Recreation
At 75, Dinkins still contributing to game
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USTA/Hawai'i Tennis Weekend schedule
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
Tennis did not sink its teeth into David Dinkins until he was 45, but when the bug bit the sport devoured him. He's eagerly anticipating his debut in the 75s next year.
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser
"I figured maybe I can find somebody I can beat," Dinkins says. "The draw won't be as long."
David Dinkins, former mayor of New York, returns a ball during a doubles competition at Ala Moana Tennis Courts. Dinkins, currently USTA Director at Large, is here as a special guest for the 15th annual USTA/Hawai'i Pacific Section Tennis Weekend.
The 106th mayor of New York City might be best known in tennis circles for diverting flights — which practically used to buzz the world's best players — from the U.S. Open while he was in office. He was also instrumental in creating the world's most well-attended annual sporting event and one of the city's most lucrative draws.
This year, 640,000 watched the Open. The latest New York City study showed the 2000 Open generated nearly $420 million in direct revenue for the area, more than any other annual sports or entertainment event in any United States city.
This week, the former mayor is here for the U.S. Tennis Association/Hawai'i Pacific Section Tennis Weekend, which begins tonight at Turtle Bay Resort. The 15th annual weekend is a precisely planned collision of the game's diverse segments.
Dinkins' involvement is a by-product of the tennis boom in the 1970s. He took the game up because it was popular, and figured his vast experience in ping pong would be immensely helpful. His first teacher was a 16-year-old girl who told him his grip stunk.
His game has blossomed since. Dinkins now teaches Public Affairs at Columbia, is a popular speaker, sits on several boards, hosts a weekly radio program and has worked for children's tennis programs for 30 years. He still makes time to play tennis four times a week and is planning to add league tennis soon.
Impressive opponents
He doesn't play with just anybody. When Dinkins picks up a game, it might be with Monica Seles, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Althea Gibson or Betsy Somerville-Purpura, a three-time Hawai'i state high school champion who now coaches Seton Hall.
"He's a dear," says Somerville, who lives in Jersey City. "He played with my cousin and invited me to play doubles one morning. I had a great time and we've been playing ever since.
"He's very competitive and has a really good understanding of how to play the game. I like to play with David because he always likes to win. It's so great. His competitive spirit gets his partner in the same focus. And, he has a very good sense of humor."
Dinkins' humor is self-deprecating, particularly when it involves tennis: "I didn't actually try to play in a serious way until 1974 and there are those that say I still don't play in a serious way," he begins with a wink. "One of my friends says if my skill approached my enthusiasm I might be half a player."
Somerville and anyone who has played with him know better. She describes his love of the game as "a full-on passion" and his analysis of it exceptional. More to the point, "whoever plays with David wins — you want to get on his team."
Helped U.S. Open thrive
She's booked for a game with him in two weeks at his Roosevelt Island Club, about a 15-minute drive from Flushing Meadows — the tennis house Dinkins helped build. At a time in the late '70s when New York City was in an economic slump, he helped keep the U.S. Open from leaving for Atlanta or a number of other interested sites.
Instead, the USTA plunked down a $3 million stadium that has been enlarged and enhanced. The U.S. National Tennis Center is the world's largest public tennis facility. The one month a year it is not open to the public, it brings in more money than the Mets and Yankees, combined, in half a baseball season. It is responsible for 3 percent of the city's tourism. Open revenues fund the USTA's 17 sections.
Dinkins still lives in the city and attends the Open religiously. But his non-playing tennis interest now revolves around the junior game, as it was in the beginning.
Involved in youth game
"I love children and it's no profound observation to say they are our future," Dinkins says. "We all say it. But I maintain we adults don't always behave that way. We hold the opportunity for children to achieve their potential.
"If you look at what the grass roots tennis programs have done ... Some will rise to the level of world-class players. I like that, but that's not my main interest. It isn't even the hundreds of thousands who can earn college scholarships. It's close, but the big thing is the millions, over time, nationwide, who will stay out of trouble and lead more productive lives because they're involved in tennis programs."
Dinkins' involvement covers nearly three decades, and he's not close to quitting.
SHORT LOBS: Today is the deadline to register for the second fall session of USA Tennis 1-2-3 lessons. Cost for six one-hour sessions is $18. The beginner classes are open to adults and children, with sites all over O'ahu. Call the USTA/Hawai'i Pacific Section (955-6696) for information and specific times and courts.
15th annual USTA/Hawai'i Pacific Section
Tennis Weekend At Turtle Bay Resort
Schedule
• Today
6:30-9:30 p.m.—USTA/HPS Board of Directors Meeting
• Tomorrow
8-9 a.m.—USPTA/PTR "Pot of Drills" On-Court Clinics
9 a.m.-5 p.m.—*7.5 Mixed Doubles Challenge
9-10:30 a.m.—Junior Clinic (invitation only)
9-noon—USTA Membership Appreciation Tent
9:15-10:45 a.m.—Formula for Junior Tennis Success (Wayne Bryan)
9:30-10:30 a.m.—PTR "Courting for Life" Part 1 (Richard Stumpf)
10:30 a.m.-noon—*Introduction to Racquet Stringing
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.—*USPTA Conference
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.—*Community Tennis Luncheon Workshop (D.A. Abrams)
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.—Coaches On-Court Clinic
12:30-2 p.m.—*Certification Racquet Stringing
12:30-2 p.m.—*USPTA Workshop
1-2 p.m.—The New Dynamic NTRP
1-2:30 p.m.—Junior Hitting Clinic (Wayne Bryan, Richard Stumpf)
2:30-3:30 p.m.—Wilson Demo Clinic
2:30-4 p.m.—*USPTA On-Court
3:30-5 p.m.—Adult Clinic, doubles drills and games (Wayne Bryan) 4:30-9 p.m.—HPS Annual Meeting followed by *Awards Banquet (David Dinkins and Wayne Bryan)
• Sunday
9 a.m.—*7.5 Mixed Doubles Challenge
9-noon—USTA Membership Appreciation Tent
9-10:30 a.m.—Champion Tennis Parenting (Wayne Bryan)
9-10:30 a.m.—Gamma/Yonex Demo Clinic
9:30-10:30 a.m.—PTR "Courting for Life" Part 2 (Richard Stumpf)
10:30 a.m.-noon—USPTA Conference
10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.—Decathlon by Peter Burwash Inc., for all skill levels (Ron Estrada, PBI pro)
* fee and registration required
All other events free unless noted
Free clinics require no registration
Information: 955-6696
Special Guests
• D. A. Abrams: USTA Director, USA Tennis National Junior Tennis League, working to expand youth programs and establish relationships with tennis industry partners.
• Wayne Bryan: Wilson's Pro of the Year in 1995, and co-owner, tennis director and head pro at Cabrillo Racquet Club in California. Coached several nationally ranked players including his sons, Mike and Bob, 2001 Wimbledon doubles semifinalists.
• David N. Dinkins: Former Mayor of New York City. Currently USTA Director at Large, Board Liaison to Community Player Division and Professor in the Practice of Public Affairs at Columbia University.
• Richard Stumpf: Orchid at Mauna Lani Director of Tennis. International clinician and tester for USPTR, and 1999 Pro of the Year for Hawai'i Pacific Region.
