#ATAResults – Page 12 – AUSTIN TENNIS ACADEMY

ATACP Psychology Students Present Work During Rainy Practice

The rain washed away any hope of hitting a ball this afternoon, but the Academy students and coaches were still hard at work in the fitness center. The coaches led the group through 1 hour of fitness, followed by two 30 minute presentations from ATA College Prep Psychology students Alejandro Rodriguez and Bailey Forgus.

The assignment from CP Psychology teacher Jack Newman was to present an element of positive psychology to the group using a PowerPoint and a handout.

“I thought both Alejandro and Bailey did an excellent job correlating the teachings we have learned in class with tennis, and how it can translate on the court,” ATACP senior Abigail Chiu said. “Bailey focused on happiness, and Alejandro chose mental toughness and both were presented with visual evidence that really brought interest to the entire group.”

Bailey titled his presentation Be happy with your journey, not your destination. See the slides below:

[embeddoc url=”http://www.austintennisacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Be-happy-with-your-journey-not-the.pdf” download=”all”]

Alejandro titled his presentation, Pushing Yourself. See the slides below:

[embeddoc url=”http://www.austintennisacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/PushingYourselfProject.pdf” download=”all”]

“It was nice to get to showcase some of the things I had learned in class while giving my teammates some information which could help them,” Alejandro said. “It was fun talking to a larger group, I didn’t feel nervous at all and I enjoy speaking to more people. I hope to get to do that a lot in college and professionally. I think people connected with some of the content that I talked about and because my topic had a very direct correlation to tennis, I think they will be able to apply what they learned (if they choose to) pretty straightforwardly. The group was also a great audience which made it very fun to present!”

Check back later in the week to see more student presentations.

Sign Up For Winter Tennis Camp At ATA

2016 Winter Tennis Training Camps

This Winter, your child can take advantage of the Austin Tennis Academy’s Winter Camps to progress at a rapid rate. The camps are designed to provide the greatest development of your child’s physical, mental, technical, and tactical performance levels.

Dates:

December 26th, 2016 – December 30th, 2016

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 $150/week ($40/day drop-in)
Morning Camp $275/week ($80/day drop-in)

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

Quick Start Camp

9:00am – 10:30am ($150 per week or $40 per day)
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 ($275 per week or $80 per day)
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 ($375 per week or $90 per day)
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.

4 Qualify for Champs and 2 Qualify for Superchamps!

Over the last couple of months, ATA has had 4 players qualify for champs. ATA’s youngest academy players Jacob Golden and Lucas Riezebeek qualified for boys 12s. While, Sarah Schaal G14 and Alex Sheddan B16 also both qualified.

Savannah Baptiste and Keana Moon won the Girls 14’s doubles CMZ and qualified for superchamps and earned some ice cream!

Congratulations to all the players!

Designed Learning Experiences – Surprising Stoichiometry

ATA College Prep instructors strive to develop dynamic and stimulating content that is relevant to each student. Learning experiences are designed to engage students through information while adding intellectual, creative, emotional, and physical layers. Focusing on the goals of opening students’ minds and equipping them with the tools to succeed academically, lessons address the HOW and WHY of each learning activity in addition to the WHAT. This article is the first in a series titled Designed Learning Experiences and will feature unique activities that take place within the CP classrooms.

In example, the students in Mr. Rutherford’s Chemistry class use “stoichiometry” (quantitative chemistry) to predict the amount of baking soda needed to fully neutralize a certain amount of vinegar.

Mr. Rutherford explains, “The kids did the math and then tried measuring in the amount of baking soda they predicted (Alex added it so quickly that the fizz overflowed)… and found, to their surprise, that they had predicted way, way more baking soda than necessary because they didn’t realize that “vinegar” is really mostly water and contains only a small amount of acetic acid (the active ingredient).”

Using skills of analysis, prediction, experimentation and calculation, students adjusted their math for the observed revelation, tried again, and correctly predicted the amount of baking soda that would complete the process.

“An important piece of teaching the sciences is surprise,” explained Mr. Rutherford. “By the time kids are in secondary school, they already feel like they have a pretty good intuitive sense of how the world works. Experiments and demonstrations in which something surprising happens shake them out of their complacency and allow them to feel a little wonder and mystery, which is the motivation for studying science. It’s also very satisfying for them to resolve the mystery and incorporate new information into an updated worldview, which is a decent summary of the scientific process.”

Check back in the coming weeks for more examples of the Designed Learning Experiences at ATA College Prep.

Dwayne Hultquist Visits ATA

Dwayne Hultquist Head Men’s Coach at Florida State University for the pasted 17 years visited ATA on Tuesday. He talked to the academy about what he looks for when he recruits. Recruiting is not always based on results and skill but the athlete’s character and will they fit in with the team. He talked about perks from being a college athlete (food, laundry, and equipment). What a great opportunity for academy players to receive direct info and get a chance to ask questions about college tennis from one of the most elite college coaches!

