HAMDEN, CT - Identical twin brothers and USPTA certified tennis teaching professionals, Angelo A. and Ettore Rossetti are preparing to break the Guinness World Record for the longest contrived tennis rally Saturday, August 9 at Milford Indoor Tennis.
Last August 18-19th the brothers had accumulated 19,490 successful rallies over the span of two days. The record attempt began at 6:31 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Saturday, August 18 and concluded at 5:09 a.m. On Sunday, August 19. This year they plan to start the attempt at 9 a.m. and should break the record by 12 midnight by their calculations.
"Sleep deprivation was the only thing we did not account for last year," stated Angelo A. Rossetti. "With an earlier start the record will be ours by August 9th."
The brothers have set a symbolic goal of 27,000 continuous strokes, which represents the number of children around the world that die every year from treatable or preventable causes under age 5 according to Save the Children. Ettore has two children age 5 and under and Angelo has one.
The rally will part of USPTA's Tennis Across America again at Milford Indoor Tennis, which includes private clinics, team clinics, junior and grassroots clinics, cardio classes and open court time. In addition, it is being recognized as an official Lessons for Life fundraiser. These activities are part of USPTA's Tennis for the Health of it, it's theme for 2008.
Last year teaching pros Isidro Martinez, Paul Coorssen and the Rossettis taught the clinics. In addition, this year Steve O'Connell, first past president of the USPTA/New England will be present to assist with the organization and instruction. The event is also an officially recognized Rally for the Cure event, where there will be a serving clinic and fast serve contest and cardio tennis. Organizing the Rally clinics is Linda Timpson, who is a tennis player herself and serves on the volunteer event committee.
Given the duration of the attempt, volunteer counters had to rotate shifts. The chief counters this year are Danielle Verdura and Tom Ettorre, who did the all-night shift last year. They will coordinate the team of counters throughout the day and evening. John Lawless is also heading up a car wash in the outside parking lot to raise money. There will be junior tennis players assisting in the car wash. Inside the club during the event there will be a silent auction to raise additional funds for charity. An signed tennis ball by Andre Agassi is one of the many items that have been donated as well as items from Pro Penn and Prince.
"This was the hardest mental and physical event that I ever have done," exasperated Ettore about the attempt last year. "But we are even more prepared this year." The late Christopher Reeves was quoted as saying "So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable. It is inevitable that we will break the world record this year."
Ettore paradoxically reflected "sometimes when you lose, you actually win." Recalling Andre Agassi's victory speech over James Blake at the 2005 U.S. Open, Angelo reminisced, "though we did not break the world record, tennis won today, as well as our charities". Angelo drew inspiration from the fact that those who are afflicted with ALS would not be able to do something like this. He also knew that the more strokes the more money raised for the charities since people were making pledges per stroke. This year they have added two more noteworthy charities: Save the Children and Rally for the Cure, to total four.
The Rossettis eclipsed both the stroke-count for the United States and duration for the world but want to break the world record on number of strokes. That record was set in the UK which lasted 24,696 strokes in just over 7 hours. The Rossetti Brothers have been in talks with the International Tennis Hall of Fame about displaying their U.S. longest rally ball from last year.
During this feat of skill and endurance, the twins struck one tennis ball, a USPTA Pro Penn 1, continuously in play for 10 hours and 38 minutes without breaks for water, food or the restroom. By the conclusion of the rally, the effort took a toll on the ball as well, which by the end of the rally was worn down to its rubber surface.
The effort is dedicated to the late Tim Gullikson who died of brain cancer in May 1996 and to Scott B. Wilson who died of ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) in July 2005. If you would still like to support either of their charities, please visit www.RossettiBrothersTennis.org.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
1. Attend the event (Aug 9th in Milford)
2. Donate to charity (We are still collecting auction items)
3. Sponsor the event (Inquire via email for more info)
4. Volunteer (We need counters, car washers, helping run the auction)
5. Tell your friends (We have FREE tennis clinics all day on Aug 9th - bring a friend! Email Linda.Timpson@sas.com to save your space)
About the 4 Charities:
The Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation - http://www.gulliksonfoundation.com/Mission: To assist brain tumor patients and their families in managing the physical, emotional and social challenges presented by the illness.
ALS Association - http://www.alsa.org/
Mission: To lead the fight to cure and treat ALS through global, cutting edge research, and to empower people with Lou Gehrig's Disease and their families to live fuller lives by providing them with compassionate care and support.
