SF Tennis Freak

Posts Tagged ‘video’

It was a beautiful day in San Francisco today, so I decided to share a little of that sunshine love with my readers and make a short video message for you all.

Since I was already at my gym (FitnessSF SOMA), I drove a few blocks over to Jackson Playground and set up my tripod near the tennis court. I talked about my recent “Off-Season Tips” postings as well as some upcoming postings where I plan to share some of my own training regimen. And in this run-up to Thanksgiving, I also talk about reaching out to others who are desperately in need this holiday season.

If you have specific suggestions for training tips in this series, send me an email and I’ll do my best to accomodate the request. Have a great week!
(FYI: my occasional looks to my right are to avoid getting hit by softballs hit towards the guys practicing in the field near me. Sorry.)

This final release from this year’s Player Interview series features Adrian Chang: a fellow GLTF’er and resident Canuck. I initially grabbed Adrian for a bag check but realized quickly that he would also be a great choice for a longer sit-down.

I wish could re-shoot this video. From my first to my final shoot, I got better at exploring my subjects, and more comfortable with letting the interviews go off the beaten path. Now that I’m privy to Adrian’s inner workings on Facebook, I see that there’s a lot to explore!

Alas, there are no “do-overs”; but I’m sure I’ll be able to coax him into a video update later this year. 😉

Until then, I hope you enjoy my chat with Adrian.

I have a few Italian friends (i.e. Italian from Italy) and have always loved their expressiveness. So when I heard that there were USGO participants from Italy, I did my best to grab one of them for my player interview series.

Today’s player Interview features Paolo De Angelis from Rome.  Paolo made the decision to play in the USGO because it was voted the GLTA’s Best Large Tournament  for 2012. Timing is everything, however, and mine wasn’t the best since our interview came on the heels of a first-round loss in singles.  Even so, he was gracious in defeat and was glad he made the trip.

This translation is courtesy of Bing Translator, and I hope it’s correct: È stato un piacere incontrare e parlare con voi, Paolo. Grazie per il vostro tempo e la generosità. 🙂 (It was a pleasure meeting and talking with you, Paolo. Thanks for your time and generosity.)

Note: The off-camera voice is a friend of Paolo’s who was on hand for any necessary translations. Paolo was worried about his English, but he was great. It’d be a very different story, however, if the interview shoe was on the other foot and I had to speak Italian…

Now that the king and queen of clay have been crowned in Paris, the tennis world turns its’ attention to the famed grass courts of London.

London is also the home of Jonathan South and Patrick Holzen, tournament directors for the Tennis London International Championships, and the featured players in today’s USGO player interview video.

Partners in crime for the past 15 years, Jonathan and Patrick were extremely gracious with their time as we discussed topics ranging from the USGO and their own GLTA tournament to the gay marriage debate going on right now in Parliament.

I had a wonderful time with them, and hope that comes across in the video. (Hopefully they had a great time with the interview too.)
Enjoy!

(For more information on the Tennis London International Championships, here’s a link to the their tournament website: http://tennislondon.com/tournament/)

With this year’s USGO boasting, perhaps, its’ first lone female tournament director*, it seemed only fitting to grab Ember Harker, the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Federation’s first female president, for a player interview.

I remember when Ember first came on the scene.  In fact, she was on my winning WTT “Team Meerkats” at the 2007 USGO. (Look for the Team Meerkat photo below the video.) What I remember most about Ember back then, besides cute matching outfits, was a great smile and gracious personality.  Those same traits followed her onto the GLTF Board of Directors and, ultimately, the presidency.

These days she’s no longer on the GLTF Board, and enjoying her time as a private tennis citizen. But she’s still appreciative of her time on the board, and proud of the contributions she was able to make to the organization. (I second that pride!)

So sit back and enjoy my chat with Ember.

* – There’s a good chance that there has been a previous female director for the USGO. Will research this item for a future update.)

Team Meerkat

Jarrett Zarate, a USGO participant from San Diego CA, caught my eye early on at this year’s tournament. Sure he’s tall and good-looking, but that’s not what got my attention. Every time I saw him I couldn’t help but think, “Marinko Matosevic!” I didn’t find anyone who agreed with me (and Jarrett had never even heard of him), but I stand by my assertion!

Even though he was getting ready for World Team Tennis, Jarrett graciously agreed to be interviewed for my site. We chatted about a variety of subjects, including a special spectator that was in attendance for his matches. But I’ll let you hear about that from him in his interview.

Once again the wind sound against my phone is problematic, and way more noticeable than I’d like.  But it’ll have to do until I build a soundstage.  🙂
Enjoy!