education – Page 2 – AUSTIN TENNIS ACADEMY

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.

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.

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!

ATACP US Gov, History Students Turn Courts into Colonies

The ATA College Prep juniors and seniors in U.S. Government teamed up with the middle-school U.S. History students to participate in a cooperative learning activity last Friday. Students were given a territory and resources in order to form a colony – their objective was to accumulate enough resources, through negotiations and trade with other colonies, for their colony to thrive.

Older and younger students were paired together, and students were given 45 minutes to complete their mission. Obstacles to overcome were distance, time, shortage of certain resources, and aggression from neighboring colonies.

“The activity was a fun way to access the topics we’ve been talking and reading about in Gov and English while getting out of the classroom and moving around,” said junior Alex Sheddan.

ATACP US Government teacher Jennifer McEwan led the students through the exercise and found it to be a successful learning experience for them.

“This simulation gave students an active, hands-on opportunity to cooperate, negotiate, and problem solve. At the conclusion, parallels were drawn to the colonial experience in the United States and the obstacles of post-revolutionary America. Students enthusiastically participated and had fun while learning!”

ATA College Prep Ahead of the Curve with Student Voter Registration

Each Friday in Leadership, the first class of the ATA College Prep school day that includes all students, the group gathers to discuss current events and selections from the recent news cycle. Led by Math and Science Lead Bryan Rutherford, the students have recently unpacked things like the roles and responsibilities of serving on a jury, the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, the wide variety of elected offices on the local, state, and national level, and the nearly 30 year struggle of Macedonia.

In the weeks leading up to the election, Mr. Rutherford uses parts of Leadership for a seminar called ‘Educated Voter’, where all CP students 17 years and 10 months go through the process of registering to vote and learning some of the foundational information necessary to become active, informed voters.

Keith Ingram, Director of the Elections Division of the Office of the Secretary of State, recently praised ATA College Prep for being ‘ahead of the curve’ with seminars like these, weekly cultural events meetings in Leadership, and even providing transportation to the polls during Early Voting and on Election Day.

Ingram’s office is currently increasing their push to educate and register first-time voters, and Mr. Rutherford is on board.

“I’ve heard it said that a democratic system ensures that a nation gets exactly the government that it deserves,” Rutherford said. “Our system only works if citizens participate actively by getting informed about the issues and candidates and then showing up to vote. People have fought and died for the right to have a say in the government of their communities, and it’s pretty sad that most Texans eligible to vote don’t bother to turn out for most of our elections. At ATACP we are working to raise engaged, responsible citizens who take ownership of their communities at every level, and one of the ways I do that is by holding seminars for the seventeen- and eighteen-year-old students about upcoming elections and registering them to vote, as Texas says all secondary schools are required to do (though most don’t). I also talk the kids through civics in our weekly discussions of current events so that they can connect things they may hear adults talking about to their lives and futures and start to see how politics affects them.”

Midterm Elections will take place Tuesday, November 6, 2018, with Early Voting beginning Monday, October 22, 2018. The final day to register to vote in that election is Tuesday, October 9, 2018. Want to know what will be on your ballot? Visit www.VoteTexas.gov

ATACP Alumni Update: Chase Bartlett Checks in From SEU

Throughout the year, the recent ATA graduates send Coach Newman updates of what is happening in their lives in the classroom, on the court, and around campus. Below is a note from ATA College Prep grad and current St. Edward’s University sophomore Chase Bartlett. This one stood out to Coach Newman:

“From time to time I like to share communications that I received from our former students,” Coach Newman said. “I wanted to share this communication with you because I think it is exactly what we are trying to have our students become through their involvement in tennis. His enthusiasm for life, his willingness to put himself out there, and his Drive are all infectious.”

Hi Coach Newman,

I hope this email finds you well. I just wanted to reach out and update you on what’s been going on lately. I think in the last update I sent I told you that I felt things weren’t as challenging as I thought they could be, and that I wanted to add two minors and start doing more things around campus.

