Tennis Center Nets New Director

Good news travels fast these days. Just ask Ivan Lauzon, who came a long way to become the new Director of Tennis at the Palisades Tennis Center. Formerly the Head Pro and Director of Tennis at the Greenwin Tennis Club in downtown Toronto, the 30-year old New Brunswick native has been at his new job all of four days and cannot contain his enthusiasm. ‘When they offered me the job I just about jumped out of my chair,’ he admitted. ‘I’d heard about Live Ball and the Palisades Tennis Center at various conferences over the years and the programming in place here is great.’ Lauzon’s teaching skills are what most impressed Palisades Tennis Center founder Steve Bellamy. ‘We had resumes coming in from all over the world and we interviewed a lot of people,’ Bellamy said. ‘Most teaching pros with his credentials have big egos but Ivan is so down to earth, so humble. He’s a perfect fit for the Palisades.’ Lauzon’s first love was hockey. He didn’t begin playing tennis year-round until he was 14 but took to the sport quickly. He started teaching full-time when he was 21, mostly on green clay, his favorite surface. At Greenwin he started the Topspin Tennis Academy’a high-performance junior program. He even organized a league with regular tournaments. Because of the cold weather, many of the tennis facilities in Eastern Canada are indoors. ‘It was minus 10 degrees when I left the airport in Toronto,’ said Lauzon, whose wife Harmony and their children Aidan, Max and Thea will relocate to L.A. at the end of the school year. ‘I stepped off the plane here and it was warm and sunny. I knew right then and there that I did the right thing.’ Warmer weather is merely a bonus for Lauzon, who can’t wait to get on the court and do what he loves best’teaching. ‘As long as I’m in between those white lines with a racquet in my hand I’m a happy camper,’ he said. Hiring Lauzon is but one of several changes Bellamy and his staff have made. They have also remodeled the pro shop and restructured the workouts. ‘Because our kids have worked so hard and done so well, we want to give them the best possible training and provide all the tools they will need to be successful,’ Bellamy said. ‘So we’re starting an academy for our top juniors.’ Running the academy will be Francisco Franceschini, who has been teaching tennis for 18 years’the last six at the PTC. The academy presently consists of 60 players from six to 16 years of age. ‘Before, our workouts were a little more recreational,’ said Franceschini, who is from Santiago, Chile, and worked with, among others, ATP Tour pros Marcelo Rios and Nicholas Massu when they were juniors. ‘Now there is going to be more emphasis on conditioning and competition.’ Handling the fitness aspect of the workouts will be Adam Brewer, who will help younger players improve their coordination and balance while working with more advanced players on footwork, stamina and stroke consistency. The academy offers three levels of Tournament workouts five days a week. For a schedule, visit the Web site at www.palitenniscenter.com or call 573-1331.