Last years, defending champions were Juan Martin del Porto from Argentina in the men’s category and Kim Clijsters of Belgium in the women’s category. Although del Porto will not be defending his title this year due to a wrist injury, Clijsters is a favourite as a player who has continuously performed well at the US Open. Serena Williams, undoubtedly the best top ranked player and holder of two grand slam titles might not participate in this year’s tournament due to an injury in her right foot.

Another seeded player, who appears to be in top form is Lleyton Hewitt who is basking in his own comfort zone as a third seed post the ATP Atlanta Tennis Championship.

The schedule for the upcoming U.S Open 2010 is given below:

Tennis Ball Dryer

The ultimate accessory for any tennis enthusiast, whether amateur or professional, this Tennis Ball Dryer comes highly recommended by a number of industry magazines. The Tennis Ball Dryer helps dry out and protect your tennis balls after they’ve become wet during damp playing conditions. The dryer holds up to four balls, and will completely dry out the balls in as little as four hours, so that they retain their bounce and save you money by not having to replace them as often. Available in black, red and yellow, the Tennis Ball Dryer is available to order from Smarter Products for £14.95.

Concentrate Anti Smell Sports Bag

The Anti Smell Sports Bag is an innovative new product from Concentrate that dries and de-odourises sports clothing using the internal “pong patch”, making it ideal to use for your children’s school PE kits. The Concentrate Anti Smell Sports Bag is currently retailing at Smarter Products for £7.95, and is available in three colours; black, yellow and red.

Specialising in innovative and energy efficient products, Smarter Products is a brand that aims to provide stylish, cost-effective and time-saving items for Britain’s more environmentally-conscious consumer.

The Smarter website retails in a wide range of products from little-known or international companies, including garden tools, products for picnics and a great camping chairs range. The Smarter Product team spend countless hours scouring the UK and beyond for the market’s most innovative designers, inventors and entrepreneurs.

For more information about any of these products, or to browse the entire Smarter Products directory, visit the Smarter Products website at http://www.smarterproducts.co.uk/.

SMP-HS-12710

SmarterProducts is part of the SmarterUK group, a brand that has evolved to offer smart solutions for everyday life. Buying smart is the whole ethos behind the smarter brand of products and services – be it stylish, clever, cost effective, time saving or energy efficient. SmarterUK pioneers ’smarter thought’ and works with designers, retailers and corporate partners that aim to engage and challenge.

http://www.smarterproducts.co.uk/

Press release produced and promoted by Hit Search. Find out more about us and our services at http://www.hitsearchlimited.com. Tel: 0845 643 9289

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Golden Key Associates) June 4, 2010: Orlando, Fl

Six years after Ida Muorie started the first sports show on Voice America Internet Radio Network, Ida auditions for Oprah’s OWN TV. In 2004, Ida started the first sports talk show on Voice America in a landscape that was dominated by men. According to Campbell Soup Team Mom (mother of Max Starks of Pittsburgh Steelers), Eleanor Starks, “Ida brought a Fresh Spin on Issues Facing Athletes and their Families on the Sportsmavericks Show. The information that Ida’s guest shared was not available to parents on the radio, television or in printed material. Ida helped many parents to bridged the generation gap between their student athelete, while balancing the pursuit of academic excellence and sports participation. The show entertained, educated and motivated parents to participate fully in the academic and athletic life of their student athlete. The show really created a resource on-line for parents and athletes world-wide, and it continues to educated sports professionals and fans about the real lives of our children.”

Pioneering the popularity of Sportsmavericks weekly on the internet, through her upfront style and “ten key principles of courage, determination, teamwork, ambition, persistence, integrity, discipline, community, academic excellence and fairness,” Ida was able to create an audience participation of 100,000 weekly that eventually grew to 500,000 weekly for the network. Among her accomplishments with the Network, Ida became a catalyst to create a new Sports Channel on Voice America talk radio network in 2007. After 2007, Ida expanded her coverage to handle issues of athletes and entertainers, and Ida key focus was to break down the stereotypes. The show launched a global awareness campaign to make the distinction between the issues that elite athletes and professional entertainers share, and to expose those challenges that each share alone in their career pursuits.