Rally for the Cure - http://www.rallyforthecure.com/
Mission: Rally for the Cure®, in partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Golf For Women magazine, is a grassroots program dedicated to spreading awareness in the fight to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. Rally brings the breast cancer awareness message to active women and men, and its events provide the platform for special fundraising opportunities for Komen for the Cure.
Save the Children - http://www.savethechildren.org/
Mission: Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating real and lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. It is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, comprising 28 national Save the Children organizations working in more than 120 countries to ensure the well-being of children.
About Angelo A. Rossetti:
Angelo became a USPTA certified teaching professional in 1992 and has was the Assistant Head Tennis Professional at North Haven Health & Racquet as well as teaching at Yale University and the Head Pro and Director of Adult Programs at Milford Indoor Tennis. He has also taught with ATP Tour professionals, including Tom Gullikson, Tim Mayotte, Johan Kriek, Mikael Pernfors, Luke & Murphy Jensen, Malavai Washington, James Blake and Monica Seles. A top Division I player at the University of Connecticut, he earned a B.S. degree in Sports Marketing. He won the USTA New England Sportsmanship award in 2005. In 2007, he and his identical twin brother, Ettoré, were ranked #1 in New England Men's Open Doubles and were awarded gold medallions at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Angelo was also awarded the 2007 USPTA Regional Teaching Pro of the Year and 2007 Open Player of the Year with his brother. He will now be the new Director of Tennis at North Haven Health & Racquet come August. Angelo and his wife, Pam, live in Hamden with their daughter, Madison.
About Ettore Rossetti:
Ettore is a graduate from the University of Connecticut with a degree in sports science with a concentration in marketing. He is also a USPTA certified tennis teaching professional but his full-time profession is Associate Director, Internet Communications and Marketing at Save the Children in Westport, CT. He currently teaches tennis at Milford Indoor Tennis. Ettore is also the co-founder of Rossetti Brothers Tennis, LLC and the Rossetti Brothers Tennis Foundation. He resides in Shelton with his wife Soumia and his two children, Adam and Jasmine.
About the Rossetti Brothers:
Angelo and Ettore Rossetti, also known as the flyin' Rossetti Brothers from their youth, have been ranked as high as #1 in men's open doubles in New England in USTA tournament play. They are identical twins separated at birth by ten minutes, Angelo being the older brother. Angelo and Ettore were born on January 21, 1970 and have never taken a formal tennis lesson. They both played high school tennis at Hamden High achieving a quarterfinal appearance their senior year in the state tournament, while their team finished second to Staples High School of Westport, CT. The Rossettis played tennis in different capacities at the University of Connecticut. Their company oversees and manages tennis programs locally. Their foundation raises money to pass through to officially recognized charities. Just like the Bryan Brothers, Angelo and Ettore are both sponsored by Prince.
About the USPTA.
The United States Professional Tennis Association is the world's oldest and largest association of tennis-teaching professionals. With more than 14,500 members worldwide, USPTA strives to raise the standards of the tennis profession while promoting participation and lifetime enthusiasm for tennis.
About Tennis Across America and Lessons for Life.
Established in 1990, the goal of Tennis Across America is to get people out on the courts in a grassroots lesson program. The program also includes multicultural segments, reaching out to various communities and potential players who have special needs and may not otherwise have the opportunity to play. People getting their first taste of tennis will learn basics to get started, find out how to improve, and reap the benefits of a calorie-burning workout.
USPTA members are active fund-raisers in their communities, using tennis as a vehicle for helping others. Through Lessons for Life, USPTA encourages this activity and tracks some of the impact that tennis professionals have on local and national charities. The impact has been substantial. From 1999-2007, USPTA members have raised nearly $32 million. Lessons for Life is officially celebrated in October. However, USPTA members run fund-raisers year-round, and they take a variety of forms, such as tournaments, pro-ams, auctions, black-tie dinners and clinics. Each event might raise hundreds or more than a hundred thousand dollars for local or national charities.
"We could never calculate everything that USPTA members do to improve the lives of people in their communities, because much of it is beyond having a dollar value," said Lessons for Life Chairwoman Paula Scheb, director of tennis and fitness at Bonita Bay Club in Bonita Springs, Fla. "We'll probably never be able to count what they contribute just through fund-raisers. But each member's contribution to charity and the overall result of Lessons for Life are things that we all can be proud of."
Prince will be an in-kind sponsor of the event and the ball of choice will be USPTA Pro Penn extra duty felt for hard court surfaces. One can will be used for the record attempt again this year.