Blog – Page 10 – AUSTIN TENNIS ACADEMY

Action Shots From Around The Courts

As usual, the courts have been busy around ATA recently. Here are a few shots of the action recently. To see more pictures, head over to our Facebook page!

Emerson locks in on a forehand during a game of 105.

Coach Rowe offers some wisdom to his group during practice.

Annika loads her service motion before connecting with an ace.

Freddy prepares to attack a forehand while hitting in with the CP group.

The ATA Devastators jump for joy after a fun-filled weekend of Junior Team Tennis.

Click over to our FB page for many more pictures!

Upcoming Schedule, Events Around ATA

The school year is winding down, the weather is heating up, and Texas Sectionals ‘Summer Grand Slam’ is only a few short weeks away. Students at ATA College Prep and elsewhere are busy taking exams, giving final presentations, and putting finishing touches on papers. At the same time, they are logging crucial practice hours in preparation for the biggest junior tournament in Texas tennis.

While a rich and varied time of year for parents, student-athletes, and staff alike, it is also very full! So, here is some information to help keep track of what is happening around ATA.

MAY 28 – Memorial Day – NO CLASSES AT ATA COLLEGE PREP

MAY 29-31 – FINALS WEEK AT ATA COLLEGE PREP

JUNE 4 – ATA COLLEGE PREP GRADUATION – Check the ATA website for more details soon!

JUNE 7 – ATA END-OF-YEAR ACADEMY AWARDS PARTY (5-9pm) – RSVP to Liss Weinhold at lisa.weinhold@austintennisacademy.com

JUNE 4-8 – SUMMER GRAND SLAM TENNIS CAMP (superchamp only)

JUNE 11 – THE FIRST OF 9 WEEKS OF TENNIS CAMPS BEGIN AT ATA – Camps for all ages and levels begin this week. Click the link above to learn more!

See you at the courts!

ATACP Senior Kristin Kerrigan Earns Top Singles Ranking In Texas

Kristin Kerrigan will head off to the Air Force next fall. First, though, she wanted to accomplish a different long-time goal of hers: reaching the #1 singles ranking in Texas. As of last week, Kristin earned her spot atop the Texas singles rankings.

“While I don’t spend a lot of time focusing on my ranking, it was quite gratifying to rise to #1 in Texas for Girls 18’s, as this has been one of my main goals prior to heading off to compete for the Air Force Academy,” Kristin said.

According to her coach Jack Newman, this accomplishment is the result of consistent work logged over many years:

“Paraphrasing Vince Lombardi,

Becoming #1 in Texas is not a sometimes thing, it’s an all the time thing. You don’t reach a goal of that magnitude without years of dedicated work and practice to hone your technical, tactical, physical and mental skills. Kristin has been one of the most dedicated athletes at the Austin Tennis Academy the past five years. She has worked incredibly hard to accomplish one of her top goals before she heads off the Air Force Academy in June.”

Congratulations, KK!

Meet ATA College Prep’s Math and Science Lead Bryan Rutherford

“…teaches us with engagement and love…”

“…ensures that we understand the knowledge…”

“…makes his classes accessible and fun…”

“…has a genuine passion for the classes he teaches.”

“…an amazing science teacher…”

“…will always make time to explain things to you…”

Bryan Rutherford, ATA College Prep’s Math and Science Lead, has spent his life learning and helping others learn. From west Texas to Rice University, to Oakland and Austin, Bryan tirelessly soaks up what he can about the world and shares it with those around him.

“I have always been curious, and I’ve always really liked for things to make sense and be comprehensible,” Bryan said. “Galileo said something to the effect that “Nature is an open book, written by God, in the language of mathematics,” and that’s what appeals about the sciences to me: rigorous observation and mathematical description make the workings of the world around us understandable.”

Bryan grew up reading novels and history while playing competitive tennis as an only child in Odessa, Texas. After competing on the varsity team for his high school and reaching USTA SuperChamps, Bryan put down the racquet indefinitely and focused on school.

He graduated from his 6A high school as valedictorian, while taking fourteen AP tests along the way: English Language, English Literature, US History, European History, US Government, Microeconomics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics B, Physics C (Mechanics), Physics C (E&M), Calculus AB, Calculus BC, and Computer Science A.

“I’ve always been interested in science and engineering, but I’ve also always been interested in literature and history and lots of other things,” Bryan said. “I’d say I got the most encouragement in studying science growing up, and that sort of directed me toward college studies in scientific fields.”

