1331 O’Reilly Drive Feasterville, PA 19053 Telephone: (215) 322-6789 Fax: (215) 322-7004 www.ustamiddlestates.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact:

March 8, 2002 Pam Hansell, Public Relations

hansell@ms.usta.com

HERSHEY GETS A SWEET TASTE OF TENNIS

HERSHEY, PA -- March 8, 2002: The 2002 Middle States Tennis Conference, a three-day weekend of workshops, celebrations, socials and tennis, kicks off today at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center. The annual conference, co-sponsored by the USTA/Middle States section and the United States Professional Tennis Association, saw more than 300 participants in 2001.

The fun-filled event, attended by players, parents, volunteers, coaches and members of the community, will feature renowned coaches Dennis Van der Meer and Peter Burwash, along with Middle States' own Marty Devlin, as guest speakers.

The USTA/MS Awards Party, a Saturday night bash MC'd by Comcast business anchor Mary Fay, begins at 6:00 p.m. with cocktails, light fare, live music and dancing.

Other highlights include classroom seminars on community tennis development, event management, fundraising and coaching, plus National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) training, the Competitive Training Center (CTC) sectional jamboree and annual meetings.

Tennis vendors will have a wide range of tennis equipment, memorabilia, accessories and gear available for sale.

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in America and is a nonprofit organization with more than 625,000 members. USTA/Middle States (USTA/MS) is one of 17 USTA sections and services more than 26,000 members. The USTA/MS section encompasses Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey (exclusive of a 35-mile radius around New York City) and northwestern West Virginia.

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