This Summer, your child can take advantage of the Austin Tennis Academy’s tennis camps to progress at a rapid rate. These camps are designed to provide the greatest development of your child’s physical, mental, technical, and tactical performance levels. Sign up now for a full week or a single day, 1st week of camp is June 15th! Click here for more info and to register
ATA has 60 super champ players competing in the Texas Grand Slam tournament starting Friday, June 12th! Twenty two of the singles players are seeded, singles play starts Saturday, June 13th. In doubles, ATA has twenty two seeded players and play starts Friday, June 12th.
ATA SEEDED PLAYERS
Boys 18s
Boys 18d
Boys 16s
Boys 16d
Boys 14s
Boys 14d
Boys 12s
Girls 18s
Girls 18d
Girls 16s
Girls 16d
Girls 14s
Girls 14d
Girls 12s
Girls 12d
We recently received an update on the Gonok Village deep borehole well project.
Over the past few months, REST (a Relief Organization of Tigray, and regional non-profit partner of the Glimmer of Hope Foundation) has worked with the Gonok community to establish a WASHCO, which is a very small unit of government created to take care of the water project and a tabia-level board for the new Deep Bore Hole well. The WASHCO includes 10 community members and the tabia board consists of experts on water supply, agriculture and rural development, health institutions, women’s affairs, education, and farming.
This is important because in the past we have not had this level of structured management around our DBH projects. While there has been a WASHCO associated with Glimmer water schemes, the new WASHCO is larger and has defined responsibilities. The tabia board is a new addition to Glimmer DBH project management, and it will help the Gonok community manage the day to day activities associated with the DBH and also act as an advocate for the Gonok community if there are issues that need to be escalated to the woreda level, such as major repairs.
The community has opened a bank account for the DBH, in which the woreda and the community deposit money into as well as any tariffs collected after the DBH is in use.
This is interesting because the money has been collected upfront, which shows that the local government and community are strongly committed to the project!
The project continues to move forward and we are excited to see the conclusion of this massive project in sight. The following will be happening in June and July:
Thursday evening the ATA community honored Conor O’Meara, as he signed with DePaul University to join their men’s tennis team for Fall 2015. DePaul University is a Division I school in Chicago, Illinois. He will be pursuing a degree in film. Congratulations Conor!!!
Growing Champions for Life Newsletter has a short article, “Are Your Child’s Life Accounts in Balance?” that ATA CEO Jack Newman recommends. It is about having a well rounded child to minimize gaps in their preparation for dealing with life for when they grow up.Click here to read more
Congratulations 2015 College Prep graduates! Thank you all that came out to support and congratulate Grayson, Spencer and Camilla as they move on to the next chapter of their lives…COLLEGE!!! Grayson will be attending University of Notre Dame, Spencer will be attending Pomona College and Camilla will be attending Amherst College in the Fall.
The ATA ball has been passed to the upcoming group of ATA seniors.
DALLAS 12’s and 14’s
Coach Newman on notable player performances he watched this weekend.
Harrison Chiu finished 4th in B14 ‘A’ draw, very competitive in matches he lost. He will compete for sectional title.
Max Schmidhauser scrapped his way to victory in B14 ‘B’ draw, competed extremely well with calm demeanor and great sportsmanship!
Jack Lum playing Monday tennis, extremely clear about his game style.
Megha Dania won the backdraw in G14s ‘A’ draw for her second SCMZ in a row.
Coach Lucie on notable player performances she watched this weekend.
Caroline Wernli won her 2nd straight singles SCMZ in girls 12’s A draw. She is getting better and her game style is becoming more aggressive. She handled being the #1 seed with poise and fought her heart out in every match.
Sarah Darbar had a break-through tournament in doubles, winning the girls 12’s A draw with her partner. Sarah and her partner were impressive with their attacking game styles and their command of the net.
Lily Schiffman got 4th in her singles 14 B draw, winning several matches in match tie breakers, showing consistency and grit.
