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Austin ITF – Info, Draws, Order-of-Play

Welcome to the Austin ITF hosted by the Austin Tennis Academy! Check back here closer to 8:30pm each evening to see more info, draws, and order of play for the following day.

Friday:

Order of Play –

[embeddoc url=”https://www.austintennisacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/OOP-Thursday.pdf” download=”all”]

BD – Thurs Comp

[embeddoc url=”https://www.austintennisacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/BD-Thur-Comp.pdf” download=”all”]

GD – Thurs Comp

[embeddoc url=”https://www.austintennisacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GD-Thur-Comp.pdf” download=”all”]

Boy’s Singles

[embeddoc url=”https://www.austintennisacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/BS-Thur-Comp.pdf” download=”all”]

Girl’s Singles:

[embeddoc url=”https://www.austintennisacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GS-Thur-Comp-1.pdf” download=”all”]

Links:

TennisLink Homepage for weather updates

ITF Fact Sheet

Chad Loup on Twitter for real-time updates

ATA Adds Tennis Locker App To Improve Methods

Dear Parents,

As you know, the Austin Tennis Academy is constantly seeking better, more advanced training methods to make our tennis program the leader among juniors tennis programs. Given this commitment, it only made sense for us to select Tennis Locker as our official player development app.

What is Tennis Locker—and what does this mean for you and your child?

Tennis Locker is an app that combines cutting-edge technology with insightful analytics to help us develop smarter, faster, and better athletes than ever before. It also keeps parents more connected, engaged, and informed—ultimately allowing us to offer a better experience to you and your child.

Some of our favorite features include:

● Easy Attendance Tracking — Coaches will record attendance with a quick tap of the finger, and you’ll have easy access to see when your player attended practice.

● Systematic Daily Evals — During or after practice, coaches will rate athletes on 4 different metrics, and you can check in at anytime to see how your player is performing and improving over time.

● Accurate Fitness Testing — All fitness tests will be recorded using the Tennis Locker app, so you and your player can view specific test results and trends throughout the season.

● Documented Practice Matches — Coaches will use Tennis Locker to assign practice match opponents, ensuring your player plays a wide variety of skill levels. Plus, win/loss records will automatically be recorded for you and your player to view at any time.

● Motivational Leaderboards — As a fun way to keep players striving for more, your player will be able to view program leaderboards based on performance metrics, practice match history, and more.

● Insightful Analytics — Tennis Locker uses charts and graphs to show you, your player, and our coaches how your athlete is improving over time, what to focus on in the next practice, and more.

● Clear Goals & Progression — Coaches can assign individualized goals to athletes, complete with push notifications to remind your player to work hard even outside of practice.

● Full Events Calendar — All ATA events will be conveniently stored within the app, so you can check on upcoming events and deadlines anytime, anywhere.

● Easier Communication — Thanks to Tennis Locker’s handy push notifications, you’ll never miss another important message about canceled practices, sales in our pro shop, upcoming events, tournament deadlines and more!

● FREE to Parents & Players — We’re excited to invest in Tennis Locker to offer you and your player a better training experience. We’re even more excited to announce that Tennis Locker is absolutely free for parents and players!

Many of you already are using tennis locker. For those who do not currently use the App, please keep an eye out for a follow up email in the next few days that will include a link to download the Free Tennis Locker app for iPhone and Android, as well as important login details.

Parents of players under 13 will also receive additional information in regards to providing your consent, which must be given in order for us to use Tennis Locker as part of your child’s training.

If you have any questions or concerns, as always, we are here for you. Thank you for choosing the Austin Tennis Academy. We are excited to continue using the TennisLocker App to engage our players on a totally different level on and off the court.

With best regards,
Jack Newman

Austin Tennis Academy

Congratulations ATA College Prep Class of 2019!

ATA College Prep is a unique learning environment that produces extraordinary results and this year’s ceremony and graduating class were no exceptions. Bailey Forgus will attend the University of Chicago; Callie Creath will attend the University of Tennessee, and James Burdick will attend Babson College.

