MINUTES OF WMTS' PRESIDENTS'/DELEGATES' MEETING, SEPTEMBER 12, 2007, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA

Dr. Micaela Hernberg, President of WMTS, called the meeting to order.

Attendance. Executive Committee Members-Drs. Micaela Hernberg, Toru Higashi, Lon Olsen, Miroslav Ondrej, Jim Manion. Past WMTS Presidents-Drs. Bartolo Bresciano, Colin Crawford, Toru Higashi, Gusse Oxelius, Angelo Psaila, Jim Manion. Delegates-Mary Hallowell of Canada, Jonas Girskis of Lithuania, Toru Highashi of Japan, Lars Hagberg of Sweden, Erik Zadig of Norway, Egils Valeinis of Latvia, Agnieszka Widziszowska of Poland, Zdravko Milkovic of Croatia, Ivo Skala of Czech Republic, Miroslav Ondrej of Slovakia, Chi Pang Wen of Taiwan, Hugh Harrington of Ireland, Craig Broome of USA, Colin Crawford of United Kingdom, Angelo Psaila of Malta, Bartolo Bresciano of Italy, Eric Gultom of Indonesia, Yosef Davidovitch of Israel, Gerhard Groell of Germany, Micaela Hernberg of Finland, Miguel Plana of Argentina. Guests Heikki Aho of Finland, Betty Olsen of USA, Borka Milkovic of Croatia.

Minutes of Meeting in Malta, 2006. There were additions to the minutes from last year. At the Presidents' Dinner, if no sponsor can be obtained, the delegates, if they choose to attend the dinner after the meeting, must pay for their dinner. The money to pay for the delegates should not come from registrants' fees. All registrants should not have to pay for the good times of the delegates.

Another addition has to do with the continuing education certificates. It was decided that certificates for continuing education would be given only if the meetings were attended. The certificates would not be handed out automatically.

President's Report. Dr. Hernberg reported we have 280 participants (revised number 264) from 21 countries. She said that there has been a lot of effort to improve the standard of the scientific sessions. "The International Congress of AntiAging, Psychosomatic, Preventive and Sports Medicine (ICAPPS) to date is known as the Scientific Arm of WMTS is committed to offer members exchange of high-level medical experience. At the scientific sessions members may have a rewarding exchange of professional experiences and at the same time an opportunity to update their medical general knowledge."

Communication among WMTS members has improved. The Executive Committee respects members' privacy and distributes material that will not violate privacy. (There will be new photos appearing on the website but first permission will be granted by those pictured. JLM)

She acknowledge Lon & Betty Olsen for their efforts in staging a successful WMTS event.

Lastly, she asked for a moment of silence in memory of Dr. George John, a devoted member of many years, who died early in 2007.

Passing the Gavel. Dr. Lon Olsen becomes the new President of WMTS. He thanked Dr. Hernberg and presented her with a plaque in appreciation of her service.

Vice-Presidential Successor. Jim Manion explained the role of the Nominating Committee. 3 outstanding names were submitted earlier in the year, and the Nominating Committee chose 2-Drs. Gerhard Groell, Germany, and Egils Valeinis, Latvia. Each doctor spoke of his qualifications to be an eventual President of WMTS. A vote was taken, and there was a tie. A second vote resulted in Dr. Valeinis' becoming the next Vice-President.

Executive Secretary's Report. Jim Manion's written report was accepted. Since that was submitted, a doctor from Romania has expressed interest. He has been contacted and encouraged to attend the next meeting with an entourage from his country.

Report of San Diego Meeting. Betty Olsen reported on items of the meeting. She said again that finding sponsorships was very, very difficult. Many AMTA members tried different pharmaceutical and athletic companies, but sponsorships were not forthcoming. Many AMTA members contributed extra dollars to meet expenses. The final tally is not in yet, but she is very hopeful that AMTA will not lose significant money. Dr. Hagberg and Dr. Hernberg agreed that in other countries it is harder to find sponsorships.

Constitutional Issue. (See Dr. Hernberg's report above re ICAPP.) Dr. Olsen conducted this. He explained that to change the constitution, 2 years must pass, and the new item must be studied twice, and voted upon twice, before the change is effected. The issue is to find a suitable name for the scientific arm of WMTS. Last year it seemed in Malta that the ICAPP name would become the name. However, this year there was dissatisfaction with the name. ICAPP was voted down, and now we must find a suitable name that a majority agree on. (I will be sending a notice to members for suggestions for a name, and we will take this up again in Croatia next year.)

