WSJ Article: Tennis Champions Lindsay Davenport & Martina Navratilova Slam Patrick McEnroe & USTA For Attacking Teen Taylor Townsend!!!

Tennis Legends ‘Livid’ About USTA Decision

By Tom Perrotta

The Wall Street Journal reported in Friday’s newspaper that Taylor Townsend, a Chicago native and the No. 1 junior girl tennis player in the world, was benched from tournament play this summer by her coaches at the U.S. Tennis Association because of her fitness. Townsend lost in the quarterfinals of the junior singles tournament Friday afternoon but advanced to the doubles final with her partner, Gabby Andrews.

Taylor Townsend was benched from tournament play this summer by the U.S. Tennis Association.
On Friday, the Journal spoke with Lindsay Davenport and Martina Navratilova, two former No. 1 players and Grand Slam champions who struggled with their weight as teenagers and as pros. Davenport and Navratilova were sharply critical of the USTA’s decision.

“You cannot punish someone for their body type,” Davenport said.

“I’m livid about it. Livid,” Navratilova said. She added: “It speaks of horrible ignorance.”

The Wall Street Journal: You struggled with weight as a junior and a pro. What was it like for you growing up?

Lindsay Davenport: My dad is 6-foot-8. He blew out his knee in 1973, and after bad surgery, an infection ravaged his knee. He hasn’t been able to bend his knee since then. He was probably 150 pounds overweight my whole life. So all through the 80s, when I was a little girl, my dad was huge. My mom was not. But I had this dad with big genes, and we were never thin.

My first year playing the [12-and-under] nationals in Florida [at age 11], another mom reported me for being too old. And I was standing right there, and my mom was like, “I’ve got news for you, she can play next year, too.” And this woman was like, “Oh my gosh!” I had these big, chubby, baby cheeks and people thought that because I was tall and big, I was older.

Martina Navratilova: I put on 20 pounds in two weeks when I first came on the tour. I was 16, I played in Fort Lauderdale and then Dallas. By Dallas, I had to buy myself new shorts because I couldn’t fit into my shorts. I was playing three hours a day of tennis, or more. It was a change of metabolism and a change of diet. I wasn’t eating junk food, either. I was just eating too much. I was eating pancakes and steaks and hamburgers, I discovered corn flakes. It was just a different diet completely. I struggled with my weight for four years after that. I didn’t lose it until I was 20. And really, it just came off by itself. I was training hard and it started coming off in 1976.

How did your coaches approach your development, and how much of that had to do with fitness?

Davenport: There was a female who was in charge of the [USTA] women’s program in the 90s, Lynne Rolley. Lynne stood by me, was like a mother figure to me. I think she saw it as not only developing these great players, but developing us as people, and teaching us, when you walk into a room, look into someone’s eyes. It wasn’t just about trying to get players on Arthur Ashe. No one ever said to me, you’re fat, you’re heavy. Part of it is trying to figure it out on your own and trying to get the player to realize it. You’re dealing with a really difficult age for girls, and you’re talking about a life-changing, detrimental step. You cannot punish someone for their body type.

Navratilova: No matter what, the kid is 16. It’s baby fat, it’s going to come off. She would have to starve to the point of where she can’t play to lose weight, so then she can’t compete. And she’s the No. 1 junior. It is absolutely insane what they did, so irresponsible. If anything, play more. Don’t go into the gym. Just watch [what you eat], but in a positive and constructive and long-term way. But to throw this on her at 16? I’m trying to be nice here, but they totally blew it on this one.

Were there any fitness requirements you had to meet?

Davenport: When I was growing up, we had these USTA camps and a national team, and we would all go to these camps together. And you had to run a mile and a half in a certain time. I could never sleep the night before, I swear to God. I’m not a runner. I could hit the ball really well, and I liked to play tennis, but it was all getting too serious for me. I’ll never forget the anxiety I would feel the night before a run. And the time, whatever it was, it’s such a doable number now, but I’d be crying and stressed about it. And they would threaten that you couldn’t stay on the team. It didn’t happen, so I don’t know if I made the time, or they just kind of overlooked it.

When were your worst struggles with weight?

Davenport: I won the nationals at 15 [in the 18-and-under division]. My heaviest was more at 18, 19, when my parents were getting divorced. But I was never slim. I had an obese father, and we had a great childhood, but a good diet was not part of it, even though I was an athlete. I was not svelte at 15, and I was not fit at 15. If they had told me I could not play, I mean, that could have ruined my career.

There were definitely people within the USTA who didn’t think I had a chance to make it. I was very fortunate that I had Lynne, who was like, “This girl is doing great, she’s a nice girl, why wouldn’t we help her?” You just can’t turn your back on someone when they’re doing well and they’re a great kid. They’ve helped people with the worst attitudes, and that is way worse to me than someone’s body type.