Years of dedication, discipline and a great deal of heart have opened these doors for these young graduates. A new tradition began this year with the ceremony taking place under a tent on court 3. Having graduation on campus where the graduates have grown up allows friends and family members to better understand the ATA College Prep experience.

The ceremony consisted of commemorative videos chronicling each graduate’s development and highlighting memorable moments, followed by a special mentor selected to speak on their behalf, and then each graduate addressed the community, honoring those that contributed to making this moment possible.

ATA College Prep Humanities Lead, Tommy Collins gave the keynote address and sent our graduates off with a powerful parting message:

“By coming to CP, and signing on to the universities where you are headed, you are committing to a life of discernment, of critical thinking, and of engagement. Valuing and living by those attributes are often incongruous with the world around you. “

After receiving their diplomas and moving their tassels to the left, in traditional form, the graduates pass down the responsibility of leadership and mentorship to the rising seniors, symbolically represented by the passing of the ATA ball.

Prior to the graduation ceremony, guests enjoyed the ATACP Annual Art Exhibit, featuring creative artwork created by students throughout the year.

“It’s always so gratifying to see the students’ work all framed and hung on the wall—you might say that a piece of art isn’t truly finished until it’s on display, being shared with others.” – Shaela Rutherford, CP art instuctor.

For more photos capturing this special event, visit the ATA College Prep Facebook and Instagram pages.

Thank you to the entire community for celebrating and being part of this memorable evening honoring Bailey, Callie and James!

ATA Summer Tennis Camps – Info Here

ATA’s summer tennis camps begin June 10th! We have wonderful camps for kids of all ages and skill levels. Take a look at the video below to get a window into what our camps are like:

Sessions

Summer Grand Slam Camp – June 3-7 – (SuperChamp Only)

Week 1: June 10-14

Week 2: June 17-21

Week 3: June 24-28

Week 4: July 1-3 (Mon – Wed ONLY)

Week 5: July 8-12

Week 6: July 15-19

Week 7: July 22-26

Week 8: July 29- Aug 2

Week 9: Aug 5-9

Times

QuickStart Camp 9:00am – 10:30am (age 5-8) Morning Camp 9:00am – 12:00pm
Tournament Tough Training Camp 1:00pm – 4:00pm^*

Cost

QuickStart Camp $175/week ($40/day drop-in) Morning Camp $300/week ($80/day drop-in)
Tournament Tough Training Camp $375/week ($90/day drop-in)

Click Here To Sign Up For Camps

Payton Holden, CP Alum and Princeton Junior, Earns NCAA Doubles Bid

Former ATACP standout and current Princeton Tiger Payton Holden earned a spot in the 2019 NCAA Doubles National Tournament with partner Ryan Seggerman.

The duo is the 33rd ranked team in the nation by the ITA, and were as high as 17th during the season. They joined the 32 team field after starting as an alternate.

Holden and Seggerman will face the 4th ranked pair of Oli Nolan and Henry Patten from UNC Asheville in the opening round. Play is set to begin Tuesday in Orlando, Florida at the USTA National Campus.

For fun, here is a throwback of Payton in 2009 at ATA…..good luck, tomorrow, Payton!!

ATA Alums Kerrigan, Wright, Bartlett Honored For College Success

Over the past few weeks, a number of ATA’s graduates have earned awards and recognitions for their accomplishments at the next level.

ATA College Prep graduate Kristin Kerrigan, an Air Force Academy Freshman, earned Female Rookie Of The Year in the first annual Bolt Awards – recognizing top performers across all sports as voted on by the cadets.

Georgia Wright, a freshman at Washington & Lee, earned Old Dominion Athletic Conference Rookie Of The Year. Georgia logged 12 wins in singles and 15 in doubles while helping her team to the ODAC conference title.