Suggestions for Future of WMTS. Dr. Valeinis offered good suggestions that are to be studied in the coming year by the Executive Committee. He is knowledgeable about seeding of players; he offers his expertise in that regard. He wonders if there can be 3rd place medals? Maybe another look at a 3rd set, 10-point tie breaker in doubles? First time players should have their diploma. Players with an ID number, so their seeding can be easier?

Report of Meeting in Croatia 2008. Dr. Milkovic presented excellent information on his upcoming meeting next September 6-12, 2008. The website is www.hult.hr. (This will be linked to WMTS' and AMTA's websites.) He passed out brochures for all to study. Umag is a very beautiful area with many tennis courts. (A reminder-there must be 23 or so hours of continuing medical education, and there should NOT be the tennis logo on the scientific program.)

Report of Meeting in Finland, 2009. Drs. Hernberg and Aho presented information. The meeting will be in Helsinki in July. The exact dates are not determined yet.

Report of Meeting in Latvia, 2010. Dr. Valeinis said this meeting would be in Riga in July. He presented a DVD on Riga.

Report of Meeting in Slovakia, 2011. Dr. Ondrej said not too much has been done at this early time.

New Business. Dr. Olsen reported that there is keen interest in expanding Nations' Cup competition. Presently it is 1) Open men's singles, 2) 45+men's doubles, and 3) 55+ men's singles. To advance, a team must win 2 out of 3. Maybe this can be expanded to win 3 out of 5, i.e., add a 70+men's doubles and a women's singles or doubles event? The Executive Committee will study this.

The meeting adjourned at 2030.

Respectfully submitted.

James L. Manion, M.D.
Executive Secretary
World Medical Tennis Society
September, 2007

MINUTES OF WMTS' PRESIDENTS'/DELEGATES' MEETING, SEPTEMBER 12, 2007, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA

Dr. Micaela Hernberg, President of WMTS, called the meeting to order.

Attendance. Executive Committee Members-Drs. Micaela Hernberg, Toru Higashi, Lon Olsen, Miroslav Ondrej, Jim Manion. Past WMTS Presidents-Drs. Bartolo Bresciano, Colin Crawford, Toru Higashi, Gusse Oxelius, Angelo Psaila, Jim Manion. Delegates-Mary Hallowell of Canada, Jonas Girskis of Lithuania, Toru Highashi of Japan, Lars Hagberg of Sweden, Erik Zadig of Norway, Egils Valeinis of Latvia, Agnieszka Widziszowska of Poland, Zdravko Milkovic of Croatia, Ivo Skala of Czech Republic, Miroslav Ondrej of Slovakia, Chi Pang Wen of Taiwan, Hugh Harrington of Ireland, Craig Broome of USA, Colin Crawford of United Kingdom, Angelo Psaila of Malta, Bartolo Bresciano of Italy, Eric Gultom of Indonesia, Yosef Davidovitch of Israel, Gerhard Groell of Germany, Micaela Hernberg of Finland, Miguel Plana of Argentina. Guests Heikki Aho of Finland, Betty Olsen of USA, Borka Milkovic of Croatia.

Minutes of Meeting in Malta, 2006. There were additions to the minutes from last year. At the Presidents' Dinner, if no sponsor can be obtained, the delegates, if they choose to attend the dinner after the meeting, must pay for their dinner. The money to pay for the delegates should not come from registrants' fees. All registrants should not have to pay for the good times of the delegates.

Another addition has to do with the continuing education certificates. It was decided that certificates for continuing education would be given only if the meetings were attended. The certificates would not be handed out automatically.

President's Report. Dr. Hernberg reported we have 280 participants (revised number 264) from 21 countries. She said that there has been a lot of effort to improve the standard of the scientific sessions. "The International Congress of AntiAging, Psychosomatic, Preventive and Sports Medicine (ICAPPS) to date is known as the Scientific Arm of WMTS is committed to offer members exchange of high-level medical experience. At the scientific sessions members may have a rewarding exchange of professional experiences and at the same time an opportunity to update their medical general knowledge."

