Wilson Hosts First-Ever Racket Stringing Championship
Scott Schneider of Las Vegas Wins with 11:14 TimeFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Melanie McGeough
8700 W. Bryn Mawr
Chicago,
773-714-6703
MMcGeough@wilson.com
03/10/06 - Chicago—Wilson Racquet Sports, the No. 1 brand in tennis, hosted the ‘Wilson World Stringing Championships’ at The Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas, NV from March 3-5, 2006. Scott Schneider of Las Vegas recorded a winning time of 11 min:14 sec for completing a full stringing process, which included mounting the racket, opening the string package, uncoiling the string and then passing a quality check once completed. The final round was shown live on The Tennis Channel and will be featured in a 30-minute special airing on the network in July.
Schneider, a local tennis professional at Canyon Gate Country Club, has been playing tennis since he was 8 years old and stringing rackets for more than ten years. His prize package included $1,000 cash, large screen Panasonic plasma television, Fender guitar, Wilson tennis equipment, one-year supply of Wilson string and the chance to qualify to string with Wilson at the 2006 US Open. Schneider, and all the contestants, strung Wilson’s nSix-One 95 racket with Wilson Reaction string.
“The stringing championship was a huge success and generated great interest among tournament fans that enjoyed watching all the stringers, as this has never been showcased before like this," Jon Muir, director of US sales and marketing for Wilson Racquet Sports, said.
Notable participants included French Open doubles champion and tennis analyst Luke Jensen and tennis star Thomas Blake brother of Tennis Channel Open champion James Blake. Also on hand to cheer them on were the UNLV Rebel Cheerleaders who came out and added another level of excitement for this string showcase. Executive Director of the United States Racquet Stringers Association (USRSA), Dave Bone, was also on hand to oversee the event.
“The Wilson World Stringing Championships drew a huge crowd and should be an annual event at The Tennis Channel Open,” Steve Bellamy, president and founder of The Tennis Channel, said. “I think there was more stress there than in the 5th set of a Grand Slam final. You could cut it with a knife. We televised it and are prepping a stand alone show for the network that is going to make great TV.”
Wilson Racquet Sports is a division of Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods, one of the world's leading manufacturers of sports equipment and owned by Amer Sports. Wilson designs, manufactures and distributes sporting goods throughout the world and focuses on making technologically advanced products which help all players play better. Wilson's core sport categories include: Football, Basketball, Baseball, Volleyball, Soccer, Youth Sports, Uniforms/Apparel, Golf, Footwear and Racquet Sports (Tennis, Racquetball, Squash, Badminton and Platform Tennis). For more information, visit www.wilson.com.
Photo Credit: Cynthia Lum/WireImage.com
Links:
www.wilson.com
www.tennischannelopen.com