Ela Raczka and her partner won Girls 14’s A draw doubles crown, dominating the field!
HOUSTON 16’s and 18’s
Coach Brandon on notable player performances he watched this weekend.
Callie did a great job at this event. She beat two girls she had never beaten before and got 5th place in the Girl’s 16s A draw! She really took a step forward in her ability to play committed tennis in difficult situations, and it paid off. I am looking forward to what her summer has in store for her!
Kristin was very close to having a big breakthrough tournament. She lost two extremely close matches against higher ranked players along with winning 2 back draw matches. She is on a great path and I know she will be making some waves throughout the summer this year!
Grayson had a good event winning a three hour war in the QF against a very solid player then turning around and barely losing the SF against eventual winner Aron Pierce. He just ran out of gas in the hot and humid weather but I thought he did a great job of setting himself up for success at Summer Grand Slam.
Bailey did a fantastic job of battling through a shoulder injury and winning his back draw on Monday. He was in a lot of pain and won a difficult match and it was gutsy! I was proud of his performance.
The 12 and under intermediate Junior Team Tennis team, ATA Devastators, took 2nd place in the Texas section this past weekend in New Braunfels! The team played 4 team matches and only dropped 4 sets out of 20. Gabrielle Flores also took home the Sportsmanship Award for the event, voted on by the opposing teams. ATA also had their 10 and under team, ATA Smashers, competing in the USTA, Texas sectionals.
Pictured above (left to right) Devan Sabapathy, Jake Riezebeek, Neha Dania, Keana Moon, Gabrielle Flores, Adi Iyer, Ross Cockrell and Coach Carrie.
Coach Lucie discussed this article by Pat Dougherty to Academy and CP students during practices this rainy week. Everyone was asked to take notes and be ready to discuss the characteristics of being a great competitor. Click the link below to read the full article.
Download the article here: www.apbelt.com/images/10_Characteristics.doc
This Thursday May 14th the Men begin and Friday May 15th the Women begin the round of Sweet 16 of the NCAA Team Tennis Championships. Baylor University is hosting the event, which will see the top 16 Men’s and Women’s teams converge on Waco to determine the best team in the nation. Both Men’s and Women’s semifinals will be on Monday, May 18th.
ATA Academy players and Westlake High School students Julian and Marcus Sweeney teamed up to earn their way into the Texas UIL State Tennis Tournament.
“It’s fun playing with Marcus because since I am the big brother, I’m calling the shots and running all of the plays,” Julian said. “The most challenging part is keeping our energy up, which is one of the most important things in doubles.”
The duo won four matches at District and another 5 matches at Regionals. With two teams from each Region qualifying, the Sweeney brothers will be one of just 8 teams from across Texas to compete for a State title.
“The most fun thing about playing with my brother is that I know that no matter if we win or lose, I know that we will remember whatever happens for the rest of our lives,” Marcus said. “The most challenging is that on the court, we don’t always get along, and it requires a lot of teamwork to work through the challenging times.”
The Sweeney brothers will take the court at the State Tournament on May 12-13 in College Station, TX. Good luck, boys!!!
Below is a link to an article that comes recommended from ATA CEO Jack Newman. The article is titled Sleep: the greatest performance enhancer – here is a brief excerpt:
(4).jpg)
“Rather than looking at the deficits of the brain with regards to the lack of sleep, we should be acting upon the research of the benefits on the brain with increased sleep. We need to take care of our brains to optimize our health and well being. So often we hear people saying, “I can’t afford to get that much sleep.” My reply to them is, “you can’t afford not to!”
Click here to read the entire article: http://adisciplinedmind.com/6/post/2015/05/sleep-the-greatest-performance-enhancer.html
ATA College Prep alum Maggie O’Meara earned All-Mountain West honors for her doubles play this season alongside partner McKenzie Davis. O’Meara earned all-conference honors, an award voted on by the coaches throughout the conference, in her Freshman season.
The duo logged a 15-4 record so far this season, and looks to add to that record in the second round of the Mountain West Women’s Tennis Championships on Friday against San Jose State.