Firstly, be careful what you ask for! Haha. This semester has been excruciating at times—I’m taking 7 classes and have become much more involved. I am now a member of Alpha Phi Omega, the nation-wide co-ed service fraternity (and the only athlete in my local chapter, I believe). I have been elected president of St. Edward’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which means that I now have the opportunity to start new initiatives on campus (some events that, executively, I can make mandatory for all teams). Coach Strecker and I are very excited about this and think that we can find some really cool ways to improve the relationships between the athletic teams on campus, as well as finding some big-picture service ideas that could make a difference in the local community. In DII, SAAC also has the ability to vote directly on NCCA rules and play a big role in the legislative process. It’s a pretty cool position, and I’ll be sure to keep you updated on how things change.

Other than being more involved with SAAC and APO, I was also selected to present research I did in the fall at the University of Houston for a research conference, which was a cool experience. Other work I did from fall is being published in the ’17-18 edition of our school’s academic journal (Arete). This is something that I am happy about since only 5-ish people are published per academic year. I’ll try to send you a copy of it as soon as they are published. I have also become a member of Theta Kappa Alpha, the Honors Society for Religious and Theological Studies, and believe that I will be named in the fall a member of the Honors Society for Germanic Studies. I received Outstanding Student of the Year Award for German, along with one of my other teammates.

The best academic highlight of my year was receiving the Summer Academic Excellence Award, which is a scholarship allowing me to study abroad in Germany for two months at Freie Universität Berlin, a school ranked top-75 in the world. I am going to take two language intensive courses there and one course on German culture, which I find really interesting. I am SUPER excited about this, because I’ve wanted to study abroad really badly since my first day on campus, but didn’t think I was going to have time while still playing tennis.

Tennis has also been going well. I been fighting 1-2 injuries this season, but haven’t had to take much time off. Our schedule has also been incredibly intense, and we’ve got a lot of matchplay in. I was ranked as high as #23 a few weeks ago in singles (I’m not sure what I am right now), and have played line-1 singles and doubles every match. We were the Conference Regular Season champs (basically, we won against everyone in our conference before our big tournament). AND, as I’m writing, we’re on our way back from TCU, where we just won the conference tournament!!! We beat St. Mary’s, our rival, 5-2. Luis and I won doubles against a team ranked top 10 in the nation, who we have lost to the other 3 times we played them.

Going to St. Edward’s, I couldn’t understand that a DII conference title would be something worth being excited about; after all, it’s not even nationals, let alone a D1 national championship. Let me just say: that lack of understanding has vanished, along with St. Mary’s hopes of a conference title. I have never felt more satisfied after a win than I did today, and for so many reasons. First, in my freshman year, we were down 1-2 or 0-3 after doubles in literally 95{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} of our matches. We worked so hard to improve our doubles skills as a team over the past year, and today—when we needed it the most—we went up 3-0. It was not luck. Secondly, when you spend two years training with one specific thing in mind (more specifically, a thing that you haven’t been able to get), you’ll find yourself pretty happy with all the excruciating work you’ve put in with your teammates when no one else was watching. Third, and finally, you will recognize how much your DII conference title means when you finish celebrating with your teammates and see your coach 3 courts down with watery eyes (some would say “crying,” but I don’t know how he’d feel about me using that vocabulary). I don’t know why, but that was probably one of the best moments of the year. I’ll get emotional just thinking about it.

There are other highlights from the year, but obviously, I can’t write forever. To conclude though, I got what I wanted. I have failed. I don’t know that I will keep my 4.0 or not—but, I have done so much more cool stuff by putting myself out there. I can let myself rest this summer in Europe.

As always, I hope that everything is going well back at the academy and enjoy seeing everyone when we play there. We will have one final match at ATA this weekend—Regionals—and then the winner of that goes to Nationals the following week. I’d love to see everyone there; it’s always great to have y’all’s support!

All the best,

Chase Bartlett

Chinese Language, Arts and Cooking Summer Camps at ATACP

ATA College Prep will host Chinese Language, Arts and Cooking Summer Camps this June and July, provided by Westlake Chinese Academy. The purpose of these camps is to provide an immersive Chinese learning environment for students ages 4-16.

Sessions:

June 18 – June 22

June 25 – June 29

July 9 – July 13

Schedule:

Full-day camp: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Morning camp: 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Afternoon camp: 12:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Late pick-up available from 3:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. at additional cost: $20 per person per day

Tuition: * (including art supplies and cooking materials)

Full Day Camp: $345/week

Morning/Afternoon Camp: $195/week

More Information: http://westlakechineseacademy.org/camp/

Registration: http://westlakechineseacademy.org/camp/

Pictures From Around ATA College Prep Recently

While the ATA College Prep students follow rigorous academic and athletic schedules, there is a constant effort to maintain a balance between work and play, strain and rest, focus and relaxation. The last few weeks have been no different.