To help her global audience better understand the real distinction, Ida sought a diverse group of expert guests, who could share real experiences, and offer workable solutions for parents. To her credit, Ida created a niche market of parents of 16-32 years old athletes and entertainers, that coveted the brand clothing, electronics, automotive, music, jewelry, books, DVD, Ipods and movie markets. For the OWN network, this should lead to many licensing brand opportunities, as Ida brings the only original TV content that targets parents of athletes and entertainers.

The material is positive, stimulating and unscripted. Ida provides cutting edge subject matters that challenge parents to get involoved fully in their child’s academic and celebrity lifestyles. Ida carefully introduces integrity and fairness into the process, when she challenges parents, coaches, academic advisors, agents and talent professionals to worked together to mold a role model. None of the guests answers are trivalized, nor demeaned. Each guest was chosen by Ida personally for their unique expertise, and their ability to recommend realistic solutions to her audience.

Today, the Voice America Sports Channel has grown to over 500,000 weekly guest, and 30 new talk show host from the Who’s Who of Sports and Entertainment. Ida continues to be the featured Host, as she has created over 150 hours of Content. Ida’s shows is featured every Tuesday, Saturday and Monday at 5pm Pacific. Sportsmavericks is broadcast on a 24/7 rotation basis for timezones like Asia, Europe and Russia. Ida’s popularity has expanded to 80 countries.

“On June 26, 2010, Ida’s role model Oprah, will get a chance to critique a ‘Pro’ that brings the real deal to Oprah’s OWN TV network, says Bianca Strauss, a long term Oprah follower, stylist and former model.” ” Ida is a writer, producer, terrific host, that is a triple threat for any nework,” says Sandra Milliner, Actress, Director and member of the Director’s Guild in Hollywood. “It has been Ida’s dream since 2004, to simultaneously broadcast her talk show on television, internet radio and traditional radio, this is very strategic marketing, and an idea whose time has come. Ida feels that the issues facing athletes and entertainers desperately need a bigger stage,” concludes Sandra.

WHAT IDA MUORIE SAYS ABOUT HER NEW SHOW ON OWN NETWORK – Ida Talks

“”We will provide a fresh spin to sports and entertainment, when we take the personal issues that athletes and entertainers face into America’s living rooms for a real dialogue by experts. We will redefine the images of elite athlete and entertainers, and bridge the gap between parents, athletes, entertainers and their lifestyles. Our show will provide the only original TV content that targets parents of athletes and entertainers. The audience will be engaged in straight talk that is spontaneous, interactive and unscripted by experts. The show’s format will explore the challenges of pursuing a careers in sports and entertainment. Our objective is to help families of athletes and entertainers navigate the transition from high school, college to a professional career.”

To see Ida’s Audition tape go to Oprah.com. Browse and Vote. Key Word Ida Muorie. “Do it for the kids?”More information can be found online at the folwoing link. http://myown.oprah.com/audition/index.html?request=video_details&response_id=2855&promo_id

The games take place at the elegant Rot Weiss in Berlin where the Centre Court Stadium can accommodate up to 7,000 spectators, meaning there is plenty of room for tennis fans from across the globe.

The Rot Weiss is home to several of the major events of the tennis season and in addition to the courts and practice areas, the club also boasts an event hall, clubhouse, two restaurants, and multiple outdoor facilities that serve guests throughout the year.

If you are heading to Germany to take in some tennis then you will probably need to organise accommodation. The Rot Weiss is located in the Grunewald district of Berlin so you can easily stay in the city centre and enjoy the best of both worlds.

At the very centre of the city lies the area of Mitte, which also translates as middle or midpoint. Staying right at the heart of the action means you are perfectly positioned to make your way to the tennis championships as well as explore all that Berlin has to offer.

When it comes to fashion, art, design and music, the German capital has plenty to see, and staying in the city centre makes it easy to explore everything that grabs your attention.

The nearby Museum Island (Museumsinsel) lies between the River Spree and the Kupfergraben and houses a varied collection of archaeological artefacts as well as art pieces and other treasures.

In 1999, the Museum Island was added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list and this ensemble of museums is a must-see for lovers of the arts.

Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) is another nearby attraction that attracts thousands of visitors each year. The history of the Cathedral on Berlin’s Spree Island can be traced back to 1465 and the building is the largest of its kind in the city. Climb the 270 steps to the top and you are rewarded with an excellent view of Museum Island, the synagogue, Gendarmenmarkt, the Reichstag, and the Rotes Rathaus.

