a huge crowd gathered, as if awaiting a prize fight.

"When I give you the start, you may step onto the pedestal, open the Wilson "Reaction" string packet, place the K-Factor racquet on the machine, and string!" announced Dave Bone, Executive Director of the United States Racquet Stringer's Association (USRSA), and Referee of the Wilson World Stringing Championship. Announcer, Wayne Bryan, took over the commentary as the starter shot rang out; TV cameras were everywhere, capturing the techniques that made this group the best there is.

They are a varied group of individuals, hailing from East to West Coast, and collectively representing almost one hundred years of stringing experience. These six finalists cleared several heats to get here, and the $10,000 prize package was only 15 minutes away.

The finalists included Gilbert Gan of Northridge, CA; Rob Cortney of Voorhees, NJ; Jim Downes of Baltimore, MD; Paul Neely of Phoenix, AZ; Bryan Richter of Irvine, CA; and Joseph Heydt, of Omaha, NE.

Top seed entering this final round was Downes with a record-setting heat time of nine minutes and 30 seconds. "Less than TEN minutes?" many passers-by gasped, as they checked out the Leader Board stationed outside the Wilson booth. That time was more than a minute under last year's winner. Clocked time includes unwrapping the string, mounting the racquet, and using a 16-main, 18-cross pattern using multifilament string, which is not as easy to pull and work with as a synthetic nylon. This was truly the championship for stringing professionals, and they had the admiration of every tennis player who's had to wait hours to get their racquets strung at a local shop.

Each contestant was feverishly and systematically measuring, pulling, and weaving. Joining the hilariously funny Wayne Bryan was Jon Muir, G.M of Wilson Racquet Sports, and knowledgeable commentator on 'All Things Stringing.' As it turned out, Wayne and Jon seemed to have a contest of their own as to who could get more of the crowd laughing and involved in the event. There was no clear winner.

As most of the eyes were on Downes and Neely, side-by-side and trash-talking their way to what should have been a sure victory with their qualifying times, something unexpected happened. A quiet, long and curly-haired hippie, who did his stringing barefoot, was suddenly in the lead and on his last 3 cross strings. All eyes went to Bryan Richter as his slender arms gracefully pulled both ends simultaneously, in such a fashion that he seemed to be leading an orchestra rather than stringing a racquet.

"He's shattering the record!" shouted Muir and Bryan.

Richter removed the clamps and slammed the racket down to signal completion. "Eight minutes and forty-six seconds," came the timer's call. He had won $10,000 of prizes from Wilson and The Tennis Channel, as well as the opportunity to test to string at the U.S. Open, with high income potential and all expenses paid. "I'm stoked!" he cried as he threw his hat to the ground in the center of the ring.

As Richter took a bow, he surprised everyone by taking the microphone and singing a stringing Rap. It turns out he also produces hip hop music under a nonprofit label. Not surprising, he has a B.A. in Philosophy from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. When asked why he has chosen to be a professional stringer, he doesn't hesitate.

"I work for the greatest guy in the world, Kirk Hybskmann, the owner of Irvine Tennis Shop. I love my job because I get to be around Kirk, we have a great time at the shop, and play (tennis) at the local City of Irvine public courts."

If you're Bryan Richter, it's a great life. Today was just a bit sweeter.