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By Ryan Wolfington 7-18-02

Battistone is back...... from months on the professional satellite tour Brian Battistone has touched down in Las Vegas, and could meet up with his brother who is just a couple of weeks from being back from his Mission. And what impressed me this evening, and the first time I met Brian at Stacy Darling, is not his winning shots, winning game or anything along that line, but the spirit in which he has taken on the game of tennis. Click here to see Stacy Darling Draw, review and photos.

When I was first told that he came up with the unique hand switching, leaping serve on his own,  I knew immediately what he had done. Instead of doubting himself and doing what was recommended , he chose to make use of the inner knowing that is within each of us, that if utilized makes life an ongoing and never ending discovery, an adventure. It can be with your lawn mower, your job, the sports or games you play, what ever it is you are led to do...man has the choice to be intuitive, doing what he is shown to do, or one can doubt this knowing.

Doubt leads to a sameness and ultimately a frustration. While, living and doing what you intuitive know to be right, brings you to a place of feeling right about life. Then when you are playing tennis or anything else and something takes place that one might perceive to be trying, you have the grace within yourself to take it in stride. And that is what Brian was doing out there tonight as early in the first set his very unique serve was not clicking, but soon enough his game came together and he was a able to win it in two sets.

His opponent was Sean Margulis who took three games from Brian in the first set then took 2 games from Brian in the second set. Sean just recently finished his college year at a Junior college where his team went to nationals and did very well. This coming year he has been offered a partial scholarship to come back home to Las Vegas and play for their men's tennis team, coached by Larry Easley. His mother was on hand to watch her son's game as he was doing quite well in the beginning of the first set, but Brian clicked and took control soon after the 3-3 mark. Both Brian's parents were on hand to see their son as well.

Soon after the match I spoke with Brian in length about how he came to create this unique serve, and his other unique playing styles. For instance he has recently decided to play and serve with his right and left hand, and when he told me this I knew exactly why. I also knew he is not Ambidextrous. Because there is no such thing. It is a mental lie people believe, "I am right handed" and so on. I too was at the park one day and it came to me to try playing with the other hand, and I did. It just made sense to me to start developing the other arm. I can barely hit the ball now, but I know that is just for now. Of course there was the doubt and rational as to why practicing left handed or playing left handed is a waste of time. Just like something tried to convince me that building this web site would be a waste of time, after all the USTA and NTA already have a web site. But I knew to play with my left hand and I knew to build this web site...and I am doing both. And I can not tell you how many people came up to me and told me they had the same idea but did not execute. And that is the simple secret to life...follow the intuition and discard the doubt, whether that "Doubt" comes from the mouths of others or the thought stream in the ether. It is doubt and the maker of miserables.

How many people quit the tour, quit their marriage, quit their job, quit on their homes and lawns and so on simply because they let the discovery out of their life. Not Brian. He was led to try his left hand. Now he is serving left handed on the satellite tour. He was led to look at his serve and intuitively tamper with it, and man after man, close friends, long time confidants tried to explain to Brian the rational as to why it will not work... Almost everyone has an opinion. Coaches are threatened by the ingenuity and sheer independence of this move, at least some were. If you do not follow the intuition in your own life one is quick to doubt it in others. Yet some coaches, including Nick Bollettieri and persons at The Bollettieri Academy, were wise enough to look and see it was greatness in the making. And while the serve is a bullet and often UNgetable, it's greatness does not lay in it's speed or angle, both of which are revolutionary, but in how it came about. The adhering to what he intuitively knew, breaking ground........ he still to this day can not intellectually explain the physics of it, however there may be someone who wants to. The right man has no need to need to second guess and figure out,  as their is a higher knowing that is beyond the little mind of rational and that is always the same yet forever adjusting. It is always the same in that it is always intuitively known...., it is always adjusting in that it is not a formula set in stone but a discovery that is always being made, and re-made. Each time is like the first time.

Does this mean there is no need for books and coaches to tell Brian, me and others how to play? That is not my point. My point is the right coach will have followed their own intuitive knowing as to what to say and when, and how to play their own game. By doing so they know that the coach is within each person and all they have to do is continue to point the player in that direction, and hold them accountable to that principle. But if a coach does not live life in the realm of discovery then they get set in one mental theory that has no value but the weak claim that "Everyone does it that way." Strength is not in numbers...The power is in one.

Brian said the number one response to seeing his serve is "No one else is doing it"?  To me that is a compliment. One astute parent court side, Mr Jelone, made the wise point that "Someone has to be the first." And with this serve and many other nuances to his game, and life, Brian is the first. I am the first. You can be the first. Tomorrow never comes. Live for today. It is always the first time. Look at it with the eyes of this reality. Or don't. That is your choice.