Chase Bartlett, an ATA College Prep graduate and current St. Edward’s University junior, earned the 2019 Heartland Conference Player of the Year award. Chase rebounded after being sidelined by an injury to end the year ranked top 40 nationally in both singles and doubles.

Congratulations to these three outstanding athletes as well as all of the other ATA grads who are currently competing at the college level!

ATA Upgrades College Prep Classrooms

Over Spring Break, you might have noticed a bit of construction in the Fitness Center. Over those weeks, we made some changes to improve the ATA College Prep classrooms to meet the needs of the growing program.

First, we moved the wall, adding about 8 feet to each of the original spaces. With new carpet, paint, A/C units, replaced whiteboards, and relocated electronics, the space has undergone a major enhancement.

“The classrooms feel brand new,” said Tommy Collins, CP’s Humanities Lead. “The added space makes the rooms brighter and provides enough room for everyone to spread out comfortably.”

The two upgraded classrooms pair with the dedicated school building across campus that houses 3 other classrooms, a common area, and teacher offices. Check out the new spaces the next time you are in the ATA Fitness Center!

ATACP Raises Butterflies For EmilyAnn Theater

This month, ATACP students had the privilege of raising caterpillars to butterflies on the behalf of the Emily Ann theater. The EmilyAnn Theater and Garden was founded in 1998 to celebrate the life of Emily Ann Rolling by providing a permanent home for Shakespeare Under the Stars, a program in which Emily excelled as an actress and costume designer. The mission of the EmilyAnn Theater and Garden is to reinvest in the dignity of the human spirit through the performing arts, the beauty of nature and community fellowship.

After receiving the caterpillars an idea sparked in our critical thinking class and before we knew it the students were hard at work creating a habitat for our new fluttering friends. We successfully raised ten painted ladies to release in our butterfly garden today. With the largest monarch migration underway, we are hoping our butterfly garden will attract some new tenants.

For more information about the Emily Ann Theater and Garden visit:

http://www.emilyann.org/about.html

Chinese Immersion Students Visit ATA College Prep

A group of five middle school students from Taizhou, China recently visited ATA College Prep. Arriving in the United States for a cultural and language exchange program, they first toured San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Stanford University, and the Google and Facebook offices. They then toured Hollywood, La Jolla Beach, and Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum and the Grand Canyon before making their way to Austin, Texas.

Excited students arrived in Austin and joined with their American host families. (A big thank you to the Malyshev family for hosting one of the students during their stay). Students shadowed in local elementary and middle schools, including a day at ATA College Prep. They interacted with CP students while learning in classes, playing American board games, and hitting tennis balls. CP students embraced this experience as an opportunity to learn about a new culture and share pieces of their own. And CP Chinese language students had an opportunity to put their language skills to the test.

This young and growing cultural and language exchange program is championed by ATCP instructor and owner of Westlake Chinese Academy, Mrs. Yang Wang, who expressed that it has been an eye-opening experience for all the students, as well as the Chinese teacher who led their group. Not only have they been exposed to U.S. history, geology, religion, daily American life and food, but also they had the opportunity to put into practice the English they have studied for many years. Mrs. Wang explained that most of the students come from only-child families and had never been away from home. “During this trip, I have seen the kids growing quickly – learning how to take care of themselves, organize their things, and share with others,” said Mrs. Wang. In the future, these children hope to attend a U.S. high school or college. By shadowing American students, they have a firm grasp of the differences (and the similarities) between American prep schools and Chinese prep schools, as well as how to prepare for admissions.

Two of the visiting students were a part of ATACP Director Carol Hagar’s English class last summer as part of this program in Taizhou, China. Linda and Amy were so excited to be reunited with Carol for the day!

“Studying abroad is an ideal opportunity to open the mind and the heart to cultural diversity and to broaden deeper understandings of humanity. ATACP is honored to be a part of this exchange program – connecting people across the world through heartful education. We look forward to many more shared adventures.”, says Carol Hagar.