The group worked to wrap up first semester classes while hitting the group running in the Spring. They’ve also made space for fun-filled trips off campus or lively morning practices before school. Here are a few pictures. To see more, head over to the ATA College Prep Facebook page!

Emerson, Sophia, and Sklar focus on an annotation assignment during Reading Lab.

The English I/II students take down a few notes before a creative writing activity.

Juan explores online academic research databases during a field trip to the new Austin Central Library.

Sophia and Emerson are mesmerized by the yawning lion at the Austin Zoo.

Sasha and her team enjoy a fun, yet competitive game to finish morning practice on Friday before classes. Don’t forget to see more photos of the CP group at our Facebook page!

ATA College Prep Visits New Austin Central Library

The ATA College Prep students and teachers traveled to downtown Austin last week to visit the new Austin Central Library to begin research for their latest assignment while touring the incredible new space.

After a brief presentation from a librarian, the students dove into research for their biography assignment titled, Stories of Extraordinary Women. In the process, they had time to explore the library, while taking in the extensive balconies, public art installations and more.

Next, the group walked a few blocks into downtown to have some lunch before returning to campus for afternoon classes and practice.

“We had a wonderful time exploring the amazing new library,” ATA CP English teacher Tommy Collins said. “It’s an incredible 6-floor space in the heart of the city, which made for a perfect field trip to kick off our new biography unit.”

Check back here for more updates on what’s happening around the ATA College Prep campus.

Alumni Updates: Meghan O’Malley Checks In From U.S. Naval Academy

Greetings from Annapolis and the US Naval Academy! I hope that you and the entire ATA community are doing well!

We are in the midst of Beat Army Week – it’s a fun, intense week full of crazy pranks and “spirit missions” in the middle of the night, all leading up to the game on Saturday in Philadelphia. The game represents an exciting day for Navy and Army Football as well as our country.

I’ve been pretty busy these past 18 months! My Academy experience started on I-Day in June 2016, with Plebe Summer – six weeks of the most strenuous physical and mental training I had ever encountered. As tough as it was, I felt prepared because of my time at ATA. I took with me the mental training tools I learned from our ATA coaches and practiced on the court.

As tough as Plebe summer was, my Plebe Academic year (or Freshman Year) was tougher. I balanced taking 20 credit hours with military and tennis team requirements. Academics at the USNA are very challenging and like nothing I’d ever experienced. My first week of chemistry covered what I experienced during an entire semester in high school. The focus is on math and science, and while I’m a Political Science major, I still must take 4 semesters of chemistry, physics, and calculus. Midshipmen are required to graduate in four years so typically midshipmen take 18-20 credit hours each semester. There are no breaks for athletes.

Playing tennis for the Navy is a dream come true, but where it was my focus in high school, it is now a very small part of my overall Academy experience. Our practices are much shorter than other teams primarily because of the military and academic requirements. I’ve come to appreciate what the coaches at ATA always told us. Playing tennis is a privilege and I am fortunate to be able to this as well as my experience at ATA and College Prep to prepare me for life beyond tennis. I use the lessons I’ve learned on the tennis court to position me to achieve success in all aspects of my life.

Military requirements are a huge part of my Academy life. Not only do I take classes like navigation and seamanship, but I have real military duties like standing watch, marching in parades, and training exercises. During my Plebe (freshman) Year, I was at the con of a Naval Vessel, sailing in the Chesapeake Bay.

Last summer, I spent a month on the USS Normandy, a navy cruiser in our Atlantic Fleet. I lived and worked among enlisted men and women and saw first-hand the dedication and hard work required to keep our Navy strong. I learned that a Navy ship can be a very complex and dangerous place to work and if I am to lead in our fleet effectively, I must understand, respect, and appreciate even the lowest ranking members of our Navy. Their success will determine my success, and more importantly, keep us safe in dangerous situations.

As for life as Midshipman, I am part of the USNA student body, called the Brigade of Midshipman. I am part of a company, and I will live on a floor with my company mates for all four years of my time here. We are a team, accountable as a group to each other and to the entire student body of Midshipmen. If one person makes a mistake, we are all punished. We take care of each other and the bonds we have formed are stronger because of it. This year, I have a leadership role in my company which has been a tremendous learning opportunity for me.