For his college studies, Bryan chose Rice University in Houston. Beyond wanting to stay in Texas, Bryan liked that Rice offers the most academically rigorous undergraduate program in Texas and has a strong tradition of multiple majors.

“The most outstanding part of college in retrospect might be the community of other engaged, curious people who want to have conversations about ideas and pursue their interests deeply.”

Bryan graduated with a B.S in physics and chemistry and a B.A. in literature. He quickly transitioned into a role with Teach For America, teaching math in a public charter secondary school in Oakland, California.

“[Those two years] forced me to learn to manage a classroom and develop curriculum, and it was a good way to learn about the challenges of educating kids from backgrounds very different from my own. In my school in Oakland I got some really good professional guidance from my department head that helped me to develop my manner and attitude as a teacher, and I found that it could be a very rewarding profession.”

In 2010 the state of California’s budget was collapsing, and Bryan’s school needed to lay off some faculty. He’d always intended to eventually move back to Texas, and he had recently gotten into a long-distance relationship with the woman he’s now married to (who was still in Texas).

“So, I made the staff cuts a little easier for my school by resigning and moving to Austin, where Shaela [his now wife] was enrolling in UT to pursue her Master’s in art education,” Bryan said.

Once back in Texas, he did some freelance teaching and tutoring for a year, working at Austin Community College and with a homeschool co-op, where he worked with Marlene Yousef, who taught at ATA College Prep for a number of years.

“Marlene introduced me and Carol, and I started tutoring here in the spring of 2011 and teaching classes that fall,” Bryan said.

Bryan didn’t always know he’d want to be a teacher professionally, but he’s always tutored his classmates and peers. As an upperclassman in college he worked for Rice’s Office of Academic Advising as a Peer Academic Advisor, giving content tutoring and study and scheduling advice to underclassmen (he also occupied a similar role at his residential college), and he worked for three years as a teaching assistant in the Japanese department tutoring first- and second-year students.

“I presume that Teach For America headhunted me based on those experiences because they recruited me during my senior year. I had found that I really enjoyed working with other students as a tutor, and I was already interested in the Peace Corps and Americorps, so I gave Teach For America a try.”

These days, Bryan is midway through his 7th year with ATA College Prep leading the Math and Science departments. He lives in South Austin with his wife, Shaela, who teaches Art at ATACP, and his two daughters, Ena and Naomi.

While he has made a profession out of passing along what he has learned and how to learn it, he, too, is still exploring.

“One of my main hobbies in recent years is writing and improving articles for Wikipedia; I’ve mostly worked on scientific and historical topics and Austin landmarks. I might spend a free afternoon researching and writing an encyclopedia article on an interesting topic that doesn’t have good coverage yet. I also enjoy reading novels and taking long walks by Town Lake, when I can.”

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/

ATACP Alumni Check In – Grayson Broadus On Clinching Matches at Notre Dame

Hello ATA community,

Coach Newman asked me to share what it is like to be in a situation to clinch a match when you are the last match on. For starters, I would like to say that there is really no experience like it before college. It is a privilege as well as a responsibility to be in this situation. My sophomore year I was quite inexperienced as well as immature. I lost two matches that were the last match on so this is a lesson I learned the hard way. The feeling of disappointment is way worse than after any other match you have lost in your career. You have to watch the other team storm the court and wait to shake hands until they are done celebrating. You have also just lost the match for your team and it feels like it is all your fault that the team lost. You have just let down your teammates who are also your closest friends and have worked so hard alongside you day in and day out.

Luckily, this year has been a completely different story. I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to redeem myself. I have clinched two matches being the last match on. These situations were even more difficult because they were against the two teams that I have choked against. This added a lot more stress in the moment because the teams were chanting “just like last year” when I had match points and lost. When people are screaming this at you in between every point it is impossible not to think about when you choked. I had to constantly push the replays of some atrocious mistakes out of my head.

The only way to thrive in the situation is to absolutely embrace the situation. You have the opportunity to be the hero and live the dream of clinching a massive match. In order to do this, you must embrace the moment and externalize rather than internalize. The great part about being on a team is you have 13 other guys you can share with in between every point to get in the right frame of mind. It is absolutely essential to celebrate every point you win by sharing with your teammates. Once you have the right energy and mindset it becomes purely about trusting yourself and your game style. You can’t evaluate yourself on whether you won or lost the last point, rather you have to focus on having a plan for how you want to play each point and be excited to execute that plan over and over again. When you do this, you usually end up on the winning side and that moment when you win is the greatest feeling you will ever experience. That moment when you clinch and watch your teammates run at you and dogpile you is unparalleled. I will remember those moments for the rest of my life.