Last Year’s Seniors Check In From College

Each Fall, the previous year’s Seniors and current college Freshman send us an update of how things are going. Below, please enjoy the check in’s from Payton Holden at Princeton, Jake Berber at Claremont, Hunter Bleser at the University of Virginia, and Chase Bartlett from St. Edward’s University.

JAKE BERBER – CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE

Thinking back on my time at ATA, I can’t help from getting a smile on my face. It’s such a special place and you’ve done an incredible job at making it a place of such family. As I’m writing you from my room in Wohlford Hall, room 111, there are a few things that come to mind when I think about what I would love to tell the current players at ATA.

First of all, try your best to make life long friendships. Personally, I was blessed with an incredible class of 2016 and I consistently keep in touch with many of my fellow peers. Obviously, the tennis is unbelievable and is the reason why everyone is there, however, the people there are just as special. Take some time to worry less about how poorly you are hitting your forehand and actually ask someone how their day/week/life is going.

Second of all, try your best to get to know the coaches. They may be annoying at times but each and every one of them has an incredible story to tell. Some of my favorite tournament trips were when I was rooming with a coach because they’re all extremely interesting and smart people.

Lastly, enjoy the amount of free time that you have now. Even if you are feeling overwhelmed with school, tennis, or whatever is taking up your time, trust me, it only gets more hectic. For the last 3 weeks, I had 6-8 am practice Monday-Thursday and midterms all of last week. Start working on your time management skills now before you get to college so that you aren’t feeling as if you have negative time to work with once you get here.

Hope all is well back home,

Jake

PAYTON HOLDEN – PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

“The tennis aspect of Princeton is very tough and hectic. Practices are always super fun, loud and competitive. My practice schedule for the fall is MWF 7:15am lifts with 4-7pm practice and Tuesday Thursday practices from 1:30-3:30ish. Then on top of that, in order to receive our warm ups (Sweat pants and sweatshirts) we have to complete certain things in our free time. For instance, to earn one of our pairs of sweats we have to play 4 singles sets, 4 doubles sets and 5 extra ab workouts on our own time. As far as tournaments go, I have played 3 out the 5 fall tournaments we have scheduled this fall. College tournaments in the fall feel equivalent to matches at grand slam; technically it is an individual tournament but the cheering and support is still extremely high. One of the highlights of the fall thus far has been the ITA grass court tournament. Luckily I was able to compete against players from Michigan and TCU in the first ever collegiate grass court tournament. Overall, ATA and more specifically ATACP prepared me very well for the rigorous practice and tournament schedule, it also taught me how to manage my time on the road, which is a crucial skill to have for college tennis.

Academically it is challenging but not impossible. As long as I am diligent with my work and study consistently it isn’t too bad. This semester I am taking Spanish, Micro-Econ, Calculus and a Writing Seminar. CP classes prepared me very well for all of my classes, I feel like I know all of the pre-requisite material needed for all of my classes.

One piece of advice I would give the younger players is to really focus on doing the little things, especially when they are tired. For instance, I wish I had done all of my homework right after practice/dinner when I was still tired, because there is hardly a second here where I feel “ready” or “energized” to do work. Often I am super tired and just have to grind through it.

Well I hope everyone has a great and best of luck to everyone,

Payton”

HUNTER BLESER – UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

Hey ATA!

I am about to finish up my sixth week at school now and I just wanted to check in with yall and let you know a little bit about what college is really like and what ATA has taught me.

First off, time management is the major key component when trying to balance your academic and athletic life at school. You will not only have to schedule your days around classes and practice, but you will also have to take into consideration tutoring, conditioning, weight training, homework, etc. Those free hours that you have between classes at CP now, use them to get homework or readings done early. Make this a habit so that you when you move off into the next chapter of your life you won’t be overwhelmed.

Secondly, take advantage of CP’s environment and work on your communication skills. Professors and coaches really appreciate and idolize someone who communicates with them 24/7. Get in the habit now of “over communicating”. I promise it will help you out in the long run!

Lastly, take advantage of the advice and instruction your coaches at ATA are offering. They truly want the best for you and want to see you succeed in your endeavors. It may seem somewhat annoying now, but trust me, when you get to school, you’ll miss having them there every step of the way. The coaches and staff at ATA are truly your second family, whether you realize this or not right now. Love your family, because soon you’ll have to leave the nest and grow up.

I hope you guys are doing great! I still keep track of almost all of your results not twitter! Feel free to call, email, or text me if you guys have any questions about the college process or need some advice about anything! Can’t wait to see you guys here in a few months! Miss y’all like crazy!

