Evening star., 1939-01-06
Schedule
Al Net Looms
For Youths
U. S. Seen With Fair
Chance to RepeI
Foreign Threats
This Is another OF a series
1oritten for the Associated Press
by sports leaders,
BY HOLCOMB WARD,

Dritten for the Associated Press
by sports leaders,
BY HOLCOMB WARD,
President U. s. Lawn Tennis Association.
NEW YORK, Jan. 6.-Junior de-
velopment work looms large in the
picture of U. S. L. T. A. activities
during the year just completed. It
is to hold an equally important place
in the months ahead. In making
this statement have not overlooked
our successful defense of the Davis
Cup, emblematic of world tennis
supremacy.
The two fields are linked like cause
and effect. You cannot have a
winning Davis Cup team without
the proper foundation, and that
means development among juniors
of playing ability. tournament tenn
permanent and amateur sportsman
ship, all of which are requisites for
successful Davis Cup player.
Tennis Centers Expanded.
1t is along these lines that our as
sociation is building. The develop
ment Of our program is neither hasty
nor sensational. Each year sees a
steady and satisfactory progress,
which can be illustrated best by a
few statistics:
During the past three years, tennis
centers which provide qualifying
tournaments for national Junior,
boys and girls championships have
increased from IS to 100, tourna-
ments played at these centers have
more than doubled, and the number
OF registered Juniors eligible for such
events has grown from approxi-
mately 1900 to 6,4O0. A slight step
beyond the tennis centers are the
Junior Davis Cup, Junior Wightman
Cup and Junior development squads.
More than $1,000 was disbursed for
these projects in 1888, and equally
liberal allotments will be assigned
for 1899.
Concrete results of this work are
shown not only in the steadily
increasing number of youngsters
taking up tennis, but also in the
remarkable and rapid improvement
Of their play. This latter point is
illustrated by the recently published
1888 rankings.
Tourney Program Heavy.
Joseph Hunt, No. 8 in 1896, now is
ranked fifth. Gilbert Hunt, jr.,
nineteenth in 1887, has moved up
10 places; Elwood r. Cooke, from
twenty-eighth to seventh; Gardnar
Mulloy, from twentieth to eleventh,
and Frank Guernsey, from twenty
first to twelfth. All of these players,
scarcely out of their teens, are being
pressed by growing number of
still younger players in the boys
and junior divisions.
While Junior progress is stressed in
this review, the forward tempo pre-
walls throughout the U. S. l.. T. A.
During the past IL months 688 tour
naments, 426 senior and 262 Junior
events, were sanctioned by the ma
tional association. Club membership
rose from slightly over 700 clubs to
nearly $50. This progress has been
made possible by our associations
policy Of diverting all revenue above
moderate operating expense to con-
structive work both by the national
body and the 13 sectional associa-
tions. Between 1928 and 1887 the
U. S. L. T. A. distributed $153,3O4 to
finance this development among Sec
tional associations alone.
Young Material Sturdy.
Although the changed status of
Donald Bulge probably has brought
about greater balance in the Davis
Cup prospects of several of the
worlds leading tennis-playing ma
tions, the United States still has a
most promising field of material
from which to select a team for
1889 defense of the trophy.
1t has that material in such ont-
standing young and veteran plav.
ers as Robert Riggs, Gene Mako,
Sidney Wood, Elwood Cooke, joseph
and Gilbert Hunt, Frank Guernsey
Dom McNeill, Francis Kovacs,
Frank Shields, Frank Parker, BRYAN
Grant, Gardnar Mulloy, Wilmer AL
lison and John Van Ryn, to men
ton only few.
If achievement on the tennis
courts of the world may be taken as
a measure of success, it need onlv
be cited that during the last wear
United States players successfully
defended the Davis Cup, emble-
matte of world supremacy for men
and the Wightman Cup, which oc-
cupies similar position for women.
won all five championships at VIM
bledon, and repeated in the ma.
tional championships at Forest Hills
and Longwood.
In striving for what is desired and
what has been achieved the cardinal
principle of amateurism has not
been lost sight of. In every step of
the development work outlined the
necessity that players observe the
amateur regulations has been
stressed.