Communication among WMTS members has improved. The Executive Committee respects members' privacy and distributes material that will not violate privacy. (There will be new photos appearing on the website but first permission will be granted by those pictured. JLM)

She acknowledge Lon & Betty Olsen for their efforts in staging a successful WMTS event.

Lastly, she asked for a moment of silence in memory of Dr. George John, a devoted member of many years, who died early in 2007.

Passing the Gavel. Dr. Lon Olsen becomes the new President of WMTS. He thanked Dr. Hernberg and presented her with a plaque in appreciation of her service.

Vice-Presidential Successor. Jim Manion explained the role of the Nominating Committee. 3 outstanding names were submitted earlier in the year, and the Nominating Committee chose 2-Drs. Gerhard Groell, Germany, and Egils Valeinis, Latvia. Each doctor spoke of his qualifications to be an eventual President of WMTS. A vote was taken, and there was a tie. A second vote resulted in Dr. Valeinis' becoming the next Vice-President.

Executive Secretary's Report. Jim Manion's written report was accepted. Since that was submitted, a doctor from Romania has expressed interest. He has been contacted and encouraged to attend the next meeting with an entourage from his country.

Report of San Diego Meeting. Betty Olsen reported on items of the meeting. She said again that finding sponsorships was very, very difficult. Many AMTA members tried different pharmaceutical and athletic companies, but sponsorships were not forthcoming. Many AMTA members contributed extra dollars to meet expenses. The final tally is not in yet, but she is very hopeful that AMTA will not lose significant money. Dr. Hagberg and Dr. Hernberg agreed that in other countries it is harder to find sponsorships.

Constitutional Issue. (See Dr. Hernberg's report above re ICAPP.) Dr. Olsen conducted this. He explained that to change the constitution, 2 years must pass, and the new item must be studied twice, and voted upon twice, before the change is effected. The issue is to find a suitable name for the scientific arm of WMTS. Last year it seemed in Malta that the ICAPP name would become the name. However, this year there was dissatisfaction with the name. ICAPP was voted down, and now we must find a suitable name that a majority agree on. (I will be sending a notice to members for suggestions for a name, and we will take this up again in Croatia next year.)

Suggestions for Future of WMTS. Dr. Valeinis offered good suggestions that are to be studied in the coming year by the Executive Committee. He is knowledgeable about seeding of players; he offers his expertise in that regard. He wonders if there can be 3rd place medals? Maybe another look at a 3rd set, 10-point tie breaker in doubles? First time players should have their diploma. Players with an ID number, so their seeding can be easier?

Report of Meeting in Croatia 2008. Dr. Milkovic presented excellent information on his upcoming meeting next September 6-12, 2008. The website is www.hult.hr. (This will be linked to WMTS' and AMTA's websites.) He passed out brochures for all to study. Umag is a very beautiful area with many tennis courts. (A reminder-there must be 23 or so hours of continuing medical education, and there should NOT be the tennis logo on the scientific program.)

Report of Meeting in Finland, 2009. Drs. Hernberg and Aho presented information. The meeting will be in Helsinki in July. The exact dates are not determined yet.

Report of Meeting in Latvia, 2010. Dr. Valeinis said this meeting would be in Riga in July. He presented a DVD on Riga.

Report of Meeting in Slovakia, 2011. Dr. Ondrej said not too much has been done at this early time.

New Business. Dr. Olsen reported that there is keen interest in expanding Nations' Cup competition. Presently it is 1) Open men's singles, 2) 45+men's doubles, and 3) 55+ men's singles. To advance, a team must win 2 out of 3. Maybe this can be expanded to win 3 out of 5, i.e., add a 70+men's doubles and a women's singles or doubles event? The Executive Committee will study this.

The meeting adjourned at 2030.

Respectfully submitted.

James L. Manion, M.D.
Executive Secretary
World Medical Tennis Society
September, 2007

Excerpts from Dr. Stanley McCampbell's, "My Memoirs of The World Medical Tennis Society," written in 1991.

"To me it has been a great honor to know and enjoy the friendship of doctors from around the world. It has been the most exciting experience of my life. Doctors... can be assured that if they travel thousands of miles to meetings, they will be certain of a warm welcome, well-organized tournaments and scientific sessions, and a grand, good time. It is an opportunity, unequalled, as far as I know, of enjoying the friendship of interesting, fun loving, sportsman-like doctors who will be friends for life. I would certainly like to do it all over again."