The Experience
5 Year Anniversary
GSS is now ready to experience it’s 5th year of offering this annual event for racquet technicians from around the world and we couldn’t be more excited about the 2011 symposium.
Larry Hackney - left in white hat
Each year as we get more and more feedback from the attendees we’re constantly amazed at the different things they have to say about their own personal experiences at the symposium. Larry Hackney of Union City, New Jersey contacted us by phone and asked why we don’t just record the seminars at the symposium and sell the DVD’s. However, after he attended his first symposium in 2008 Larry was absolutely convinced that in order to get the full benefit out of the symposium it was definitely one of those things where you just “had to be there”! The networking opportunities and the new friends made are a major part of attending an event like the GSS racquet stringers symposium and as you might imagine, this simply cannot be captured on a DVD. The learning opportunities are many and varied. No one who has attended a seminar in the past will deny that everyone has something to share and there is no one at the symposium that can’t learn something from someone else in attendance.
Party time at the GSS symposium!
Yes the ladies party too!
Parties? Yes we like to party! You didn’t think that all we did was string racquets and sit in a classroom all day did you? The Saturday night meet & greet session includes a cash bar which is often supplemented by a complimentary round or two of drinks provided by one of our sponsors. This is really the best time at the symposium for everyone to move through the crowd, meet and make new friends, and in general just have a good time. We always try to hold this party at outside if the weather permits and there’s always plenty of time for you to get better acquainted with the seminar leaders and others in attendance. You can stay as late as you like or you can leave a little early to go watch the first round of the speed stringing contest. Whatever you choose to do you’ll find the Saturday night meet & greet to be a great time for all!
Gordie Lehman stringing at the 2009 symposium
Stringing? Sure there’s plenty of stringing going on at the symposium and in 2011 we’re bringing back the open stringing room to make sure you get plenty of opportunity to get on the machines and string. Stringing machines from various manufacturers including Alpha, Babolat, Prince, and Wilson will be available and we’ll have as many manufacturer reps on hand as possible to answer any questions you may have about their machines. Seminar leasers will also be available to answer your questions and assist in any way they can. By popular demand we will once again be presenting the Wilson “Patterns & Techniques” class which will definitely give anyone who participates plenty of time to string. This seminar has a very low teacher to student ratio and every participant will be assigned their own personal Wilson BAIARDO stringing machine to work on.
Jim Downes-2010 Speed Stringing winner
Don’t forget the Prince speed stringing contest! Last year Jim Downes from Maryland was the winner with 2009 winner Vasily Guryanov a close second. The contestants had to string a Prince frame with an 18 x 20 pattern in all poly–now doesn’t that sound like loads of fun?