Congratulations, Maggie, and good luck this weekend!
ATA CEO Jack Newman was part of a USTA focus group with outgoing player development head Patrick McEnroe as well as director of men’s tennis Jay Berger. In addition, representatives from the USTA Texas Section and five other coaches from Texas participated in the discussions about TEAM USA tennis, the USTA player development plan to develop US tennis champions.
The ATA community will celebrate five seniors this week, as each signs letters of intent to pursue their academic and athletic careers at the universities of their choice.
On Monday, Elena Seifert will commit to attend Claremont McKenna College in California.
“What set CMC apart from the other colleges I applied to was the small college feel within the 5 college consortium in Claremont. With Pomona, Scripps, Pitzer, and Harvey Mudd just across the street, there is an infinite amount of resources available to all students. The Cali sun, the 7 different (and amazingly good) dining halls, and being close to my brother Oliver were just a little added bonus.”
Elena is a five-year veteran of ATA who came through the Junior Academy program.
“I know that I’ve come pretty close to mastering the skill of time management thanks to ATA and my busy schedule, and I feel ready to take on my first college classes,” Elena said.
On Tuesday, the community will celebrate three seniors: Spencer Chiu will commit to Pomona College, Jordyn Kanak will commit to Millsaps College, and Tyler Wilkie will commit to Southwestern University.
Jordyn Kanak has been at ATA for five years. She was also considering Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York.
“My time here has prepared me by showing me what it’s like to have a team, and how it rocks to have a second family you can go to when you need help.”
Spencer will graduate from ATA College Prep this year before heading to Pomona. He also considered Amherst, Wesleyan, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins and Tulane.
“I’m looking forward to surrounding myself with driven people who want to succeed in all aspects of life,” Spencer said. “I look forward to becoming independent and taking on the challenge of growing into a man. I look forward to leading my team to hopefully a national championship. I look forward to the weather of southern California. I look forward to meeting many new people and making many friends.”
Spencer will finish his fourth year at ATA full time before moving on in the fall.
“ATA has helped me mature and helped me understand how lessons I learn on the tennis court can help me in life too.”
Tyler Wilkie will commit to Southwestern University as well on Tuesday.
“I’m excited for college of course for all of the obvious reasons…. It’s college,” Tyler said. “But as well as pushing myself to get the best grades possible to get the job I want after college. Athletically I am looking to be All-American eventually. Also I would like to start top 3 as a freshman.”
Closing out his 6th year at ATA, Wilkie is a veteran around Academy practice.
“ATA has not only helped me grow as a tennis player but as a person as a whole,” Tyler said. “It has helped build character and respect for adults, which will help me later in life, as well as the work ethic and habits that need to be created to become a successful individual.”
On Thursday, the community will come together once again to celebrate Camilla Trapness, as she signs on to attend Amherst.
“I was initially drawn to Amherst for its great reputation, both academically and athletically,” Camilla said. “When I visited, I really liked the coach and the team was very fun and welcoming. When I walked around campus, I could really picture myself going there.”
Camilla also considered Yale, Dartmouth, Williams and Middlebury, before landing on Amherst.
“I am looking forward to being challenged both academically and athletically,” Camilla said. “It will certainly be a change and will require lots of hard work, but I always enjoy being in new situations. Even though Amherst is considered a small college, I am looking forward to being in a larger environment than I have been in at ATACP and at my prior ski academy.”
While she has only been at ATA for just under two years, Camilla has made the most of her time here.
“This short time has certainly helped prepare me for college life,” Camilla said. “I have learned how to balance my school work and practice schedule, as well as developed important leadership and work ethic skills. Additionally, I really appreciate Coach Newman’s emphasis on having respect for the sport, my coaches, and my teammates.”
Everyone is invited to come out and celebrate with these wonderful seniors!
Below is an article that comes recommended by ATA CEO Jack Newman. The article, published on FastCompany.com, is titled Why Your Next Employee Should Be a Student Athlete.
