I also know Bucky Sives! Small world.

Great question, Jacques! There is a design flaw with the scoreboard. Because it rests on a square peg instead of a round peg, the player must put down their racquet and use both hands to lift the scoreboard completely off the peg, and carefully line up the small peg with the small square hole on the bottom of the scoreboard - a bit tricky because of the tight fit. This can be somewhat of a bother to do with every end change. Because of the inability to easily rotate the scoreboard, and the small numbers being so hard to read from a distance, I am not a fan of this scoreboard.

I’m happy that you got to see your grandfather in this clip, Kristen. Thanks for watching!

You are correct, @anacap007! Thanks for watching to the end and thanks for your comment, too. Out of curiosity, where did you learn about the requirement for the sticks to be on opposite sides?

Hi Danielle. I'm glad you like the movies! It sure is nice hearing their voices again.

Hi joseppi4cinqua. Thanks for taking the time to watch the entire video and for expressing your thoughts. I can see how you easily confused yourself. I believe you are referring to the segment beginning at 1:35 where I'm placing the right stick on the ground to measure the distance to where it should be positioned. Given the approximately 10-foot distance of the camera from the subject, it is impossible for you, or anyone, to see that the 36-inch mark on the singles stick was positioned exactly on the outside of the singles sideline. The segment does show a portion of the stick overlapping the inside of the inside of the singles line, but this is a result of the singles stick being 42 inches long. This is correct because 2 inches of the top of the stick will overlap the line itself (assuming the sideline is a standard 2-inch width) and the remaining 4 inches of the top of the stick would be completely inside of the inside of the sideline. Thus, the bottom of the singles stick would now be in the proper position (i.e., 36 inches outside the outside of the sideline). Regarding your comment about the sticks needing to be on opposite sides of the net, that sounds odd to me. In fact, I have seen instances where the stick is weaved through the netting for additional stability to prevent it from being knocked accidentally, for example - when a player runs into it while chasing down a ball bouncing near the net/sideline. In that case, you cannot say that the stick is on one side of the net or the other. When I play, if it is windy, I'd tend to place BOTH sticks on the side of the net that is away from the wind, as that would prevent, to a small degree, the net from billowing on that side. I'd be very interested to see any regulations requiring, or suggesting, placing the sticks on opposite sides of the net.

@@ChefJeffVancouver oh wow, that’s a great explanation. So much information of important facts, perhaps next time should be included in the actual video. Just because you haven’t “heard” the sticks should be on opposite sides, doesn’t mean that’s not a fact as well. A simple google search will tell you that.

@@joseppi4cinqua Here's from the ITF website. Nothing stating they need to be on opposite sides of the net. For singles matches, if a singles net is used, the centres of the net posts shall be 3 feet (0.914 m) outside the singles court on each side. If a doubles net is used, then the net shall be supported, at a height of 3½ feet (1.07 m), by two singles sticks, the centres of which shall be 3 feet (0.914 m) outside the singles court on each side. • The net posts shall not be more than 6 inches (15 cm) square or 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter. • The singles sticks shall not be more than 3 inches (7.5 cm) square or 3 inches (7.5 cm) in diameter. • The net posts and singles sticks shall not be more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the top of the net cord. Source: www.itftennis.com/media/7221/2023-rules-of-tennis-english.pdf If you want to do a simple Google search to prove me wrong, go for it. I'd love to see a legitimate reference, but I don't expect you will find one.

@@ChefJeffVancouver Part 1 ITF rules of tennis USTA Comment 1.2: Where should singles sticks be placed? The center of the singles sticks should be placed 3 feet outside the outer edge of the singles lines and should be diagonally opposite each other. www.usta.com/content/dam/usta/sections/pacific-northwest/pdfs/play/leaguenew/ITFRuleswheader.pdf Page 4

@joseppi4cinqua I stand corrected regarding the diagonal placement. Thanks for doing the research. Although the suggestion in the comment by USTA seems to me to be a very minor point, I can see the rationale. Good work.

Glad you like what you saw! Thanks for the comment.

Thanks for your comment, Tracey. I personally don't know, but I'll ask others in my family who live in Cape Breton if they know.

Hi, Raul. Thanks for commenting. Yes, you are correct in your understanding, and yes, it is also a bit confusing. To further elaborate on the doubles serve hitting the net post then landing in the correct service court, that would be handled just like a service let and played over (i.e., still first serve or still second serve, depending whether it was first or second serve, respectively, when the let occured. This is because the net post in doubles (or singles stick in singles) is considered part of the net (i.e., treated the same as the net cord).

I think you may be right. Tough one for the receiver to call, though.

@@ChefJeffVancouver Very tough to call a close one out. The person I'm playing has no problem usually lol

a few generous calls. But the balls were going pretty fast. hard for the receiver to be calling close ones.

