Wilander On Wheels News Article from The Palm Beach Daily News

TENNIS CLINIC TAKES TRAINING TO PLAYERS
Palm Beach Daily News, Mar 22, 2010 by JOSEPH LUCIANO

Attending a tennis fantasy camp weekend getaway usually involves a lot of planning and travel.

Now those wanting such an experience won't have to make hotel reservations or buy airline tickets. The camp can come to them.

Palm Beacher Cameron Lickle, son of Garrison Lickle and Dragana Connaughton, recently teamed with professional Mats Wilander to cut out the middle man and take their fantasy camp experience across the nation through Wilander on Wheels.

The pair, along with consulting professional Mikael Pernfors, just wrapped up a two-week stint in South Florida and soon will begin touring the nation in their Winnebago to teach the sport. The group gave lessons at the ATP Champions Tour and World Tour event last month in Delray Beach and also taught in West Palm Beach and Miami.

They ran a clinic March 4 at the Seaview Tennis Center. Lickle said it was great to give lessons on the courts on which he grew up playing.

The group offers an hour-and-a-half clinic for $200 per person. They also plan to offer four- and eight-hour sessions as well. There must be a minimum of six participants and a maximum of eight.

Participants "can be at home and spend way less and get the same experience," Wilander said. "We're catering to their needs."

Talented teachers


Wilander, formerly the No. 1 men's tennis player in the world, leads the group. He has won seven Grand Slam singles titles (three at the French Open, three at the Australian Open and one at the U.S. Open) and a Grand Slam men's doubles title at Wimbledon with Joakim Nystrom. Wilander, who finished 1988 ranked first in the world, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002. He also helped Sweden win the Davis Cup Tournament in 1984, 1985 and 1987.

Pernfors is best remembered for reaching the men's singles final at the French Open in 1986 where he gained his highest ranking of No. 10 in the world. Mikael also has three career singles titles and one doubles title.

Before turning professional, Pernfors played for the University of Georgia, where he won back-to-back NCAA singles titles in 1984 and 1985. He also played on Sweden's Davis Cup Team.

Lickle, a 2003 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, was captain of the Naval Academy's tennis team in 2002 and 2003. He was ranked No. 1 among collegiate players while at the Naval Academy. Lickle, who was inducted to the Naval Academy Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, served five years in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear engineer.

When he's not giving lessons, Lickle plays in International Tennis Federation futures events.

Pernfors won't be at every stop along the tour with Wilander and Lickle.

Rather, he'll make it out to certain camps to lend his expertise. Other professionals will be enlisted as well to help teach.

The tour begins in Phoenix in April and will include a stop in California later that month. Boston and Washington, D.C., are on the schedule for May before the group heads to the French Open.

After a break, the group is hoping to have camps in Nantucket and Cape Cod, Mass., in August.

The group runs its camps seriously and provides a hands-on experience with the focus on footwork and high-intensity drills, Lickle said.

"We push people as hard as they want to be pushed," Licke said. "There's not a lot of chit-chat. We run it like a military operation. It's all go and really no rest. You really get your butt kicked."

Proper footwork is the key to success, Wilander said, and that's what he tries to impress on the participants.

"You move your feet and things get better," he said. "Moving to the ball is what it's all about, not the shot. That's the way I've always played."

Wilander and Lickle met about a year and a half ago at an event in Sun Valley, Idaho.

"We kind of hit it off," Lickle said. "He took me under his wing. One night, he brought up the idea of the camps, and I gave it a little bit of structure."

Wilander said Lickle "was all gung-ho."

After a year or so of planning, they did a test run in November in Las Vegas. They said they plan to continue their tours indefinitely as successful experiences so far are propelling them.

"I'm blown away," Wilander said. The participants are so "enthusiastic during the clinic. There's been so much positive feedback, and that's what drives us."

Lickle said "that's our reward, to see how excited people get at the end.

"It's so fulfilling to see people improving."

For more information or to schedule a session, call Lickle at (561) 252-3150 or visit wilanderonwheels.com.

New Packages and Rates Announced for 2010

Basic Package

Weekend: $5000 Flat Fee from hosting club: 3 (1.5 Hour) Clinics each day: 8 people max per session

Weekday: $2000 minimum from hosting club. $200 per person. Up to 3 (1.5 hour) Clinics each day: 8 people max per session

Weekend: For a Flat Fee of $5000, WOW will conduct 3 (1.5 hour) clinics consisting of high paced and fast energy drills that Mats ran as Sweden's Davis Cup Team Captain. Participants are limited to 8 per session in order to keep the session as intimate and personal as possible. Sessions can be run either in the morning or afternoon depending upon what is most conducive for each club. Upon conclusion of the day, WOW will either have lunch or dinner with all participants.

Weekday: $2000 minimum to reserve the day. Charge $200.00 per person. Max 8 participants per session. Up to 3 (1.5 hour) clinics consisting of high paced and fast energy drills that Mats ran as Sweden's Davis Cup Team Captain. Participants are limited to 8 per session in order to keep the session as intimate and personal as possible. Sessions can be run either in the morning or afternoon depending upon what is most conducive for each club. Upon conclusion of the day, WOW will either have lunch or dinner with all participants. Note: for weekday events, we give 10% back to the promoter for his efforts.

The great part of what it is we do is that we are not just feeding balls out of a basket. Mats and Cameron are continuously hitting with each participant. We push people as hard as they want to be pushed. We have created the basic package so that it can be fairly "push button" for some clubs who do not want to arrange anything different. We are flexible with everything we offer ie; we advertise 4.5 hours of tennis but can do more. As well, that time can be used for an exhibition match/ doubles play/ one-on-one etc. The idea is that we bring the fantasy of hitting with a former Champion to people's back yards and cater to the hosting club and their wants/needs.