ATA CP’s BAILEY FORGUS NAMED NATIONAL MERIT FINALIST!

ATA College Prep senior, Bailey Forgus was named a 2019 National Merit Scholar Finalist. To put this award in perspective, approximately 1.6 million students take the PSAT each year. Of the juniors who take the exam, about 16,000 (or 1{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9}) earn scores that qualify them as Semifinalists. This group is narrowed down to 15,000 Finalists.

Although CP students have been commended in previous years, Bailey is ATA College Prep’s first NMS Finalist! This is a testament to Bailey’s commitment to excellence, his tireless effort, and perseverance and qualifies him for a college scholarship.

Bailey has attended College Prep since his 8th-grade year and has been prepared for this moment through learning experiences designed by the inspirational CP staff. So much love, effort, and support have contributed to this accomplishment and all should share in the pride and joy.

“Bailey has earned this award through years of disciplined effort. He made this possible by investing time in time preparation, but also by taking a challenging slate of courses and making the most of his classes throughout his high school career,” commented Bryan Rutherford, CP’s Math & Science Lead.

Bailey will attend the University of Chicago in the fall of 2019. Congratulations Bailey!

Junior Team Tennis Registration – Info

Dear ATA Parents and Players,

Junior Team Tennis Spring season is quickly approaching! JTT is an awesome opportunity for players to compete within a team environment, set goals, be exposed to challenging competition, receive on-court coaching and play for something greater than individual merit. Teams are based on age and development level. It is a perfect first competitive experience for JD and QuickStart players (there is even an 8&U Red Ball division) who have never played tournaments and it is a valuable vehicle for more experienced players to work on various areas of their game. League winners in several levels will represent Austin at the state tournament this May 18-19 in Midland, TX.

The last several seasons have seen multiple ATA teams represented in the state championship as well as the national championships. ATA has won 5 national JTT championships over the past few years and also dozens of state titles!

FAQs

Schedule? Tentative start of the season is February 17th. Matches are played Sunday afternoons and consist of 8 game pro sets (2 sets to 4 in 10U divisions). A typical day begins with a warm-up 30 minutes prior to start time and matches last for approximately two and a half hours. Players should plan to stay through the end of the match and support their teammates. Half of the matches are played at ATA and the other half at the opponent’s sites in Austin.

Commitment? Teams consist of 4-8 players who must commit to playing a majority of the matches. If an occasional conflict arises, it is imperative to communicate with the coach to prevent a default. We schedule JTT matches best we can to not conflict with Challenger, Champ and Superchamp tournaments. For each match, teams are assigned a coach/academy player. There have been times when coaches are traveling and academy players are in tournaments and we may ask the help of a parent.

Cost? $150 for the season and players must be a current member of the USTA or be willing to register. Become a member online at www.usta.com and click on membership. Fee of $20/year includes access to all USTA tournaments, leagues and a subscription to various tennis publications. Any player 10 & Under who needs to register for the first time gets a FREE membership!

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the number of matches per season, because it depends upon how many teams in the city register and how well the team does.

HOW TO REGISTER

Please reply to our JTT Coordinator, Coach Carrie at carrie.kalapala@austintennisacademy.com to register or if you have any questions. Coach Carrie will be putting teams together and players need to sign up by Feb 1st, if you would like your son/daughter to be part of JTT. Schedules will go out after JTT captains meeting on February 11th. Please include when signing up player’s level (See below), birthdate, and USTA membership number. Player must be eligible in their age bracket until the end of the season May 31st.

Levels:

USTA Ratings

8U Red Ball

10U Orange Beginner

10U Orange Intermediate (Plays challengers)

10U Green

12U Green ball

12U 1.9 & Below

12U 2.4 & Below

14U 2.4 & Above

14U 2.9 & Below

14U 3.4 & Below

18U 2.9 & Below

18U 3.4 & Below

ATA College Prep : Did You Know?