As I think back to the last 18 months, I know that I would not be here if it weren’t for ATA. I remember sitting down with Coach Newman when I was accepted to ATA’s Academy program as a 10-year-old. He talked to me about dreaming big and working hard. Those two things enabled me to be here. I think back to all of my lessons with Coach Doug, Coach Kendall, and the teachers at CP. I carry so many lessons with me. Believing that I belong is huge. It’s important to get the little things right. Doing the right thing matters – even when it’s hard, even when no one is watching. Here I’ve had to work harder than I’ve ever worked.

To the players of ATA, I have some advice. Appreciate each moment you are there, even the times that are tough. Challenge yourself as it will prepare you for the next steps in life. Appreciate and commit to your journey. Define success, don’t let success define you. Take care of your teammates. Wear the ATA shirts with pride; they represent that you are part of something greater than yourself. Dream Big.

Go Navy! Beat Army!!

Meghan O’Malley

Josh Hagar talks Glimmer impact, kicks off new campaign

A foundational principle of the Austin Tennis Academy culture is giving back. The staff works to surround all students with opportunities to participate in and contribute to the world around them. Last week, ATA College Prep and recent Notre Dame graduate Josh Hagar joined Academy practice to tell his story of spearheading the Playing For Glimmer Campaign, while urging the next generation to step up and get involved.

“No program I’ve ever been a part of anywhere in the world has something like this where they acknowledge where they are and try to do something to give back,” explained Hagar, who is now playing tennis professionally. “I’m here to talk to all of you about kicking off this year’s campaign.”

ATA has set the goal to raise $100,000 to go towards a new school and 3 new water wells in the villages of Gondar. This is the next step in a pledge ATA CEO Jack Newman made to A Glimmer of Hope about 12 years ago to raise $1 million for those most in need in rural Ethiopia. The campaign recently surpassed $600,000 of the $1 million goal.

Santiago Montoya, an ATA alum and current part of the Glimmer team, explained how every dollar makes a difference.

“Ethiopia is around 100 million people, 80 million live outside of the city. 30 million of those are living on under $1 per day,” Santi said. “Those are the people we are helping.”

By partnering with Glimmer, the community will send 100{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} of the money raised to these school and clean water projects.

“The power of clean water – combined with a quality education – means that hundreds of children will have the opportunity to thrive. The projects funded by the Austin Tennis Academy will make an immediate and lasting difference as part of Glimmer’s work in the Villages of Gondar.” – Glimmer.org

After introducing Josh, Coach Newman closed the discussion by again urging each Academy player to consider participating.

“My goal is that everyone has a campaign page,” Newman said. “Whatever the dollar amount you raise is immaterial. I would like each of you to get engaged and do something.”

Take a look at the overall ATA campaign page for this year by clicking here, and scroll through some of the campaign pages started by ATA students towards the bottom.

ATACP’s Annika Pandey Named National Merit Commended Student

ATA College Prep senior Annika Pandey has been named a Commended Student in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program, placing her in the top 5{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} of more than 1.5 million students who entered the competition.

“This recognition is a tribute to Annika’s long-term dedication to her studies, work ethic, and perseverance,” said ATACP Director Carol Hagar.

Around 50,000 Commended Students are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise, all of whom entered the competition by taking the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

“I think the biggest factors that contributed to my success were my parents because they always push me to do my best and set high goals and academics have always been really important to us,” Annika said. “I also think Carol and College Prep have helped me keep up with the material a lot. Mr. Rutherford and Coach Tommy have also kept me really challenged in the classroom so that has definitely helped.”

Annika is currently narrowing her college choice as she moves through her second to last high-school semester. Over the past month, she has visited Claremont McKenna College in California, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and MIT in Boston.

“I really liked all of them, but I found that campus atmosphere and student body were two things that were really important to me so I think I will be making my final decision based on those two criteria,” Annika said.

Wherever she lands, Annika is angling for a well-rounded experience in college. While medical school is the post-grad plan, a major in anything from International Studies to Business or Economics over biology or chemistry spikes her interest most at the moment.

“I want to be challenged in college of course and being in an area where there is a lot to do is important to me,” Annika said. “I’m really excited to be a little bit more independent and sort of gain my footing in the world while learning a lot and spending time with interesting and ambitious people.”