Navratilova: What really pisses me off about this is, OK, weight is obvious, but what about attitude? Can we talk about other kids who they have been supporting for years whose attitude sucks and they still support them? I’m livid about it. Livid.

Is there a “too early” for off-court training like a pro would do?

Navratilova: Absolutely. Absolutely. I say play other sports, because that helps you become a better athlete, and most of all it makes you happy. I didn’t do core training when I was 16, I was climbing trees. I was swimming in the river, I was playing hockey, I played soccer, I road my bicycle a lot and then I played tennis. I did weight training like two weeks a year.

Davenport: I think the time is in your late teens. If you look at Martina Hingis, that great year she had in 1997, she was a twig, but it was just her tennis. Everyone has started doing things earlier, but that pressure is just exploding, and the long-term consequences of what potentially just happened I think are far worse than the benefit.

How much does fitness matter in tennis, say from your days on tour compared to now?

Davenport: It seems to have gone to where it’s a bit more than in the 90s, but it’s still about hitting the ball well. It’s still, in women’s tennis, about the chance to overpower someone. Certainly it’s a more important component when you get older, but it’s not that important when you’re 15, 16 years old. And I think that we’ve seen cases, Martina [Navratilova], myself, where people get over that, and we’ve seen the opposite where eating disorders occur.

[Taylor] is a baby to me. I couldn’t imagine, if someone did that to one of my kids, that would be the end of it. It’s horrible to put that kind of pressure on someone. I can’t imagine at 16 what my parents would have done.

What does a kid like Taylor, at her age, need most?

Davenport: I might take it the opposite way. They need love and support and good role models, and good role models aren’t people who punish and don’t allow things to happen. What really helped for me to lose weight was to try to have fun in the beginning, and just learning things like, you don’t want to eat bread at dinner. You just need to nurture them and I think that’s how it gets better.

If the goal is developing top pros, is that too narrow, or missing the bigger picture?

Davenport: Their whole goal should be to try to develop this player into the best player they can be, and the best person and try to teach them tools to go through life, and hopefully that includes playing in Arthur Ashe Stadium. If this is the player you’re choosing to help, you think they’re going to be good, it’s up to you to make them get there, to bring out their best as a coach.

Bringing out their best isn’t making them feel bad about themselves and having a horrible self-image. You get it out of them by getting them happy, by getting them excited to play, not by tearing them down.

Navratilova: It speaks of horrible ignorance.

WSJ Shocking Article: Patrick McEnroe & USTA Racist & Sexist Against Taylor Townsend Top Junior In World Told She’s Too Fat!!!

Why the USTA Benched America’s Best Junior

Taylor Townsend May Be the World’s No. 1 Junior Girl, but Her Coaches Say She Needs to Get in Better Shape

• By TOM PERROTTA

As the U.S. Tennis Association continues its struggle to reverse the declining fortunes of American tennis, it seems fair to assume that 16-year-old Taylor Townsend would be welcome to play anywhere she likes.

Enlarge Image

Getty ImagesTaylor Townsend, 16, is the world’s No. 1 junior girls player and the reigning junior Australian Open singles champion.

The Chicago-born tennis prodigy, who is part of a four-year-old USTA-funded development program, is the world’s No. 1 junior girls player, the reigning junior Australian Open singles champion and the junior Wimbledon doubles champion.

See if you’re fit enough to land a job as a tennis “ballperson” (formerly ball boy.) Plus, why grunting may get muzzled on the court. And a photo montage of classic U.S. Open images – don’t forget your headband. With WSJ Off Duty Host, Wendy Bounds.

Thursday, she won two matches at the U.S. Open’s junior tournament, the last a dominating two-set victory over Mexico’s Marcela Zacarias in which she pumped her fist after winners and jogged to her chair for every changeover.

But unbeknownst to everyone outside her inner circle, the USTA wasn’t happy to see Townsend in New York. Her coaches declined to pay her travel expenses to attend the Open and told her this summer that they wouldn’t finance any tournament appearances until she makes sufficient progress in one area: slimming down and getting into better shape.

“Our concern is her long-term health, number one, and her long-term development as a player,” said Patrick McEnroe, the general manager of the USTA’s player development program. “We have one goal in mind: For her to be playing in [Arthur Ashe Stadium] in the main draw and competing for major titles when it’s time. That’s how we make every decision, based on that.”

Townsend’s mother, Shelia, who played tennis at Lincoln University, has not discussed the situation publicly before. This week she said she’d been baffled by the USTA’s decision. “It all kind of came as a shock to us because Taylor has consistently done quite well,” she said. Her daughter, she reminded, “is No. 1, not just in the United States, but in the world.”

