Tennis Begins With Love

“TENNIS BEGINS WITH LOVE: THE WORLD’S LONGEST TENNIS RALLY” - A TRUE STORY

Tennis can be a metaphor for life. Tennis, as life, begins with love. This is the true story of identical twin brothers who used love to overcome adversity, to honor legacy and to benefit charity. This is our story.

On August 12, 2006, we set a goal to break the Guinness World Record™ for the world’s longest tennis rally to raise awareness and donations for charity. It took us three attempts, two years and one new can of tennis balls. On August 9-10, 2008, we set the new Guinness World Record™ for the longest tennis rally consisting of 25,944 strokes in 14 hours, 31 minutes. We donated the record balls to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI USA and the exhibit will be on display starting July 2009.

More than 25,000 children die from preventable or treatable causes under the age of 5 in the developing world…every day. {Source: Save the Children}
Our symbolic goal was to hit more than 25,000 consecutive strokes without missing in one day.
We failed at our first attempt after 2,745 strokes in 1 hour and 32 minutes.
We failed at our second attempt after 19,490 strokes in 10 hours and 38 minutes.
But then – after 14 hours and 31 minutes – we succeeded at our third attempt of 25,944 strokes. Lesson learned: the secret to success is failure – a lesson that took 26 hours, 41 minutes and 48,179 strokes to learn!

We need your help to accomplish a more significant goal: our pledge to raise $25,944 for charity.
4 Ways You Can Support Rally4Charity:
Watch our video on YouTube. www.YouTube/RossettiBrosTennis > Help us reach 25,944 views.
Friend us on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rossetti-Rally-4-Charity/47968308132 > Help us reach 25,944 friends.
Follow us on Twitter. http://Twitter.com/Rally4Charity > Help us find 25,944 followers.
Donate to charity online at www.Rally4Charity.org/movie > Help us raise 25,944 dollars.

“Our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” – Christopher Reeve

Thanks to everyone who made our dreams possible: our families, friends, donors, sponsors and volunteers.

We hope that our story inspires you to be the best in the world at something you love.
Angelo & Ettore
The Rossetti Brothers

P.S. Rally4Charity is dedicated to the late Tim Gullikson and Scott B. Wilson and to all the victims and survivors of ALS, cancer and more than 25,000 children who die of preventable or treatable causes around the world. The rally continues for them.

Family Weekend at the Tennis Hall of Fame

Tennis Balls used to achieve the Guinness World Record™ for Longest Rally

This worn down ball (right) was hit 25,944 consecutive times over 14 hours, 31 minutes by identical twin brothers, Angelo and Ettore Rossetti, who achieved the Guinness World Record on August 10, 2008.

In 2007, the Rossetti Brothers made their first attempt at the world record. The ball from that event (middle) fell short of the world record. However, with 19,490 consecutive hits over 10 hours, 38 minutes, they achieved the American record. The following year, they continued to pursue their dream and through extensive training and preparation, ultimately succeeded.

A new, unused tennis ball (left) allows us to compare how much wear and tear a tennis balls experiences. The achievements of the Rossetti Brothers replicate - though more labor intensive - the research and testing undertaken by the ITF Technical Centre. Located in London, the ITF Technical Centre is the world's preeminent facility for tennis-specific research and testing. A key activity undertaken by the ITF Technical Centre is the testing and approving of tennis balls for durability, consistency, rebound and deformation. For more information on the technical advances being made in the sport visit www.itftennis.com/technical.

Gift of Angelo & Ettore Rossetti, Rossetti Brothers Tennis Foundation, 2008

In memory of Tim Gullikson & Scott B. Wilson

2008.61.1, 2008.61.2, and 2008.61.3

Suggested Visiting:

International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF)

Rally 4 Charity on Facebook

Rally 4 Charity on Twitter

Inspirational Tennis World Record Movie

Letting Go

On Friday I made a significant donation for my brother and I. I gifted 3 tennis balls. It doesn’t sound too impressive but the key was that they weren’t just any three tennis balls and they weren’t donated to any old place.

I donated our world record tennis balls to the International Tennis Hall of Fame for their museum in Newport, Rhode Island. It’s one of those times where you have mixed feelings but we did the right thing. Two years ago, when we cracked open the USPTA ProPenn 1 tennis balls to try to break the Guinness Book of Worlds Records™ for the longest tennis rally. In so doing, when knew we had some special tennis balls. When you compare the ball that has been rallied continuously for almost 15 hours and 26,000 strokes to an unused ball it is not only completely worn of all of its yellow fuzz but it is much smaller, more like a racquetball.

I know that the balls are in very good hands. Not just the fact that they are in a historic museum with other items from many tennis greats but that they aren’t around my house any longer where my almost 3-year old daughter Madison can play with them or lose them. You see, I had kept the world record balls in my Prince racquet bag for a while now and just the other day I noticed Madison playing with a USPTA ball that looked awfully similar to the unused ball from the original can we opened for the record. Come to find out…it was!