Congratulations, Annika!

ATA College Prep Students Zip Through Orientation

The 2017-2018 school year at ATA College Prep kicked off late last week with two fun-filled days of orientation. Beyond the standard class schedules and syllabus discussions, the time together was packed with everything from Woosh. Bang. Pow., to tangled human knots, to zip-lining through the Texas hill-country. Here are a few pictures from the fun.

Carol introduces the students to the rules of Woosh. Bang. Pow.

After linking each left arm to a teammate’s right arm who was not immediately next to you, the groups worked to untangle the knot of arms.

Callie, Kristin, Sydney and Jordan smile for a picture while secured to the platform at the top of a tree between lines.

Mac and Alex race through the tree tops on the longest line of the day.

Mac, Jackson, Alex, Christian, Harrison and James casually lean off of the platform as they wait for the next line.

Sophia hangs on as she repels through the trees to the next landing.

The students and teachers enjoyed two action-packed days together and are primed and ready for an amazing start to the year. Check back here for regular updates on the action in the classroom and out as the ATA College Prep year kicks off.

ATA Adds Experience, Energy With Coach Shaimaa Elsisi

The Austin Tennis Academy has hired Coach Shaimaa Elsisi as the latest addition to its standout coaching staff, CEO Jack Newman announced recently.

“Shaimaa will be an excellent addition to the ATA coaching staff,” Newman said. “She brings college coaching experience and an incredibly positive, high energy level to practice.”

Elsisi joins the ATA community after spending the past year as the Volunteer Assistant Coach at Baylor University, where she landed after moving from Florida. While in the sunshine state, Shaimaa took the court for Troy University where she competed for the Trojans and earned both her bachelors and masters degrees.

A native of Cairo, Elsisi was one of the top ranked junior players in Egypt before moving to the United States to play college tennis. She helped the Trojans to a winning record each year that she played at Troy.

“Tennis has taught me everything,” Shaimaa said. “Matches have given me mental strength, practice has given me stamina, tournaments have given me social skills, team competition has given me spirit, traveling has given me experience, participation has given me the best friendship…. tennis has given me my soul!”

After serving as a graduate assistant coach for the men’s and women’s teams at Troy, Shaimaa moved on to a head coaching position at Hillsborough Community College where she stayed until relocating to Baylor.

“I am a coach because of my passion for tennis,” Shaimaa said. “I chose to become a coach to give back to the sport, to impact my student-athletes’ lives in a positive way, to help them succeed on and off the court, and to give them the opportunity that my own coaches gave me as a student-athlete.”

That passion she mentions stems from a family full of tennis players including her sister, who is the head coach at Troy, her brother, who coaches professionally back in Egypt, but all started with her father.

Shaimaa, center, pictured with her sister and brother.

“I learned how to walk on a tennis court,” Shaimaa said. “My late father (my favorite person in the whole world) was a tennis coach and he took me to his work every day and I fell in love with tennis because of him! It was our special place! I love tennis and it’s my happy place and every time I stepped on the court in my playing years it felt like it was my first time!”

In addition to being an accomplished tennis coach and player, Elsisi is an exceptional student, earning her bachelor’s degree in sport and fitness management with a minor in recreation and her master’s degree in sports and fitness management with a concentration in sports administration. She now applies this love of learning to her students.

“As a coach, I learn everything I can about every student-athlete—not every individual responds in the same way,” Shaimaa said. “My goal is to learn what motivates them and keeps them engaged to give them the opportunity to develop their skill level in a structured learning environment that constantly challenges them while providing them with both encouragement and support.”

Off the court, Shaimaa loves traveling and visiting family and friends. She enjoys playing golf, softball, watching Disney movies with friend’s kids, and reading about nutrition and health issues.

After her first few weeks around ATA, one thing has stuck out to her that distinguishes this place from the rest.

“It’s culture! I loved it right away and I felt home the minute I walked in and I loved how welcoming everyone was right away,” Shaimaa said. “Everyone is very professional and very friendly. Kids are respectful, and they work hard on and off the court. They have great attitudes and are very coachable. The staff is great and passionate about what they do and they care about the kids on and off the court. It’s definitely a place that I can call home and family! I feel very lucky to be part of the ATA family and I’m very grateful to Coach Newman for this wonderful opportunity.”

