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PAGE 17 - PLAIN DEALER. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8,1984 Sports Wall Htrrkk, Jr. USPTA Return of serve key to success Ask most any tennis player what the most important stroke in the game is and the answer will be the same: The serve. Ask the same player what the second most important stroke in the game is, and you will probably get a look of puzzlement, followed by the reply: "Well, I guess it's the..." And if you ask several players what the second most important shot in the game is, you will probably get as many different answers as there are players. Such was the case in a lesson I had recently with one of Texas' most ferocious club players, Amarillo Sidewinder. • AS ARE MOST Texans, Amarillo is long, tall and strong. In fact, he stands 6-foot-6 and can lift baby steers with each arm. His serve strikes fear into the hearts of men and his volley is superb. ! But even with those attributes, Amarillo struggles to win matches Against good opponents. ; "Pro, ol' pardner, I jest cain't do er against them good players, ^uid I don't know why. This ol' boy kin blow 'em off'n the court with serves and volleys. But fer some cottin pickin reason, I still struggle io win against them good boys," Amarillo drawled. "What happens in doubles, Amarillo?" I asked. ; "Well, I'll tell ya. Doubles ain't no picnic. It's maybe worse. I ?wear, even with a good pardner I struggle like a coyote with a toothache when I ain't servin," explained Amarillo. 'HOW'S YOUR return of serve, Amarillo?" I asked. 'Well now, I'm glad you brought that up, pro. The old return jest frin't poppin these days. It's kinda like playin' Russian Roulette. When I pull the trigger on the return, I jest don't know if the thing'll go off. Hope you kin figger out what the problem is," Amarillo said. . Amarillo's problem is his return of serve. ' He may have a good serve and volley, but without a good return of serve he will struggle to win matches. He will also put a lot of un­ necessary pressure on his serve. He knows if he doesn't win the games he serves, he is going to lose because he can't win when his opponent is serving. ; Yes, the return of the serve is the second-most important stroke in the game of tennis. And it's not a distant second either. Some top players claim it could be the most important stroke at the pro level. Unfortunately, most average players are unaware of the .im­ portance of the return. ; TOO OFTEN the average players take the return for granted. Seldom do you see the players practicing returns of serves. They will practice groundstrokes, volleys and serves, but forget to practice returns. * Yet, returns of serve account for a high percentage of shots executed during a matcH.^Styefs will-have to lilt a minimum of four returns every singles game and at teS&t two returns in each doubles game. ; < The average player too often takes a somewhat casual approach Io the return of serve. Concentration must be at its peak on every Return of serve if consistency is to be maintained and the player is to t stand a chance of breaking the opposition's serve. There simply is * no room for lapses of concentration against good servers. < A final point to realize is the return of serve is a different shot than the forehand or backhand. It requires slightly different techniques lo be executed effectively. We'll focus on those techniques in next Week's column. Sportsmen's shoot held The McHenry Sportsmen's Club held its annual club championship shoots and picnic last Sunday, with 250 people in attendance. The SO target Pitzen Handicap Shoot Trophy was won by Arlo Liebert. Taking top honors in the club champion shoot was Rick Van Etten, with second place going to Dom Miller. Other winners were Class A, Jack Hickey, first, Liebert second. Bob Adams won first place in Class C, while Jack Adams was second, and in Class D, winners were Jack Ross and Frank Beilow. The high all-around champ was Hickey, and Van Etten was runner-up. Eighty-four year old Lou Pitzen won first place in the veteran's class. Top lady honors went to Jeanne Nicholson. Bobby Huhn won the junior trophy and Gene Wagner, Jr. was first in the sub-junior class. Mary and Don Hertel were first place trophy winners in the husband and wife class, and the Wagners, Gene Jr. and Gene Sr. won the parent and child trophv. i Space is Limited