Snow part of game in platform tennis
On the first day of December, four women stretched and prepared for a different kind of tennis.
"We're winter warriors," Barb Dlutowski said.
Dlutowski of Middlesex Township for the past 15 years has been playing platform tennis, an outdoor racquet sport.
Like her teammates at the Lakevue Athletic Club in Middlesex, she started playing to be active outside during the winter. She was practicing with teammates Barb Lamagna of Richland Township, Mary Jo Sylvia of Butler Township, and Sue Miller of Pine Township.
"It's more convenient than skiing, and it's very competitive. If you enjoy competition, you'll enjoy this game," Dlutowski said.
Lamagna enjoys being active in the winter weather.
"There's nothing prettier than when it's snowing out here," she said from Lakevue's platform tennis courts, which are tucked toward the back of the club's property and surrounded by trees. In the not-yet-chilly air, players felt a kind of winter tranquility before practice.
That changed when practice began, and it was apparent the game has all the quick turns and energy of racquetball.
At one point, Sylvia was hot on the heels of a shot that bounced in the back of the court and bounced off the fence. She tried to get underneath the ball as it bounced off the fence to send it back, but just missed it.
"No!" she yelled. So much for peaceful winter tranquility. But she, like her teammates, would not be out there if the game were boring.
The game is similar to doubles tennis, played is played on a court a quarter the size of a tennis court. The court is 60 feet by 30 feet, and the inbounds area is 44 feet by 20 feet. A 12-foot-high fence surrounds the court.
The court is made of aluminum planks, which are heated with natural gas or propane to melt away snow. They are painted with a mixture of paint and sand, so players have traction on the wet surface.
Once a ball hits the inbound area and bounces off the fence, it is still in play. As in racquetball, a player can return a ball that has bounced out of the inbound area.
There are a few other differences between platform and regular tennis. Only one serve is allowed, serves that clip the net are still in play and only doubles teams play the sport.
Players use solid paddles that are about 18 inches long. The ball is about the same size as a tennis ball, but it is spongy and rubber.
Two men in Scarsdale, N.Y., invented the game in 1928 after trying to find an accessible winter sport.
The American Platform Tennis Association was formed in 1934 to standardize rules.According to the association, there are more than 4,000 courts in the country, 17 regional leagues and 24 annual national championship events.The weather is an important part of the game. Dlutowski said fluctuations in temperature affect how the balls move through the air.When the sun is shining, a ball will be lighter and more sensitive to the paddle. When it is cold, the ball is heavier and absorbs moisture from the court floor."So you're constantly adjusting to the weather," said Dlutowski.Players also wear layers of clothes to deal with the weather, and as they get warmer remove layers.It is played between October and March in states with harsher winters, such as Massachusetts, Michigan and Pennsylvania, said Whitney Snyder, head tennis professional at Butler Country Club.It is growing in popularity, but "nowhere near as popular as tennis," said Snyder. He said it is more popular for adults than youths right now, mostly because there are few youth programs focused on platform tennis.He said the sport would be a good fit for Butler."I would love to get (platform tennis) here. If there was a platform closer to Butler, I think it would be very popular," said Snyder. "People get tired of tennis 12 months out of the year; this provides something a little different."He said platform tennis provides a stronger workout, since it is played in cold weather.Platform also is quicker to learn."You don't need the refined strokes you need for tennis," he said.So far, Lakevue is the only place in the county with courts. But the club's tennis coordinator Cynthia Chapman said the sport is growing in the area."It's definitely catching on in Pittsburgh. Mostly it is a country and athletic club thing, to get the facilities. But it has grown a lot," said Chapman.The cost of facility access could deter people from the sport. A membership at Lakevue is $55 a month, or $575 a year. At the Sewickley Valley YMCA in Allegheny County, a 2006 membership is about $483 a year for an adult, or $717 a year for a family membership.She said Lakevue has had courts for about five years. It is one of 16 country and athletic clubs that have teams in the Pittsburgh area competing in the Western Pennsylvania Platform Tennis Association.Teams are ranked by skill in Divisions 1 through 8. There are teams for men, women and juniors under 18. Teams are also divided between those who play during the day and those playing during evenings."It's a great time. You should give it a try," said Dlutowski.
<B>COST:</B> Players need a membership or guest pass to Lakevue Athletic Club, or other club with platform courts.<B>RULES: </B>Rules are set up by the American Platform Tennis Association.Play is like doubles tennis, but played on one-quarter the size of tennis court and surrounded by 12-foot-high fence.A ball that bounces inside the 44-by-20-foot inbound area and hits the fence is still in play.Each server only gets one serve, not two, and serves that clip the net are playable.The ball is rubber and spongy, not like hollow tennis balls. The game is played with 18-inch-long paddles instead of racquets.<B>WEB SITES:</B> www.platformtennis.org, www.wppta.org