Take care,
Hunter Bleser
Wahoow

CHASE BARTLETT – ST. EDWARD’S UNIVERSITY

Hey Coach,

Midterms are coming up, and since it’s almost halfway through the year I thought I would give you an update on how college life at St.Edwards has been so far. Fall semester has been interesting so far – I have changed roommates (my first roommate would get back at 4am on weeknights and wake me up, and I think he was selling drugs out of the room when I wasn’t there) and I now live with a good friend on the tennis team. Life is very similar to college-prep life. I set my alarm for 6:50am when I was in CP, and I still set my alarm at 6:50am in college. I feel like CP was a very smooth transition into a liberal-arts college – some of my classes are around 14 students, which is actually pretty similar to Coach Tommy’s English class. Additionally, the content is similar; this year there is an emphasis on community, which is really similar to CP’s focus on what it means to be a good citizen.

I’m not going to say that I find St. Edwards easy – I find it very challenging actually – but, I do think that it is do-able. I’m pretty happy with my choice of school; I think that going to a different school just because of a brand-name diploma would have been a bad choice, because the work load here is hard enough already and because I can’t imagine how much of a “better education” would be possible. I have a 4.0GPA so far, and have worked very hard to do so (I study between 3-5 hours daily). I get assigned about 8 writing assignments per week, and about 200 pages of readings. It seems like a lot, but when you get in college and you HAVE to do your work to get A’s, you figure out that there is a lot of time in the day that usually goes to unimportant things.

Tennis is good; the guys on the team are a lot of fun to be around, and Coach Strecker cares a ton about us and our program, which I think is the most important thing for a coach to have. Fall season was okay for me and for our team, I won one tournament in singles and doubles, but had to pull out of one because I had some sort of virus which lasted a week, and I went into regionals without having trained more than once. I’ve seen the level of competition though – I definitely belong here and have a strong shot at winning regionals next year. Training is interesting though, we are only allowed 25-something days of official practice (which means that we have been doing a ton of running and a ton of lifting). I have probably only spent 6 hrs on court for the past week or two, which is tough. I would tell anyone who is in CP right now to enjoy court time and have fun with it, because it’s much more pleasant to play tennis for 5 hours a day than to run until you throw up or write papers until your eyes hurt.

Overall, school has been good. I’m pretty happy with my choice so far, and hopefully I can hold on to my 4.0 through midterms!

Hope you are doing well and that everything is going well at the academy.

Chase Bartlett

College Prep Students Entered In Children’s Business Fair

The Kids in Business class at ATA College Prep introduces students to entrepreneurial practices and processes, business and marketing plans, and allows them to develop their own products for sale. Implemented through project-based learning, students have free-reign of choice and are guided by exploration and careful questioning to redirect.

“Project-based learning is a powerful and enjoyable way to develop metacognitive skills – such as confidence, decision-making, self-regulation, and autonomy – which are known to increase motivation and self-directed learning,” said ATACP Director Carol Hagar.

Products and businesses designed by entrepreneurial CP students:

JAK’S

JAK’S creates colorful spin art on vinyl records. You can design your own by picking your colors or buy a colorful record that is already made. Also, vinyl record bowls will be for sale. They make great pots for succulents! Come help support Austin Pets Alive and get homemade dog treats!

-Jordan, Abigail and Keana

SCS Designs

SCS Designs makes handcrafted colorful decor for your home. We have a variety of decorated letters that you can hang or stand up, painted canvases with inspirational words and coasters with colorful designs. Come out and help us support A Glimmer of Hope with each purchase made!

-Sasha, Caroline and Sydney

ATACP students Abigail, Sasha, Sydney, Jordan, Keana and Caroline invite YOU to visit and shop their stores this Saturday at the Children’s Business Fair at Pease Mansion, 1606 Niles Road, Saturday, October 25th 10:00am – 12:30pm.

Please come out and show your support for this entrepreneurial event. The students have designed, created and will be marketing unique products. You will be amazed!

ATACP Senior Abigail Chiu Claims Gold Ball At USTA Clay Court Nationals

The 2016 USTA Clay Court National Championships unfolded last week, with 14 ATA Academy players competing across all age divisions. The standout performance came from ATA College Prep Senior Abigail Chiu, who brought home a Gold Ball for winning 1^st place in Girl’s 18s doubles – her 8^th National Ball overall.

“This moment in particular was the most special feeling I’ve had after claiming a national ball,” Chiu said. “Between it being one of my last ever super nationals and having my mom witness me winning a gold ball for the first time, it was truly rewarding. The acknowledgment I’ve received especially amongst my ATA peers has made this accomplishment feel even better.”

Abigail traveled to the event, hosted in Memphis, TN, with ATA CEO Jack Newman. Following a tough first-round singles loss, Abigail was able to refocus and earn three-straight wins in singles before her undefeated run in doubles with partner Elysia Bolton.