Did you know?

ATACP is an independent private school, the youngest and smallest program fully accredited by Advanc-Ed (the largest accrediting body in the world), the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools, and TEPSAC (Texas).

Our 2015-2018 graduates’ SAT score ranges are far above the national average and rank number two of all surveyed private and public schools in Austin.

Reading/Writing: 600-780 Math: 600-800.

ATACP curriculum and pedagogy does not teach to standardized tests, but our students perform well.

Recent graduates have been admitted to University of Chicago, Pomona, Princeton, Amherst, Notre Dame, Us Air Force and US Naval Academies.

CP has an online communication system for assignments, grades and messaging between students, teachers, parents, and coaches. Staff members collaborate weekly to discuss and best serve each student. The average class size is 8.

Students participate in a Leadership program to practice self-awareness, goal setting, and intrinsic motivation that includes neuro-targeted learning and metacognitive skills through daily inspirational reading, written reflection, and Socratic dialog.

Students lead a Mentor-Mentee program and peer tutoring in math labs and study halls enhance collaboration skills and increase understanding of previously learned skills.

We host monthly Field Trips and Guest Speakers.

Students read an average of 8 novels per year and analyze, annotate, discuss, and write research papers and reflections on numerous supplementary poems and short stories each year.

Students use day planners and follow a college schedule, which encourages time management and organization as they learn to manage their study hall times and lessen after school homework.

We foster a Growth Mindset. We teach students that learning is a life-long process and grows with time and effort. We focus on effort, attitude, and work ethic.

If you would like to learn more about ATA College Prep, visit our classes, or arrange a shadow day for your child, please contact Carol.Hagar@AustinTennisAcademy.com.

Happy Learning!

2018 ATA Holiday Party Pictures

Take a look back at some highlights from the 2018 ATA Holiday Party!

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2018-2019 Winter Tennis Camps at ATA

Winter Tennis Camps at ATA are around the corner! We have options for kids of all ages and levels. The camps are designed to provide the greatest development of your child’s physical, mental, technical, and tactical performance levels.

Dates:

December 31st, 2018 – January 4th, 2019

Times:

QuickStart Camp 9:00am – 10:30am (age 5-8)
Morning Camp 9:00am – 12:00pm (All levels)

Tournament Tough Training Camp 1:00pm – 4:00pm

Cost:

QuickStart Camp $175/week ($40/day drop-in)

Morning Camp $300/week ($80/day drop-in)

Tournament Tough Training Camp $375/week ($90/day drop-in)

Quick Start Camp

9:00am – 10:30am
The Quick Start tennis format used by the Austin Tennis Academy gives kids the opportunity to rally a ball over the net and learn to play points as quickly as possible – all in a fun environment. Our coaches recognize the importance of starting kids off well, and with success. The ATA was instrumental in developing this groundbreaking nationwide program and served as the pilot program for the USTA. This program uses the appropriate size racquet, court and ball to allow kids to do more – faster! Suggested Age: 5-8 years old

Morning Camp

9:00am – 12:00pm
Players will improve their game by learning fundamental skills, practicing game situations, and improving overall movement. Using the latest techniques and international innovations, players learn valuable athletic skills for tennis and other sports.

Afternoon “Tournament Tough” Camp

1:00pm-4:00pm
Tournament players will improve their game by using competitive game situations, technical training and point play, as well as movement and flexibility training. ATA Academy players will be training at this time.

Policies

Registration must be made online.
Payment in advance is required to reserve your slot. An administrative fee of $50 will be applied for cancellations.
ATA camps are held rain or shine. Indoor sessions are held in the event of inclement weather.
No refunds or make-ups for days missed.
Weekly rate applies to that particular week only (no carryover).
Medical Release and Hold Harmless must be filled out online.
Players may leave credit card on file to cover pro shop purchases, lunch, etc.
ATA does not offer housing. Private housing may be available. Email info@austintennisacademy.com to inquire.
Prompt pick-up is expected. Early drop-off and late pick-up is available upon request for $50 per week.

