Manlius YMCA tennis instructor unveils first book

By Jason Klaiber

Staff Writer

Drawing from decades of experience, Manlius YMCA tennis instructor Gyata Stormon has written her first book on the game.

Published on June 4, “On the Ball: Doubles Tennis Tactics for Recreational Players” provides an instructional overview for players looking to improve and enjoy the game of tennis to a greater extent.

“This gives the big picture,” Stormon, a Cazenovia resident, said. “There’s a lot to be said about the rules and the etiquette and how to keep score and the tactics.”

Exhibiting over 200 court diagrams with related text in her book, Stormon has worked to make the material easy to understand for beginners and accessible to players at all levels.

“Doubles can be tremendously fun for beginners all the way up through very, very advanced players,” Stormon said. “It’s social and competitive at the same time, and it’s a really great way to move your body without making it feel like work.”

After the introduction and orientation parts of the book, there are four main chapters: one about starting each point of a match; one detailing different formations and strategies; one addressing the intricacies of the net player and the baseline player in the offense and defense zones; and one chapter laying out practice drills.

In her book, Stormon touches significantly upon a method called staggered offense, which entails two doubles partners playing close to the net.

“It’s not the traditional way, but it’s the way that people are moving towards, especially adult recreational players,” Stormon said. “That’s a big part of this book.”

Born in Vancouver, Canada, Stormon started learning the game and entering her first tournaments at age 10.

“When I learned back in 1971, your coach would stand you in a line and just feed you balls and teach you the forehand and the backhand, which are the basic strokes,” Stormon said. “But they wouldn’t teach students how to play. The belief was that you had to teach players, kids and adults the strokes first.”

She spent ensuing years competing in the Pacific Northwest and Eastern Canada.

Eventually, she played Division I tennis at the University of Iowa.

Apart from teaching tennis internationally over the years, Stormon won the Canadian Senior Doubles title three times and represented Canada in the Senior World Championships in 2007.

She played locally for a handful of years with her regular doubles partner Anne Marie Vick, going on to compete in multiple United States Tennis Association matches together as well as the Grass Court Senior Nationals.

“If you’re on the same page as your doubles partner and you both have the same idea, it’s just so much easier,” Stormon said.

Stormon had been preparing notes and info graphics for her tennis students over the course of the past several years, so she decided it was time to pull it all together for a solidified book.

A sociologist by training, Stormon has written up research reports in the past but went into the book-writing process without a clue as to how long it would take.

Last July, she took most of the summer off to zero in on writing. She finished a first draft by the middle of September.

A student of hers, Valerie Clarke, became the book’s content editor and an instructor herself. Stormon’s brother, Art Kilgour, tidied up the diagrams.

The book has been dedicated to the memory of Stormon’s mother, Marling, who used to practice with her between lessons.

Stormon also teaches yoga at the Manlius YMCA. She said she is currently the only person in Syracuse teaching a style called Forrest Yoga.

“For me, yoga and tennis go hand in hand, both physically to reset the body and mentally to stay calm,” Stormon said. “I started doing yoga at 21. It is woven into me, and in that way, it’s woven into the book.”

“On the Ball” can be purchased on Amazon. The 234-page paperback version costs $19.95, while the 228-page Kindle version costs $7.25.

The Manlius YMCA, located at 140 W. Seneca St., will be holding a book launch and signing from 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 15. Attendees of the event must call 315-692-4777 to reserve their spot by June 12.

The book launch will include exhibition matches and round-robin play in the YMCA courtyard. Appetizers and soft drinks will be provided.

Visit ontheballbook.com for more information.