“I have to give a huge thanks to Coach Newman who played a huge part in this,” Chiu said. “He was so encouraging and gave me great motivation throughout the entire tournament. We had a specific ritual everyday that allowed me to stay calm and focused and I really do credit him in the highest ways. I really believe he is the best at what he does and when you get the chance to travel with him one on one, you come to realize why ATA is so special. Of course I also credit my three main coaches: Coach Doug, Coach Brandon and Coach Dio who consistently take care of me both physically and emotionally.”

Chiu also credited her access to two beautiful red clay courts here at here home Academy; appropriately named The Chiu Family Clay Courts.

“The clay courts at ATA have definitely been nice,” Chiu said. “It’s not so common to have clay courts at your home facility; many of my friends have to travel to Florida or other such places to access them but we’re really lucky here. Not every academy can have such nice clay courts and that’s the reason so many kids across Texas come to ATA for better preparation.”

Newman also credits the courts for the overall success of ATA players on the surface recently.

“We had our best clay court performance this year of any years previously,” Newman said. “Having our players start practicing on clay during the year on a regular basis and exclusively after the summer grand slam for sure helped our performance.”

Beyond the coaching, preparation, and court access, Chiu also credits her partner in this event.

“Elysia is also probably the best partner I’ve ever played with. She is an incredible player and I felt that our games really complemented each other well. The last match was actually our most dominating and confident performance and that’s another reason why winning this has never felt better. It was relieving to finish my last clay court nationals with a title and with a match that I will never forget.”

After spending the week with Abigail and coaching her to a Gold Ball, Newman was clear on how she stacks up against her peers on the doubles court.

“Abigail is the best doubles player of her age in the country (IMHO), for the following reasons–very good serve locations, solid returning from both sides, ability to move forward and control volley height and pace, ability to perform formations effectively without fear.”

The natural step after reaching a goal for Chiu and all ATA student-athletes is simple: set another one. Now, she will focus forward on the next steps in her tennis career.

“The next step for me is getting ready for college tennis. I am planning on tweaking my schedule a little bit so that I can experience some higher level tournaments whether it’s lower lever pro tournaments or more collegiate events. I’ve played junior Texas tennis my entire life and I’m ready to see what it’s like against the girls at the next level!”

Newman Leads Group On College Tour and Showcase

A group of ATA College Prep and Academy student-athletes recently returned from a trip that began with a tour of multiple college campuses and finished with a College Showcase in front of dozens of top coaches.

ATA CEO Jack Newman led the group and served his standard role as grand maestro of the college placement and recruiting process for each ATA player throughout.

“Visiting college campuses allows the ATA students a chance to get a feel for the campus, meet the team and coaches, while giving them perspective to compare other schools against,” said Newman. “The major positive is that these kids become real people to the coaches, rather than a name and a ranking.”

The group visited Wesleyan University, Amherst College, Vassar College and Yale University, which also hosted the showcase.

“On a visit you can fall in love with the campus, or the city and decide that that is school you want to go to,” said ATA College Prep Junior Annika Pandey. “When visiting you get an overall feel of what life would be like as a student there, and that can make or break your decision to attend that school.”

The college showcase itself is designed to give student athletes a chance to compete in front of the top college coaches and academic schools in the country.

“Playing in front of coaches is always a lot of fun for me, you get to demonstrate how hard you’ve worked since the last time they saw you, and you get to showcase the type of energy and competitiveness you would bring to a college team,” said ATA College Prep Senior Alejandro Rodriguez. “I also had a lot of fun hanging out with my teammates at the showcase- I think college coaches took note of how close knit our group was and it speaks to the culture of the ATA program.”

Entrants play 3 singles matches against players of similar level and 2 doubles matches with a random partner.

“I really enjoyed playing good doubles in front of the Dartmouth and Brown coaches, and talking to the Harvard, Cornell, Pomona and Johns Hopkins coaches, among others, after the showcase,” said Pandey. “I also liked hanging out with my ATA teammates in between matches, and having them cheer me on when I played, and when I cheered them on when they played.”

While the student-athletes are doing their best on the court to present themselves as desirable recruits, according to them, the most unrelenting, hardest working member of the trip didn’t hit one ball.

“Coach Newman is the driving force in his players’ college processes,” said Pandey. “He is extremely skilled at his job, and I actually really like watching him talk to college coaches while selling his players. He knows everyone and everyone knows him and regards him with the utmost respect. I truly believe there is no one better than him to help me in my college process. The entire showcase he was talking to me about how to talk to coaches, and introducing me to coaches, hunting them down for me and talking to them about me. I remember after I played my last match, Coach Newman and I went on a mission around the Yale courts for all the schools that are on my list and he knew all of the coaches and introduced me to all of them, effortlessly. I think what makes him good at the college process is his relentless pursuit. From the beginning of the showcase to the end he kept talking to me about getting on Harvard’s radar, and Dartmouth’s radar, which did happen by the end of the showcase, thanks to him. He talked about hunting down the Princeton coach for me the entire showcase, with unrelenting perseverance. He will stop at nothing to sell his players to the schools they want to go to.”

