I had just about reconciled myself to the fact that I will turn 75 in April. OK, I can live with that....at least I'm alive and still doing most of the things that I love to do. I'll never make it to the top of Mt. Everest or try my hand at sky diving, but they were never at the top of my wish list anyway.
What I DON'T like are the miscellaneous body aches that seem to be occuring with more and more frequency. For the past week I have been hurting...I think it is sciatica, a problem I had five years ago when I herniated a disk. I had surgery for that and it more or less didn't bother me. However, now I have the same pain as I did before, but with less intensitity.
I feel like I have a burning band running down the back of my right leg, starting at the cheek and ending at the ankle. My lower back is stiff and painful, and it hurts to sit for longer than 15 or 20 minutes. (I have a goodly amount of "padding" on my backside, but it feels like I'm sitting on bare bone).
I have been munching aspirins several times a day but feel it's time to grit my teeth, make an appointment and visit my doctor.....I have a high pain tolerance, but this is getting rediculous.
I Don't Like Getting Old!
Zack Hexum - singer
Female Tennis Stars (and 1 guy)
Our hometown boy was back for a visit! Andy Roddick was born in Omaha, NE and tonight, 12/14/07, he and Serena Williams were here to give a tennis exhibition….the event was Rock-N-Racquets….and the Quest Center in Omaha rocked! 
This was the first time I had seen Andy and Serena play, other than on television. Serena is much prettier and slimmer than I had thought. Plus, she has a wonderful smile. And, Andy at 6’2” much bigger than expected.
Nebraska is a football-lovin’ state, and Andy is a Nebraska Cornhusker fan. So what could be better than having three of Nebraska’s most famous football celebrities on hand to welcome him back. Roars from the crowd lifted the roof off the Quest Center….out onto the court came Heisman Trophy winners Johnny Rogers (1972), Eric Crouch (2001) and the former coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Tom Osborne!
Then, out came the players, Sam Querrey, Ashley Harkleroad, Serena Williams and Andy Roddick. Andy strolled onto the court wearing a Nebraska football helmet (and tennis clothes) much to the delight of the crowd. Andy is a charismatic, professional tennis player who reminds me so much of Jimmy Connors.
Photo by Jeff BundyAndy “plays to the crowd” much in the same way that Connors did….involving them in jokes, and even calling a “heckler” down to the court to receive one of his serves. The serve, at 144 mph according to the machine that tracks them, had the boy running for cover.
Speaking of serves, you can’t believe how hard those serves are! We were in the middle section, and were VERY happy that we weren’t sitting directly behind the players. Andy’s serves, even in warmup, were bouncing into the seats (and people) at both ends, and at 75 to 100 mph, those tennis balls HURT! Another spot that wouldn’t have been my favorite were the chairs lining the court. People in those seats had to be really alert because if they didn’t get beaned with a ball, they were likely to find either Andy or Sam landing in their laps.
I kept thinking “don’t hit Tom Osborne, Nebraska needs him!”
Serena and Ashley put on a nice exhibition match, Serena winning 6-4, 6-2. I didn’t feel that
Serena was hitting as hard as she normally does…but why should she! This is an exhibition match, not the US Open. Her tennis was awesome nevertheless. Ashley has a beautiful forehand, hard and low. The ball doesn’t come up, causing her opponents to dig for it. And she looks like such a kid…although she is 22. They had some great points and it was wonderful tennis.The momentum of the game changed 100% when Andy and Sam Querrey came out and started to warm up. Zing went those serves! Again I thought, “watch out for Tom Osborne!”…..he was in one of those on-court chairs.
Their match was awesome to watch…Andy had some unbelievable saves (some were just plain LUCK) and his placement and power were overwhelming. Querrey, a rising young professional tennis player has been called America’s next great talent. He is 6’6” – try lobbing over that guy! He has a huge serve and forehand, and gave Andy a good match. But, cream rises to the top (grin)…Andy won 6-4, 6-4.
Later Andy and Serena teamed up to play a let of mixed doubles against Sam and Ashley. I had expected that Andy and Ashley would play against Sam and Serena to even up the talent. But, Andy and Serena made a great team…not only their tennis, but the joking and facial expressions whenever he or Serena did something silly or goofed up the point. He had the crowd shaking with laughter---and Serena had a case of the “giggles” over some remark or action of Andy’s….it was so much fun to watch. The tennis was outstanding....they are so quick (and so young) and watching the exchanges at net took your breath away. Once again, cream rose to the top….the ‘stars’ came out ahead – 6-3.
Andy Roddick is doing his part to better our world. In 2001, he founded the Andy Roddick Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to provide children in need with quality education and other necessary resources. The foundation accomplishes these goals by donating to charities that focus on aiding abused children, children with childhood diseases and keeping children in school.
The foundation is directed by Roddick’s mother and is based in Boca Rotan, Florida. It is staffed exclusively by volunteers.
Benchmark Player Ratings - (how are they determined?)
BENCHMARK PLAYER RATINGS (how are they determined?)