ATA 18U Advanced Dream Team Wins JTT National Championship

Austin Tennis Academy’s 18 and Under Junior Team Tennis ‘Dream Team’ secured their spot as the nations top team last week in Florida. The JTT National Championships brings together the top 32 teams from around the country – the ‘Dream Team’ represented the Texas Section, taking down Ohio out of the Midwest Section in the Finals.

“JTT nationals is probably my favorite tournament ever,” said Dream Team member Caroline Wernli. “The energy was so high the entire weekend, everyone was playing amazing tennis, and the teamwork and support were amazing. The best moment was definitely the finals warm-up; we were listening to music and getting so hyped because we knew we had a chance to win a championship.”

This year’s championship team consisted of Callie Creath, Caroline Wernli, Megha and Anushka Dania, Bailey Forgus, Juan Abboud and Blaine Kanak. Two of the Dream Team members – ATA College Prep seniors Bailey Forgus and Callie Creath – logged their 2nd JTT national title after winning the same event in 14s back in 2014.

“I felt immensely proud to be representing Texas with my teammates,” Forgus said. “The feeling of winning for my friends and the section was far more satisfying than winning at an individual tournament.”

While the Advanced team competed in their event, ATA’s Intermediate team fought for their own national title, ultimately bringing home the 2nd place trophy. The two teams played at the same facility throughout the event and were able to support each other throughout like they do daily at ATA.

“Seeing James and Alex really step up and play some amazing tennis after all of the hard work they’ve put in over the last few years was one of the best parts of the event,” Bailey said.

Juan Abboud echoed the team-focused takeaways.

“Winning the national championship with my teammates was the best feeling. Representing the State of Texas…sharing the same bank of courts as the intermediate team and cheering them on till the very end…it was truly a remarkable experience!”

If you missed the event, the entire Finals match is available to watch right here:

Alumni Update: Annika Pandey Checks In From UChicago

Hi everyone!

My name is Annika Pandey and I am a first-year at the University of Chicago. We have just finished our 5th week of classes and midterm exams. Tennis is in “offseason”, which means we no longer have official practice with our coaches, but we do have “captain’s practices” and lifts with our trainer. During our fall season, we played two tournaments, one in Rhode Island and one in Michigan, our ITA Regionals. Overall, my college experience has been really great so far.

One thing I want to talk about is sacrifice. As a student-athlete, I know all of you are already familiar with this concept, but sacrifice has become a huge part of my life in college. I have so many responsibilities I need to take care of on a daily basis. In college, you will find that you have school and tennis to take care of, which in my opinion, should be your top priorities. Then you have extracurricular activities and clubs, social life, career advancement opportunities, and sleep and mental/physical health to consider as well. There are not enough hours in the day or days in the week to do everything you have to or want to do. You are going to have to make sacrifices on a daily basis in order to do what’s best for you or your team. When I first got to UChicago, I didn’t understand this. I thought I would be able to do everything I wanted or had to do. I tried to do everything and I ended up exhausted, stressed, and unhappy, while not even accomplishing what I wanted. Now that I’ve acclimated to college life, I get that I can’t do everything. It is so so important to have your priorities straight and use your time efficiently and effectively.

A piece of advice I have for y’all as you prepare for college is to develop strong communication skills. I cannot stress enough how important it is to be an effective communicator. Learning to communicate with others can literally change your entire college experience. Whether it’s communicating with professors or TAs (become friends with your TAs!! They grade everything in your classes and basically control your fate), coaches, or students, you can open so many doors for yourself. One thing I’ve learned at UChicago is that your ability to communicate and make connections with people is just as and sometimes more important than your grades. The relationships you build now could end up getting you an incredible internship over the summer that translates into a job post-graduation.

