WTA Prepares its Stars for Life After Tennis

By Valerie Jo Bradley

photos by Valerie Jo Bradley

Visionary tennis activist Billie Jean King founded the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) in 1973 which united all of women's professional tennis in one tour. That same year the US Open, for the first time, offered equal prize money to men and women. From that auspicious beginning, focused more on improving the earning power of women tennis players, the WTA has added programs that enhance players’ athletic development and more recently that facilitate players’ ability to earn a college degree.

To celebrate its four decades of growth and ground breaking successes, the WTA launched its highly visible season-long 40 LOVE campaign in 2013 that highlighted the achievements of past and present professional women tennis players. With less public fanfare, the WTA also entered into an exclusive educational agreement with Indiana University East (IU East) in 2013 to provide women tennis players with the opportunity to obtain degrees through the school’s online degree completion programs. 

A year later the WTA and IU East commemorated this unique partnership for athletes during the 2014 Western & Southern Open tournament at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, OH. Venus Williams, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, was the first WTA player to enroll in the program for the 2013 spring term. The agreement was signed in August of the same year and today, due in part to Williams’ advocacy, 15 of the world’s top 200 players are enrolled in the program. 

When asked to describe her experience with the program, Williams laughed, “Well, I have no life, but it has made me a better boss and it’s made me more aware of how I can make better business decisions.” The tennis pro, who boasts 20 Grand Slams in singles and doubles, is also a successful entrepreneur having launched her tennis and sportswear apparel business, EleVen by Venus. The IU program requires that participants have some college work under their belt.   Williams has that and more.  She earned a degree in fashion design which helped her translate her sense of style into her own apparel line that she prefers to wear over the major sportswear brands.  In the first round of the 2014 US Open she stepped out on the court dressed in her latest design -- a blue vintage floral closed grip dress that was talked about as much as her winning game performance.

Adjusting to academia in the midst of managing a physically and mentally demanding sports career she noted, “You have to be focused, balanced.  You have to balance your time so you don’t get that F.” Williams admitted, “I have to say accounting almost killed me.  I’m telling you, it messed my vision up.  Now I’m not an accountant but I’m okay.”

IU East is one of eight IU campuses and is located in Richmond, IN.  It offers 10 options for students to complete their bachelor’s degree online in English with an emphasis in Technical and Professional Writing, Mathematics, Natural Science and Mathematics with a Mathematics Concentration, Communication Studies, Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Political Science, Psychology, General Studies, and a Nursing RN to BSN Mobility Option. The credits, transcript, and diploma earned through IU East's online programs are identical to those from any IU campus.

Pleased about the growth of the program, IU East Chancellor Kathryn Cruz-Uribe said she anticipates that more players will be enrolling in the programs because “our current students are some of the best recruiters.”  The players benefit from the IU staff visiting tournament sites to answer questions, trouble shoot on-line issues and to cheer on players studying with them as Cruz-Uribe and staff did for Venus during her first round at the Open.

“It’s a good partnership,” explained Cruz-Uribe who pointed out that the two organizations meet frequently to build on their relationship. Impressed with the WTA track record, the Chancellor added that the WTA is the leader in developing their athletes in not only athletic competition, but in handling finances and providing educational opportunities to “prepare for a life after tennis.”

Williams agrees, “I think it’s important to explore yourself outside of tennis, because there’s so much in life and it (college studies) opens your eyes.”

 Photos: Valerie Jo Bradley

Venus sports her fashion creation, EleVen by Venus at the US Open

Venus Williams backstage at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center

IU East Chancellor Kathryn Cruz-Uribe (c) at the US Open cheering on Venus Williams with her Office of Admissions staff Lori Current (l) and Molli Vanderpool (r)

US OPEN 2014 A SHOWCASE FOR NEW AFRICAN AMERICAN TENNIS STARS

By Valerie Jo Bradley

Photos:  Herbert Delancey (BSTM)

