For a stringing technician to join the IART is a must to keep up with the latest information about anything to do with being the best tennis stinging technician you can be. Since I have attended several symposiums organized by Tim, the IART will now keep me up to date via the IART website group. I have met several writers that contribute on the IART website and I’ve learned a lot from them. They are the most knowledgeable people in the stringing industry.
The symposiums were always very well organized by Tim and it was always a pleasure to attend. I learned a lot, it was always well worth it and I enjoyed meeting people from all over the world who attended. Tim is continuing his organizational/knowledgeable talent with the IART website group and I believe it is a must for every stringer to take out a membership. It will guarantee you to be a better stringing technician since technology is not standing still and it’s a must to keep up to date.
I call myself a happy hobby stringer, but several clients corrected me by saying that stringing for me is a passion. If people show some interest I am happy to share my knowledge and teach them as much as I can . I string for 2 indoor and a few outside clubs and work from home where my Babolat Star 5 keeps humming away, almost every day. Clients come from other cities sometimes because they’ve heard about my knowledge and expertise and they want to get some advice.
Through my stringing I am in contact with a family, where the husband is training his 2 daughters to eventually turn pro. I am invited when, “the Lord willing”, the daughter(s) will enter
their first tournament, wherever that may be with all expenses paid. Before I leave to compete in the Worlds Super Seniors in Majorca (Spain), I am going to train at their place on clay courts for a week since there are no clay courts in my town.Stringing has been a blessing ever since I started doing it 16 year ago and especially since my husband is in a wheelchair and has been in a care home for 10 years. It’s a nice pastime with social connections and I hope to keep stringing for a very long time. I still play tennis 2 times a week and I am 79 years old.
The resources available on the IART website have helped me improve my knowledge as well skills and have helped me to take my business to the next level. From the forums keeping me up to date on the latest topics in the industry to the String Characteristic Tool helping me to make decisions as to the best string to recommend for a client, the IART website has always been a valuable resource for me. I like the fact that the string characteristic data is based on science and all strings are tested the exact same way removing any potential bias. The member directory has helped me to increase my network of fellow stringers which has been of great value to me to learn from their experience. The video resources are well done and I refer to them often. The IART bookmark om my computer is the first place I go to when I have a stringing question or when I just want to stay up to date on the latest trends in the stringing industry. A fellow member referred me to the IART and I always try and pay it forward by referring other stringers to this great resource.
IART is an organization, where a person could learn so much in stringing, in any racquet sports. I learned and made connection, just for being a member of this group. I like to thank you, Tim
I was already an MRT when I first attended Tim’s stringing symposium. The symposium was my real education. I’m a better and more knowledgeable stringer because of it! If you’re in the stringing business, the IART website is for you. The IART site contains information for all stringers, from novice to tournament. You can find string, racquet and machine reviews. There is information on tools and patterns and posts from other stingers. However, the real value of the site is that you have access to Tim and other experts. If you have a question about anything stringing, they will respond. If they don’t know the answer (which I doubt) they know someone who does!
Dear Tim,
I sent 2 of my staff, Peter and Nattie to the 2013 Symposium,. Both have learned tremendously. Peter has become a more accomplished stringer and understands the nuances of strings, stringing and customization much better. Nattie has networked her way into stringing at several ATP 500 events and is also auditioning for the Wilson Stringing Team. The investment I put in to improve our staff’s skills at the IART symposium was definitely worth it. I encourage business owners to do this for key employees as well. Simply put the trip on your points card. It will also improve employee satisfaction like you wouldn’t believe.