The final thing I want to say is to appreciate what you have right now. When I was in high school I couldn’t wait to go to college, move away from home, and be independent. While college is awesome, it’s a whole different ball game. It can be really hard at first when you don’t have a support system around you to help you through tough times. The ATA community is so supportive, and I think you’ll find that when you go to college, you won’t have the same environment to rely on all the time. School is really hard, tennis is a demanding time commitment, and everything else going on can really take a toll on you. You’ll learn to juggle everything eventually, but it’s definitely a struggle at first. Be grateful for everything you have right now because it’s all definitely very special and finite. College is kind of like being thrown into the deep end of a pool where you have to learn to swim with little or no help from others. I promise once you learn to swim it’ll be so fun and great and an incredible experience though!!

I would love to answer any questions anyone has about college or the college process so please feel free to contact me if you want to talk!

Best,

Annika Pandey

Pictures From The Courts and The Classrooms

Below are a few recent pictures from ATA College Prep tennis practices and classes. To see many more, head over to our social media pages! Links at the bottom:

Juan gets set for a forehand. Later in this point, he hit a perfect tweener – camera guy wasn’t ready, though…

Sydney locks in on a backhand.

The English I students focus on an in-class writing assignment.

Kaylee and Harrison…and a lizard.

To see more tennis photos, click here!

To see more photos from classes and around campus, click here!

Alumni Update: Hannah Harrod Checks In From George Mason

Hi Coach Newman,

I hope you are doing well. I just wanted to send a quick update.

I’m not going to lie, college started off a little rocky for me. Being so far away from home made it hard to adjust, but once school and tennis started time has flown by. I can’t believe it’s already been 7 weeks since I’ve been here. I’ve already made so many new friends and I love my team.

From my time at ATA, and my year having around 12 girls, it has really prepared me for my college team. I’ve learned how to deal with certain situations and in college that have really helped me. My college team brought in some drama from last year, and from being new it was hard to find my place at first. Before our first tournament the team vibe was not positive and I knew I had to stand up for our team. I reached out and made it a point that we are going to have a great year if we endlessly support each other which will then give ourselves the best chance we have. I was nervous to stand up and say something because I’m a Freshman, but ATA taught me how to be a leader and how to make a difference.

For the younger teammates to prepare for college I would say to come in knowing who you are. As you enter in this new place, you get to start all over. No one knows you from high school or your past. So, knowing your morals and values are very important in defining yourself. You have to be strong in who you are because you don’t have that safety net to fall back on like you do at home with your friends.

In high school trying to juggle school, tennis, and friends was complicated, but it taught me how to manage my time. College is all about time management, and thanks to high school and ATA I am able to manage my time very well. Also, ATA’s fitness is way harder than any of my college workouts have been so far. Having dedicated fitness coaches who know what is best for a tennis player is something rare. In saying that, do not take for granted what ATA is providing you with. Thank you Coach Josh and Coach Dio for helping mold us into strong athletes. In college our trainer does not really take our workouts that seriously or know the best things for us to do as tennis players which is unfortunate.

If I could do something different as a Junior to prepare myself better for college tennis I would of not put so much pressure on myself with results or ranking. In college no one cares about your junior results or what tournaments you won when you were 15. What matters is how you fight for your team, not just for yourself. Now you are playing for something much bigger than yourself and you have the responsibility of competing for your school and your team.

GO PATS!!!

Thank you and I hope everyone is doing well!!

Joyfully,
Hannah Harrod

Alumni Update: Georgia Wright Checks In From W&L University

Hi, ATA community and especially younger players,

I am Georgia Wright, a current freshman at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. After starting school at the very beginning of September, I have now gotten a feel of what college is like regarding both the academic but also athletic expectations. I personally love college here and know without a doubt I made the right decision. There is definitely a great sense of balance here and that is just what I wanted in my college experience.