Alejandro echoed Annika’s sentiment about Coach Newman’s leadership.

“Coach Newman is probably the best coach in the country when it comes to placing players at the schools they are dying to go to. He always had at least 5-7 coaches watching everyone’s matches, explaining to them who you are both as a player and a person, and helping to bridge that gap between the player and the coach. He is invaluable because his word has a lot of weight with coaches all around the country, allowing him to really bring ATA players into their radar. There are so many good players out there, but Coach Newman helps you stand out as a player, person, and recruit. So many times I heard coaches say, “we love ATA players”, and he knows exactly how to use that reputation to get the coaches you want recruiting you.”

For Newman, he is not only vigorously working on behalf of each of the players currently on the trip, but also all future ATA players who will soon be in that position.

“It’s very valuable for all the players at ATA, not just the ones who come on the trip because I am constantly talking to coaches about all of our players,” Newman said. “ATA has a very good track record of placing leaders at college tennis programs, coaches know ATA and more specifically they know me very well. My goal has been to build a stellar reputation with college coaches so that my credibility with them is impeccable. That way I can be an honest advocate for our students and help coaches make good decisions in their recruiting process. ATA players are highly sought after by college coaches because of the record of the leadership our students have shown in the past.”

Historically, ATA players have gone on to serve as Captain of over 25 college teams – a number this group and many others are looking to add to soon.

ATA Players Excel at Summer Grand Slam

Leading every program in Texas, sixty-three Austin Tennis Academy players earned their way into the Texas Summer Grand Slam last week in College Station, including 5 Champ Masters qualifiers.

A number of ATA players stepped up and played their best tennis at the most important state tournament of the year. The impressive results yielded by ATA players included one singles winner, two singles finalists, one third place in singles, one semifinalist in singles, three quarterfinalists in singles, one doubles winner, and five doubles semifinalists.

University of Chicago bound senior Erik Kerrigan won the doubles title and came within two points of winning the 18s singles title. Erik followed up his inspiring performance in the doubles semifinals by an even more dominating and masterful performance in the doubles finals against the highly accomplished team that defeated ATA doubles standouts Payton Holden and Jake Berber in the other semifinals. The morning after securing the doubles title, Erik came within 2 points of capturing the singles title at 5-4 and 6-5 in the second set with a devastating attacking style game that was highlighted by blistering serves, crushing groundstrokes and beautiful touch volleys. Although Erik’s remarkably consistent opponent eventually wore him down in the third set, Erik’s performance at Summer Grand Slam was a storybook ending to a fantastic junior career. In fact, after the updated rankings came out this week, Erik moved up to #2 in the state – his career high.

Following his semifinal finish in doubles, Princeton bound senior Payton Holden ended his stellar Texas junior career by winning third place in singles by defeating in straight sets the #1 ranked player in 18s who recently signed with Florida State.

Another ATA senior who shined at Summer Grand Slam was St. Edward’s signee Chase Bartlett, who reached the quarterfinals of singles by upsetting a player who reached the quarterfinals of the National Hardcourt Championships in Kalamazoo last summer. Chase’s professionalism and calm demeanor impressed the ATA coaches, who looked on as he served out the match at 5-4 in the third set. It was a victory that will remain etched in the memories of those lucky enough to watch the match.

Abigail Chiu had the best performance amongst ATA players competing in the 18s draw, reaching the quarterfinals of doubles as well as singles, where she lost to her future Dartmouth teammate. With the exception of touring pro Ashley Weinhold, Abigail has thus far enjoyed the most accomplished junior career of any female player in the 13-year history of ATA, and the coaching staff at ATA is excited that Abigail has another 11 months to compete in juniors.

Also competing in the Girls 18s, Alexandria Mjos fought her way to the semifinals of the doubles draw, while earning four wins in singles. Both the University of Houston and University of South Florida coaches watched Mjos’ first two singles matches, both of which she won in straight sets.

ATA players also had a very strong showing in the 14s age group at Summer Grand Slam. Max Schmidhauser followed up winning the singles title at the Level 2 National Selection tournament in Wisconsin last month by winning the singles title in 14s at Summer Grand Slam by defeating the #1 seed in the finals in a hard fought three set battle highlighted by his competitive grit and fight. Max benefitted from a “spot on” tactical plan devised by Coach Doug Davis for the singles finals, as well as four months of twice-per-week extra fitness sessions with Coach Josh Rifkin that allowed Max to have “fresh legs” throughout the tournament. Max also had his best ever doubles performance at Summer Grand Slam by reaching the semifinals. Max also earned a nickname during the event: Max ‘The Warrior’ Schmidhauser, coined by family friend and ATA lifer Philip Berber for his warrior-like spirit on the court.