On the court next to Brian was Mr Jolene's son who is a junior player playing in the open category. Juniors are not able to play in any adult category except the open. It makes no sense to me and perhaps someone at the USTA has been intuitively led to put into place something that makes more sense, but some people choose the doubt. Or perhaps a new way of doing it has not yet presented itself. Bobby, plays tennis for Silverado  and he and his partner Ryan Gardner went to states this year for doubles. But tonight he was unable to break through Robert Callendar. Robert won the match 6-2, 6-0. Bobby, who is 6.5, just started playing tennis two years ago. You would not know that by seeing him play. Jonathan Pruneda and his friend Lori Steed were there to watch and play. They along with some of their friends found out about the ClubSport tournament from the VegasTennis.com e-mail updates. You can click here to  add your name to the list to be sent e-mails keeping you up to date on the weeks coming events, new updates to the web site and more.

I also talked to Michael James who told me he was going to Oklahoma with his daughters who have been invited to participate in zone's for girl's 12 and under.  Iesha made number 7 in the last sectionals tournament. Her sister Natasha placed 20th. It was this performance that Michael credits for his daughters invitations, as only the top 20 players in the zone are invited. Zone is bigger then the Intermountain 6 state section.

In the men's 3.0 Chris Tofuri, who ends up in the finals or winning many of the 3.0 events was cut short this evening by an old opponent Eric Alm. Chris and Eric met months ago in the finals of the Lorenzi Spring Classic (click here to see draw). That time Chris won, but tonight Eric took home this final like 3 set duel. The first set was 7-6 Eric. The second set was 7-7 and the last set was 6-3 as Chris may have run out of steam. The first set Chris was up 5-2 and may have done what I have written about in the past...making the mistake of believing the lie when it tells you have it won. If a person believed such a thing when it is 5-2, they are not in reality and this is an invisible weight that will sink you...unless one snaps out of it, as a person usually is forced to as the games soon become 3-5, then 4-5. But at this point what you had believed is shocked out of you and placing the momentum in another corner. So after coming back he won the set and eventually the match. Chris, who is use to winning was not down at all, but seemed to have enjoyed what obviously looks like an extremely close match. In the March Lorenzi tournament Chris had beaten Eric 6-2, 6-2. VegasTennis.com has all the facts.

Steve McCrary, who's men's league 3.5 team came went to District Finals this year taking second place to Flamingo, was on court. But not doubles. Tonight it was singles and he met a new face, at least to me, Felix Frayman. Felix had a way of whipping the ball when he got a stab at it. Back hand or forehand he was attacking the corners, hitting winners.

Suleiman Lalani beat Christopher Miller to advance 6-1, 6-4. Anthony Parurzo who was in the Stacey Darling finals taking second place was in the draw and made his name known to Michael Holcomb, who himself is often in the semifinals or finals of many tournaments. In fact I played Michael in the finals just weeks ago at Lorenzi. But tonight Michael's journey was cut short as Anthony won 6-4, 6-2. Troy Wolf played tonight, winning convincingly 6-1, 6-2. Troy was also in the semifinals of Stacey Darling and came in second in men's doubles there. He just recently won the doubles with Jason Zimmer at the Desert Palm summer Sizzling Classic. His mixed doubles team at Spanish Trail also came in second. His father was on hand watching his son play. His dad is also playing in the tournament and plays for Desert Palm's men's 3.5 team. James Lash had an entourage of fans watching his match today as he played through the first round defeating Bruce Merrin 6-2, 6-1. Bruce is the captain of the men's 4.0 team which was the city championship 3.5 team last year.

Steve Henderson was playing Lawrence Hidaka, and as I was leaving Lawrence came up to get new balls for the third set. Steve is also the captain of the men's 3.5 Flamingo team which won District Championships this year and will be going to sectionals in Salt Lake city in August.

Alan Brown, the Director of Tennis at ClubSport is running the tournament. He has chosen Volvo as their sponsor and the fee gift is a club sport towel that clips to your bag. Perfect timing as the one I got last year had recently fallen off my bag. Assisting him in the pro shop was Jayne Masden , who has worked at ClubSport for more the six years and knows most of the guests. She now teaches second grade during the school year and is working at "ClubSport" this summer "For fun." She was also the in charge of getting sponsorships earlier this year for the Stacy Darling tournament, and plays tennis herself. Just recently her and her cousin played in the mixed doubles tournament at Spanish Trail.

Also playing is Blake Lamberth, who is a often present member at Club Sport. He is a local junior player and therefore can only play in the open category, which he often does. Tonight he plays Gerry Barendeck. His mother, Kari Cranford, who is also playing in the tournament was there to offer her support. She was also one of the many volunteers at this summer's Stacy Darling tournament and played last week in the doubles tournament with another Club Sport member and Stacy Darling volunteer Carol Doria.

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