By: Bob Greene USPTA, USTA Certified Verifier & Chairman of USTA NTRP Computer Sub-Committee
If you are reading this document, then you are probably a recreational tennis player who participates either in the USA Leagues Tennis Program, USTA Sanctioned NTRP Tournaments or other program audited and regulated by the NTRP.
It may interest you to know that your tennis rating is one of over 200,000 assigned to over 350,000 program participants across America each year. You are an important part of a very big picture. While to some the formulations of ratings may seem a mystery, the following information will help you to understand where all those numbers come from. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions:
WHAT ABOUT THE NTRP COMPUTER PROGRAM? HOW DOES IT WORK?
Factors which influence your ratings are the "Benchmark Player Ratings" and subsequent match result comparative analysis made by the NTRP Computer Program.
Simply put, the NTRP Computer Program algorithm compares and cross-references all match results in any given file. In a 4.0 file, based on a one match comparison, if a singles player (or doubles team player) "A" has a benchmark rating of 4.0 and he/she defeats player "B" 7-5, 6-4, the difference is registered as approximately a tenth of an NTRP point per service break or in this case approximately .16. That would generate a computer rating of 3.84 for player (or doubles team) "B" based on that one match.
The NTRP Computer, however takes that simple formula many steps further and compares all match results in the file against the benchmarked and all other players as well. Some large files contain more than a thousand players and thousands of match results.
As the computer runs through ten complete "iterations" in each file calculation, it refines a players rating to hundredths of a point as player "B"s rating is shown above. The computer does not directly care about a player's win/loss record. A player can lose many or all matches during a season and their performance in the opinion of the computer, can generate a rating close to their opponents if the individual match results were close. They may still get moved up to another level.
If a player gets beaten badly with several lopsided set scores resulting, then they stand a good chance of being moved to a lower level of play. Conversely, if a player wins big frequently, they too can be moved up or in the worst case scenario, be disqualified at that level of play. The NTRP Computer is designed as a tool for generating ratings and will not move players from level to level indiscriminately.
Ratings are published seasonally at level. If you have a true median rating of 4.4 at benchmark assignment time, you rating will be published as a 4.5 level. There are five micro levels (tenths) within each level of the NTRP for purposes of assigning benchmarks in USA League Play and Tournament files.
WHAT DO THE VERIFIERS LOOK FOR WHEN THEY WATCH ME PLAY AT CHAMPIONSHIPS?
There is developed methodology applied by the USTA Verifiers at all tiers of Championship play and benchmark assignment. What follows is a description of the process at a USA Leagues National Championship Event. This process is repeated at each Sectional, Regional, District and State tier and subsequently down to the generation of ratings in every local league and tournament file:
Annually each Section of the USTA will send up to twenty teams at all levels and genders to USA League National Championship Events. Those teams will play against each other in four flights of four or five teams in each flight. The draw is done at random. One event may be Florida, Texas, New England and Hawaii ... the next Eastern, Southern, Midwest and Northern California.
Before and during these matches, no less than four of the most experienced NTRP Verifiers from different areas of the country will research the players match result history, multi-year rating history and player profile information. They will then observe the players competing against several different teams over a period of three days. All match results are entered into the NTRP Computer during the events.
The Verifiers are observing and are more specifically looking for lopsided match results, disparity of level between doubles partners and player improvement over the course of a season. The players who emerge from their respective flights to the semifinal and final rounds are given "absolute ratings". That rating is a number that is static for the purpose of comparison against other players.
These "Benchmark Ratings" are entered into the NTRP Computer and the computer program is run calculating ratings for all of the players who competed at the event. Although the NTRP Computer has an excellent track record of being correct, the National Verifiers makes a few adjustments based on reasons stated above. All of these players are National Benchmarks and their Ratings are deemed not changeable by regulation.
These National Benchmark Ratings are entered into the NTRP Computer and will filter down in each respective USTA Section and all players competing in NTRP audited and regulated venues will receive a rating if they played two or more matches. The primary goal and purpose of this methodology is to create and maintain uniformity in ratings on a nationwide basis. No matter what the picture appears to be from the bottom looking up, it is painted from the top down.
WHAT IF I DISAGREE WITH MY PUBLISHED RATING OR BECOME INJURED?
As mitigating measures to counteract occasional system faults and recognize debilitating player injuries, there are regulations published in the form of "NTRP Computer Procedures". Certified Verifiers and administrators have access to this material. Within these regulations are parameters defining NTRP program administration, benchmark assignment and the rating appeals process. This is all part of a system that checks and balances itself.
Rest assured that players who do file an appeal to change their ratings are initiating a process governed by something much more than the subjective nature of human decision. A player who has a rating based on two or three match results has more latitude for having an appeal granted than players who have played six or more matches. The more matches you play, the more accurate your rating is. In addition anyone who plays in USA League Tennis can be disqualified at any point during the local level of play. Experience has shown that the players do a pretty good job themselves of policing the ranks when necessary.