On the Girl’s side of the 14s draw, Caroline Wernli, for the second year in a row, reached the singles finals of Summer Grand Slam in her age group. Caroline’s ability to step up her game in pressure situations makes her a force to be reckoned with. Both of her quarterfinal and semifinal wins were three hour, 6-4 in the third set battles in which she showed incredible mental toughness, determination and passion to compete on the big stage.

The 16s age group had excellent performances from Callie Creath, Georgia Wright and Bailey Forgus at Summer Grand Slam. Callie followed up her 4th place finish in singles at the Level 2 National Selection tournament last month by reaching the semifinals of both singles and doubles at Summer Grand Slam. Callie’s outstanding results can be attributed to her superior fitness, calm and determined demeanor, professional approach to competition and disciplined patterns.

Georgia Wright had her best showing of the year by upsetting the #5 seed on her way to reaching the quarterfinals of the singles draw. Georgia’s level of focus, calmness in between points and superb movement frustrated her opponents and suggest that her results will only continue to improve.

On the boy’s side of the draw, Bailey Forgus, whose ranking was only #62 before Summer Grand Slam, had an inspiring “breakthrough” performance. In the singles draw, Bailey defeated in straight sets the #17 seed in the second round and then upset the #4 seed in the fourth round with a commanding 6-1 in the third set victory spurred on by Coach Newman’s game plan at the split and a large group of Bailey’s ATA teammates enthusiastically cheering him on to victory. Bailey’s breakthrough in the most important tournament of the year in Texas should be an inspiration to his teammates because he consistently shows excellent focus and a strong work ethic at practice, and he always shows up for fitness at afternoon practice and College Prep workouts in the morning. In addition to his outstanding work ethic, Bailey is one of the most coachable students at ATA and has been willing to stick with his attacking all-court game style in practice matches and tournaments even though it has resulted in some short-term setbacks from a results perspective. Coach Newman believes that Bailey’s “willingness to stick to his guns and play his game in the face of failure and defeat over the past nine months was validated last week at Summer Grand Slam when he was able to put all of the elements of his attacking game into play.”

The best performance by an ATA player in the 12s age group at Summer Grand Slam was by James Cockrell, who rebounded from his loss in the Round of 16 in the singles draw by reaching the semifinals of doubles where he lost a tough 3 set battle to the eventual champions. James is distinguishing himself as a great doubles player, as demonstrated by him capturing 3 SCMZ doubles titles this year with his partner.

The results at the Texas Grand Slam tell a lot about the dedication of the ATA players and coaches. But it is the ongoing competitive spirit, the desire to become even better, and the community team support that continue to make ATA the best place to develop and live the sport!

The ATA College Prep Community Honors The Class of 2016

The ATA College Prep community came together earlier this month to celebrate the graduating class of 2016.

Set in the serenity of the Spanish Oaks hills, a few hundred family members and friends of the graduates attended the commencement ceremony. Before Head Coach Doug Davis offered his customary invocation,Director of ATA College Prep Carol Hagar opened the evening and welcomed the guests.

“Over the years, I have witnessed these student-athletes struggle, accomplish, and develop into strong young men and women and it has been an honor to work with each of them. I hope that the lessons learned here will continue to guide them into thoughtful futures and continued transformations. I know they will each add a great deal to their excellent university communities.” ~Carol Hagar

As the sun set behind the trees, the community personally honored and celebrated each graduate. Hunter Bleser, Sofia Burnett, Chase Bartlett, Payton Holden and Erik Kerrigan were each recognized through commemorative video tributes, introduced by two loved ones who know each graduate best, and finished by addressing the audience with a few words of their own.

Continuing a CP tradition, each graduate selected a Senior Legacy Quote that will be installed as pavers in the campus garden. Their selections are below.

Chase Taylor Bartlett will attend St. Edward’s University next fall. His trainer/mentor Dio Miranda and friend Garrett Reiter spoke on his behalf.

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” – Vivian Greene

Hunter Nicole Bleser will attend the University of Virginia next fall. Her grandfather Franklin Cutler and brother Ryan Bleser spoke on her behalf.

“God didn’t bring you this far to leave you.” – Philippians 1:6

Sofia Burnett will attend Washington University next fall. Her friend Sarah Masaryk and trainer/mentor Dio Miranda spoke on her behalf.

“What lies behind us, and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Payton Holden will attend Princeton University next fall. His friend/mentor Philip Berber and his Aunt Renee Pethtel spoke on his behalf.

