Red Ledges Hosted Tennis Legends Event U.S. Open Doubles Winner and World No. 5 Ranked Tennis Players
September 15th, 2008
HEBER VALLEY, Utah (September 15, 2008) – Red Ledges, a private golf and four-season recreational community located in the Heber Valley, hosted a Tennis Legends tennis event on September 13, 2008 with U.S. Open doubles champion and ESPN commentator Cliff Drysdale and 1984 World No. 5 ranked tennis player Jimmy Arias.
The event festivities began at 10:00 a.m. at the Zermatt Resort in Midway where Red Ledges´ project manager Todd Cates welcomed everyone and introduced both world-renowned tennis pros Drysdale and Arias. The tennis clinics then kicked-off for 32 people, which included Red Ledges current and prospective owners, Utah Tennis Association representatives and other invited guests.
Drysdale and Arias instructed four-hours of fully interactive tennis clinics. The participants were divided into four separate groups at two separate times, so each group of eight had the opportunity to play with both tennis legends. Drysdale also brought two other teaching professionals from his team, including Don Henderson and Tom Brownhill to assist with the clinics.
The tennis professionals focused on all aspects of tennis and organized fast-paced drills that provided each participant with instruction on their overhead serves, lobs, forehand and backhand volleys, their approach to the net and much more. In addition, Drysdale and Arias introduced new teaching techniques that were extremely valuable to the participants.
To add to the excitement, Drysdale and Arias fostered friendly competition and challenged the groups to a game to see who could get to 11 points first. The participants broke-up into groups and took turns facing-off the pros. Each team was caught-up in the fun and spirited matches and cheered-on their fellow tennis enthusiasts.
"To be receiving instruction from Arias, who was ranked the no. 5 tennis player in the world at the height of his career and Drysdale, who was a U.S. Open doubles champion and is the no. 1 tennis promoter in the world, was an amazing experience for all of us," commented Jennifer Hurst, VP of marketing for Red Ledges.
In addition to the personal instruction from Drysdale and Arias, each tennis clinic participant was video recorded as they played tennis by local video sports analysis company Dartfish. Owner Warren Pretorius spent about ten minutes with each person and provided spring analysis of their forehand and backhand tennis strokes to help them improve their game.
Since Cliff Drysdale and his company Cliff Drysdale Tennis have partnered with Red Ledges to develop and run its Tennis Academy and programs, Red Ledges hosted a dinner and a Fila fashion show at the future site of the tennis academy later that day. The tennis clinic participants and many others met at Red Ledges at 6:00 p.m. for cocktails and mingling with 115 other guests. At 7:00 p.m., Jennifer Hurst, VP of marketing for Red Ledges invited everyone to partake in a beautiful buffet dinner, which included gourmet entrees, salads, desserts and other delicious food.
During the dinner, Drysdale provided an update on the future Cliff Drysdale Tennis Academy at Red Ledges. Drysdale explained that the world-class facility will feature indoor and outdoor lighted courts, in both clay and hard court surfaces, as well as top instruction by the his staff for the men"e;s, ladies and kids tennis programs and academies that will be offered.
"This Tennis Legends event really helped our guests to see the vision of the future Cliff Drysdale tennis academy at Red Ledges," said Hurst. "It is a pleasure to work with Cliff and his team in creating a world-class tennis facility right here at Red Ledges."
Later that evening, Red Ledges sponsored a Fila fashion show with professional models sporting the latest in tennis fashions. Guests applauded as men and women models highlighted tennis apparel, transitional and off-court sportswear, warm-up and work-out gear that is worn by the professionals. Models debuted an exact replica of a tennis outfit worn by tennis professional Svetlana Kuznetsova at the U.S. Open championship. All guests were offered a 20 percent discount on Fila apparel. Guests had a wonderful time enjoying the food, entertainment, beautiful fall weather and the stunning views of Mt. Timpanogas.
To conclude the evening, guests Rob and Shanda Stoner were announced as the winners of the Priyanka Cup weekend give-a-way, sponsored by Red Ledges. The give-a-way included accommodations at the Ritz Carlton hotel, airfare and seats at the Priyanka Cup charity tennis tournament event on October 25th in Florida.
About Red Ledges
Red Ledges is a planned recreational community in Heber Valley, Utah, which will encompass approximately 1,200 homes across nearly 2,000 acres, as well as host such amenities as an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and a Nicklaus Design nine-hole short course; a Jim McLean Practice and Instructional Facility; a Cliff Drysdale Tennis Academy; a premier spa and fitness facility; an equestrian center with indoor and outdoor facilities; a private ski-in/ski-out club at Deer Valley Resort®; and more. For more information, visit www.redledges.com or call 877-733-5334.
About Cliff Drysdale
Throughout Drysdale´s celebrated career, he netted 35 singles and 24 doubles titles. Another title he proudly held, off the courts, was that of founder and first President of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Cliff Drysdale went from making the shots to calling them. He is the game's preeminent tennis announcer and his insightful tennis commentary makes him a popular personality on ABC Sports and ESPN, and on the pages of Tennis Magazine where he is a contributing writer. For more information, visit www.cliffdrysdale.com.
About Jimmy Arias
Arias´ peak year was 1983, when as a 19 year-old he finished the year ranked World No. 6 having reached the U.S. Open semi-finals and winning the Italian Open and three other tour grand prix events. Arias was a tennis prodigy, turning pro at age 16 in 1980. He reached his career-high ranking of World No. 5 in April 1984. He retired from the tour in 1994, and today serves as a commentator for ESPN International and the Tennis Channel. Arias also served as an analyst for NBC Sports coverage of Tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