Welcome to the ATA community, Coach Shaimaa!!

ATA College Prep Graduation 2017 – Tuesday Night

ATA College Prep – Guest Speaker Series

Throughout the year, ATA College Prep brings in guest speakers who impact our students with thoughtful words of wisdom and inspiration. Often, the stories they tell spark future studies, compassion for others, and ideas for community service projects.

Recent speakers have included: Dr. Reginald Baptiste (cardiothoracic surgeon) and Mrs. Oksana Malesheva (physicist, first generation immigrant, and entrepreneur). Both shared amazing stories about how they grew into and continue to grow in their chosen life passions.

Last Wednesday in Leadership, ATACP students heard from ATA alumnus, Carla Rosenberg, as she shared some of the lessons she learned from tennis that she utilizes in her adult life as a successful entrepreneur. Listed here are her top 15 lessons.

1. Understanding winning and losing

2. Be coachable

3. Be prepared

4. Be decisive

5. You grow the most when you are uncomfortable.

6. Develop others

7. Integrity

8. The power of adjacency

9. Step up when the occasion arises

10. Produce results

11. Everything sends a signal

12. No one is perfect

13. Be flexible

14. Do the little things really well

15. Visualization

Take a look at her full speech:

Excellence is never an accident; it is always the result of HIGH INTENTION, DETERMINED EFFORT, and SKILLED EXECUTION. ~Carla Rosenberg

The Trip to the Big Apple By ATA CP’s Harrison Chiu

The Trip to The Big Apple

By: Harrison Chiu

It is very challenging nowadays to succeed in a field which you have not had any exposure or experience in. Many recent graduates from college are currently struggling to find the jobs that they want because they don’t have any experience. What future employers really want to see in future employees is some sort of experience, record, or exposure so they can be adequately prepared to excel in that job.

Over Spring Break, Alejandro Rodriguez (another ATA College Prep Student) and I were fortunate enough to have a life-changing internship at Morgan Stanley in New York City. We were interning at the Morgan Stanley Wealth Management group called the Scotto-Sorenson Group.

We arrived on the evening of Monday, March 13th, and immediately went to dinner with our host, Mr. Trapness, father of ATA CP alum Camilla Trapness. We didn’t realize this before getting in, but there were serious warnings of an incoming blizzard that was supposed to hit Manhattan the following day. Sure enough, blizzard Stella did hit, which turned traveling to the office into a nightmare. Alejandro and I first took the subway for nine blocks of the trip, but we still had at least three more to make it. Walking in the huge blizzard and seeing everyone wearing at least five layers, some snow boots, and gloves, Alejandro and I were just a couple of freezing teenagers in suits and dress shoes trying to make it in the office by 8 AM.

We arrived at Morgan Stanley with only six other people in the office at 7:56 AM. A financial advisor from their group came to meet us in the main room, and he brought us into their office, where we met the rest of the team. Alejandro and I were asked to shadow a little bit of everyone’s job, as each person plays a different yet pivotal role on the team. We joined conference calls with hedge fund managers and people in the oil industry, and we also partook in a meeting with a smaller company presenting their business model to some of the analysts on the floor. Apart from doing usual intern things, such as going to get the team coffee and lunch, taking care of their printing and copying, and delivering checks next door, Alejandro and I got to experience the feel of a major workforce on Wall Street first hand. The experience of listening to the team deal with their clients and each other is something I would never be able to get in a classroom setting, just like Mike Scotto, leader of the team says.

The Scotto-Sorensen group is one of the biggest teams at Morgan Stanley, managing $2 billion of assets. In wealth management, their job is to take funds from clients and invest those to reach their client’s financial goals, for which they make a fee and a fraction of the returns on investment. Brokers need to know the market and have to excel at communicating with their clients. After talking with a few guys from the team like financial advisor Mark McCooey, he says that knowing how to invest for income, mastering salesmanship and having clear communication with your clients are just a few of the major skills required for the job. Alejandro and I agreed that, if we are going to work in finance, the investment side of the business seems more appealing than the brokerage side.