I would say one of the most valuable skills I learned at ATA were the moments before practice when we would listen to Dr. Valverde tapes. I wish I had taken those moments a bit more seriously and hadn’t slept through them so frequently…. When I get super tight I mutter under my breath “total trust” and remember the funny way Dr. Valverde would say “trust.” Then I take a deep breathe and remind myself how I want to play the next point kind of like how you are supposed to imagine yourself playing points during an alpha…

Good luck to everyone in their next tournament and college careers!

-Grayson

2018 Summer Tennis Camps Are Open! Learn More and Sign Up

2018 Summer Tennis Training Camps

This Summer, your child can take advantage of the Austin Tennis Academy’s tennis camps to progress at a rapid rate. These camps are designed to provide the greatest development of your child’s physical, mental, technical, and tactical performance levels. Sign up now for a full week or a single day!

Sessions

Summer Grand Slam Camp – June 4-8 – (SuperChamp Only)

June 11-15 (QS, Morning Camp only)
June 18-22
June 25-29
July 2-6 (we will have camp on July 4)
July 9-13
July 16-20
July 23-27
July 30- Aug 3
Aug 6-10

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

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. This camp is limited to Champ and Superchamp-level. ATA Academy players will be training at this time.

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.

ATA Alumni Player Profile – Brent Werbeck

Measuring the impact those closest to you have on your life – and yours on theirs – can be difficult. For Austin Tennis Academy alumnus Brent Werbeck, that reciprocal impact is not only front and center, it is foundational and defining. Brent’s story so far is a braid of bright, personal values, a peer-group bonded like brothers, and a bold community of coaches and parents around them.

From growing up in Austin around ATA, to college-tennis at Boise State, and now back here with his growing family and business, the backbone of Brent’s story is consistency – yes, between the lines, but more with his steady workman-like approach to life, his ability to lean on those closest to him, and his priority on offering himself back to them in service. And, yes – he’s really good at tennis as well.

“My Dad first put a racket in my hand when I was 5 years old,” Brent said. “He was my coach up until about 6th-7th grade when I started working with Jack and Eric [Schmidhauser]. From there I never really considered doing anything else.”

Brent credits his early tennis development largely to Coach Newman, who handled the bulk of his private lessons. But, the expertise of Coach Doug Davis, and the alternative approach, played a big role is his progress as well.

“The different coaching styles and areas of expertise between Jack and Doug made it possible for me to progress at a much faster rate,” Brent said. “Looking back, I believe they both really understood how to get the best out of me.”

Shortly after joining Coach Newman, Brent found through ATA what would later be coined PENTA – a peer-group of five friends who would push each other in the sport, while growing up supporting each other around it.

Brent met his wife, ATA alum Jen Wencel, through this peer group. The groomsmen in his wedding came from this peer group. The godfather of his two boys is from this peer group. He’s been employed by parents of this peer group and has employed siblings of this peer group.

“How much more can I say?” Brent said. “Some of the most important connections/relationships in my life have come out of this peer group. Yes, my peer group hands down made me a better tennis player but that pales in comparison to all the other ways they’ve been a part of my life.”

PENTA echoed Brent’s sentiments about the group generally. They also, though, revealed much of the unique attributes that Brent brought to the group.

Brent, Santiago, Adam, Ryan, and Brandon; or, PENTA

“Brent is a savage competitor on and off the court. He is the kind of guy you want in the trenches with you,” said Adam Slagter.

“Brent has always been very clear on the goals he has set in any part of his life and attacks them,” said Brandon Davis.

“Brent leans on hard work and smartly focusing on his strengths,” Santiago Montoya said. “He was more of a quiet leader type, yet he also developed an ability to communicate and inspire others.”

According to his long-time coach, this spirit and competitive edge grew out of personal experience. When Brent was a freshman in high-school, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“Going through Brent’s moms’ fight with breast cancer gave him a unique perspective on tennis,” Coach Jack Newman said. “It was a release. He felt very little pressure about winning and losing.”

Brent’s mother, Esmeralda Werbeck, ultimately lived many years beyond what was projected by the doctors. When she passed, Brent organized the 1st Esmeralda’s Run, a 5K run put on to help raise money to pay for the enormous medical bills that piled up over her years of fighting cancer. The 1st event was held just a few short days after her death.

Brent speaks to the group at the first ever Ralda’s Run

“My mom was a fighter,” Brent said.

I remember the entire ATA community rally to support me and our family during this really dark time. It was over Thanksgiving and I remember several ATA families canceling their Thanksgiving travel plans to come to this event.