“athletes have most likely failed more than they’ve won, but they always get up and keep going. In the workplace, this trait creates an employee who will find a way to win.”
The 2015 USTA National Spring Team Championships unfolded last week, with two ATA players coming home with hardware. ATA teammates Caroline Wernli and Abigail Chiu stayed aligned in Alabama as they competed together to bring home a highly cherished Bronze ball.
“This week in Mobile was something I’ve never experience in junior tennis,” said Abigail. “The team aspect and energy was so special to be apart of, and I’m so happy to have earned third place with our team, the Diamondbacks. I am very excited to bring home a bronze ball, not only for myself, but along side my ATA teammate Caroline.”
Abigail, pictured second from left, and Caroline, fourth from left, pose with their teammates. The tournament brings together 256 of the best juniors from around the country with 32 boys and 32 girls representing each age division – 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s. Players are then assigned to 32 teams that include 16 boys and 16 girls and one team coach selected by the USTA.
The event begins with two days of training and education, followed by four days of competition. The Spring Team Championships is a National Level 1 Ranking Tournament – the pinnacle of USTA National competition.
Abigail and Caroline pictured third and second from the right.Congratulations to all of the players who made it to this prestigious event, and good luck in the upcoming tournaments!
If you are going to make a difference in the world, you will soon learn that you can’t follow the herd.
In order to lead, one must possess a strong sense of direction. One must have a purpose and understand the meaning behind his or her action. One must also be able to communicate this so that others may follow.
To educate means to ‘lead out’. Our world’s greatest political and spiritual leaders have dedicated their lives to educating and leading… as have parents, teachers, coaches and mentors.
As such, parents sometimes can become more concerned with how little Johnny is performing when compared to others instead of as compared to his unique progress. Sometimes we can lose sight of the larger, more important factors of learning in lieu of just getting the grade. However, if a student is encouraged to understand “how” she learns, and “why” something can be exciting, and then be inspired to satisfy the curiosity… it can make all the difference between her success and her failure.
This is the primary difference between a linear, one-size-fits-all education which can create followers – regurgitating back what is given, and an individualized education which can create leaders – sparking interests that bring about change. One takes the same ingredients of structured content and attempts to produce a standardized outcome, and then order each one in numerical order. The other attempts to structure time in order to teach a student to think, to learn ‘how’ to learn, and to discover ‘why’ this adds interest and value to his or her life… in other words to lead out and to feed the curiosity that is within and develop one who can gain mastery of himself.
At CP, students are encouraged to focus on the HOW and WHY of learning. Through identifying their own learning styles and learning about varying ways brains process information, they are learning to use their unique strengths to gain knowledge, problem solve and consciously create their future.
So, projecting forward, which one will more likely stand out in the stacks of resumes and college applications? Which one will be more likely to further the vision of an idea… of a company… of the world? Number 5 out of 789 or this ONE who masters pieces of his or her Self? Hopefully… both.
Remind YOUR child that he or she is a unique ONE… regardless of where he or she may be in line.
~Carol
Growing Champions for Life Newsletter from David Benzel
|
||||||||||||
Your Villain Becomes Your Child’s Villain
One of the more memorable sport movies of the last few years is “42” – the true story of Jackie Robinson’s first season in Major League Baseball as the first African American allowed to play in “the Show”, as it is often called. There is one particular scene in the movie that haunts me, and I hope it haunts you as well. I’m referring to the game when Robinson and the Dodgers play Philadelphia and take the field in front of a very hostile crowd. As Robinson runs out to his position in the first inning, a young boy sitting next to his father watches intently as his father yells racist remarks at Robinson for
his mere existence on the field of baseball. Within moments, this young boy who appears to have been caught off
guard by his father’s ranting, decides that he too should join in the degrading of the “villain” on the field; it seems like the thing to do.
A father can be a powerful influence on a child. A parent’s values become a child’s values. A parent’s words become a child’s words. A parent’s behaviors become a child’s behaviors. And it stands
to reason that a parent’s villains become a child’s villains. What a sobering thought!
