Woodbridge Tennis Club Joins Prince Tennis Academy PPI Program

Woodbridge Tennis Club Joins Prince "Plugged In" Program

          Southern California Academy Set to Compete With Other Top U.S Junior Academies

Bordentown, NJ, January 30, 2007 – Prince Tennis is continuing its ongoing dedication to fostering camaraderie, pride and competitive spirit among U.S junior players, announcing today the addition of the Woodbridge Tennis Club to its list of top junior academies participating in Prince "Plugged In" (PPI).

The groundbreaking program ties together an exclusive group of high level training centers across the United States. These Prince training centers are at the forefront of breakthroughs in teaching/coaching/training initiatives and attract top coaches and players within their respective communities. In addition, "Plugged In" Training Centers serve as product development laboratories working closely with Prince Product teams and Research & Development to identify trends and validate product.

The Woodbridge Tennis Club Academy, located in Irvine, California, is the 34th academy to join the program and will be led by 1983 Wimbledon Gentlemen's Finalist Chris Lewis and the clubs director of tennis, Chuck Brymer. As part of the program, Woodbridge Tennis Academy will be brought together with other elite coaches and players, from around the country through training seminars and online networking. In addition, Woodbridge Tennis Academy will have the opportunity to compete head-to-head with other academies at Prince "Plugged In" Challenge Cup events in order to measure the development and performance of its players and programs.

Unlike individual events and professional tournaments, coaches at Challenge Cup events are allowed to coach during matches so players can learn and improve immediately. They are also encouraged to collaborate with each other to share knowledge, training, scheduling, strategy, nutrition and other important elements of junior tennis development.

"We are thrilled to be "plugged in," said Lewis. "As a competitive player myself, I understand what a great opportunity PPI provides the kids. Not only does it give them the chance to work together in a team environment in order to accomplish a common goal, but also allows them the chance to elevate their games by playing against the best junior players across the country and learning from top coaches."

The team from The Woodbridge Club is comprised of an impressive roster of ranked Southern California and national juniors. Players include, according to 2006 year-end Southern California rankings, 3 top ten players in the Boys 10's, 3 top ten players in the Girls 10’s, and 5 top ten players in the Boys 12's (including 1, 2 and 3). Two of these players, Reo Asami and Jonathan Huang finished the 2006 with US National rankings of #1 and #3 respectively.

"The Woodbridge Tennis Club is certainly a welcomed addition to our group of participating academies," said Ken Merritt, director of teaching programs at Prince. "The academy is lead by two extremely knowledgeable coaches dedicated to raising the level of junior tennis in this country and it will, without a doubt, be a formidable opponent."