tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-12759704179423696642008-05-08T16:33:00.006-04:002008-05-08T17:07:57.281-04:00My weekly article for The Tennis Recruiting Network is a<a href="http://www.tennisrecruiting.net/article.asp?id=531"> Q and A session I conducted with Tom Pura</a> late last week about the documentary he made called <span style="font-style:italic;">50,000 Balls</span>. Unlike <span style="font-style:italic;">Unstrung</span>, it is not a professionally produced documentary; it is a look at 12-and-under tennis from the eyes of a parent who is living that life. I've seen the DVD several times, as I have known Tom since 2005, when he contacted me as an early reader of zootennis.com. The final edition, which Tom has since learned has been accepted at the Newport International Film Festival, not only provides a contrast to <span style="font-style:italic;">Unstrung</span>, it also has lengthy interviews with Jay Berger, Dave Licker, Al Parker, Tom Gullikson and Chris Lewis among others. I'm not going to do a full-fledged review, since I am much too close to the project to assess it properly, but I will say that I found it to be more authentic--I didn't detect any false notes in the 67 minute production--than <span style="font-style:italic;">Unstrung</span>. For more information on the film, see the website,<a href="http://www.50kballs.com/">50kballs.com</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fft.fr/tournois_itf_juniors/?id=2245">The acceptances are out for the French Open Juniors</a>, and there are four U.S. boys--Ryan Harrison, Bradley Klahn, Chase Buchanan and Jarmere Jenkins--in the main draw as of now. There are three U.S. girls directly accepted: Melanie Oudin, Madison Brengle and Mallory Burdette, although Brengle was quoted as saying in her <a href="http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080507/SPORTS/805070366">hometown newspaper today</a> that she didn't know if she was going to play the juniors there. I suppose it depends on how she does in the main draw.<br /><br />And don't forget to chime in on who you think is going to win the NCAAs by leaving your picks in the comments of <a href="http://tenniskalamazoo.blogspot.com/2008/05/picking-winners-in-ncaa-division-i-care.html">this post</a>. Deadline is Wednesday, May 14.<br /><div class="tag_list">Tags: <span class="tags"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/college+tennis" rel="tag">college tennis</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/junior+tennis" rel="tag">junior tennis</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/50" rel="tag">50</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/000+Balls" rel="tag">000 Balls</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/French+Open+Junior+Championships" rel="tag">French Open Junior Championships</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Colette+Lewis" rel="tag">Colette Lewis</a></span></div>Colette Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14905215531491180014noreply@blogger.com