Dear Tim,
I wanted to shed light on why Tennis Specialty shops would benefit by sending their stringer/stringers to the symposium. I have been stringing for 25 years and the owner of Tennis Junction in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania for 15 years. We have 4 MRT certified stringers on staff, and always felt that there was a void in the sharing of information between stringers. The symposium opened our eyes to the aspects that have made us more professional – racquet customization especially. We purchased a Babolat RDC after using one during the symposium, deciding it was one of the more important tools available to enhance our business.The symposium has given my staff a broad knowledge base and we are more capable and professional, when it comes to offering string choices to our customers. Tim is joined by a core group of full time professional stringers such as John Gugel, Ron Rocchi, Mark Gonzalez and Grant Morgan. What I took away from the symposium was their passion for our profession, and an unwavering principle that each and everyone one of us stands to benefit when knowledge is exchanged. Too often, we work in a vacuum and we don’t share information that benefits all of us.I’m more confident today that our stringing at Tennis Junction is at the highest level it’s ever been, and also know that further improvement cannot occur without putting our ability on the line and stringing in front of other pros. It’s wonderful to receive feedback – positive and negative in the quest for knowledge, and the symposium puts ones techniques on display.I’m looking forward to this year’s symposium and will hopefully bring two or more of our stringers to the symposium. My only question now is- Who is going to step up and string at the shop when all of us are in Tampa?
Dear Tim,
I am someone who attended the 2012 symposium and let me just say this. From technique to aesthetics, great stringing lies in the details. Whether you are a novice stringer looking to improve, a good stringer seeking the next level or an expert stringer searching for those details, all will be found at the IART symposium in Saddle brook. Don’t miss it
I would like to share with you how the IART symposium took me in a new world! My first time at the symposium was in 2008 and it was a great journey. I came from Brazil, I spoke another language, and it was a very long trip, especially since I didn’t know what I would find. I was amazed with what I saw and learned. I felt like I was blind and after the symposium I felt like I was seeing the light again. I learned so much that now I can’t wait to come back every year to improve my knowledge and have new experiences. I was a stringer in a small town in Brazil and now, because of my symposium experiences, the world has opened up to me. Now I am a MRT with the USRSA, a Pro Tour Stringer, and I have had the opportunity to work at ATP and WTA events here in Brazil. Recently I had the experience of a lifetime because I was one of the technicians stringing racquets for the Federer Gillette Tour. I strung for players like Rafa Nadal, Joe Wilfried Tsonga, Maria Sharapova, Venus & Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and many more. A few years ago this was just a dream for me but now my dream has become a reality because of the IART Symposium. I would like to thank Tim Strawn and all of the seminar leaders for their efforts, professionalism and dedication for sharing their knowledge with us.
I want to share a bit of a personal story. I attended last year’s symposium (2014) based on the advice of Tim Strawn with one primary goal in mind; to learn some advanced stringing skills and to test for my USRSA certification. What I failed to realize is the true impact this one week would make on my life. I was not only able to complete my testing for Master Racquet Technician, but the people I met with had such a meaningful impact on my life. When I traveled to the symposium, I kept asking myself why would a guy like me be attending such an event. It didn’t take long to realize why I was there.
I left Tampa last year with a new vision for my life. It was there, when I first realized the dream of owning my own stringing company. The idea of String Sensation was born in Tampa last year. As I make plans to attend my second symposium this fall, I look forward to learning new skills and concentrating on racquet customization.
Babolat has been involved with the IART from the beginning and we are proud to support and be a part of an organization like this! The communication and the contacts this symposium and website fosters for stringer across the world is something like I have never seen before. That type of collaboration is awesome, and it is good for stringers and great for the tennis community!
“Stringing is such an essential part of the game of tennis, and one that is too often overlooked. As a brand that takes performance seriously, Dunlop is proud to partner with the IART for their annual symposium.”
“The IART Symposium is like no other and definitely raises the bar for any other tennis symposiums within the tennis industry. How much fun to start a Symposium with a round robin for all available to attend, which gets the ball rolling for a great week of networking. YTEX acted as sponsor for the 2014 Symposium along side the industry brand leaders (Wilson, Babolat, Dunlop etc.) and very chuffed to be awarded the official t-shirt sponsor for the 2015 Symposium in September.
Besides holding the venue at the beautiful Saddle Brook Resort in Tampa, which is just plain paradise, you’ll leave there with a bunch of new friends all obsessed with being their best at their craft of servicing racquets. You can skip a few others but don’t miss this one”
Tim, while I no longer work in the stringing industry the reason I am still involved in the IART is because you and your team are top notch. True industry professionals who care about their craft and want to share their skills with others for the good of the sport. There are many conferences in the industry that you question why you went but the IART Symposium is not one of those. The days are filled with great seminars that even the most seasoned stringers will still have the ability to learn more.
Thanks
Dave Malinowski