 Taylor Townsend scores a crucial point

Serena Williams delivers and ace

If Taylor Townsend was overwhelmed as she entered a crowded Arthur Ashe stadium, she didn't show it. The 18 year old wild card entry into the draw for round one of the US Open was set to play her idol and two-time US Open champion, Serena Williams, who is attempting to become the first woman to win the title three years in a row since Chris Evert took four straight titles 1975-78. Taylor, a Chicago native, may have taken comfort in the fact that a bus load of teen tennis aspirants from the XS junior tennis clinic in that city's troubled Englewood neighborhood, where she is originally from, were sitting in the stands with their coach Kamar Moore to cheer her on after making a twelve hour bus ride from the Windy City. She might have also known that sports icon Michael Jordan, another former Chicagoan, had been in the stands just moments before cheering on Roger Federer in his win over Marinko Matosevic of Australia. The two are currently involved in a partnership on a new athletic shoe for Nike. 

Townsend took advantage of Serena's opening round jitters to win the first game, but the veteran player quickly gained her composure and went on to win with a 6-3, 6-1 victory. The No. 1-ranked and seeded Serena showed the wide-eyed teen what it takes to be a real champion, with a dazzling display of well-placed serves and searing cross-court volleys that sent Townsend stumbling behind the ball. Serena even executed a James Brown-type split while successfully returning a shot from the far back court that brought gasps from the crowd. It was all over in less than an hour.

Townsend was gracious in defeat, giving her idol a congratulatory hug at the net and throwing her wrist bands and towel to fans and supporters who applauded her noble effort. In the post-game interview with Pam Shriver, Serena acknowledged the promise of her young opponent, reflecting on her own debut at the US Open 15 years ago as an impressionable 17 year old. "We have an amazing future," Serena told Shriver. She was referring to the win earlier in the day by 15 year old fellow American CiCi Bellis, who became the youngest player to win a US Open match since 1996. Commenting on the future of women's tennis in America, and the rise in the number of young African American players entering the game and playing in competitions such as the US Open, Williams opined, "We have so much to look forward to." 

Serena created quite a stir with her leopard patterned suit of her own creation. When Shriver asked her about it, she simply replied, good naturedly, "Grrrrrrrrrrr!"

At the post-game news conference, Serena was quick to give Taylor her props. "I think Taylor is a really great player. I believe she does everything well. She has unbelievable hand speed with her racquet. She's really unbelievable. Yeah, we're really close. Like I said on the court, I really love her. I feel like she has such amazing potential."

Taylor was similarly complimentary to her idol and mentor, while also acknowledging her debut jitters. "It was just a lot at first. I was playing against one of my tennis idols, someone I've been watching for years and years. It was just a lot of things that were coming up in my head that I was trying to deal with. But, at the same time, I think I dealt with it pretty well. I did the best I could." So I walked off the court and I was smiling and just laughing because I was like, 'Okay! It's over now, and I had fun doing it.' " 

In addition to Townsend, there are several other African American players in this year's US Open who were influenced by the example of Venus and Serena Williams. Among the contenders are Donald Young, Sloane Stephens, Sachia Vickery, Victoria Duval, Allie Klick and Madison Keys. In total, African Americans account for a sizable representation on the American team at this year's US Open, a hopeful sign for the future of tennis. 

US OPEN THE "SUPER BOWL" OF TENNIS

An exclusive look at the tennis world's most glamorous event 

by Valerie Jo Bradley

Photos by Valerie Jo Bradley

NEW YORK--As the waning days of summer lie in that vacuum before the World Series and the start of the football season and friends and family get in the last of the backyard barbeques and lazy days at the beach, there's the sound of tennis at Forest Hills in New York and the US Open. Fast growing in popularity, TV and internet viewership and attendance, it ranks right up there with  Super Bowl in popularity and surpasses it in terms of overall economic impact. This year, the USTA is expecting more than 700 thousand people to descend on the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and pump a whopping $1 billion into the local economy over the next two weeks. 

