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For Manheim native Tom Sweitzer, however, matching groundstrokes with Agassi was just one part of a very special week. On Sept. 18, Sweitzer was awarded the United States Professional Tennis Association's Alex Gordon Award for Professional of the Year at La Quinta (Calif.) Resort and Club.
The award recognizes all aspects of a person's professional career from playing to teaching to contributions to the sport.
Previous winners include, among others, tennis gurus Nick Bollettieri, Vic Braden and Rick Macci — who have coached grand slam champions as well as changed the face of the sport.
"It's the ultimate 'Who's Who' of tennis in the world," Sweitzer said.
Sweitzer is one of only about 150 USPTA Master Professionals in the world. He has logged more than 50,000 hours of on-court teaching, created travel packages and escorted more than 9,000 fans to tournaments around the globe, initiated the USTA League Tennis program that is now the standard at clubs across the country and raised $8 million in charitable contributions through tennis during his 34 years as a professional. His charity tennis events earned him a Pennsylvania Governor's citation for community service and induction into the USTA Middle States Hall of Fame in 2007.
Sweitzer's most recent project was "Lessons for Life," which encourages tennis-teaching professionals to initiate programs to raise funds for local charities.
During his acceptance speech, Sweitzer said he had attended 22 USPTA conferences and had come away inspired by the words of the Professional of the Year.
"I hope to do the same for somebody else," he said.As for the hit-around with Agassi, it was the collection of a seven-year debt — not by Sweitzer but by Hershey resident and tennis philanthropist Jim Ripon, who had bid for the right to hit with Agassi years ago but was unable to cash in until September.
Sweitzer and wife, Mikel, drove five hours from La Quinta to Las Vegas to join Ripon and Agassi for the session.
Sweitzer, who called the hit-around "a personal treat," said he gets great joy from teaching and promoting tennis.
"I'm selling what I love," he said.
Champions: In the closest finish in the nine-year history of the Walker Cup, the Central Penn District super senior men won the title last week at Lancaster Tennis & Yacht Club, defeating teams from five other Middle States districts.
Central Penn won 54 total sets to 52 for defending champion Philadelphia. The competition for men in the 60, 65, 70 and 75 age groups came down to the final match when George Hoffman and Jim Blatt of Dauphin County defeated the Philadelphia pair of George Sawchak and Charles Freeman in the 65s doubles match.
Entering head-to-head play against Philadelphia, Central Penn trailed by five sets. Philadelphia extended its lead by winning the 70s singles and doubles matches, but Mel Nelson of Camp Hill started the Central Penn comeback with a victory in the 60 singles. Dick Blakinger (Willow Street) and Henry Becker (Mount Joy) won the 75 doubles, and Mike Herman (Landisville) won his 65 singles match. The duo of Charles Smuck (Lancaster) and Jerry Stehman (Manheim) tied the match at 52-52 with a straight-set win in the 60s doubles and set the stage for Hoffman and Blatt to clinch the victory.
Central Penn last won the inaugural Walker Cup in 1999. Philadelphia had won it every year since.
(92) (21) (13) (9) (3) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)Hempfield team places third: The 3.0 men's team captained by Kosta Kostanis placed third at the USTA League championships in Tucson, Ariz., last week.
The Hempfield team of Kostanis, Rick Dissinger, Daniel Waraksa, John Shaeffer, Elliott Rubin, Larry Tedder, Jesse Tedder, David Alshouse, Scott Wengrenovich and David Stover won its flight to advance to the semifinals before dropping a 4-1 decision to eventual champion Columbia, Md.
In the consolation match, Hempfield defeated a team from Baton Rouge, LA., 3-2.
E-mail: ecornelius@lnpnews.com
