Springfield Platform Tennis Association

EXHIBITION - NOV 10th

On November 10, 2001, Bill Fiedler and Scott Mansager descended upon us from Chicago for a platform exhibition. I had been working on Bill for a couple of years, using various and sundry techniques (bribery, blackmail, etc...), and finally wore him down enough that he agreed to come down. Original plan was for Bill to come with David Woolf, a tennis and paddle tennis pro from Glenview, but Woolf pulled up with a knee injury a couple of weeks before (sky-diving, I believe). In the meantime, Bill had recruited a relative newcomer to platform, Scott Mansager, who really wasn't too bad...

For those of you who do not know Bill or Scott, Bill won the Platform National Championship in 1993 playing with Barry Judge, and was runner-up in 1996 playing with George Zink. Scott and partner Flip Goodspeed won the Nationals from 1996 through 2000 (is that a "five-peat," Pat Riley?).

With Woolf out of the mix, local players Todd Leistner and some little weasel named Cron paired up with the guests and played two thrill packed sets before a stunned (stoned? Drunk?) crowd. Fiedler and Mansager also stopped at various points during the match to explain techniques and strategies, and answer questions of the crowd.

The beer was graciously provided by Honest Don Tracy, and Butch Elzea sprung for the Chili. As usual, Manny and Tom Denny had the facilities ready for the masses, and "The Brain" and "Red Shoes" provided additional support, food, and lodging for the guests. Harry Bean served as social and spiritual guide for the boys, after it became apparent that Cron was out of touch with Springfield night life. ("Hey, it's not like I took them to George Ranks," protested Cron.)

Anyway, thanks to everyone who turned out, and especially to Scott and Bill for service above and beyond the call of duty.

By the way, we are working on Scott to come down and conduct a platform clinic, maybe an exhibition in connection with that, assuming he overcomes the "culture shock" of a visit to Gilligan's.

David Ohlmuller, shortly before semifinal match against Bill Fiedler and George Zink at Chicago Charities. Dave and Chris Gambino won that match and the tournament. I missed the finals, but in watching the semis counted exactly one unforced error for each of them during the entire match. Apparently they continued their flawless play in the finals in beating Mansager and Goodspeed.

The Story of the "Punk Kids"

Once upon a time I ventured into the land of journalism, where all is make believe and the truth is whatever you make up. And I wrote a "Press Release" for our exhbition:

Press Release

Platform Tennis Exhibition November 10th at Washington Park

On Saturday, November 10th, at 4:00 p.m., a platform tennis exhibition will be held at the Washington Park platform tennis courts, adjacent to the tennis courts. Preceding the exhibition, from 1 to 4 p.m., an "open house" will be held at the courts, during which the public is invited to drop by, learn more about the game, and try out the sport. Instructors will be on hand.

Participants in the exhibition will include former national champion and current top-ranked player Bill Fiedler; five-time national champion Scott Mansager; and David Wolff, Head Tennis & Platform Tennis Professional for Glenview Park District.

"Platform is a relatively new sport to central Illinois, even though it has had a large following out east for forty or more years, and in Chicago for twenty plus years," observed Cron Mueller, organizer of the event. "While we have had courts at Washington Park for almost ten years now, very few people in Springfield outside of the 60 or so players have even heard of it. Even some regulars to the tennis courts have no clue as to what those two 'miniature' courts north of the tennis courts are."

The exhibition will serve to introduce new people to a racket sport played outside during the winter, and to introduce to those already playing just how well the game is played at the highest levels of competition.

Platform tennis is principally a doubles game played on a court laid out like a tennis court but about ¼ of the size. The basic rules are the same as in tennis, with three basic differences.

First, only one serve is allowed.

Second, a "net" serve, one that hits the net-tape and lands in the service box, is in play (as opposed to being a "let" in tennis {excepting collegiate tennis} and most other netted sports).

Finally, the team receiving a shot has the option of playing the ball directly, as in tennis, or letting the ball go by and then playing the carom off the screens surrounding the court. The screens are octagonal wire mesh, resembling chicken wire, which is pulled taut, resulting in predictable and very playable caroms.

"At top levels of play, it is not uncommon to see points lasting for fifty shots, as the team at net hits overheads into the corners, while the baseline team lets the ball bounce off the screens before sending up another lob. Unlike modern tennis, where raw power and speed have replaced finesse and wile, platform requires the patience of Solomon and the cunning of a fox, apart from good racket skills. It is also very gratifying that the top teams in the country are not too much younger than I am," noted Springfield Platform Tennis Association Commissioner David Welch. Indeed, a look at the draws from the women's national championships reveals the same four teams vying for the title in the semifinals of the women's open draw and the women's 40+ draw. On the men's side, five time defending national champions Flip Goodspeed and Scott Mansager, finally dethroned in this year's nationals by Dave Ohlmuller and Chris Gambino, are both in their late thirties. Gambino and Ohlmuller may represent the "youth movement" in platform. Both are in their early thirties. "Punk kids," remarked Fiedler (now 41).

Naturally, as a good journalist, I made up all the quotes for everyone.

I sent the press release to Dave Kjeldsen, who sent it on to Dave Ohlmuller.

For the semifinals of the men's open at the Chicago Charities, Ohlmuller showed up with a tee shirt. Picture at left.