Anyone who wrote off the first day of play as a mere warm up was sadly mistaken. There were some big names on the main courts at Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong stadiums, all of whom managed to win their respective matches and move into second round play. 

Nighttime opening ceremonies would bring out the stars and the politicians; Mayor Bill Di Blasio and former Mayor David Dinkins, who created the deal that brought about the tennis center, and a cavalcade of stars, including the Winans, gospel recording artists who sang the National Anthem, Alec Baldwin, Donald Trump, Gayle King, among others, but today belonged to the real stars of the US Open, the tennis players, competing for one of the biggest purses in the game.  

Perhaps the most watched and anticipated was the match between Venus Williams vs Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan. Cynics might have dubbed it the "senior bowl" with the combined ages of the two contenders at 77 years old! Date-Krumm, the elder, at 43 years old (she turns 44 next month), had dropped out of professional tennis for a 12 year hiatus, only to come roaring back to a number 4 ranking. Venus, at 34, is lately on a summer winning streak with a runner-up win at the Montreal Open earlier this month, and an appearance in the quarterfinals at the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, CA.  

Williams seemed to be climbing back to the type of aggressive playing style that earned her five Wimbledon singles titles. Indeed, the expectation was that the match would be all about Venus, but it quickly got rocky, with Date-Krumm scoring the kind of searing forehand and drop shots, normally associated with Venus. It had been a long climb back from her diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome, a little-known autoimmune disorder that causes severe fatigue and joint pain, and Venus seemed to be slipping back into the malaise. The intense heat and opening day jitters may have also been taking their toll. For a time though, it looked as if she might be making an early exit at the hands of the only player older than she in this year's tournament. The curtain started to look as if it would rain down early in the second set. Venus began to miss easy shots that passed right by her. She began to display that stoop-shouldered defeatist posture that in the past, spelled doom. Not so in the third set. A confounded Date-Krumm had a difficult time responding to William's paralyzing overhead shots and getting anywhere near her flummoxing cross court volleys. 

An errant bee threatened to steal the show and caused at least three temporary delays in play. First buzzing around the head of Date-Krumm, the rogue bee interrupted her service game before deciding to hone in on Venus, perhaps attracted by the Dresden blue floral patterned tennis outfit that was reminiscent of an English garden. After landing on Venus' racket, an adroit ball person captured the bee in a towel and spirited it away, allowing play to resume. Ironically, the bee may have provided just the kind of distraction that Venus needed to lift her out of her doldrums. She seemed to snap to it and started to play like the Venus of old.  Perhaps Date-Krumm should have allowed the bee to continue to buzz around her head like a halo, because Williams collected her resolve and went on to trounce her 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to win the match. In the post-game interview, Pam Shriver asked Venus if the bee was a tougher opponent than Date-Krumm, Venus laughed, saying, "The bee was a challenge, but easily, the answer is Kimiko hits the ball like nobody else." Today's win should provide just the momentum she'll need to face the winner of the Kiki Bertens, Timea Bacsinszky match. Venus hit only 44 per cent of her first serves and also racked up a whopping 36 unforced errors. Williams, the number 19 seed has her work cut out for her.

On the men's side, there was nothing pretty about Andy Murray's win over Robin Haase. Murray seemed overwhelmed by the heat and buggered by cramps and nagging fatigue to barely survive through a 6-3, 7-6, 1-6, 7-5 win over the Dutchman. Murray, the 2012 U.S. Open champion, suffered through 16 aces and gave up 51 unforced errors only to garner success with 25 of 39 chances at the net to seal a victory. Let's hope he fares better in the next round, when he faces the formidable Matthias Bachinger of Germany.

Sloane Stephens, the heiress apparent to the Venus/Serena throne, sailed to a wide-mouthed grin win over Annika Beck. Breezing to a blazing finish in just a minute over an hour, Stephens was ebullient in the postgame interview. "The big job now is just to stay focused and concentrate on a win in the next round. But I really want to thank the fans for coming out and supporting me, they have really made the difference." And to show her appreciation, she good-naturedly lobbed a handful of green tennis balls into the adoring crowd.