The historical heart of Mitte also affords easy access to the well known areas of Alexanderplatz and Unter den Linden. The Brandenburg Gate offers up some historical nous and the Berlin State Opera is in close range for anyone who fancies a musical night out.

Shopping lovers should head to Friedrichstrasse or Hackescher Markt for all sorts of exclusive shops and stores and there are several luxury hotels in Berlin for those who feel like treating themselves during the tennis tournament.

Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

This new landscape of college athletics did not just appear. It has evolved over time and it has been driven by a business philosophy that is becoming commonplace on college campuses throughout the country.  In many cases, college coaches are seen as CEO’s of small organizations that are expected to produce high results…Regularly.

That said, successful recruitment is an essential skill for the college coaches to hone in order to maximize future team advancement and this is achieved through active cultivation of strong relationships with high school coaches, prospects and their families. College coaches use many tools at their disposal to accomplish their recruiting goals, but they must abide by strict NCAA rules and regulations.

Educate

Education and information are truly powerful tools for families to use in navigating the college search. By developing a foundational base of information related to a new and potentially daunting experience, families and prospects will only increase their awareness about an important life decision that will build confidence and bolster their personal plan for success.

A great way to stay informed about the college search for athletes is to remain updated on all the latest news in college recruiting. A very simple way to do this is to register on Google Alerts for articles pertaining to College Athletics Recruiting. Once registered, you will receive links to articles and information every morning when you fire up your laptop!

Be Proactive

Through the use of telephone, electronic communication, home visits and the offer of official college visits, the college coach will attempt to cultivate a relationship that will hopefully result in matching a prospect with his or her institution in a mutually beneficial recruiting experience.

I encourage each of the student-athletes I advise to do whatever they can to proactively assist college coaches in every area of communication. If prospects are content to sit by the phone for a call from Coach, it’s most likely going to be a long wait. Communication is definitely a two way street, but, at least during the beginning phases of this relationship, it may be a little one sided… And that’s OK!

College coaches are inundated with hundreds of recruiting inquiries and they just don’t have the time to respond “personally” to each e-mail, letter or portfolio they receive. The family who is willing to assist the coaches during the recruiting process and place a premium on initiating contact and following up with any communication from the coaches, will position themselves best for success.

Read the Coach

Successful recruiting takes a grounded approach and a keen understanding of each Coach you communicate with. Develop the ability to “read” the coaches and get a feel for who they are and what they are trying to accomplish in their recruiting effort. I suggest taking an informative approach where parents and prospects “bone up” on the coaches, their program and especially Coach’s philosophy in his/her approach to the college student-athlete experience.

I believe our kids should be looking at the college quest as a “total” opportunity from an academic, athletic and social standpoint, but with the clear understanding that the college Coach they choose will have a direct and significant impact on how their personal values and character will take shape over a 4 year period.

Probe

A productive family recruiting effort will be well planned and impeccably executed. It will involve a team approach that may consist of several “players” including parents, prospect, high school/club coach, college advisor, guidance counselor and personal mentor.

There is no doubt that college coaches want to hear most from the prospects they are recruiting, but the skilled recruiters will expect to field questions from mom and dad as well, who can assist their kids best by “carrying the load” when gathering information about what makes Coach “tick.”

My advice to moms and dads is to prepare well in advance any questions to Coach that may appear “probing” in nature. Don’t ever be anxious to ask the tough questions… But the rule of thumb here is simple: Keep your questions to the point and respectful. Trust me, the coaches will pick-up on your sincerity in a heartbeat.

The college athletic landscape has shifted toward a more “business approach” and so too has the recruiting process. It’s down right competitive out there and the family that grows a greater understanding of college athletics and that which is necessary in planning, launching and committing to a well executed recruiting experience will position themselves strongly. It requires a disciplined and yet flexible approach, where families should have the courage to experience “grey areas” in an effort to separate from the pack and make “impact impressions” on the college coaches they contact.

Tom Kovic is a former Division I college coach and the current director of Victory Collegiate Consulting, where he provides individual advisement for families on college recruiting. Tom is the author of “Reaching for Excellence” An educational guide for college athletics recruiting. For further information visit: www.victoryrecruiting.com.