I swiftly took the ball away from her although I felt badly because she got upset so I tried to give her one of the hundred other random tennis balls lying around the house of a full-time tennis teaching professional. But why is it that children display random acts of stubbornness? It’s not that she knew it was a special ball or anything it’s just that she knew she wanted that ball and not the one that I replaced it with.

Suffice is to say that I distracted enough to calm her down (and myself knowing that that ball has its place in tennis history). That prompted me to load my tennis bag in the trunk of my car for my journey to the tennis hall of fame Friday.

It was a unique experience. I had to sign a gift agreement from which transferred ownership to the hall of fame of the three tennis balls. The original ball, the US record of 19,490 strokes that we set in August of 2007 and the world record ball of 25,944 strokes that we set in August of 2008.

I didn’t have much resistance being mindful of what had just happened with my wrestling match with Madison. So out of my hands and into the history of tennis.

If you have never been to the International Tennis Hall of Fame it is a must see for anyone interested in tennis or just history and sports. Monica Seles’ display is up now since she is being inducted this July. My brother and I are running tennis clinics during the July 4th holiday as part of family weekend. Our goal is to attract more than 1,000 kids to experience tennis that weekend. We will have the kids do Quickstart clinics, games, face painting, watch our 9-minute commemorative tennis movie and hear our goal setting inspirational presentation followed by an autograph session.

It should be a ton of fun!

Suggested Visiting:
http://www.tennisfame.org/
http://www.rally4charity.org/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rossetti-Rally-4-Charity/47968308132?ref=ts (Rally 4 Charity world record fan page on Facebook - Aug 15th you can win $1M)

It's Not About Tennis

ROSSETTI BROTHERS ARE SMASH HIT AT ROTON MIDDLE SCHOOL’S HEALTH FAIR
Over 250 kids are inspired to stay fit, dream and set and get goals

NORWALK, CT - Identical twin brothers and USPTA certified tennis teaching professionals, Angelo A. and Ettore Rossetti inspired Roton Middle School students on Friday, April 3rd in Norwalk by giving their keynote presentation in the gymnasium in the center of the health fair while conducting a live rally to simulate their Guinness World Record™ for the longest tennis rally set on August 9th of last year.

“We are so excited to have the Rossetti Brothers appear at our fair this year. Not only their world record but their message is inspiring to us all”, stated Lois Snelson, Health Educator for Roton Middle School, who also is a high school girls tennis coach. Roton’s Principal, Joseph Vellucci, was on hand to take part in the activities as well amidst the exercise and autographs.

The live ball rally was done in several segments, where each grade of students would come to the gymnasium and sit and watch the rally while the Rossettis inspired them in and interactive, story-telling manner. They asked the audience what dreams and goals they had. Some responses were unique, such as being ‘the best zoologist in the world’ and ‘discovering new marine life.’ Ettore quoted Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech, sharing that now we have a new African American president and that dreams are not only possible but inevitable if you put your mind to them.
“Working at Save the Children full time makes fund raising a part of me on and off the court,” stated Ettore Rossetti, who is the Associate Director of Internet Communications and Marketing in Westport in addition to being a tennis teaching professional. The Rossettis are still shooting for another goal: to match their world record of 25,944 with the same amount in money for charity To continue on their quest for this goal they are holding their 3rd Annual Rally4Charity event at Milford Indoor Tennis August 15.

“Inspiring people to go for their goals is part of the fabric of who I am,” proclaimed Angelo.

The theme of Roton’s 3rd Annual Health & Wellness Fair, held Friday, April 3, was “Commit to be Fit!” The fair included exhibits from American Diabetes, Family & Children Agency, American Heart Association, DVCC/Peace Works, Dynamic Martial Arts and Stamford Hospital. Also, represented were Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk Community College, as well as other Norwalk programs such as River Rowing, the Health Department, Your Services, Smiles Program, the Police Department and Norwalk Dermatology.

A free tennis lesson at Kings Highway Tennis Club in Darien was given to all of the children who attended.

To learn more about Roton Middle School please visit http://www.norwalk.k12.ct.us/roton. To follow the Rossetti’s Rally 4 Charity visit http://www.Rally4Charity.org, where you can click on any one of the charity logos to donate online. The four charity beneficiaries are: ALS Association, Save the Children, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Tim & Tom Gullikson Family Support Fund at the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.
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Suggested Links:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rossetti-Rally-4-Charity/47968308132?ref=ts (Rally 4 Charity world record fan page on Facebook)

http://www.rally4charity.org

Finding Your Flow

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”John Quincy Adams (American 6th US President (1825-29), eldest son of John Adams, 2nd US president. 1767-1848).

Happy New Year 2009!

Seasons Greetings from the Rossetti Family