More U.S. Open

• Tennis Legends ‘Livid’ About Townsend Benching

Before this year’s Open, Taylor asked the USTA for a wild-card entry slot in either the Open’s main draw or its qualifying tournament, which Taylor had played in last year. Her requests were denied. After the USTA asked Taylor to skip the U.S. Open junior tournament, her mother told them she’d pay her daughter’s expenses herself.

The USTA’s decision touches on two contentious issues in tennis: the relative importance of player fitness and the best way to develop talent.

Most American tennis prodigies have been developed by private coaches, academies and persistent parents, sometimes with supplemental help from the USTA. In 2008, though, the organization decided it needed to do more about the decline of American tennis and founded its first full-time academy in Boca Raton, Fla., where Townsend is one of 25 select juniors. The USTA also trains 41 juniors in Carson, Calif., and the National Tennis Center in Flushing, the site of the U.S. Open.

By benching Townsend, the USTA seems to be sending a message that developing solid fundamentals (like fitness) is more important for a player’s long-term success and longevity than competitive results.

While the sport’s top players have taken a noticeable turn in recent years toward greater fitness—a trend typified by lithe specimens like Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka—there’s more to winning than subzero body fat. A quick glance around the U.S. Open reveals a fair number of less-chiseled players, such as Marion Bartoli and Stanislas Wawrinka, who both reached the tournament’s second week.

On the women’s side, former U.S. star Lindsay Davenport became No. 1 while ranking among the largest players on the women’s tour at 6-foot-2 and about 175 pounds. And in 2007, Serena Williams won the Australian Open singles title while being in what many experts consider the worst shape of her career.

“You have to be fit underneath, I don’t think you necessarily have to look ripped,” said former No. 1 Mats Wilander. “Smart players can get away with being a little tired.”

It’s certainly possible that Townsend’s fitness is holding her back, but her results suggest that her current form is more than adequate. In addition to triumphs at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, she made it to the semifinals of the International Spring Championship and won the prestigious Easter Bowl.

After Townsend lost in the first-round of qualifying at a professional event in Vancouver this summer, her coaches asked her to withdraw from the USTA Girls’ National Championships in San Diego and return to the USTA’s training academy in Boca Raton, where she now lives. She was put on double fitness duty and allowed to play just enough tennis to maintain her timing. “It wasn’t my decision,” she said. “But they didn’t think playing was the best thing, so I went back.”

If Townsend had won the San Diego event, she would have received an automatic wild card into the U.S. Open’s main draw and with it, a rare chance to be seen by agents and potential sponsors (she currently has no agent). After she returned to Florida, Townsend was diagnosed with low iron during a routine checkup. Shelia Townsend said her daughter is taking iron pills and that the problem is “totally manageable.”

Townsend, who possesses a sunny disposition, isn’t holding a grudge against the USTA. “I’ve gotten a lot of great opportunities, great fitness, great coaching,” she said. “I’m doing everything that they ask me to do and being professional about everything.” Shelia Townsend, who moved to Florida with her daughter and works in the Palm Beach school system, agreed the USTA academy had been good for her daughter. “It has afforded her a lot of opportunities,” she said.

Townsend will play Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit in the junior Open quarterfinals Friday. She said she was asked to represent the U.S. in a junior Federation Cup event in Spain later this month. Beyond that, however, her schedule is unclear.

McEnroe said his development team still hasn’t cleared Townsend for tournament play. “We’ll assess when this tournament is over,” he said.

Shocking News: Chavis Carter A Young Black Man Handcuffed & Shot Dead His Family Alleges Police Brutality Is To Blame!!!

Chavis Carter’s mother Teresa at a candlelight vigil for her son. Carter’s family has accused the police of a cover up in the case. Photograph: Krystin Mcclellan/AP

Police footage taken from the night officers say a suspect in Arkansasmanaged to fatally shoot himself in the head – despite having his hands cuffed behind his back – has failed to remove questions over the incident.

Chavis Carter died in the back of a patrol car on 28 July after being picked up in a traffic stop in Jonesboro during which drugs were discovered in the vehicle.

The 21-year-old black man had been searched twice by officers, but a handgun that officers say the suspect later used to shoot himself was not found. Questions have also been raised as to how the left-handed Carter was able to deliver a fatal shot to his right temple while in restraints.

On Friday, following a Freedom of Information Act request by multiple news organizations, police released footage of the immediate aftermath of Carter’s death.

They had earlier handed over a video taken before the suspect’s body was discovered. But that first video failed to provide any answers to the dead man’s family, who claim that he was killed by police.

Chavis died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

He had earlier been detained – alongside two other suspects – by officers searching for drugs in the back of a truck they had noticed parked on the street with its lights on.