You never know where life may take you. Everyone in the office had a unique path that got them to where they are now. John Sorensen, the co-founder of the group, got a low-ranked job and made his way up, but it all started from his being a young intern at Morgan Stanley. Mark McCooey was working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for many years before the growth of technology drove his decision to go into Wealth Management. Jimmy Janecek, a younger financial advisor apart of the team, was a former basketball player for NYU, and he was extremely interested in sports journalism and broadcasting. After a long time of contemplation, he chose to go where he had previous experience because of an internship and started working for Morgan Stanley. Some always saw themselves working in finance, but for others, it came as a surprise.

What I take away most about the four-day internship was that no matter what, successful people surround themselves with people who can elevate their level as well as elevate the teams. A strong team camaraderie is essential. To be honest, a desk job doesn’t sound that appealing to me, but when you have a great team culture like they have, it makes the experience a much more enjoyable and efficient one. Also, as Alejandro says, he “got exposure of the inner working of the financial world and realized the social importance of the industry.” Going out for dinner together at Bobby Vans steakhouse was a tremendous experience. The atmosphere was hilarious and charismatic, but when they needed to get things done, they did. We got to meet many people, and knowing those people will “build a network which will help [us] a ton so [we] can call upon them in the future,” Alejandro says. Although they are widely known as the loudest room on the floor who break the most rules out of anyone, they define finance.

The College Process Parent Meeting: RESOURCES

Last week, ATA College Prep Director Carol Hagar and ATA CEO Jack Newman hosted a Student and Parent Meeting for anyone interested in learning more about the college process. 50plus parents and many students filled the ATA Fitness Center to hear the presentation and ask questions.

In case you missed the evening, below are copies of the documents covered throughout the presentation.

ATA College Prep grad Hunter Bleser is now competing for the University of Virginia

Admissions Process: What are colleges looking for?

[embeddoc url=”http://www.austintennisacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Admissions-Process-What-are-colleges-looking-for-Harvard-1.pdf” download=”all”]

College And The Perfect Mix:

[embeddoc url=”http://www.austintennisacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/College-and-the-Perfect-Mix-1.pdf” download=”all”]

Dating Rituals of Elite College Recruiting:

[embeddoc url=”http://www.austintennisacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Dating-Rituals-of-Elite-College-Recruiting-1.pdf” download=”all”]

NCAA Tennis Recruiting Calendar:

[embeddoc url=”http://www.austintennisacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/NCAA-Tennis-RECRUITING-CALENDAR.pdf” download=”all”]

ATA Community Celebrates Chiu, Rodriguez, Hamilton at Signing Ceremony

The Austin Tennis Academy community came together last Wednesday evening to celebrate three ATA College Prep seniors: Abigail Chiu, Alejandro Rodriguez and Wilson Hamilton.

“This is one of ATA’s most important rituals,” ATA CEO Jack Newman said.

Newman explained that these rituals serve many purposes: they help make big changes – like transitioning to college – a little more manageable, they allow for the transmission of values and beliefs from our seniors to all of the JD and JA kids sitting up front, they contribute to the program identity, and they facilitate coordination between players, families and our community.

“I am certain that Abigail Chiu sat up here when she was very young and watched signing ceremonies, just like these kids are today,” Newman said.

The evening unfolded with the community celebrating the seniors one at a time, with a pair of coaches talking on behalf of the student, followed by a speech from each of the soon-to-be graduates. The group started with Wilson Hamilton who committed to Trinity University. Coach Luka, Wilson’s primary coach, said a few words on his behalf:

After Coach Luka’s speech and another by Coach Newman, Wilson addressed the group with his own personal message:

After Wilson signed his papers, the focus switched to Alejandro Rodriguez, who committed to the University of Chicago. Here is his message to the community:

After Alej signed his papers, Coach Dio and Coach Doug Davis spoke on behalf of Abigail Chiu, who committed to Dartmouth University. Here is Abigail’s speech to the group:

After all of the memories, thank-you’s, tears, and cheers, the community stuck around to share three cakes together – each decorated with one of the three logos of the schools celebrated throughout the evening.

For three seniors whose families all moved to Austin to be able to attend the Austin Tennis Academy, there was one common thread, one lasting sentiment in the speeches – it is the people, the community, the relationships that make the Austin Tennis Academy a special place.

“Tennis is a sport that will only take you so far, and if there is one thing I learned through the process, it’s that it is not about all of the titles you win, but rather about the people you get to experience it all with. If I think back to my happiest moments, it isn’t winning a Gold ball, it was getting to play with this amazing team,” Abigail said.

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.

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