Perhaps it’s time to ask, “Who have you cast as villain in your world, and do you want your child to see and treat these people as villains – bad guys, undeserving of respect, targets of personal attacks, ridicule and blame? There are few things as destructive as racism; the movie scene demonstrates a father’s influence on a young mind. But it
doesn’t have to be about the color of one’s skin for it to be damaging.
For instance, is it possible that our children learn disrespect for referees by overhearing our repeated disgust over an official’s call? Can we really expect our children to take responsibility for their performances when we constantly blame the judges or umpires for calling it as they see it? How can we possibly ask our children to listen to their coaches
when they frequently hear us criticizing the coach’s decision making?
In truth, parents can be respect-killers for every authority figure in a child’s life by attacking, ridiculing, criticizing, condemning and complaining about referees, umpires, judges, officials, coaches,
and sport administrators. When we “villainize” someone, whether it’s
during a competition, during the car ride home after a practice, or in front of children while talking to other adults, we
should not be surprised when our children demonstrate disrespectful behaviors towards those same people. They
didn’t learn it from a stranger.
We have a huge responsibility to teach tolerance and respect for those who volunteer their time (or are paid very
little) to officiate or coach our children. If we hope to maintain the services of our officials, as well as teach our children respectfulness, we must first learn to control our emotions and our reactions on the sidelines of competition. Many organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to retain officials due to the verbal abuse they suffer at the hands of parents! Yet those same parents expect their children to control themselves.
If youth sports is truly a laboratory for learning life lessons; if its purpose is to help our children develop physically, mentally, and emotionally – then it stands to reason that parents cannot temporarily suspend such virtues as respect and self-control during the minutes of a game. If you recognize the tendency to get emotionally hijacked by your emotions during competitions here are some suggestions:
Give these strategies a try. They will go a long way in helping you set a good example for your children and make it safe
for our referees, umpires, and officials to continue doing the task they enjoy.
A Resource to Tap:
Rich on Paper, Poor on Life
by Philip
McKernan
We live in a world that works tirelessly to assimilate us to be “normal”. This collective pressure has the ability to dampen our spirit and give up the dreams we have in our souls in search of what we are told is success and happiness. We often find ourselves chasing the things we think will make us
happy and when we get there, feeling an eery emptiness.
The real life stories in this book will inspire you to find the courage and clarity within to take back your life and challenge the very essence of the things you think will make you happy. Stop living the life others want for you and begin the quest for meaning in every area of your life. If you feel you are settling in life and wonder if there is more, then this book is for you.
GCFL Promotion:
Sport Parent
Quiz
Discover Your Sport Parent Style!
The sport parent quiz is designed to help you discover how you behave as a sport parent and what effect it is having on your child. Sport parents come in 4 FLAVORS…Manager, Agent, Sponsor, Hero. However, through the challenges and
emotions of sports we sometimes become the sport parent we NEVER intended to be. By answering the following questions honestly, your point total will indicate which of the four flavors fits you best.
Highlights:
Meet a GCFL True Hero Track Partner:
T Bar M Racquet Club
T Bar M Tennis Academy is located in Dallas Texas and offers comprehensive tennis
training to children from 3 years old to highly ranked collegiate athletes and
professionals. Our system of development is based on five areas of focus. Comprehensive
Technical, Tactical, Mental/Emotional, Physical and Character Development are all incorporated
into every workout at every age. For decades our program has produced not only
great players, but most importantly great people.
Quote of the Day
“Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires
less energy to go faster and farther
when
the wheels
are in perfect alignment, you perform
better when your
thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals,
and
values are in balance.
“
– Brian
Tracy, Personal development
author
Share
This
Newsletter 
Email
a Friend
Share
on Facebook
Share
on Twitter Quick Links:
David on Social
Media | Learning
Center
| David’s
Blog 
www.growingchampionsforlife.com
david@growingchampionsforlife.com
?
?