 Venus delivers a devastating shot to her opponent

 Decisive action ends the bumblebee incident

The withering overhead forehand shot of Venus Williams

ODYSSEY DINNER CRUISE-DINING ELEGANCE WITH FIREWORKS FINALE

By Dr. Myra Handy

The weekend of August 15th marks the 2014 Chicago Air and Water Show and there's no better vantage point to watch the Blue Angels and the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights than out on the lake. As an active boat captain myself, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised by the yachting experience on board the newly renovated Odyssey docked at Navy Pier. The Odyssey offers a gourmet dining experience along with upscale DJ entertainment and unparalleled views of the Chicago skyline.  The Blue Angels are back for this year's edition and the Odyssey is conducting Air and Water Show cruises throughout the weekend, starting with the Early Air and Water Preview Brunch and the Afternoon Air and Water Preview Buffet Lunch. During the show, Saturday and SundayAugust 17th and 18th, the Odyssey will also sail for the Early Air and Water Show Brunch and Afternoon Buffet Lunch. Saturday night will feature the Fireworks Dinner Cruise, with fireworks off Navy Pier through August 30. Odyssey fireworks cruises take place every Wednesday and Saturday evening. The evening starts off with a glass of champagne as the ship gets underway, followed by a delicious dinner featuring gourmet favorites such as Roasted Salmon and a huge serving of fall-off-the-bone Braised Short Ribs. A wide selection of signature cocktails, wine by the glass and special selections from the wine list make this a dining tour de force. Save room for dessert and prepare to boogie it all off on the dance floor before taking in the spectacular fireworks display. Make your reservations now if you're planning to take in one of the Air and Water Show cruises, because they always sell out quickly. The Odyssey will also set off on a dinner cruise Venetian Night, Saturday, September 6th. Boarding is at 6pm, cruising from 7-10pm.  Call 866-305-2469 or book your cruise online

 The Chicago skyline as seen from the Odyssey

Navy Pier fireworks display

 Just one of the delectable dessert offerings

The author, Dr. Myra Handy, on board the Odyssey Fireworks Cruise

 the grand finale of the fireworks display

at www.odysseycruises.com.

A New York Summer Delight: Dinner Cruise on the Bateaux at Sunset

Story and photo gallery by Dwight Casimere

NEW YORK--Top off the summer with a sunset cruise on  the Bateaux New York. Docked at Chelsea Pier, Bateaux New York is a beautiful glass-enclosed cruising vessel that offers 180 degree views of the New York skyline and a sumptous three-course dinner served in white tablecloth and fine china fashion. Besides elegant offerings such as Blue Crab Cakes, Surf and Turf, Braised Short Ribs and Sea Bass and Salmon, there are Vegetarian and Gluten-Free menu items as well. The Bateaux (french for boat) is inspired by the elegant European river cruises, such as the romantic cruises on the Seine in Paris. The Bateaux cruises year-round for Champagne brunch, lunch, dinner and full moon cruises and special cruises for the holidays. The extensive wine list runs the gamut from Napa Valley Mumm Cuvee Brut sparkling wine for an aperitif, to sophisticated cellar collections from California, Italy and France. A lively jazz trio and excellent cabaret singer keep the mood going in swinging fashion with the latest in pop, R and B and soul with a healthy mix of jazz standards and romantic favorites. Views from the two climate controlled dinings rooms are inspiring. The completely glass enclosed cabins offer unobstructed panoramas. Two outdoor decks fore and aft offer even more wide-open views of the Manhattan skyline. The dance floor is open throughout the three hour cruise if you decide to work off that Gelato. Dramatic views of the skyline and the bridges at sunset are only the visual appetizer. The cruise ends dramatically with an up-close-and-personal look at the iconic Statue of Liberty. Nothing short of awe-inspiring, being brought within mere feet of this shining symbol of Freedom makes for a heart pounding experience that will live long in memory. For more information on Bateaux New York, visit www.bateauxnewyork.com.