@@paulkramer4176sounded like the umpire, who wasn’t in a position to make that call, called the score when the receiver gave a questioning look.

Thanks for your question, Ladd! The sticks are only used for singles. For doubles, my tennis club has a short sleeve attached on the court side of each net post where the sticks may quickly be dropped for storage until the next time they're needed for singles. Video coming shortly, so stay tuned!

Here is where the singles sticks go when you're playing doubles: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-f-rm6ZFQJSA.html

After 3 years, @lvlove007, I'm returning to add more thoughts to your question about the net drooping near the net posts and what to do with the singles sticks when playing doubles. Although singles sticks are not meant for use during doubles, often the net posts, themselves, are too short (may have settled over time, or been installed imprecisely to begin with). In that case, the singles sticks can prop the net up to the correct height by placing them as near as possible to the net posts. Of course, if the net posts are too high, then the singles sticks cannot bring the net down to the proper level for doubles. In any case, the singles sticks can be used to check the height of the net at the net posts. That way, you will know with certainty whether the net is too high or too low on the sides. I have found net posts both too high and too low at my club, so expect this is likely a very common condition at courts everywhere. If the net posts are the correct height (or the singles sticks placed in the correct position if you're playing singles) and the centre strap (holds the net down at the centre) is adjusted to the correct height, then the only way to keep the net from drooping is to increase the the net cord tension with the crank.

Singles stick is 42" with a 36" mark on them.

That's OK. That puts you at least two steps ahead of those that do not use them at all.

Richard, yes. But he would have had a very difficult time running down the great lob.

Thanks for your comment. Glad you liked it, Sherry.

Simon, there are several age divisions for players over 30 years old, over 35, 40... right up to over 90. Make sure to sign up for one as soon as competitive tennis tourneys begin after COVID-19.

@@ChefJeffVancouver Thank you for replying. Unfortunately I'm still stuck in the Caribbean since March due to job loss as a result of Covid. I will return asap and will go online and check the opportunities to play. I'm 8 weeks away from 52.

I am glad you enjoyed seeing these old movies! If you're interested, there are some more old movies from my grandfather's collection from Cape Breton. No more car racing but some boating from all over the Island, and some boat races on the Mira. Lots of other CB sites, such as the old Sydney Flying School, and more. You can see them on my RU-vid channel. I'll also be posting more old narrated stuff from my family from the 1930s to the late 1950s, too, when time permits. Thanks, as well, for adding more information about the people appearing in the clips. I'll update the description. By the way, what was Questions' real first name? (Although that may also be in the narration, but I cannot remember).

@@ChefJeffVancouver I only ever knew Questions by his nickname until yesterday when my sister-in-law advised me that it was Warren. He was always called "Questions" much to his mother's chagrin. The man standing shaking hands with my father is Charles A "Bucky" Buchanan - one of Dad's best friends. He is still alive and living with his wife in their home on Edgewater Drive, Howie Centre. He will be 97 in August 2020.

@@keysie37 Thanks for this additional information. I've added it to the Description section of the video, too. Do you know if Bucky has seen the two narrated movies, or if someone he knows has a computer, tablet, or phone for him to see them?

Yes. This was in Coxheath, near Blackett's Lake, decades before Ski Ben Eoin. Hope you liked it!

Steve, that has been my experience playing against David, too!

Thanks for watching, Tom, and thanks for taking the time to comment, too! I appreciate your feedback. As you can tell, the video wasn't meant to be a professional production. Rather, it was a simple one-take, non-rehearsed iPhone "quickie" meant to shed some light on an aspect of tennis which is really part of the rules, but very few players understand. Weaving the stick through the webbing, as you suggested, is a perfectly fine approach. Although I've tried that in the past, I prefer to do it without weaving, just because it saves time. With a deep enough groove in the top of the stick, and sufficient (even ordinary) tension in the net cable, I have not seen a singles stick like the ones shown ever get dislodged by a hit. I'm luck to play at a club where each of the 12 year-round courts are equipped with singles sticks, so I use them almost every time I practice or play a match. Just out of curiosity, could you please tell me how often, where, and when, you usually use them? Regards, Jeff

Jeff, you are way ahead of me, I have never even made a video of any type to post, so props to you for getting this out there to inform the tennis public. I have not seen sticks actually move from ball hits either, but I was just pointing to the possiblity or of a way to make the whole net system more solid. I made sticks for my own apartment complex court and have a pair of the collapsing type that I take when not on my home/apt. court. I enjoy showing others how to get the court net system as correct as possible and to play on that regularly. I play 2-3 times a week in the Tucson, AZ area and the Chicago, SE Wisconsin and SW Michigan yearly on vacation. Wishing you many Winners