John McEnroe to Present Awards

MAMARONECK, NY – July 11, 2007:  The 10th Annual ProHEALTH Awards, in memory of Vitas Gerulaitis, will be presented at Sportime Stadium on Thursday, July 19, when the NY Sportimes take on the visiting Boston Lobsters.  The match features John McEnroe playing for the NY Sportimes, match time 7:30pm.  The ProHEALTH Awards honor the memory of Vitas and are dedicated to continuing the work he began when he started the Vitas Gerulaitis Youth Foundation. 

Established in 1997, ProHEALTH’s annual awards are open to junior players under the age of 18 and enable them to attend tennis programs at a tennis facility in their own neighborhood.  ProHEALTH’s professionals have had a long standing relationship with pro sports including tennis and, “many of us had a very special relationship with Vitas before his tragic death,” stated Bob Russo, ProHEALTH’s Director of Sports Science Education.  He continued, “I had the privilege of crossing paths with Vitas in two worlds; first as childhood friends and then in our professional lives as well.” 

To date, ProHEALTH, based in Lake Success, has distributed awards to nearly 200 deserving children.  These have included special awards for children of New York’s Police and Fire Departments, after 9/11, as well as awards to children of United States military service women and men stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. ProHEALTH Awards include enrollments into area tennis camps and instructional programs, as well as gift certificates for tennis equipment.

Born in Brooklyn, NY on July 26, 1954, Mr. Gerulaitis had 17 career singles titles to his credit, with an overall win/loss record at 377 – 163, a 70% winning record.  He died tragically on September 18, 1994 from carbon monoxide poisoning. 

In addition to medical care by Board-certified physicians in multiple specialties, ProHEALTH offers a state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging center, including:  open MRI; a vascular testing laboratory; an ambulatory surgery center; a pain management center; and a high tech fitness testing laboratory.  ProHEALTH physicians are the medical providers for the New York Jets, New York Islanders, New York Dragons, New York Sportimes, U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, and several amateur and collegiate sports teams.  In the fall of 2007, ProHEALTH and SPORTIME clubs will be teaming up creating a new standard in fitness clubs when they open SPORTIME at ProHEALTH, a one-of a kind facility offering personalized attention in a five-star environment, providing a vital link between physician, patient and fitness provider.  For more information, visit www.prohealthcare.com or call 516-622-6000. 

To buy tickets for this event or other NY Sportimes home matches log on to www.ticketweb.com or www.nysportimes.com.  Or call the team box office at Sportime on Harbor Island in Mamaroneck, 914-777-5050.

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About WTT:  Now in its 32nd year of play, World TeamTennis is well known for introducing innovative elements to tennis. Instant replay, which debuted at WTT matches in 2005 as the WTT Coaches Challenge, marked the first time the technology had been used in a professional tennis match, will return to select WTT matches in 2007. Other WTT firsts include co-ed format, cumulative and no-ad scoring, on-court coaching, Supertiebreakers, multi-colored courts and player names on back of their shirts.

The unique gender-balanced team concept for WTT was created in the early 70s by League co-founders Billie Jean King and Larry King. The format used for a WTT Pro League match features teams comprised of two men, two women and a coach. Each match consists of five sets, with one set each of men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Advanta is the presenting sponsor of the WTT Pro League and the official business credit card of World TeamTennis. Official WTT Pro League sponsors also include Bälle de Mätch, Gatorade, Geico and Wilson Racquet Sports.  For more information on WTT including team rosters, visit www.WTT.com

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