It was my peer group at the ATA that helped me get through this really tough time.

Just know that everyone had my back, supported me and cared for me enough to help me keep it together.

I never felt alone or like I had to deal with it by myself. All of this is a big reason why these same people are still so important to me.”

In subsequent years, Esmeralda’s Run raised money for other local non-profits and other families in the ATA that experienced great tragedies.

As Coach Newman said, this experience had a unique impact on Brent. Also, though, Brent credits some regular occurrences embedded into the ATA program that have served him valuably. Most notably, the regular opportunities for each student to speak in front of a group, like after a successful tournament.

“I routinely think back to those early powerful moments of speaking in front of my peers at the ATA that shaped who I am today and the confidence that I bring to my work and everyday life.”

One of the key values around ATA over the years is the goal to create citizens of significance not just accomplishment. For Brent, growing into a citizen of significance has taken different forms. What hasn’t changed, though, is how it has inspired him to relentlessly pursue happiness.

“I say this because I don’t think it is possible to do or be something of significance without first being or pursuing happiness,” Brent said. “The ATA is different because it is so much more than tennis. It really is about being significant and being/pursuing something greater than tennis excellence.

I want to be a good husband and significant in my wife’s life.

I want to be a great father and significant in the lives of our two boys.

My wife – our kids -our family – this is what brings me happiness.

By pursuing and doing things that allow me to spend time with my family, I continue to find happiness and put myself in a position to be and do things that are significant.

I don’t think I would have that kind of clarity or perspective without the ATA and Jack.

That makes the ATA different.”

Today, Brent lives in Austin with his wife and their two boys, Levi and Lex (6 and 4). After spending a few years at Google and a few startups around Austin, Brent started his own business about a year and half ago called Get More Reviews. They work with small to medium-sized businesses that want to get more online reviews on places like Google, Facebook and Yelp.

“I have an amazing and beautiful wife who loves me and takes care of me and 2 boys who are growing up really fast. They’re both really getting into sports and starting to really love tennis as well.

“Life is absolutely amazing right now. I’m happy and couldn’t ask for more.”

CATA Awards Banquet Will Honor ATA Coach Chad Loup, Roger Chou

The Capital Area Tennis Association’s 23rd annual awards banquet will honor deserving junior tennis players and coaches from 2017-2018.

This year, Coach Chad Loup will be honored as the Capital Area Tennis Association 10&Under Coach Of The Year.

“I’m humbled to receive the 10 and under award because I feel as though there are many great and passionate coaches at ATA, and all over Austin,” Coach Loup said. “I am very thankful to Coach Newman and our team at ATA for allowing to step in and work with such a great collection of coaches and players. The past year has been a whirlwind, and it is great to be recognized by the community for our work.”

ATA senior Academy player Roger Chou will be honored as the CATA Male Player Of The Year.

“Roger Chou is an extremely accomplished player,” said Brandon Davis. “If you ever get to watch him play it is incredibly fun to see the skill and athleticism he has on the court. He is a very deserving winner of the CATA Player of the Year.”

Join us in attending the banquet and celebrating Coach Chad and Roger! The fun begins on April 29th, 5:30 – 8pm.

Learn more and sign up here: https://www.austintennis.org/junior-programs/cata-annual-junior-awards-banquet/

JD Student Carly Krothe Writes About Glimmer, Wins National Award

ATA Junior Development student Carly Krothe was recently awarded 1st place in the USA of all 4th and 5th graders for her essay about A Glimmer of Hope. Carley is a 5th grader at Serene Hills Elementary.

InvestWrite is an innovative, financially based, national writing competition, produced by The Stock Market Game program, that adds a critical thinking component to help reinforce concepts learned in the classroom.

The essay assignment: Imagine you volunteer at a nonprofit organization to manage their money, help it grow and protect it from risk. What would your nonprofit organization support and why is this important to you? How would you invest their money in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds? How would you diversify these investments?

Carly was awarded first place in the nation for Grades 4-5 at Serene Hills Elementary on Monday, February 26. Her first exposure to A Glimmer of Hope and its work came when she participated in a Walk for Water and heard Glimmer founder Donna Berber speak.

2018 Spring Break Tennis Training Camps

This Spring Break, your child can take advantage of the Austin Tennis Academy’s tennis camps to progress at a rapid rate. These camps are designed to provide the greatest development of your child’s physical, mental, technical, and tactical performance levels. Sign up now for a full week or a single day!

Sessions

March 12-16, 2018