McHENRY COUNTRY aw EXPERIENCE RSI 820 N. John 385-1072. Sports log Junior golf in Woodstock Crystal Woods Golf Gub in Woodstock has announced plans for a Junior Golf Tournament, to be played Friday, Aug. 10, beginning at 8 a.m. Age groups for the tourney, which will be 18 holes of medal play for both boys and girlf^af^: 12-13,14-15 and 16-17. Entry fee is $13 per participant. Trophies will be awarded for the top three finishers in each category. To register or for more information, call Crystal Woods, located at routes 47 and 176, at 338-3111. Chamber outing Aug. 22 The McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce has announced plans for its 1984 Annual Chamber Golf Playday, to be held at Chapel Hill Country Club, Wednesday, August 22. Prices for the event are: dinner and golf - $30; dinner only $17; golf only $13. A prime rib dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m., and tee times will be from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Contests will be held for closest to the pin, longest drive, straightest drive, as well as a hole-in-one contest, the winner of which will receive a 1984 Cadillac. Tickets are on sale at the Chamber office, or call Chapel Hill to reserve your tee time, 385-3337. \ Hornets registration set The Hornets Junior Football Association of McHenry will be holding registration for the 1984 season Saturday, Aug. 11, at the VFW, east Route 120, McHenry. Boys who weigh 65 pounds or over and are in fifth through eighth grade are welcome to join. The fee is $22 for each boy, and practice will begin Aug. 15. Thursday men's 12-inch CITY SLICKERS 8 WEST END PUB 5 It was an upset win for the City Slickers, as they grabbed an early lead and held off West End, to win 8-5. West End's only chance to score came in the fifth inning, picking up five runs with help from Rich Stull's two-run double, Matt Rogers' RBI double, and RBI singles from Mike Riley and Scott Young. But the City Slickers proved -they could play, as they were led by Dave Bauer and Curt Bremer, who each drove in two runs and RBI hits by Bill Tur­ ner, Jeff Roberts and Mike Gilliand PHYLLY'S INN 7 DAVE SMITH LANDSCAPING 0 Phylly's claimed an unex­ pected forfeit win from Dave Smith Landscaping, after Smith's - who had jumped ahead 10-3, was forced to forfeit the game when three members of the team had to leave because of a prior commitment. CULLOM KNOLL III 7 TAYLOR MADE 5 Cullom Knoll III served Taylor Made its second loss in as many games, 7-5. Taylor Made opened the game with three runs, on RBI singles by John Systma and Tom Nusbaum, and an RBI double by Jim Gray. The Knoll came back in its half of the first to tie the game at three, when Dominic Visconti made use of a catcher's error to score, while a bloop single by Bob Hutt and a single by Jim Dennis each scored runs. Dave Brunow and Dennis each added runs and Steve Aim's two- run homer in the seventh inning clinched the win. CAREY ELECTRIC 13 DOUG'S DOGS 6 Carey Electric had all the power on its side, as they cooked Doug's Dogs, 13-6. It took Carey only three in­ nings to collect its fifth con­ secutive win. RBI singles by Tom Carey, and a pair of RBI hits by both Jay Money and Phil Schmike began the team's onslaught. Before Carey's surge was complete, Joe Carey collected an RBI on a triple, scoring Dan Sund, while Paul Diedrich's RBI double put the game out of reach. iiSUNNYSIDE COMPANY LXllHMSUUMiliLmblUumM CONTINUES ITS DISCOUNT STORE PRICING POLICIES ON ALL NEW 1984 DODGE*CHRYLSER•PLYMOUTH CARS, TRUCKS, CUSTOM VANS, MINI-VANS & MINI-TRUCKS M m m m J t k . S k « LI IIP Br V ^ ... m If -^2 |y^oj % \̂\\.»7 Bowls first 800 series Guy Winters bowled the first 800 series ever at McHenry Recreation recently. Winters bowled games of 290-253-288, for a total of 831 during the Sunday Morning Hangover Leg. Shown above, are Ginny Brzink, owner of McHenry Recreation, Winters, and American Bowling Council director A1 Thorsan. McHENRY COUNTRY CLUB invites you to fine dining at McliENRY'S MOST BEAUTIFUL LOCATION --Wed. thru Sat. evenings beginning at 5p.m. --Luncheon served from Tues. thru Sat. at 11a.m. --Live entertainment every weekend from 8p.m. | k wc fl -1 S U N N Y S I D E C O M P A N Y r o :::n . o i ol una • • I 4810 W. ELM (ROUTE 120) McHENRY, ILL. (815)385-7220 F R I E N D L Y H E L P F U L N O P R E S S U R E S A L E S M E N • S T O P I N A N D R R O W S F