“But you know, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” – J.K. Rowling

Erik Kerrigan will attend the University of Chicago next fall. His friend Aksel Taylan and English teacher Tommy Collins spoke on his behalf.

“The world’s a stage and I want the brightest spot.” – David Lee Roth

After the presentation of the graduates, Christopher Stevens, a Notre Dame Professor, Producer and Entrepreneur, offered the commencement address titled Living The Dream.

“What a thrill to see how every child should be so blessed to graduate. ATA is a very special place and the fine institutions the five graduates will attend this fall is testimony to the quality education they have received. Moreover, the sense of wanting to give back and help those less fortunate than they are seems to run in the DNA of every student. It was truly a privilege to be at the ATA graduation ceremony.”

~Chris Stevens

CEO Jack Newman closed the graduation ceremony by initiating the Passing Of Leadership To The Class of 2017. This tradition of handing off the ATA ball symbolizes the hand off of responsibility for leadership within the greater Academy group for the next year.

A year from now, this group of leaders will look to continue the CP tradition of 100{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} college matriculation to some of the top schools in the world.

Congratulations to each of the ATA College Prep graduates of the class of 2016! Check the ATA College Prep Facebook page for more pictures from the evening.

Play Tennis at Austin Tennis Academy This Summer!

2016 Summer Tennis Training Camps

This Summer, take advantage of the Austin Tennis Academy’s tennis camps to progress at a rapid rate while having fun playing the game. 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!

Sessions

Summer Grand Slam Camp – June 6-10 – (SuperChamp Only)

June 13-17
June 20-24
June 27-July 1
July 5-8 (No camp July 4th – costs adjusted this week)
July 11-15
July 18-22
July 25-29
August 1-5
August 8-12

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)

QuickStart Camp

9:00am – 10:30am ($175 per week or $40 per day)
The QuickStart 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 ($300 per week or $80 per day)

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

Policies

Registration must be made online.
Payment in advance is required to reserve your slot.
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.
Private housing may be available. Email info@austintennisacademy.com to inquire.
Early drop-off and late pick-up is available upon request for $50 per week.

Tournament Results National Open, ATA Open & JTT Sectionals

This past weekend ATA had players competing in National Opens, ATA Open and Junior Team Tennis Sectionals.

Congrats to:

National Open Players:

Max Schmidhauser National Open B14 Singles Champion (pic below)

Abigail Chiu National Open G18 Singles Champion and Doubles Runner Up (pic below)

Callie Creath National Open G16 4th place

Kristin Kerrigan Nation Open G16 5^th place

ATA Open Players:

Alejandro Rodrigues ATA Open B18 Champion

Granville Kaynor ATA Open B18 Runner Up

Haydn Steffes ATA Open B16 Runner Up

Ela Raczka ATA Open G16 Champion

Kailey Chase ATA Open G16 Runner Up

Alex Shedden ATA Open b16 Champion

Nolan Santacroce ATA Open b14 Champion

Blake Tollen ATA Open b12 Champion

Savannah Baptiste ATA Open g14 Champion

Junior Team Tennis Teams:

18U advanced 1st place at sectionals (Hannah Harrod, Alex Mjos, Georgia Wright, Tyler Anson, Kyler Bender, Bailey Forgus and Juan Abboud) pic below

The 18U Dream Team was dominate this past weekend in the state playoffs in Tyler, TX. In 5 dual matches, the team went 179-40 in games won/lost. ATA lived up to its slogan to “Devastate, Dominate!” And we had a pretty good time, as well!! Coach John

14U advanced 1st place at sectionals (Sarah Darbar, Abigail Gordon, Elena Kalogirou, Aaron Darbar, Matthew Gavrilov, Varun Somarouthu) Pic below

12U advanced 2nd place at sectionals (Denver Holden, Adi Iyer, Jake Riezebeek, Cody Schiffman)

10U green ball 5th place at sectionals (Jennifer Jackson, Jacob Golden, Luke Riezebeek, Landon Phillips)

3 ATA Players Super in Doubles CMZ

This past weekend we had 3 ATA players Super in the Austin doubles CMZ. Ross Cockrell, Devan Sabapathy, Adi Iyer all qualified in boys 12s. Devan and Adi were doubles partners for the first time and won the CMZ! While, Ross made it to the finals to qualify.

6 ATA Players Honored at CATA Awards Banquet

On Sunday May 22, Coach Newman introduced Payton Holden at the Capital Area Tennis Association (CATA) junior awards banquet and Payton was awarded the player of the year award. Also, Sydney Gaskamp and Emily Cotton received CATA scholarships, Chase Bartlett and Kristin Kerrigan were ATA’s award winners and Marcus Sweeney was recognized as MVP for the Westlake High School team.