In the classroom, the professors do expect diligence and dedication but I think it is important to remember that they are people as well. Washington and Lee is a smaller school with the classes being around 20 people so it is very easy to form a relationship with the professor, but I recommend no matter how big the class is to make an effort to talk to your professor because it can only help you in your class and grade. In classes, I recommend starting assignments as soon as possible to give yourself time and reduce stress.

Time can be a tricky thing as you think you have much more than you did in high school, which is true because you only go to class for 1-4 hours a day possibly, however, don’t let it get out of hand and just think you have an endless amount of time. Get your stuff done sooner than later and then you do have more time to do whatever you want without stress. Especially playing a college sport, DI, DII, or DIII, you have to do your work in a timely manner because no matter you are expected to perform and show up to every practice. As an athlete you do have less time than a non-athlete however, in my opinion, it really just helps you time manage more. I still have time to do other things that I want to do besides school and tennis in college for sure, just have to allow yourself enough time.

Regarding tennis, I do love my team and my coaches. We have very high goals for this year so the coaches are really expecting the freshman to make a major impact. I just finished my fall season which was around 5 weeks during which I played a grass court tournament in Rhode Island at the International Hall of Fame. I saw Annika and Wilson there so just know you can never “get rid” of your ATA people. Anyways, my team totally resembles my crew of ATA girls and I am so happy that is the case. The practices are different than ATA and I would say easier but I know I am still getting better, however, thank you ATA for preparing me for my college practices. My coaches do expect me to take care of myself, go to the trainer when I need to, and focus while at practice, but meanwhile stay very on top of my work as they know school here is the most important thing. However, don’t let that scare you – all of those things are possible while in college, trust me.

Something that I have noticed while here is that it can be very hard to stay in touch with people outside of your school just because you become so preoccupied with your new life here, as you should be. However, it is still important to make an effort to communicate with your best friends even if that is just once a week or two weeks because they are still important. Also with your family, just text them with some updates because as you make all your own decisions now and are living more your own life, they still want to know generally how you are doing.

In retrospect of my ATA career and if I wished I did anything differently, I think I am overall pretty happy with how I both balanced school and tennis but I think the key thing in all of this is: balance. Train hard at practice, work hard at school, but also allow yourself to do things you love while you are home because in college you aren’t there anymore. Also, as I said earlier, balance is very important in college as you now have new classes, new people, new coaches/ team, and new social opportunities.

Current rising juniors and seniors, my advice to you is: do what you love, have fun, and it will all work out. Your hard work will pay off. I hope everyone is well at home!

Sincerely, Georgia Wright

Alumni Update: Roger Chou Checks In From Brown U

Hello ATA,

My name is Roger Chou and I am a freshman at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Now that we are heading into the seventh week of classes, I have a better understanding of Brown’s culture, community, and academic/athletic programs. I am more than happy to say that I absolutely love everything at Brown, from the stunning campus to the student/administrative body to the academic and athletic opportunities. Without a doubt, I made the perfect college choice.

The most noticeable difference from high school, and especially being a college athlete, is time. Having a heavy STEM class schedule is a greater time commitment as most of my classes are accompanied by conference or laboratory sections. I usually have classes from 9/10AM to 2PM and practice from 3/4PM to 6/7PM. If I’m not in class or studying, then I am playing tennis and vice versa. I’ve never had “free time” or a moment when there was nothing to be done. Managing your time effectively is the key to success (I learned this the hard way).

Looking back on my high school years, I wish I had learned to make more decisions by myself. It’s difficult to make your own decisions when coaches, teachers, Asian tiger parents, and peers are constantly pulling you in different directions. Being a college athlete requires a higher level of responsibility and maturity as you don’t have outside resources to help make decisions for you. At the end of the day, you and only you know what is best for yourself and it’s not your job to satisfy another person’s expectations.

ATA prepared me well for my college years. I believe the efforts of the staff and students there will continue to benefit me throughout college and throughout life. I would advise current students to keep working hard and enjoying what they do because no matter what happens during the journey, everything is going to work out.

Best wishes,

Roger.

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