Having found a set of scales giving off a strong smell of marijuana, and a bag containing a white substance, a check was run on Carter revealing an outstanding warrant for the Mississippi resident, according to copy of the police report posted online.

The suspect was then handcuffed with his hands behind his back and led to the back seat of a patrol car.

It was while in restraints and in the rear of the police car that Carter is alleged to have shot himself.

In an apparent copy of the official incident report posted online by TheGrio.com, an officer states that he heard a “loud thump and a metallic sound” while speaking to the two other suspects.

But he said he dismissed it as the sound of a car driving over a piece of metal on the roadway.

It was only after the two other suspects were sent away that Carter’s body was discovered, one officer recorded.

“We went to the rear passenger side door, opened it and I observed Carter in a sitting position slumped forward with his head in his lap.

“There was a large amount of blood on the front oh his shirt, pants, seats and floor. His hands were cuffed behind his back.”

The incident has raised questions, not least over how officers apparently failed to find the gun on Carter during an initial search.

It has also been considered suspicious that the suspect died as a result of a gunshot wound to the right temple, as Carter was left handed and handcuffed at the time.

The dead man’s mother, Teresa Carter, has accused police of a cover up.

Amid growing media interest in the case, police agreed to release footage from a dashboard camera that captured events leading up to Carter’s death. It shows the suspect being led to a patrol car.

But it failed to provide any clues as to what happened after he was put in the vehicle.

“There’s still nothing in there about what actually happened with Chavis,” Benjamin Irwin, a lawyer for the Carter family, said.

A second batch of video clips was released Friday. It contains an audio exchange between two unseen men – thought to be officers – shortly after the suspect’s body is discovered.

“He was breathing a second ago,” says one, while another is heard stating: “I patted him down. I don’t know where he had it hidden.”

The Jonesboro police department has asked the FBI to assist in its investigation into the incident

Special agent Kimberly Brunell told the Guardian earlier this month: “We are monitoring the situation and we have received certain information, investigative information has been shared with us.”

Disappointing News: Mixed Race Hispanic Actress Zoe Saldana Steals Nina Simone Lead Role Meant For A Black American Actress!!!

This casting news is so disgusting I think I am going to vomit! Zoe Saldana looks nothing like Nina Simone she wasn’t a mixed race Latina she’s was an authentic black American woman. Nina Simone wasn’t mulatto, mixed race, half white, half caste, biracial, or whatever you want to call it. Nina Simone was a proud black woman!

For black women in Hollywood, the closer a black actress or biracial actress skin tone is to the white image of beauty the better opportunities she gets. Saldana markets herself as a Hispanic actress NOT as a black American actress so it is extremely hypocritical for Saldana to take this important film role.

Ten years ago, Halle Berry was the A list black actress she also is half white.

Since Zoe Saldana is mixed race and considered lighter skinned she’s viewed as more marketable to white audiences in America and overseas.

However, where does this leave the talented darker skinned black actresses in Hollywood?

Saldana got the part for Nina Simone because Hollywood has anointed her as the new A list black actress.

However, Nina Simone was a very political she wasn’t just a singer she was a civil rights activist in the 1960s. Simone sang passionate songs about black rights such as Mississippi God damn, and Young, Gifted, & Black.

 Saldana is part black but she certainly isn’t proud of her black roots! Last year, when Colombiana was released all Saldana talked about in interviews was Latin this and Latin that.

Saldana is a chameleon, she plays with race and culture when it is convenient to advance her own career. Since Saldana is mixed race she uses race to her advantage whenever it is convenient to advance her career.

Nina Simone was a dark skinned black woman she was a proud black woman I bet she’s spinning in her grave right now!

Also, Saldana hasn’t proven she’s that great an actress. Yes, Saldana has appeared in Avatar and Star Trek but she isn’t a great actress.

There is a paucity of leading lady roles for black females in Hollywood so Hollywood thinks choosing a mixed race Hispanic is the way to go?

Why couldn’t Zoe Saldana follow Halle Berry’s lead? When Aretha Franklin wanted Halle to be the star of the biopic about her life Halle said no!

Halle knew the black community would be in an uproar if a half white actress was chosen to to the star in a film about the Queen of Soul music!

Now, Zoe Saldana has a history of talking about being proud of her Latin roots in interviews while stealing film roles meant for black actresses.

Remember,  Star Trek, Uhura is a black woman but since Hollywood is focused on profit the studio chose Saldana. This is a slap in the face to all the hard working black women in Hollywood!

I think Viola Davis, Anika Noni Rose,  India Arie, or some other black American actress would be the perfect choice for this biopic. I am so angry and disgusted I feel like screaming at the top of my lungs!