Coach Newman said that, “being able to introduce Payton Holden at the banquet was a great experience for me as many young players from Austin got to be inspired by Payton’s accomplishments. And we got to showcase in front of the entire Austin tennis community what a player from ATA is capable of doing.” The following is what Coach Newman said to introduce Payton.

I have been coaching Payton since he was 9 years old. Here are some interesting stats for you about Payton.

Payton champed up at the Georgetown ZAT in May of 2007, he was 9 years old and 1 month.

He supered up at the Laredo CMZ when he was 10 years old and 6 months.

He won his first SCMZ 4 months later.

In his time as a junior tennis player he has won a superchamp major zone in both singles and doubles in every age group. He has won an excellence tournament in every age group, he has also won the summer grand slam in both singles and doubles.

Since he was 12, he has been ranked in the top 50 in the United States in each age group.

In his career, he has lost 386 junior tennis matches and won 650 junior tennis matches for a total of 1036, not counting this weekend in Houston. That’s 10 year’s of 100 matches per year since he was 10 years old.

He is a phenominal athlete who can make any shot. He had mastered the tweener by the time he was 11. His volley skills are the best I have seen as a coach in 30 years of coaching elite level players.

The thing that separates Payton from many other tennis athletes is his consistency. He has rarely missed a practice or lesson in 8 years of training. His practices are still very high level, high intensity and I believe he will be as successful a college player as he has been a junior player.

Payton could have played tennis for any College or University in the United States, he chose to play for Princeton, furthering both his tennis career and maximizing his college opportunity through being an elite level athlete.

Needless to say I am completely and utterly proud of him.

Finally, if you knew him when he was younger, you know he has gone from being one of the best players in Texas with the shortest hair, to being one of the best, with the longest hair.

Congratulations to all the ATA Winners!!!

ATA Regional Host Site for Oracle/ITA Junior Masters Championships-Powered by UTR

ATA will be a regional host site for the new Oracle/ITA Junior Master Championships, which is powered by the Universal Tennis Rating system. The inaugural Oracle/ITA Junior Masters Championships will take place during the summer and fall of 2016. Austin regional tournament at ATA will take place August 20-21, 2016.

The regional events, for girls and boys, will take place at 12 sites around the United States and will be held in August and September of 2016. The top 16 UTR-rated boys and girls who register in each region will participate in compass draws in those regional events with the winner of both the girl’s and boy’s events progressing to the October 13-16, 2016 Oracle/ITA Masters in Malibu, California – hosted by both the Malibu Racquet Club and Pepperdine University. The regional winners will receive up to a $750 travel/hotel stipend to play in the Masters Championships in Malibu. One woman and one man from each Division I Conference will also be invited to the championships to compete in both their respective singles as well as a mixed doubles competition.

Click here to read more on Oracle/ITA/UTR partnership and more about the tournament and how to sign up.

Coach Newman Quoted in UTR Article

ATA CEO Jack Newman was recently quoted in an article,”The Tennis Coach’s Toolbox” the Universal Tennis Blog about the Universal Tennis Rating system. Coach Newman, has been using UTR for ATA’s practice ladder since August of 2015. Newman describes the process as

“I update my ladder on Mondays. Kids are excited to see their progress, parents are clear how players are distributed in practice (by similar UTR) and coaches get to work with players on the same level. Everyone is happy.”

To learn more about the Universal Tennis Rating System click here to read the entire article

ATA Alumni Morgan Barnhill Named Academic All-League Team

ATA alumni Morgan Barnhill was named to the 2016 Academic All-League team. Student-athletes were voted for and chosen for the honor based on their academic and athletic performances this season in the Summit League Conference. Barnhill, with a 3.8 GPA as a finance major and marketing minor, posted a 14-7 singles record and an 18-2 doubles mark during the season. Click here to read more.

Meghan O’Malley and Gabriella Cusano Win State!

Senior Meghan O’Malley and her partner Gabriella won the class 5A girls doubles state tournament for Vandegrift High School. In the finals, they played a doubles team from Alamo Heights High School and won 6-1,2-6,6-2. Congrats Meghan and Gabriella! To see the rest of the results from the tournament click here.

3 ATA Players Competing at State

In the Class 6A state tournament, Tyler Anson and his doubles partner Brendan (pictured above) will be playing for Lake Travis High School and Roger Chou will be playing singles for Westlake High School. Meghan O’Malley and partner Gabriella will be playing doubles for Vandegrift High School in the class 5A state tournament. Play begins Monday May 16th in College Station click here to follow their results.

Raven Hampton the captain of the Lake Travis team said,” Tyler Anson is a sophomore who has proven himself to be an invaluable member of the team in his first year. This year he has teamed up with Brendan Brown and together they have become an unstoppable force on the court.”

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